82 NEW LAND. 



noticed me and became disquieted. Every time she showed signs 

 of alarm I stood still for a while, and when her fears were allayed 

 took another step or two forward. But no sooner did I begin to 

 move than she scrutinized me as sharply as before, and again grew 

 frightened. 



I had plenty of time, however, and took things quietly, so that 

 in the end I really came within quite a short distance of the hares, 

 but at the last moment the sentinel apparently thought me a little 

 too pressing, and suddenly starting up ran frantically round her 

 flock, striking the ground with her hind legs till it quite resounded. 

 Then she set off up the slopes with all the others after her in a 

 long straight line, looking as if a white cord had been stretched 

 up the hillside and over the ridge at the top. I remained looking 

 after them for a while after they had disappeared from sight over 

 the crest of the hill. The whole thing was so strange that I 

 wanted to think it out. 



Xot far from me still sat two hares by themselves ; evidently 

 they did not belong to the other lot. I thought it would be 

 interesting to go across to them if possible, and see what they 

 were about, but realized that I must make use of other tactics if I 

 would approach near to them. 



Earlier in the expedition I had once pretended to be a bear, 

 but gave it up on account of a Krag- Jorgensen rifle. This, I 

 thought, was a fitting moment to impersonate a reindeer, or some 

 other kind of big game, and I made a valiant attempt to simulate 

 their grazing movements backwards and forwards on the sward. 

 Meantime I kept a sharp look-out on the hares, and always took 

 care to approach a little nearer to them. 



The hares soon noticed the ever- advancing figure. They stood 

 up on their hind legs and gazed at me for a long while. I imme- 

 diately stopped, remained quite still, and gazed back at them. 

 When they were quite reassured I began to move about the grass 

 again, and at last they grew so accustomed to my presence that 

 they did not take the slightest notice of me. My tactics were so 

 successful that, in the end, I was not much more than two or three 

 yards away from them. It was quite touching to see these great, 

 innocent, Arctic hares sitting only a few paces off, quietly gnawing 



