stefansson-wrangel-09-32-016r

THE SECOND WINTER AND THE TRAGIC END 237

later, but the hunting luck continued bad. October 20th:
“Early 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 year-
lings.”

Evidently there were more plans and preparations for
the trip to the mainland than Knight sets down. On No-
vember 1st he says: “For a long time I have said nothing
about our seamstress. She is very quiet and rather
downhearted 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