168 Our North Land. 



the boats, and took them to the Neptune. But this does not finish 

 my bear story. There were three valuable skins. Who owned 

 them ? That was a question not so easily settled as you may 

 imagine. 



You will observe that we had shot nine bears. Each man had 

 shot his bear. It was not a matter of doubt, not a thing he would 

 hesitate in swearing to, but a thing of the greatest certainty. He — 

 each of us — had taken deliberate aim, had watched most carefully, 

 and had seen the brute fall a victim to his correct marksmanship. 

 Besides, he had run to the body as soon as it reached the snow, and 

 examined the very spot at which he had aimed, and found, on that 

 identical place, a hole corresponding to the character of the bullet 

 used. Yes, we had killed nine, — each man his bear ; but somehow 

 they wouldn't go round. Six were missing. There was a mis- 

 calculation somewhere, but who could doubt the oft-repeated and 

 importunate assertions of each member of the hunting army? Such 

 a thing would be an aggravated insult. Reason and common sense 

 were in favour of the claims set up. It was the first time we had 

 fired at polar bears, and, being only seventy or eighty yards away, 

 it was most unlikely that we were going to make a miss-shot. Then, 

 again, the brutes were so large, how could one miss hitting them ? 

 But, notwithstanding, the number of dead bears was insufficient to 

 sustain these assertions. There was a mistake. Some one was out 

 in his calculations, and altogether we were six bears short. 



To meet this difficulty, Lieutenant Gordon was unanimously 

 voted sole and final arbitrator, and was to award the bears as he 

 might see fit, and with his decision we were to abide content. He 

 hit upon a happy solution of the difficulty. The three bears were 

 pooled, so to speak, into shares. Each of the nine gunners was 

 awarded a full share. Three shares represented a bear, and the 

 bears were designated by numbers, and their names attached to 

 each number. Under this arrangement it was only necessary for 

 one man to purchase the scares of his two partners to become the 

 sole proprietor of a bear skin. The bidding was spirited. Bear 

 shares shot up with a buoyancy that would do credit to the gold 

 market in Wall Street in war times. One dollar was offered and 



