418 NEW LAND. 



another bullet, which finished it off. He then drove off the dogs> 

 let loose his team, and came back to meet me as I was dragging 

 along my sledge. 



When we returned to the dogs, a team was lying on each side 

 of the bear keeping watch ; but not one of them was absent or had 

 touched or bitten it. In spite of being so ravenous, they waited 

 patiently till it was skinned they knew it was not their turn till 

 then but I never saw anything like the way they ate when the 

 time came for them, and I have been witness to a good many 

 scenes of the kind. However, even on this occasion they eventually 

 ate their fill; but when we had spread the skin on the ice and 

 pitched the tent on it, we cut some meat in thick slices, and fed 

 them as long as they were able to swallow. We fried some 

 delicious steaks for ourselves, and enjoyed existence during the 

 evening. 



It was one of the most beautiful evenings we had on the 

 whole journey. The temperature had risen to an astonishing 

 extent since we had come down here. Up in the bay the 

 thermometer had varied from zero to 4 Fahr. ( 18 to 20 p 

 Cent.), but now we had 28 Fahr. The evening was so calm and 

 peaceful, and the sun so warm, that there was water on the ice 

 under land. 



