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showing above the hummocks half a mile away, with me in nothing but my long seal-skin boots! But there was no help for it. Up came the hot breath behind me, and I leaned up against a hummock and stripped off a boot. I hailed the _Gleaner_ with what breath I had left, but no one gave heed. Away went the other boot, and there I was running, mother-naked, over the jagged floe, leaving blood on every footmark. Right up to the vessel did the outrageous beast chase me, and then when I got on board and called for guns, it slunk away into the shadows of a berg and was seen no more. My feet were cut to the bone; I was frost-nipped in twenty places, and you may imagine I had had a poor enough time of it. But the thought of that canvas over-all which I had thrown away first kept me cheerful. It was indeed a very humorous circumstance. Ye see it was a borrowed one. I got down below to a berth, and the steward, who was rated as a doctor, tended me. But Captain Black put sourness on the whole affair. He came down to my bunk and said, "Where's that Henry?" "Lying quiet on the ice," said I. "Do you mean to say you left that rifle behind? My rifle!" "I did that same. The thing wasn't strong enough to fire a cartridge. I tried two." And then Black used violent and unjustifiable language. I was in no condition to give him a fair exchange. Besides, I made an unfortunate admission. I owned up to taking the rifle apart and cleaning her. I owned up, too, that I'd been free with the oil. Black stuck out his face at me, and his fringe of beard fairly bristled. "And you call yourself an engineer! You talk about having gone through the shops! Put your filthy engine-room oil on my Henry's locks, would you? Why, you idiot, have you yet to learn that oil freezes up here as hard as cheese, and you've made up the lock space of that poor rifle into one solid chunk?" "I never thought of that." "To look at your face, you've yet to start thinking at all." So we had it out, and as I was now aroused, I gave him some words on the inefficient way he ran his ship. At last I threatened to prophesy again, and this cooled him off. I offered to go hunting bears for him and he became quite polite. "I'll make you an offer touching those bears," he said. "For every skin you bring here aboard, I'll give you seven shillings [v]bonus above your share as a member of the ship's company. I'll give you another rifle, two rifles if you like, and
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