Litchfield enquirer., 1835-04-16

t"cW FegsOnS, aS was sayen, and yOuli freeze in Hlinit if you don't keep moven about smar,ly. So the csptin l.e strained first one leg, and then he strained iother; but he couldn't move lem none. They was both fruz last into the ice, about an inch and half deep, from knee to toe, tight as a Jersey oyster perryaugcr on mud fiat at low water. So he laid down his gun. and looked at the bear, and doubled up his fists. Come on, you bloody varmint,' says the old man. as the bear swalloped along on his hinder eend, lconeh at him. He kept getten weaker, tho, and comen slower and slower all the time, so that, at last, he didnf seem to move none and directly, when he'd got SD near that the captain could jest i give him dig in the nose by reachen fnr- rard putty smart and far, the captain see the beast was fruz fast too, nor he couldn't move step further fnrrard no ways. Then the captin burst on, laughen, and clapped his hands down on to his thighs, and roar ed. The bear seemed to be most onmigfll ty mad at the old mans fan, and set up such a growlen that what should come iO l pass, but the ice cracks and breaks all a. round the captin and the bear, down to the waters edge, and the wind .jist then shift en, and comen off shore, away they doaied on cake office about ten by six, off to sea, without the darned biscuit, of n quart O liquor to stand 'em on the cruise There they sot, the bear and the captin. jest so near that when they botl, reached fdrrads, they could jest about touchnoses, and noth- CT one no. able to move any part on him. only eAcepten his upper part and fore paws"
 By jolly that vas rather a critical predicaMent, Venus,' cried Nod. buttoning his coat. "I should have thought that the captains nose and ears and hands would have been frozen too.'
 That's quite haytrilF to suppose, sir, but you see the bear kept him warn, in the upper parts. by bcin So cloase to him, and breathin hard and hot on the old man whenever he growled at him. Them polar bears is wonderful hardy animals, and has q n,onstrous deal O. heat into eH, by nreans of their bein, able to stand such cold clis mates I expect. And su the captain know ed this, and whenever he felt chilly, he jest tnk his ranrod, and stirred up the old ras- cal, and made him roar and sqIeai, and Then the hot breath would come pouFen out all over the capiin, and made the air quite moderut and plsasant.'
 Well. go on, Venus. Take another Well, there ant much more ont. Of they went to sea, and sometimes the wind druv 'cm no,he, and then agin it drnv 'em southe, but they went southe mostly and so i, went on, until they were out about 1 three weeks. So at last, one alternoon'--4 But, Venus, stop tell us. in the name of wonder, how did the cnptin conlrive to support life all this time r
 'Why, sir, to be sure. it was hard kind O life to support, but hardy man will get used to almost'--
 No, no what did lsc eat what did hs feed on
 'O-O-l'd liked to have skipped that ere. Why, sir, I've heerd different ac. counts as to that. Uncle Obe Verify told me he reckoned the captin cut off ono of the bears paws, when he lay stretched out asleep, ono day with his jack-knife. and sucked tha, for fodder, and they say there's smart deal O nourishment in. a white bears foot. But # may be allowed to spend my 'pinion, I should say my old mans account is tho rightGst, and that's whats as follows. You sec afier they'd been out three days abouts, they begun to grow kind Q hungry, ard then they go' friendly, for misery loves company, yot know; and the captin said the bear looked at him several times, very sorrowful. a' much as to say, 'captin, what the devil si'aI we do?' We'll, one day they was sitten looking al each other, with the tears ready to burst out O their eyes. when all of hur- ", somethin come foppen up out o' the water onto the ice. The captain looked and sec 1t was seal. The bears eyes kindlcd up ns he looked at it, and then the cap,in said. he giv him the wink to keep stiff. So there they sot still as starch, tilI the seal not ihinken O them no more nor ifthey were dead, walked right up between 'en.. Then slump! went down old Whi- tey's nails into the fishes Aesh, and the cap- tin run his jack-knifs into the tender loin. The seal soon got his bitters, and the csp- tain cut big hunk of th6 tail esnd, and pot it behind him, out O' the beas's reach and then he felt smart and comfortable, fol he had stores enough for long cruise, tho the bear couldn't say so much for himself
 Well, the bear, by courses soon run ou O provisions, and had to, pms himself onif shor. allowance and then he begun tc show his nayturai temper. He first sirctch. cd himself out as far as he could g0. and tried to hook the capiin's piece o' seal, but when he found he couldnt reach that,