It is certainly best to attack a bear in couples, on account of above-mentioned possibilities—lives have been lost by not doing so.
As we turned in, the mist rose a little and left a streak of palest primrose between it and the horizon, the shape of a great searchlight, but how delicate was the warm violet of the mist and the darker tint on the smooth water. In other ten minutes the light increased, then the sky was faintest yellow, except a low arch of cold bluish tint above the floe to which we were anchored; on the floe were three small icebergs.
Where we are to-night there is little life, only a few petrels chuckling quietly at our stern, where there is always some blubber hanging over for their benefit.
There is not a ripple on the sea, not the slightest perceptible motion. I think the stillness and silence of the Arctic is a thing seldom noticed; the hundreds of miles of drifting floes which surround us break all swell. Everyone sleeps to-night after the exertions of yesterday. If there is a watch on deck I do not hear him; in my cabin the only sound is the snoring of our starboard bear. His berth is close to mine; when he does not snore he growls, a deep vibrating organ note, which is a little fearsome, and when he stops the deep note there is an ominous scrape, scraping in the stillness, that shows his set purpose to get out, and—what? I wish he was overboard or in our Zoo, or behind iron bars or something stronger than fir-wood battens, which he tears into moss in no time! A rat tearing wood is vexatious in the silence of the night, but to hear the patient and effective work going on beside one when you know there is possibly no one on the look-out, makes one anxious, so I keep my pistol handy at meal-times and between them.
An uneventful Sunday. After the manner of our great examples of Reformation times, we held mild sports. Fencing, two entries, F. J. de Gisbert and the writer, we may not say who took the prize. Lassoing, five entries, De Gisbert and three Spanish, first Don José Herrero. Don José Herrero now surpasses our Professor Gisbert, and the writer comes only a little behind, but still a halo is seen over him for having lassoed a live bear! Shooting at floating bottles, range inside thirty yards, Entries, the writer with Browning revolver, Spaniards mannlicher rifles, easy win for pistol, showing age and practice make up for telescopic sights. Pipe-playing, march, strathspey and reel, one entry, a walk over. Guitar accompaniment, three entries, De Gisbert easily first, steward and writer draw. Painting water-colour evening effect, one entry—judge the writer—subject, a pale yellow sky, lilac strip clouds above floe, floe high in tone, faintest pink with pale blue in crevices; prize not awarded.
In evening we tied up to a gap in floe-edge, hoping for narwhals, because they seem to keep close to edge of the floe. And sure enough they came when we were at evening meal, a great black-and-white-spotted bull leading, with a visible gleam under the still, dark water of his white ivory horn; after him, more drab-coloured whales, presumably Madame and bébés. We waited out in our boat, the writer with harpoon, and pursued two lots. One of them was a splendid bull, but both lots vanished a fraction of a second before I got a good chance at them, so we saved powder.
During the night we got to some extent embayed. We had floes all round, and raced round like a bird in a trap, but found a way out of the lake about four A.M.
As we plodded round in the early morning, it rained! straight down heavy rain and warm at that, with the thermometer two degrees above freezing—most unexpected and unsuitable Arctic weather—might as well have rain at Assouan! When the rain ceased thin mist still hung over the day and it was very quiet indeed.
Our Starboard bear seemed to feel the quiet and monotony and made a very good attempt to get out to-night. He did not seem very overpowering on the floe, but now, when he got his head and one great forefoot out and the timber was flying and six men struggling to nail him up, he gave one a sense of great strength. He is now inside the remnants of timber baulks of about three cages. As he chews one batten up more timber is nailed on over the first stumps. Some of us thought the bridge gave a good point of view: the struggling figure, and the steam of its breath as the cage was turned over, and Gisbert’s cigarette smoke as he pulled and hauled and directed the various manœuvres, made a fairly dramatic picture. I thought my services might be called on at any minute with my Browning, but six men, active of mind and body, and various ingenious appliances of tackles and hatchets and big nails, at last made Bruin secure, and the stillness of the misty day come over us again.