1853.] ANOTHER BEAR HUNT. 313 



wo discovered his friend gradually working a traverse 

 towards us, but evidently very shy -. at length we deter- 

 mined to try and circumvent him by ambush, taking ad- 

 vantage, Indian fashion, of every hummock intervening, 

 to steal upon him. Presently I became tired, and as he 

 had caught a glimpse of me, and exhibited a disposition 

 to bolt, I tried my distance with a ball : he whistled in 

 his peculiar way, as much as to say, " This is not plea- 

 sant," a sort of twinge of the gout, etc. Punch was 

 now loosed, and closed in the most scientific manner, 

 keeping him at bay in admirable style. Bruin was not 

 quite in command of his limbs, wounded probably by 

 the doctor and touched up by me ; he began to think of 

 intrenching himself, and, finding a convenient hummock, 

 albeit at an angle above 45, backed up: thus enabling 

 him to keep Punch completely in front, and prevent any 

 annoyance in rear, but occasionally casting a very sus- 

 picious look over his shoulder, and, I suspect, detected 

 Lyall or myself getting too near. I was within shot, 

 and waited only for a clear view of him, when he backed 

 to the summit and clearly saw me. He also was evi- 

 dently up to our tactics : bolting down, and keeping the 

 hummock between us, was far away before I was able 

 to regain sight of him. Punch followed, giving tongue 

 enough to frighten all the bears in this region. We re- 

 treated, and right glad was I to get back ; these excur- 

 sions, after ten hours' travel, take the com'age down 

 amazingly. Punch made the circuit of the island, com- 

 ing in quite as much refreshed as if he had stolen an- 

 other mass of pemmican. Fine gentlemanly breed, those 

 Cape York dogs ! proud as Lucifer. Our place of en- 

 campment exhibited traces of three bears, male, female, 



