264 Chase after a Bear. 



being of great magnitude, which is causing us no 

 little trouble to get through. It has evidently 

 been set up by the late strong southerly winds. We 

 are about thirty miles off Cape Adair. It is most 

 annoying- being such a distance from land, for, 

 without making our passage longer, it would have 

 been so easy to have steamed along the coast, and 

 we could then have taken some useful observations. 

 This comes of trusting to a compass, when the 

 variation amounts to 130°. I had another chase 

 after a bear this afternoon, which we suddenly 

 disturbed in the middle of a feast. He had been 

 so scared by the sight of the ship, that he went 

 away over the ice and through the water at railway 

 speed ; and though we pursued him for half an hour in 

 our boat, we failed to get within shot. We revenged 

 ourselves by taking possession of his dinner, which 

 was found to be a white whale about fifteen feet 

 long. We removed the blubber, the most luxurious 

 part of his repast. This whale must have been 

 hauled up on the ice by the bear. The strength of 

 these animals is truly astonishing. 



Shortly after tea a walrus was seen on a piece of 

 ice, and I went away as boat-steerer in the boat that 

 was lowered for the purpose of effecting its capture. 

 It was a huge monster, weighing at least a ton. 

 We sculled down quietly upon it. When just 

 within shot the creature lifted its head to take a 

 look at us, which movement breaking the piece of ice 



