self beneath a boat.

Up to this moment the female had never stirred from the mess of food,
but continued eating and snarling as though every mouthful was a battle.
Scarcely, however, had the roar of the other cub been heard than
she lifted her head, and, slowly turning round, stared at me with an
expression which, even now, my dreams will recall.

I had not yet recovered from the exhaustion of my late encounter,
and was half sitting, half kneeling on the deck, as the whelp stood
glowering at me, with every vein in her vast forehead swollen, and her
large, red eyes seeming to dilate as she looked. The attitude of the
creature must have been striking, for the crew cheered with a heartiness
that showed how much they admired her.

So long as I sat unmoved she never stirred; but when I prepared to
arise, she gave one bound, and, striking me with her head, hurled me
back upon the deck: her own impulse had carried her clean over me, and
when she returned, I was already up, on my knees, and better prepared to
receive her. Again she tried the same manoeuvre; but this time I leaped
to my feet, and, springing on one side, struck her a heavy blow on the
top of the head. Twice or thrice the same attack, with the same result,
followed; and at each blow a gallant cheer from the men gave me fresh
courage.

[Illustration: 156]

The beast was now excited to a dreadful degree; but her very passion
favored me, for her assaults were wilder and less circumspect than at
first. At length, just as I was again making the side leap by which I
had escaped, my foot slipped, and I fell. I was scarcely down ere she
was upon me, not, as before, to strike with her paws, but with a rude
shock she threw herself across me, as if to crush me by her weight;
while her huge head and terrific mouth, frothy and steaming, lay within
a few inches of my face.

Halkett and two others advanced to my rescue; but I bade them go back
and leave me to myself, for I was only wearied, not conquered. For some
minutes we lay thus; when at length, having recovered strength once
more, I grasped the whelp's throat with both hands, and then by a
tremendous effort threw her back, and rolled myself uppermost. She soon
shook herself free, however, and turned upon me: I was now on my knees,
and with the staff I dealt her a fierce blow on the leg. A terrific howl
followed, and she closed with me in full fury. Seizing my shirt, she
tore it away from my breast, and with her paw