Left on Labrador

e Howitzer.-A Bear-Hunt among the Ice.-An Ice "Jungle."-An Exciting Ch

the schooner,-so near, that we could judge pretty accurately as to its length, which we estimated to be twenty

pt. Mazard. "Crushed up. I should not wonder if

ay that a couple of bears were in sight up there among the ice. We went up immediately. None of us had ever seen a white bear, save at menageries, where they had to keep the poo

dred yards, and seemed to have a good deal of business about a

be bound," said the captain. "Now, b

a shot from my cannon

" said Raed. "Load it with

likely to fetch 'em,"

ubber-cloth, and trundled it along to point it over the starboard rail. Raed then swabbe

s," advised the captain, scooping up both h

hey'd go straighter, and wouldn't scatter round so bad," remarked

pe or canister shot fashi

I mean,-ter keep '

d. "Weymouth, bring a piece of old

e canvas, and lashed up with the hempen twine. The bag was

," whispered Kit. "He will be

e must look to you to shoot those b

e very methodically. The schooner lay perfectly still. A better chance for a shot could hardly have been asked for. Palmleaf now came up with a bit of tarred rope lighted at the stove, and smoking a

on is done during the first second or two? He may have his eye on the mark at the discharge, but somehow the report always throws his ocular apparatus out of g

m anxious to see the result of that

r-hunt, and who stay

id old Trull. "Guard and I wil

!" exclaimed Palmleaf, catchi

lready loaded. Cartridges were soon clapped into si

oot any of us with it,

rin. "I'se called a berry good shot at Peters

u d

led a berry su

aed began

the captain, who didn't see the

e bears had been seen. We landed, and pulled the boat up after us. No danger from the tide at this time of day. The captain and Raed led off, climbing over the rocks, and following along the jam of ice, which was

blood. "Impudent dog! I would like to crack his head with th

called hi

of t

ect him to talk back: that's all

re's th

n't s

the handling of th

is foolish spirit. "You had better forget the war, bury your old-time prejudices, and start new in the world, resolved to

e has got some mighty hard, painful lessons to le

e captain h

e ice," Raed was saying. "I marked the spot b

ng it," laughed Kit. "Talk of impenetr

e, and flatwise on top of that, and you may, perhaps, gain some idea of the vast jam which filled the arm and lay heaped up twenty and thirty feet ab

each!" Weymo

wed; and they stood at the top, stretching down helping hands. In five minutes we were all up, standing, clinging, and balancing on the glassy edges of ice, and hopping and le

a tumble, "this is a devil of a funny place for a bear-hunt!

irection, getting occasional glimpses of the water down in the deep holes, and stopping once to pull Corliss out of a wedge-shaped

thing of 'em,"

t disappointedly. "More'n a league

ld man touched

laughed the captain. "Perhaps

d Wade, pushing out along the edge of a tilt

he right with a tremendous crash and spattering,-for there was water at the bottom,-Wade b

ed Kit. "Wasn't

uttered the captain.

here," said Kit. "Craw

s," cried the captain, "and

he cracks, flattened by striking against the ice: and, a few rods farther on, Weymouth and I came to a lar

e first saw them," said Weymouth. "Ten to one

hard telling; for the broad faces of the cakes, set at all angles, echoed the sound in a most bew

hat sets upright against the side

et's tip this large piece off

round at the bottom of the hole, growling, and trying to scratch up the sides. He had several bloody streaks on him. Kit took a rapid aim, and fired a bullet into his fore

ard a great uproar and

other, I guess!" excl

for the mêlée as fast as we could hop. The jam in this direction was not so high. The ice-cakes lay flatter, and were

e; Bonney was trying to cut him off on the right; while Wade and Donovan, with Palmleaf a few rods behind them, were heading him on the left. Such a shout

ody tired a

s Ho

him

m!" was

's

im off

ened, maddened beast tacked sharp to the left to escape behind them on that side,-going straight

ut, Pal

him, Pa

im hav

m l

your

de a feint to raise his musket, when it went off, either from accident or terror, in the air. We

have th

ve you, P

, fo

ou blac

s left, he leaped for it, and, jumping up, caught his hands at the top, and tried to

a

a

a

red, and struck with his forepaws at the darky's legs, stripping his trouse

ac

t to, but fell down in a heap, then scrambled up,

red nearly into fits, still hung on to the edge

get down and put on your trous

r his shoulder, but, seeing only friends instead o

sneered Wade,-"that one you fired at the bear

red a sure shot about the time the bear was pay

ast shot?" I asked of

de

butcher-knives, and also for a line to hoist

the one killed first-pretty severely. They did not, however, appear to me, in this our first encounter with them, to be nearly so fierce nor so formidable as I had expected,