replied the captain. "He got himself in, and he got you
out; so I don't see that you've fulfilled your promise."

However, Bruin was hoisted on board, and the mate secured his skin,
which was what he wanted. Of course the adventure caused much joking
afterwards, and the boat was ever afterwards called "the bear's boat."

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

For several days, during which we captured another whale, we were
cruising about, in the hopes of finding a passage through the ice. We
were now joined by a squadron of six other ships, all bent on the same
object that we were, to find our way across Baffin's Bay to a spot
called Pond's Bay, which has been found, of late years, to be frequented
by a large number of whales.

I have before forgot to mention the great length of the days; indeed,
for some time past there had scarcely been any night. Now, for the
first time in my life, I saw the sun set and rise at midnight. It was
my first watch; and, as eight bells were struck, the sun, floating
majestically on the horizon, began again its upward course through the
sky. On the other side the whole sky was tinged with a rich pink glow,
while the sky above was of a deep clear blue. I could scarcely tear
myself from the spectacle, till old David laughed heartily at me for
remaining on deck when it was my watch below. Now was the time to push
onward, if we could once penetrate the ice. We had worked our way to
the east, in the hopes of there finding a passage.

"Land on the starboard bow!" shouted the second mate from the
crow's-nest. Still on we sailed, till we saw it clearly from the deck.
Lofty black rocks were peeping out from amid snow-capped heights, and
eternal glaciers glittering in the sunbeams. In the foreground were
icebergs tinged with many varied hues. Deep valleys appeared running up
far inland; and above all, in the distance, were a succession of
towering mountain ranges, reaching to the sky. Still on we sailed.

"Well, lad, how long do you think it would take you to pull on shore
now?" asked old David.

"Better than half-an-hour, in a whale-boat, with a good crew," I
answered, thinking the distance was about four or five miles.

The old whaler chuckled, in the way he always did when he had got, what
he called, the weather-gauge of me.

"Now I tell you it would take you three good hours, with the best crew
that ever laid hand on oar, and the fastest boat, too, to get from this
ship to that shore."