UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN. 351 



May 14^/^, Friday. — It never rains but it pours — 

 bears. This morning, at four, one approached the ship 

 from astern, E. N. E., but before he got within good 

 rano-e the dos-s saw him and made a rush at him. Mr. 

 Colhns started in pursuit with a revolver, but it was no 

 even chase. A bear seems able to go when the travel- 

 ing will use up a man. The temptation to follow in 

 this case was strong, for at about every hundred yards 

 the dogs would bring the bear to for a moment or two 

 and allow Mr. Collins to get almost within revolver 

 rano-e. In this manner he went a mile and a half, and 

 then relinquished the chase to Alexey and his dogs. 

 These followed several miles, but Mr. Bruin was not 

 overtaken. 



Later on, Chipp saw another one on our port bow. 

 He fired and hit the bear, for over he went ; but tak- 

 ing to the rough ice Bruin got away, although chased. 

 Ericksen and Bartlett followed on his trail, and after a 

 tramp of seven miles lost him at some young ice. It is 

 too bad that these animals have so much life, for those 

 that are wounded probably die at some later time from 

 the wound, and of course are lost to us. It seems neces- 

 sary to fill a bear so full of lead that he cannot carry it 

 to induce him to give w^ the ghost near the ship. 



The new crank shaft and centre bearing of the wind- 

 mill being finished the mill was again mounted, and at- 

 tached to the shifted bilge-pmnp in the corner of the 

 fire-room hatch. The wind was hardly strong enough 

 to work the pump steadily, but still it did some good 

 service. The engineer's force immediately commenced 

 the construction of a small pump of spare boiler tubes, 

 which will be run by the windmill in light weather. 

 The men having completed digging out the trench 

 afresh were occupied in various works about the ship, 



