244 WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 



An uneventful Sunday. After the manner of our great ex- 

 amples of Reformation times, we held mild sports. Fencing, 

 two entries, F. J. de Gisbert and the writer, we may not 

 say who took the prize. Lassoing, five entries, De Gisbert and 

 three Spanish, first Don Jose Herrero. Don Jose Herrero now 

 surpasses our Professor Gisbert, and the writer comes only 

 a little behind, but still a halo is seen over him for having 

 lassoed a live bear ! Shooting at floating bottles, range inside 

 thirty yards, Entries, the writer with Browning revolver, 

 Spaniards mannlicher rifles, easy win for pistol, showing age 

 and practice make up for telescopic sights. Pipe-playing, 

 march, strathspey and reel, one entry, a walk over. Guitar 

 accompaniment, three entries, De Gisbert easily first, steward 

 and writer draw. Painting water-colour evening effect, one 

 entry judge the writer subject, a pale yellow sky, lilac 

 strip clouds above floe, floe high in tone, faintest pink with 

 pale blue in crevices ; prize not awarded. 



In evening we tied up to a gap in floe-edge, hoping for 

 narwhals, because they seem to keep close to edge of the 

 floe. And sure enough they came when we were at evening 

 meal, a great black-and-white-spotted bull leading, with a 

 visible gleam under the still, dark water of his white ivory 

 horn ; after him, more drab-coloured whales, presumably 

 Madame and bebes. We waited out in our boat, the writer 

 with harpoon, and pursued two lots. One of them was a 

 splendid bull, but both lots vanished a fraction of a second 

 before I got a good chance at them, so we saved powder. 



During the night we got to some extent embayed. We 

 had floes all round, and raced round like a bird in a trap, 

 but found a way out of the lake about four A.M. 



As we plodded round in the early morning, it rained ! 

 straight down heavy rain and warm at that, with the ther- 

 mometer two degrees above freezing most unexpected and 

 unsuitable Arctic weather might as well have rain at 

 Assouan ! When the rain ceased thin mist still hung over 

 the day and it was very quiet indeed. 



Our Starboard bear seemed to feel the quiet and monotony 

 and made a very good attempt to get out to-night. He did 

 not seem very overpowering on the floe, but now, when he got 



