Part 16 (1/2)

Their astonishment as well as horror may be imagined when, on entering the hut, they found a scene of utter confusion. The fire still burned, it is true, and yonder hung the ham; but the table and chairs were overturned, and the contents of even the rude bookcase scattered about the floor.

_And Freezing Powders was gone_!

He had been carried off by a bear. Of this there was plenty of testimony, if only in the huge footprints of the monster, which he had left in the snow. Not very distinct were they, however, for the surface of the snow was crisp and hard. But Seth was equal to the occasion, and at once--walking in a bee line, the trapper leading--they set out to track the bear, if possible, to his lair. The footprints led them southwards and west, through a region far more wild than that which they had already traversed.

For a whole hour they walked in silence, until they found themselves at the top of a ravine, the rocks of which joined to form a sort of triangle. Half-roofed over was this triangle with a balcony of frozen snow, from which descended immense icicles, on which the roof leant, forming a kind of verandah.

Seth paused, and pointed upwards. ”The b'ar is yonder!” he whispered.

”Stay here; the old trapper's feet are moccasined, he won't be heard.

Gentlemen, Seth means to have that b'ar, or he won't come back alive!”

So leaving his companions, onwards, all alone, steals Seth. A bear itself could not have crept more silently, more cautiously along than the trapper does.

Those left behind waited in a fever of almost breathless suspense. The doctor stretched out his arm and took gentle hold of Rory's wrist. His pulse was over a hundred; so was the doctor's own, and he could easily hear his heart beat.

How slowly old Seth seems to move. He is on hands and knees now, and many a listening pause he makes. Now he has reached the edge of the icy verandah, and peers carefully over. The bear is there, undoubtedly, for, see, he gives one anxious glance at his rifle--it is a double-barrelled bone-crusher.

Crang-r-r-r! goes the rifle, and every rock in the island seems to re-echo the sound. The reverberation has not ceased, however, when there mingles with it a roar--a blood-curdling roar--that seems to shake the very ground. ”Wah-o-ah! waugh! waugh! wah-o?” and a great pale-yellow bear springs from the cave, then falls, quivering and bleeding, on his side in the snow.

Our heroes rush up now.

”Any more of them?” cries Rory.

”Wall, I guess not,” said the old trapper. ”Yonder lies the master; I've given him a sickener; and the missus ain't at home. But there is suthin' black in thar, though!”

”Why,” cried Allan, ”I declare it is Freezing Powders himself!” and out into the bright light stalked the poor n.i.g.g.e.r boy, staring wildly round about, and seemingly in a dream.

”Ah, gem'lams!” he said, slowly, ”so you have come at last! What a drefful, _drefful_ fright dis poor chile have got! 'Spect I'll nebber get ober it; nebber no more!”

”Come along,” said Ralph. ”Get on top of my shoulder. That's the style! You can tell us all about it when we reach the village.”

”Now,” cried Allan, ”look alive, lads, and whip old Bruin out of his skin, and bring along his jacket and paws!”

When they did get back to the hut, and poor Freezing Powders had warmed himself and discussed a huge slice of broiled ham and a captain's biscuit, the boy got quite cheery again, and proceeded to relate his terrible adventure.

”You see, gem'lams,” he said, ”soon as ebber you leave me I begin for to watch de ham, and turn he round and round plenty much, and make de fire blaze like bobbery. Mebbe one whole hour pa.s.s away. De flames dey crack, and de ham he frizzle. Den all to once I hear somebody snuff-snuffing like, and I look round plenty quick, and dere was--oh!

dat great big awful bear--bigger dan a gator [alligator]. Didn't I scream and run jus'! And de bear he knock down de chairs and de tables, and den he catchee me in his mouf, all de same I one small mouse and he one big cat. You see, gem'lam, he smell de ham. 'Dat bery nice,' he tink, 'but de n.i.g.g.a boy better.' So he take dis chile. He nebber have take one n.i.g.g.a boy before dis, praps. Den he run off wid me ober de mountains. He no put one tooth in me all de time. When he come to de cave he put me down and snuff me. Den he say to himself, 'I want some fun; I make play wid dis n.i.g.g.a boy befoh I gobbles 'im up.' So he make me run wid his big foot, and when I run away den he catchee me again, and he keep me run away plenty time, till I so tired I ready to drop.

[Greenland bears have been known to play this cat-and-mouse game with seals before devouring them.] All de same, I not want to be gobble up too soon, gem'lams, so I make all de fun I can. I stand on my head, and I run on my four feet. I jump and I kick, and I dance, and I sing to de tune ob--

”'Plenty quick, n.i.g.g.a boy, Plenty fast you run, De bear will nebber gobble you up So long's you make de fun.'

”Den de big, ugly yellow bear he berry much tickled, and he tink to hisself, 'Well,' he tink, ”pon my word and honah! I nebber see nuffin like dis before--not in all my born days! I not eat dis n.i.g.g.a boy up till my mudder come home.' And all de time I make dance and sing--

”'Quicker, quicker, n.i.g.g.a boy, Faster, faster go, Amoosin' ob de ole bear, Among de Ahtic snow.

”'Jing-a-ring, a-ring-a-ring, Sich somersaults I frow, In all his life dis n.i.g.g.e.r chile Ne'er danced like dis befoh.'

”But now, gem'lams, I notice dat de bear he begin to make winkee-winkee wid both his two eyes. Den I dance all de same, but I begin to sing more slow and plaintive, gem'lams--