"It's quarter rations now," announced O'Donovan, as he doled out the provisions for another meal. "Maybe we'll be in luck and knock over a seal or two. They're not nice to eat, Master Leslie, but half a loaf is better than no bread, and a bit of seal's fat is better than no half a loaf."
While the men were slowly eating what might prove to be their last meal but one, a rattling sound was heard without, as if something were disturbing the tins in which the provisions were kept.
In a trice one of the Russians made for the door, unclasping a formidable knife as he did so. His compatriot, seizing an ice-axe, followed with greater deliberation, while Leslie and O'Donovan guessing that the alarm was justified, grasped their spades and made for the open air.
Licking an almost empty preserved meat tin was a huge white bear, greater even than the one which had attacked Aubrey Hawke on the ice-floe. With her was a young cub.
The bear showed no inclination to decline an encounter, for directly she perceived the Russians she threw her cub from her, and, rearing, made straight for her foes.
Seeing her approach, the first Russian drew back to await a chance of an opening. His compatriot raised his axe and dealt the bear a furious blow. The keen blade, missing the animal's muzzle by a few inches, descended with lightning speed upon a lump of ice. The shock sent the axe spinning along the slippery surface, while the man, losing his balance, sprawled upon his face.
Even as the bear bent to seize the unlucky Russian, Leslie and O'Donovan lunged with their long-handled shovels.
With a rapid blow of her massive paw, the bear turned the Irishman's thrust aside, but Leslie contrived to get a staggering lunge fairly into the animal's capacious and wide-open jaws.
Taking advantage of the bear's obvious discomfiture, the second Russian closed and drove his knife deeply into the creature's throat. As he did so, he received a blow which ripped his fur coat from shoulder to wrist, then, throwing herself upon the prostrate man, the bear clawed his back vigorously in spite of a shower of blows rained at her by Leslie and the seaman.
It was the bear's despairing effort. Momentarily she was growing weaker from loss of blood.