THE WINTER NIGHT 333 



stad, who generally plays ' master of the hounds," came 

 and announced the arrival of the first. Soon there was 

 another, and then one more. This news was a little 

 balsam to our wounds. ' Kvik ' has o:ot a orood warm 

 box, lined with fur, up in the passage on the starboard ; it 

 is so warm there that she is lying sweating, and we hope 

 that the young ones will live, in spite of 54 degrees of 

 frost. It seems this evening as if every one had some 

 hesitation in going out on the ice unarmed. Our bayonet- 

 knives have been brought out, and I am providing myself 

 with one. I must say that I felt quite certain that we 

 should find no bears as far north as this in the middle of 

 winter; and it never occurred to me, in makinaf Ions; ex- 

 cursions on the ice without so much as a penknife in my 

 pocket, that I was liable to encounters with them. But, 

 after Peter's experience, it seems as if it might be as well 

 to have, at any rate, a lantern to hit them with. The 

 long bayonet-knife shall accompany me henceforth. 



" They often chaffed Peter afterwards about having 

 screamed so horribly when the bear seized him. ' H'm ! 

 I wonder,' said he, ' if there aren't others that would 

 have screeched just as loud. I had to yell after the 

 fellows that were so afraid of frio^htenincj the bear that 

 when they ran they covered seven yards at each stride.' 



"Thursday, December 14th. 'Well, Mogstad, how 

 many pups have you now T I asked at breakfast. 

 ' There are five now.' But soon after he came down to 

 tell me that there were at least twelve. Gracious ! that 



