A88 
bottom, and come up again at seven- 
ty or eighty yards distance. Otbers 
again were walking along the shore ; 
some were going to the woods, and 
others coming out. I had not sat 
there long, ere my attention was 
diverted, from the variety of objects 
which at first presented themselves, 
to an enormous old dog-bear, which 
came out of some alder-bushes on 
my right, and was walking slowly 
towards me, with his eyes fixed on 
the ground, and his nose not far 
from it; at the same time he pre- 
sented a fair forehead to me. I 
turned myself round to front him, 
drew up my feet to elevate my 
knees, on which [ rested my elbows, 
and in that position suffered him to 
come within five yards of me before 
I drew the trigger; when I placed 
my ball in the centre of his skull, 
and killed him dead: but as the 
shore was a flat reclining rock, he 
rolled round until he fell into the 
river ; from the edge of which, he 
dropped at least four yards. 
** On casting my eyes around, I 
perceived another beast of equal 
size, raised half out of the water. 
He no sooner discovered me than 
he- made towards me as fast as he 
could swim. As I was not then 
prepared to receive him, I ran into 
the woods to makeready my unerr- 
ing rifle. Whilst I was employed 
in that operation, he dived and 
brought up a salmon; which he re- 
peatedly tossed up a yard or two in 
the air, and, letting it fall into the 
water, weuld dive and bring it up 
again. In this manner he diverted 
himself for some time, falling slow- 
ly down with the stream until he 
was shut out from my sight, by some 
bushes, which grew a little lower 
down. Being now ready, I advanc- 
ed to the attack, and presently per- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1702. 
ceived him standing in the water 
with his fore-paws upon a rock, de- 
vouring the salmon. I crept through 
the bushes until I came opposite to: 
him, and finding myself then with- 
in fifty yards, I interrupted his re- 
past, by sending a ball through his 
‘head; it entered a little above his 
left eye, went out at the root of his 
right ear, and knocked him over; 
he\then appeared tobe in the ago- 
nies of death for some time; but 
at last recovered sufficiently to land 
on my side of the river, and to stag- 
ger into the woods; where I found 
he bled so copious a stream, that it: 
was impossible he ‘could go far. 
Captain Kettle and his assistants had 
now finished their work, and joined 
me a second time; and as I wished 
them to skin the other bear, I sent 
them to him for that purpose. 
“* Never in my life did I regret the 
want of ammunition so much as on 
this day, as I was by the failure in- 
terrupted in the finest sport that 
man ever had. I usually’ carried 
fourteen balls in the box which is 
in the butt of my rifle, exclusive of’ 
the load; besides a couple of bags, 
tied to my bandoleer, for the use of 
my double barrel; one containing 
six balls, and the other shot. But 
this morning, I had inadvertently 
neglected to replenish the box, 
which bad only seven balls in. it, 
and had left my bandoleer with the 
bags in the boat, as 1 mentioned 
before ; otherwise Iam certain that © 
I could with great ease have killed 
four or five brace more. They were 
in such plenty, that I counted thirty- 
two white bears, and three black 
ones;—but there were certainly 
many more, as they generally retire 
into*the woods to sleep, after mak- 
ing an hearty meal; and they could 
not be long in doing that here, 
the 
