speak of, will you marry me?"

"Oh, do not ask me, good Blunderbore! I cannot; it is impossible. I
cannot love you--you are--forgive me for saying it--too big, and fierce,
and ugly to love."

Blunderbore frowned angrily, and the audience applauded vociferously at
this.

"You cannot love me! ha!" exclaimed the giant, glaring round with
clenched teeth.

At this moment the Big Bear uttered an awful roar, Whackinta gave a
piercing scream and fled, and Blunderbore hid himself hastily behind the
hummock. The next moment the two bears bounded on the stage and began to
gambol round it, tossing up their hind legs and roaring and leaping in a
manner that drew forth repeated plaudits. At length the Little Bear
discovered the baby, and, uttering a frantic roar of delight, took it in
its fore paws and held it up. The Big Bear roared also, of course, and
rushing forward caught the baby by the leg, and endeavoured to tear it
away from the Little Bear, at which treatment the poor baby again
commenced to cry passionately. In the struggle the baby's head came off,
upon which the Little Bear put the head into its mouth and swallowed it.
The Big Bear immediately did the same with the body; but its mouth was
too small, and the body stuck fast and could not be finally disposed of
until the Little Bear came to the rescue and pushed it forcibly down
its throat. Having finished this delicate little morsel the two bears
rose on their hind legs and danced a hornpipe together--Tom Singleton
playing the tune for them on a flute behind the scenes. When this was
done they danced off the stage, and immediately, as if in the distance,
was heard the voice of a man singing. It came gradually nearer, and at
last Buzzby, in the character of Ben Bolt, swaggered up to the
foot-lights with his hands in his breeches pockets.

"I'm a jolly, jolly tar,
Wot has comed from afar,
An' it's all for to seek my fortin"--

sang Buzzby. "But I've not found it yit," he continued, breaking into
prose, "and there don't seem much prospect o' findin' it here anyhow.
Wot an 'orrible cold place it is, ugh!"

Buzzby was received with enthusiastic cheers, for he was dressed in the
old familiar blue jacket, white ducks, pumps, and straw hat set jauntily
on one side of his head--a costume which had not been seen for so many
months by the crew of the _Dolphin_, that their hearts warmed to it as
if it were an old friend.

Buzzby acted with great spirit, and was evide