The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-12-11
Bagging Polar Bears,
From the Letter of the N Y. Herald Correspond
ent on board the Pandora.

ent board the Pandora.
Running south all next day before a
rafting northern breeze we arrived in
the entrance to Lancaster Sound on
the morning of the Doth and soon were
in sight of ice. Here we had another
bear hunt. Forty miles away from
any land we found an old she bear and
cubs swimming about us leisurely as
though water was their natural ele-
ment. A boat was instantly lowered
and an exciting chase took place. A
fresh breeze was blowing at the time,
which caused a rough, chopped sea,
and the bears struck out to the wind
ward as though they instinctively knew
this would put the boat at a disadvan-
tage. They appear to be very intelli-
gent and affectionate animals. The
old bear swan short distance ahead
of the young ones, but kept continually
turning about, as if to encourage them
and urge them on. 1t was pitiful to
see the poor beasts swimming thus for
life, without hope of escape, and the
more SO as they appeared to be quite
aware of their danger, and made the
most desperate efforts to get away. 1t
was all in vain. What chance had they
against four stout pair of arms pulling
light shell of a boat that shot over
the water under the rapid stroke Of
the oars like an arrow? Ina quarter of
an hour the boat had got up to within
three or four yards of them; there
were two shots, and the old bear and;
one of the cubs stopped swimming and
lay lifeless on the water. Captain
Young had shot one and Mr.. Pirle,
the other. But they determined to
capture the third, and with much DIFF
fculty succeeded at last in throwing
running moose over his head.
He resisted with all his might, set,
ting up fierce howl and trying to
capsize the boat, which he would very
soon have succeeded in doing had he
but been able to get one paw over her
thwarts. Finding the boat too swift
for him he tried to hold back. He
swan and struggled and dived, and tore
and bit at the rope, and half drowned
himself, howlnig savagely all the
time. They at last brought him along.
side and fastened him up to the MEETINGS,
giving him line to swim about, while
the bodies of the other two were drag.
ged up over the side. He watched this
operation with strange, wild intelligent
eyes, as though wondering what his
mother meant by going in so quietly,
and, curiously enough, began trying to
get in too. He was only a baby bear.
after all, and thought that if his mo-.
ther went in it must be all right. He,
did not resist when hauled over in his,
turn, but scrambled up willingly, snap,
ping viciously at everybody, however,.
when he got Il chance, evidently much
nevertheless. He was,
chained up to the side, but kept up a
terrible bowling until the body of the
other cub, still warm, was thrown to
him. He instantly sprang upon it,
and began roofing and smelling at it,
pushing it with his nose, uttering all the
while a plaintive moan, and OCCASION
ally biting it gently as though trying
to awakenit. Then he lay down beside.
it, with his head on the body, and !
lis with his sharp, inquiring,
eyes, In an 1mplOrlng way,
rs though asking us what we meant
by treating him in that cruel manner
He howled hideously when the body
was taken away from him, but consoled I
himself with the skin of the old one,
which was thrown to him, and upon
which he lay down and slept Poor
little fellow! He was as frightened as a
child by the terrible and powerful be-
ngs around him, and found dreary I
Kind of company in the skin of his
lead mother. i