262 FOUR YEARS IN THE WHITE NORTH [May 



light. Whining with rage at being restrained by the 

 rope around his neck, he rushed at me like a whirlwind, 

 grabbing my leg and arm; but, clothed in skins as I was, 

 he was not considered dangerous. WThen he discovered 

 that his attacks were always met with a laugh and 

 were not resisted, he would drop his head, protrude his 

 upper Hp, blow, and cry for all the world like a baby 

 with the croup. 



In a few days he followed me about like a dog, but 

 he was almost too affectionate in his demonstrations, 

 tripping me up repeatedly by rubbing his head against 

 my legs. Each day he had his swim at the edge of the 

 ice, and how he enjoyed it! Floating high and with long, 

 easy stride, he fairly walked through the water, being 

 much more at home in than out. He is rightly termed 

 amphibious. The polar bear, called by sailors the water 

 bear, has been reported swimming even 100 miles from 

 land. He is also credited with the power of swimming 

 with only the tip of his black muzzle visible above the 

 surface. In this position it is possible for him success- 

 fully to stalk his staple food, the seal, sleeping or sun- 

 ning on a pan of Ice. 



My little cub was ever a source of amusement; clean 

 grit from his nose to the rudiments of his tail, he feared 

 neither dog nor man, walking as deliberately and as un- 

 concernedly through our settlement as he would alone 

 on a distant ice-field. But let an unsuspecting, would- 

 be-social pup get within reach of that short stubby fore 

 paw tipped with steel hooks, then there was a blur in 

 the air followed by a yelp of pain. 



For hours he amused himself by climbing the snow 

 slope to the end of his tether, turning around, and slid- 

 ing down on his stomach with outstretched legs. He 



