XVlli 
INTRODUCTION'. 
ourfelves at too great a diftance from them, and 
difcovering that' we mufc openly fhow ourfelves, wc 
had no other alternative to effiedt our purpofe, hut 
making oblique approaches. We gained gradually 
on our prey by this artifice, without their noticing 
us : finding ourfelves near enough, the hunter fired, 
■and laid the larged: dead on the fpot where hie 
flood ; when prefently the other, not fee ruing the 
lead motel at the report of our piece, approached 
the dead body, fmelled, and pawed it, and ap- 
pearing in agony, fell to weeping and looking up- 
wards, then towards us, and cried out like a child. 
'Whild our boat approached very near, the hunter 
was loading his rifle in order to fhcot the furvivor, 
which was a young cub, and the (lain fuppofed to 
be the dam. The continual cries ot this affiidled 
child, bereft of its parent, a defied me very fe-nfibly; 
I was moved with companion, and charging myfelf 
as if acceffary to what now appeared to be a cruel 
murder, endeavoured to prevail on the hunter to 
five its life, but to no efredl ! for by habit he had 
become infenfible to companion towards the brute 
creation : being now within a few yards of the 
harmiefs devoted viflim, he fired, and laid it dead 
upon the body of the dam. 
If we beftow but verv little attention to the 
j 
economy of the animal creation, we fhall find ma- 
nifefl examples of premeditation, perfeverance, re- 
folution, and confummate artifice, in order to effedl 
their purpofes. The next morning, after the (laughter 
of the bears, whilft my companions were finking 
our tent, and preparing to re-embark, I refolved to 
make a little botanical excuriion alone : eroding 
over a narrow iithmus of fand hills, which feparated 
the river from the ocean, I pafifed over a pretty 
high hill, its fummit creiled with a few palm trees, 
Unrounded 
