178 THE WHITE BEAR. 
unconsumed, they ate it voraciously. Th®)' 
proved to be a she bear and her two cub®' 
The crew threw from the ship large lumps o’ 
sea-horse flesh, which they had still left, o” 
the ice, towards their visiters : these the ol’^ 
hear fetched singly ; laying each lump as sb^ 
brought it before her cubs, and dividing 
she gave to each a share, reserving only a sni®^^ 
portion for herself. As she was fetching aiV^/ 
the last piece, the men levelled their muske’® 
at the cubs, killed them both, and woundo^ 
the dam, hut not mortally, in her retrea*' 
It would have drawn tears of pity from 
but the most unfeeling persons, to have 
served the affectionate concern expressed W 
this poor beast in the dying moments of 
young. Though herself dreadfully wounde’^’ 
and but just able to crawl to the spot wh^*^^ 
they lay, she carried to them the lump 
flesh which she had fetched away, as she b^^ 
before done the others ; tore it in pieces 
