The St. Louis Republic. [volume], April 07, 1901, Comic Section, Image 56

About The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO

                
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A Diverting Story of the Bird-Bear and His Friends, the
Gulls. Sixth of the Series of American Fairy Tales, by f
KING OF THE FOLAR
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The King of the Polar Bears lived among
the icebergs In the Kir North country. He
was old and monstroug big: he was wise
and friendly to all who knew him. His
body was thickly cohered with lone, white
hair that glistened like silver under the
raja of the midnight sun. Ills claws were
strong and sharp, that he might walk safe
ly over the smooth Ice or grasp and tear
the fishes and seals upon w hlch he fed.
The seals vicrc afraid when he drew near,
and tried to aoid him; but the gulls, both
white and gray, loved him because ho left
the remnants of his feasts for them to do
v our.
Often his subject"?, the polar bears, came
to him for advice when ill or In trouble:
but they widely kept awav rrom his hunt
ing grounds, lest the might Interfero with
his sport and arouse his anger.
The wolves, who sometimes came as far
north as the icebergs, whispered among
themselves that the King of the Polar
Bears was cither a magician or under the
protection of a powerful fairy. Tor no
earthly thing seemed able to harm him: he
never failed to secure plenty of food, and
he grew bigger and stronger day by day
and ear by year.
Tct the tlmo came when this monarch of
the North met man, and his wisdom failed
him.
He came out of his cave among the Ice
bergs one day and saw a boat moving
through the strip of water which had been
uncovered by the shifting of the. summer
Ice. In the boat were men.
The great beaT had never seen such
creatures before, and therefore advanced
toward the boat, sniffing the strange scent
with aroused curiosity and wondering
whether he might take them for friends
or foes, food or carrion.
When the king came near the water's
eflgo a man stood up In the boat and with
a queer Instrument made a loud "bang!"
The polar bear felt a shock; his brain be
came numb; his thoughts deserted him; his
great limbs shook and gave way beneath
him and his body fell heavily upon the
hard ice.
That was all he remembered for a time.
"When he awoko he was smarting with
pain on every inch of his huge bulk, for
the men had cut away his .hide with its
glorious white hair and earned it with
them to a distant ship.
Above him circled thousands of his
friends, the gulls, -wondering if their bene
factor were really dead and it was proper
to cat him. But when they saw him raise
his head and groan and tremble they knew
he still lived, and one of them said to his
comrades:
"The wolves were right The king is a
great magician, fer-even men cannot kill
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him. But he suffers for lack of covering.
It us repay his kindness to us by each
giving him as many feathers as we can
spare."
This idea pleased the gulls. One after
another they plucked with their beaks the
softest feathers from under their wings,
and, flying down, dropped them gently upon
the body of the King of Polar Bears.
Then they called to him in a chorus:
"Courage, friend! Our feathers ore as soft
and beautiful as your own shaggy hair.
They will guard you from the cold winds
and warm you while you sleep. Have
courage, then, and live!"
And the King of the Polar Bears had
courage to bear his pain and lived and
was strong again. r
The feathers grew as they had grown
upon the bodies of the birds and covered
hire as his own hair had done. Mostly f
MORE ADVENTURES OF RASTUS
. V . .
the were pure white iu color, but some
from tho gray gulls g.ive hih m.ijesty a
slightly mottled appearance.
Tho rest of that summer and all through
the six months of night tho king left his
Icy cavern only to fish or catch seals for
food. Ho felt no shame at his feathery
covering, but it was still strango to him,
and he avoided meeting any of his brother
bears.
During this period of retirement h
thought much of the men who had harmed
him, and remembered how they had made
the great "bang!" And, he decided It was
best to keep awar from such ilerco creat
ures. Thus he added to his htoro of wis
dom. When tho moon fell away from the sky
and tho sun camo to make the icebergs
glitter with tho gorgeous timings of the
rainbow, two of the polar bears arrived at
I the king's cav ern to ask his adv ice about
the hunting season. But when they saw
THE VICTORY OF THE IHKDIiEAR.
his great bodv covered with feathers in
stead of h.iir they began to laugh, and one
said:
"Our mighty king has become a bird!
Who ev er before hrird of a feathered polar
bear?"
Then the king gavo way to wrath. He
advanced upon them with deep growls and
st.itcly tread and with one blow ot his
monstrous paw stretched the mocker life
less at his feet.
Tho other ran away to his fellows and
carried the news of the King's strange ap
pearance. Tho result was a meeting of all
tho polir heats upon a broad field of, tee,
where thej tallied gravely of tho remark
able change that had come upon their mon
arch "He is, in reality, no longer a bear," said
one; "nor can he justly be called a bird
But he is halt bird and half bear, and so
unfitted to remain our king."
"Then who shall take his plice?" asked
another.
COON. HOW HIS CANALBOAT FEET SAVED HIS LIFE.
"He who can fi;:ht the bird-bear and
ovutomo lum," answered an aged member
of the gioup. "Only the strongest is lit
to rule our race."
There was silence for a time, but at
length a great bear moved to the front
and said:
"I will fight him: I Woof the strongest
of our race! And I will be King of the
Polar Bears."
The others nodded assent, and dispatched
a messenger to tlio'vking to say he must
fight the great Wcof and rmstcr him or re
sign his sovereignty.
'Tor a bear with feathers," added the
messenger, "is no bear at all, and the king
wo obey must resemble the rest of us."
"I we.ir feathers because it pleases me,"
giov.led tho king. "Am I not a great ma
gician? But I will fight, nevertheless, and
if Woof masters mo he shall be king in
mv stead."
Then he vMtrd his friends, te gulls, who
were even then feasting upon the dead
bear,
; tls.
and told them of the coming bat-
"I shall conquer," he said, proudly. "Vet
my people are in the right, for only a
hairy one like themselves can hope to com
mand their obediencp."
Tho queen gull said:
"I met an eagle yesterday, which had
made Its escape from a big city of men.
And the eagle told me he had seen a mon
strous polar bear skin thrown over the back
of a carriage that rolled along the street.
That, skin must have been yours, oh king,
and if you wish I will send an hundred of
my gulls to tho city to bring it back to
JOU."
"Let them go!" said tho king, gruffly.
And tho hundred gulls were soon fljlng
rapidly southward.
For three days they flew straight as an
arrow, until they came to scattered houses,
to v lllages, and to cities. Then their search
began.
The gulls were brave, and cunning, and
wise. Lpon the fourth Car they reartr
the great metropolis, anil hovered over tha
streets until a carriage rolled a!on t.fw
a great white bear robe thrown over th
bick seat. Then the birds swooped down
tho whole hundred of them and seizing th
skin In their beaks flew quickly a-vay.
They were late. The king's great battl
was upon tho seventh day, and they raust
fly swiftly to reach the polar reclon h.
that time.
Jleamvhllo tho bird-bear was preparing
for his fight. He sharpened his claws in
the smill crevices of the Ice. Ho caught
a seil and tested his big jellow teeth by
crunching Its bones between them. And the
queen gull set her band to pluming the
king bear's feathers until thej lay smooth
ly upon his body.
But every day they cast anxious glancea
Into the southern skj , watching for th
hundred gulls to bring back th- klng'a owa
skin.
Tho seventh dav came, and all tho Polar
bears in that region gathered around the
king's cavern. Among them was Woof,
strong and confident of his success.
"The bird-bear's feathers will fly fast
enough when T cet mv p1hti ttrn kum
ho boasted: and the others laughed and
encouraged him.
Tho king nas disappointed at not having
recovered his skin, but he resolved to fight
bravely without it. He ad.anced froTi the
opening of his cavern with a proud and
kingly bearing, and when he faced his ene
my he gave so terrible a growl that Wooft
heart stopped beating for a moment, and he
began to realize that a fight with the wise
and mighty king of his race was r.o laugh
ing matter.
After exchanging one or two heavy blows
with his foo Woofs courage returned, and
he determined to dishearten his adversary
by bluster.
"Comu nearer, blrd-bar!" ho cried.
"Come nearer, that I may pluck your
plumage!"
The defiance filled the king with rage.
He ruffled Us feather as a bird does, till
he appeared to be twice his actual size,
and then ho strode forward and struck
Woof so powerful a blow tnat his skull
crackled like an eggshell, and he fell prone
upon tho ground.
While the assembled bears stood looking
with fear and wonder at their fallen cham
pion the skv became darkened.
A hundred gulls flew down fron above
and dropped upon the King's body a skin
covered with pure white hair that glittered
in the sun like silver.
And, behold! the bears saw before them
tho well-known form of their wise and
respected master, and with one accord-they
bowed their shaggy heads in homage to the
mighty King of the Polar Bears.
This story teaches us that true dignity
and courage depend not upon outward ap
pearance, but come rather from within;
also that brag and bluster are poor
weapons to carry Into battle.
Con right cd, 1M0. by George M. Hill Company.
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