“Joggle them about,” suggested his sister. “I can’t, Cece, they won’t joggle!” came a pitiful little voice. “Then rub some snow on them,” said Tibbs. While this was being done, he climbed up to the top of a snowflake to spy out the land, and find the way to the South Wind’s Castle. “It’s just snow, and snow, and snow, as far as I can see,” he cried. “Oh, do let me see,” said Coppertop. “Pull me up.” Tibbs lent her his hand from above, and Kiddiwee did his best to push from below. But she found it was not at all easy to climb a snowflake. Each piece that she took hold of melted away under her warm hands. “How wonderful!” she exclaimed, when she at last reached the top. “And look--LOOK! Whatever is it? It looks like a huge white mountain running towards us.” They all looked. And, surely enough, a great white mass was charging down upon them. “It’s a Teddy Bear!” exclaimed Kiddiwee, “only it’s the hugestest that ever was.” “Kiddi is right!” cried Tibbs. “It _is_ a bear, I can see his mouth and teeth.” “Oh, dear! Whatever shall we do?” cried Coppertop, beside herself with fear. “Don’t be ’fraid, Cece,” said Kiddiwee; “I’ll just shoo him away.” “Stupid! He wouldn’t even see you,” cried Tibbs. “Look out, he’s coming! We must run!” And he seized hold of the other two and pulled them along with him, helter-skelter down the snowflake, away from the bear. They could hear the thud! thud! of his great paws, under which the snow shook. Faster and faster they ran! But the bear was running faster still. When suddenly the thud of the paws stopped. After waiting breathlessly for some moments, Tibbs climbed up to a snowflake top to see what had happened. “Look! Look!” he cried, and the other two scrambled up after him. A few yards away sat the mighty bear, solemnly staring at a large brown hair-ribbon. “Why, it’s mine!” exclaimed Coppertop, feeling one of her plaits and finding the ribbon gone; “but how tremendous it’s grown!” “He’s never seen one before,” whispered Tibbs. “Look, I believe he is going to eat it.” “’Es. P’r’aps that will do instead of us!” said Kiddiwee. And so it did, for no sooner had the bear swallowed the hair-ribbon--which he seemed to enjoy--than he smiled broadly, and, lifting up one paw, he waved it at the children in the friendliest way. “He really does look very nice and soft and kind,” whispered Coppertop to Tibbs, “he reminds me, somehow, of my big bed. I wonder if we ought to speak to him.” “Yes, let’s,” agreed Tibbs. “I haven’t spoken to many bears--it’ll be rather a rag!” After a little hesitation, the three adventurers walked boldly up to the Polar Bear. “How-de-do?” he said, smiling his broadest smile, and holding out his paw, which, however, was far too large for them to shake. “How do you do, Mr. Bear?” replied Coppertop, in her best society manner, and feeling, somehow, that she was addressing her bed, which was rather absurd.