get on the floe, a
spirited contest ensued between him and Old Abbot, the latter trying to
become possessor of a skin, which the former gallantly defended.

Ammunition expended, and nothing but boat-hooks and stretchers left as
defensive weapons, there seemed some chance of the tables being
reversed, and the boat's crew very properly obliged the captain of the
forecastle to beat a retreat; the bear, equally well pleased to be rid
of such visitors, made off. "Old Abbot," as he was styled, always,
however, asserted, that if he had had his way, the bear would have been
brought on board the "Pioneer," and tamed to do a good deal of the
dragging work of the sledges; and whenever he heard, in the winter, any
of the young hands growling at the labour of sledging away snow or ice,
he created a roar of laughter, by muttering, "Ah! if you had taken my
advice, we'd have had that 'ere bear to do this work for us!"

_July 3d, 1850._--Penny, by taking another route, gave us the "go
by," and in the afternoon we started, taking an in-shore lane of water.
The wind, however, had freshened up from the westward, and as we
advanced, the ice was rapidly closing, the points of the floe-pieces
forming "bars," with holes of water between them. With the "Pioneer's"
sharp bow, we broke through the first of these barriers, and carried
the "Resolute" into "a hole of water," as it is called. The next bar
being broader, I attempted to force it by charging with the steamer,
and after breaking up a portion of it, backed astern to allow the
broken pieces to be removed; this being the first time this operation
was performed, and much having to be learnt upon the feasibility of the
different modes of applying steam-power against ice.

[Headnote: _ARCTIC SPORTING._]

We soon found ourselves surrounded with broken masses, which, owing to
the want of men to remove it away into the open water astern, rendered
advance or retreat, without injury to the propeller, almost impossible.
Here, the paucity of men on board the steam vessels was severely felt:
for until the "Resolute" was properly secured I could expect no
assistance from her; and the "Pioneer," therefore, had to do her best
with half the number of men, although she was fifty feet longer than
the ship. Unable to move, the closing floes fast beset the steamer, and
then the large parties of men that joined from the squadron to assist
were useless, beyond some practice, which all seemed willing to
un