THE NEW YEAR, i8g6 4^7 



tumbling head foremost in again over the bone heap and 

 say, ' There's a bear standing just outside the door.' He 

 snatched his gun down from where it hung under the 

 roof and again put his head into the passage, but drew 

 it quickly back, saying, 'He is standing close by, and 

 must be thinking about coming in.' He managed to 

 draw aside a corner of the door-skin, just enough to give 

 him elbows-room to shoot ; but it was not altogether easy. 

 The passage was narrow^ enough before, and now, in 

 addition, it was full of all the backbones and scraps of 

 meat. I saw him once lift the gun to his shoulder 

 as he lay crouched together, but take it down again ; 

 he had forgotten to cock it, and the bear had moved 

 a little away, so that he only saw its muzzle and paws. 

 But now it began scraping down in the passage with 

 one paw% as if it wanted to come in, and Johansen 

 thought he must fire, even if he could not see. He put 

 out his gun, pointing the barrel at the upper edge of the 

 opening; he thought the shot must go right into the 

 bear's breast, and so he fired. I heard a dull growl 

 and the crunching of the snow under heavy footsteps, 

 which went up towards the talus. Johansen loaded 

 again, and put his head out at the opening. He said 

 he saw it going up there, and that it didn't seem up to 

 much, and forthwith he rushed after it. I, meanwhile, 

 was lying head foremost in the bag, hunting for a sock 

 which I could not find. At last, after a long search, I 

 found it — on the floor, of course. Then I, too, was ready; 



