174 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
bear, who suddenly appeared round a point close 
to where the men, in charge of the second mate, S., 
were filling up the water-casks. S. fired, wound¬ 
ing the bear, which ran up the steep sides of the 
bluff, 100 feet or more high. S. and three or four 
of the sailors, the latter armed with axes and clubs? 
followed up the bear, and when they reached the 
top, and entered the low scrub pine which grew 
there, the animal suddenly stood up on his hind-legs 
within a few feet of them. Without putting his 
rifle to his shoulder, S. pulled the trigger, and then 
the lot ran to the edge of the cliff, where one man 
threw himself over, rolling head over heels down the 
steep slope from top to bottom. I had been along 
the beach to the westward, but, hearing the firing, 
returned just in time to see what looked like a 
bundle of clothes roll down from the top of the bluff. 
Seeing the bear did not follow them, they cautiously 
returned, and found him dead, the chance shot fired 
by the mate having entered his throat and broken 
his neck. We killed another bear shortly after, 
and saw several more. A “ school ” of walrus was 
also seen near the vessel. The next day we left, 
and ran over towards Bering Island. On the 29th 
we lowered boats and pulled along the coast of 
that island near the south end, landing and capturing 
two young blue foxes, which we took on board. 
The weather was very foggy. We knocked about 
near the coast, sailing to the northward and then 
along the north coast of the island. When off the 
latter, on August 3, the scent and roaring of seals 
wafted off to the schooner indicated the proximity 
of a rookery. Lowering boats, we pulled towards 
the direction of the sound, and came upon an im- 
