82 AMUSING STRATAGEM OF A BEAR. 



more than once we were tempted to give chase 

 to some that had been wounded. 



On one occasion we thought we were sure 

 of our game, from his hind leg being shot 

 through, and from the quantity of blood which 

 flowed from the wound, but bruin outran us 

 all upon three legs, and gained so much ground 

 that every now and then he could afford to 

 rest and rub his leg in the snow, which, 

 after a while, as appeared by his track being 

 no longer stained, had the effect of stanching 

 the blood. But there were very few of the 

 incidents which gave greater amusement to those 

 who happened to see it than the one which 

 follows. The bears, when hungry, seem always 

 on the watch for animals sleeping upon the ice, 

 and endeavour, by stratagem, to approach them 

 unobserved, for, on the smallest disturbance, 

 the animals dart through holes in the ice, which 

 they always take care to be near, and thus 

 evade pursuit. One sunshiny day a walrus, of 

 nine or ten feet length, rose in a pool of water 

 not very far from us, and after looking around, 

 drew his greasy carcass upon the ice, where he 

 rolled about for a time, and at length laid himself 

 down to sleep. A bear, which had probably been 

 observing his movements, crawled carefully upon 

 the ice on the opposite side of the pool, and 



