BEAR AND CUB. 
293 
came to the entrance of a bay, whence they could see 
a cape and an island to the northward. They then 
turned back, seeing numbers of birds on their way, 
and, leaving the dogs to await their return, prepared 
to proceed on foot. 
This spot was the greenest that they had seen since 
leaving the headlands of the channel. Snow patched the 
valleys, and water was trickling from the rocks. Early 
as it was, Hans was able to recognise some of the flower- 
life. He eat of the young shoots of the lychnis, and 
brought home to me the dried pod ( siliqua ) of a hes- 
peris, which had survived the wear and tear of winter. 
Morton was struck with the abundance of little stone- 
crops, “ about the size of a pea.” I give in the appendix 
his scanty list of recognised but not collected plants. 
June 23, 24, Friday, Saturday.—At 3 A.M. they 
started again, carrying eight pounds of pemmican and 
two of bread, besides the artificial horizon, sextant, and 
compass, a rifle, and the boat-hook. After two hours’ 
walking the travel improved, and, on nearing a plain 
about nine miles from where they had left the sledge, 
they were rejoiced to see a she-bear and her cub. 
They had tied the dogs securely, as they thought; but 
Toodla and four others had broken loose and followed 
them, making their appearance within an hour. They 
were thus able to attack the bear at once. 
Hans, who to the simplicity of an Esquimaux united 
the shrewd observation of a hunter, describes the con¬ 
test which followed so graphically that I try to engralt 
some of the quaintness of his description upon Mr. 
