266 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



On the 12th we got the sloop unloaded and sold 

 the cargo. Owing to the badness of the casks with 

 which we had been provided, a great deal of our 

 blubber was damaged and lost. The price was also 

 very low — as seems always to be the case somehow 

 or other whenever one has any thing to sell — but still 

 we realized a sum which went a long way toward 

 paying our expenses ; in addition to which we 

 kept the young bears, the six bearskins, and all the 

 ivory. 



The 13th and 14th were occupied in getting a 

 stout cage, lined with old iron hoops, made for the 

 bears, settling accounts with our agents, paying off 

 the crew of the sloop, and delivering that sluggish 

 and odoriferous little tub over to her owners. 



The crew of the sloop seemed sorry to part with 

 us, and the regret was mutual, for, with one excep- 

 tion, I never met with a more hard-working, docile, 

 uncomplaining, and good-humored lot of fellows 

 than skyppar and crew proved themselves to be. 



Although their wages were fully equal in amount 

 to what they would have received on the usual prin- 

 ciple of getting for themselves one third of the cargo, 

 we gave the skyppar a handsome additional gratui- 

 ty, and each of the men (with the exception of the 

 individual above alluded to) a small one. We also 

 told them to divide between them all the bread and 

 other provisions which were left over, but the latter 

 gift unfortunately proved a very "bone of conten- 

 tion," and gave rise to a furious dispute among 



