304 HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 



my ritie quickly as the distance between us lessened. A 

 wide, open channel, liowever, interposed between us, — too 

 broad for my crazy make-shift of a boat or for a shot 

 accurate enough to kill. But tlie natives with me had 

 their tiny canoes, and, without so much as by-your-leave, 

 launched them and paddled toward the hoped-for prize. 

 They sat upon the bottom of their frail crafts, with their 

 limbs stretched out under the deck, while a double-bladed 

 paddle supplied the motive power. Beside each lay a 

 long javelin barljed with iron. These hardy fellows 

 paddled in good order toward the other side. When 

 almost there, the bear made a wild leap upon the nearest 

 canoe, overturning it and drowning its occupant like a 

 rat. A second Esquimau, who came to his aid, met a 

 similar fate, his skull being broken by a blow from her 

 formidable paw. 



" The circle of foes thus broken, the bear might again 

 have escaped ; but her maternal instincts called her to 

 the aid of her little ones, and turning quickly to look 

 for them, she found herself face to face with two more 

 enemies, and without the chance to meet and defeat them 

 separately. They took advantage of this, and plied their 

 spears from opposite sides, tingeing the icy waters with 

 her life's blood, and killing her in sight of her little ones. 

 The four natives left then raised the huge carcass on 

 theiy canoes and brought it with rejoicing to the shore, 

 on which we stood spectators of the cruel hunt ; for, to 

 me at least, the sympathy was all with the game." 



