So the girls curled up with Veevee and Floss, and Tom lay near.  But Briton seemed to say:  “No, I won’t sleep; I’ll lie and watch with Frank.”

Frank was not sorry to have the dog beside him for it was terrible to feel all alone in such a dismal place.

Well, the night wore slowly on—­one, two, three, four hours—­and Frank was just looking at the rifle, and pretending to aim at something in the falling snow, when, all at once, Briton uttered a low warning growl and sprang to his feet.

Next moment a great shambling bear was right in the mouth of the cave.  He gave a roar that seemed to shake the whole island.

Whether the boy took aim or not, I never could tell, but he certainly fired the rifle, and down dropped Bruin dead, and lay in the snow with his great tongue hanging out, a marvellous sight to see.

The noise in the cave was fearful, but as soon as the girls had stopped screaming, Frank told what had happened.

“I tell you what it is, girls,” he said more than once, “there wasn’t the least bit of bravery about it.  I just held out the gun, and off it went.”

“Oh, but you were brave!” said Aralia; “and if you hadn’t killed the awful monster, we should all be dead now.

“No, no,” cried Tom, “it was only Flossy that the bear wanted!  He just wanted a bit of seal for supper.”

“Wowff!” barked Briton.

“Wiff!” barked Veevee, as much as to say:  “No bear shall touch Flossy while we are alive.”

But nobody thought of sleeping any more, and as they were all very hungry, Tom served out more snow.

CHAPTER V

The tempest howled for many hours more.  Then at last it grew almost calm, and the sun shone out on the pure white snow.

“I know what to do now,” said Tom.  “Let us find our way to the beach.  The boat may be there, you know.”

But long before they reached the shore they beheld a wondrous sight, for as far as the eye could reach there was no water to be seen, only huge icebergs covered with dazzling snow, all gently moving up and down with the swelling waves beneath.  The noise made by these great bergs as they ground their sides together was deafening.

But there were no signs of the boat, and no ship was to be seen.  The Valhalla had either been crushed to atoms or been driven out to sea.  Tom clung to the last hope, and even told his sisters that she was sure to return for them soon.  He would not get downhearted.

“This is a queer business, Frank,” he said with a light laugh, which had no sound of fun in it however; “but we must do the best we can till they come back.  Eh, Frank?”

“Yes, of course.”

But Pansy was clinging to Aralia, quietly crying.

“Well, Frank, we must live in the cave for a little, and so we had better get everything in, and be as jolly as we can.”