Among the Esquimaux; or, Adventures under the Arctic Circle

out of sight, for the time, from Jack Cosgrove, who was resting himself after his hard climb. The youth was thinki

not have wandered much farther in advance. His hope was tinged with the deepest anxiety, for it was impossible t

as pushing forward with unabated vigor, when his heart almost st

"he's alive, thank God!" and

low, where are you?

eemed to be a huge pile of snow just in advance,

wondering whether his senses were not betraying h

umed more definite shape, and an unmistakable

ung avalanche. He had almost stumbled over a huge polar bear, ravenous and fier

Opening his great eyes, he saw before him a fine breakfast in the shape of a plump l

had no gun with him, he and Jack having left the weapons on the ice a considerable distance away. Both were without any means of defense, unless the sheath kn

ring and wondering what it all could mean. He saw the boy's cap fly from his head, and he noted his terrified

could save them, and that was by dashing back to the guns, he hastily drew his knif

's chivalry than to his sagaci

right, saw the mistake his frie

Get the guns a

idea," reflected the sailor, shoving his kn

as he did for the succeeding seconds. Indeed, it was altogether too fast, for he fell headlong with

he kept things on the jump. He was at home amid the snow and ice, and, with little effort,

b saw him, and, when the ponderous beast was almost upon him, he made a desperate leap from the ic

ning his head, with his huge jaws so far apart that his red tongue and long white teeth showed, he prepared

imbing to his feet from his thumping fall, and, being but a

s to whether his meal was made from a boy or full-grown man, and, since t

see how matters had turned; "but it's Jack Cosgrove that

k the furious beast until one of the rifles was turned against him, but i

e fatal oversight, and hastily turned to rectify it; but the precious moments wasted made it too late. The bear was actually between him an

was to get himself out of reach of the terror that

bling, and laboring forward as best he could; "he couldn't nab me, but I

plan of campaign. At the moment he expected to feel the claw of the brute, he looked back and saw he was

ted to the youth that the chance had

e the weapons had been left near at hand. Could he have been sure of a few minutes there would have been no

work gleaming in the morning sunlight, so that he could make no mistake in locating them, but his attention was

f the brute when he discovered that he was on the brink of an irregular depression in the ice. He