BEAR FOND OE EGGS. 85 



started for tlie island in one boat, but shortly 

 after we left the sloop, Isaac sent the other 

 boat after us, in order to take the opportunity 

 of getting some dry drift-wood for fuel ; we 

 carefully took the bearings of the island by 

 compass, and rowed hard, as fog appeared likely 

 to come on again : after about an hour's rowing 

 we got pretty close to the island, and observed 

 our " friend in white " quietly pottering about 

 evidently in search of something — " gather- 

 ing eggs," Christian explained to us. Multi- 

 tudes of gulls, fulmars, eider-ducks, and 

 " alcas " hovered about the island, screaming 

 and chattering, and evidently in a state of 

 great perturbation at Bruin's oological re- 

 searches. We got a small cliff between us 

 and the bear without his perceiving us, and 

 jumped ashore with our rifles, in expectation of 

 getting a shot at him from the rocks : but on 

 gaining the top of the cliff, to our great dis- 

 may we saw the bear a good hundred yards at 

 sea, and making great play for a neighbouring 

 island about half a mile distant ! He had 

 evidently winded us, or heard us trampling on 

 the hard snow : he was about 200 yards from 

 us, but we both sat down on the snow, and 

 both fired a shot at his head as he swam ; the 



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