ittle 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 ship, 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 shore.

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 ship, 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