on and helping those who were tired. He alone showed no signs of fatigue.
Peace-Renown observed him with a mingling of wonder and admiration whenever he chanced to pass by her. Although she had certainly seen many brave and sturdy young men, she had never met anyone like Maxim who combined within his person not only the robust vigor of a peasant worker but also the intelligence and capabilities of a leader.
There was a sudden crackling of dry twigs and out from behind a pile of branches jumped a grizzly. At first he ran on all fours, but perceiving his enemies, he reared up on his hind legs, seized a storm-uprooted sapling in his forepaws and swinging it around him advanced menacingly, growling intermittently. Directly in front of him in the line of march were two mountain boyars who had been the most loudly boastful, anxious to show off before the company how much they knew.
Seeing the dreadful enemy so close to them, they trembled and blanched with dismay, but were ashamed to run and hide. They had to face the situation no matter what the outcome might be. Two arrows from two bows shot out at once. One missed, whistling by the bear’s ears and the other struck the beast’s side, not wounding as much as enraging him.
Taking a mighty leap into the air, the bear flung his weapon, the beech tree, at one of his assailants, just missing him and striking a tree near-by a glancing blow.
Without pausing even a moment to give the hunters time to reflect on their next move, the bear lunged towards the one who stood in the center of his beaten path. A javelin gleamed in the trembling hand of one of the boyars as he made ready to throw it.
“Don’t!” warned Maxim commandingly, running towards them, followed by Tuhar Wolf and another boyar. “Don’t throw it, but get ready to defend yourself with a spear at closer range.”
12
