Part 36 (1/2)
CHAPTER XXII
LEADING A LIVELY CHASE
”THE bear has escaped!” shouted a voice down on the main deck.
”What bear?”
”The one that was in the lazaret.”
”Didn't know there was any bear there. You're kidding,” answered the doubting sailor.
”Go up and take a peep into the wheel-house, if you don't believe it.
You'll get a bang on the side of the head that will make your ears ring eight bells for the rest of the night.”
”I--I guess I'll take your word for it.” The sailor turned and ran for the deck-house.
Steve Rush, aroused by the shouting, got up and poked his head from the cabin window.
”Hey, what's happening?” he called.
Jarvis was on his way back to tell his chum the news.
”Old Bruin has escaped.”
”Who's he?”
”An old party we had cooped in a crate in the lazar----”
”A bear?”
”You bet he's a bear. He waved a paw at me that knocked me clean out of the pilot-house.”
”Wait, I'll be out in a minute.”
Steve hurried into his clothes, and a few minutes later was out on the rolling deck. He could barely make out the lights of the forward deck-house through the mist of spray that hung over the s.h.i.+p like a cloud.
”Where is he?” cried the Iron Boy.
”Up there in the house.”
”But who is steering the s.h.i.+p?”
”I guess the bear is. n.o.body else up there except the captain, jumping around the bridge-deck in his pajamas, mad as a hatter.”
Steve, deciding that he would like a closer look, hurried to the bridge.
There he found Captain Simms in a plight if anything more ludicrous than had been painted by Bob Jarvis. Rush saw that the s.h.i.+p was reeling about like a crazy sailor.
”Do something, somebody!” roared the skipper.
”What would you suggest?” questioned Steve, taking a peep through an open window and narrowly missing getting his eyes scratched out as a hairy paw reached through the window with a downward, raking sweep.