Steve Young Part 45

"Yes, sir; he has been trying to get one of the young calves, but they were too sharp for him; and now he has gone down to the water, and is swimming across to the floe to have another try. If you watch him, Mr Steve, you'll see some fun."

"Have a look, Steve," said the captain, drawing the small double gla.s.s from its case and pa.s.sing it to the boy, who carefully laid down his heavy rifle, and focussed the binocular upon the bear, bringing it, as it were, almost to his feet. He could see the long, cruel-looking head, with its pointed nose just clear of the water, the eyes the same, and the whole body so nearly submerged that there was nothing visible but the long hair, waving like a streaky ripple as the bear swam steadily on.

"It's not going after the walrus," said Steve.

"Wait a bit, sir. I think it is," said Johannes. "That's the bear's cunning. If it went straight at them they would all plunge into the water, and swim and dive away. You'll see the antics directly; those beasts are as cunning as cats."

In effect, as Steve watched, he saw the bear swim right away to the ice, a couple of hundred yards apparently from the walrus herd, climb out on to the surface, shake itself to get rid of the water two or three times, and then move away from the edge a little and lie down in the sun, while the walrus herd paid no more attention to it than it apparently paid to them, the calves wallowing about and playing on the ice, and the rest of the herd gradually drawing themselves up to bask in the warmth. In fact, though it was interesting to examine the huge beasts through the gla.s.s, Steve began to think it time to commence inspecting something else, or try to shoot something useful to the ship's cook.

"Old Johannes don't know everything," he said to himself; but the thought had hardly crossed his mind when the object thereof touched his arm.

"Look," he said.

"I was looking," replied Steve, whose gla.s.s was fixed upon the walrus herd. "What fat, comical creatures the young ones are! They seem to have no shape at all."

"No, no; look at the bear. He's hungry, that fellow, and wants a good feed."

Steve turned the gla.s.s upon the bear, and saw that it had risen to its feet, and was licking itself, with its head turned away from the walrus, and then, lying down, it rolled over two or three times before beginning to lick and paw itself again for a time, but always shuffling backward a little as it attended busily to its toilet.

"See what he means, sir?" whispered Johannes.

"Yes, it's trying to get nearer to the young walrus."

"That's it, sir. Now, you watch."

Steve's attention was taken now, and he eagerly scanned the action of the great Polar bear, which appeared to be in quite a playful mood, and had another roll and gambol on the ice before beginning to preen and clean its long, soft, whitish fur again as if it were feathers.

This went on for a long time; but it was so cleverly and artfully managed that it took the others' attention, and they all lay there on the ice in the warm sunshine, watching the cunning animal as it continued to get nearer and nearer to the herd, while the old bull, with his head erect and his white tusks curving away sat up in the most stupidly stolid fashion.

"Why, the silly great bull will let the bear get close up to him!" cried Steve at last, after looking at one of these evolutions. "He managed quite six yards then. Why doesn't the creature give the alarm?"

"Not so stupid as you think, sir," said Johannes. "I've watched these animals many times before, and you'll see that he'll give the word before long; I mean he'll do something to start them all off."

All the same, it did not appear as if the huge walrus realised the danger approaching so steadily, for every now and then, while performing some antic, the bear continued to lessen the distance between it and its prey, while simulating the greatest innocence and a.s.suming to be thinking of anything but making an attack. So playful a creature, enjoying itself thoroughly in the sunshine, could never have approached a walrus herd before. Now it was rolling legs upward, and giving itself a peculiar wriggle, as if to scratch its back; then it was sitting up like a cat, and reaching round to have a lick at the part of its person which had just been rubbed in the ice. A minute later it was on its flank, with all four legs stretched out, and its muzzle in the snow; and all these changes were made with the most extreme deliberation, and as if the animal was intent only upon its own enjoyment, and was as sportive as the unwieldy fat calves rolling about near their mothers a short distance away.

"It's all over," said Steve suddenly; for the animal had shuffled a little nearer to the herd, and then lain down with its head from them, and apparently gone to sleep.

The doctor and Captain Marsham, tired of watching the bear, had started off with their pieces, leaving Steve with the two Nors.e.m.e.n, so that the lad's last remark was addressed to his companions.

"No," said Jakobsen, smiling; "the sport has hardly begun."

"Right," said Johannes. "Why, Mr Steve, you do not think that treacherous great brute would take all that trouble for nothing, do you?"

"I don't know, I do not understand bears," replied Steve; "I only say look at him. Why, Johannes, if we had had the boat through, what a capture we might have made--the bear and plenty of walrus!"

"Perhaps, sir," replied the Norseman drily.

"What do you mean?"

"We might have failed to get within shot."

"And if we had, lost the walrus all the same," said Jakobsen.

"Yes," said Johannes, "you are never sure of one of those great beasts."

"Well, let's follow the captain," said Steve; "I'm getting a little cold."

"Won't you stay and see the end of the bear's game, sir? He has finished his nap, and has begun to have another roll."

The man was correct, for the bear had rolled itself over, turned, and had another roll over, bringing itself apparently within some twenty yards of a couple of the smallest calves, which were stretched out in clumsy bulk close to the edge of the ice, where it was about ten feet above the glistening water.

"Now for it," said Jakobsen; "he means mischief at last."

But never was there a more innocent, playful-looking bear. It turned half away, and began to haul up the snow as if to make its bed there upon the floe, gazing across at the land the while; then with a swing, as if it were on a pivot, it swung round.

"Now!" cried Johannes; but there was no need, Steve's eyes were fixed intently upon the animal as it made a sudden rush.

So did the bull walrus, and the snow rose in clouds, torn up by the animals making for the sea, which was churned up into foam as first one and then another of the monstrous, shapeless creatures threw itself in with a tremendous splash.

So great was the disturbance of snow and water that there was quite a mist; but Steve was able to see that the two fat calves rolled over into the sea in time enough to avoid the bear's rush; and almost at the same moment the bull charged it, and caught it with its head in the flank as it stood with outstretched muzzle and grinning teeth reaching over the water, uttering a low, deep roar indicative of its disappointment.

So intent was the bear on the prey which it had missed, that it paid no heed to the approach of the bull, which, after bustling across the surface of the snow, struck the bear right in the side and tumbled it off into the sea with a tremendous splash, following directly after with a turmoil in the water which was more extensive still.

It was impossible to see what happened then, for the calm, smooth water seemed now to have been smitten by a storm, but only to calm again, as Jakobsen pointed along the edge of the floe, where the bear could be seen swimming steadily away.

"He has got off," said Johannes, "for a wonder."

"Why?" asked Steve; "the walrus couldn't fight a savage beast like that."

"But they do, sir, sometimes, in defence of their young; and then the walrus can be a savage beast, too. Think of what tusks they have! I've seen them thirty inches long, but say there are eighteen or twenty inches standing out, firm, hard teeth with which the animal can strike like lightning."

"Straight down, I suppose?" said Steve.

"Straight down, sir? Any way,--side ways, and even upwards; for big, heavy creatures as they are, they can twist their heads round like a kitten. I daresay a walrus would get the worst of it on the _ice_, if the bear could once get a good hug; but when a bull has got a bear in the water, though he can swim splendidly, he is not at home there like a walrus, and this one must have had better luck than usual to get away."

"And where is the herd now?" said Steve, looking curiously after the bear.

"Ah, gone far enough by this time, sir. The bear scared them, and they go on swimming away for miles till they forget all about the danger, and then get on the ice again."

A hail from the captain took them to his side. He was examining the narrow rift which made its way amidst the piled-up ice, the rocks on either side having prevented its being filled up, and, following this, they made their way toward the boat, and wherever it was possible they managed to trace it pretty well, till, as Johannes had surmised, they came upon a place where the channel through the rocks was covered in, but fortunately not choked, being completely arched over for about a hundred yards.

"We must try and find our way to this in the boat to-morrow," said Captain Marsham; "there must be a way, though we did not find it to-day."

"It is hidden somewhere by the rocks, sir," said Johannes: "shall we search?"

"No; they will be getting uneasy on board. I am satisfied with to-day's work. We have found another road to the sea, one which is not blocked.

But," he added in a low voice to the doctor, "not a way out for the ship."

They reached the boat a short time after, and plunged from the brilliant sunshine into the chill and gloom of the weird rift, along which they were rowed, listening to a good deal of splashing and echoing in the darkest part.