Our voyage was without incident up to the end of July, when we encountered a drift of ice-floes.  On the 1st August we were at Kabarova, where we met our coal-ship, and took in a little coal for emergency, liquid air being our proper motor; also forty-three dogs, four reindeer, and a quantity of reindeer-moss; and two days later we turned our bows finally northward and eastward, passing through heavy ‘slack’ ice under sail and liquid air in crisp weather, till, on the 27th August, we lay moored to a floe off the desolate island of Taimur.

The first thing which we saw here was a bear on the shore, watching for young white-fish:  and promptly Clark, Mew, and Lamburn (engineer) went on shore in the launch, I and Maitland following in the pram, each party with three dogs.

It was while climbing away inland that Maitland said to me: 

’When Clark leaves the ship for the dash to the Pole, it is three, not two, of us, after all, that he is going to take with him, making a party of four.’

I:  ‘Is that so?  Who knows?’

Maitland:  ’Wilson does.  Clark has let it out in conversation with Wilson.’

I:  ‘Well, the more the merrier.  Who will be the three?’

Maitland:  ’Wilson is sure to be in it, and there may be Mew, making the third.  As to the fourth, I suppose I shall get left out in the cold.’

I:  ‘More likely I.’

Maitland:  ’Well, the race is between us four:  Wilson, Mew, you and I. It is a question of physical fitness combined with special knowledge.  You are too lucky a dog to get left out, Jeffson.’

I:  ’Well, what does it matter, so long as the expedition as a whole is successful?  That is the main thing.’

Maitland:  ’Oh yes, that’s all very fine talk, Jeffson!  But is it quite sincere?  Isn’t it rather a pose to affect to despise $175,000,000? I want to be in at the death, and I mean to be, if I can.  We are all more or less self-interested.’

‘Look,’ I whispered—­’a bear.’

It was a mother and cub:  and with determined trudge she came wagging her low head, having no doubt smelled the dogs.  We separated on the instant, doubling different ways behind ice-boulders, wanting her to go on nearer the shore, before killing; but, passing close, she spied, and bore down at a trot upon me.  I fired into her neck, and at once, with a roar, she turned tail, making now straight in Maitland’s direction.  I saw him run out from cover some hundred yards away, aiming his long-gun:  but no report followed:  and in half a minute he was under her fore-paws, she striking out slaps at the barking, shrinking dogs.  Maitland roared for my help:  and at that moment, I, poor wretch, in far worse plight than he, stood shivering in ague:  for suddenly one of those wrangles of the voices of my destiny was filling my bosom with loud commotion, one urging me to fly to Maitland’s aid, one passionately commanding me be still.  But it lasted, I believe, some seconds only:  I ran and got a shot into the bear’s brain, and Maitland leapt up with a rent down his face.