"No," said the Counterpane Fairy, "I can't come, but Father Bear will take good care of you." So Teddy stepped onto the shore, and the fairy pushed the block of ice out into the water, and waving her hand to him she drifted away across the open sea.
The Father Bear stood watching her until she was out of sight, and then he turned to Teddy."Now, you Fairy," he said, "you may climb up onto my back, and I'll carry you to my wife; she'll take good care of you for as long as the Counterpane Fairy chooses to leave you here."The three little bears cubs had disappeared, but as soon as the Father Bear carried Teddy around the hill of ice he saw what had become of them.They were sitting with the Mother Bear at the door of a cave.One of them was sucking its paws, and the other two were talking as fast as they could.The Mother Bear looked worried and anxious.
"What's all this Dumpy and Sprawley are telling me?" she said."And what's that you have on your back?""It's an ice-fairy," growled old Father Bear, "and the Counterpane Fairy wants us to take care of it for a while.You don't mind, my dear, do you?""Oh dear, dear!" said the Mother Bear, "I suppose not, but what shall we give it to eat, and how shall we keep it?""Oh, it will do just the other cubs do, I suppose," said the Father Bear.Then turning to Teddy he said, "You eat meat, don't you?""Yes, sir," answered Teddy, timidly.
"Then that's all right," said the Father Bear."Here, you children, take this fairy off and let him play with you."Two of the little bears, Fatty (who was the one who had been sucking his paws) and Dumpy, were delighted to have a new playmate, and they told him he might come over and slide down their hill, but the third one, Sprawley, scowled and grumbled."Another one to be eating up our meat,"he said."Just as if there weren't enough of us without."Still he went over with them to the icehill and they all began sliding down.
After a while Sprawley said: "I know a great deal nicer hill than this one.It's just a little farther on; come on and I'll show it to you.""Oh," said Fatty, "but suppose we should see some ice-mermen?""Pooh!" said Sprawley, "I ain't afraid.It's a great deal nicer than this.Come on."So the three little bears and Teddy trotted on to another hill, and it really was much longer and steeper than the other; it went down almost to the edge of the sea.
They had slidden down it only a few times when Dumpy cried out: "Oh!
look! look! There are some ice-mermen and they are making faces at me."There they were, sure enough, looking over the edge of the ice,--ugly little gray things with mouths like fishes, and they were making faces, and presently they began to sing,--"Bear cubs! Bear cubs! Look at their toes;Look at their ears and their hair and their nose.
The great big walrus will surely come To eat up the bear cubs and give us some."Dumpy growled at them, though he was frightened, but Fatty began to cry.
Just then one of the mermen sent a piece of ice sliding across at them, and it hit Fatty's paws and upset her.She was so fat that she rolled over and over before she could get up.Dumpy ran to her, and as soon as she was on her feet again they began galloping toward home as fast as they could, followed by Sprawley and Teddy.
As they ran along Teddy saw that Sprawley was shaking all over, and he thought it was because he was afraid, until he caught up to him; then he saw that he was laughing."What are you laughing at?" he asked, but Sprawley only showed his teeth and growled in answer.
When they reached the cave and told the Mother Bear about the mermen she scolded them well for going so near the edge of the water, and said it was time for them to go to bed.Father Bear was going on a hunt the next day, and he was going to let the cubs go part of the way with him, so they must have a good rest.
The Mother Bear gave them each their share of seal meat, and then she went into the cave.
"Oh, Fatty," said Sprawley, "just look behind you and see if you don't see a merman."Fatty turned her head, but there was nothing there.When she looked back again she burst into a loud whine."Ou-u-u! ou-u-u-u!" she cried, "Sprawley stole my nicest piece of meat, so he did.Ou-u-u!"Out shuffled Mother Bear in a hurry."You naughty cub," she cried, aiming a blow at Sprawley's ear.But quick as a wink Sprawley slipped behind Dumpy, and it was upon Dumpy that the blow fell.
And now Dumpy joined in with his sister."Ou-u-u!" he cried.
"There, there!" cried the poor Mother Bear, "don't you cry any more and I'll give you each an extra piece of meat."So they stopped crying and ate their suppers contentedly, and after that they all went to bed, and the little cubs had hardly lain down before they were fast asleep.
Teddy did not go to sleep, however.He lay looking at the ice-roof of the cave and thinking how strange it was to be there.Presently he heard the Mother Bear say very softly, "Husband, husband, are you awake?""Yes, I am," said the Father Bear."What do you want?"The Mother Bear sighed."I don't know how it is, husband," she said, "but I never had a cub like Sprawley before.He is so naughty and mischievous that he keeps his little brother and sister whining all the time.""You ought to box him," said the Father Bear.
