412 POLAR BEAR. 
bears were making their way very fast over the 
Frozen Ocean,, arid were directing their course 
towards the ship. They had, no doubt, been in- 
viied by the scent of some blubber of a sea-horse, 
that the crew had killed a few days before ; which 
had been set on fire, and was burning on the ice 
at the time of their approach. They proved to be 
a she bear and her two cubs ; but the cubs were 
nearly as large as the dam. They ran eagerly 
to the fire; and drew out of the flames part 
of the flesh of the sea-horse, that remained uncon- 
sumed, and ate it voraciously. The crew from 
the ships threw great lumps of the flesh of the sea- 
horse, which they had still remaining, upon the 
ice. These the old bear fetched away singly, 
laid every lump before her cubs as she brought it, 
and dividing it, gave to each a share, reserving hut 
a small portion to herself. As she was fetching 
away the last piece, the sailors levelled their mus- 
kets at the cubs, and shot them both dead ; and 
in her retreat, they wounded the dam, but not 
mortally. It would have drawn tears of pity 
from any but unfeeling minds, to have marked the 
affectionate concern expressed by this poor beast 
in the last moments of her expiring young. 
Though she was herself dreadfully wounded, and 
could but just crawl to the place where they lay, 
she carried the lump of flesh she had fetched 
away, as she had done others before ; tore it 
in pieces, and laid it before them : and when 
she saw that they refused to eat, she laid her 
paws first upon one, and then upon the other, 
pud endeavoured to raise them up ; all this while 
it was pitiful to hear her moan. When she found 
she could net stir them, she went off, and when 
she had got to some distance, looked back and 
moaned ; and that not availing her to entice them 
away, she returned, and, smelling round them. 
