414 FARTHEST NORTH 



running, and I was only able to send a bullet through 

 its body from behind. Shouting out to Johansen that 

 he must look after the other bear, I set off running, and 

 after a couple of hours' pursuit up the fjord I at last 

 chased it up under the wall of a glacier, where it pre- 

 pared to defend itself. I went right up to it, but it 

 growled and hissed, and made one or two attacks on me 

 from the elevation on which it stood before I finally put 

 an end to its existence. When I got back Johansen was 

 busy skinning the other bear. It had been alarmed by 

 us when we attacked the first, and had gone a long way 

 out over the ice ; it had then returned to look for its 

 companion, and Johansen had shot it. Our winter store 

 was increasing. 



The next day (September 24th), as we were setting 

 out to work at our hut, we saw a large herd of walruses 

 lying out on the ice. We had both had more than 

 enough of these animals, and had very little inclination 

 for them. Johansen was of candid opinion that we had 

 no need for them, and could let them lie in peace; but 

 I thought it was rather improvident to have food and 

 fuel lying at one's very door and make no use of them, 

 so we set off with our guns. To steal up to the animals, 

 under cover of some elevations on the ice, was a matter 

 of small difficulty, and we had soon come within 40 feet 

 of them, and could lie there quietly and watch them. 

 The point was to choose one's victim, and make good 

 use of one's shot, so as not to waste cartridges. There 



