heat of the weather brought out aloft, for all the world as if it had been sweating; right in the main rift it got to a regular stream, sheeting over the bare face of the upright part, in a perfect waterfall. This, though it played the mischief with the crust of the floe at the foot, kept me in full supply of fresh water, the like of which never was tasted elsewhere. Under the fall, again, as before said, was the hole where the young bear had lodged itself, which, when circumstances allowed, naturally caused me no little attention.

No doubt was left as to the creature's being still there, nor with regard to how he managed to live, either. Evidently he was a first-rate hand at sealing for himself, besides fishing and birding on occasion, to judge by what he left about, with the titbits eaten; in addition to this, moreover, he had a full stock in reserve in the snow-hut I had made. Here the stale seal-flesh appeared to be even more to his taste, after I had taken care to secure the skins; and by the time the Russian took up his quarters in it, which he did, the bear's visits struck me to be rather in the way of being troublesome to the man. Oloff was next thing to helpless, as I thought, in the matter. Turning over the different articles aboard that had been got in barter with the natives, I fell upon a narwhal horn which occurred to me would make a famous new leg for him. Being full size, of the best ivory, it was pretty valuable; still I made no hesitation about handing it over

to him, except in regard to the risk I ran going

near.

From being wild with rage at the first, he had got desperately sulky, once or twice shamming sleep or worse when I brought supplies, and so nearly catching me. After that he went into a fury at the very sight of the food I took to him, more especially as there was no liquor left abovedeck to bring, and I was noway inclined to seek for it below. When I came along with the narwhal horn, it rather staggered him a little. I laid it down cautiously enough, as he bade me do; next taking out two or three of the doctor's instruments that I had thought would be handy, I showed them to him, along with some strong ship's marlin, and the like, for lashings. As for any notions whatever about surgery of the sort, they were not much, but I offered to lend a hand.

"Ho!" said he, rough enough, "ye'd lend a hand, would ye, younker? not afeared, eh? What next-come aboord beside ye?" With that he gave a queer dry laugh.

"Yes," I said boldly, for I thought that when the wickedness of the drink, and that, was over, he would come round all right.

Oloff squinted at me in his frightful way, beyond my power to make out, meanwhile holding out his hand for the things. Before that, I would have ventured on trusting myself beside him, but as it was, I reached them over at arm's length. The

L

fact was, he had been at work about something in the deep snow behind the hut, desperately like a trap, with the sledge hauled towards it from where it had been left, as if to mask the thing over. I cannot say I liked the fancy of being dropped down through the ice into deep water.

"Hein! So?" said he, with a snarl. "No need of ye! Drop them there!" roared he like thunder, "and clear off-d'ye think I sorts my leg in the street? I can help mine self, little von!" he said, grinning again," so look out, I say!"

I could hear his horrid laugh when I was out of sight; but it was not many hours ere I had occasion to feel anxious about him again." To say nothing of the effect of the warm weather on the floe, with some rain that commenced a-falling that night, the bear was plainly more astern than usual in the dark; with no seals either for it to catch by that time. The nights had begun to get longer already with the southing we made, and it was pretty dark. Before the moon rose, I felt sure that the animal was about the ship, by the sounds alongside, as well as the disturbance my dog made. After that the brute positively made a trial to scramble aboard, which I had reason to suspect was not the first occasion it had attempted the thing. However, such a row was caused that it took itself off, apparently prowling round the floe edge, in a direction bearing on the hut. The moon no sooner served-which it did but poorly by that

time of the month than I took the rifle and Tweed with me, and set off to look after it. The tract of its paws struck off at last for where Oloff lay, and I could see the bear slinking about, whilst all was quiet in that quarter.

YARN IX.

BEING in chase of the bear on the floe, I got sight of it, as I said, by the moonlight, creeping close to the snow hut where the Russian lay, and as there was no sign that the man was astir, I did not know but the beast might spring upon him in its hungry state. It was bent on making a pounce at something or other, at all events; whereon I fired at the creature, but missed him, though quite sufficient to send him scuttling toward the berg. Here the dog, which I had let slip, turned him down hill from his usual hole, and away he went on all fours at full speed, Tweed after him, barking and yattering. Suddenly, the bear took a turn, right back for the ship, where I lost sight of them for a moment; meanwhile, to my surprise, up had jumped the Russian from behind the snow, roaring and swearing at me worse than ever. By what I could make out, he had been on the watch to trap the bear, which the dog and I had thwarted at the very nick of time. It was to no purpose my telling him I had been anxious on his account. By that time it was plain enough from the sounds alongside of the Priscilla, that the brute had positively