THE WINTER NIGHT 437 



draw home the dead bears that I had shot ; but they had 

 barely reached the spot where the encounter had taken 

 place, when Johansen and Blessing, who were in advance 

 of the others, saw two fresh bears spring up from behind 

 a hummock a little way off. But before they could get 

 their guns in readiness the bears were out of range ; so a 

 new hunt began. Johansen tore after them in his snow- 

 shoes, but several of the dogs got in front of him and 

 kept the bears going, so that he could not get within 

 range, and his chase ended as fruitlessly as mine. 



" Has good-luck abandoned us ? I had plumed myself 

 on our never having shot at a single bear without bag- 

 ging it; but to-day. . .! Odd that we should get a visit 

 from four bears on one day, after having seen nothing of 

 them for three months! Does it signify something .f* 

 Have we got near the land in the northwest which I have 

 so long expected } There seems to be change in the air. 

 An observation the day before yesterday gave SC 15' 

 north latitude, the most northerly we have had yet. 



"Sunday, April 15th. So we are in the middle of 

 April ! What a ring of joy in that word, a well-spring of 

 happiness! Visions of spring rise up in the soul at its 

 very mention — a time when doors and windows are 

 thrown wide open to the spring air and sun, and the 

 dust of winter is blown away; a time when one can no 

 longer sit still, but must perforce go out-of-doors to 

 inhale the perfume of wood and field and fresh - dug 

 earth, and behold the fjord, free from ice, sparkling 



