386 Chapter VI. 



that a couple of bears were lying half or quite dead on 

 the large ice hummock astern of the ship. He and 

 Mogstad had shot at them, but they had no more 

 cartridges left. Several of the men seized hold of their 



o 



guns^and hurried up. I threw on my clothes and came 

 up a little after, when I gathered that the bears had taken 

 to flight, as I could see the other fellows following them 

 over the ice. As I was putting on my snow-shoes they 

 returned, and said that the bears had made off. However, 

 I started after them as fast as my snow-shoes w r ould take 

 me across the floes and the pressure-ridges. I soon got 

 on their tracks, which at first were a little bloodstained. 

 It was a she-bear, with her cub, and, as I believed, hard 

 hit the she-bear had fallen down several times after 

 Joharisen's first bullet. I thought, therefore, it would be 

 no difficult matter to overtake them. Several of the clogs 

 were on ahead of me on their tracks. They had taken 

 a north-westerly course, and I toiled on, perspiring 

 profusely in the sun, while the ship sank deeper and 

 deeper down below the horizon. The surface of the 

 snow, sparkling \vith its eternal whiteness all around me, 

 tried my eyes severely, and I seemed to get no nearer 

 the bears. My prospects of coming up with them w r ere 

 ruined by the dogs, who were keen enough to frighten 

 the bears, but not so keen as to press on and bring them 

 to bay. I would not, however, give up. Presently a 

 fog came on, and hid everything from view except the 

 bear-tracks, which steadily pointed forward ; then it lifted, 



