120 SEALS CHAFFING THE BEAE. 



certain whether he should go up to the dead 

 seals or not. How earnestly I prayed that he 

 might not have had his dinner ! Shortly he 

 appeared to make up his mind that a seal 

 supper would be exactly the thing for him, and 

 sliding stern-foremost into the water, he swam 

 steadily and quietly along close under the edge 

 of the ice towards the carcases. 



I perceived half a dozen of live seals caper- 

 ing around the bear in the water, as if they 

 were making fun of their great enemy, or 

 "chaffing" him, now that he was in their 

 peculiar element; like small birds following 

 and teasing a hawk when they are sure he can't 

 catch them. 



When the bear came close opposite to the 

 dead seals, he peeped cautiously up over the 

 edge of the ice, and then perceiving that they 

 were not live seals, he scrambled out quite 

 coolly, and began to shake the wet from his 

 shaggy coat like a Newfoundland dog ; the 

 instant he concluded this operation, I fired, 

 and smashed the joint of one of his shoulders. 

 He fell on his face on the ice growling savagely 

 and biting at the wound. According to a 

 preconcerted arrangement, I instantly sprang 

 out on the ice and ran towards the bear, while 



