476 FARTHEST NORTH 



els in the attic above us. With the coming of dayhght 

 the foxes vanished. They now found plenty of little 

 auks up in the clefts of the mountains, and had no longer 

 to depend on our stone-hard frozen bear-meat. But now 

 we had the drumming of the gulls instead ; but they did 

 not call up the same illusions, and, when we had them 

 on the roof just over our heads, were often very tiresome, 

 and even disturbed our sleep, so that we had to knock 

 on the roof or go out and frighten them away, which, 

 however, had the desired effect only for a few minutes. 



On the iSth of April, while I was at work on some 

 solar-time observations, I happened to look up, and was 

 surprised to see a bear standing just opposite to me 

 down on the ice by the shore. It must have been stand- 

 ing there a long time, wondering what I was about. I 

 ran to the hut for a gun, but when I returned it took to 

 its heels, and I was not eager to follow it. 



"Sunday, April 19th. I was awakened at 7 o'clock 

 this morning by the heavy steps of a bear outside. I 

 wakened Johansen, who struck a light, and I got on my 

 trousers and ' homager ' and crept out with loaded gun. 

 During the night a great deal of snow had, as usual, 

 drifted over the skin that covered the opening, and was 

 difficult to break through. At last, by kicking with all 

 my might from below, I managed to knock the snow off, 

 and put my head out into the daylight, which was quite 

 dazzlinor after the darkness down in the hut. I saw 

 nothing, but knew that the bear must be standing just 



