was too much for the equanimity even of Bruin, and with
a loud growl he sprang towards the boat, happily thinking me too
insignificant for punishment. I immediately ran off towards the mate;
while so great was the impetus which the bear had gained, that he went
head-foremost into the water, just catching the gunwale of the boat as
the men in her tried to shove off to avoid him.

Terence seized his musket, but it missed fire; and before either of the
others could get their lances ready, Bruin had actually scrambled on
board. No one can be surprised at their fright, nor that, as the bear
came in on one side, they should jump out on the other. They were all
good swimmers, so they struck out for the ice, on to which the mate and
I hauled them, while Bruin floated away in our boat.

We thought he would have jumped out again, and attacked us: but he
seemed perfectly content with his victory, and inclined for a cruise, as
he sat, with the greatest composure, examining the different articles in
the boat. How long he might have sat there I do not know, had not the
mate ordered me to try my skill as a shot. It was a long time since I
had had a gun in my hand, and my ambition was roused. I took a steady
aim at poor Bruin's eye, and he sunk down in the bottom of the boat.

The whole occurrence had been seen from the ship by our captain, who
despatched a boat to our assistance. We stood meantime, looking very
foolish, on the ice; and those who had been in the water shivering not a
little with the cold. After the boat had taken us on board, we pulled
towards ours, with the bear in it. We half-expected to see him jump up,
and, seizing the oars, pull away from us. Terence declared that he knew
a man who said that such a thing had once happened, and that the bear,
after a chase of many miles, got clean off with the boat; and that next
year, about the same latitude, he was seen cruising about by himself,
fishing for seals.

However, we got cautiously up to our boat; and there lay Bruin,
breathing out his last. By the time we got alongside, he was quite
dead. We all, especially the mate, got well laughed at for having had
our boat captured by a bear.

"And so, Mr Derrick," said the captain, "a boat's crew can possibly be
beaten by a bear, I see."

"They can, sir," answered the mate; "I own it; but if you'll remember,
you said I should never get that bear into the boat, alive or dead, and
I've done both."

"Not that,"