144 
A WILD CHASE. 
band of stratus lying over the horizon in the direction 
of Kennedy Channel. This water-sky indicated the 
continued opening of the channel, and made me more 
deeply' anxious to proceed. But at this moment oui 
dogs encountered a large male bear in the act of de¬ 
vouring a seal. The impulse was irresistible: I lost all 
control over both dogs and drivers. They seemed dead 
to every thing but the passion of pursuit. Off they 
sped with incredible swiftness; the Esquimaux clinging 
to their sledges and cheering their dogs with loud cries 
of “ Nannook!” A mad, wild chase, wilder than German 
legend,—the dogs, wolves; the drivers, devils. After a 
furious run, the animal was brought to bay; the lance 
and the rifle did their work, and we halted for a general 
feed. The dogs gorged themselves, the drivers did as 
much, and we buried the remainder of the carcass in 
the snow. A second bear had been tracked by the 
party to a large iceberg north of Cape Russell; for we 
had now travelled to the neighborhood of the Great 
Glacier. But the dogs were too much distended by 
their abundant diet to move: their drivers were scarcely 
better. Rest was indispensable. 
We took a four hours’ sleep on the open ice, the 
most uncomfortable that I remember. Our fatigue 
had made us dispense with the snow-house; and, 
though I was heavily clad in a full suit of furs, and 
squeezed myself in between Kalutunah and Shanghu, 
I could not bear the intense temperature. I rose in 
the morning stiff and sore. I mention it as a trait of 
nobleness on the part of Kalutunah, which I appre- 
