CHAPTER XI
LIVELY TIMES
Rob's fall was not far, and his heavy clothing saved him from thebruises that otherwise might have disabled him. He stared about himand saw that he had fallen into a rough depression of the ice from sixto eight feet in depth, and of about the same diameter.
"Here's a go," he reflected; "I wonder whether the bear will follow mehere, but he's giving his full attention to poor Jack, and won't huntfor me until he is through with him."
It was characteristic of the lad that, knowing the imminent peril ofhis friend, he should feel more anxious about him than himself. Allthought of the missing Fred was shut out for the moment.
The first thing for Rob to do was to get out of the hole into which hehad fallen. He did not wait, but, throwing off his outer coat, flungit upon the edge of the depression, and then, leaping upward, caughtthe margin with his mittened hands. As I stated at the beginning, hewas a fine athlete, but the task was almost impossible. The purchasewas so slight that when he put forth his strength and attempted todraw himself upward, his mittens slipped, as though they were oiled.
Then he snatched off the mittens, threw them upon his coat, and againmade the attempt; he failed as before.
"I've got to stay here while the bear kills poor Jack," was hisdespairing thought; "I can do nothing, when, if I were up there, Icould lay hold of one of the guns and save him."
The reflection was so bitter that he could not rest. Walking rapidlyaround the depression, he jumped upward at every step or two andrepeated the effort. Failure followed failure, and he was once more indespair.
Again he made the attempt, and his hand struck a knob-like projection,which afforded just the purchase wanted. Grasping it with all hismight, he quickly drew himself upward, and was once more on what mightbe considered the surface proper of the iceberg.
At the moment of climbing into sight he heard the report of a gun.
"Ah, Jack has managed to reach his rifle, and has given the brute ashot--no, he hasn't, either!"
To his unbounded amazement, he saw the sailor fleeing and dodging forlife, with the bear still at his heels. But he had no gun in his hand,and, casting his eye below him, Rob observed both weapons lying wherethey were placed by the owners a short time before.
Who had fired that gun whose report he just heard?
It was an absorbing question, indeed, but there was no time just thento give it a thought. Rob was much nearer the rifles than either Jackor the bear, and he now hastened thither, taking care that his lastmishap was not repeated.
From what has been told it will be understood that Jack Cosgrove foundno time for the grass to grow under his feet. He had pulled himselfthrough many a narrow peril, but he was sure he was never quite sohard pressed as now. He tried dodging and sudden turns in the line ofhis flight, and doubtless saved himself more than once by such means;but the discouraging fact was ever with him that his relentless enemycould travel tenfold faster and better than he over the ice, andsooner or later was certain to run him down unless turned aside bysome one else.
Jack naturally wondered what had become of Rob, who was so active onlya short time before. His furtive glances showed him nothing of hisfriend, but he had no chance to speculate, nor did he call upon himfor help, as the lad had appealed to him but a short time before.
The sorely pressed fugitive drew his knife to be prepared for thefinal struggle that was at hand. He had met polar bears before, and heknew what such a conflict meant.
He was wise enough, too, not to postpone the struggle until his ownstrength was exhausted by running. He whirled about, when the brutewas no more than ten feet distant, and grasping his knife by the tipof the blade, drove it with all the vicious fury at his commandstraight at the head of the bear.
The sailor was an adept at this species of throwing, and had oftengiven exhibitions of his skill on shipboard. It was not to be expectedthat he could kill such a gigantic animal by flinging his sheath knifeat him, but it sped so true and with such power, that, striking hisneck, it inflicted a deep wound, sinking so deep, indeed, that itremained in the wound.
At this juncture the rifle, whose report Rob heard, was fired. Thesailor supposed, as a matter of course, that Rob discharged it, forthere could be no doubt the bear was the target. The bullet struck himnear the junction of the left leg, and there could be no mistake abouthis being hit hard. He uttered a peculiar whining moan, stopped forthe moment, and then resumed his pursuit with such a marked limp thathis progress was perceptibly decreased.
Seeing his own advantage, Jack was wise enough to use it. In hisdesperation he had deprived himself of his only weapon, and he wasdefenseless. But with a limping bear lumbering after him, and with theshort respite he had gained, he fancied he could hold his own in afoot-race. So he wheeled and went at it again.
By this time, and, indeed, a minute before, Rob had reached the spotwhere the two guns lay, and with both in his grasp he set off in hothaste to overtake the brute. He meant to get so near that when hefired there could be no miss.
To his exasperation, he stumbled and came within a hair of going intothe very hole from which he had extricated himself with so muchdifficulty. But he escaped, and finding neither weapon injured, heresumed his pursuit, cheered by the apparent fact that the bear was nolonger able to gain upon the fugitive.
Jack had run as close to the edge of the iceberg as possible, and toventure nearer would be at the imminent risk of going into the icysea. He perforce turned, and sped in the direction of the lad, who washastening to his help.
This suited Rob, for there was no call for him to continue hispursuit, since the bear was approaching "head on." The youth stoppedas soon as he saw the change, and prepared to close matters.
The opening could not have been better, and, dropping one rifle at hisfeet, Rob steadied himself and took careful aim at the beast. Hepointed the gun not at his head, but at a point just below, hoping toreach his heart.
He saw the snowy coat stained crimson from the wound made by Jack'sknife, and he limped heavily.
"Look out you don't hit me!" called the panting sailor, whose grimhumor showed itself at the most inopportune times.
"Get out of the way, then!" called Rob, in turn; "you're right infront of me."
Jack dodged to one side, being at the moment about midway between hisfriend and pursuer, and less than twenty feet from either.
The next instant the lad pulled trigger.
But the bear did not stop, and showed no evidence of having been somuch as harmed.
"You missed him, you lubber! Let me have the other gun, and show youhow to bring down game."
There was no time for any such proceeding, and, dropping thedischarged weapon, Rob instantly stooped and caught up the second.
JUST THEN THE REPORT OF ANOTHER GUN SOUNDED
(See page 106)]
Just then another gun sounded from a point higher up the berg, and thehuge brute stopped. He seemed dazed, and, half-rearing on hishaunches, picked at the wound, as though he fancied a splinter wasthere, which he could draw from his flesh.
"He's going to attack us with the knife!" called Jack, who saw thatthe danger was over; "and I shouldn't wonder if he knows how to do itbetter than you can manage your gun."
"Keep out of the way, Jack, and I'll finish him."
Rob had brought the second weapon to a level, and the opening was, ifpossible, more favorable than before.
Again he pulled trigger, and this shot did the business. The monster,one of the largest and fiercest of his species, went down in ahelpless mass, and expired before their eyes.
"Hello, you chaps would be in a pretty scrape if it wasn't for me!"
Jack and Rob turned toward the point whence the voice came and sawFred Warburton hastening toward them with his smoking rifle in hand.
Among the Esquimaux; or, Adventures under the Arctic Circle Page 12