Part 30 (2/2)

”What's all the to-do about? What's all the to-do about?”

”I don't know,” was the reply of Freezing Powders. ”I don't know no more nor you do, c.o.c.kie. I tinks dey has gone to blow derselves all to pieces again.”

Dinner was partaken of in a merrier mood that day than it had been for weeks. Silas was there, of course; in fact, he had become an honorary member of the _Arrandoon_ mess.

”You see, Captain Grig,” McBain had observed, ”we must have you as much with as now as we can, for we soon go different roads, don't we?”

”Ah! yes,” replied Silas, with a bit of a sigh; ”you go north; G.o.d send you safe back; and I go back to my little wife and large family.”

”Happy reunion, won't it be?” said Allan.

The eyes of Silas sparkled, but his heart was too full of happy thoughts to say more than simply,--

”Yes.”

”Won't the green ginger fly?” said Rory.

”I say, boys,” Ralph put in, ”this sort of thing positively gives a man a kind of an appet.i.te.”

Rory looked at him with such a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that Ralph longed to pinch him.

”Just as if ever you lost yours,” said Rory.

At this moment the sound of a rifle was heard, apparently close to the s.h.i.+p.

”It's the trapper,” cried Rory; ”it's friend Seth. Sure enough I know the charming music of his long gun. Now, Ray, I'll wager my fiddle he has bagged a bear.”

Rory was right for once, and here is how it fell out. Several bears had that day scented the battle from afar, or were attracted by the noise of the malleys and gulls that were now wheeling around the s.h.i.+ps in thousands. They stood aloof while shooting was going on, sitting on their haunches licking their chops, greedy, hungry, expectant; but as soon as the sportsmen went off to dine,--

”Now is our time,” said one, ”to get a bit of fresh meat.”

”Come on, then,” cried another; ”there are a hundred seals lying on the ice. Hurrah?”

So down they came to the feast. They had not had such a treat for a whole day, and that is a long time for a bear to fast, and they made good use of their time, you may be sure, and so earnest were they, that they did not perceive a long, hairy creature that came creeping stealthily towards them. When at last one of them did observe this strange animal ”with the tail of his eye,” he said to himself,--

”Oh! it is only a tiny bit of a young seal, hunting for a lost mother, perhaps. Well, I'll have it presently by way of dessert.”

And almost immediately after, the sound that had startled our friends at _their_ dessert rang out in the clear, frosty air, and Bruin's head dropped never more to rise. His brother bears suddenly discovered they had eaten enough; anyhow, they remembered that it was always best to rise up from the table feeling that you could eat a little more, so they shambled away across the pack as fast as four legs could carry them.

”Bravo, Seth, old boy,” cried Rory and Allan, coming on the scene.

Ralph only waited to finish some pastry, then he too joined them.

”Why,” said the latter, ”it is the biggest bear we have seen yet.”

In true trapper fas.h.i.+on, Seth was already on his knees beside the enormous carca.s.s, engaged with knife and fist and elbow, ”working the rascal out of his jacket,” as he called it, when Rory, who was not far from the edge of the water, started, or rather sprang back in horror.

”Oh! Allan, Allan! Ray, Ray! look!” he cried.

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