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BEAR OUTWITTED.

175

and we determine to push out into a more secure position.

The crow's-nest signal man, in the early morning, informs us of a bear being to windward, about four miles away, attracted probably by the odour of his grilled companions. Our friend, with his harpooneer

Byers, goes in pursuit, while we mount into the rigging to see their plan of operations. We see them mount a hillock, and look in all directions with their glasses for the grizzly monster; but in vain. They pull round to another point with similar result. Growing tired of the tedious delay, we get quietly below, and the men not knowing the moment when their energies will be tried to the utmost, creep back to finish their sleep, leaving the schooner deck a few minutes quite deserted. The bear steadily advancing, takes the water and gets upon the ice we are moored to. The look-out man, detecting the manoeuvre of the sly beast, again spoils our sport by yelling out the tidings; and before we can do anything the bear has galloped off into space. On the boat's return we are ashamed to recount our adventure; as the tables are turned, we laugh over the cunning generalship of the bear. Waiting behind some heap of snow which effectually concealed him from his pursuers, he must have slipped by them and so gained upon us without attracting attention. As an

other instance of the animal's cunning, we may men

tion that Byers once saw a seal upon the ice a short distance from the breathing hole it also uses as a means of escape in moments of danger. A bear, after seeming deliberation, dived under the ice, and thrusting its paw through the hole, struck the seal a blow which killed it.

All

We perceive our bear still lurking about at some distance, disappointed of a meal, and grown impatient at his failure. He runs hither and thither, dodging out of view behind every little inequality in the ice, and always coming nearer to the smouldering carcase. this time the aspect of affairs about us wears a threatening look, and the wind rises rapidly; the ice comes upon us at a pace that is certainly alarming. We are about fifteen miles from the outer edge. Our lake, in which we float, is rapidly contracting, and although we cannot complain of the action of the wind upon ourselves, the falling barometer warns us of a gale on the outer verge of the ice, whose force is rapidly increasing. Some ice presses towards us from the southwards-a circumstance to be noted, as ice never comes in this direction unless driven by strong winds. The large pieces continue their course towards the south, heedless of the gale, drifting to certain destruction. Now the question grows serious-What shall

AWKWARD COMPLICATION.

177

we do? Had we a steamer, there would be little difficulty in forcing a passage out, but this southerly gale may so encumber us with ice we shall find ourselves, after all, but farther away from the pack.

We do all that can be done. We press on all sail, and fight our way to the south-east. The trial is too much for us. The result is not as we had expected. Had we gone towards the north-east, or had we remained as we were, we might have done well; we certainly would have done better. Had we gone to the north-east, when we had the opportunity of doing, all would have been well with us. Had we even remained, the temporary difficulty would have adjusted itself; and our little vessel, under the shelter of some protecting "point-ends," would have rested securely enough, while we could have found time to enjoy the pursuit of the game which abounded in the neighbourhood.

It happened otherwise. Experience, however laboriously obtained, is of no avail, if it is not accompanied with sterling common sense; and we sail to the south-east, and fall into the open trap. We cannot get through, and the ice surges backwards and forwards for miles between us and the open sea. Large streams of ice scud past, and we tack through the best openings we can find; the swell lifts the little vessel

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aloft and brings her down upon a great piece of ice with a force which sends her shivering from stem to stern, but her stanch timbers are equal to the shock, and she seems none the worse.

Now we miss stays and make a stern board, losing our headway. This endangers our rudder, but it is stoutly built, and resists the hardest knocks. We get her round, and run at high speed between two blocks of ice that threaten to crush us up.

waves.

This danger being averted, there is a pause in which every heart feels grateful to a merciful Providence for an, escape so unexpected. We were now forced to, make fast to some ice, and in a short time we were in a sea of water as calm as a pond; the ice closing us in on all sides was like a low wall opposed to the outside Weary with labour and watching, our sleep is now only disturbed by an occasional trembling of the ship's timbers as she gets a squeeze from the ice pressing upon her sides. For the next seven days we are beset. The men pass the time pleasantly enough with various extemporised games, and with keeping a good look-out for game. We go in quest of snow-birds, and one afternoon we see the curious and goodhumoured antics of a mother bear playing with her cubs. These savage animals are not devoid of tender affection towards their offspring in times of

DEEP SEA SOUNDINGS.

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happy undisturbed repose, but when roused by cruel treatment they are ever ready to exert all their maternal instinct in defence of their offspring. It is during these seven days we devote ourselves to a scientific examination of deep-sea temperatures in the Arctic seas. An account of our operations is deserving of a chapter on that special subject.

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