148 THE NORTH POLE 



brought to bay. When we reached the shore our dogs 

 were loosed from the sledges. They swarmed up the 

 hot trail, and we followed as best we could. 



A little farther on we came to a deep canon, and as 

 we could tell by the sounds, the dogs and the bear were 

 at the bottom. But where we stood the walls were 

 too precipitous for even an Eskimo to descend, and 

 we could not see our quarry. He was evidently under 

 some projecting ledge on our side. 



Moving up the canon to find a place of descent, I 

 heard Egingwah shout that the bear had started down 

 the canon and was climbing up the other side. Hurry- 

 ing back through the deep snow and over the rough 

 rocks, I suddenly saw the beast, perhaps a hundred 

 yards away, and raised my rifle. But I must have been 

 too much winded to take good aim, for though I 

 fired two shots at him the bear kept right on up the 

 canon side. Surely Tornarsuk was in him! 



I found that I had given the stumps of both my 

 feet — my toes were frozen off at Fort Conger in 1899 

 — some severe blows against the rocks; and as they 

 were complaining with vehemence, I decided not to 

 follow the bear any farther along the steep boulder- 

 strewn bluffs. 



Handing my rifle to Egingwah, I told him and 

 Koolatoonah to go after the bear while I went back 

 down the bluffs to the sledges and followed along the 

 bay ice. But before I had gone far along the bay ice 

 shouting was heard in the distance, and soon an Es- 

 kimo appeared on a summit and waved his hand — 

 a signal that they had bagged the bear. 



Just ahead, and abreast of where the Eskimo had 



