326 FARTHEST NORTH 



the dog and gave a growl. Another shot flashed and 

 hissed down on the same spot. One more, and we saw 

 the white dog the bear had under him jump up and run 

 off, while the other dogs stood round, barking. Another 

 shot still, for the animal began to stir a little. At this 

 moment my plug came out, and I gave him a last ball 

 through the head to make sure. The dogs had crowd- 

 ed round barking as long as he moved, but now that 

 he lay still in death they drew back terrified. They 

 probably thought it was some new ruse of the enemy. 

 It was a little thin one-year-old bear that had caused all 

 this terrible commotion. 



"While it was being flayed I went off in a north- 

 westerly direction to look for the dogs that were still 

 missing. I had not gone far when I noticed that the 

 dogs that were following me had caught scent of some- 

 thing to the north and wanted to go that way. Soon 

 they got frightened, and I could not get them to go on ; 

 they kept close in to my side or slunk behind me. I 

 held my gun ready, while I crawled on all-fours over the 

 pack-ice, which was anything but level. I kept a steady 

 lookout ahead, but it was not far my eyes could pierce in 

 that darkness. I could only just see the dogs, like black 

 shadows, when they were a few steps away from me. I 

 expected every moment to see a huge form rise among 

 the hummocks ahead, or come rushing towards me. The 

 doQfS sot more and more cautious ; one or two of them 

 sat down, but they probably felt that it would be a shame 



