the general filled both glasses,and said god makes some men poets. some he makes kings ,some beggars. me he made a hunter. my hand was made for the trigger,my father said, he was a very rich man with a guarter of a million acres in the crimea, and he was an ardent sportsman. when I was only five years old he gave me a little hun,specially made in Moscow for me,to shoot sparrows with. when I shot some of his prize turkeys with it, he did not punish me; he complimented me on my marksmanship. I killed my first bear in the caucasus when I was ten.my whole life has been one prolonged hunt. I went into the army --it was expected of noblemen's sone--and for a time commanded a division of cossack cavalry, but my real interest was always the hunt. I have hunted every land. it would be impossible for me to tell you how many animals I have killed.