At last he succeeded in seizing the other end of the rail, and dragged it towards him with irresistible force.  Both man and beast fell, Boone rolling to the place where he had dropped his arms, while the bear advanced upon him.  The moment was a critical one; but Boone was accustomed to look at and brave death under every shape,—­and, with a steady hand, he buried the tomahawk in the snout of his enemy, and, turning round, he rushed to his cabin, believing he would have time to secure the door.  He closed the latch, and applied his shoulders to it; but it was of no avail:  the terrible brute dashed in head foremost, and tumbled into the room, with Boone and the fragments of the door.  The two foes rose and stared at each other.  Boone had nothing left but his knife; but Bruin was tottering and unsteady, and Boone felt that the match was more equal.  Once more they closed.

“A few hours after sunrise a friend called at the hut,—­and, to his horror, found Boone apparently lifeless on the floor, and alongside of him the body of the bear.  Boone soon recovered, and found that the timely blow which had saved him from being crushed to death had buried the whole blade of his knife through the left eye, in the very brain of the huge animal.”

CHARLES.  “That is a spirited story, and very well told, George.  I should not like to have been Mr. Boone in such a situation, although he was a ‘mighty hunter;’ a bear is an ugly animal to embrace.”

DORA.  “Yes; and, lest we should meet with any, we will leave the Rocky Mountains and go on to the north of Quadra, where are situated King George’s Archipelago and the Admiralty Isles.  The inhabitants of the former bear some resemblance to the Esquimaux.  The women wear an extraordinary kind of ornament, which gives them the appearance of having two mouths:  it consists of a small piece of wood, which they force into the flesh below the under lip.”

MR. BARRAUD.  “Those are Norfolk Sound people; but they are a kindly race, notwithstanding their outrageous customs; and, to show you how readily they are affected for good or evil, I will relate a circumstance which happened when Captain Cleveland was trading with them.  A canoe containing eleven persons went alongside his vessel, and raised the screens at the port-holes, to look in on the deck.  Before the captain had time to speak to them, the cook (either by accident or design) threw a ladleful of hot water over them, which causing an involuntary and sudden motion of their bodies to the other side of the boat, immediately upset, and all were immersed in the water.  The confusion was then very great,—­as those who at the time were under the stern, engaged in traffic, fearing some treachery, made haste to paddle away, without regarding the distress of their comrades.  All of these, however, appeared to be capable of taking care of themselves; excepting an infant of about a year old, whose struggles being observed by one of the mates, he jumped overboard and saved it.