VOYAGE THROUGH THE KARA SEA ^75 



bear on the point in front. I turned round, and there 

 stood a beautiful white fellow rummamn^ amono^ the 

 flotsam on the beach. As we had no time to shoot it, we 

 rowed on, and it went slowly in front of us northward 

 along the shore. At last, with great exertions, we reached 

 the bay where we were to put in for the reindeer. The 

 bear was there before us. It had not seen the boat 

 hitherto ; but now it got scent of us, and came nearer. 

 It was a tempting shot. I had my finger on the trigger 

 several times, but did not draw it. After all, we had no 

 use for the animal ; it was quite as much as we could 

 do to stow away what we had already. It made a beau- 

 tiful target of itself by getting up on a stone to have a 

 better scent, and looked about, and, after a careful sur- 

 vey, it turned round and set off inland at an easy trot. 



The surf was by this time still heavier. It was a flat, 

 shallow shore, and the waves broke a good way out from 

 land. We rowed in till the boat touched ground and 

 the breakers began to wash over us. The only way of 

 getting ashore was to jump into the sea and wade. But 

 getting the reindeer on board was another matter. There 

 was no better landing-place farther north, and hard as it 

 was to give up the excellent meat after all our trouble, 

 it seemed to me there was nothing else for it, and we 

 rowed off towards our ship. 



It was the hardest row I ever had a hand in. It went 

 pretty well to begin with ; we had the current with us, 

 and got quickly out from land ; but presently the wind 



