SHE-BEAR AND CUBS. 125 



one, on account of the men being fatigued — and 

 pushed off in pursuit. 



During the three or four hours since I had left 

 the edge of the "fast" ice it had all become loose, 

 and was floating down the fiord with the tide near- 

 ly entire — at least sixteen or twenty square miles 

 of ice in one almost unbroken sheet ; but, as the 

 fiord increased in width toward its outer end, there 

 was plenty of room for the boat to pass up between 

 the shore and the sheet of ice. The tide was run- 

 ning down this passage very hard indeed. A nar- 

 row strip of "fast" ice still remained attached to 

 the shore all along where the shallowness of the 

 water had prevented it from floating. We had a 

 row of several miles along the shore before we over- 

 took the bears, and at last discovered them seated 

 on this strip of land ice. Lord David then agreed 

 to get out, and, by running, try to cut them off from 

 the hills, while I should continue in the boat, and 

 row as fast as possible up the edge of this ice in 

 case they should take to the sea. We got to with- 

 in about 500 yards of the bears before they per- 

 ceived us. The old one stood up on her hind legs 

 like a dancing bear to have a good look at the boat, 

 and a moment's inspection seemed to convince her 

 that it was time to be off. She set off at the top 

 of her speed, with the two cubs at her heels, along 

 the smooth surface of the ice. Lord David, al- 

 though an excellent runner, could not keep up with 

 them ; so he got into the boat again, and we rowed 



