184 A SHE-BEAR AND HER CUBS. \_December, 



be removed ; and finally, that the great escape shall be 

 induced by the column of warm ascending air above and 

 surrounding the galley, or kitchen, of our ships. 



December 16. Any change is cheering, but in the 

 present instance the excitement was beyond reason, and 

 therefore sport was very soon spoiled. A she-bear and 

 her two cubs paid a visit to our dust-heap, on which, 

 however, none of Goldner's preserves were deposited ; 

 but they thought probably that they might derive some 

 little advantage from licking the tins of Hogarth. Before 

 any concerted action for the capture of our visitors could 

 be formed, some of our sportsmen, too eager to have 

 their first shot at them, scared them off. As this was on 

 the royal preserves, I issued the requisite orders against 

 poaching, determined that, at their next visit, fair play 

 and no favour should be observed, and that an adequate 

 force of dogs and men should attend the hunt. The 

 poaching for foxes also required looking into, and the 

 several agents for the furriers, not in repute in this divi- 

 sion of the Squadron, were warned to observe their re- 

 spective bounds. Hardly had the first excitement at- 

 tending the visit of these bears ceased, when I learned 

 that they had arrived from the quarter where our clog- 

 leader was exercising his animals with the sleigh, and 

 as they possibly might have done some mischief there, 

 a party was equipped for the search. Warned by the 

 sound of bugle and muskets, he soon made his appear- 

 ance, and all again was quiet as a ship-of-war can be ! 



The cold begins to tell on ah 1 old wounds, frost-bites, 

 etc., raising unpleasant sensations ; and, possibly from 

 nervous affection, rendering a twinge (at any other pe- 



