Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 616

"The Last Cruise of the Black Bear: A Romance of the Alaskan Seas and Coast" by George C. Jenks This serial adventure opens with the whaling bark *Americus* trapped in Arctic ice off Alaska. Captain Clarence Wrench, nicknamed "The Black Bear" for his dark appearance and ruthless temperament, commands the rescue of a distressed yawl carrying two women adrift on the ice pack. Young passenger Robert Burleigh, a Harvard man and wealthy Bostonian traveling incognito, assists in the rescue alongside boatswain Silas Hawkins. The salvaged women—an elderly lady named Pauline Novritch and a young, beautiful girl named Marie—trigger unexpected recognition and rage in Captain Wrench. Pauline, recognizing him by name, shrieks "Murderer!" before fainting, suggesting a dark shared history. The captain's violent reaction hints at criminal secrets. The narrative continues as the rescued women board the *Americus*, with tensions mounting between Wrench and the mysterious Pauline.