FUN FOR TWO LITTLE BEARS
Little White Bear and Little Black Bear met at the snow hill next day,
but Little White Bear didn't jump into Little Black Bear's sharp claws,
and you may be very, very sure they didn't go exploring around Omnok's
house! They did go way, way out on the white roof of the ocean. There
were splendid hills of ice to hide behind, and everywhere were great ice
boulders over which they could play leap-frog.
Little White Bear had just started to leap over one fine, large boulder,
and Little Black Bear was coming right after him, when all of a sudden
Little White Bear turned a backward somersault and tumbled right into
Little Black Bear.
"Wow!" howled Little Black Bear. "What's the matter?"
"Shish!" whispered Little White Bear. "I saw something!"
"On the ice?" asked Little Black Bear, beginning to be frightened.
"Right out there a little bit farther," whispered Little White Bear.
"And it was the biggest thing! Oh! My! I can't tell how big it was!"
Then Little Black Bear was frightened! What could it be, way out here on
the ice, miles and miles from shore? Little White Bear hadn't seen it
move, but how could it get way out here if it weren't alive? Trees and
things like that couldn't grow on the roof of the ocean.
They lay crouched down behind that big ice boulder until Little White
Bear's foot had gone to sleep, and Little Black Bear was catching cold
from sitting on the ice.
"I am going to peek round and see if it has moved," said Little White
Bear bravely. He looked, and it hadn't moved one little bit, so it
seemed as if it couldn't really be alive! Perhaps it was something that
Omnok had left there. They crept up toward it, little by little, until
they were right up to it, and what do you think? It was nothing but
Omnok's big whaling boat he had left on the ice.
They looked all around to see if Omnok were about, then they tumbled
right into that boat for a frolic. There were a great many things in the
boat, but the most interesting of all was a great, long "pooksack." It
wasn't full of seal oil. If it had been, I am quite sure Little Black
Bear would have had nothing to do with it. It was just full of air.
Omnok had used it for a sled when he drew his boat over the roof of the
ocean. And what a splendid football it did make, and how they did knock
it about! First Little White Bear would give it a boost with his big,
clumsy paws, then Little Black Bear would boost it right over Little
White Bear's head! Then there would be a scramble to see who would get
to it first. But one time Little Black Bear kicked it right over Little
White Bear's head so high that it tumbled off the roof of the ocean and
down into the great dark sea. And Little White Bear tumbled right into
the ocean after it! Yes, sir! Right into the water, and you never saw
water so cold in all your life! Little White Bear didn't scramble out as
fast as ever he could! He just climbed up on that "pooksack", happy as a
clam, and wanted Little Black Bear to come in too! Little Black Bear,
however, had a notion that the water was cold, so he touched it with his
toe and "Um-m-m! Um-m-m!" he didn't want any swim that day. But Little
White Bear wouldn't come out of the water and play, so all Little Black
Bear could do was to skip along home and tell his mother that he was
quite sure that Little White Bear would freeze to death that very night.
"Oh, no!" said Madam Black Bear, looking very wise. "Little White Bear
won't freeze to death."
"Why," said Little Black Bear, opening his eyes wide, "I'm sure I'd
freeze right away."
"So you would," said his mother. "You were a wise young fellow to try
the water before you ventured in. But Little White Bear is quite
different. He has a very warm coat and is very fat. He is used to the
cold water and will live in it all winter. But just you wait," she
added, with a sly wink. "You will have a surprise for him some day! When
he comes to look for you some cold, cold time, won't he be surprised to
find you snugly tucked away in bed and sleeping all day and all night?
Won't he, though?"
Madam Black Bear laughed a big bear laugh, and Little Black Bear laughed
a little bear laugh, so together they were after all two of the happiest
bears in all the world.
When Omnok went out on the roof of the sea to get his big boat, he saw
what Little White Bear and Little Black Bear had done. He was very angry
when he saw that his "pooksack" was gone. He thought Big White Bear had
been there.
"I'll go hunting for him to-morrow morning," he said to himself. "And
I'll take Huskie, my Malemute dog, along!"