had we been content with five, without
coveting a sixth, as this last had like to have been the ruin of us; for
as we were going slowly back to the hut, dragging the seal after us, and
all unsuspicious of harm, we were set upon by a great white beast, the
like of which we had never seen before, but which we knew must be one of
those savage animals called polar bears. He was not coming rapidly, but
was rather crawling along cautiously, with mouth wide open, looking very
fierce. As soon as we discovered him, we dropped the line with which we
were dragging the seal, and ran as fast as our legs would carry us,
never stopping until we had reached the hut and crawled into it,--not
once having had the courage to look back, for at every step we expected
that the bear would be atop of us.

"We had left 'Old Crumply' and 'Dean's Delight' where we captured the
seal, intending to go for them the next day; and, having no weapon of
any kind, we were in the greatest terror, expecting every moment to hear
the bear coming to tear the hut down, and drag us out, and eat us up.

"But, finding that we were not disturbed, we at length fell asleep. Upon
awaking the next day, and finding that we had been suffered to go
undisturbed thus long, we began to wonder whether we had not been
needlessly alarmed, and finally we set to wondering whether we had
really seen a bear after all, and at length we grew to feel quite
ashamed of ourselves. So we put on a little bravado, like the boy that
whistled in the dark to keep his courage up, and went out, cautiously
approaching the spot where we had left the seal. Arriving there, we had
positive proof enough, if any were wanting, that we had certainly seen a
bear. The bones of the seal were all strewn about over the snow, picked
as clean as could be. Some foxes were gnawing at them, as we came up;
but they all scampered off when they saw us coming.

"Hurrying on, we picked up 'Old Crumply' and 'Dean's Delight,' and then
hastened back to the hut, which we reached without any further
adventure; but on the day following, upon going out to visit our
fox-traps, we came across the bear's tracks, from which it was evident
to us that the wild beast was prowling round the island, where he had
already obtained one good meal, and was in hopes, no doubt, of getting
another; and, as we did not know how soon he might feel disposed to
begin upon us, we ran back to the hut with all speed, imagining, as we
went along, th