ENSIGN HUNT'S EXPEDITION. 6T 



they gazed at each other in a dazed sort of way for a few 

 minutes, when Hunt cut short the interview' by facing about 

 and starting for the boat at a marvelous speed, shouting 

 loudly for his rifle. In the meantime the bear arose in a 

 dignified and leisurely manner, and slowly walked toward 

 the sea, when Plunt sent a bullet through him that caused 

 him to turn again for the beach ; another shot brought him 

 to the ground, and a third so disabled him that Johansen ran 

 up and gave him the coup de grace with the muzzle of his 

 rifle at the animal's ear. 



"The third day out they rounded the southwest point of 

 the island, and their course lay somewhat east of north. 

 The wind was strong and carried away their main boom. 

 Plenty of ice was encountered the next day, and, though 

 working hard, they only succeeded in making about four 

 miles upon their course by paddling and hauling. Next day 

 they could only proceed by towing along shore and cutting 

 a way through the ice, and were finally compelled to tie up 

 in lee of a large piece of ice and bail out. They had finally, 

 however, accomplished about four miles after a hard day's 

 work. Day after day this labor was repeated until they 

 reached the northern point of the island, where they en- 

 countered a succession of sand spits running toward the 

 north and east beyond the mainland, and with miles of open 

 water between, which proved to be only shallow lagoons, 

 where they constantly grounded, and extricated themselves 

 with difficulty. In some instances the spits extended be- 

 tween twenty and twenty-five miles from the land. 



" September 5th, they reached the most northerly point 

 of Wrangel Island, and could distinctly see the northeast 

 cape bearing to the southward and eastward of their posi- 

 tion ; but the same heavy pack that brought Waring' s party 

 to grief, baffled their most strenuous efforts to encompass the 

 island. Often, while working through the ice, they found 

 themselves compelled to follow leads that carried them far 

 out from the land, and closed behind them. Sometimes 

 midnight found them still at their oars, or wading through 



