"Have a look, Steve," said the captain, drawing the small double glass from its case and passing it to the boy, who carefully laid down his heavy rifle, and focussed the binocular upon the bear, bringing it, as it were, almost to his feet. He could see the long, cruel-looking head, with its pointed nose just clear of the water, the eyes the same, and the whole body so nearly submerged that there was nothing visible but the long hair, waving like a streaky ripple as the bear swam steadily on. "It's not going after the walrus," said Steve. "Wait a bit, sir. I think it is," said Johannes. "That's the bear's cunning. If it went straight at them they would all plunge into the water, and swim and dive away. You'll see the antics directly; those beasts are as cunning as cats." In effect, as Steve watched, he saw the bear swim right away to the ice, a couple of hundred yards apparently from the walrus herd, climb out on to the surface, shake itself to get rid of the water two or three times, and then move away from the edge a little and lie down in the sun, while the walrus herd paid no more attention to it than it apparently paid to them, the calves wallowing about and playing on the ice, and the rest of the herd gradually drawing themselves up to bask in the warmth. In fact, though it was interesting to examine the huge beasts through the glass, Steve began to think it time to commence inspecting something else, or try to shoot something useful to the ship's cook. "Old Johannes don't know everything," he said to himself; but the thought had hardly crossed his mind when the object thereof touched his arm. "Look," he said. "I was looking," replied Steve, whose glass was fixed upon the walrus herd. "What fat, comical creatures the young ones are! They seem to have no shape at all." "No, no; look at the bear. He's hungry, that fellow, and wants a good feed." Steve turned the glass upon the bear, and saw that it had risen to its feet, and was licking itself, with its head turned away from the walrus, and then, lying down, it rolled over two or three times before beginning to lick and paw itself again for a time, but always shuffling backward a little as it attended busily to its toilet. "See what he means, sir?" whispered Johannes. "Yes, it's trying to get nearer to the young walrus." "That's it, sir. Now, you watch." Steve's attention was taken now, and he eagerly scanned the action of the great Polar bear, which appeared to be in quite a playful mood, and had another roll and gambol on the ice before beginning to preen and clean its long, soft, whitish fur again as if it were feathers.