THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
303 
beft building either in this town, or in that of St. Peter and 1779. 
St. Paul. It is ornamented with many paintings, particu- , Septmber ; 
larly with two pictures of St. Peter and St. Paul, prefented 
by Beering; and which, in the real richnefs of their dra¬ 
pery, would carry off the prize from the firft of our Eu¬ 
ropean performances; for all the principal parts of it are 
made of thick plates of folid filver, fattened to the canvafs, 
and falhioned into the various foldings of the robes with 
which the figures were clothed. 
The next day, I fet on foot another hunting party, and Monday 27. 
put myfelf under the direction of the Clerk of the parifh, 
who was a celebrated bear-hunter. We arrived, by fun-fet, 
at the fide of one of the larger lakes. The next ftep was to 
conceal ourfelves as much as poflible; and this we were 
able to do very effectually, among fome long grafs and 
brulh-wood, that grew clofe to the water’s edge. We had 
not lain long in arnbulh, before we had the pleafure to hear 
the growlings of bears in different parts round about us ; 
and our expectations were foon gratified, by the fight of 
one of them in the water, which feemed to be fwimming 
directly to the place where we lay hid. The moon, at this 
time, gave a confiderable light; and when the animal had 
advanced about fifteen yards, three of us fired at it, pretty 
nearly at the fame time. The beaft immediately turned 
fhort on one fide, and fet up a noife, which could not pro¬ 
perly be called roaring, nor growling, nor yelling, but was 
a mixture of all three, and horrible beyond defcription. We 
plainly faw that it was feverely wounded, and that with dif¬ 
ficulty it gained the bank, and retreated to fome thick 
bufhes at a little diftance. It ftill continued to make the 
fame loud and terrible noife; and though the Kamtfchadales 
were perfuaded it was mortally wounded, and could get no 
farther, 
