LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
313 
cook. At this time the people were all at dinner, no one being* 
required to keep the deck, in the then immoveable condition of 
the ship; a hardy fellow, who first looked out, perceiving the 
bear so near, imprudently jumped upon the ice, armed only with 
a handspike, with a view, it is supposed, of gaining all the 
honour of the exploit of securing so fierce a visitor by himself, 
but the bear regardless of such weapons, and sharpened probably 
by hunger, disarmed his antagonist and seizing him by the 
back with his powerful jaws, carried him off with such celerity 
that on his dismayed comrades rising from their meal and look¬ 
ing abroad, he was so far beyond their reach as to defy their 
pursuit. 
A circumstance communicated by Capt. Munroe of the Nep¬ 
tune, of rather a humourous nature as to the result, arose out of 
an equally imprudent attack made on a bear in the Greenland 
Fishery, by a seaman employed in one of the Hull whalers. 
The ship was moored to a piece of ice, on which at a consider¬ 
able distance a large bear was observed prowling about for prey. 
One of the ship’s company emboldened by an artificial courage, 
derived from the free use of rum, which in his economy he had 
stored for special occasions, undertook to pursue and attack the 
bear that was within view. Armed only with a whale lance, 
he resolutely and against all persuasion set out on his adventurous 
exploit. A fatiguing journey of about half a league over a yielding 
surface of snow and rugged hummocks brought him within a 
few yards of the enemy, which to his surprise undauntedly 
faced him, and seemed to invite him to the combat. His courage 
being by this time greatly subdued, partly by evaporation of 
the stimulus, and partly by the undismayed and even threaten¬ 
ing aspect of the bear, he levelled his lance in an attitude either 
for offensive or defensive action, and stopped ; the bear also stood 
still; in vain the adventurer tried to rally his courage to make 
the attack ; his enemy was too formidable and his appearance too 
imposing. In vain also he shouted, advanced his lance, and 
made points of attack ; the enemy either not understanding or 
despising such unmanliness, obstinately stood his ground; 
already the limbs of the sailor began to quiver, but the fear of 
14. 2 s 
