reakfast,--a trophy to be proud of, as they thought.

CHAPTER XIV.

Proves the Ingenuity of Seals, and Shows That the Great
Polar Bear Is No Respecter of Persons.

"When we were last time cruising in the _Alice_, I think I told you all
about the Arctic winter,--did I not?" said the ancient mariner to his
little friends, when they were met once more.

"Yes," answered William (who was always ready to act as spokesman for
the party),--"yes, Captain Hardy, all about the Arctic winter, and the
aurora borealis, and the wonderful moonlight, and the darkness, and how
you and the handsome little Dean lived through it, and what you talked
about, and how you passed the time, and what a doleful life you led, and
what a dreadful thing it was, and how it made you shiver now to think of
it; and--all that, and a great deal more."

"Certainly," replied the Captain, "certainly, that's it,--all told off
nicely, my lad, just as if you were boxing the compass or repeating the
multiplication table;--all about how we protected ourselves from cold,
and kept ourselves from hunger, and prepared a home for ourselves on the
Rock of Good Hope. And this seemed likely to be our home for life
too,--so far, at least, as we could see; for it appeared clear enough to
us that our condition would never change except with death, which we,
like everybody else, whether they have ever been cast away or not,
wanted to put off as long as possible, having no wish at all to die, and
not liking either to freeze or starve: so you see we had good motives
for energy and patience."

Here little Alice, in her quiet way, interrupted the Captain to say that
the aurora borealis had troubled her dreams all night, and that she
would like to know, if the Captain pleased, why anything should have
such a strange name.

"That I will tell you with pleasure, my dear," answered the Captain;
"I'll tell you all about it,--of course I will. Aurora borealis,--that
means northern light; and the name comes from a pagan goddess called
Aurora, who was supposed to have rosy fingers, and to ride in a rosy
chariot, and who opened the gates of the East every morning, and brought
in the light of day; and thus, in course of time, any great flush of
light in the heavens got to be called Aurora. And then there was a pagan
god called Boreas, who was the North Wind, and had long wings and white
hair, and made himself generally disagreeable. So you see Boreas, from
being the pagan nam