. With Nansen in the north; a record of the Fram expedition in 1893-96. lag in honour of theday. To the west of us there was an island with com-paratively high mountains, whence we heard the merrytwitter of the little auks. For the last few days, since the paraffin came to anend, we lived upon dried food. Once, indeed, with theaid of train-oil, we cooked a good meal of lobscouseamong the granite blocks, and used up the last of ourpotatoes. Next day we set off in the direction of the alluringisland in the west. Nansen went on in front to examineand measure the coast-line. As I was pulling along
. With Nansen in the north; a record of the Fram expedition in 1893-96. lag in honour of theday. To the west of us there was an island with com-paratively high mountains, whence we heard the merrytwitter of the little auks. For the last few days, since the paraffin came to anend, we lived upon dried food. Once, indeed, with theaid of train-oil, we cooked a good meal of lobscouseamong the granite blocks, and used up the last of ourpotatoes. Next day we set off in the direction of the alluringisland in the west. Nansen went on in front to examineand measure the coast-line. As I was pulling alongacross the ice, I saw a bear coming towards me; it ap-proached me steadily and briskly, in the customary wayof polar bears, while cruising up against the wind. I SNOIV BUNTINGS 237 got ready to receive it, but before it came within rangeof my gun, it stopped and scented the air carefully, andthen it suddenly turned right about and trotted off asfast as its legs could carry it. There must have been agreat number of bears here, judging by all the tracks wepassed HAULING IN A WALRUS. There was plenty of life on the island; the snowbuntings flew chirruping from stone to stone, and thelittle auks set off in Hocks for the open lanes, and llu-nreturned to their nests. The merriment of these littlebirds was quite infectious, and put us in good up on the pointed crags sat the black-backed gulls,anxiously guarding their young ones, their melodious,flute-like notes floating down towards us. At the foot ofthe mountain, the surface of the snow was coloured a 238 WITH NANSEN IN THE NORTH beautiful red; it is a kind of algpe which grows onthe snow and gives it this appearance. Tlie scene beforeus was altogether charming. We cUmbed up the moun-tain with our photographic apparatus, but did notsucceed in getting to the top, as we were overtaken bythe fog. We saw, however, that there was plenty ofopen water down the sound we were making for, with anumber of large floes here an
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksu, booksubjectarcticregions
