194 4CROSS THE SUB-ARCTICS OF CANADA. 
she disappeared, leaving her fleecy cub paddling about 
on the surface. 
Though the engine of our boat had been stopped, the 
momentum carried us on rapidly past the little swimmer, 
which was about the size of a half-grown sheep. As we 
passed, Con. seized master bruin and endeavored to 
land him on board, but in this he, perhaps fortunately, 
failed, and was prevented from pursuing his ambition by 
the sudden appearance from the deep of the enraged 
mother, who, with a roar, made a plunge for the stern of 
the boat, where the doctor was seated, and seized the 
gunwale in what were afterwards described as her 
“ devilish-looking jaws.” 
To say that this sudden turn of events was a surprise 
to us all but feebly describes the expressions depicted 
upon the faces of our party. With the other occupants . 
and the engines between us and the bear, Mac. and I 
were unable to fire a shot. Con. came to the rescue, and 
with several desperate thrusts of the iron-pointed gaff 
he persuaded the bear to release her hold, when with the 
engine again running, a separation was effected, but not 
before we had learned an interesting lesson regarding the 
habits of the polar bear. 
As a matter of discretion, the lesson of experience, 
the boat was now kept at a safe distance from the bears. 
Several shots were fired, one or two slight wounds 
being inflicted on the mother, but as fast as the little 
one could travel, though no faster, they maintained a 
steady course for the nearest point of land. Apparently 
nothing would induce the mother bear to forsake her 
little one, and though wounded herself, her whole 
anxiety seemed to be for her offspring. Sometimes she 
