334 FARTHEST NORTH 



is ofood value for what we have lost. But we were 

 almost as pleased when Johansen came down and said 

 that he heard the missing dog howling on the ice far 

 away to the northwest. Several of us went up to listen, 

 and we could all hear him quite well ; but it sounded 

 as if he were sitting still, howling in despair. Perhaps 

 he was at an opening in the ice that he could not get 

 across. Blessing had also heard him during his night- 

 watch, but then the sound had come more from a south- 

 westerly direction. When Peter went after breakfast to 

 feed the dogs, there was the lost one, standing below 

 the gangway wanting to get on board. Hungry he was 

 — he dashed straight into the food-dish — but otherwise 

 hale and hearty. 



" This evening Peter came and said that he was cer- 

 tain he had heard a bear moving about and pawing the 

 ice; he and Pettersen had stood and listened to him 

 scraping at the snow crust. I put on my ' pesk ' (a fur 

 blouse), got hold of my double-barrelled rifle, and went 

 on deck. The whole crew were collected aft, gazing out 

 into the night. We let loose 'Ulenka' and 'Pan,' and 

 went in the direction where the bear was said to be. It 

 was pitch-dark, but the dogs would find the tracks if 

 there was anything there. Hansen thought he had seen 

 something moving about the hummock near the ship, 

 but w^e found and heard nothing, and, as several of the 

 others had by this time come out on the ice and could 

 also discover nothing, we scrambled on board again. It 



