242 WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 



the bear did not just come far enough and our second lot 

 of hunters came back with nothing in the bag. Later, we 

 noticed the same bear working along the horizon. I expect 

 it will strike the track of the homeward drawn bear's skin. 

 I hope he will evince sufficient interest in his deceased relative 



either to follow the trail of the skin to the ship or to the 

 carcass ; it was far too great a distance to bring in all the 

 flesh. An eight-foot bear, nose to tail, ten feet four inches 

 nose to heel, is a frightful weight, about nine hundred and 

 eighty pounds. 



It is still the Spaniards' watch and we steam away back 

 to where we saw the bears first if we cannot find whales we 

 must take bears En falta de pan, buenas son tortas (If you 

 cannot get bread, cakes are good enough), and if you cannot 

 get either bears or whales you must either draw, write, 

 smoke, or go to bed. I would go to bed, but still have a 

 lingering interest in my fellows' proceedings with the above 

 ursidce. 



After the somewhat exciting afternoon and evening after 

 bear, the night felt very quiet. Mist fell and stilled the 

 least ripple. Archie came to my cabin two can sit in it 

 with a squeeze and celebrated the occasion with a pipe and 

 a glass of aqua vite, and he retold his adventures. I ought 

 to have been with him, I believe, as comrade, to draw a bead 

 on the ferocious opponent if necessary, and afterwards put 

 it all down in paint, but Gisbert is most unerring in his aim, 

 and being a little lame, I might have kept them back. At 

 eighty yards, a big bear, Hamilton says, is very imposing, 

 and when it stalks you to within thirty-five yards and you 

 give it your best in a vital spot and it is not killed, you are 



