Next moment, as he told me afterwards, he stood frozen, for there behind the boughs of one of the trees was the huge white bear, eating some animal that it had killed.

The beast saw him, and, mad with rage at being disturbed, for it was famished after its long journey on the floe, reared itself up on its hind legs, roaring till the air shook.

High it towered, its hook-like claws outstretched.
Steinar tried to spring back, but caught his foot, and fell.

Well for him was it that he did so, for otherwise the blow which the bear struck would have crushed him to a pulp.

The brute did not seem to understand where he had gone--at any rate, it remained upreared and beating at the air.