124 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



nerable than the Polar bear, or than most other 

 large carnivorous wild animals, and not nearly so 

 much so as either the black rhinoceros or the Af- 

 rican buffalo. 



It was late before I returned to the sloop, which 

 had sailed several miles up the fiord to meet us. 

 Lord David had also just come on board, and, aft- 

 er talking over the day's adventures as usual, we 

 turned in for the night. 



23d. We had only been in bed two hours, when 

 the watch on deck aroused us, and said they had 

 seen three bears going along the western shore of 

 the fiord. Tired and sleepy as we were, this report 

 brought us all on deck immediately. The bears by 

 this time, however, had got out of sight to the north, 

 or toward where I had killed the bear yesterday. 

 The watch said they appeared through the glass to 

 be an old bear with two young ones, and, from the 

 direction in which they were proceeding, I imagined 

 they had "winded" my carrion of yesterday, and 

 were scenting their way up to it like the unlucky 

 individual of their race who had fallen a victim to 

 his fondness for seal-meat a few hours before. 



A bitterly cold north wind was now blowing, and 

 a very strong tide was running down the fiord, 

 which, by carrying the sloop before it, was the rea- 

 son of our losing sight of the bears so soon. As 

 we felt sure, however, that they would follow the 

 shore, we had no doubt of falling in with them 

 speedily, and we accordingly manned a boat — only 



