HOW WE HUNT POLAR BEARS 293 



"We had been traveling with Stefansson northward 

 over the moving ice of the Arctic Ocean in March and 

 April of 19 14 when, on the thirteenth day out, we were 

 halted by a narrow lead of open water. The next morn- 

 ing, in the hope that a crossing might be found to the west- 

 ward, the Commander started out, followed by Storkerson, 

 Andreasen, Johansen, Crawford and myself, with the 

 sleds and dogs. We followed the edge of the ice for an 

 hour or more, when Storkerson saw a seal suddenly poke 

 its head out of the water. At about the same time the 

 Commander found a huge cake of ice adrift in the open 

 lead, which was only about fifty feet wide at that point. 

 Here was a ferry already built, so while we were getting 

 the teams ready to go aboard the ferry the Commander 

 and Storkerson walked along the lead in different direc- 

 tions in search of seals for dog food and for our own 

 dinner. Four were shot in the course of an hour, then 

 Storkerson set to work to make out of an empty tin can 

 a stove which would burn seal blubber. 



"Little did we think that the odor of the burning seal 

 blubber and cooking seal meat would bring a polar bear 

 into our camp, but that is just what it did. We had 

 placed the dogs on the ferry, skinned a seal, made the 

 stove, built a fire in it, and were cooking seal meat with 

 the blubber from the same carcass for fuel when we were 

 brought to our feet by a great commotion among the dogs. 

 The Commander and Storkerson, who were nearest, ran 

 toward the dogs to stop what they thought was a fight 

 among them, and Crawford and I followed. I did not 

 notice any special cause for the commotion until Storker- 

 son yelled to us, 'It's a bear!' 



"Knowing that our lives depended upon our dogs, and 

 that a polar bear could kill one with a single blow of his 



