Working on the boat. Anderson [Karsten Andersen] has been over to the spit. While having supper one of the dogs got loose and chewed up poor little Teddy, our pet bear. The dog had broken three of his legs, so we had to kill him. The ice is coming in fast.
Aarnout Castel
Master of the North Star
Library and Archives Canada/Mikan 97779
The boat is the Mary Sachs. She was pulled up on the shore of Banks Island in 1915 and used mainly as shelter and storage. It was not until the summer of 1917 that she was prepared for further service. Aarnout Castel, Andersen, Binder, and Masik worked steadily for a month, repairing the engines and the damaged hull, caulking the seams, and rigging and painting the ship.
Unfortunately, when Henry Gonzales, captain of the Polar Bear, arrived, he ordered the men to cut up the mast of Mary Sachs for firewood, remove the wheelhouse, and use the ship’s planks to build a hut for the winter. It seems he wanted to get out to civilization before Stefansson, and cash his paycheques before Stefansson could put a hold on his pay for not obeying orders.
Inuit sled dogs were trained to hunt polar bears. In the old days a hunter would release his dogs from the sled to approach the bear. They would attack the bear and hold it at bay until the hunter could get close enough to kill it with a spear. So it is not surprising that the CAE dogs would have attacked the pet bear cub. The future of “Little Teddy,” like others held captive by expedition members, would have been uncertain in any case. Orphaned or pet bears would eventually become too hard to handle and were either released, shot, or sent south to a zoo.
David
