Viewing page 18 of 309
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
1860 Saturday Nov 24th then, the bear would plunge. He would soon return to the same hole sliding himself out of it upon the ice in a very flat & spreading but nevertheless interesting manner. Once out, he would immediately raise himself upon his haunch, knock his tormentors (the dogs) to the right & left with his fore paws & then run on. Knowing [[space]] the Esquimaux who accompanied me there to be a good shot & fast runner, I gave him my rifle & bid him speed on & I would follow. I bid him use it if occasion presented itself. On he went & on I went over the dangerous ice. Sterry & Mgan now followed us. The dogs had finally cut off the Bear's retreat & thus we were all soon up with him - keeping proper distance however between the wounded Ursa Major & ourselves Charley desiring to try his hand at my Rifle, I told him proceed. The Bear was then busily engaged on his haunches with the dogs. A fair opportunity now occurred the full front of Bear - was the mark for He fired into his breast& this noble mark fell, kicking & tumbling - But soon the game was upon his feet again fleeing from us. "Morgan" with his double barrel - three bullets in each - drawed upon him - the caps went back - thats all. Sharkey the father (?) of the Anglo Saxon child by his wife - tried his hand. He done well! The bear tumbled over - & we all thought it dead giving one round of cheers! Hardly had our voices [[underlined]] died away, [[/underlined]] when Bear was "on his feet again". He fled & [[underlined]] we [[/underlined]] White men, Esquimaux & dogs - sped after! Morgan loaned his overcharged - miss-fire "Sebastapol, jr" to a willing hand that re-capped it & fired it putting two heavy charges into the face & eyes of the old fellow. Down again! & [[underlined]] dead again! [[/underlined]] A round of cheers now went up by an increased company! We commenced another round - & [[underlined]] only commenced [[/underlined]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 1860. Saturday Nov 24 for our noise or something else had revived the monster who seemed to have as many lives as a cat]] 7 - into full vigor again. Spears were now thrown at him by the now numerous natives; but they all rebounded from his tough hide! proving as harmless to him as though with pricks. Raising his head, which graced a very ungraceful long neck, he looked around upon his foes which now numbered a full score without including his [[underlined]] worst [[/underlined]] - the dogs - as if preparing for the [[underlined]] death [[/underlined]] - spring & fight! It was now for me to try my first shot! all hoping it would prove the [[underlined]] last [[/underlined]] required. I stepped out - placed the hair trigger as it should be, & drawed - The cry from every quarter came: 'Shoot at his heart' - 'Shoot at his scull' etc. - It was the work of an instant! I had taken for the time being some of Gen. Jackson's [[underlined]] "responsibility" [[/underlined]] of doing as I pleased - [[underlined]] shooting as [[/underlined]] I pleased - & [[underlined]] where ^[[& when]] [[/underlined]] I pleased! It seemed that I was either to finish the Bear or the Bear was to finish me! [[underlined]] I cared, very much, which - [[/underlined]] therefore I took the advantage of a sudden swing of his head, of tapping the jugular vein which I done to the satisfaction of all - especially to myself! Out of that keen cut oozed the Seventh life of the Great Polar Bear! Had that shot missed, should I have been now writing this Bear's History? The defunct was before us! The question in its natural order came up how was we to get the carcass to the "George Henry".
Transcription Notes:
Reviewed
