Early History — Lewis and Clark 15 



Their note of April 29, 1805, is as follows: 

 "Captain Lewis, who was on shore with one hunter, 

 met, about eight o'clock, two white bears. Of the strength 

 and ferocity of this animal the Indians had given us dread- 

 ful accounts. They never attack him but in parties of 

 six or eight persons, and even then are often defeated with 

 a loss of one or more of their party. Having no weapons 

 but bows and arrows, and the bad guns with which the 

 traders supply them, they are obliged to approach very 

 near to the bear. As no wound, except through the head 

 or heart, is mortal, they frequently fall a sacrifice if they 

 miss their aim. He rather attacks than avoids a man, 

 and such is the terror which he has inspired, that the 

 Indians who go in quest of him paint themselves and per- 

 ^ form all the superstitious rites customary when they make 

 war on a neighboring nation, 



"Hitherto, those bears we had seen did not appear 

 desirous of encountering us; but although to a skilful 

 rifleman the danger is very much diminished, yet the 

 white bear is a terrible animal. On approaching these 

 two, both Captain Lewis and the hunter fired and each 

 wounded a bear. One of them made his escape. The 

 other turned upon Captain Lewis and pursued him seventy 

 or eighty yards, but being badly wounded the bear could 

 not run so fast as to prevent him from reloading his piece, 

 which he again aimed at him, and a third shot from the 

 hunter brought him to the ground. He was a male, not 

 quite full-grown, and weighed about three hundred 

 pounds. The legs are somewhat longer than those of the 

 black bear and the talons and tusks much longer. Its 

 color is a yellowish brown; the eyes are small, black, and 



