126 SHE-BEAR AND CUBS. 



when the watch on deck aroused us, and said 

 they had seen three bears going along the 

 western shore of the fiord. Tired and sleepy as 

 we were, this report brought us all on deck 

 immediately ; the bears by this time, however, 

 had got out of sight to the north, or towards 

 where I had killed the bear yesterday. The 

 watch said they appeared through the glass to 

 be an old bear with two young ones, and from 

 the direction in which they were proceeding, I 

 imagined they had " winded " my carrion of 

 yesterday, and were scenting their way up to 

 it like the unlucky individual of their race who 

 had fallen a victim to his fondness for seal- 

 meat a few hours before. 



A bitterly cold north wind was now blowing, 

 and a very strong tide was running down ■ the 

 fiord, which, by carrying the sloop before it, 

 was the reason of our losing sight of the bears 

 so soon ; as we felt sure, however, that they 

 would follow the shore, we had no doubt of 

 falling in with them speedily, and we accord- 

 ingly manned a boat — (only one, on account 

 of the men being fatigued) — and pushed off 

 in pursuit. 



During the three or four hours since I had 

 left the edge of the "fast" ice, it had all 



I 



