Show A DANGEROUS PLIGHT on old allor exciting adventure with bolt avar the cold anore is ul old soldier named jake recently returned to francisco from an arctic cruise who has made up this mind not to go on another whaling expedition tion no matter what happens the reason ie this on buo ouo occasion during his late voyage jako was on the watch in the lookout cradle at the masthead and it was night that is as much night as it ever get up hero in summer tho sun had been down about an hoar and would riso again about an hour later it was a beautiful sight u tho ship lay there in the ice and the air seemed scintillating with a phosphorescent glow that penetrated everywhere and made no shadows on all sides the pack ico lay close to tho vessel and reached for miles in every direction broken occasionally sio nally by a largo berg or the faint outlines of another ship the silence was profound it seemed to produce a roaring sound like the waves of a distant ocean such surroundings will put a person in a state from which the slightest sound will awaken him with a start jake suddenly saw something white in the gloom climbing the maefs his first impulse was to jump to the deck but before he could act upon it the object climbed through the lubber hole and jake then saw it was a polar bear jake realized that ho waa in a most dangerous position and began to think of beaus to escape called to the watch on deck below but they hear ho tried to get out under the canvas but the beast grabbed him and pulled him back it began thumping him and every time jake attempted to move away it would growl suddenly hia eyes lighted on a rope hanging to the deck just back of tho cradle by this moans ho thought ho could reach the deck to swing himself but the work of an instant but the bear made a jump and caught hold of his foot but a few vigorous kicks freed him and then began a now terror perhaps the ropo was not strong and would break or he might miss the stay and swing against tho mast and bo dashed to death the moment in tho air seemed years filled with horror and several times jako wished he had taken hie chances with the bear to grab the stay and hold on was the most difficult and twice jakes hands slipped and almost lost it when ho reached the deck he looked up and saw the rope swing back to the cradle where the bear grabbed it tried to do as it had seen jako do but had no sooner swung clear than slipped and fell to the deck the crew had bear steak for breakfast san francisco item |