356 NEW LAND. 



go the connecting lanyard, but the bear was not to be daunted, 

 and made straight for the dogs, which began to tear at his hair. 

 He did not seem to care very much about this, and made an effort 

 to turn tail, but it was too late, for they were now clinging on 

 to him and biting him wherever they could get a hold. 



Baumann then told me that Hassel had never had a chance 

 of shooting a bear, so I said he should have one now. He 

 accordingly seized his rifle and set off, prepared to do the bear to 

 death. At suitable range he knelt down in front of it and let 



' KUEBTIAX.' ' KA'L.' ' SN1PA.' 



' M08A1KKN.' 



blaze. The bear was not at all offended, and simply stayed where 

 it was. He then scrambled up, and, cautiously advancing a few 

 steps farther, knelt down and fired again. He went on courting 

 the bear in this manner till he had fired away all the five 

 cartridges in his magazine rifle without succeeding in more than 

 wounding it. Meanwhile ' Bamsen,' as we call bears, and the 

 dogs continued to ' pig- waltz ' with such vivacity that the snow 

 flew up in clouds around them. 



At this conjuncture Hassel's team rushed in to their master's 

 assistance, and set on the bear. He had not overturned his 



