THE WORLD OF ICE. 219

“Woman,” said the giant, “my name is Blunder-
bore. I am, as you perceive by my crown, a king;
and Iam a lonely man. If I kill the two bears you
speak of, will you marry me?”

“ Oh, do not ask me, good Blunderbore! I cannot ;
it is impossible. I cannot love you—-you are—
forgive me for saying it—too big, and fierce, and ugly
to love.”

Blunderbore frowned angrily, and the audience ap-
plauded vociferously at this.

“You cannot love me! ha!” exclaimed the giant,
glaring round with clenched teeth.

At this moment the Big Bear uttered an awful
roar, Whackinta gave a piercing scream and fled, and
Blunderbore hid himself hastily behind the hummock.
The next moment the two bears bounded on the stage
and began to gambol round it, tossing up their hind
legs and roaring and leaping in a manner that drew
forth repeated plaudits. At length the Little Bear
discovered the baby, and, uttering a frantic roar of
delight, took it in its fore paws and held it up. The
Big Bear roared also, of course, and rushing forward
caught the baby by the leg, and endeavoured to tear
it away from the Little Bear, at which treatment the
poor baby again commenced to ery passionately. In
the struggle the baby’s head came off, upon which the
Little Bear put the head into its mouth and swallowed
it. The Big Bear immediately did the same with the
body; but its mouth was too small, and the body
stuck fast and could not be finally disposed of until