Gilpin observer., 1911-06-08
Aren't they dangerous. these polar
bears7" she asked.


bearsr she asked.
In his answering laugh she heard
the ring Of rising excitement. II won't
deny" he said. that II had my way
about It. I'd have you safely shut up
inside the hut there before tried
conclusions with him. Give me the
revolver, and take care to keep out OF
the line Of fire. II you see a chance
to slip inside the hut, do it. And
don't assume that he's dead until
tell you so. These polar bears have
no nerves at all. You can't shock
them. They don't stop until you have
put their locomotor facilities complete
ly out Of business"
him the revolver. Here's luck" she
said. Don't be afraid for me-"
Cayley smiled. too. Keep behind
me. but not SO far that you're in any
danger of getting cut OF in case I
have to dance around him a little.
There he's winded US already"
Cayley turned for last look at her.
He had slipped his bundled wings
from his back and laid them on the
ice. He was still smiling, but some
what ironically. "Im half afraid he'll
run away" he said. "and half afraid
he won't"
head was set at rest. The monster
hissed and came numbering toward
them. pretty rapidly. across the ice.
Cayley advanced slowly to meet
him, but not in direct line. Instead,
he bore OF in curve to the left. The
girl understood the maneuver instant
ly, and, herself. set out landward at .
brisk pace. moving in the arc OF a cir
Gle, parallel to his but larger, in
such way as to keep the bear, Philip
and herself, as all three moved in DIFF
ferent directions. in a straight line.
They Quartered round in this way.
the bear swerving in well toward
Philip. until all three were in q line.
about equidistant from the hut. Philip
and the bear. were, perhaps, dozen
PAGES apart. Without turning, he call
ed over his shoulder to her, Now run
for it-for the hut I'll keep him
amused out here"
At the sound Of his voice the bear
rushed him. The girl had never in
her life found anything 80 hard to do
as to obey orders now. But she did
obey and was running at top speed
toward the open door Of the hut when
she heard Cayley fire for the first
time. Just as she reached 1t, she
heard his second shot When she
turned about, painting. to observe the
result Of 1t, the two seemed to her
to be at horribly close quarters. The
bear, reared up on his hind legs, had
Just lunged forward.
He sprang back clear OF the flashing,
scythelike cut of those terrible claws
A little to the girls surprise and con-
siderably to her alarm, he turned and
went sprinting up the beach toward
the talus. at full speed. the bear
wounded, but not in the least disabled,
numbering after him.
1t takes a fast runner to outrun a
bear, but Cayley did it. When he
was 20 PAGES behind him. She saw
him stop short. whirl round again and
face his pursuer with shout.
The bear also checked his speed
and reared up once more. towering,
upon his hind legs. Then Cayley
fired twice. the shots coming so close
ly together as to be hardly distinguish
able. One or both of them took in
stantaneous effect. The great yellow
ish-white mass tottered forward, and
collapsed in heap only a pace or two
from where Philip was standing.
He waved his hand at the girl, and
xx-oIl hi
she met him. half way up the beach,
he was carefully taking the spent
shells out Of his revolver. one at
time, and depositing them in his pock-
ct. mo telling how they may prove
useful" he commented; then, with
quick look into her face, Il hope you
weren't frightened when you saw me
run"
Il suppose | shouldn't have been,
but I'll have to confess that / was.
You weren't trying to get away from
him. or you wouldn't have run in that
direction. But it looked rather dread
full. Just the same. Why did you
do it?"
I'VE were too far down the beach,
too near the waters edge before. 1t
was too late to skin him and cut him
up tonight. and was AFRAID IL storm
were to come up before morning. a
really big storm, We might lose him.
1t was lot easier to get him up the
beach before l fred those last two
shots than 1t would have been after.
thought at first Of running toward
the hut 1t occurred to me. only just
in time. that there was no use in ma
king an abattoir of our front yard"
They had reached the hut. and as he
finished speaking. they entered 1t,
Even Philip caught his breath rather
suddenly with that first glance about
its transformed interior. The drift
wood fire. which glowed upon the
hearth. filled the whole room with