ad luck
follows us."

"It is my opinion," said Okiok, "that whatever we do, or try to do, we
had better eat something before doing it. Bring the victuals, Nuna."

"Okiok is right," said Angut; "and Arbalik had better go out and watch
while we consult, so as to give us timely warning if the bear comes this
way."

Without a word, Arbalik caught up a piece of blubber, and went out of
the cave to enjoy his frugal breakfast while acting sentinel. The
others, sitting down on their respective bearskins, ate and consulted
hastily. The consultation was of little use, for they were utterly
helpless, and the breakfast was not much more profitable, for there was
far too little of it. Still, as Rooney truly remarked when the last
morsel was consumed, it was better than nothing.

"Well now, my friends," said Angut at last, "since our food is done, and
all our talk has come to nothing, I propose that we go out in a body to
see this bear. As we cannot kill him, we must get rid of him by driving
him away, for if we let him remain on the berg, he will come upon us
when we are asleep, perhaps, and kill us."

"Yes, that is best," said Okiok. "If we separate, so as to distract
him, and then make a united rush from all points, shrieking, that will
drive him into the sea."

"Let us put Ippe in front," suggested Simek, with a twinkling eye; "he
yells better than any of us."

"'Specially when he's got the toothache," added Rooney.

The object of this touch of pleasantry smiled in a good-humouredly
imbecile manner. It was clear that his malady had been cured, at least
for the time.

"But we must be very cautious," remarked Rooney, becoming serious, as
they rose to proceed on their adventure. "It would not do to let any of
our party get hurt. To my thinking, the women should take to the
ice-cliffs before we begin, and get upon pinnacles, up which the bear
could not climb."

While he was speaking, Arbalik came running in with the information that
the bear was approaching.

"Has it seen you?" asked Angut, as they all ran out.

"I think not. From the way it walks, I think it has no suspicion of any
one being on the berg."

In a few seconds they reached the point of the promontory or cliff in
which their cave lay, and each member of the party peeped round with
excessive caution, and there, sure enough, they beheld a white Polar
bear of truly formidable size. But it had changed its course after
Arbalik saw it, for by that