GET NEAR HOPE ISLAND. 147 



the coast, where the water is too deep for 

 walruses ; as these animals cannot descend in 

 more than about twenty-five fathoms, and they 

 prefer fifteen or even ten fathoms. We dis 

 covered our mistake by getting a glimpse of 

 the mountains of Hope Island, and imme 

 diately stood in to the westward towards the 

 shore of Spitzbergen, now distant about twenty- 

 five miles. 



In the afternoon we put off in both boats to 

 hunt amongst the ice. I had shot two seals, be 

 sides another which, although shot dead, rolled 

 off the ice in his dying convulsions and sank, 

 when suddenly we descried a bear standing on 

 an iceberg at some distance oif, and the ice being 

 tolerably open, it soon became obvious that his 

 minutes were numbered, and that we were sure 

 of him. He stood on the iceberg coolly look 

 ing at us for some time, and at last he slid deli 

 berately backwards into the water, and began 

 swimming away from us as fast as he could. 

 The boat speedily overhauled him, and when 

 we got about fifty yards from him, he turned 

 round and swam straight at the boat. I called 

 to the men to lay on their oars, and I waited 

 until the bear, roaring and showing his teeth, 

 swam up to about ten yards from the boat, 



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