The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-05
JAILED BY BEAR.
Thrilling Adventure of a Young Sea
Hunter.


From st. Nicholas.
On the western coast of Greenland is a
settlement called Upernavik. 1t is peopled
partly by Esquimaux and partly by Danes
In this settlement dwelt Danish clergy
man, Olaf Nelson by name. with son
and a daughter-Oscar Is years and Hilda l6
la early summer Oscar frequently went
hunting walrus and seal, with his gun or
spear. 1t is well known that this cold
cherries coast is never without icebergs.
One June an iceberg thus drifted straight to
the mouth Of the hArbor of Upernavik,
There it grounded, and the in-shore wind
pressed it with great force up into the jaws
Of the harbor. The sun honeycombed it,
and left huge dark caves In many parts
close to the waters edge, and into these
caverns the sea went booming with great
sound. Oscar and Hilda went off in their
kayak to see it; and they noticed that the
quiet pools which had formed in the caves
were the resort of seals and walruses dur
ing part of the day.
II shall have some good spearing there"
said Oscar, as they turned their kayak to-
ward home. SO he ground his spear sharp,
and oiled the barbs at the point which was
shaped like an arrow, bent new line to
the handle and the next day set out alone
in the kayak. Meanwhile, Hilda went up
the valley for the goats. Her parting
words TO her brother were to be careful and
TO keep watch for bears. as this was a fav-
orite haunt of the fierce polar bear.
Pulling the kayak up on the rocks, Oscar
proceeded on TO the berg, the base of which
was not less than two acres in area, and
from it rose to a considerable hight two
columns OF dark-blue ice. somewhat resem-
bling towers in form. One OF these was
| honeycombed at the base, and through the
| sides of the low fiat pass upon which the
No1
that when an ocean swell came rolling in
it went through these perforations with q
piping sound. He decided that he would
enter the main cave at the base Of the ice
tower, hide there and wait.
Moving along carefully with the coil OF
line hanging upon his shoulder and the
spear in his hand. he entered the dim, cold
Gave. The open space, Oscar told me, was
about forty feet square and In the center
OF 1t, dipping eight or ten feet below the
floor Of the passageway, was a deep pool OF
| water covering about half the area of the
| floor of the cave. Into this large square
| block Of ice had fallen from the roof.
How fortunate its presence was will soon
: appear.
Oscar crouched down on the cold gray ice
his spear grasped in his hand and his coil of
rope lying beside him with one end fast
eneG to his wrist A gurgling sound, as of
| hurrylng water on the other side of the pool,
| came to him, and he watched and listened
to make out the cause. Presently he saw
two round black heads disappear as If they
| had gone through the ice at the place
| whence the sound came, and then four or
| five other heads Of seals bodied up, as If
| they had entered the little lake from that
| point. be knew then that 1t must be q
passage leading to the sea.
But while the gurghng sound of the
water came to him from the pool, he heard
| a slighter and different noise coming from
the mouth of the cave by which he had
entered. Turning, he saw. to his uuspeak-
able horror, huge polar bear, It's shagg Y
hide dripping water! The beast had see n
| him, and was hulking toward him. Oscar
| turned and faced 1t for a moment-but
what could he do with his spear against
such an assailant! The spear could never
go through that shaggy coat and thick
hide. How the animals claws spread and
| stretched over the ice as it came along.
| Nearer and nearer it came, now crouching
| lower, its muZzle thrust out, and its claws
stretching further than ever from Its feet.
There was only one course. Oscar
| sprang into the icy water, and in three or
four strokes was close to the ice cube. His
| spear and coil Of rope were upon his should
ers, and by driving the spear in the hard
blue cube he was enabled to get upon it.
1t was just large enough TO bear his weight
but he was obliged to stand very still on
the middle of il to prevent it from heeling
| to one side and sliding him into the water
1t was almost as dark as night in the pool.
and Oscar could see the two glowering ewes
of the bear looking down upon him. But
the beast did not come into the pool 1t
turned away from the brink and for two
| hours-two hours of wet, and cold, and
terror-Oscar did not see the bear again.
Then Oscar resolved to go to the top
again and sprang into the water, climbing
hastily by the easiest way to the floor OF
the cavern. To his utter dismay he saw
the great brute lying on the ice, close to the
caves mouth.
Hour after hour passed, until Oscar knew
| it must be late in the afternoon, for the sun
| shone yellow on the ice beyond the mouth
of the cavern. Still his savage jailer made
no move; still Oscar sat, not moving from
the lump of ice, thinking of the terror of
! Hllda at his long absence. Still another
hour went by, and the golden glow on the
ice outside began to turn gray. for the sun
| was below the hills that sheltered Uper ma.
| vik
Another half hour of terror passed, aud
then Oscar saw the bear spring to its feet,
| thrust out its mead and make for the open.
ing of the cavern.
Oscar held his breath, and, peering out,
saw seal slowly crossing the great ici
platform, making for the rocks The bear
swiftly disappeared, making after this new
prey, and you may be sure Oscar was not
long in getting outside of this terrible dun.
geon.
What was Oscars amazement presently
to see the seal stand up, throw back the fuI
from Its head aud shoulder and turn into a
girl-yes. into his own dear sister Hilda
She shouted aloud and waved her hand
kerchief. The bear, evidently disconcerted,
turned, ran lumberingly up a gulch.. nud
disappeared into tangle Of Ground-tirs.
ksaan t.VFN h a aa.nA -
Joy was 50 great that neither could speak q