stefansson-wrangel-09-32-066r

333 THE STORY OF ADA BLACKJACK

third seal I got I went out and about two hundred yards out from
the beach on the ice was a seal, so I went out to take a shot at it
and I got this one. It was so far out that I knew that I couldn't
get it to the tent without something to help me. So I went back
to the tent and got a line to pull the seal with and then started
after my seal. I was nearly to it when I looked up and saw some-
thing that looked just like a yellow ball coming towards me.
Finally I realized it was a polar bear and I was four hundred
yards from my tent, I turned and ran just as hard as I could
until I got to my tent. I was just about ready to faint when I
got there, too. I had built a high platform at the back of my tent
and I climbed up onto this and took my field glasses and watched
the bear and her young one eat my seal, at least I thought she did
anyway. It finally got dark and foggy so I decided I had better
not take a chance and go after it that night so I waited until the
next morning. I went out and took a look but my seal was gone,
all that was left was a few blood marks. The old mother bear
and her young later came up to about one hundred and fifty yards
from the tent.

One day just after I had cleaned my second seal I heard a noise
just like a dog outside of my door and I looked and about fifteen
feet from the tent was a big bear and a young one. I was
very scared but I took my rifle and thought I would take a chance.
I knew if I just hit them in the foot or some place where it would
only injure them a little they would come after me, so I fired over
their heads and they turned and ran a little ways and turned and
looked as if they would come back, so I fired five more shots at
them and they ran away for good then.

One morning after I had built a fire I opened the door and I
found a large polar bear track right in the door way and I went
out and looked and he had been all around the tent. I had a
twenty-five pound lard tin of oil outside of my tent and about
three days after the first bear had been there another bear came
one night and ate all of that tin of oil.

Not very long after that the boat came. It was one evening
about the 19th of August. I was making my lunch or supper. I
heard a funny noise like a boat whistle but thought it was a duck
or something. It was foggy and I couldn't see so I didn't think
any more about it until the next morning. I took my book after