84 SEE OTJR FIRST BEAE. 



We were smoking our pipes on deck at mid- 

 nightj and looking at a low black rocky island, 

 distant tliree or tliree and a lialf miles, when 

 Christian said, " There might be a bear on 

 that island ; " he took up his telescope in an 

 uninterested sort of way, and looking for a 

 little at the island, exclaimed, " There is a bear 

 on it ! " "We instantly directed our telescopes 

 also upon the island, but could see nothing. 

 Christian, however, stoutly maintained that he 

 had seen a bear, and that the reason we could 

 not make him out was, that he was now walk- 

 ing across one of several large patches of snow 

 on the island ; after waiting a little we did per- 

 ceive a minute white speck moving on the 

 black part of the island ; it was undoubtedly 

 " Gamle Eric " * himself, and we lost no time 

 in preparing for an immediate onslaught upon 

 him. Visions of white rugs trimmed with 

 nicked red cloth took possession of our brains, 

 to the temporary exclusion of pairs of walrus 

 tusks of fabulous length and thickness ! We 



* The people in most parts of Norway have a singular 

 prejudice against alluding to a bear by liis name " Biorn ; " 

 but they generally prefer mentioning him by some sobri- 

 quet, as "old Eric;" or in some roundabout way, as "the 

 party in the brown jacket," "the old gentleman in the fur 

 cloak," &c. 



