Chapter 37—The Seal and the Bear
Hatteras and the doctor went back to the house.
“You know,” said the captain, “that the polar bears chase seals, which are their principal food. They watch for days at their breathing holes, and seize them the moment they come upon the ice. So a bear will not be afraid of a seal; far from it.”
“I understand your plan,” said the doctor, “but it’s dangerous.”
“But there is a chance of success,” answered the captain, “and we must try it. I am going to put on the sealskin and crawl over the ice. Let us lose no time. Load the gun and give it to me.”
The doctor had nothing to say; he would himself have done what his companion was about to try; he left the house, carrying two axes, one for Johnson, the other for himself; then, accompanied by Hatteras, he went
