242 NEW LAND. 



This frightened the bears, and they stopped short. They were 

 near enough for me to have shot one of them if I had not been so 

 taken up with keeping the dogs in check. But before I was ready to 

 fire, the bears were making off as fast as they could go, and I did 

 not care to send a shot after them. Most probably I should have 

 fired wide, or possibly only have wounded one of them. 



We then went on to Bjornesund, where we took a meridian 

 altitude, and from there to 'Ulvefjord' (Wolf Fjord), where we 

 drove southward along the island of ' Ulvingen.' 



We had not been driving very long in Ulvefjord before the 

 dogs winded another bear, and started off, still southwards, at full 

 speed. The bear was coming across the bay, on the west side of 

 the low narrow neck or pass which extends across the island of 

 Ulvingen. The snow became looser the farther south we went, 

 and although the dogs hauled with all their might we did not 

 go very fast. 



No sooner had the bear set e.yes on us than it decided to 

 attack. It came stealing up northwards straight towards us. I 

 got out my rifle, for this time it seemed as if I should have a 

 chance of using it. But when the ' white 'un ' had come within 

 two or three hundred yards, it was suddenly seized with panic, 

 and took to its legs with a course on the point south of the bay. 



I cut 'Svartflekken ' loose in the hope that he might be able to 

 keep the bear until we drove up with my five dogs. But ' Bamsen ' 

 had a long start, and, moreover, was fleet of foot ; the snow, too, 

 was heavy for the dogs, so that ' Svartflekken ' did not catch the 

 bear up before it had reached the crack near the point. 



Here the fun began. It was the fiercest, and, I think, the 

 quickest bear I have ever seen. ' Svartflekken ' was in full vigour 

 now, it appeared, and certainly he had need to be, for the bear 

 made such fierce and rapid attacks that time after time I thought 

 the dog was done for. But every time the bear threw itself 

 round to break away, ' Svartflekken ' clung on to its hind-quarters. 

 Thus they went on all the while we were driving south, and when 

 we reached the crack they had arrived a couple of hundred 

 yards up on shore. The bear had taken its stand on a snow- 

 bare ridge of land close by the low banks of a river, and there 





