ards or more.

He was not on our side, we felt pretty sure; and, a few minutes later,
Guard barked, and we heard the captain shouting from across the field.

"Here he is over here!" And a moment after, "Gone over towards your
side! Look out for him!"

We _looked out_ as sharply as we could for fog: nevertheless, the
first notice we got of his arrival in our vicinity was a splash into
the water several rods farther on.

"Give way sharp," shouted Kit, "or we shall lose him!"

The boat leaped under the strong stroke; and, a moment after, we saw
the bear climbing out on to a cake, which tipped up as he got on to
it.

"Give him your shot, Wash!" Kit exclaimed.

We were not more than fifty feet away. I aimed for his head, and let
go. The bullet clipped one of his ears merely, and he turned round
with a dreadfully savage growl. Of course it was a bad shot; but some
allowance must be made for the rocking of the boat. As he turned to
us, the ice-cake tipped and rolled under him, nearly throwing him off;
at which he growled and _barked out_ all the louder. Kit hesitated to
fire.

"He might make a break, and get his paws on to the boat before we
could back off, if you shouldn't kill him," said Hobbs.

"Load as quick as you can, Wash," Kit said. "I'll wait till we have a
reserve shot."

Meanwhile we heard voices coming out on the floe. Guard began to bark
again, and came jumping from cake to cake out within a few rods of the
bear, and rather between us and him.

"Be ready, now," said Kit; when some one of the party on the floe
fired on a sudden.

Instantly the bear jumped for the dog; and the dog, turning, leaped
for a little cake between him and the boat. The bear splashed through,
and gained the cake Guard had stood on.

Crack--crack! from the floe.

The bear growled frightfully as he felt the bullets, and plunged after
the dog. We both fired as he went down into the water. Guard's paws
were already on the gunwale, when the bear rose, head and paws, and
swept the dog down with him, _souse_! A howl and a growl mingled. The
water was streaked red with the bear's blood. The captain and Wade and
Donovan came leaping out from one fragment to another. Up popped the
dog's black head. Something bumped the bottom of the boat
simultaneously. The bear had come up under us, and floated out on the
port side, a great mass of dripping, struggling white hair. Everybody
was shouting now. Wade fired. Bits of blazing cartridge-pa