1779- too fw ift o f foot for them. Thefe animals keep together in
■Sgptcm er'. large h e rd s ; they frequent moftly the low grounds, and
love to browfe at the feet o f rocks and precipices. T he
bear hunts them by fcent, till he come in fight ; when headvances
warily, keeping above them, and concealing himfe
lf amongft the rocks, as he makes his approaches, till he
gets immediately over them, and n igh enough for his pur-
pofe. He then begins to pufh down, with his paws, pieces
o f the ro ck amongft the herd below. T h is manoeuvre is
not followed by any attempt to purfue, until he find he has
maimed one o f the flock, upon which a courfe immediately
enfues, that proves fuccefsful, or otherwife, according to the
hurt the barein has received.
I cannot conclude this digreflion, without obfervirig, that
the Kamtfchadales very th an k fu lly acknowledge their obligations
to the bears for what little advancement they have
hitherto made, either in the fciences or polite arts. T h e y
confefs that they owe to them all their fk ill both in phyfic
and furgery ; that by remarking with what herbs thefe animals
rub the wounds they have received, and what th e y
have recourfe to when fiek and languid, they have become:
acquainted with moft o f the fimples in ufe among them,
either in the w ay o f internal medicine, or external application.
But what w ill appear fomewhat more lingular, is ,
they acknowledge the bears lik ew ife for tlrei-r dancing
mailers. Indeed, the evidence o f one’s fenfes puts this ou t
o f difpute; for the bear-danee o f the Kamtfchadales is an
cx aft counterpart o f every attitude and gefture peculiar to
this animal, throu gh its various functions ; and this is the
foundation and ground-work o f all their other dances, and
what they value themfelves moft upon.
i I re-
I returned to the fliips on the 28th, very well pleafed with
my excurfion, as it had afforded me an opportunity o f feein
g a little more o f the country, and o f obferving the manners
and behaviour o f the Kamtfchadales, when freed from
that conftraint, w hich they evidently lie under in the com*
pany o f the Ruffians.
No occurrence worth mentioning took place till the 30th,
when Captain Gore went to Paratounca, to put up in the
church there an efcutcheon, prepared by Mr. Webber, with
an infcription upon it, fetting'forth Captain Clerke’s age and
rank, and the objedt o f the expedition in which he was engaged
at the time o f his deceafe. We alfo affixed to the tree,
under which he was buried, a board, with an infcription upon
it to the fame e ffeit.
Before his departure, Captain Gore left orders with me to
ge t the fliips out o f the harbour into the bay, to be in readi-
nefs to fail. We Were prevented from doing this, by a violent
gale o f wind, which lafted the whole day o f the firft o f
O(Sober. However, on the ad, both fhips Warped out o f
the harbour, clear o f the narrow paflage, and came to
anchor in feven fathoms, a quarter o f a mile from the
ojirog.
T he day before we went o u t -o f the harbour, the cattle
arrived from V e r ch n e i; and that the men might receive the
fu ll benefit o f this capital and much-longed-for fupply, b y
confuming it frefli, Captain Gore came to a determination o f
flaying five or fix days longer. Nor Was this time idly employed.
The boats, pumps, fails, and r ig g in g , o f both
fliips, thereby received an additional repair. And Captain
Gore, fparing me fome molofies, and the ufe o f the Refolu-
tion’s copper, I was enabled to brew a fortnight’s beer for
the
1779.
Sep tem b e r .
T u e fd a y 28.
T h u r fd a y 30*
O f lo b e r -
F r id a y 1.
Saturday. 2v