8 Olof Krarcr. 



house to house and gives warning, so that all may 

 be ready to join in the hunt. Then the hunters get 

 their spears and let out their dogs, and hurry to the 

 place where the sound is heard. The polar bear 

 hears the sound also, and hastens to the place, for it 

 is here that he, too, must make his living. This is 

 the only time that Esquimaux ever dare to tackle a 

 polar bear, for when he is going about alone and 

 hungry he is very fierce and dangerous; but when 

 the ice breaks up the bear goes straight for the 

 sound. This grows louder and longer, until there is 

 a mighty crash, louder than thunder, and great walls 

 of ice are thrown high in air, and a space of open 

 water is to be seen. When the commotion has 

 ceased, my people crowd along the edge of the water. 

 They first look out for the bear, for they don't want 

 him to catch any of their seals. They have some of 

 their dogs loose in front of the sleigh, and some of 

 them harnessed to it. When they come to the bear, 

 he is busy watching for seal and pays very little at- 

 tention to the hunters or their dogs. The loose 

 dogs run up to him and begin to worry him. He 

 chases some of them, and the others bite him behind. 

 If he makes a rush at the hunters in their sleighs, the 

 dog teams draw them swiftly away. The loose dogs 

 keep on worrying the bear until he becomes furious 

 with rage. Every little while a sweep of his huge 

 paw lays one of his enemies on the snow, silent in 

 death. A few minutes later, perhaps, another will 

 be caught up in the powerful embrace of the great 



