104 ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY IN ALASKA [eth. ann. 46 



from the mission. I have no boat to go back with, and so lose 

 several hours. 



July 30. Gloomy morning, windy, cool, sea not good. Do not 

 feel easy. But need to pack. One of the officers, Boatswain Berg, 

 lends me his short sheepskin coat, and I pack up to lunch. The sea 

 is getting worse. Have but little lunch and soon after have to take 

 to bed or would again be sick. To avoid the pitching of the end 

 of the boat where my bed is I go to the dispensary and lie until 6. 

 From 6 on the sea moderates somewhat, so that I am able to have a 

 little supper. After that go to officers' wardroom, play two games of 

 checkers with the doctor, get some more specimens from two of the 

 officers, and retire. 



When I boarded the Bear it became plain to me that I must earn 

 as much as possible the sympathetic understanding of my work by 

 both the officers and the crew, and so I gave two talks, one to the 

 officers and the other to the men. telling them of our problems in 

 Alaska, of the meaning and value of such collections as I was making, 

 and of other matters that I felt would be useful on this occasion. As 

 a result I had throughout the voyage nothing but the friendliest feel- 

 ings of all and their cooperation. Sincere thanks to the officers and 

 the crew of the Bear, from the captain downward. 



Saturday, July 31. At 4.30 a. m." suddenly a heavy bump forward, 

 followed by several smaller ones. Ship rises and shivers. Have 

 struck ice floes. Going very slowly. Further bumps at longer or 

 shorter intervals and occasionally the ship stops entirely. Sea 

 fortunately much calmer. 



Up at 7. We are in a loose field of ice — aquamarine-blue ice 

 covered with hillocks of snow, all shapes and sizes, as after a hard 

 winter on the Hudson, only floes mostly larger and especially deeper. 



Soon after breakfast hear walrus and seals had been observed on 

 the ice, and shortly before 9 the captain comes down hurriedly to tell 

 us they have just spied — they now have a man in the crow's nest up 

 on the foremast — a white bear. 



Run up — everybody pleasurably excited — to the front of the ship. 

 See a black-looking head of something swimming toward a large ice 

 floe about 500 yards in front of us. As we approach the head reaches 

 the floe, then a big yellowish paw comes out upon the ice, then the 

 shoulders, and finally the whole bear. The officers hurry forward, 

 each with a gun. Soon men all there. Some one fires. Bear stands 

 broadside watching us. The bullet goes way over. Then other 

 shots — still missing — water spouting high in many places. Bear 

 bewildered, does not know what to do, lopes off a little here and there, 

 stops again, looking at us, and now — we are less than 100 yards from 

 him it seems — a bullet strikes him above the loin — we can see him jerk 



