Chachak stood at the fire, warming his back, and did not join in the conversation. His daughter, a young and rather pretty girl, placed a few white china tea-cups and saucers on the table, and the usual Yakut entertainment began: tea with milk and cold refreshments, followed later by a hot supper with fish. Although the offer of meat was very tempting, and we were rather hungry, we were not equal to tasting all the dishes set before us. Chachak noticed this at once, and attacked me about it with his wonted brusqueness. 'You aren't eating? You've had enough? What's this new fashion of going to pay visits without being hungry? You Slavs eat like birds when you go to people's houses, but you go home and call out: "Wife, the samovar; put the saucepan on the fire,--I'm hungry." You're disgraceful!' They all began to laugh, the old man no less than the rest. A general conversation was started, at first about different countries and customs, but soon reverting to burning local questions. 'What's wrong with Andshay? He's in trouble. There's no trace of his boy.' 'None?' 'A pity! He was a sturdy lad!' 'Have they found nothing?' 'No. All the neighbours have been out to search; they've searched the lakes, they've searched the wood, they've been searching for a whole week. But there's nothing,--nothing.' 'Ah!--sure to be a bear. They say one appeared in the valley; Kecherges saw him,' muttered the fisherman, who had arrived with me. At the word, 'bear,' Chachak, who was standing by the fire, silently playing with his fingers, suddenly looked up. Everyone stopped talking, and involuntarily turned towards him. His old wife nervously tried to change the subject. 'A bear! Where was he seen?' Chachak asked quickly in a low tone, sitting down on the bench. 'Oh! Who can tell? Perhaps it wasn't one either,' the fisherman answered hesitatingly. 'A bear,--depend upon it!' Chachak said slowly. 'They have found neither flesh nor clothes:--"He" usually buries the remains of his prey in the ground,--"He" even scrapes the blood off. That's just what "He" does. You say Kecherges saw "Him?"' he again asked the fisherman. 'Lies!' the latter answered evasively. 'Oh! "He"'s clever, "He"'s sly and revengeful! Andshay must have done something to "Him" in order to be able to boast of it, or to have something to talk about. "He" remembers insults a long time, that's why "He" has carried the boy off. Although "He" lives far away, "He" hears in the mountains and forest quite well what we are saying here, and understands like a man,--better than a man! Who knows what "He" is? Skin "Him," and you will see how like a woman "He" is. But "He"'s revengeful,--and terribly fierce,' Chachak added, looking down. '"He" doesn't forgive!'