The blinding ray of electric light confused the animal and Koku reached him with several terrific whacks with the staff of his spear.
With one side swipe of its right paw the growling beast tossed the weapon away and drove Koku to his knees. It reached with its left paw to seize the giant, and the curved claws all but caught him.
“Look out!” shrieked Ned. “He’ll have you, sure!”
Koku leaped up, but scarcely escaped the return swing of the bear’s paw. Even the wind of it was enough to send the man to the ice again. With a blood-curdling roar the polar bear flung himself forward on all four paws, and his shaggy breast covered Koku.
It looked as though the faithful servant was done for! His spear stuck a hand’s breadth out of the bear behind its shoulder. The blood poured from that and from the gunshot wound like muddy red bilge being pumped from a ship’s hold.
At this dreadful instant Olaf Karofsen flung away his rifle, drew a great knife from his belt, and leaped for the savagely wagging head of the bear. It seemed as though he gave himself over utterly to the jaws of the beast. The creature’s teeth snapped with a clash of ivory that sounded well nigh as loud as had the rifle shot.
But the gigantic Icelander escaped the jaws. He made a mighty downward thrust with the skinning knife.
The point of it entered the bear’s spine right behind the skull and must have severed the first vertebra. The beast groaned with pain, weaving to and fro on its feet. For the moment all the fight was taken out of the animal. It shuddered and began to sink to the ice.
Uttering a great shout, Tom darted forward and seized Koku’s shoulders. With Captain Karofsen’s help he dragged Koku from under the dying bear. The huge body of the brute sunk slowly upon the very spot where Koku had lain. The giant could not have lived under the dead weight of the mountain of flesh.
Ned had picked up Tom’s torch and now illumined the scene. The two giants were grinning at each other broadly. Tom spoke rather brokenly.