WHALING AND BEAR-HUNTING 267 



One of the bears on board, the poor little female cub, was 

 most touching, when this pistolled bear was brought on 

 board. She longed for a mother, and tore at her cage to get 

 out to this last bear, a female, but in no time it was skinned 

 and cut up to become our daily food, for we must eat bear 

 now three times a day, our fresh food from Tromso having 

 gone bad and tasteless some time ago. 



The mist lifted in bands, and strips of colour came into 

 the sky where the sun ought to have set, but obstinately 

 swung round high above the horizon, and the sea became 

 literally as calm as a mill-pond, and now all the scraps of 

 floe, separating in the stillness, are perfectly reflected. One 

 piece of ice in particular we notice against the vivid lavender 

 with deep bottle-green transparency when the midnight sun 

 shines through it. 



As we enjoyed the stillness and mystery of the rising mist, 

 Hamilton said he thought no, he said he did see land ; and 

 we said, " Oh ! " and " Really ! " and doubted, but it was ! a 

 little hard point above the low bank of mist on the horizon, 

 and everyone got their glasses out and gradually Green- 

 land became more distinct no doubt now, mountain-tops, 

 heaven be praised, hills again. We have only been about 

 four weeks away from land ; still, that gives one a deep 

 heart-longing for it. We had almost made up our minds 

 that we were not to see Greenland this year, possibly never, 

 but we have seen its mountains ! Even supposing the floes 

 close up and gales come, and we are driven back, still, we have 

 seen these icy mountains we promised to see long ago. I 

 wish there were several artists here there is beauty, delicacy 

 and colour enough to keep all busy. 



Possibly the colour and reflections, and the view of moun- 

 tains appeal to us on account of the many days we have 

 spent in the misty plains of flat ice floe. It will be difficult 

 now to sleep with the thought of land and rocks under foot, 

 saxifrage, Arctic poppies, and possibly musk oxen, and 

 possibly even a mosquito or two, and ptarmigan, and possibly 

 great walrus on the land ice. I certainly greatly desire one 

 splendid pair of walrus tusks. That and a musk ox's head 

 and a narwhal's horn will satisfy me. I do not want a 



