Evening star., 1925-10-04

| Nanook. He is. in the first place,
monarch Of all he surveys. He has
no natural enemies. He subsists on
seal and. when the going Is good on
| young walrus.
| All the year round. by day and
| throughout the long arctic night. he
ranges the heavy pack ice alone. He
! prefers to take things easy. so he
! just lumbers along in his quiet
| heavy going way on all fours. flop.
ping down at intervals to enjoy a
| four minute nap.
But back to the hunt. Kitsenna
and 1 have worked our way over the
| surface of the foe toward our bear
| keeping ice humps and pressure
| ridges carefully interposed between
ourselves and our prey. Nanook ap.
pears to be sleeping. We take oc-
| casional cautious peeps at him.
Twice we spy him with his fore quar-
ters raised from the lying position
and his muzzle poised in the air,
taking a. good sniff around.
At last we managed to approach
within so or 20 yards OF our bear
without attracting his attention. A
convenient pressure ridge about four
feet high served now to conceal us.
Swiftly and silently l set up my
tripod. The top Of 1t was showing
over the parapet of my hiding place,
so before affixing the camera I took
a peep at Nanook. There he was
with his stern toward us and attend.
ing to his business of sleeping. What
could be better?
Now Is my chance. Up I bob, ad
just my camera on the tripod and
focus 1t on the recumbent bear. keep
ing sharp watch on him the while
l,,t f~ .
until my beaters have had time to
carry out their maneuvers. So
squat down for a few minutes and
try to possess my soul in patience
taking an occasional squint at Nanook
to see how he Is faring.
The beggar is sitting up. His
muZzle is in the air. He sits on his
launches and weaves slowly from
side to side. after the fashion Of his
tribe. And he Is a gigantic specimen.
l am tinghng with excitement.
I see him heave his huge bulk to
all fours and extend his muscle. Aha.
He has got wind of something. He
is shifting uneasily on his feet and
backing a little in his tracks.
over there to his right front sud
denly looms up the figure Of an
Eskimo. one of my beaters. pausing
for Il second as he surmounts a ridge.
And there again on the left. but
rather more in a line with the bear
and our coign Of vantage. appear
Putunuk and old Ipnorak.
THE keen-nosed Nanook has scent
ed them before they showed them
selves. 1t is quite plain from his at
titude that he has no intention Of
awaiting the arrival Of these unwel.
come intruders. Now he has turned
his back on them and is watching
them alternately over his shoulders
and keeping his nose busy.
He has come to a decision. He sets
off from his tracks al run-straight
toward the camera. Oh. what a piece
Of luck. The fellow is not more tha n
40 yards off now and coming head on
with muZZle down. I crank like fury.
my heart beating In time with the
clicking Of the shutter. it seems to
me. l am ready to shout with glee.
The beaters to right and left are
coming up as fast as they can run
over the uneven floor of the foe. As
they catch sight of the bear in their
pursuit. they yell like mad and throw
their arms about. And here's old
Nanook heading straight for us! Chilly
icicles! The great woolly brute will
run into us,
Kitsenna is nearly off his head with
excitement. Shall I shoot?" he cries.
Il shoot now? Now shooto"
Put that gun down." 1 snap back
Let him come closer
He does-and l go on cranking like
the dickens. Now Nanook lifts his
head and sees US for the first time
He is only about IS yards off. He
stops, nonplussed. AS he eazes at us
for a second I see his black eyes like
liquid jet. and the black double button