202 LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [XI. 



that for some days after the slaughter and dismemberment 

 of the bear, my ship's company presented an unaccountably 

 sleek appearance. As for the steward, his head and whiskers 

 seemed carved out of black marble : a varnished boot would 

 not have looked half so bright : I could have seen to shave 

 myself in his black hair. I conclude, therefore, that the 

 ingenious cook must, at all events, have succeeded in 

 manufacturing a supply of genuine bear's grease, of which 

 they had largely availed themselves. 



The bagging of the bear had so gloriously crowned our 

 visit to Spitzbergen, that our disappointment about the 

 deer was no longer thought of ; it was therefore with light 

 hearts, and most complete satisfaction, that we prepared 

 for departure. 



Maid Marian had already carved on a flat stone an 

 inscription, in Roman letters, recording the visit of the 

 "Foam" to English Bay; and a cairn having been erected 

 to receive it, the tablet was solemnly lifted to its resting- 

 place. Underneath I placed a tin box, containing a memo- 

 randum similar to that left at Jan Mayen, as well as a printed 



dinner invitation from Lady , which I happened to have 



on board. Having planted a boat's flag beside the rude 

 monument, and brought on board with us a load of drift- 

 wood, to serve hereafter as Christmas yule-logs, we bade 

 an eternal adieu to the silent hills around us ; and weighing 

 anchor, stood out to sea. For some hours a lack of wind 

 still left us hanging about the shore, in the midst of a grave 

 society of seals ; but soon after, a gentle breeze sprang up 

 in the south, and about three o'clock on Friday, the nth 

 of August, we again found ourselves spanking along before 

 a six-knot breeze, over the pale green sea. 



In considering the course on which I should take the 

 vessel home, it appeared to me that in all probability we 

 should have been much less pestered by the ice on our way 

 to Spitzbergen, if, instead of hugging the easterly ice, we 

 had kept more away to the westward ; I determined there- 

 fore — as soon as we got clear of the land— to stand right 



