One time  it  happened,  when  I  unscrewed  the  flint  of  my  gun  to  renew it,  a  huge  bear  charged  upon  me  with  a  roar,  I  was  utterly helpless.  I  could  only  run  to  a  tree,  so  as  to  prepare  for  my defence.  Unfortunately,  in  climbing,  I  let  my  knife  fall,  and  I had  nothing  to  screw  in  my  flint  with  but  my  fingers,  which were  not  sufficient.  The  bear  took  up  his  position  at  the  foot of  the  tree,  and  every  moment  I  expected  to  be  devoured.  As  I have  related  on  a  previous  occasion,  I  had  succeeded  in  setting fire  to  my  priming  with  the  fire  from  my  eyes,  but  that  expedient did  not  seem  very  desirable  to  me  ;  it  had  occasioned  me a  soreness  of  the  eyes,  from  which  I  had  not  again  entirely recovered.  In  despair  I  contemplated  my  knife  stuck  right  in  the snow.  At  length,  I  got  an  idea  as  happy  as  singular.  You know  from  experience  that  the  good  hunter,  like  the  philosopher, has  always  something  in  readiness.  As  for  me,  my  game- bag  is  a  regular  arsenal,  which  furnishes  me  with  resources  in every  crisis.  I  rummaged,  and  discovered  first  a  ball  of  cord, afterwards  a  piece  of  bent  iron,  and  then  a  box  full  of  wax. The  wax  was  hardened  by  the  cold,  so  I  placed  it  in  my  bosom to  soften  it.  Then  I  attached  to  the  cord  the  piece  of  iron, which  I  smeared  over  with  plenty  of  the  wax,  and  let  it  fall immediately  to  the  ground.  The  piece  of  iron,  smeared  with  the wax,  fastened  itself  to  the  handle  of  the  knife.  Accordingly  as the  wax  grew  harder,  becoming  chilled  by  the  air,  it  acted  as a  cement.  Having  managed  so,  I  manoeuvred  with  care  to recover  the  knife.  While  I  was  busily  engaged  re-fitting  my flint,  Master  Martin  set  about  ascending  the  tree,  but  I  met him  with  such  a  discharge  as  relieved  him  for  ever  of  any desire  of  climbing  trees.

- Chapter 2