A Dangerous Plight

There is au old soldier uamed Jake recently returned to San Francisco from an Arctic croiso, who has made np this miad not to go on another whaling expedition 110 matter what happens. The reason is this: On one occasion during his late voyage Jake was on the watch in the lookout eradle at the masthead, and it was night - that is, as much night as it ever gets up there in summer. The sun had been down about an hour and would rise again about an hour later. It was a beautiful sight as the 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 ice lay close to the vessel and reached for miles in every direction, broken occasionally by a large berg or the f aint 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 semicomatose state, from which the slightest sound will awaken him with a start. Jake suddenly saw something white in the gloom climbing the mast His first impulse was to jump to the deck, but before he could act upon it the white object climbed through the lubber hole, and Jake then saw it was a polar bear. Jake realized that he was in a most dangerous position and began to think of means to escape. He called to the watch on deck below, but they couldn't hear. He tried to get out under the canvas, but the beast grabbed him and puMed him back. It began thumpiug him, and every time Jake attempted to move away it would growl. Suddenly his eyos lighted on a rope hanging to the deck back of the eradla By this means he thought he could reach the deck. To swing himself free was 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 new terror. Perhaps the rope was not strong and would break, or he might miss the stay and swing against the mast and be dashed to death. The moment in the air seemed years filled with horror, and several times Jake wished he had taken his chances with the bear. To grab the stay and hold on was the most difflcult, and twice Jake's hands slipped and almost lost it. When he reached the deck, he looked up and saw the rope swing back to the eradle, where the bear grabbed it It ried to do as it had seen Jake do, but ïad no sooner Bwung clear than it sliped and feil to the deck. The crew had