hey could shoot. The next second,
with jaws wide open, the bear made a dash for them. Tommy's heart
leapt into his throat. He glanced around to see if he could run and
climb a tree, for he knew that grizzlies could not climb, and he hoped
that polar bears could not climb either, while Tommy prided himself on
climbing and had often climbed the apple-tree in the pasture at home;
but there was not a tree or a shrub in sight, and all he saw was the
little guide running for life and disappearing behind an ice-peak.

"Run, Johnny!" cried Tommy, and, "Run, Tommy!" cried Johnny at the
same moment. But they had no time to run, for the next second the bear
was upon them, his eyes glaring, his great teeth gleaming, his huge
jaws wide open, from which came a growl that shook the ice under their
feet. As the bear sprang for them Johnny was more directly in his way,
but, happily, his foot slipped from under him and he fell flat on his
back just as the bear lit, or he would have been crushed instantly.
Even as it was, he was stunned and lay quite still under the bear,
which for the moment seemed to be dazed. Either he could not tell what
had become of Johnny, or else he could not make up his mind whether to
eat Johnny up at once or to leave him and catch Tommy first and then
eat them both together. He seemed to decide on the latter, for,
standing up, he fixed his eyes on Tommy and took a step across
Johnny's prostrate body, with his mouth open wider than before, his
eyes glaring more fiercely, and with a roar and a growl that made the
ice-peaks shed a shower of icicles. Then it was that Tommy seemed to
have become a different boy. In fact, no sooner had Johnny gone down
than Tommy forgot all about himself and his own safety, and thought
only of Johnny and how he could save him. And, oh, how sorry he was
that he had let Johnny carry all the ammunition, even though it was
heavy! For his gun was empty and Johnny had every cartridge. Tommy was
never so scared in all his life. He tried to cry out, but his throat
was parched, so he began to say his prayers, and remembering what
Santa Claus had said about boys who asked only for themselves, he
tried to pray for Johnny.

[Illustration: What was their horror to find that they both had
forgotten to load their guns.]

At this moment happened what appeared almost a miracle. By Tommy
dashed a little hairy ball and flew at the bear like a tiger; and
there was Sate, a part of his rope still about