ted supercargo. "My God! my God! am I to be
murdered?--eaten alive?" cried he, running forward, and attempting to
climb the fore-rigging.

Mynheer Kloots followed the motions of Mynheer Von Stroom with surprise,
and when he found him attempting to mount the rigging, he turned aft and
walked into the cabin, when he found to his surprise that Johannes was
indeed doing mischief.

The panelling of the state cabin of the supercargo had been beaten down,
the wig boxes lay in fragments on the floor, the two spare wigs were
lying by them, and upon them were strewed fragments of broken pots and
masses of honey, which Johannes was licking up with peculiar gusto.

The fact was, that when the ship anchored at Table Bay, Mynheer Von
Stroom, who was very partial to honey, had obtained some from the
Hottentots. This honey his careful servant had stowed away in jars,
which he had placed at the bottom of the two long boxes, ready for his
master's use during the remainder of the voyage. That morning, the
servant fancying that the wig of the previous night had suffered when
his master tumbled over the bear, opened one of the boxes to take out
another. Johannes happened to come near the door, and scented the
honey. Now, partial as Mynheer Von Stroom was to honey, all bears are
still more so, and will venture everything to obtain it. Johannes had
yielded to the impulse of his species, and, following the scent, had
come into the cabin, and was about to enter the sleeping berth of
Mynheer Stroom, when the servant slammed the door in his face; whereupon
Johannes beat in the panels, and found an entrance. He then attacked
the wig-boxes, and, by showing a most formidable set of teeth, proved to
the servant, who attempted to drive him off, that he would not be
trifled with. In the meanwhile, Mynheer Von Stroom was in the utmost
terror: not aware of the purport of the bear's visit, he imagined that
the animal's object was to attack him. His servant took to his heels
after a vain effort to save the last box, and Mynheer Von Stroom, then
finding himself alone, at length sprang out of his bed-place, and
escaped, as we have mentioned, to the forecastle, leaving Johannes
master of the field, and luxuriating upon the _spolia opima_. Mynheer
Kloots immediately perceived how the case stood. He went up to the bear
and spoke to him, then kicked him, but the bear would not leave the
honey, and growled furiously at the interruption. "This is a b