Steve Young Part 16

"I know enough. Don't talk, man; go and find the rifle, and then come and help the skinning here."

"She will, sir; but, doctor, is her _leg_ brukkit?"

"Eh? Bah! no. A bit sprained at the ankle joint. When you fell, I suppose?"

"Ay, sir. Ye see she had to try so hard to save her head, she couldna attend to her legs and feet," said Andrew, with a cunning look at the doctor, as he limped off in search of the rifle, leaving the rest examining the magnificent animal lying motionless among the stones.

It was an enormous beast, with a coat of long, silky, cream-coloured fur, which hung down from its sides, and hid the claws when its feet were spread out.

"No wonder he could stand the polar winters with a great-coat like that, eh, Steve?" cried the doctor. "Why, my lad, you must have that skin carefully dressed, and use it as an ornament for your drawing-room when you have one."

"_I_?" cried the boy.

"To be sure; it was your shot that brought him down, eh, Marsham?"

"Certainly," replied the captain; "he gave the finis.h.i.+ng stroke."

The conversation was getting so personal that Steve walked away to where Skene crouched in a soft, sandy place, his ears c.o.c.ked up and his eyes intent upon the actions of the two Nors.e.m.e.n, who were working away at the skinning; and as every now and then their tugging at the tough hide gave a slight movement to the left fore leg of the bear, the dog kept jumping up, uttering a fierce growl, ruffling up the hair about his neck, and showing his teeth as if about to attack.

"Down, Skeny! down, boy!" cried Steve, as the dog made one of these demonstrations. "Let's have a look at you. Where are you hurt?"

He knelt down by the dog, patted him, and then took hold of one of his legs; but Skene threw up his muzzle and made so piteous a cry that the leg was immediately released and laid a short distance farther away by its owner.

"Then you are hurt, old chap. Shall I fetch the doctor?"

The dog yelped.

"What does that mean, Johannes, yes or no?"

"Only his way of saying thank you, sir," replied the Norseman. "He's hurt, but not badly; because, as you saw, he could run at the bear.

He's a good deal bruised, and he'll be a bit sore for days; but animals soon get well again. They lick themselves right when they are hurt."

"But oughtn't he to be examined?"

"I did look at him, sir. He's only hurt in the shoulder and ribs, where the bear struck him. There isn't a trace of blood. Let him lie, sir; he'll curl up when we get him on board."

As the dog appeared to be in no pain and was intent upon the skinning process, he was left alone; and the little party followed the dog's example, till Johannes suddenly looked up.

"I don't know, gentlemen," he said; "it's hardly likely, but I'd post somebody to keep a look-out. The bear's mate might come to look after him, and they are savage brutes at times."

"I'll get on that stone and keep the look-out myself," said the captain.

"No; here comes McByle with the gun. He shall go up on the rock and keep watch. He doesn't seem to limp much now."

This was the case, and a few minutes after Andrew was perched up on a pile of rocks some twenty feet above the ground. He accepted the duty most willingly, for the top of the rock seemed to be a particularly safe place; and as soon as he heard the object of his task he scrambled up so rapidly that the captain laughed.

"We need not fidget about McByle's hurts," he said; and then he shouted: "Keep a sharp look to the northward, McByle!"

"Ay, ay, sir, she will," replied the man; and they saw him gaze intently toward the spot where the other bear had disappeared.

Then all attention was directed to the prize, which by rough measurement was nearly three yards in length, and as ponderous-looking as some huge bull, while another rough measurement showed that it had been a long way on toward five feet in height as it stood.

The boat soon after returned from the s.h.i.+p, with the other two Norwegians, who set to work at once to help, and by their united efforts the great, heavy skin was stripped off and carried by one of the men to the sh.o.r.e.

The head was cut off by means of an axe, so that it might be preserved with its large, grinning, ivory teeth; and then the men busied themselves over the rather disgusting operation of cleaning off all the fat from the body, genuine bear's grease being a valuable commodity.

This, too, was borne to the boat for rendering down in the caldron fixed in the fore part of the s.h.i.+p, in connection with a steam-pipe from the engine-boiler. In the course of the proceeding the bear was opened, and the sight that presented itself went a long way toward satisfying Steve that the slaying of a polar bear was not so unnecessary a work after all.

"Much better for the seals of the neighbourhood," said the captain grimly, as Johannes pointed out the fact that their quarry must have killed and eaten a good-sized seal that day, the unfortunate animal having been chopped into big fragments by the bear's tremendous teeth, the food they had seen it searching for being probably taken just as an amus.e.m.e.nt--_pour pa.s.ser le temps_.

The huge piles of muscle laid bare upon the neck and shoulders of the animal told of such great strength that the wonder was that the dog had not been killed; but there he crouched so little the worse, that all of a sudden he made a dash by Johannes, stuck his teeth in the still warm flesh, and gave it an angry shake--that is to say, held on and shook his own head and neck, for the ponderous ma.s.s of flesh was pretty well immovable.

The piles of fat had all been cleverly removed and sent on board, and as no one evinced any desire to partake of bear-steaks or sirloin, the sailors announced their work as done just as Andrew uttered a shout of warning--"Look out!"

"What is it?" cried the captain, who had been vainly trying to get a shot at a bird or two tempting enough for supper.

"The bear coming."

"Where away?"

"Three points on the port bow, sir!" cried Andrew, who treated his rocky look-out place as a s.h.i.+p.

The captain took out his little binocular gla.s.s and swept the sh.o.r.e, to make out the second bear away in the distance, walking slowly along on the top of the ice-floe which shut them in to the north. It was raising its head on high, and evidently on the look-out for its mate.

"What do you say, Hands...o...b..?" said the captain; "shall we tackle it?

There is a good chance if we can approach the animal un.o.bserved."

"For my part, I say no," replied the doctor, as the Norwegians, who had been ridding themselves of the traces of their unpleasant task, picked up their spears. "I have had enough bear for one day, and should like some beef. It's past twelve."

"Oh, it must be later than that!" cried Steve. "Why, we've been hours and hours ash.o.r.e. I should have thought it was six o'clock."

"No," said the doctor, smiling. "My watch keeps good time. I say a quarter to twelve."

"Then we'll go on board," said the captain. "I, too, had no idea it was so late."

"Early?" suggested Steve.

"Why, Steve!" cried the captain, clapping him on the shoulder, "don't you know where we are? This is the land of the midnight sun."

The boy stared at him in astonishment, then due north at the sun, which was s.h.i.+ning with a softer and less piercing light than usual, while the captain and his friend the doctor exchanged glances and looked amused at the boy's confusion.

He now looked round him, toward the s.h.i.+p and the ice; and then, as if struck by a happy thought, he thrust his hand into his pocket and took out a little compa.s.s, which he carefully placed level on a block of stone, watching it till the needle had ceased to vibrate.

"Well?" said the captain, smiling.

"That's the north," said Steve, with his forehead wrinkled.

"Of course; we knew that before."

"And the sun looks as if it were just going to set in the wrong place, sir."