100 A SUMMER VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC 



cubs were one day seen running over the pans not fiir distant 

 from the ship, and their curiosity caused them to come nearer 

 and gaze at us. They were nearly the color of the ice and, run- 

 ning nimbly over the pans or swimming rapidly across the water 

 spaces, were a prett}^ sight. A number of rifles were brought out, 

 and the large bear was killed after a desperate effort to escape. 

 A long chase followed for the cubs, the injunction being to take 

 them alive. They were followed by boats and on foot over the 

 ice and finally were taken. The one captured first was left in 

 charge of one of the Cornell party to hold until the return of the 

 boat. As the cub, although but a few weeks old, would not have 

 been a pleasant companion for one man on a small ice-cake, our 

 comrade, holding to the line about the bear's neck, kept him in 

 the water and at a safe distance with a boat-hook, and the strug- 

 gles of the bear to get on the ice and of the man to keep him off 

 furnished considerable amusement to those members of the part}'- 

 who remained on the ship. The cubs were finally caged on 

 the deck of the Hope and remained our companions during the 

 remainder of the voyage, growing greatly in size but not the 

 least in affection either for their captors or for each other. They 

 may now be seen in the National Zoological Park at Washington. 



The scenery along the Labrador coast became more striking 

 as we proceeded northward. It is mostly a rocky, bleak -looking 

 shore, treeless and barren, indented with deep bays and fringed 

 with islands. In the southern portion the topography is low 

 and its rounded outlines give every indication of the smoothing 

 effect of glacial action. Just south of Cape Chudleigh, however, 

 the mountains fringing the shore attain a height of 6,000 feet, 

 and in many cases have sharp, rugged outlines. 



Passing into Hudson strait, the Hope was soon clear of the ice. 

 After steaming over 200 miles along the north shore, we reached 

 Ashe inlet on July 24. Here and on the mainland opposite two 

 days were spent in exploration and investigation. At Ashe 

 inlet there was located some ten years ago one of a number of 

 meteorological stations established by the Canadian government 

 for the study of the Hudson bay and strait climate in connection 

 with the practicability of regular navigation in this region. A 

 portion of the frame house was found standing, and it was the 

 only sign of human habitation, with the exception of a few traces 

 of Eskimo encampments. A more bleak and desolate-looking 

 region it would be difficult to imagine; where the rock "was not 

 bare, the scanty vegetation was not over a few inches high. In 



