Under the Great Bear

Under the Great Bear, by Kirk
Munroe

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Title: Under the Great Bear
Author: Kirk Munroe
Release Date: September 11, 2006 [EBook #19235]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNDER
THE GREAT BEAR ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: From it was evoked a monstrous shape.]

"Above this far northern sea Ursa Major sailed so directly overhead

that he seemed like to fall on us." --From an early voyage to the coast
of Labrador.

Under the Great Bear
BY
KIRK MUNROE

AUTHOR OF
"The Flamingo Feather," "Dorymates," "The White Conquerors," Etc.

New York
International Association of Newspapers and Authors
1901

COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY

TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
I.
GRADUATION: BUT WHAT NEXT? II. AN OFFER OF
EMPLOYMENT III. THE STRANGE FATE OF A STEAMER IV.
ALONE ON THE LIFE RAFT V. WHITE BALDWIN AND HIS

"SEA BEE" VI. THE FRENCH SHORE QUESTION VII. DEFYING
A FRIGATE VIII. A CLASSMATE TO BE AVOIDED IX. SENDING
IN A FALSE REPORT X. CABOT ACQUIRES A LOBSTER
FACTORY XI. BLUFFING THE BRITISH NAVY XII. ENGLAND
AND FRANCE COME TO BLOWS XIII. A PRISONER OF WAR
XIV. THE "SEA BEE" UNDER FIRE XV. OFF FOR LABRADOR
XVI. MOSQUITOES OF THE FAR NORTH XVII. IMPRISONED
BY AN ICEBERG XVIII. FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THE
NATIVES XIX. A MELANCHOLY SITUATION XX. COMING OF
THE MAN-WOLF XXI. A WELCOME MISSIONARY XXII.
GOOD-BYE TO THE "SEA BEE" XXIII. THE COMFORT OF AN
ESKIMO LAMP XXIV. OBJECTS OF CHARITY XXV. LOST IN A
BLIZZARD XXVI. AN ELECTRICIAN IN THE WILDERNESS
XXVII. THE MAN-WOLF'S STORY XXVIII. CABOT IS LEFT
ALONE XXIX. DRIFTING WITH THE ICE PACK XXX. THE
COMING OF DAVID GIDGE XXXI. ASSISTANT MANAGER OF
THE MAN-WOLF MINE

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
From It Was Evoked A Monstrous Shape . . . Frontispiece
On The Deck Of The Steamer "Lavinia"
He Began To Kick At It With The Hope Of Smashing One Of Its
Panels
At This The Enraged Officer Whipped Out A Revolver
"Did This Come From About Here?"
Others Fell On The New-Comers With Their Fists
Livid With Rage, The Frenchman Whipped Out An Ugly-Looking
Knife
A Solitary Figure Stood On The Chest Of A Bald Headland

"Yim"
"My Name Is Watson Balfour"
He Reached A Point From Which He Could Look Beyond The Barrier
"My Dear Boy, You Have Done Splendidly"

UNDER THE GREAT BEAR.
CHAPTER I.
GRADUATION: BUT WHAT NEXT?
"Heigh-ho! I wonder what comes next?" sighed Cabot Grant as he
tumbled wearily into bed.
The day just ended marked the close of a most important era in his life;
for on it he had been graduated from the Technical Institute, in which
he had studied his chosen profession, and the coveted sheepskin that
entitled him to sign M.E. in capital letters after his name had been in
his possession but a few hours.
Although Cabot came of an old New England family, and had been
given every educational advantage, he had not graduated with honours,
having, in fact, barely scraped through his final examination. He had
devoted altogether too much time to athletics, and to the congenial task
of acquiring popularity, to have much left for study. Therefore, while it
had been pleasant to be one of the best-liked fellows in the Institute,
captain of its football team, and a leading figure in the festivities of the
day just ended, now that it was all over our lad was regretting that he
had not made a still better use of his opportunities.
A number of his classmates had already been offered fine positions in
the business world now looming so ominously close before him. Little
pale-faced Dick Chandler, for instance, was to start at once for South
Africa, in the interests of a wealthy corporation. Ned Burnett was to be

assistant engineer of a famous copper mine; a world-renowned
electrical company had secured the services of Smith Redfield, and so
on through a dozen names, no one of which was as well known as his,
but all outranking it on the graduate list of that day.
Cabot had often heard that the career of Institute students was closely
watched by individuals, firms, and corporations in need of young men
for responsible positions, and had more than once resolved to graduate
with a rank that should attract the attention of such persons. But there
had been so much to do besides study that had seemed