WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 247 



all at aften-mad when word came a bear was sighted, so our 

 Spanish friends armed themselves and went forward to the 

 bows, and the vessel slowly approached the floe on which 

 the bear had been seen, and to our astonishment the bear 

 approached the ship steadily, and lightly climbed a round 

 snow-block and steadily gazed at us, a pale primrose patch 

 in a great whiteness, with interesting dark eyes and muzzle. 

 I have tried to recall the effect, but the highness of the 

 scheme of colour makes it difficult to paint, and probably 

 impossible to reproduce by any process of colour-printing. 



Our friends calmly held their fire till within twenty-five 

 yards when Don Jose began with his telescope-sighted 

 mannlicher and hit the bear at his first shot ! unfortunately 

 rather near its tail. The bear, enraged, tore at itself. Then a 

 sharp fusillade began from both rifles and by-and-by the 

 bear succumbed. It had been hit not less than five times. 

 It was only a small bear, but, as Don Luis senior remarked : 

 " It was forte bien mieux de tirer from the ship than to go 

 march, march, toujours sur la neige." This is the way we 

 speak on board, with a little Spanish thrown in. 



