310 FARTHEST NORTH 



excellent. It was the cause of a great disappointment, 

 however, for after having looked forward immoderately 

 to this, now so rare, treat, I managed clumsily to upset 

 my whole cup, so that all the precious contents ran out 

 over the ice. While I was lying waiting for a second cup 

 — it was boiling over the train-oil lamp ' Kaifas ' began 

 to bark outside. Not doubting but that he had seen an 

 animal, I jumped up to hurry off to the lookout hum- 

 mock to scan the ice. Not a little surprised was I 

 when I poked my head out of the tent door to see a 

 bear come jogging up to the dogs and begin snif^ng at 

 ' Kaifas.' I sprang to the gun, which stood ready in the 

 snow beside the tent, and pulled off the case, the bear 

 meanwhile standing astonished and glaring at me. I 

 sent it a ball through the shoulder and chest, certain 

 that it would drop on the spot. It half staggered over, 

 and then turned round and made off, and before I could 

 extract a new cartridge from my pocket, which was full of 

 everything else, was away among the hummocks. I could 

 not get a shot at it where it was, and set off in pursuit. 

 I had not gone many steps before we saw (Johansen 

 had followed me) two more heads appearing a little way 

 farther on. They belonged to two cubs, which were 

 standing on their hind-legs and looking at their mother, 

 who came reeling towards them, with a trail of blood 

 behind her. Then off they went, all three, over a lane, 

 and a wild chase began over plains and ridges and lanes 

 and every kind of obstacle, but it made no difference to 



