The Winter Night. 387 



and the sun shone out again clear and bright as before. 

 The Franis masts had long since disappeared over the 

 edge of the ice, but still I kept on. Presently, however, 

 I began to feel faint and hungry, for in my hurry I had 

 not even had my breakfast, and at last had to bite the 

 sour apple and turn back without any bears. 



" On my way I came across a remarkable hummock. 

 It was over 20 feet in height (I could not manage to 



(measure it quite to the top) ; the middle part had fallen 

 in, probably from pressure of the ice, while the remaining 

 part formed a magnificent triumphal arch of the whitest 

 marble, on which the sun glittered with all its brilliancy. 

 \Yas it erected to celebrate my defeat ? I got up on it 

 to look out for the Frain, but had to go some distance 

 yet before I could see her rigging over the horizon. It 

 was not till half-past five in the afternoon that I found 

 myself on board again, \vorn out and famished from this 

 sudden and unexpected excursion. After a day's fasting, 

 I heartily relished a good meal. During my absence 

 some of the others had started after me with a sledge to 

 draw home the dead bears that I had shot; but they had 

 barely reached the spot where the encounter had taken 

 place, when Johansen and Blessing, w r ho were in advance 

 of the others, saw two fresh bears spring up from behind 

 a hummock a little way off. But before they could get 

 their guns in readiness the bears w r ere out of range ; so a 

 new hunt began. Johansen tore after them in his snow- 

 shoes, but several of the dos^s o-ot in front of him and 



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