Had Bob not sprung out of the way the bear would have landed on his
head.
But Bob moved with the quickness of lightning, and this saved his life.
The bear, however, came down so close to the boy's side that our hero
had no time left to fire at him.
He struck the bear one hasty blow with his gun stock and then ran for
dear life.
Recovering, the huge beast came after him.
Although a heavyweight, the bear managed to cover the ground with
incredible swiftness.
Down the side of the icy hill went Bob, with the bear less than a dozen
feet in the rear.
The plain below reached, Bob scarcely knew which way to turn.
The bear uttered growl after growl, showing that he was working himself
up to a perfect fury.
"I must get to the yacht, if possible," thought Bob, and headed in the
direction without delay.
On and on came the polar bear.
He did not seem to gain, neither did he lose.
So far the race had been about even, but Bob felt he could not keep up
that terrific strain much longer.
As he ran he fingered his gun nervously.
Should he risk a shot?
"I must do something," he said to himself desperately.
And wheeling about he took hasty aim and blazed away.
The shot was not a bad one. The bullet struck the polar bear in the side
of the head, causing him to stagger back and halt.
On went Bob again, and by the time the bear recovered sufficiently to
continue the pursuit he was nearly fifty yards in advance.
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