226 Chapter VI. 



" Monday, October 2nd. Warped the ship farther 

 astern, until we found a good berth for her out in the 

 middle of the newly-frozen pool. On the port side we 

 have our big floe, with the dogs' camp thirty-five black 

 dogs tied up on the white ice. This floe turns a low, 

 and by no means threatening, edge towards us. We 

 have good low ice on the starboard too ; and between the 

 ship and the floes we have on both sides the newly- 

 frozen surface ice, which has, in the process of warping, 

 also got packed in under the ship's bottom, so that she 

 lies in a good bed. 



"As Sverdrup, Juell, and I were sitting in the chart- 

 room in the afternoon splicing rope for the sounding-line, 

 Peter* rushed in shouting, ' A bear ! a bear ! ' I 

 snatched up my rifle, and tore out. ' Where is it ? ' 

 ' There, near the tent, on the starboard side ; it came 

 right up to it, and had almost got hold of them.' 



"And there it was, big and yellow, snuffing away at the 

 tent gear. Hansen, Blessing, and Johansen were running 

 at the top of their speed towards the ship. On to the 

 ice I jumped, and off I went, broke through, stumbled, 

 fell, and up again. The bear in the meantime had done 

 sniffing, and had probably determined that an iron spade, 

 an ice-staff, an axe, some tent-pegs, and a canvas tent 

 were too indigestible food even for a bear's stomach. 

 Anyhow it was following with mighty strides in the track 



* Peter Henriksen. 



