THE DIVIDING LINE. 79 



happen in a far journey, had furnished himself with plasters of strong glue 

 spread pretty thick. We laid on these, after making them running hot, 

 which, sticking fast, never fell off till the sore was perfectly healed. In the 

 mean time it defended the part so well, that the saddle might bear upon it 

 without danger of further injury. 



9th. We reckoned ourselves now pretty well out of the latitude of bears, to 

 the great grief of most of tiie company. There was still mast enough left in the 

 woods to keep the bears from drawing so near to the inhabitants. «They like not 

 the neighbourhood of merciless man, till famine compels them to it. They are 

 all black in this part of the world, and so is their dung, but it will make linen 

 white, being tolerably good soap, without any preparation but only drying. 

 These bears are of a moderate size, whereas within the polar circles they are 

 white, and much larger. Those of the southern parts of Muscovy are of a 

 russet colour, but among the Samoeids, as well as in Greenland and Nova- 

 Zembla, they are as white as the snow they converse with, and by some 

 accounts are as large as a moderate ox. The excessive cold of that climate 

 sets their appetites so sharp, that they will attack a man without ceremony, 

 and even climb up a ship's side to come at him. They range about and are 

 very mischievous all the time the sun is above the horizon, which is something 

 more than five months ; but after the sun is set for the rest of the year, they 

 retire into holes, or bury themselves under the snow, and sleep away the 

 dark season without any sustenance at all. It is pity our beggars and pick- 

 pockets could not do the same. 



Our journey this day was above twelve miles, and more than half the way 

 terribly hampered with bushes. We tired another horse, which we were 

 obliged to leave two miles short of where we encamped, and indeed several 

 others were upon the careen almost every step. Now we wanted one of 

 those celebrated musicians of antiquity, who, they tell us, among many other 

 wonders of their art, could play an air which, by its animating briskness, 

 would make a jaded horse caper and curvet much better than any whip, spur, 

 or even than swearing. Though I fear our poor beasts were so harassed that 

 it would have been beyond the skill of Orpheus himself so much as to make 

 them prick up their ears. For proof of the marvellous power of music 

 among the ancients, some historians say, that one of those skilful masters 

 took upon him to make the great Alexander start up from his seat, and handle 

 his javelin, whether he would or not, by the force of a sprightly tune, which 

 he knew how to play to him. The king ordered the man to bring his instru- 

 ment, and then fixing himself firmly in his chair, and determining not to stir, 

 he bade him strike up as soon as he pleased. The musician obeyed, and pre- 

 sently roused the hero's spirits with such warlike notes, that he was constrain- 

 ed, in spite of all his resolution, to spring up and fly to his javelin with great 

 martial fury. We can the easier credit these profane stories by what we 

 find recorded in the oracles of truth, where we are told the wonders David 

 performed by sweetly touching his harp. He made nothing of driving the 

 evil spirit out of Saul, though a certain rabbi assures us he could not do so 

 much by his wife, Michal, when she happened to be in her airs. The great- 

 est instance we have of the power of modern music is that which cures 

 those who in Italy are bitten by the little spider called the tarantula. The 

 whole method of which is performed in the following manner. In Apulia 

 it is a common misfortune for people to be bitten by the tarantula, and most 

 about Taranto and Gallipoli. This is a gray spider, not very Jarge, with a 

 narrow streak of white along the back. It is no wonder there are many of 

 these villanous insects, because, by a ridiculous superstition it is accounted 

 great inhumanity to kill them. They believe, it seems, that if the spider come 

 to a violent death, all those who had been bitten by it will certainly have a 



