YOUNG TAME WALEUS. 27 



mity was pulling its whiskers, or pretend- 

 ing to use a " rope's end " to it, when it 

 would sneak oflP, looking over its shoulder, just 

 like a dog when chastised. They said it would 

 eat salt-fish, salt-beef, blubber, or anything 

 offered it, but I strongly advised Ericson to 

 give it, if possible, a mixture of vegetables or 

 sea-weed along with such strong diet. I 

 assured him, that if he succeeded in taking 

 it alive to the Regent's Park or the Jardin- 

 des-Plantes, he could get a long price for it ; 

 but before I left Spitzbergen, in September, 

 I heard with regret that the curious little 

 beast had died. 



Ericson told me he did not think my yacht 

 could penetrate to " Thymen's Straits " at 

 present, as a great deal of ice intervened, and 

 more continued drifting through the straits 

 from the eastward, but as it looked tolerably 

 open, I resolved to try. Upon penetrating a 

 few miles in, however, we found it was impos- 

 sible, and we therefore had to make up our 

 minds to a continuance of the bull for the 

 present. 



We sailed down the fiord again on the 5th 

 to look for our consort, or to see if she had left 

 any letters for us at the post-office ; on near- 



