and pleasantly along during the
first weeks of their sojourn in their frozen home.

In regard to fresh provisions they were fortunate at first, for they
obtained sufficient supplies of deer and other game. This was in the
early part of winter, while there was still plenty of daylight. In Tom
Gregory's journal I find it thus written:

"_September 10th_.--The days are beginning to shorten now, and we are
all busily occupied in preparing for the long, dark winter that is
before us. Sam Baker, who is the best shot among us, brought in a deer
to-day. This is fortunate, for we stand in need of fresh meat. Our
greatest enemy this winter, I fear, will be scurvy. Unless we obtain a
large supply of fresh provisions we cannot hope to escape it. Crofts
brought in two Arctic hares. They are beautiful creatures--pure white--
and each weighs about seven pounds. These, with the four deer shot by
myself last week and the ten hares got by Baker, will keep us going for
some time.

"_September 12th_.--I had an adventure with a polar bear last night,
which has amused the men very much, and given them food for jocularity
for a few days. Some days back Davy Butts set a trap on the island, in
which he has caught a few foxes. Last night his long legs were so tired
that he did not care to visit his trap, so I offered to go instead of
him. It was while I was out on this errand that I happened to meet with
bruin. Our meeting was sudden and unexpected on both sides, I believe.
It was midnight when I set off to the trap, which was not more than half
a mile from the ship, and it was quite dark when I reached it.

"Davy is an ingenious fellow. His trap is made of four blocks of hard
snow, with a sort of wooden trigger that goes off the moment the bait is
touched, and allows a heavy log to fall down on the poor fox's back.
There was no fox there, however, when I reached it. I went down on my
knees and was examining the bait, when I heard a low growl. I leaped
up, and felt for the knife which I usually carried in my belt. It was
not there! In the haste of my departure from the ship I had forgotten
to buckle it on. I had no gun, of course. It was too dark to shoot,
and I had not counted on meeting with any dangerous enemy. I could only
crouch down behind a lump of ice and hope that the bear would go away,
but another growl, much louder than the first, and close at hand, showed
that I had been seen. It was so dark that I could ha