The Winter Night. 247 



beautiful sunshiny weather. I was standing- beside an 

 open pool a little way ahead, examining the formation 

 and growth of the new ice, when I heard a gun go off on 



o o o 



board. I turned, and just caught a glimpse of a bear 

 making off towards the hummocks. It was Henriksen, 

 who had seen it from the deck coming marching: towards 



0> O 



the ship. \Yhen it was a few paces off it saw Hansen 

 and Johansen, and made straight for them. By this 

 time Henriksen had got his gun, but it missed fire 

 several times. He has an unfortunate liking- for 



o 



smearing the lock so well with vaseline that the spring 

 works as if it lay in soft soap. At last it went off, and 

 the ball went through the bear's back and breast in a 

 slanting direction. The animal stood up on its hind- 

 legs, fought the air with its fore-paws, then flung itself 

 forward and sprang off, to fall after about 30 steps ; the 

 ball had grazed the heart. It was not till the shot went 

 off that Hansen saw the bear, and then he rushed up 

 and put two revolver balls into its head. It was a large 

 bear, the largest we had got yet." 



"About mid-day I was in the crow's-nest. In spite of 

 the clear weather I coulcl not discover land on any side. 

 The opening far to the north has quite disappeared ; but 

 during the night a large new one has formed quite close 

 to us. It stretches both north and south, and has now a 

 covering of ice. The pressure is chiefly confined to the 

 edges of this opening, and can be traced in walls of 

 packed ice as far as the horizon in both directions. To 



