206 CAPTAIN CARTWRIGHT'S 



this morning, and informed me, that just before he 

 came off, a bitch white-bear with two cubs of this 

 year came upon the point where liis tent was 

 pitched, and got into his skiff to search for fish, 

 the blood of which they winded; the bitch then 

 walked on for Muddy Bav, but the cubs loitered 

 behind. He got between them and her, and fired 

 at one of them, being afraid to attack their dam; 

 his imprudence was near being fatal to him; for 

 she immediately turned about and made at him, 

 but on his rmming away, and the cubs joining her 

 unhurt, she was contented, and pursued her in- 

 tended route. Wlienever a man meets with a 

 white-bear and cubs, he ought either to kill the 

 dam, or let them all alone ; otherwise his own life 

 will be in great danger. I had given captain Scott 

 that advice before, but: I will engage he will not 

 slight it a second time, for I never knew one who 

 did. 



Wednes., August 14, 1776. We unloaded the 

 Otter; and in the afternoon I took all hands, ex- 

 cept the cooper, up to the salmon-leap: we fished 

 in the stream below the rattle, and also in the 

 lower pool, and killed seventy-eight fish. As this 

 work is very fatiguing and wet, and the flies bite 

 most intolerably, I took a tierce of porter for the 

 people, which they made rather too free with; and 

 the consequence was, that the taylor was near 

 being drowned. We left the net at swing, in the 

 lower pool. 



A clear hot day. 



Tuesday, Septemher 3. 1776. Jack killed a cur- 



