BREV

Lloyd-brev av 15 juni 1844. Brevet beskriver björnjakt.

"On saturday the 29th of last March, in company with my faithful follower, Elg, the Individual of whom I have spoken elsewhere and two others, I was in search in the Northern parts of Wermeland of a large Bear that has for several of the preceeding years committed muck havoc amongst the Horses and Cattle thereabouts, - He was not ringed, or marked down, as we would say in England, but his tracks had been seen in the early parts of the winterm and we had therefore a suspicion he was in the vivinity.-
The Snow was fully two feet in depth, but at the time, owning to a bright Sun, it was thawing, and in consequence in a very unfavorable state for our Skidor, or Snow Skates.-
As our little Party was proceeding through the forest in line, of which I was about the center, and at from one to one Hundred and fifty paces apart, one of my Dogs challenged at some fifty paces a head of me, and in a manner that convinced me it was the Bear he had fallen in with.-
From the advanced period of the season - the very unfavorable state of the Snow, &. I freared that if the Animal was once fairly on foot we might have great difficulty in killing him, I therefore pushed forward in silence, and as fast as I could, in the hopes of being able to get a shot at him prior to his leaving his Winter Quarters. -On the way Idivested myself of my skidor, as well for the reason that some prostrate trees obstructed my progress, as that I might advance with the less noice.-
The Bear was lying near to the Summit of a little Knoll, at the edge of a thick brake, but on the side I approached him there was an opening in the forest so that my view was nearly unobstucted. _ But owing to to his having formed a sort of harbour, as it were, over him, a circumstance I never remember to have seen before, Which he had effected by tearing down with his fangs and claws several of the adjacent uoung pines, I was not aware of hi untill I had approached to within some eight or ten paces of his Lair, and then little more than his head, which was in degree towards me, was visible. - And though my Dog stood baying immediately near hism, and though wide awake, as I saw by his eye. he had not as yet at all changed his position. But from the motions of his head he was evidently on the point of moving off. -
As I was perfectly prepared, and my Gun on the full Cock, so soon as I caught sight of the Beast I levelled at the center of his Skull. but some small pines at the entrance of his lair intervening, which I was fearful might intercept my ball, saused med to desist from fireing. _ The next instant however, I took rather a snap shot at the outer side of his forehead beyond the trees in question, of which my view was unobstructed. - But the momentary delay caused by my thus shifting my sight was very unfortunatem for in the interval the Animal had seen me, and ad I pulled the trigger was in the very act of bolting from his Den, and my Aim in consequence was very uncertain. - Indeed I am inclined to believe I missed him altogether.-
Be this as it may, on the discharge of my Gun the Brute at once rushed towards me. - I had still however, my second barrel, with which I ought no doubt to have destroyed him. but owing to his undulatory motions as he came end on at me I could not, though I more than once attempted it, catch a satisfactory Aim, and it was not untill he was within som two or three paces of me that I fired, and then soewhat at random. - Thoug my ball in this or the former instance, for it subsequently appeared the one or the other missed him altogether, wounded him very desperately, it having entered his neck near the shoulder and passed into his body. yet unfortunately not sufficiently so as to stay his course, for in a second or two he was upon me, - nor on his hind legs, the way in which it is xommonly supposed with us the Bear makes his attacks; but like a Dog on all fours, - and in spite of a blow I gave him on the head with the nuzzel om my Gun, for I had no time to apply the butt, he at once had me prostarte. -
Had not the Beast been so very near me when I fired my second barrel it is probable from his wounded state I might have got out of his way, but flight was then too late, and once in his clutches, and, now that my Gun was discharged, totally unarmed, the only expediment left me was to turn my face to the Snow that my features might not be mutilated, and to lie motionless. It being a generally recieved opinion in Scandinavia that if the Bear supposes his Antagonist to be dead he the sooner desists from his Attacks.-
In my instance however, though though I acted the defunct as well as I was able the Besat maltreated me somewhat severely, about the head in particular. - My person also suffered a good deal from his ferocious attacks, which extended from my neck % Shoulder donwards to my hip, &. So that at the time I quite thought I was being made a riddle of.-
But he did not attempt in any Manner to hug or embrace me, as we in England seem to imagine his custom to be when carrying on offensive operations, - nor did he in any way molest me with his claws. - All my wounds were to the best of my belief inflicted with his fangs.-
This goes somewhat to corroborate the generally recieved opinion in Sweden that in attacking Man, and beyond holding him fast with his claws, the Bear never in the manner of the Lion, Tiger, &. strikes with his paws(x), which they say is his usual habit when making his onset on Horses and Cattle.

(x) Many of the Peasants entertain the notion that the Bears abstaining from using his paws towards human race is owing to a special interdiction of Providence'-

If this be true it is well, as from the very great muscular power of his Arms was he to use it, a la Cribb, Annihilation would probably quickly follow the blow.-
But after all no inference can be drawn from my case, as the beasts forbearance towards me might have arisen simply from my remaining quite passive. - Had I on the contrary been on my feet, and offered resistance, I might possibly have felt not only the weight of his paws but the pressure of his embraces-
Niether at the time of recieving my fire, or whilst making his onset at me, did the Bear, as is commonly the case with hem when irritated, utter his usual half roar, half growl. - Even when I was lying prostrate at his mercy no other noise than a sort of subdued growl, or snarl, similar to that of a Dog when disturbed whilst knawing a bone, was made by the Brute. - And so far from coming at me with open jaws, as one would suppose a wild beast to make his onset, his mouth at the time was altogether closed.-
The pain I suffered from the Brutes long continued attacks on my person was very bareable. - When he had my limbs in his jaws it more resembled them being stuck in a vice than anything else I can imagine. - But when his jaws grasped as they did the whole of the crown of my head - during which I distinctly felt the fleshy part of his mouth to overlap my forehead. and very deliberately scored my head with his fangs, evidently with the intention of smashing it altogether, my sufferings were considerable. - The sensation as his fangs slowly grated over my bare skull was not at all that of a sharp blow, as is often the case when wounds be inflicted, but rather though very much more protracted. - the craunch one feels during the extraction of a tooth. -
From circumstances I have reason to believe the Bear continued to maltreat med for the space of from two to three Minutes, - As I perfectly retained my senses the whole time my feelings whilst in this hossible situation can be better imagined than narrated, - But at length the incessant attacks of my Dog drew his attention to see him retreat, - which he did at a very slow pace, into an adjoining thicket. -
Immediately the Animal left me I arose, and applied Snow by the handfulls to my head to stanch the blood which was flowing from it in streams. - I must have lost, I think, fully a quart of blood, and the Bear not a little, so that the snow around the scen of conflict was deluged with gore, -
From the distance, the state of the snow, &, my companions did not come to my assistance untill a minute or two after the Bear had retreated, and when I was on my feet and bathing my wounds, - With the exception of calling my man, Elg, who was much the nearest to me, twise by name at the moment of the Beasts closing with me, I utterde no cry or exclamation whatever during the whole of the trying scene, - Elg. therefore, had no idea I was in Jeopardy. but merely thought I required his aid in killing the Animal, - Under any circumstances, however, it would have been impossible for him to have rescued me for at the time of the mishap he was considerably below me on the Mountain sida, which was precipitous, and there was a dense brake between us. -
At first from the pain of my wounds, and the weakness consequent on loss of blood, which ran from my head so as almost to blind me, I thought myself very much more hurt than I was in reality, and hors de combat for that day at least. so that on Elgs xoming up I immediately directed him to put an end to the wounded Bear, whose tracks were in places deeply marked with blood, which he effected in about ten minutes, and within from two to three hundres paces of the spot where the encounter between us had taken place, - In about five minutes afterwards, - having in the interim greatly recovered myself, an put my Gun, which in the Mélée had been buried in the Snow, in order, I had rejoined him on my Skidor.-
Our prize proved to be a male Bear of the largest size (x). but much emaciated from old age, (some 30- to 40, we took him to be). from which cause his fangs were either broken or greatly blunted, To this circumstance my salvation was probably attibutable. - for had his fangs entered my person in every place where they left indentations I must have been nearly torn to pieces. -

(x) Carefully preserved by myself. and recently presented to the British Museum by Lord Selkirk.-

As it was I escaped wonderfully well.- My person to be sure was covered with severe contusions.- for the skin being only slightly raised wounds they could hardly be called, - My right hand and wrist were a good deal hurt, - for at the commencement of the Affair. how I know not, - I got my hand into the Mouth, and even partially down the very throat of the Brute, where it seemed as if embedded in slaver - And my Skull was laid open in two places. - The one sound by the Doctors account on the following day being eight, the other nine inches in length.- though parts of both were of xourse superficial. - But from my hair being cut very short, and the fangs lf the Beast thus readily passing ghtough it, I escaped being scalped, as would almost inevitably have been the case had I worn it in locks, or clusters, after the Swedish fashion.
Happily, however, I was so little disabled by the injuries I had recieved that I contrived to make my way the same evening (the accident having occured within less than two hours of Sunset) to my quaters, a distance of eight or nine Miles, and with the exception of the last two, when I procured a sledge, either on my skidor, or on foot, -
But subsequently I suffered very much from my wounds, and the weakness consequent on loss of blood, - Not sufficiently so however, as to deter med (though I admit it to have been an effort ) from taking the field again four days afterwards. -
Sweden. 15. June 1844.
L Lloyd
X - PS. - More than one account of this affair - varying from the present in some minor particulars, have appeared in the Sewdish papers. - But to the best of my belief the facts of the case were as I have here stated them. -"