seal had come within ten feet of his enemy; the bear hastened
towards him, made a long leap, and stood stupefied three paces from
Hatteras, who, casting aside the sealskin, with one knee resting on
the ground, was aiming at the bear's heart.

The report was sounded, and the bear rolled over on the ice.

"Forward!" shouted the doctor. And, followed by Johnson, he hastened
to the scene of combat. The huge beast rose, and beat the air with one
paw while with the other he tore up a handful of snow to stanch the
wound. Hatteras did not stir, but waited, knife in hand. But his aim
had been accurate, and his bullet had hit its mark; before the arrival
of his friends he had plunged his knife into the beast's throat, and
it fell, never to rise.

[Illustration: "He plunged his knife into the beast's throat."]

"Victory!" shouted Johnson.

"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" cried the doctor.

Hatteras, with folded arms, was gazing calmly at the corpse of his
foe.

"It's now my turn," said Johnson; "it's very well to have killed it,
but there is no need of waiting till it's frozen as hard as a stone,
when teeth and knife will be useless for attacking it."

Johnson began by skinning the bear, which was nearly as large as an
ox; it was nine feet long and six feet in circumference; two huge
tusks, three inches long, issued from his mouth. On opening him,
nothing was found in his stomach but water; the bear had evidently
eaten nothing for a long time; nevertheless, he was very fat, and he
weighed more than fifteen hundred pounds; he was divided into four
quarters, each one of which gave two hundred pounds of meat, and the
hunters carried this flesh back to the snow-house, without forgetting
the animal's heart, which went on beating for three hours.

The others wanted to eat the meat raw, but the doctor bade them wait
until it should be roasted. On entering the house he was struck by the
great cold within it; he went up to the stove and found the fire out;
the occupations as well as the excitement of the morning had made
Johnson forget his customary duty. The doctor tried to rekindle the
fire, but there was not even a spark lingering amid the cold ashes.

"Well, we must have patience!" he said to himself. He then went to the
sledge to get some tinder, and asked Johnson for his steel, telling
him that the fire had gone out. Johnson answered that it was his
fault, and he put his hand in his pocket, where he usually kept it; he
was surp