216 CAPTAIN CARTWRIGHT'S 



[On the 17th of June the}^ reached Table Ba}^ 

 near Sandwich Bay.] 



On drawing near North Point, I had the yawl 

 hoisted out, and went off to the small island, which 

 lies a mile and a half south by east from thence, 

 in order to shoot ducks and gather eggs. An old 

 white bear and her cub, had already taken pos- 

 session of it for the latter purpose; and on my 

 arrival within a hundred yards of the shore, the 

 old lady appeared disposed to dispute my landing : 

 but I soon settled that point, by sending a ball 

 through her heart, and then landed and killed her 

 cub also. Notwithstanding both bears were shot 

 through the centre of their hearts, the bitch ran 

 three hundred yards, and the cub at least a hun- 

 dred before they dropped. As a great surf broke 

 upon the shore, it was with difficulty that one man 

 and I landed; and we were not able to do any- 

 thing more with the bears, than merely to paunch 

 them. I shot seven ducks, while my man gathered 

 above two hundred eggs; we then re-embarked 

 and followed the ship, which we overtook at nine 

 o'clock: presently after, she was obliged to let go 

 an anchor off the east end of Ledge Island; be- 

 cause, so thick a fog coming on, together with 

 night, that we durst not attempt to proceed into 

 a harbour, which none of us had even yet seen; 

 an original chart of Lane's, being all that we had 

 to go by. 



Wednes., June 18, 1777. We weighed at day- 

 light this morning, and presently came to an an- 

 chor in South Harbour, where we moored also. 



