TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 179 



soft-soaped the crew and glossed things over. If the 

 cook had killed the bear, which was not for a moment 

 so much as hinted at, he probably considered that 

 the animal would prefer death to continued life aboard 

 a sealing schooner. If the sailor in question had 

 assisted our pet out of this world of tears, it was 

 done in the way of kindness. If anybody else was 

 responsible for closing the cub's career, no doubt 

 there were excellent reasons to be brought forward, if 

 we only knew them. In short, the blood of the bear 

 was on its own head, or rather on its own " Little 

 Mary." 



It was most annoying, and this backing the horse 

 both ways, into which Ralph had suddenly launched, 

 made Cecily and me think we must be electioneering, 

 instead of sailing on a sealer over the Bering Sea. 



Ralph explained afterwards that it was a piece of 

 diplomacy, and very necessary, as it was useless to 

 annoy the crew, who had it in their power to make 

 things very unpleasant for us an' they wished. I 

 think now, looking back, that we should have got on 

 much better than we did if we had used a little less 

 diplomacy when we were on the Lily. Amateurs at 

 it always show their hand, and the one weak spot 

 at the same time. Indeed, even in the great crises 

 of the world I am not sure but that diplomacy should 

 be relegated to a back seat. Is it so good perpetually 

 to gloss over ? Does it not often merely make a film 

 over the ulcerous part, whilst rank corruption, under- 

 mining all within, spreads unseen ? 



Off Cape Constantine we encountered the densest 



