PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 63 



times to the disadvantage of the bear, who is half dead chap. 

 with exhaustion, but in the end ahnost always proves *«— v— 

 fatal to the bull. It is remarkable that all the bears Pi"; 



1826. 



endeavour to seize the bull by the tongue, for which 

 purpose they spring upon his head or neck and first 

 grapple with his nose, until the pain compels the bull 

 to roar, when his adversary instantly seizes his tongue, 

 pierces it with his sharp talons, and is sure of victory. 

 These battles were the everlasting topic of conversa- 

 tion with the Californians, who indeed have very little 

 else to talk about, and they all agreed as to the man- 

 ner of the fatal termination of the spectacle. 



Subjoined is a spirited sketch of a Californian las- 

 soing a bull, taken from life by Mr. Smyth, in which 

 the method, as well as the costume of the natives is 

 admirably delineated. The lasso, though now almost 

 entirely confined to Spanish America, is of very great 

 antiquity, and originally came from the east. It was 

 used by a pastoral people who were of Persian descent, 

 and of whom 8,000 accompanied the army of Xerxes.* 



By Christmas-day we had all remained sufficiently 

 long in the harbour to contemplate our departure 

 without regret : the eye had become familiar to the 

 picturesque scenery of the bay, the pleasure of the 

 chase had lost its fascination, and the roads to the 

 mission and presidio were grown tedious and insipid. 

 There was no society to enliven the hours, no incidents 

 to vary one day from the other, and to use the ex- 

 pression of Donna Gonzales, California appeared to be 

 as much out of the world as Kamschatka. 



On the 26th, being ready for sea, I was obliged to 

 relinquish the survey of this magnificent port, which 



* Rennell on the 20 Satrapies of Darius Hystaspes, p. 287. 



