212 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



August 1. — At two this morning the 

 hunters returned with two small deer and a 

 brown bear. Augustus and Junius arrived 

 at the same time, having traced the river 

 twelve miles further up, without discover- 

 ing any vestige of inhabitants. We had 

 now an opportunity of gratifying our curi- 

 osity respecting the bear so much dreaded 

 by the Indians, and of whose strength and 

 ferocity we had heard such terrible ac- 

 counts. It proved to be a lean male of a 

 yellowish brown colour, and not longer than 

 a common black bear. It made a feeble 

 attempt to defend itself, and was easily de- 

 spatched. The flesh was brought to the 

 tent, but our fastidious voyagers supposing, 

 from its leanness, that the animal had been 

 sickly, declined eating it ; the officers, how- 

 ever, being less scrupulous, boiled the 

 paws, and found them excellent. 



We embarked at ten A.M., and proceed- 

 ing down the river, took on board another 

 deer that had been killed by Credit last 

 evening. We then ran along the eastern 

 shore of Arctic Sound, distinguished by the 



