early with a moderate wind: captain Lewis who
was on shore with one hunter met about eight o'clock two white bears: of
the strength and ferocity of this animal, the Indians had given us
dreadful accounts: they never attack him but in parties of six or eight
persons, and even then are often defeated with the loss of one or more
of the party. Having no weapons but bows and arrows, and the bad guns
with which the traders supply them, they are obliged to approach very
near to the bear; and as no wound except through the head or heart is
mortal, they frequently fall a sacrifice if they miss their aim. He
rather attacks than avoids a man, and such is the terror which he has
inspired, that the Indians who go in quest of him paint themselves and
perform all the superstitious rites customary when they make war on a
neighbouring nation. Hitherto those we had seen did not appear desirous
of encountering us, but although to a skilful rifleman the danger is
very much diminished, yet the white bear is still a terrible animal: on
approaching these two, both captain Lewis and the hunter fired and each
wounded a bear: one of them made his escape; the other turned upon
captain Lewis and pursued him seventy or eighty yards, but being badly
wounded he could not run so fast as to prevent him from reloading his
piece, which he again aimed at him, and a third shot from the hunter
brought him to the ground: he was a male not quite full grown, and
weighed about three hundred pounds: the legs are somewhat longer than
those of the black bear, and the talons and tusks much larger and
longer. The testicles are also placed much farther forward and suspended
in separate pouches from two to four inches asunder, while those of the
black bear are situated back between the thighs and in a single pouch
like those of the dog: its colour is a yellowish brown, the eyes small,
black, and piercing, the front of the fore legs near the feet is usually
black, and the fur is finer, thicker, and deeper than that of the black
bear: add to which, it is a more furious animal, and very remarkable for
the wounds which it will bear without dying.

We are surrounded with deer, elk, buffaloe, antelopes, and their
companions the wolves, who have become more numerous and make great
ravages among them: the hills are here much more rough and high, and
almost overhang the banks of the river. There are greater appearances of
coal than we have hitherto seen, the stratas of it bei