Hunting Polar Bears for Specimens
"October 2, 1914. Blue and I went to Cape Bathurst hunting
I shot a sea gull on the first [whale] carcass going along I spotted three [polar
bears] at the bluff, 1 big & 2 small we sneaked up to them inside lagoon got
to the second carcass spotted two of them in the water alongside the shore ice
and the big one laying on the ice about 40 yards from us. Blue shot at the big
one he jumped up and gave him another shot then he tumbled into the water we went
up to them and I finished the big one third shot the other two had a couple shots
into them we could not shoot them in the head because dr Anderson wanted the skulls
for specimens so we kept on shooting them in the neck because there shoulders
were under the water all the time Blue Killed one of them and me wounded the other
badley when we ran out of ammunition - 24 cartridges - so we left the wounded
one expecting he would die or else we would get him when we came back with more
ammunition went back to the camp met Sammy on the road they had heard the shooting
and grumbling and came with a dog team we went straight back but the wounded one
had dissapeard swam of[f] shore" (Castel Diary, 1914-1915).
 
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