stefansson-wrangel-09-29-047

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196

this morning the dogs set up a howl and Crawford and I rushed out. A bear was
running rapidly offshore about two hundred yards away. The lead had opened
during the night so that the bear would undoubtedly swim it, and the weather was
bad, so we let it go. Later I went out on the ice and found that it was by the
tracks a rather large animal. It had retreated over the tracks that it made
before it became frightened. Crawford set the crab net last night and hauled
it up this morning. He found nothing but about a quart of shrimps on the bait. The shrimps are very small and when boiled nearly tasteless."

October 23rd, "A bear had been to the other camp and had sniffed
about. Another bear had been to within two hundred yards of our camp during
yesterday's blow. And on October 25th, "Everything comes to him who waits, or
goes after it. At 7 A.M. the dogs set up a howl. Crawford rushed out and about
a hundred feet west of the tents stood a female bear and two cubs. Crawford
in seven shots killed them. The cubs proved to be yearlings."

Evidently there were more plans and preparations for the trip to
the mainland than Knight sets down. On November 1st he says, "For a long time
I have said nothing about our seamstress. She is very quiet and rather down-
hearted over the fact that the ship did not show up, but she keeps busy and is
at present making a pair of fancy moosehide mittens, probably for Crawford.
There is considerable clothing to be made for Crawford and me if we go to Siberia.
.... Crawford and I have just about made up our minds to make the trip, and
the time of starting depends on several things - ice conditions, dog feed, weather,
etc., but we are hoping to get started about January 15th, 1923. We think that
if the weather is good and going on the ice not too bad, Nome should be reached
in sixty or seventy days, for we have about made up our minds to go to Nome
instead of Anadyr Bay. We have thought that Stefansson might be wintering on the
mainland south of us, and I think that if he is we will see him [that he will
arrive at Wrangell) by January 1st. If he should not come till later, we will

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