424 THE BEAR THE VICTOR. 



perfectly retained my senses the whole time, my feelings, 

 whilst in this horrible situation, are beyond the power of 

 description. But at length the incessant attacks of my gal- 

 lant little dog drew the beast's attention from me, and I had 

 the satisfaction to see him retreat, though at a very slow 

 pace, into the adjoining thicket, where he was at once lost 

 to view. 



Immediately after he left me I arose, and applied snow 

 by the handful to my head, to stanch the blood which was 

 flowing from it in streams. I lost a very large quantity, 

 and the bear not a little, so that the snow all around the 

 scene of conflict was literally deluged with gore. 



From the wretched state of the snow and the distance, 

 my comrades did not join me until a minute or two after 

 my antagonist had retreated, and when I was on my legs 

 bathing my wounds. Elg, whom I had called twice by 

 name at the instant the bear was about to close with me, had 

 no idea I was in jeopardy, but merely that I required his aid 

 in killing the beast. Under any circumstances, it would have 

 been impossible for him to have rescued me ; for at the time of 

 the mishap he was considerably below on the hill-side, which 

 was precipitous ; and a dense brake, moreover, intervened. 

 When therefore he came to the spot, and saw the blood on 

 the snow, he, without noticing the state I was in, looked 

 about him and inquired for the carcase of the bear ; and 

 was taken a good deal aback when he found that in this 

 instance it was the beast, and not myself, that had proved 

 the victor. 



At first, from the pain of my wounds, and the weakness 

 consequent on loss of blood, which ran from my head so as 

 almost to blind me, I thought myself much more hurt than 



