26 



MY ARCTIC JOURNAL 



relish the situation, and blasted our way out with gunpowder 

 at 8.15 F. ]\l. This is our first "nip." 



An hour later the captain called down to me to come up at 

 once, as a bear was advancing toward the ship. The boys had 

 been watching and longing for a bear ever since we left New- 

 York, and many false alarms had been given ; but here was a 

 real live polar coming straight for the " Kite." A very, very 

 pretty sight he was, with black snout, black eyes, and black 

 toes. Against the white snow and ice, he seemed to be of a 

 cream color. His head was thrown up as he loped along to- 

 ward us, and when, within a short distance of the " Kite," a 

 gull flew over his head, he made a playful jump at it, all un- 

 conscious of the doom which awaited him. Eleven men with 

 guns were stooping down on the quarter-deck waiting for the 

 captain to give the word to fire. A bullet disabled one of the 

 fore legs, while another struck the animal in the head, instantly 



dyeing it crimson ; 

 the bear stopped short, 

 wheeled round, fell 

 over on his head, and 

 then got up. By this 

 time it was simply rain- 

 iiruin at Rest. ing bullcts about the 



poor beast ; still he staggered on toward the water. Gib- 

 son, who had jumped on the ice as soon as he fired, was 

 now close to him, and, just as he started to swim away, put 

 a ball in his neck, which stopped him short. A boat was low- 



