The Kadiak Bear and his Home 



ply. There has been a Sitka deer on Wood 

 Island for several years, and he has lived through 

 the winters without harm, as his footprints scat- 

 tered over the island testify. Afognak and Wood 

 Island are especially suitable for such a purpose, 

 being well wooded and furnishing plenty of winter 

 food for deer in willows, alders and black birch. 

 The clement winters make the plan feasible, and it 

 ought not to be an expensive experiment. 



We had a very bad time of it on the night of 

 April 30, which showed me what I had long felt, 

 that the dangers of Kadiak were not centered in the 

 bear, but in the tremendous wind blows and tide 

 rips in its fjords. A strong wind came on from the 

 east, and fairly howled through the ravine opposite 

 our anchorage, catching our little sloop with full 

 force. We could not change our position, as we 

 occupied the only anchorage. Vacille, who had 

 turned in, felt the anchor dragging, and we found 

 ourselves being blown out into the large bay, where 

 we could not have lived for any time in the big 

 seas, and, should we continue to drag, our only 

 chance was to try to beach her on a sand shore 

 some half mile away. 



When the boat was not dragging she was wal- 

 lowing in cross seas, and being hammered by the 

 otter boat, which was difficult to manage. The 



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