OLD WHALING DAYS. 115 



towards us. The men were inclined to run, but what use 

 would it have been when we were such a long distance from 

 a place of refuge ? We waited a moment to see what were 

 their intentions. I knew they could not be hungry, yet I 

 did not care for their playful manner. On they came, and 

 suddenly stopped about a ship's length from us, and snuffed 

 at the light track of blood.' I then thought they would go 

 away, so we again began to travel forward. In this way 

 they continued for some time, and at last we took no 

 further notice, but walked on. If they had come much 

 nearer we should have left our seals to occupy them. 

 My reason for not firing was, I could not distinguish the 

 male, and if I had shot the female, the other would have 

 been doubly furious, and have been upon us before I had 

 time to reload. It is seldom two males travel together. 

 They are unsociable brutes, and prefer solitude to each other's 

 company. 



When we arrived on board, the captain said he was 

 anxiously watching us from the crow's nest, for they 

 appeared to him to be alongside of us. We had their 

 company within a mile of the ship, when they retraced their 

 way back, we being heartily glad to part with their society. 



Several bears were shot, and if it had not been for such 

 excursions our time would have passed very monotonously. 

 When the weather was very clear fifty-two sail could be 

 counted from the masthead. At another time not more 

 than a dozen. Our ship's head did not vary more than 

 three points during the six weeks we were fast, and no crack 

 was perceived in the ice to change the position of the other 

 ships. 



One day three men travelled to us from a brig lying about 

 seven miles away ; they had been as near to the seals as we 

 were when the gale came on. From them we heard that 

 a foreign brig lying next to them had a man eaten by bears 

 a few nights previous. It is foolish to go alone from the 



