by E. J. Craine
CHAPTER XXI
ATTACKED BY A POLAR BEAR
"Here's trouble, all right!" grumbled Beverly, as he turned, looking towhere Jack was pointing, and also discovered something moving.
Tom dropped his monkey-wrench. Something else besides a tool of that kindwould be needed to defend them against the claws and teeth of such abulky monster as a huge Polar bear.
All of them could now make the animal out as Beverly concentrated thelittle ray of light upon him. The beast was advancing slowly, butpugnaciously, sniffling the air, and evidently furiously hungry onaccount of his prolonged cruise upon the icefield, deprived of hiscustomary fish meals.
"What ought we do, Tom?" Jack called out hurriedly. "If we retreat,like as not he'll muss things up around here, and maybe ruin ourplane for us."
"We must keep him away!" announced Lieutenant Beverly. "It would meandeath to us all if he got to tumbling around and smashed some of theparts of the machine."
As he said this he fumbled about his person, producing the automaticpistol with which he usually went on his flights; and without which fewair pilots venture to enter into combat with enemy fliers.
Tom duplicated his act immediately, while Jack, at the same time, securedhis weapon from the place where he kept it when in his seat. So, afterall, things did not seem to be altogether favorable to Bruin; and had thebear only known what he was up against possibly he would have found itdiscreet to back off and let the three strange creatures alone.
"Be sure to hold your fire, boys!" Lieutenant Beverly ordered, takingcommand. "We must be like old Put at the battle of Bunker Hill, and waittill we can see his eyes clearly. It's going to be hard to drive off thatbig rascal with only pistols! Aim for the spot back of his foreleg if youcan; that may reach his heart!"
There was not much time for preparation, since the bear kept advancing atthe same shuffling gait. Tom tried shouting at him, hoping the sound of ahuman voice might cause the beast to alter his intention, and turn back.
The bear did stop, and thrust his muzzle further out as though to get abetter whiff of the queer animals against which he found himself pitted.
"Didn't go, Tom, for he's coming on again!" cried Jack.
"Get ready to give him a volley," the lieutenant ordered. "Tom, move offa bit to the right, and I'll go to the left. That may upset hiscalculations some; and besides, we'll have a better chance to bore inback of his forelegs. Jack, stand where you are, and shoot when we do!"
"I'm game!" came the steady reply.
Both the others made a quick move, and the bear found himself facingthree separate points of peril. He growled fiercely, and came on again,straight toward the plane, which seemed to have aroused his curiosity.Perhaps he fancied it was some monster bird that would afford him morethan one good meal.
"Give it to him, everybody!" suddenly shouted Lieutenant Beverly.
Hardly had he uttered the last word than there was a rattle of firearmsas the three of them discharged their weapons. There arose a mighty roarof anger as the bear felt the sudden pain of bullets entering his flesh.
"Again! He's staggering, but full of fight yet!"
Once more the pistol shots rang out. The bear was moving, but seemed tobe growing quite weak and confused, for once he fell half over, thoughmanaging to recover and push on.
It took several more rounds before the huge bulk rolled over, gave a fewspasmodic kicks, and then expired.
"Bully work, boys!" shouted Jack, as he hurried forward to take aclose-up view of their victim. "Gee whiz! but isn't he a buster though?Never did I dream I'd help bring down a real Arctic white bear! And justto think of the queer conditions of this hunt, too, will you? I wager,now, there never was one like it--by airplane at that!"
After one look at the bear Tom returned to his task. Shooting game wasall very fine, but he had business of a different character to call forhis attention just then.
"Wonder if the old chap has got a mate around?" suggested Jack, a suddenthought causing him to survey the ice-floe as seen under the faint lightof the stars that were beginning to show in the heavens above.
"Not one chance in a thousand he had company," Beverly insisted; "but noharm in your keeping a wary eye about, Jack, while Tom gets things inshape again. I have to stay here with the light. If you've a sharp knifewhat's to hinder you from taking one of his claws for a trophy?"
"I'll do that same. Thank you for reminding me, Colin! Some fellows Iknow are such Doubting Thomases you have to be in a position to proveeverything you tell them. Tom, loan me that knife of yours, please. It'sgot an edge like a razor to it, and those paws look simply immense."
"Make haste about it, for we'll soon be ready to skip out of this place,"Tom warned him as he handed over the knife.
Jack began to work industriously. He found he had undertaken no mean jobwhen he contracted to sever one of the front paws of the dead Polar bear.Not only did he have to cut through ligaments and tough skin, but thebones themselves gave him no end of trouble.
He solved this by finding the heavy monkey-wrench, and using it as ahammer, with the knife in place, thus actually severing the paw completeafter considerable trouble.
"There, isn't that a regular beauty to show?" he demanded, holding up theresult of his labor. "I feel something like a young Indian warrior who'sjust killed his first grizzly, and means to hang the claws about his neckto prove his bravery."
He stood looking down at the monster bear for a minute, debatingsomething in his mind.
"I wonder now," Jack finally observed, "if we could eat that bear meat,supposing something happened to keep us marooned on this ice for weeks ata stretch? What do you think about it, Tom?"
"It might be possible, if we got in a bad pinch and were almoststarving," came the reply. "But you must remember we'd have to swallow itraw, because we haven't any means for making a fire; and trying to kindlea blaze on the ice would be a tough job."
"Then I'm glad to know we don't have to depend on bear meat to keep usfrom starving," Jack announced. "Pretty nearly through, Tom?"
"Five minutes more ought to see us ready to start. I'm pretty hungrythough and would like something more to eat. You boys ate a good deal,but you called it 'a snack,' and not 'supper.'"
"On the whole," Colin suggested, "perhaps we'd better leave the supperuntil we get to moving smoothly again. Things ought to taste better if wefeel we've got the bulge on this engine trouble for fair."
Jack did not try to urge any undue haste. Nevertheless he looked severaltimes in the quarter close by where the big berg raised its cone, as ifhis uneasiness now might be wholly concerned with its possibilities formaking fresh trouble.
Was it imagination, or some sort of optical delusion that made the tipof the huge berg seem to come lower and lower, then draw back again as ifmaking a ceremonious bow like a dancing-master?
Jack gasped, and opened his lips to cry out, but thinking better of itrestrained the temptation. They could not get away until the repairs werecomplete. At the same time, while trying to make himself believe he hadmagnified the thing, he was conscious of a louder grinding noise than anyheard up to that moment.
Tom was putting the finishing bolt in place. A few more efforts and hewould be able to announce that his task had been completed. Jack becameconscious of a peculiar undulating movement to the ice under his feet. Itwas just the same as he could remember experiencing when on skates, andgoing at full steam over a thin section of ice that must have easilybroken under his weight only for the speed with which he crossed over.
Was the ice floe about to break up? Would it result in several smallersections separating from the main stem, none of which might be of a sizeto allow them sufficient room for making a start?
The thought alarmed Jack. He also knew that undoubtedly any movement tothe pack ice must be caused by some action of the giant berg. Was thatmountain of ice about to take the plunge at last, and turn over, its basebeing eaten away to such an extent that the whole had become top-heavy?
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bsp; Once again did Jack turn his startled eyes to the left. He could not getit out of his mind how terribly suggestive that "bow" on the part of theberg had been.
There it was, coming again! Perhaps the wind had grown stronger sincethey dropped down upon the ice, and was adding its force to the action ofthe waters.
Jack found himself unable to hold in any longer. If such a dreadful perilhung over them it was time his companions knew the need of haste ingetting free from that doomed field of ice. So he put all doubts behindhim and gave tongue.
"Hurry, hurry, Tom! The iceberg is acting queerly. It's tottering as ifready to roll over on us! Don't you see how it acts, Tom?"