stefansson-wrangel-09-31-118v

OverviewTranscribeVersionsHelp

Facsimile

Transcription

Status: Needs Review

194 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND

and Maurer went after him, but the bear saw them and
ran to the west. They gave chase, as the bear had been
wounded when he started to run. When about three
miles west of camp the pursued bear was rapidly gaining
away when a female bear with two yearling cubs was seen
approaching from the west. She came to where the boys
were hidden and they killed the old bear and one cub, the
other cub getting away. I went to help them. After
finishing skinning, Maurer returned to camp and Galle
and I lay in wait for a large bear and cub approaching
from the west. Darkness, however, coming on and the
approaching bears’ course rather uncertain, we returned
to camp. Eight bears were seen to-day and literally
hundreds of tracks.”

On October 13th: “Galle and Crawford were just
starting to take a walk to the westward when Galle, who
seems to always see things first, saw a bear near camp to
the east. (They) immediately shot and wounded her
slightly and she took to the water. I ran along the beach
abreast of her and shot her through the head. She was
about a two-year-old with not as much fat as the bears
we have killed formerly.” On October 14th “Crawford
and Galle took a walk to the westward and did a little
exploring. We had an idea we were perhaps nearly to
the west end of the island. They are sure that they saw
a mountain at least thirty miles farther west. We think
now that we are a little east of Doubtful Harbor.”

It is possible to infer from the entry for October 17th
that by then enough snow had come for sledging. But
the sea was still free of ice and sealing, therefore, im-
possible.

On October 22nd we are “at last in our winter house.
Spent all day moving. It is a large frame house covered

Notes and Questions

Nobody has written a note for this page yet

Please sign in to write a note for this page