Left on Labrador Part 13

"Shoot him, Palmleaf!"

"Let him have it!"

"Aim low!"

"Now's your time!"

The negro, who had been running hard, stopped short, and, seeing the bear bounding toward him, made a feint to raise his musket, when it went off, either from accident or terror, in the air. We heard the bullet _zip_ fifty feet overhead. The bear gave a vicious growl, and made directly at him.

"He'll have the darky!"

"He'll have you, Palmleaf!"

"Run, fool!"

"Run, you black son!"

Palmleaf turned to run; but, seeing a high rand of ice sticking up a few yards to his left, he leaped for it, and, jumping up, caught his hands at the top, and tried to draw himself up on to it. The bear was within six feet of him, snarling like a fury.

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

Raed and Corliss and Bonney had fired within twenty yards. But the bear reared, and struck with his forepaws at the darky's legs, stripping his trousers clean off the first pull. Such a howl as came from his terrified throat!

_Crack!_

That was a better shot. The bear turned, or set out to, but fell down in a heap, then scrambled up, but immediately tumbled over again, and lay kicking.

By this time we had all got near. The negro, scared nearly into fits, still hung on to the edge of the ice, looking as if "spread-eagled" to it.

"Come, sir," said Wade. "Better get down and put on your trousers,--what there is left of them."

The darky turned an agonized, appealing visage over his shoulder, but, seeing only friends instead of bears, let go his hold, and dropped to his feet.

"That's what you call a 'sure shot,' is it," sneered Wade,--"that one you fired at the bear? Guess you didn't hurt _us_ much at Petersburg."

"He need to be pretty thankful that somebody fired a _sure shot_ about the time the bear was paying his compliments to him," laughed the captain.

"Yes: who fired that last shot?" I asked of Donovan, who stood near.

"Wade did."

We had to send back to the schooner for the butcher-knives, and also for a line to hoist the bear we had first killed out of the hole.

The bears were skinned: we wanted to save their hides for trophies. As nearly as we could make out, they had been both wounded by the bullets from the howitzer, one of them--the one killed first--pretty severely.

They did not, however, appear to me, in this our first encounter with them, to be nearly so fierce nor so formidable as I had expected, from accounts I had read. Hobbs cut out a piece of the haunch for steaks.

Palmleaf afterwards cooked it: but we didn't much relish it, save Guard; and he ate the most of it.

CHAPTER VI.

The Middle Savage Isles.--Glimpse of an Esquimau Canoe.--Firing at a Bear with the Cannon-Rifle.--A Strange Sound.--The Esquimaux.--Their Kayaks.--They come on board.--An Unintelligible Tongue.--"Chymo."

During the night following our bear-hunt a storm came on,--wind, rain, and snow, as before,--and continued all the next day. The tremendous tides, however, effectually prevented any thing like dullness from "creeping over our spirits;" since we were sure of a sensation at least twice in twenty-four hours. But during the next night it cleared up, with the wind north; and, quite early on the morning of the 11th of July, we dropped out of "Mazard's Bay," and stood away up the straits.

At one o'clock we sighted another group of mountainous isles,--the same figured on the chart as the "Middle Savage Isles;" and by five o'clock we were pa.s.sing the easternmost a couple of miles to the southward. Between it and the next island, which lay a little back to the north, there was a sort of bay filled with floating ice. Raed was leaning on the bulwarks with his gla.s.s, scanning the islands as we bowled along under a full spread of canvas. Suddenly he turned, and called to Kit.

"Get your gla.s.s," he said. "Or never mind: take mine. Now look right up there between those islands. What do you see?"

"Seals," replied Kit slowly, with the gla.s.s to his eye. "Any quant.i.ty of seals on the ice there; and--there's something larger scooting along. That's a narwhal: no, 'tain't, either. By jolly! see the seals flop off into the water as it shoots along! afraid of it. There!

something flashed then in the sun! Raed, I believe that's a _kayak_,--an Esquimau canoe! An Esquimau catching seals!"

"That's what I thought."

"Was.h.!.+"

"Wade!"

"Get your gla.s.ses, and come here quick!"

"What's that about Esquimau?" demanded Capt. Mazard, coming along from the binnacle.

"An Esquimau _kayak_!" said Raed.

"That so?" running after his gla.s.s.

In a few moments we were all--all who had gla.s.ses--looking off at the wonderful object, to see which had been one of the pleasant hopes of our voyage; and yet I am bound to say, that, in and of itself, it was no great of a sight, especially at a distance of two miles. But, considered as an invention perfected through centuries by one of the most singular peoples of the Man family, it is, in connection with all their implements of use, well worth a study. Indeed, there is, to me at least, something so inexpressibly quaint and _bizarre_ about this race, as to render them an object well deserving of a visit. More strikingly even than the Hottentot or the Digger Indian of the Western sage deserts do they exhibit the iron sway of climate and food over habits and character, as well as physical growth and development.

The _kayak_ moved about from point to point for some minutes; then shot up into the pa.s.sage between the islets, and was lost from view.

"Suppose he saw us,--saw the schooner?" said Wade.

"Should have thought he might," replied the captain. "Must be a pretty conspicuous object out here in the sun, with all sail set."

"He may have gone to give news of our arrival," said Raed; "for I presume there are others--whole families--not far away. These people always live in small communities or villages, I understand."

"This may be as good a chance to see them as we shall get," said Kit.

"What say for shortening sail, or standing up nearer the islands, and laying to for the night?"

"Just as you say, gentlemen," replied the captain.

It was agreed to stand up within half a mile, and so cruise along leisurely; thus giving them a chance to communicate with us if they desired. The helm was accordingly put round, and "The Curlew" headed for the second island. Half an hour took us up within a thousand yards of the ledges: the schooner was then hove to for an hour.