NANSEN'S EXPEDITION (1895) 229 



comfortable. The door consisted of an opening at one 

 corner of the wall, which led into a short passage, dug 

 out in the ground, and then roofed over with blocks of 

 ice. The inner opening was covered with a bear-skin, 

 and another skin was laid over the outer opening. The 

 hut was 10 feet long and 6 feet wide. The cooking was 

 very simple : it consisted in boiling bear's flesh and soup 

 in the morning, and frying steak in the evening. Large 

 quantities were consumed at every meal, and yet they 

 never tired of it, and had always good appetites. 



While building the hut an anxious look-out was kept 

 for bears, as none had been seen for some time, and too 

 little meat had yet been obtained to last during the 

 winter. On the 23rd September one was found beside a 

 walrus-hide which had been put in water to thaw. Soon 

 afterwards a second bear was seen gnawing at the hides 

 on the roof of the hut. Both were shot. On the 

 24th September two more walruses were shot, and from 

 these they obtained all the blubber they now required. 

 On the 26th September a bear was seen out on the ice, 

 but when Nansen approached it made off'. He fired 

 twice at long range, the second shot wounding the 

 animal. It leaped and struck the ice, and finally 

 broke through into the water. It then made desperate 

 efforts to regain the ice, but the ice always broke under 

 its weight, and ultimately it died in the water. Nansen 

 and Johansen by means of a rope attempted to haul 

 the bear up on to the ice, but they found the weight 

 beyond their powers, and the ice always gave way. By 

 making a narrow crack sufficient to allow the rope to 

 pass, they dragged the bear under the ice to the shore, 

 where they made a hole and managed to draw it out. 

 After skinning the animal, they carried as much of 

 the meat as they could to the hut. When they neared 

 the place where their blubber was heaped, they were 



