our, and sugar, and beef we left
here, the more there are the better."

While he was speaking he was pronging away with his spear down the
companion-hatch, and the growling grew louder and fiercer.

The bear was now severely wounded and enraged to the utmost; for in
spite of the enemies he might have guessed were ready to receive him, he
tried to force his way up. "Hand a gun here, and we'll see if we can't
settle him," cried David; but the guns had been left leaning against a
block of ice outside the ship, and before we could recover them the bear
had made another attempt to get out of the trap. Evading the points of
the lance, he had seized the handle in his teeth, and then climbing up
the ladder, he forced the top of the hatch off with his head, and seemed
about to take the deck from us. Andrew, however, had got another lance,
and just as his terrific claws were close to David's shoulder, he gave
him a severe wound in the neck. At the same moment I ran up with a gun,
and firing into his mouth, he fell dead across the hatchway.

That he was not alone we were convinced by the appearance of another
shaggy monster, who now shoved his head up to see what his companion was
about. As he showed his head from under the dead body and opened his
mouth to growl, David plunged his lance into it with such force that he
fell mortally wounded down the ladder, carrying the weapon with him. We
had some work to drag the dead bear out of the way, he was so heavy a
fellow.

"Are there any more of them?" cried Terence, who, discovering that they
were mortal foes, had completely recovered from his fright. He spoke as
he was peering into the cabin, and about to spring down the ladder.
"Och, yes, here comes another."

And sure enough a third bear appeared at the doorway, with a look which
seemed to ask what we wanted there. As he was too sagacious to come
within reach of our spears, and our remaining gun was loaded only with
small shot, we scarcely knew how to despatch him. It would have been
very dangerous to descend the ladder, for one pat of his paw was
sufficient to tear any man's arm off; so we had to enrage him by shaking
our lances in his face, and then pretending to run away to induce him to
follow us.

At last we succeeded almost too well; for with a speed of which I did
not think a bear capable, he clambered up the ladder, and was making for
the side of the ship with the sensible intention of escaping, when we
close