CARRYING MEAT IN THE POLAR NIGHT. 277 



made a number of new cooking-pots, and he now set to work to put 

 new bottoms in those we were going to take with us. A good 

 many muzzles had to be made as well. Simmons, who, like Fosheim, 

 was going on the trip west, had all his time taken up mending the 

 inner tent, which had suffered a good deal of damage on the journey ; 

 we had not yet quite learnt how to treat it. 



Before our return, the mate had seen to the putting up of a 

 winter awning. On the whole of this polar expedition we only 

 used an awning from the main- to the mizzen-mast. In form it 

 was like an ordinary tent with vertical sides fore and aft. 



There had been several spirited bear-hunts during our absence, 

 and the mate had shot his first bear. This he describes himself, 

 as follows : 



'About half-past six or so in the morning the steward came 

 down and turned me out. " There's a big bear up at the Meat- 

 heap," said he, " pawing the meat about so that he's making the 

 snow fly." Out I turned, and, taking my rifle, ran off to the 

 Meat-heap. There stood a thumping big bear in the middle of 

 the meat, turning it over, and picking out the best bits. So I 

 went to very close range, and fired off a shot just by way of a 

 warning, as it were ; but not a rap did he care ; he just stood and 

 pawed the meat about, throwing a bit at the puppies now and 

 then, when he was so minded. So I took real good aim, shut both 

 eyes, and blazed away, and I'll be hanged if I didn't shoot him 

 straight through the heart, so that he sank to the ground on 

 the spot ! ' 



Our puppies used to run loose around the ship. They were 

 only a few months old, and were no good for either hunting or 

 hauling, so we let them run about on the ice, enjoying life, and 

 barking at everything they saw. They were particularly inter- 

 ested in bears, and if one approached the ship they always ran 

 after it. It was often very amusing to watch these little balls, for 

 though they could not possibly imagine that they could bring the 

 bear to bay, or harm it in any way, they invariably gave chase. 

 If they met with one which was timid by nature they made them- 

 selves quite alarming enough to frighten it away. This happened 

 several times. But if an old bear came along, determined to reach 



