eighborhood of the camp. Dave Tower and Jarvis had been detailed to inspect Mine No. 3, with a view to opening it as soon as the mother-lode had been reached i

Down! T

up, tail lashing, he seemed contemplating a leap which might bring him over a third of the distance between them. Two more le

had a gun,"

ishman whispered. "Don't flinch

o the snow. Then a nervous twitch of his paws told that he was disturbed. Dave'

reature turned his head

sy, ponderous polar bear, making her way inland to so

welve feet long, if she's an inc

Dave. "She has h

'er. 'Oly macker

t his arm seized by the twitching fingers of Pant, and, half by his own effort, half by the insistent drag of his

them. Soft-padded footsteps could be heard here and there, but these persons seemed to be hurryi

mind work

f they strike a light a

ur auto

ur

to get ho

t i

x 'em. They're cowards. All natives are." Pant

in the same instant, so quick was Johnny's movement, a blinding flash

s was quite enough. The light flared out

g of the smallest stone or bit of shale which might

r it," breathed Pant

ea

t it. Make a dash to the right t

his arm tremble for an

Here was a juicy feast. And to the great cat, inexperienced as he must have been in the ways of the creatures of the very far north into which he had wandered, the cumbersome mother seemed a rather insignificant barrie

istered themselves on the brain cells of

er bear right about faced and, nosing her

g his tail and crouching for a spring

strange sound like the hissing

ring again, she wheeled about and be

'im?" whisp

rifle, he wouldn't. Whew! What a robe tha

Now he was within thirty feet of the bear, now twenty, now te

b was always behind her. The tiger stood still. The bear moved slowly backward, still pushing her cub. Again

ended. It was clear that he had hoped to outflank the bear. In this he failed

er ivory teeth. Here, too, she was

the mother bear's throat. It was a desperate chance, but for a second it seemed that those terrible fangs would find their place; and, once t

reathed hoarsely, "Ah!" and Dave panted, "Oh!", there came a sound a

, the tiger whirled to the right twelve fe

a wallop!" br

ead?" sa

the limp form of her e

" grinned Jarvis, straig

ce, and, apparently scenting more danger, she began again pushing

'er!" excla

that the tiger was dead, and unwilling to trust themselves too clos

a look," h

e's don

ng form of the great yellow ca

neck is broke short off!

Dave joyously. "What a beauty!

he task. He had worked in silence for some

hat?" he

t's

k metal-a chain

is, "and a bloomin' fine one!" H

se?" ask

e tag. Tak

e numbers and letter

islands down the sea-coast. They're 'angin' about 'ere. They'll be lettin' out a 'ole mena

ed at Dave; Dave

ands as well. He knew very well their intentions: they feared him as a leader and, hoping to trap him here, had planned to end his life. One by one, they would pick off his men. At last there would be a rush and the remaining few

ied. "Three shot

vern. Then they were away, out in the open breaking

s swarming from the cave like bees; now, they were hidden from sight; and now, he

ly once, in the five-mile run home, did a native

near camp, they slo

d Johnny, slipping hi

ey were the same ones that attacked you

oo crude. These oth

re Langlois had been found dead, he sat down on a frozen ledge and stared at the rust-reddened pick-handle, which seemed to point an

and Jarvis; there was the oriental chain and tag about the beast's neck. Johnny seemed surrounded by many mysteries and great dangers. Was it his duty to call the deal off and desert the mines? Sometimes he thought it was. Ice conditions were such that it

numbers of Russians pushing toward the coast. These could be none other than Bolsheviki who hoped to gather wealth of one kind or another

orted indications that they would reach t

ny said, with an air of determina

when, as once before, his eye was

ther warning!" he exclaimed. "W

imself, as he strode forward to p