HUNTING THE POLAR BEAR. 101 



kept on. This fortunately excited the bear's attention. Ha 

 stopped, pawed it, bit it, and then renewed the chase. Again 

 he was at the heels of the panting seaman, who, conscious of the 

 favorable effects of the lance, dropped one of his mittens. The 

 stratagem succeeded ; and while bruin stopped to examine it, the 

 fugitive, improving the interval, again made considerable progress 

 ahead. Still the bear resumed the pursuit with a most provoking 

 perseverance, except when arrested by another mitten ; and 

 finally, by a hat, which he tore to shreds between his fore-teeth 

 and paws, and would, no doubt, soon have made the incautious 

 adventurer his victim, who was now rapidly losing strength, but 

 for the prompt and well-timed assistance of his ship-mates, who. 

 observing that the affair had assumed a dangerous aspect, sallied 

 out to his rescue. The little phalanx opened him a passage, and 

 then stood to receive his bold assailant. Though now beyond the 

 reach of his adversary, the dismayed fugitive continued onwards, 

 impelled by his fears, until he fairly reached the shelter of his 

 ship. The bear once more came to a stand, and for a moment 

 seemed to survey his enemies with all the consideration of an 

 experienced general, when, finding them too numerous for a hope 

 of success, he very wisely wheeled about, and succeeded in 

 making a safe and honorable retreat." 



Whether the bear would, in this case, have fled from the sailor, 

 if the latter had at once gone boldly in with his weapon, instead 

 of pausing in fear and brandishing it, is not known ; and there are 

 no doubt instances in which the bear does attack a man, though 

 he grand object of attraction for him is carrion and offal. It is 

 he flesh of the seal, the odour of which becomes very rank, 

 which allures him to the huts of the northern people, just as it is 

 the larder, and not the people which attracts ^the black bear of 

 America to the habitations of the back settlers ; and the instances 

 in which he attacks the people or their domestic animals are few, 

 and confined to those times at whicn his proper food fails. 



From the nature of their food, the flesh of the polar bear is 

 more rank and fishy, and less agreeable to the, taste than that of 

 the land bears, though, with the exception of the liver, which has 



