294 Chapter VI. 



starboard ; it is so warm there that she is lying- sweating", 

 and we hope that the young ones will live, in spite of 

 54 degrees of frost. It seems this evening as if every 

 one had some hesitation in going out on the ice unarmed. 

 Our bayonet-knives have been brought out, and I am 

 providing myself with one. I must say that I felt quite 

 certain that we should find no bears as far north as this 

 in the middle of winter ; and it never occurred to me, in 

 making long excursions on the ice without so much as a 

 penknife in my pocket, that I was liable to encounters 

 with them. But, after Peter's experience, it seems as if 

 it might be as well to have, at any rate, a lantern to hit 

 them with. The long bayonet-knife shall accompany me 

 henceforth. 



" They often chaffed Peter afterwards about having 

 screamed so horribly when the bear seized him. ' H'm ! 

 I wonder, said he, ' if there aren't others that would 

 have screeched just as loud. I had to yell after the 

 fellows that were so afraid of frightening the bear that 

 when they ran they covered seven yards at each stride.' 



"Thursday, December i4th. 'Well, Mogstad, how 

 many pups have you now ? ' I asked at breakfast. 

 ' There are five now.' But soon after he came down to 

 tell me that there were at least twelve. Gracious ! that 

 is good value for what we have lost. But we were 

 almost as pleased when Johansen came down and said 

 that he heard the missing dog howling on the ice far 

 away to the north-west. Several of us went up to listen, 



