2 86 Chapter VI. 



tow-plug at the muzzle of my rifle, then up with the 

 lever and in with the cartridge ; it was a case of 

 hurry. But, hang it ! there is a plug in at this end 

 too. I poked and poked, but could not get a grip 

 of it. Peter screamed : ' Shoot, shoot ! mine won't go 

 off!' He stood clicking and clicking, his lock full of 

 frozen vaseline again, while the bear lay chewing at a 

 dog just below us at the ship's side. Beside me stood 

 the mate, groping after a tow-plug which he also had 

 shoved down into his gun, but now he flung the gun 

 angrily away and began to look round the deck for a 

 walrus spear to stick the bear with. Our fourth man, 

 Mogstad, was waving an empty rifle (he had shot away 

 his cartridges), and shouting to some one to shoot the 

 bear. Four men, and not one that could shoot, although 

 we could have prodded the bear's back with our gun- 

 barrels. Hansen, making a fifth, was lying in the 

 passage to the chart-room, groping with his arm through 

 a chink in the door for cartridges ; he could not get the 

 door to open because of ' Kvik's ' kennel. At last 

 Johansen appeared and sent a ball straight down into the 

 bear's hide. That did some good. The monster let go 

 the dog and gave a growl. Another shot flashed and 

 hissed down on the same spot. One more, and we saw 

 the white dog the bear had under him jump up and run 

 off, while the other doo's stood round, barkino-. Another 



o o 



shot still, for the animal began to stir a little. At this 

 moment my plug came out, and I gave him a last ball 



