LAND AT LAST 389 



the walruses were blowing and bellowing incessantly, but 

 everything passed unheeded by the two weary warriors 

 in the tent; they slept soundly, with the bare ground 

 for their couch. In the middle of the night we were 

 awakened, however, by a peculiar sound; it was just 

 like some one whimpering and crying, and making- 

 great ado. I started up, and looked out of the peep- 

 hole. Two bears were standing down beside our bear's 

 flesh, a she-bear and her young one, and both sniffing 

 at the bloody marks in the snow, while the she - bear 

 wailed as if mourning for a dear departed one. I lost 

 no time in seizing my gun, and was just putting it 

 cautiously out, when the she -bear caucrht sio'ht of me 

 at the peep-hole, and off they both set, the mother in 

 front, and the vounfr one trottin"" after as fast as it 

 could. I just let them run — we had really no use for 

 them — and then we turned over and went to sleep 

 again. 



Nothing came of the storm we had feared. The 

 wind blew hard enough, however, to rend and tear our 

 now well-worn tent, and there was no shelter where 

 we lay. We hoped to go on on the following day, but 

 found, to our disappointment, that the way was blocked ; 

 the wind had agrain driven the ice in. We must remain 

 for the present where we were ; but in that case we 

 would make ourselves as comfortable as possible. The 

 first thing to be done was to seek for a warm, well- 

 sheltered place for the tent, but this was not to be 



