THE GERMAN EXPEDITION (1870) 85 



a fur glove, and this gave the pursuers time to come up 

 with the brute, which had by its great speed left them 

 far behind. He was now making for the shore, and would 

 certainly have escaped with his prey, had he succeeded in 

 climbing the bank. However, as he came to the edge 

 of the ice, he turned along the coast-side, continuing on 

 the rough and broken ice, which greatly retarded his 

 speed, and thus allowed his pursuers upon the ice to gain 

 rapidly upon him. After being dragged in this way for 

 about 300 paces, almost strangled by my shawl, which 

 the bear had seized at the same time, he dropped me, and 

 immediately afterwards Koldewey was bending over me 

 with the words, ' Thank God ! "he is still alive ! ' The 

 bear stood a few paces on one side, evidently undecided 

 what course to pursue, until a bullet gave him a hint that 

 it was high time to take himself off. 



" No one thought of pursuing him, for their first care 

 was to carry the wounded man on board, whither the 

 doctor and Herr Tramnitz had gone in order to prepare 

 the requisites for binding up the wounds. The main 

 injuries were in the head, where, amongst numerous other 

 wounds from the bites, two especially from 4 to 6 inches 

 long ran along the scalp, the edges of which hung loose, 

 leaving the skull bare for one-third to two-fifths of an inch. 

 The other wounds, about twenty in number, were in part 

 caused by striking against the fragments and rough broken 

 edges of the ice. It is worth while mentioning that, 

 neither during the act of receiving the wounds nor during 

 the process of healing, which progressed favourably, did I 

 experience the smallest pain. ,, 



The sledge-journey to the north left on the 8th March 

 1870. The party consisted of ten men, and they had two 

 sledges. The smaller sledge had four men who were to 

 accompany the expedition for a week, and then return 

 after laying a depot. A storm and the low temperature 



