THE LARGE POLAR BEARS.

The only one of the four windows through which it was possible to look into

the court of the fort was that opening at the end of the entrance passage. The

outside shutters had not been closed; but before it could be seen through it had

to be washed with boiling water, as the panes were covered with a thick coating

of ice. This was done several times a day by the Lieutenant's orders, when the

districts surrounding the fort were carefully examined, and the state of the

sky, and of the alcohol thermometer placed outside, were accurately noted.

On the 6th January, towards eleven o'clock in the morning, Kellet, whose turn

it was to look out, suddenly called the Sergeant, and pointed to some moving

masses indistinctly visible in the gloom. Long, approaching the window observed

quietly-

"They are bears!"

In fact half-a-dozen of these formidable animals had succeeded in getting

over the palisades, and, attracted by the smoke from the chimneys, were

advancing upon the house.

On hearing of the approach of the bears, Hobson at once ordered the window of

the passage to be barricaded inside; it was the only unprotected opening in the

house, and when it was secured it appeared impossible for the bears to effect an

entrance. The window was, therefore, quickly closed up with bars, which the

carpenter Mac-Nab wedged firmly in, leaving a narrow slit through which to watch

the movements of the unwelcome visitors.

"Now," observed the head carpenter, "these gentlemen can't get in without our

permission, and we have time to hold a council of war."

"Well, Lieutenant," exclaimed Mrs Barnett, "nothing has been wanting to our

northern winter! After the cold come the bears."

"Not after," replied the Lieutenant, "but, which is a serious matter,

with the cold, and a cold ago intense that we cannot venture outside! I

really don't know how we shall get rid .of these tiresome brutes."

"I suppose they will soon get tired of prowling about," said the lady, "and

return as they came."

Hobson shook his head as if he had his doubts.

"You don't know these animals, madam. They are famished with hunger, and will

not go until we make them!"

"Are you anxious, then?"

"Yes and no," replied the Lieutenant. "I don't think the bears will get in;

but neither do I see how we can get out, should it become necessary for us to do

so."

With these words Hobson turned to the window, and Mrs Barnett joined the

other women, who had gathered round the Sergeant, and were listening to what he

had to say about the bears. He spoke like a man well up in his subject, for he

had had many an encounter with these formidable carnivorous creatures, which

are often met with even towards the south, where, however, they can be safely

attacked, whilst here the siege would be a regular blockade, for the cold would

quite prevent any attempt at a sortie.

Throughout the whole day the movements of the bears were attentively watched.

Every now and then one of them would lay his great head against the window-pane

and an ominous growl was heard.

The Lieutenant and the Sergeant took counsel together, and it was agreed that

if their enemies showed no sign of beating a retreat, they would drill a few

loopholes in the walls of the house, and fire at them. But it was decided to put

off this desperate measure for a day or two, as it was desirable to avoid giving

access to the outer air; the inside temperature being already far too low. The

walrus oil to be burnt was frozen so hard that it had to be broken up with

hatchets.

The day passed without any incident. The bears went and came, prowling round

the house, but attempting no direct attack. Watch was kept all night, and at

four o'clock in the morning they seemed to have left the court-at any rate, they

were nowhere to be seen.

But about seven o'clock Marbre went up to the loft to fetch some provisions,

and on his return announced that the bears were walking about on the roof.

Hobson, the Sergeant, Mac-Nab, and two or three soldiers seized their arms,

and rushed to the ladder in the passage, which. communicated with the loft by a

trap-door. The cold was, however, so intense in the loft that the men could not

hold the barrels of their guns, and their breath froze as it left their lips and

floated about them as snow.

Marbre was right; the bears were all on the roof, and the sound of their feet

and their growls could be distinctly heard. Their great claws caught in the

laths of the roof beneath the ice, and there was some danger that they might

have sufficient strength to tear away the woodwork.

The Lieutenant and his men, becoming giddy and faint from the intense cold,

were soon obliged to go down, and Hobson announced the state of affairs in as

hopeful a tone as he could assume.

"The bears," he said, "are now upon the roof. We ourselves have nothing to

fear, as they can't get into our rooms; but they may force an entrance to the

loft, and devour the furs stowed away there. Now these furs belong to the

Company, and it is our duty to preserve them from injury I ask you then, my

friends, to aid me in removing them to a place of safety."

All eagerly volunteered, and relieving each other in parties of two or three,

for none could have supported the intense severity of the cold for long at a

time, they managed to carry all the furs into the large room in about an

hour.

Whilst the work was proceeding, the bears continued their efforts to get in,

and tried to lift up the rafters of .the roof. In some places the laths became

broken by their weight, and poor Mac-Nab was in despair; he had not reckoned

upon such a contingency when he constructed the roof, and expected to see it

give way every moment.

The day passed, however, without any change in the situation. The bears did

not get in; but a no less formidable enemy, the cold, gradually penetrated into

every room. The fires in the stoves burnt low; the fuel in reserve was almost

exhausted; and before twelve o'clock, the last piece of wood would be burnt, and

the genial warmth of the stove would no longer cheer the unhappy colonists.

Death would then await them-death in its most fearful form, from cold. The

poor creatures, huddled together round the stove, felt that their own vital heat

must soon become exhausted, but not a word of complaint passed their lips. The

women bore their sufferings with the greatest heroism, and Mrs Mac-Nab pressed

her baby convulsively to her ice-cold breast. Some of the soldiers slept, or

rather were wrapped in a heavy torpor, which could scarcely be called sleep.

At three o'clock in the morning Hobson consulted the thermometer hanging in

the large room, about ten feet from the stove.

It marked 4? Fahrenheit below zero.

The Lieutenant pressed his hand to his forehead, and looked mournfully at his

silent companions without a word. His half-condensed breath shrouded his face in

a white cloud, and he was standing rooted to the spot when a hand was laid upon

his shoulder. He started, and looked round to see Mrs Barnett beside him.

"Something must be done, Lieutenant Hobson !" exclaimed the energetic woman;

"we cannot die like this without an effort to save ourselves !"

"Yes," replied the Lieutenant, feeling revived by the moral courage of his

companion--" yes, something must be done !" and he called together Long, Mac-Nab,

and Rae the blacksmith, as the bravest men in his party. All, together with Mrs

Barnett, hastened to the window, and having washed the panes with boiling water,

they consulted the thermometer outside.

"Seventy-two degrees !" cried Hobson. "My friends, two courses only are open

to us, we can risk our lives to get a fresh supply of fuel, or we can burn the

benches, beds, partition walls, and everything in the house to feed our stoves

for a few days longer. A desperate alternative, for the cold may last for some

time yet; there is no sign of a change in the weather."

"Let us risk our lives to get fuel !" said Sergeant Long.

All agreed that it would be the best course, and without another word each

one set to work to prepare for the emergency.

The following were the precautions taken to save the lives of those who were

about to risk themselves for the sake of the general good :-

The shed in which the wood was stored was about fifty steps on the left,

behind, the principal house. It was decided that one of the men should try and

run to the shed. He was to take one rope wound round his body, and to carry

another in his hand, one end of which was to be held by one of his comrades.

Once at the shed, he was to load one of the sledges there with fuel, and tie one

rope to the front, and the other to the back of the vehicle, so that it could be

dragged backwards and forwards between the house and the shed without much

danger. A tug violently shaking one or the other cord would be the signal that

the sledge was filled with fuel at the shed, or unloaded at the house.

A very clever plan, certainly; but two things might defeat it. The door of

the shed might be so blocked up with ice that it would be very difficult to open

it, or the bears might come down from the roof and prowl about the court. Two

risks to be run !

Long, Mac-Nab, and Rae, all three volunteered for the perilous service; but

the Sergeant reminded the other two that they were married, and insisted upon

being the first to venture.

When the Lieutenant expressed a wish to go himself, Mrs Barnett said

earnestly, "You are our chief; you have no right to expose yourself. Let

Sergeant Long go."

Hobson could not but realise that his office imposed caution, and being

called upon to decide which of his companions should go, be chose the Sergeant.

Mrs Barnett pressed the brave man's hand with ill-concealed emotion; and the

rest of the colonists, asleep or stupefied, knew nothing of the attempt about to

be made to save their lives.

Two long ropes were got ready. The Sergeant wound one round his body above

the warm furs, worth some thousand pounds sterling, in which he was encased, and

tied the other to his belt, on which he hung a tinder-box and a loaded revolver.

Just before starting he swallowed down half a glass of rum, as he said, "to

insure a good load of wood."

Hobson, Rae, and Mac-Nab accompanied the brave fellow through the kitchen,

where the fire had just gone out, and into the passage. Rae climbed up to the

trap-door of the loft, and peeping through it, made sure that the bears were

still on the roof. The moment for action had arrived.

One door of the passage was open, and in spite of the thick furs in which

they were wrapped, all felt chilled to the very marrow of their bones; and when

the second door was pushed open, they recoiled for an instant, panting for

breath, whilst the moisture held in suspension in the air of the passage covered

the walls and the floor with fine snow.

The weather outside was extremely dry, and the stars shone with extraordinary

brilliancy. Sergeant Long rushed out without a moment's hesitation, dragging the

cord behind him, one end of which was held by his companions; the outer door was

pushed to, and Hobson, Mae-Nab, and Rae went back to the passage and closed the

second door, behind which they waited. If Long did not return in a few minutes,

they might conclude that his enterprise had succeeded, and that, safe in the

shed, he was loading the first train with fuel. Ten minutes at the most ought to

suffice for this operation, if he had been able to get the door open.

When the Sergeant was fairly off, Hobson and Mac-Nab walked together towards

the end of the passage.

Meanwhile Rae had been watching the bears and the loft. It was so dark that

all hoped Long's movements would escape the notice of the hungry animals.

Ten minutes elapsed, and the three watchers went back to the narrow space

between the two doors, waiting for the signal to be given to drag in the

sledge.

Five minutes more. The cord remained motionless in their hands! Their anxiety

can be imagined. It was a quarter of an hour since the Sergeant had started,

plenty of time for all he had to do, and he had given no signal.

Hobson waited a few minutes longer, and then tightening his hold of the end

of the rope, he made a sign to his companions to pull with him. If the load of

wood were not quite ready, the Sergeant could easily stop it from being dragged

away.

The rope was pulled vigorously. A heavy object seemed to slide along the

snow. In a few moments it reached the outer door.

It was the body of the Sergeant, with the rope round his waist. Poor Long had

never reached the shed. He had fallen fainting to the ground, and after twenty

minutes' exposure to such a temperature there was little hope that he would

revive.

A cry of grief and despair burst from the lips of Mac-Nab and Rae. They

lifted their unhappy comrade from the ground, and carried him into the passage;

but as the Lieutenant was closing the outer door, something pushed violently

against it, and a horrible growl was heard.

"Help!" cried Hobson.

Mac-Nab and Rae rushed to their officer's assistance; but Mrs Barnett had

been beforehand with them and was struggling with all her strength to help

Hobson to close the door. In vain; the monstrous brute, throwing the whole

weight of its body against it, would force its way into the passage in another

moment.

Mrs Barnett, whose presence of mind did not forsake her now, seized one of

the pistols in the Lieutenant's belt, and waiting quietly until the animal

shoved its head between the door and the wall, discharged the contents into its

open mouth.

The bear fell backwards, mortally wounded no doubt, and the door was shut and

securely fastened.

The body of the Sergeant was then carried into the large room. But, alas! the

fire was dying out. How was it possible to restore the vital heat with no means

of obtaining warmth?

"I will go-I will go and fetch some wood !" cried the blacksmith Rae.

"Yes, Rae, we will go together!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett, whose courage was

unabated.

"No, my friends, no!" cried Hobson; "you would fall victims to the cold, or

the bears, or both. Let us burn all there is to burn in the house, and leave the

rest to God !"

And the poor half-frozen settlers rose and laid about them with their

hatchets like madmen. Benches, tables, and partition walls were thrown down,

broken up, crushed to pieces, and piled up in the stove of the large room and

kitchen furnace. Very soon good fires were burning, on which a few drops of

walrus-oil were poured, so that the temperature of the rooms quickly rose a

dozen degrees.

Every effort was made to restore the Sergeant. He was rubbed with warm rum,

and gradually the circulation of his blood was restored. The white blotches with

which parts of his body were covered began to disappear; but he had suffered

dreadfully, and several hours elapsed before he could articulate a word. He was

laid in a warm bed, and Mrs Barnett and Madge watched by him until the next

morning.

Meanwhile Hobson, Mac-Nab, and Rae consulted bow best to escape from their

terrible situation. It was impossible to shut their eyes to the fact that in two

days this fresh supply of fuel would be exhausted, and then, if the cold

continued, what would become of them all? The new moon had risen forty-eight

hours ago, and there was no sign of a change in the weather! The north wind

still swept the face of the country with its icy breath; the barometer remained

at " fine dry weather; "and there was not a vapour to be seen above the endless

succession of ice-fields. There was reason to fear that the intense cold would

last a long time yet, but what was to be done? Would it do to try once more to

get to the wood-shed, when the bears had been roused by the shot, and rendered

doubly dangerous? Would it be possible to attack these dreadful creatures in the

open air I No, it would be madness, and certain death for all!

Fortunately the temperature of the rooms had now become more bearable, and in

the morning Mrs Joliffe served up a breakfast of hot meat and tea. Hot grog was

served out, and the brave Sergeant was able to take his share. The heat from the

stoves warmed the bodies and reanimated the drooping courage of the poor

colonists, who were now ready to attack the bears at a word from Hobson. But the

Lieutenant, thinking the forces unequally matched, would not risk the attempt;

and it appeared likely that the day would pass without any incident worthy of

note, when at about three o'clock in the afternoon a great noise was heard on

the top of the house.

"There they are!" cried two or three soldiers, hastily arming themselves with

hatchets and pistols.

It was evident that the bears had torn away one of the rafters of the roof,

and got into the loft.

"Let every one remain where he is!" cried the Lieutenant. "Rae, the trap

!"

The blacksmith rushed into the passage, scaled the ladder, and shut and

securely fastened the trap-door.

A dreadful noise was now heard-growling, stamping of feet, and tearing of

claws. It was doubtful whether the danger of the anxious listeners was

increased, or the reverse. Some were of opinion that if all the bears were in

the loft, it would be easier to attack them. They would be less formidable in a

narrow space, and there would not be the same risk of suffocation from cold. Of

course a conflict with such fierce creatures must still. be very perilous, but

it no longer appeared so desperate as before.

It was now debated whether it would be better to go and attack the besiegers,

or to remain on the defensive. Only one soldier could get through the narrow

trap-door at a time, and this made Hobson hesitate, and finally resolve to wait.

The Sergeant and others, whose bravery none could doubt, agreed that he was in

the right, and it might be possible that some new incident would occur to modify

the situation. It was almost impossible for the bears to break through the beams

of the ceiling, as they had the rafters of the roof, so that there was little

fear that they would get on to the ground-floor.

The day passed by in anxious expectation, and at night no one could sleep for

the uproar made by the furious beasts.

The next day, about nine o'clock, a fresh complication compelled Hobson to

take active steps.

He knew that the pipes of the stove and kitchen furnace ran all along the

loft, and being made of lime-bricks but imperfectly cemented together, they

could not resist great pressure for any length of time. Now some of the bears

scratched at the masonry, whilst others leant against the pipes for the sake of

the warmth from the stove; so that the bricks began to give way, and soon the

stoves and furnace ceased to draw.

This really was an irreparable misfortune, which would have disheartened less

energetic men. But things were not yet at their worst. Whilst the fire became

lower and lower, a thick, nauseous, acrid smoke filled the house; the pipes were

broken, and the smoke soon became so thick that the lamps went out. Hobson now

saw that he must leave the house if he wished to escape suffocation, but to

leave the house would be to perish with cold. At this fresh misfortune some of

the women screamed; and Hobson, seizing a hatchet, shouted in a loud voice

"To the bears! to the bears, my friends !"

It was the forlorn-hope. These terrible creatures must be destroyed. All

rushed into the passage and made for the ladder, Hobson leading the way. The

trap-door was opened, and a few shots were fired into the black whirlpool of

smoke. Mingled howls and screams were heard, and blood began to flow on both

sides; but the fearful conflict was waged in profound darkness.

In the midst of the melee a terrible rumbling sound suddenly drowned the

tumult, the ground became violently agitated, and the house rocked as if it were

being torn up from its foundations. The beams of the walls separated, and

through the openings Hobson and his companions saw the terrified bears rushing

away into the darkness, howling with rage and fright.