SUMMER SPORT IX NOVA ZEMLA. 81 



off at having been disturbed at his meal. "We after- 

 wards came upon this bear having his dessert in the 

 Samoyede cooking tent, surrounded by a group of 

 admiring and envious Esquimaux dogs, with whom 

 he appeared to be a great favourite on the whole. 

 Having finished his food, and then licked one of the 

 dogs from head to foot perhaps by way of cleaning 

 his tongue he adjourned to the Samoyede living 

 tent, where he speedily settled down amongst the 

 children and furs, and went peacefully to sleep. 



"We had long wanted to see some white whale 

 captured, and were often startled by great excitement 

 amongst the schooners whenever the preconcerted 

 signal was made from the look-out station indicating 

 that the "fish" were approaching; but as yet the 

 whales had never actually come within the limits 

 of the bay. At length our chance came. A day 

 or two before the Hope left Karmakula the signal 

 was made from the look-out station, and soon it 

 was seen from the schooners that the whales had 

 actually passed the outer headlands. Instantly all 

 was excitement and bustle on board the schooners 

 to get the boats away with the least possible delay, 

 the men working at their hasty preparations with 

 a suppressed excitement which was highly infectious. 

 Some of us happened at the time to be returning 

 to the ship from a duck-shooting expedition, so we 

 followed the Russian boats as hard as we could, 

 finding it difficult in our little dingy to keep any- 



VOL. IV. F 



