170 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZBEBGEN . 
bullet is lodged in the near hind leg, which sadly 
impedes his flight, and we gain on him every step we 
take. Another long shot stops him altogether; not 
in the least deterred, we dash into the bitter cold water 
where he has fallen, in our anxiety to secure him. 
In a trice the bear is dragged out and divested of his 
outer covering. This fellow was as empty as his mate, 
and in this state his temper is sure to be at its worst 
point. The want of food may be a common thing 
amongst the family generally, but regardless of their 
savage nature, we go single-handed towards the Are 
smouldering in the remains of his companion, in the 
hopes of picking up a third bear. We are forced to 
return empty handed. 
The well-known “ Polar ” or “ Ice Bear ” is not 
now nearly so plentiful as in former times, and is 
rarely seen at the present day between lat. 59° 
and 66° in Mid-Greenland. The Company of Royal 
Merchants in Greenland give the natives about five 
rigsdaler (11s. 3d.) for the skin. Occasionally there 
are a number killed near Cape Farewell, which come 
round on the annual ice-drift. There a curious custom 
prevails, viz., that whosoever sights the bear first— 
man, woman, or child—is entitled to the skin, and 
the person who has shot it only to the blubber and 
flesh, which is said to be, especially the liver, poi- 
