BEARS 83 



an isolated berg in the middle of a large lake, 

 far from the ice-pack. 



The animal at first took no notice of us. 

 Having finished its meal, it commenced to scratch 

 at the snow with its paws in the same way as 

 does a dog when hiding food. Then it squatted 

 on its haunches and watched us. 



Commander de Gerlache handled the ship so 

 skilfully that we came to within forty yards of 

 the berg without frightening the bear. Photo- 

 graphs were taken, the animal now standing on 

 its hind paws to examine us. It presented its 

 side towards me, and I fired and struck just 

 beneath the shoulder. A bellow of pain burst 

 from it ; it rolled in the snow, biting savagely 

 at its wound, from which the blood streamed. 

 Finally it toppled backwards into the sea. 

 It proved to be a fine female specimen, which 

 had recently fed so gluttonously on seals that 

 its stomach was enormously distended. While 

 Commander de Gerlache took a sounding of 

 over three thousand feet, I inspected the ice, 

 seeking to discover how the bear had been able 

 to surprise a seal under such conditions. A 

 certain spot on the edge of the floe, which rose 

 fairly high above the water, was very much 

 stained and bespattered with blood. Obviously 

 a terrible struggle had taken place there. Near 



G 2 



