Once upon a time, on an island far to the north of Kisington, whither
only the bravest sailors dared to venture, lived a boy named Hans. They
called him Hans the Hunter, because he loved so much to hunt and fish.
He was a tall, brave, and sturdy lad, and he loved his life and was
proud of his nickname. He had a hard spot in his heart, or he would not
have been a hunter.
One day Hans went out with two other lads to hunt. It was in the early
spring, the season when the ice breaks up in the rivers and begins to
move seaward, like the hearts of men. The three wandered for many miles
over the ice and snow until they came to the frozen bed of a river; but
they did not know it was a river, the water of it flowed so far below
the cakes of ice which concealed it, while over all was a thick crust of
snow.
At this spot Hans the Hunter, who was after big game, left the others
and started toward the south. Presently in the snow his sharp eyes spied
the tracks of a huge bear. He was greatly delighted, and began to follow
the slot so eagerly that he hardly marked where he was going. But all on
a sudden he felt an unsteady motion under his feet. The ground seemed
slipping beneath him. The snow parted and the ice cracked, and he spied
blue water in the gaps between. Then he realized that he was upon a
river, afloat upon a cake of ice!
Hans was greatly terrified, and made haste to leap upon a larger floe,
for the former was too small to hold his weight, and threatened to turn
upside down. Still he was in great danger; for before he knew it the
river had carried him out into a bay of floating ice, far from the
steady land. To and fro he leaped on his long legs, over the moving
mass, hoping to find a way of escaping back to the shore. But presently
he saw to his horror that he was rapidly floating out to the ocean upon
a huge ice-floe, which was fast separating from the others. He was
adrift upon a barren island of ice!
Scarcely had he had time to realize this, when Hans had another shock.
As he came around a huge pillar of ice, he almost stumbled upon a huge
white bear lying asleep upon her side. It must have been the very same
bear whose tracks had led Hans into danger, and which he had quite
forgotten. With a hunter's instinct Hans raised his gun to shoot her.
But at the moment, before he pulled the trigger, the bear opened her
eyes and spoke to him; and it did not seem so very strange to hear her
speak his own language.
"Why do you seek to kill me?" she said piteously. "I have done no harm
to you, Hans the Hunter. Moreover, if you kill me you will yourself die
of cold within a few hours. If you lie down upon the ice to sleep you
will freeze to death. But if you rest against my thick fur I will keep
you warm. O man! Why must we be enemies? We are bound on a dangerous sea
voyage together. Be my friend! Catch fish for me, so that we shall not
starve. So, helping one another, we shall live comfortably on this
floating home until we are able to go ashore."
"Gladly will I do what you say," agreed Hans the Hunter, for he saw that
her words were wise.
After that Hans and the bear became partners. By day, with the tackle
which he always carried in his wallet, Hans fished for their dinner;
and, indeed, the bear's huge appetite kept him busy! By night he
snuggled against the warm fur of his neighbor and slept soundly, not
feeling the cold. So they kept their bargain.
Many days went by, and the bear came to love Hans dearly. Indeed, he
liked her, too. But Hans loved himself better, for he was a selfish lad.
One morning Hans awoke with a start, conscious of an unusual movement
near him. The bear was stirring uneasily in her sleep. But something
else close beside him writhed and wriggled. He rubbed his eyes and
looked again. Nestled against the bear's white fur was a tiny newborn
child, a beautiful baby girl. Hans sat up and stared at the prodigy.
What did it mean? Where did the baby come from? At last an idea came to
him.
"Oho!" he said to himself. "Now I know what it all means! This is the
Enchanted Bear of whom I have heard so much,--the great White Bear of
the North. That is why she could talk to me, and why I could understand.
That is why her newborn cub is a human child, _until she looks at it_.
Mistress Bear has not yet seen her little one. Ho! What a prize for a
hunter to take home! This enchanted bear-baby will remain human, if I
can steal her away where her mother will never set eyes on her. That
will be something to show the other fellows, I should say!"
On the preceding night Hans had noted that the ice-floe was approaching
nearer to the land. This morning they were very close to shore. Many
ice-cakes floated about, and by jumping from one to another long-legged
Hans knew that he could make the land. Very gently he took the little
white baby, so soft and warm, in his great hands and wrapped it under
his coat, so that the old bear should not see it. Then silently and
stealthily he prepared to depart. But when he moved away from her side
the old bear wakened suddenly and called after him,--
"Where are you going, friend Hans? What are you doing with my little cub
that I have never seen?" Hans did not stop to explain, but clasping the
baby tightly, darted off over the ice-field toward the land. Surprised
and fearful, the old bear rose and looked after him with wide eyes of
reproach. Then when she realized what he meant to do, she shook herself
with a mighty roar, and her eyes grew bright and fierce. She started in
pursuit.
It was a terrible chase! Hans was swift-footed; but after all the ice
was not his natural ground. The bear who had seemed so clumsy traveled
over the ice with miraculous speed, as polar bears do. Hans heard her
panting behind him, drawing nearer and nearer, and his heart sank low.
He knew how sharp her claws were, and how strong her teeth. She was
gaining upon him; but he would not give up the baby. The hard spot in
his heart grew harder. Burdened as he was, he turned about and raising
his gun fired it at the bear. His aim was good,--for was he not Hans the
Hunter? With a moan the great bear fell, and he saw a stream of blood
dye the ice-floe which he had so long shared with her as a home.
Hans did not pause to mourn over the faithful friend who had kept him
alive and warm for so many nights; but leaving her on the ice to die,
sped shoreward with his burden, jumping lightly from cake to cake of ice
until he reached the land.
After wandering about for some time Hans found a deserted fisherman's
hut, where he built a fire and cherished the baby which he had stolen.
The little thing seemed to thrive under his clumsy care. He tarried in
the hut for some days, managing to get food for the baby and himself.
Then he took the child and made his way inland until he came to a little
village. He found that it was miles and miles from his former home; but
the people were kind and urged him to stay. So Hans decided to settle
down and live here, practicing his trade as a hunter, and earning enough
to keep himself and the child in comfort. And every day the stolen baby
grew dearer and dearer to Hans the Hunter.
Years went by. Hans became a big man, the mightiest, most famous hunter
in all the countryside. Presently the little girl was grown up, too. And
she had become the most beautiful tiny maiden in the land. Her name was
Ursula, which means "Little Bear-Girl," though no one knew why Hans had
given her this name. Folk supposed that she was called after the holy
Saint Ursula. Hans, as you may guess, never told the lass about her
bear-mother whom he had so cruelly wronged.
Hans loved Ursula so dearly that he hoped some day she would become his
little wife. For a long time Ursula laughed and put him off; but at last
she consented.
One fine day they drove to Church and were married. After the wedding
all the village folk crowded around the sleigh in which Hans was to
carry his young bride home, and wished the couple joy and good luck. For
everybody liked big Hans, who was cruel only to animals; and they adored
his little Ursula, who was cruel to nobody. She looked very pretty as
she sat beside Hans, all pink and white and smiling, wrapped from head
to foot in snowy furs which Hans had given her for a wedding present.
Merrily they waved good-bye to the crowd as they drove away. And every
one said, "Was there ever seen a handsomer, finer couple?"
It was a gay, long ride home through the forest, and the pair were very
happy. The sun shone dazzlingly on the jeweled snow, and the evergreens
sparkled with icicles. The little brook, hidden under the ice, peeped at
them through sundry chinks here and there, chuckling merrily as he ran.
The sleigh-bells jingled heartily and the horse pranced as if he, too,
shared the joy of that happy wedding day.
Suddenly, as they came out into an open space, the horse stopped short
with a frightened snort, and stood gazing with wild eyes, trembling in
every limb. Something huge and terrible blocked the road. In the middle
of the way stood a great white bear, upright upon her hind legs.
Hans recognized her at once; it was his old friend whom he had betrayed!
After all, she was not dead, as he had hoped, but after twenty years had
come back to confront him. She was staring fixedly at Hans,--she had not
yet seen little Ursula muffled in her furs. With a cry Hans threw
himself between his young bride and this terrible sight.
"Come to me, my Daughter, my Cub!" cried the mother-bear in a deep
voice. "Come to me!"
Ursula gave a strange, wild cry and struggled in the arms of Hans. "What
is it?" she said. "Oh, what is it? I must see!"
At the same moment her voice died away into a low whine, then rose into
a howl such as an animal gives in pain. Struggling from her husband's
arms she leaped from the sleigh.
Instantly Hans followed, holding out his arms piteously and calling,
"Ursula! Ursula!"
But the white, furry figure did not hear. It was hurrying forward toward
the great bear.
"Come to me, my Child!" said the bear again. "Leave the wicked man who
betrayed his friend and sought to kill her. Come, let us punish him!"
Her words ended in a fierce growl, which was echoed by the other white
figure, as she turned about and looked at Hans. And oh, what was this!
With horror he saw that his little bride had, indeed, turned into a
furry white bear. Her eyes burned red and angry as she looked at him,
and she showed her teeth as if her mother's words had turned all her
love of Hans into hatred, for the old bear's sake.
She seemed about to spring upon Hans and tear him to pieces. But
suddenly her look changed. She folded her paws upon her furry breast,
and Hans saw tears, human tears, come into the little bear's eyes. It
was the last token of her human life, the last gleam of her fondness for
him. She could not punish him as her mother bade. She would not let evil
happen to him, even though he had done such a cruel wrong, because she
had once been his little Ursula.
Dropping upon all fours she ran toward her mother, and they laid noses
together for their first caress. She seemed to say something to the old
bear in a silent language, which was answered by a deep, sullen growl.
After this, without a further glance at Hans, the two bears turned about
and trotted away together into the forest. Hans the Hunter never saw
them again.
But after that the gun of Hans hung rusty on the wall of his lonely hut.
The hard spot in his heart had melted.