These constituted the various characters of the piece, the name of which had been kept a profound secret from the crew until the morning of the day on which it was acted.
Fred's duties, as manager and author, upon this occasion were by no means light, for his troop, being unaccustomed to study, found the utmost difficulty in committing the simplest sentences to memory.
O'Riley turned out to be the sharpest among them, but having agreed to impersonate the First Bear, and having to act his part in dumb show--bears not being supposed capable of speech--his powers of memory had not to be exerted.

Grim was also pretty good; but Davie Summers could not be got to remember even the general arrangements of the piece; and as for Buzzby, he no sooner mastered a line than he forgot the one before it, and almost gave it up in despair.

But by dint of much study and many rehearsals in secret, under the superintendence of Fred, and Tom Singleton, who undertook to assist, they succeeded at last in going through it with only a few mistakes.
On the morning of the 1st December, while the most of the crew were away at Red-Snow Valley cutting moss, Fred collected his _corps dramatique_ for a last rehearsal in the forecastle, where they were secure from interruption, the place being so cold that no one would willingly go into it except under the force of necessity.

A dim lantern lit up the apartment faintly.
"We must do it without a mistake this time," said Fred Ellice, opening his book, and calling upon Grim to begin.
"'Tis cold," began Grim.
"Stop, you're wrong." "Oh! so I am," cried Grim, slapping his thigh, "I'll begin again." It may be remarked here, that although Blunderbore was supposed to be an Esquimau monarch, he was compelled to speak English, being unfortunately ignorant--if we may so speak--of his native tongue! "Oh! 'tis a dismal thing," began Grim again, "to dwell in solitude and cold! 'Tis very cold [Grim shuddered here tremendously], and--and--( what's next ?)" "Hunger," said Fred.
"Hunger gnaws my vitals.

My name is Blunderbore.