It gave him pain and made him turn about, so that I could level the second at his back-door, which, indeed, I did with wonderful success; for it flew in, met the first flint in the stomach, struck fire, and blew up the bear with a terrible explosion.

Though I came safe off that time, yet I should not wish to try it again, or venture against bears with no other ammunition.
There is a kind of fatality in it.

The fiercest and most dangerous animals generally came upon me when defenceless, as if they had a notion or an instinctive intimation of it.

Thus a frightful wolf rushed upon me so suddenly, and so close, that I could do nothing but follow mechanical instinct, and thrust my fist into his open mouth.

For safety's sake I pushed on and on, till my arm was fairly in up to the shoulder.
How should I disengage myself?
I was not much pleased with my awkward situation--with a wolf face to face; our ogling was not of the most pleasant kind.