tement could have full play.

Johannes led, and they all walked slowly along the port side of the
deck, which looked dark and impressive with only one lanthorn burning
close to the galley door. The canvas sides of the long, tent-like
awning bulged in here and there as they passed some shroud or stay, and
the roof hung low in places where the snow lay particularly heavy, while
the cold that struck to them now in leaving the warm cabin was terrible.
Every breath Steve drew felt as if it were charged with tiny needles,
which tingled in his nostrils. A thick mist formed about them, and when
they paused close to the lanthorn to listen for a minute the vapour of
their breath rose and then fell down again in soft specks which the lad
did not understand for the moment, and then saw to be tiny flakes of
snow. But all was still save a murmur which came up from the closely
shut engine-room hatch, where the men had collected about the glowing
fire kept up without stint.

Johannes went on round by the bows, and all followed, Steve shivering
with cold and excitement; but they passed along, going aft now, close by
the canvas wall, till they reached the cabin door again without a sound
being heard.

"False alarm, Johannes?" whispered the captain.

The man smiled, and pointed to the dog, whose ears were twitching, and
now standing up, bent forward, now lowered down, while his tail was
waving slowly, and his muzzle was in the air with the nostrils
distended.

"Skeny says there's a bear or something about," said Steve softly.

The dog turned to his master sharply upon hearing his name.

"Where is it, Skeny?" whispered the boy, dropping on one knee with his
arm on the dog's neck.

There was a low growl, and the dog ran back a dozen steps, and stood
listening and twitching his ears as he gazed at one part of the canvas
wall. They followed, and stood beside him, but all was perfectly quiet,
the silence being strangely impressive in that intense misty cold. Then
all at once there was a sound like a deep sigh, followed by a snuffling
noise, and directly after the canvas wall was pressed in just above the
bulwark. It was exactly as if some man of gigantic size was feeling
over the canvas for a way in, his nails now scratching against it
heavily. But the tough canvas did not tear, for it was thickly coated
with ice caused by the condensation of breath, and moisture from
without, freezing into a hard, thick mass. But it cracked a