BLAAMANDEN AND BAY FJORD. 389 



site of our old camp, and did not stop before he found a knife 

 which I had lost on the way north. 



After we had pitched our tent in the evening at the extreme 

 point of Maiodden, being much engaged with our cooking, we 

 heard the dogs giving tongue. They seemed in no great hurry, so 

 we knew that it was not a bear. Schei crept out, put on his glasses, 

 and viewed the situation at closer quarters. He then thought it 

 wisest to provide himself with cartridges, went to the sledges, and 

 began to get some out. I asked him from inside the tent if any- 

 thing was the matter. 'Yes/ answered Schei, 'if you want to 

 have a shot at a wolf, come out.' I crept cautiously out, and saw 

 two wolves a couple of hundred yards from the tent, but before I 

 could get hold of my gun they had retreated. I tried sending 

 them a couple of bullets, but the range was long and the light 

 bad, and we soon saw them disappear among the hummocks. We 

 saw from the tracks that the animals had come from the south, 

 and had kept alongside the crack the whole time. 



We finished our meal and lay down to rest, but I was not able 

 to sleep a wink, and at eleven I turned out and observed. It was 

 a quiet peaceful night. A solitary goose was cackling up on laud ; 

 of other sound there was none. Schei went a trip ashore to find 

 the goose, but in vain. After midnight we turned in again, but 

 even then I could not sleep, and began to work out an observation. 

 It was full daylight inside the tent. 



About two o'clock we heard the dogs again. I was not long 

 in going out, and stealing towards the sledge, where, as luck would 

 have it, my rifle had been forgotten, and then saw a pack of eight 

 wolves attacking my team, which were tied up the farthest off. 

 A couple of them were so near that 'Lillemor,' who had the 

 longest trace, was showing her teeth, and there were not many 

 inches between their noses every time they snarled at one another. 



When the assailants saw me they retired a little to one side. 

 Then Schei came out, and we sat down outside the tent-door 

 to wait for ' Grey legs ' to come nearer. But they were not so 

 foolish. They went farther and farther away, and the range grew 

 pretty long. Schei was determined to make me try a shot at them, 

 and as it is not difficult to persuade a person into doing what he 



