THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
3 Q 5 
load a mufquet four or five times; and, what is more mate¬ 
rial, if the bear be not rendered incapable of purfuit by the ^ 
firft fhot, the confequences are often fatal. He immediately 
makes toward the place from whence the noife and fmoke 
iffue, and attacks his adverfaries with great fury. It is im- 
poflible for them to reload, as the animal is feldom at more 
than twelve or fifteen yards diftance, when he is fired at: fo 
that, if he does not fall, they immediately put themfelves 
in a pofture to receive him upon their fpears; and their 
fafety greatly depends on their giving him a mortal ftab, as 
he firft comes upon them. If he parries the thruft (which, 
by the extraordinary ftrength and agility of their paws, they 
are often enabled to do), and thereby breaks in upon his ad¬ 
verfaries, the conflict becomes very unequal, and it is well if 
the life of one of the party alone fuffice to pay the forfeit. 
There are two feafons of the year when this diverfion, or 
occupation, as it may be rather called, is more particularly 
dangerous : in the fpring, when the bears firft come forth, 
after having fubfifted, as is univerfally aflerted here, on 
fucking their paws through the winter; and efpecially if 
the froft happen to be fevere, and the ice not to be broken 
up in the lake at that time, by which means they are de¬ 
prived of their ordinary and expected food. Under thefe 
circumftances, they foon become exceedingly famhhed, and 
fierce and favage in proportion. They will purfue the na¬ 
tives by the fcent; and, as they now prowl about out of 
their ufual tracks, frequently come upon them unawares; 
and when this happens, as the Kamtfchadales have not the 
fmalleft notion of fhooting flying, nor even at an animal 
running, or in any way except with their piece on a reft, 
the bear-hunters often fall a facrifice to their hunger. The 
Vol. III. R r other 
I 779* 
September. 
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