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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14665 ***
+
+                   THROUGH THE AIR TO THE NORTH POLE
+
+                                  OR
+
+             The Wonderful Cruise of the Electric Monarch
+
+                            BY ROY ROCKWOOD
+
+    AUTHOR OF "THE RIVAL OCEAN DIVERS," "A SCHOOLBOY'S PLUCK," ETC.
+
+                                 1906
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAP.
+
+       I. DRIVEN FROM TOWN
+
+      II. THE RUNAWAY TRAIN
+
+     III. A STRANGE RESCUER
+
+      IV. THE AIRSHIP
+
+       V. A PLAN TO SEEK THE NORTH POLE
+
+      VI. AWAY IN THE AIRSHIP
+
+     VII. HELD BY ELECTRICITY
+
+    VIII. SURROUNDED BY EAGLES
+
+      IX. THE FROZEN NORTH REACHED
+
+       X. LOST IN AN ICE CAVE
+
+      XI. ATTACKED BY SEA LIONS
+
+     XII. A MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE
+
+    XIII. FORWARD ONCE MORE
+
+     XIV. TOSSED BY A TORNADO
+
+      XV. PRISONERS OF THE ESQUIMAUX
+
+     XVI. THE STRANGE WOMAN AIDS
+
+    XVII. FIGHTING FOR THE SHIP
+
+   XVIII. NORTHWARD ONCE MORE
+
+     XIX. A BLINDING SNOWSTORM
+
+      XX. AT THE NORTH POLE?
+
+     XXI. LOST IN THE SNOW
+
+    XXII. MAGNETIC FIRE WORSHIPPERS
+
+   XXIII. A STRANGE SACRIFICE
+
+    XXIV. SAVED BY DIROLA
+
+     XXV. ADRIFT ON THE ICE
+
+    XXVI. FIGHTING WILD DOGS
+
+   XXVII. BACK TO THE SHIP
+
+  XXVIII. ATTACKED BY THE NATIVES
+
+    XXIX. THE ESCAPE
+
+     XXX. HOMEWARD BOUND
+
+
+
+
+THROUGH THE AIR TO THE NORTH POLE.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+DRIVEN FROM TOWN
+
+
+"Come now, you boys git out of here! No tramps allowed in Freeport while
+Ezra Jenkins is constable! Move along, now, or I'll arrest ye! Here's my
+badge of authority!" And a crabbed old man, wearing a faded blue suit,
+with a big shining star of metal on his coat, tapped the emblem with his
+club.
+
+Two boys, who had just joined each other, after having called at houses
+on the main street of the little New York village, where Constable
+Jenkins held sway as the entire police force, started at the sound of
+the harsh voice.
+
+"Come; are ye goin' to move?" snapped the constable.
+
+"I suppose we'll have to," answered the larger and stouter of the two
+lads, "but we haven't done anything."
+
+"Ye're tramps, ain't ye?" inquired the constable. "Course ye are! Been
+beggin', ain't ye? Course ye have! I kin see the victuals stickin' out
+of yer pockets now! Move on an' git out of Freeport! We don't want any
+tramps here!"
+
+"Come on, Mark," said the heavier of the two boys; "if our room is
+better than our company, they can have the room. I hope you'll get
+richer boarders than we are," the youth went on, turning to the
+constable. "We are going to shake the dust of Freeport from our feet.
+I think they ought to call this town Closedport instead of Freeport!"
+
+"None of yer sass, now!" warned the constable, tapping his badge again.
+"Jest you move on out of town!"
+
+"I think we had better go," murmured the other boy, who was thin and
+small. "Don't make any trouble, Jack."
+
+"All right," assented the other. "Ta-ta, Mr. Chief of Police! See you
+later!"
+
+"Here, you young rascals!" cried the constable. "Come back here an' I'll
+lock ye up!"
+
+But the boys started to run, and, as Mr. Jenkins was no longer young,
+and as his legs were rather stiff, he went only a little way before he
+had to stop. He shook his fist after the two lads.
+
+"Do you suppose he would have locked us up?" asked the small boy, whom
+his companion addressed as Mark. His full name was Mark Sampson, but he
+was very unlike his strong ancestor who pulled over the pillars of the
+temple.
+
+"He acted mean enough to do anything," replied Jack Darrow, who was
+quite a contrast in point of size and fleshiness to his companion.
+
+"What shall we do now?" asked Mark.
+
+"Keep on moving, I guess," was the reply, "At least until we get outside
+of Freeport."
+
+"Well, I'm glad I've got company now. It was lonesome before I met you."
+
+"Same here. We'll travel a way together, eh?"
+
+The two boys had met under rather strange circumstances. Early that
+morning Jack Darrow, the stout one, had awakened from his sleep in a
+pile of hay in a farmer's field. Close to him was another youth, whose
+name he had inquired as soon as the owner of it awoke.
+
+Then the two boys discovered that their conditions in life were very
+similar. Both were orphans, about the same age, Jack being sixteen and
+Mark fifteen years, and neither had a place he could call home.
+
+"My folks have been dead for some years," said Jack, in telling his
+story to his companion. "I was hired out to a farmer in the upper part
+of New York, but he worked me so hard and treated me so mean that I ran
+away. I've been tramping ever since; don't my clothes show it? You see
+I was forced to go without taking my many trunks along," and he laughed,
+for he was of a jolly disposition.
+
+"My people are dead also," said Mark. "I had a job with a man going
+around the country with a traction engine, threshing wheat and oats at
+different farms. But he used to beat me, so, one night, I ran away."
+
+"And didn't bring any extra clothes with you, either," put in Jack.
+
+"I never owned any to bring. I only had the one suit I wore."
+
+And after that the boys had told something of their experiences and
+become very friendly.
+
+The two boys walked on for a while in silence, kicking up the dust of
+the country road. Then Jack came to a halt, clapped his hand on his
+pocket, and said:
+
+"I nearly forgot I had something to eat! Just think of it! And I haven't
+dined since yesterday! I wonder what the lady gave me. She looked good
+natured."
+
+He sat down on a grassy bank along the highway, pulled the package of
+food out, and began to eat with every indication of satisfaction.
+
+"Bread, meat, piece of pie and a piece of cake!" he announced, looking
+over his lunch. "What did you get, Mark?"
+
+"I got the same as you, except I didn't get any pie or cake."
+
+"I guess your lady hadn't baked this week. Never mind, you can have half
+my pie and half my cake."
+
+"I'm sure I'm much obliged," said the thin youth.
+
+"You needn't be," broke in Jack. "That's the law of the road. When
+two--well, I suppose I might as well say tramps, for that's what we
+are--when two tramps go off together, they whack up. And that's what
+we're going to do!"
+
+It did not take long for the boys to finish their simple meal. Jack,
+true to his promise, shared his dessert with his companion.
+
+"Well, I feel like going on now, and looking for a job," remarked the
+heavier weighted lad. "What do you say, Mark?"
+
+"I guess we might as well get out of this town. They don't seem to care
+for us. But I wish I had a drink of water."
+
+"Nothing easier," replied Jack. "There you are," and he pointed a short
+distance ahead, where a brook ran along the road. The boys got down on
+their faces near a little pool, the bottom of which was covered with
+white pebbles, and drank heartily. Then, refreshed by the water, their
+hunger appeased, and rested, they started on the tramp again.
+
+"Any particular place you want to go to?" asked Mark.
+
+"No, I'm not particular. East or west, the north pole or the south pole.
+I haven't any one to worry about me, no matter which way I go. I'd a
+little rather go north, though, as it is mighty warm to-day," and Jack
+laughed carelessly.
+
+Little did he guess how soon his wish was to be gratified.
+
+"Then we may as well keep on until we get to the next town," said Mark.
+
+They walked on for some distance, their thoughts busy with their recent
+experiences, when they suddenly heard a noise at a distance.
+
+"Sounds like a freight train," said Mark.
+
+"So it is! Come on! Let's get aboard! Riding is easier than walking any
+day! Hurry up!"
+
+And then the two boys broke into a run toward a slow moving freight on a
+track that crossed the country road a short distance away from them.
+
+"Look out that you don't get under the wheels!" cautioned Jack to his
+companion.
+
+"Oh, I'm used to jumping the cars," replied Mark, as he ran quickly up
+beside the rails.
+
+The two boys reached the track along which the freight train was bumping
+and clicking. It was a long outfit, with many box, flat and gondola
+cars.
+
+"Try for a gondola!" suggested Jack, indicating the cars with sides
+about five feet high, and open at the top.
+
+The next instant he had swung up on a car, thrusting his foot in the
+iron step, and grasping the handle in a firm grip. Jack grabbed the next
+car, and landed safely aboard. Then, running forward, and clambering
+over to where his companion was, Jack pulled Mark down on the bottom of
+the gondola.
+
+"No use letting a brakeman see you if you can help it," he explained.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE RUNAWAY TRAIN
+
+
+On went the train, carrying the boys to a destination unknown to them.
+All they cared for was that they were going away from Freeport and its
+vindictive constable.
+
+"How long have your folks been dead?" asked Jack, after he had settled
+himself comfortably in a corner.
+
+"About five years," was the answer. "Father and mother went about the
+same time. They were poor, and I had no brothers or sisters. When I was
+all alone," the boy's voice trembled a bit, "I didn't know what to do.
+They wanted to send me to the poor-house, but I ran away. Then, after
+knocking about a bit, I got the job with the traction engine man, until
+he used me so I couldn't stand it."
+
+"That's about my case," said Jack. "I had a brother, and he ran away
+before my folks died. I guess they felt bad about him. Anyhow, mother
+used to cry an awful lot. When I was left all alone I was taken care of
+by some poor folks, who kept me as long as they could. Then I had to
+shift for myself. I had a good many jobs, and then I thought I'd like
+to be a farmer. I was sent to a place but the man wasn't very kind. He
+whipped me because I made a mistake and pulled up an onion instead of a
+weed. Then he beat me because I gave the horse too many oats. He never
+told me how much to give. So I ran away, and I'm glad of it. I've been
+cold and hungry lots of times since, but I haven't been whipped."
+
+"I guess that old constable would have licked us if he had the chance,"
+put in Mark.
+
+"No use worrying over that. He's a good many miles away now."
+
+"Here! What are you boys doing there?" cried a voice.
+
+Jack and Mark looked up, to see a brakeman gazing down at them from the
+top of a box car.
+
+"We're taking a ride," answered Jack coolly.
+
+"So I see," replied the brakeman. "Well, I guess it will come to an end
+right now. Hop off!"
+
+"Are you the conductor?" asked Jack.
+
+"No, of course not," said the wheel-twister.
+
+"Then don't try to put us off," went on the boy, with an assumed haughty
+air. "Just send the conductor here to punch our tickets. We're traveling
+first class, and don't want to be disturbed any more than is necessary."
+
+"Well, I like your nerve!" exclaimed the brakeman, climbing down. "Who
+are you, anyhow?"
+
+The railroad man laughed. Then Jack smiled, for he knew he and his
+companion were safe. In a few words he told their stories, and the
+brakeman promised they might go as far as the train went.
+
+"You boys are all right," said the brakeman. "I have two youngsters of
+my own at home, and I hope, if ever they get in a tight place, some one
+will help them. Can I do anything to fix you up?"
+
+"Not unless you can lend us about one thousand dollars each," laughed
+Jack, and the brakeman joined in with him.
+
+"Or tell us where we can get work," put in Mark, who seemed quite
+worried.
+
+"I can't say for sure where you can get jobs," the brakeman said, "but
+if I was in your place I'd get off at the next town. The name of it is
+Millville, and there are lots of factories there. Maybe you can strike
+something. I'll speak to the conductor and have him ask the engineer to
+slow up so you can jump off."
+
+"We'd be obliged if you would," Jack said. "We may be tramps for a
+while, but we're both anxious to get work, and maybe Millville will be
+just the place for us."
+
+"We're coming into it now," the brakeman went on. "It's about a mile
+from here. I'll go back, and when you hear five whistles from the engine
+you'll know it's slowing up and you are to jump off. I know the
+conductor will do that if I ask him."
+
+The brakeman climbed up the ladder on the end of the box car next to the
+gondola where the boys were, until he reached the run-boards on top.
+Then he hurried along to the caboose, where the conductor was.
+
+"We must listen for the five whistles," said Jack. "Get ready to jump,
+Mark. Don't forget your baggage."
+
+"No danger of that," chimed in the other, falling into the joyful mood
+of his companion, who never seemed to be cast down for long, no matter
+what happened.
+
+The train was going down grade now, and the speed was much increased.
+Telegraph poles whizzed past at a rapid rate and the wheels sung a
+livelier tune as they clipped over the rail joints.
+
+"It's a good thing the engineer is going to slow down for us," said
+Jack. "We'd never be able to jump off at the rate we're going."
+
+"Hark!" exclaimed Mark. "There goes the whistle!"
+
+The boys listened. A long, shrill blast cut the summer air, and
+vibrated back to them over the tops of the cars.
+
+"That isn't five whistles; it's one!" cried Jack. "It's the call for
+brakes! I wonder if anything has happened to the train!"
+
+There was a pause. Then came another single shriek from the engine's
+whistle. It sounded appealingly, as if the steam monster was in
+distress.
+
+"Look! Look!" shouted Mark. "We are going much faster than we were!"
+
+At the same instant there was a crash and a jolting sound. The train
+seemed to break in two parts at about the centre. The forward section,
+drawn by the engine, went one way, and the other part, with the gondola
+containing the boys, in the lead, took another track. An insecurely
+fastened switch was responsible for the accident. The locomotive and
+nearly half the cars of the train took the main track, while the
+remainder of the outfit swung on to a siding.
+
+The section of the train with the boys aboard had become a runaway
+freight!
+
+"What has happened?" cried Mark.
+
+"The train's broken in two!" shouted Jack. "Come on! Help twist the
+brakes!"
+
+Both boys sprang to the wheel of the gondola. It was all they could do
+to give it a few turns, but they managed to make the brake-shoes grip
+the wheels to some degree, as was evidenced by the shrill shrieking.
+
+"Can you climb up to the top of the box car?" asked Jack.
+
+"Sure!" shouted Mark. "Go ahead!"
+
+Though Mark was thin, he had a nervous strength almost equal to that of
+his stouter companion.
+
+"We must set all the brakes we can!" Jack cried. "That's the only way to
+stop the runaway train!"
+
+With their small arms they twisted the wheel on the box car. They got it
+as tight as they could, then ran along the top of the vehicle to the
+next one. About ten cars down they saw their friendly brakeman.
+
+"That's the stuff, boys!" he shouted. "There'll be a smash-up if we
+don't stop the cars!"
+
+He was twisting wheels with all his might. As fast as they could the two
+boys went from car to car, setting the brakes.
+
+But in spite of their efforts, and the efforts of another brakeman
+besides the one they had spoken to, the speed of the runaway freight
+train increased. The grade was a steep one, and down the hill the
+uncontrolled cars rushed.
+
+"I don't believe we're going to stop," said Jack.
+
+"Shall we jump?" asked Mark.
+
+"Not if you want to get a job in the mill or factory," replied Jack. "I
+reckon if you or I jumped that would be the last of us."
+
+With a rush and a roar the train continued to speed along. The trees and
+telegraph poles whizzed past so quickly as to be almost invisible.
+
+"I guess this is Millville," said Mark, as the runaway train passed a
+station, on several sides of which there were large buildings to be
+seen.
+
+So fast was the runaway train going now that the boys had to lie down on
+their faces and cling to the run-boards on top of the box car to avoid
+being jolted off. The wind fairly whistled in their ears. Through the
+town they rushed, observing, as by a flash, the white, frightened face
+of the station agent as he watched them go past.
+
+"Do you think there'll be a smash-up?" asked Mark.
+
+"I don't see how it can be avoided," replied Jack. "This track has to
+come to an end somewhere. When it does, look out, that's all!"
+
+On and on rushed the train! It's speed was now fearful, for the down
+grade had increased. It was of no avail to twist the brakes, for no
+strength would avail to slacken the awful speed. The boys, in common
+with the brakemen, could only cling and wait in terror for what was to
+come.
+
+The cars swayed as they went around a curve. Jack lifted his head and
+peered forward.
+
+"Hold fast!" he shouted. "We're going to strike something in a minute!"
+
+He had looked up in time to see that the track siding came to an abrupt
+end about a quarter of a mile further on, the rails stopping in a sand
+bank.
+
+Hardly had the boys time to take a tighter grip with their fingers on
+the boards to which they were clinging, when the whole string of freight
+cars seemed to crumple up like a collection of paper vehicles.
+
+There was a grinding, sickening crash, a succession of heavy jolts, a
+piling up of one car on top of another, a splintering of wood, a rending
+of iron and steel, and then with one terrible smash, with one final
+roar, the runaway freight piled itself up in a mass of shattered cars
+against the sand hill, at the base of which the rails came to an end. It
+was a fearful wreck.
+
+"Hold fast!" were the last words Jack cried to his companion. His voice
+sounded faint above the din.
+
+"Where are you, Jack?" he heard Mark shout in reply.
+
+Then all became dark, and the boys lost their senses as they were hurled
+into the splintered mass of wreckage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A STRANGE RESCUER
+
+
+"For de land sakes, Perfessor, hurry up! Heah's de stupenduousness
+conglomeration dat eber transcribed dis terresterial hemisphere!"
+exclaimed a stout, jolly looking colored man a few seconds after the
+crash of the wreck had ceased echoing.
+
+"What is it, Washington?" asked a mild mannered elderly gentleman, with
+long flowing hair and beard, who, with the negro, had been walking in a
+field close to the railroad.
+
+"I doan perzackly know, Perfessor, but it seems like there was a
+discontinuation ob de transportation facilities, when some sudden
+construction on de elongated tempestuousness attached to de railroad
+made de cars go bump! bump! Bang! Smack! Crash!"
+
+"Washington! Washington! When will you stop using words that don't mean
+anything!" cried the old man, hurrying forward. "I presume you mean
+there has been a railroad wreck?"
+
+"That's it, Perfessor. De extenuatin' circumstances ob
+transmigration--"
+
+"That will do, Washington!" said the aged man, somewhat sternly. "You
+must stop talking, and act. This is no time for foolishness. There may
+be people hurt. Come along and let us see what we can do."
+
+"Yes, sah!" replied the negro, calming down.
+
+Then the two hurried down along the track, piled high with the debris of
+the runaway freight train.
+
+"My! My! This is a terrible wreck!" cried the old man, as the two
+climbed over the mass of wreckage.
+
+"Hi, Perfessor!" called the colored man, suddenly. "I've found
+something!"
+
+"What is it, Washington?"
+
+"It's a boy, an' he dead!"
+
+"Oh, that's too bad!"
+
+"An' heah's another, an' he's dead! Dis catafterme is de most--"
+
+"Now, Washington, remember what I told you. No big words wanted at the
+present time. Where are the boys?"
+
+"Here, Perfessor," and the negro showed the old man where Mark and Jack
+were lying, close together on a pile of sand. The professor bent over
+them. He felt of their hearts and listened to their breathing.
+
+"Here!" he cried, suddenly. "They're not dead! They're only stunned!
+Maybe we can save them! Hurry, Washington, and carry them to my cabin.
+You take one and I will bring the other!"
+
+"You don't need to carry any ob 'em," answered the colored man. "Dis
+chile is strong 'nuff, I reckon, to tote dem two boys," and, suiting the
+action to the words, he stooped down, put an arm around each of the
+prostrate forms and lifted one on each shoulder. "'Bout face! Forward
+march!" he cried.
+
+With the old man following, the negro made his way along a path that led
+over the fields, until he came to a long and rather narrow shed built on
+the edge of the woods.
+
+"Be sure no one is in sight before you go in!" cautioned the old man, as
+he opened the door, which was fastened with several padlocks. "It would
+never do to have my secret discovered now."
+
+"Nobody in sight, master!" exclaimed the colored man, as he turned, with
+the two unconscious boys on his shoulders, and gazed about "De coast am
+clear."
+
+"Then hurry inside and we will see what we can do for the poor lads. I
+fear they are seriously hurt."
+
+The negro slipped in as the old man held the door open, hurriedly
+closing it afterward, and bolting it on the inside.
+
+"Put them on my bed," went on the gray-haired man. "Then hurry back to
+the wreck! There may be more people hurt, whom you can aid. Don't stop
+to talk, but hurry back. I will see to the boys."
+
+Not very willingly the negro left the shed. When he was gone, and the
+door was securely fastened after him, the old man went over to where
+Mark and Jack lay, both still unconscious.
+
+"Poor lads!" sighed the old man. "I hope I can save them."
+
+He went rapidly to work. Loosening the clothing of the boys he soon
+found that no bones were broken. Then from a medicine chest he took
+several bottles. In a tall glass, such as druggists use for mixing
+prescriptions, he put several liquids, and stirred the whole together.
+Then he moistened a little cotton in the preparation, and placed the
+white stuff under the noses of the lads, holding it in place with
+cloths. He had about completed this when a knock was heard at the door.
+
+"Who is there?" he cried, starting up in alarm.
+
+"Mr. Washington Jackson Alexander White," was the answer.
+
+"Give the countersign!" demanded the old man, sternly, making no move to
+undo the bolts that held the door tight.
+
+"De North Pole, an' long may it stand!" was the rather odd reply.
+
+"Right! Enter!" said the professor, opening the door to give admittance
+to the colored man.
+
+"Did you find any more victims of the wreck?" asked the old man.
+
+"No, sah; Mr. Perfessor Amos Henderson, I did not," answered Washington.
+
+"Just plain Professor will do," said Amos Henderson, quietly. "You
+needn't give my full name every time."
+
+"All right, Perfessor," went on the colored man. "I didn't find no mo'
+pussons entangled in the distribution of debris. Dere was a lot ob
+railroad men dere, but dey wasn't hurted. Dey was lookin' fer two boys
+what was ridin' on de train when it went kersmash."
+
+"I hope you didn't say anything about these lads, Washington."
+
+"Not one single disjointed word, Perfessor. Dis chile knows when to
+persecute de essence ob quietude an' silence."
+
+"There you go again! How many times have I told you not to try and use
+big words, Washington? Use simple language. I take it you mean there
+were no others injured in the wreck?"
+
+"Perzackly."
+
+"It is a miracle how these boys escaped instant death," the old man went
+on.
+
+"I reckon as how it were owin' to de fack dat dey struck in a bank ob
+soft sand dat concussioned de fall," explained Washington.
+
+"You mean the soft sand saved them?"
+
+"Dat's de correctness ob it."
+
+"I think you are right," the old man continued, as he fastened the door
+securely. "The shock of the sudden stopping of the runaway train, as it
+reached the end of the siding and crashed into the bank, probably threw
+the lads up in the air, and they came down in the sliding sand where we
+found them. Otherwise they would surely have been killed. As it is they
+have had severe shocks."
+
+"Are dey goin' to die, Perfessor?"
+
+"I hope not, Washington, but I must see to them."
+
+Amos Henderson went over to the bed on which the two boys were stretched
+out, each with the piece of cotton soaked in the preparation over his
+mouth and nose.
+
+"I am using a very powerful remedy," the old man muttered. "If they are
+not too badly hurt they will recover. Ah, yes, there is a little color
+in their pale cheeks."
+
+He bent over the boys. As he had said, Jack's face was tinged with a
+light pink, and Mark's eye-lids were moving slightly.
+
+"They are coming around all right," exclaimed the aged professor.
+"Hurry, Washington, and get some hot beef broth ready. Put the kettle on
+to boil and make some strong tea. They will want something to eat
+shortly after they recover their senses."
+
+The colored man, humming softly to himself, began moving about the shed.
+It was a rough looking place from the outside, but, within, was fitted
+with many comforts. There was a gasoline stove, a table, several chairs,
+a bed, and a large case full of books. But the queerest sights of all
+were on the walls.
+
+They were literally covered with cog wheels, levers, handles, springs,
+pieces of machinery, patterns, models, and strange devices. The room had
+two doors. One was that by which the old man and the negro had entered.
+The other was behind the bed, and was clamped and fastened with so many
+bolts and bars, with locks similar to those on big safes, that it would
+seem a rare treasure was concealed behind the portal.
+
+The old man gave no heed to the wonders that surrounded him. Instead he
+gave all his attention to the boys. He sat down beside the bed and
+watched them as their breathing became stronger. From time to time he
+felt of their pulses, and nodded his head as if satisfied.
+
+"Is the beef tea ready?" asked the old man, after a half hour had
+passed.
+
+"It am, Perfessor."
+
+"Then turn down the flame a bit so it will keep the stuff warm, and come
+back into the work shop with me. I want to get that last bolt in the
+engine."
+
+"Are dem young gen'men all hunky-dory?"
+
+"They are coming on nicely," was the old man's reply. "They will recover
+consciousness in half an hour and we can feed them, and give them some
+medicine. Come along, Washington."
+
+The two passed out through the much-locked door behind the bed, the
+undoing of the fastenings taking some time. As the portal swung open it
+disclosed a long shed which seemed to be occupied with a big, strange
+object.
+
+The old professor and the negro had not been gone more than five minutes
+before Jack opened his eyes. He turned over on one side. As he did so
+Mark slowly lifted his head.
+
+"Hello!" cried Jack, faintly.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Mark.
+
+"Matter? What? Where?" inquired Mark, sitting up.
+
+"Here! Everywhere!" replied Jack, raising himself slowly on his elbow.
+"All I remember is a terrible crash. Now look at all those wheels.
+Wheels! Wheels! Wheels! I wonder if they can be in my head?" and he
+tried to smile.
+
+"No, they are real wheels, and they are on the walls," announced Mark.
+
+"Then where in the world are we?" went on Jack. "In a machine shop or a
+railroad wreck?"
+
+"Looks like--" began Mark, when he was interrupted by a voice calling:
+
+"Hurry up, Perfessor! De boys has awakened from de unconsciousability!"
+
+And, to the astonishment of Jack and Mark, the old man and his negro
+helper hurried from the inner room and stood in front of the bed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE AIRSHIP
+
+
+"Do you feel better?" asked the professor, anxiously, as he came forward
+and felt of the boys' pulses.
+
+"A great deal," answered Jack. "But what has happened? Where are we?
+What are all these wheels for?"
+
+"Slowly, slowly," said the old man with a pleasant laugh. "One question
+at a time. For the first: what happened was a railroad wreck."
+
+"I remember now," said Jack, slowly. "We tried to stop the cars."
+
+"And you didn't succeed very well," went on the old man. "However, the
+sand bank did it for you, and stopped you two at the same time. As for
+your second question, you are here in my shop. As to the third, those
+wheels are parts of my great invention. But I will tell you about that
+after a while. I must give you some medicine now, and something to eat.
+Here, Washington!"
+
+"Comin', Perfessor!"
+
+Jack and Mark were more surprised than before when they saw a big
+colored man, seemingly as strong as an ox, coming toward them with two
+steaming bowls of beef broth. Washington was grinning with delight.
+
+"Dis am de best beef stew dat eber transpositioned itself into yo'
+vicinity!" he exclaimed, setting the bowls down on a table near the bed.
+
+"Now, Washington," cautioned the old man. "No big words, remember."
+
+"All right, Perfessor," was the answer.
+
+"Do you boys feel like eating?" asked the aged inventor.
+
+"I do," replied Jack. "There was a time, though, when I thought I'd
+never get a chance to eat again. That was just before the crash."
+
+"You were both knocked unconscious," the professor went on. "Washington
+and I happened to be near by and brought you here. Fortunately I am
+something of a doctor as well as an inventor, and I used a strong
+medicine I have."
+
+"I'm sure we're much obliged to you," answered Mark.
+
+"Let me see how much improved you are by eating," suggested the old man.
+"I can trust Washington to cook good meals, even if he does use big
+words."
+
+Then, while the colored man grinned cheerfully at them, Jack and Mark,
+sitting up on the bed, for they were still weak and sore, ate the broth.
+After that both boys said they felt better.
+
+"See if you can walk," suggested the inventor.
+
+Mark and Jack stepped on the floor. They both uttered cries of pain.
+They were stiff and lame from the shaking they had received.
+
+"A day in bed will do you no harm," said their strange rescuer. "I have
+some liniment that will soon take the soreness out of every one of your
+muscles."
+
+Though the boys protested at being made to remain in bed, the old man
+insisted. He made them take off most of their clothes, and then brought
+out some liniment. Under his direction Jack and Mark rubbed themselves
+well, and experienced almost immediate relief. It was now getting dusk,
+and Washington lighted a big lamp that hung in the centre of the room,
+first taking care that the shutters were tightly fastened.
+
+The colored man prepared a simple supper for Mr. Henderson, and
+afterward got himself a meal. When the dishes were cleared away the old
+man, who had noted with smiles the anxious glances Jack and Mark were
+casting about the strange room, said:
+
+"I suppose you boys would like to ask lots of questions."
+
+"I'd like to know what all this machinery is for," spoke Jack.
+
+"And what is behind that door," Mark went on, indicating the much-locked
+portal.
+
+"I knew it!" exclaimed the old man. "I knew it! Now if I tell you will
+you promise to keep it a secret until I give you leave to speak?"
+
+Of course the boys promised eagerly.
+
+"Do you think you have rested enough now to take a look inside?" the
+inventor asked, nodding toward the locked door.
+
+"Sure!" exclaimed Jack.
+
+"Then put on your coats and trousers and I'll introduce you to my pet."
+
+Wonderingly, the boys followed him. It took nearly a minute to unfasten
+the various bolts and bars, but at last the portal swung open. The place
+was dimly lighted by a single big lamp, but in the glare of it the boys
+caught sight of a strange, weird object. It looked like an immense
+cigar, and swayed slowly back and forward. It seemed to be covered with
+a net-work of cords. On the ground beneath it was what seemed to be a
+good-sized boat, with a large cabin amidships.
+
+"What in the world is it?" cried Jack.
+
+"It's my airship!" exclaimed Professor Henderson. "The only successful
+airship ever invented. It is the electric _Monarch_!"
+
+"What is it for?" asked Mark.
+
+"To navigate the realm of the stars and moon!" cried the old man. "With
+that I will rival the eagles in their flight!"
+
+The boys were a little alarmed. The professor was strangely excited. His
+eyes sparkled in the reflected light of the lamp. Jack and Mark thought
+they might have been brought to the abode of a madman. They shrank back
+a little. But they were reassured a moment later when, with a pleasant
+laugh, the old man said:
+
+"Don't be frightened, boys. I know what I am talking about. Here,
+Washington, more light! We will show them what we have done, hidden away
+from the sight of the curious, unbelieving world. Let them see my
+_Monarch_!"
+
+"We'll illuminationness dis abode like it was de orb ob day shinin'
+heah!" exclaimed the negro, as he started several more lamps aglow.
+
+"Are the shutters closed?" asked Mr. Henderson, anxiously.
+
+"Tight as a drum-head," was the reply.
+
+"Now look!" exclaimed the inventor, turning to the boys.
+
+They were more than astonished at what they saw. They had no idea that
+the rough shed held such a perfect piece of machinery.
+
+Up near the roof of the place, which was quite high, there swayed an
+immense bag of oiled silk. It was shaped like a cigar, big in the middle
+and tapering at both ends. The bag was enclosed in a net of ropes which
+extended down to the lower part of the airship.
+
+This lower part, as the boys could see, was just like a steam launch in
+shape, only much lighter in weight. It had a sharp bow, and a blunt
+stern. From the stern there extended a large propeller, the blades being
+made from sheets of aluminum.
+
+The main part of the ship proper, or the part suspended from the gas
+bag, was covered by a closed and roofed cabin about forty feet long, ten
+feet wide, and extending five feet above the gunwale of the ship. The
+cabin had four windows on each side, a companionway fore and aft, and a
+sort of look-out or conning tower forward, which, the professor
+explained, was the place for the steersman.
+
+"Because this ship can be steered wherever you want to go," he said,
+pointing to the big rudder that was hung aft, an opening in it allowing
+the screw or propeller to revolve.
+
+The boys were lost in admiration of the wonderful airship. They were
+consumed with curiosity as to how the machinery worked, and they thought
+no more of their knocks and bruises than as if a mosquito had bitten
+them. The professor watched their faces with delight. He loved boys and
+mechanical apparatus.
+
+"Now we will enter the _Monarch_," he said. "Turn on the lights,
+Washington."
+
+There was a click, and the cabin of the airship was flooded with a soft
+glow of incandescent lamps.
+
+"Come on!" called Mr. Henderson, leading the way. The boys followed,
+marveling at the wonders on every side.
+
+They found the cabin of the strange craft divided into three parts.
+First came a sort of parlor, with a table and seats arranged on the
+sides. In the front part of this was a passage leading to the conning
+tower, or the place for the steersman. Behind the parlor came the
+sleeping quarters and dining room combined. The bunks were arranged to
+fold against the wall, and a table in the centre could be shut up when
+not in use and hoisted to the ceiling, giving plenty of space.
+
+Next came the engine room, and as they entered it the boys could hardly
+restrain from giving cheers of delight. It was almost filled with
+machinery, and occupied a little more than half of the whole boat, being
+twenty-two by ten feet in size.
+
+The two boys did not know the use of one quarter of the machinery and
+apparatus they gazed on. There were electric motors, storage batteries,
+two gasoline engines similar to those used in automobiles, pumps, large
+and small tanks, instruments for measuring the electric current, for
+telling the temperature, the amount of moisture in the air, the speed of
+the wind, the speed of the ship, the height to which it went, besides
+compasses, barometers, telescopes, and other instruments.
+
+There were levers and wheels on every side, switches, valves, electric
+plugs and handles. Lockers arranged close to the wall and along the
+floor held supplies and materials. Everything was new and shining, and
+the professor smiled with pride as he touched piece after piece of
+machinery, and looked at the different instruments.
+
+"Now we'll go out on the stern," he said.
+
+The boys followed as he ascended the companion steps and emerged on a
+small platform at the rear end of the cabin.
+
+"Do you know what this is?" asked the professor, touching a long, thin,
+round object.
+
+"Looks like a gun," replied Mark.
+
+"That's just what it is. It's a machine gun that will fire one hundred
+shots a minute, and it can be turned in any direction, as it works on a
+swivel. I don't know that we'll have any use for it, but I thought I'd
+take it along."
+
+Then the professor pointed out where the propeller shaft ran from the
+engine room out through the stern, and showed how the rudder was worked
+by wire ropes extending from it to the conning tower.
+
+"In short we have everything necessary to successfully navigate the
+air," he went on. "Not a thing has been overlooked. All I have to do is
+to fill the big bag of oiled silk with a new gas I have discovered and
+up we go. This is really the most important part of the invention.
+Without this powerful gas the airship would not rise above the earth.
+
+"But I have found this gas, which can be made in unlimited quantities
+from simple materials that we can carry with us. The gas has enormous
+lifting power, and if it was not for that I would not dare make such a
+large and comfortable airship. As it is, we can sail through the air as
+easily as if we were on an ocean liner on the sea and much more quickly.
+
+"I generate the gas in the engine room as I need it," the professor
+went on. "It goes to the oiled silk bag through two tubes. When we have
+arisen to a sufficient height I start the electric engine, the propeller
+whirls around, and the ship moves forward, just as a steamboat does when
+the screw is set in motion. Then all I have to do is to steer."
+
+"It's great!" cried Jack with sparkling eyes.
+
+"It certainly is," agreed Mark.
+
+From the stern the professor took the boys to the conning tower, where
+there were several wheels and levers, that placed most of the important
+machines and engines in the boat under the direct control of the
+steersman. A lever turned one way would send the ship ahead. Turned in
+the opposite direction it would reverse the course. A wheel like that on
+an automobile served to direct the rudder and so guided the _Monarch's_
+course. Other levers controlled the speed of the engines, and the supply
+of gas that filled the silk bag.
+
+"Here is where we shall carry our supplies of condensed food," the
+professor went on, leading the way back into the middle room. "We will
+take along capsules that will supply us in a small space with meat,
+vegetables, soups, tea and coffee, besides milk.
+
+"The water we will get as we speed along, dropping down to earth
+whenever it is necessary. As for clothing, I have an abundant supply."
+
+He opened a locker and disclosed a pile of fur garments. There were big
+coats, caps and boots, everything made with a furry surface within as
+well as without.
+
+"Any one would think you were going into some cold country, professor,"
+said Jack, looking at the warm garments.
+
+"So we are! We are going to find the north pole!" exclaimed the old
+inventor.
+
+"The north pole?" cried Mark.
+
+"That's what I said. Do you boys want to go along in the _Monarch_ to a
+place where never mortal man has been?"
+
+At that instant there came a loud knock at the door.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+A PLAN TO SEEK THE NORTH POLE
+
+
+"Hark! What was that?" exclaimed Professor Henderson in a hoarse
+whisper.
+
+"Sounded like some one at the door," replied Mark.
+
+"Quick, Washington! Put out the lights! You boys creep back and hide
+under the bed. My secret must not be discovered now when everything is
+ready for the trial!"
+
+The boys started back toward the living room, Washington began putting
+out the lights and then, with the professor, joined the boys. The shed
+containing the airship was in total darkness, and the negro, turning
+down the lamp in the cabin, shrouded that in gloom also.
+
+Once more the knock was repeated. It was a peculiar one; first two raps,
+then a silence, then three blows, followed at intervals by six single
+raps.
+
+"Who is there?" asked the professor, going close to the door.
+
+"A friend," was the reply.
+
+"Give the countersign."
+
+"The North Pole, and long may it stand!" was the queer answer. It was
+the same the colored man had given when he sought admission after his
+second trip to the wreck that afternoon.
+
+Slowly the inventor unfastened the door. As he cautiously opened it a
+roughly dressed man slipped in.
+
+"What's the need of all this foolishness?" he demanded. "Why have you
+made it so dark? It's like a pocket. Is any one here?"
+
+The two boys had crawled under the bed before the door was opened, in
+accordance with the instructions from the old man. The inventor and
+Washington were the only ones visible in the cabin.
+
+"Why don't you turn up the light?" went on the visitor in fretful tones.
+"Are you sure no one is here to learn our secret?"
+
+"Do you see any one?" asked the professor, not wishing to disclose the
+boys' presence. "Do you think I am so foolish as to waste the labor and
+toil of years?"
+
+"I didn't think so," said the man, "but as I came along I thought I saw
+lights in the balloon shed."
+
+"Very likely," admitted Mr. Henderson coolly. "Washington and I were
+out there doing some work."
+
+"All right," was the rather ungracious answer. "I have those chemicals
+you wanted."
+
+"Give them to me!" implored the old man in an anxious tone. "I thought
+you would never bring them."
+
+"Oh, I don't forget so easily. Here you are," and the newcomer passed
+over a package. "Now when are you going to sail?"
+
+"In about a week," answered the inventor.
+
+"Then I guess I'll stay until you go," spoke the stranger. "I don't want
+to be left behind."
+
+At this the old professor seemed strangely excited. His hands trembled
+as he placed the chemicals on a shelf.
+
+"You don't like it, I see," observed the stranger with a sort of snarl.
+"But I know you too well, Professor Henderson. You would be only too
+glad to go and leave me behind after all I have done for you."
+
+"My only desire, and you know it, James Taggert," broke in the old man,
+"is to preserve my secret from the world until I see whether I can
+succeed or not. I do not want to be laughed at if I fail. I admit you
+have been of service to me, but, rather than risk failure, rather than
+run the chance of having my plans made known before I am ready to have
+them, I would do anything. I know you too well to imagine that you have
+aided me from pure love."
+
+"Well, go on," snarled the man, as the professor paused.
+
+"You have some object back of it all," continued the professor. "I do
+not know what your motive is, but I say, rather than have my plans
+spoiled, I will make you a prisoner and keep you here until after I have
+sailed. I am all ready to start,--tonight, if need be!"
+
+"So that's your game, is it?" cried Taggert. He turned toward the old
+man with an ugly look.
+
+"Washington!" cried the professor. "Bind him! Put him in the little room
+and see that he does not escape!"
+
+The next instant the big negro had folded his arms around Taggert. The
+white man struggled, but he was like a baby in the grasp of a giant, for
+Washington was very powerful. He procured a strong cord, and, before
+Taggert could resist had him firmly bound. Then, picking the man up in
+his arms, Washington carried him back into the balloon shed.
+
+"Help! Help!" cried Taggert, and then his cries were smothered.
+
+"Don't hurt him!" cautioned the professor, calling into the darkness to
+Washington.
+
+"I only guv him a soft piece ob wood to bite on," replied the negro. "He
+mustn't expostulate sounds too freely 'cause it might keep us awake."
+
+In a few minutes Washington returned.
+
+"I made him as comfortableness as de existin' circumstanceableness would
+permit ob," he announced.
+
+"That's right. I did not want to do this, but I was forced to," the
+inventor said. "I will release him as soon as we are ready to sail. But
+I am forgetting the boys. Come out," he called, and Jack and Mark, much
+mystified and somewhat frightened by what had taken place, crawled from
+under the bed.
+
+"I am sorry you witnessed what you did," the professor said to them.
+"But I could not have this man spoil my plans. Some time ago he
+discovered my secret, and to keep him from publishing it broadcast I was
+forced to take him into my confidence. He has given me some aid in
+getting rare chemicals, but he wants a heavy price. He demands a half
+interest in the _Monarch_, and to be taken to the north pole."
+
+"Then you are really going to search for the pole?" asked Jack.
+
+"I am, my boy, and, what is more, I am going to find it. Why, it is
+simple with the wonderful gas I have discovered. That is the whole
+secret of what will be my success. It is easy enough to make an airship
+that will move, but the trouble is no one has yet been able to make a
+gas strong enough to lift the heavy weight of the ship high into the
+air. That is where I have the advantage."
+
+"I wish I could see your ship sail," said Jack.
+
+"You may if you like," exclaimed the old man. "Do you remember what I
+asked you when the knock interrupted us? I asked you if you wanted to go
+to the north pole. Now I have taken a great liking to both you boys. I
+haven't even asked your names yet, but I like you. I need some help in
+running the ship, also in making my explorations in the frozen north.
+Would you like to go along?"
+
+For a few seconds the boys did not know what to say. It was a strange
+and sudden proposition. They had been through so many adventures in the
+last few hours that their brains were fairly bewildered. But to both of
+them there came a great desire to make this wonderful trip through the
+air. Before they could make a reply Professor Henderson spoke again:
+
+"Perhaps you had better think it over a bit," he said. "I realize that
+it comes rather suddenly. Supposing you go to bed, and we'll talk more
+in the morning. Come, Washington, make up a couple of bunks for the boys
+in this room. You can sleep in the balloon shed as usual."
+
+In a few minutes the colored man had made rude but comfortable beds on
+two bunks, like shelves that folded against the wall. Then, with an
+armful of bed clothes, he retired to the big shed.
+
+"Better use a little more liniment," advised the old man. "I don't want
+you sore and stiff if you go with me."
+
+Accordingly Jack and Mark rubbed their arms and legs well. Something in
+the stuff must have been very soothing for they soon fell asleep.
+
+It was broad day when the boys awoke. At first they could not realize
+where they were. They saw a colored man moving about and cooking
+something on the gasolene stove.
+
+"Did yo' gen'men obtain a sufficient percentage of restful
+slumberation?" he asked with a broad grin.
+
+"We slept fine," said Mark.
+
+"Washington, is breakfast ready?" asked Mr. Henderson, coming in from
+the balloon shed.
+
+"It am prepared," was the reply.
+
+"Hello, boys! How did you sleep?" asked the inventor, observing that
+Mark and Jack were awake.
+
+"Fine!" they said in a chorus and with a smile.
+
+"Well, wash up and we'll have something to eat. You'll find soap, water
+and towels out in the shed," and he pointed to where he had just come
+from.
+
+The boys found two big tubs full of cool water. In an instant they had
+stripped and were splashing around like ducks. It was a treat to get a
+good bath. They came back into the cabin glowing. Not even a reminder of
+the soreness and stiffness of the railroad accident remained. They did
+full justice to the meal of coffee and ham and eggs Washington had
+prepared.
+
+"Now, Washington, you had better take the prisoner something, and get
+your own breakfast," the professor said. "I want to have a talk with the
+boys."
+
+Whistling a merry tune, the colored man took out a tray of food to
+Taggert, who was still bound so he could not escape.
+
+"Now I'd like to hear your names, and all about you," the old man said.
+
+The lads told their simple stories from the time each of them had
+started to shift for himself until they had accidentally met, and been
+hurled from the train.
+
+"And have you thought over what I asked you last night?" asked the
+professor, when they had finished.
+
+"I have," said Jack, "and I'd like to go along."
+
+"Good! You shall go!" exclaimed the inventor. "How about you, Mark?"
+
+"I'll go, too."
+
+"All right. Now we have plenty to do," the old professor went on. "The
+actions of this man Taggert will hasten my plans. There are a few
+finishing touches to put on the ship. Come out into the shed."
+
+Delighted at the chance of helping about the mysterious _Monarch_, the
+boys followed the professor. They found the shed lighted by windows in
+the roof, from which the curtains had been rolled back. The windows on
+the side were not opened.
+
+By daylight the airship looked larger than before. It was a wonderful
+machine. The professor and his colored helper busied themselves in the
+engine room. Now and then the two boys were allowed to aid.
+
+As he hurried about from one part of the ship to the other the professor
+told them how he had come to build the _Monarch_. He said he was an old
+bachelor and alone in the world, and had long desired to sail to the
+north pole. The failure of many land expeditions had convinced him that
+an airship was the only feasible method. Accordingly he had come to this
+rather deserted part of the country, built his cabin and shed, and then
+had begun the putting together of his airship.
+
+The engine parts, the various pieces of apparatus, and the machinery, he
+bought from many different sources, so as not to excite suspicion. At
+last after much labor the great undertaking was done.
+
+"The _Monarch_ has never been tested," said the professor, "but I know
+it will sail. I have made many small models and they worked perfectly."
+
+Several busy hours were spent. Much more machinery was put in the ship,
+the food lockers were stored with supplies, the gasolene tanks filled,
+and the supply of fur clothing increased.
+
+"There!" exclaimed the professor at length. "We are about ready to sail.
+I could start in an hour if necessary. All I have to do is to fill the
+silk bag with my wonderful gas, which is all ready to generate."
+
+"Den you'd better start to generationess it right off quicker than
+sooner!" shouted Washington, running from the rear of the shed. "Hurry
+up, Perfessor!"
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Mr. Henderson anxiously.
+
+"Dat prisoner man has escaped!" cried Washington. "He's clean gone!
+Flown away! Jumped his bail!"
+
+"That's bad!" exclaimed the professor. "He'll work some mischief now! I
+guess we'll have to start on our trip at once!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+AWAY IN THE AIRSHIP
+
+
+"Quick, Washington!" cried the professor. "Jump in the engine room and
+start the gas generator. Mark, you bring in from the cabin all those
+wheels and things on the walls! Jack, load those packages there into the
+locker in the after part of the _Monarch_! But handle them carefully!
+They contain explosives and ammunition for the machine gun!"
+
+If there had been hurry and bustle before, there was ten times as much
+now. The professor gave one look at the place where Taggert had been
+concealed. The man had worked off his bonds and escaped while his
+captors were in the airship's cabin.
+
+Soon there was a queer hissing noise from the engine room of the
+_Monarch_. The gas bag began to distend.
+
+"She's fillin', Perfessor!" cried Washington.
+
+"We must tie her down," muttered the old man. "Otherwise she will rise
+and take the shed with her. I say, Washington!"
+
+"Yes, Perfessor."
+
+"We must get some one to help us open the shed roof to let the ship rise
+out. We can't do it alone."
+
+"Guess it's a extraunordinary contract," agreed the negro.
+
+"Then you go out and see if any one is in sight. Try to hire them for
+the work, but don't tell them about the ship. They can work up on the
+roof. I will see to the gas machine while you are away. Hurry now!"
+
+The colored man went out. In the meanwhile the professor and the two
+boys continued to load up the _Monarch_. They had nearly everything that
+the inventor intended to take along piled in its proper place, when
+footsteps were heard outside. Then the noise of some persons on the roof
+was audible. In a few minutes Washington came in.
+
+"I found three men," explained the negro. "One is dat old hunter as
+helped us before, Andy Sudds. He was goin' huntin' but he said he'd help
+take the roof off fer a dollar. De oder two is does farm hands, Tom
+Smith an' Bill Jones. Dey was goin' down to do post-office, but dey said
+dey'd help fer fifty cents apiece. All three is up on de roof now."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the professor. "It's lucky I had the roof made in
+sections when I built this shed. Now it can be taken off in a hurry.
+Come on, boys! There are some more things that must go in the ship!"
+
+Thus urged, Mark and Jack worked with a will. Washington helped, and
+then went up on the roof to aid the three emergency toilers. By this
+time several sections of the covering to the shed had been taken off and
+the place was quite light.
+
+All the while the gas machine in the ship continued to generate the
+vapor. It flowed into the cigar-shaped bag through two rubber tubes. As
+the bag distended more and more, the _Monarch_ tugged and pulled at the
+anchoring ropes on the floor of the shed, as if anxious to be away.
+
+The boys worked with a will. The last articles were placed in the
+various rooms of the airship's cabin, until the balloon shed was
+stripped quite bare. The professor was busy in the engine room. The
+noise of the gas generating machine increased.
+
+Then came a series of sharp explosions as one of the gasolene engines
+was started. This was followed by the hum of an electric dynamo, and the
+whizz and purring of a big motor.
+
+The inventor was testing the many machines to see that all worked right.
+Suddenly he switched on the incandescent lights in the ship's cabin.
+Next he turned on the powerful searchlight in the bow, and the shed was
+illuminated by a glare that rivaled the sun. The professor then revolved
+the big propeller slowly and tested the rudder.
+
+"Everything is in good shape!" he cried. "We will start in five minutes
+if they get the roof off so we can rise. Those anchor ropes will not
+hold much longer!"
+
+Up on the roof, however, the men were working with a will. Board after
+board was torn away and the different sections moved to one side. At
+last the whole top of the shed was off. All that remained was to let the
+_Monarch_ out.
+
+Suddenly from where the three emergency helpers were working there came
+a cry of astonishment, mingled with fear. For the first time Andy Sudds,
+Tom Smith and Bill Jones, characters well known to Amos Henderson, had
+looked down into the shed, and caught sight of the tugging, swaying
+airship. The interior had been quite dark up to this point, which
+accounted for them not having noticed the ship before. But when they saw
+the strange affair so close beneath them they were startled.
+
+"Jumpin' rattlesnakes!" cried Andy Sudds. "What have I struck?"
+
+"It's a yellow elephant!" exclaimed Tom Jones.
+
+"A sea serpent!" ejaculated Bill Smith.
+
+They leaned over from the edge of the roof eaves to which they were
+clinging and peered down into the big balloon shed. Certainly the
+airship presented a queer sight to the three men.
+
+"Is everything ready?" asked the professor of Washington.
+
+"Eberyt'ing am circumulated to completeness," replied the negro.
+
+"Jump in, boys! Untie the ropes, Washington. We'll start!"
+
+"Hurry! Hurry! Perfessor!" cried Washington, as he looked out of a side
+window. "Here comes dat man we tied up in de shed! He's got anoder man
+wid him, an' dey got guns!"
+
+"It's Taggert! He is after me!" exclaimed the inventor. "He must not
+be allowed to get on the ship! Come on, Mark and Jack! Never mine
+unknotting the ropes! Cut 'em! We have no time to lose! Jump in,
+Washington!"
+
+The boys clambered over the sides of the airship. Washington followed
+their example. The anchor ropes were cut.
+
+"Hi, there! Stop!" cried a voice from outside. "Don't you dare start
+that ship!"
+
+"Here we go!" shouted Professor Henderson in a joyful tone. "Now to see
+if the _Monarch_ fulfills her promise!"
+
+He hurried into the engine room. The noise of the gas generating machine
+increased. The gasolene engine went faster, and the motors and dynamos
+added to the noise. There was a loud hissing sound. The professor had
+opened a valve admitting the full force of gas into the oiled silk bag.
+Then came a snapping sound as several anchoring ropes that had not been
+cut, broke.
+
+Up rose the _Monarch_ like some immense bird, through the opened shed
+roof. Out into the air went the big yellow bag. And then a strange thing
+happened.
+
+Andy Sudds, the hunter, and Bill Jones and Tom Smith, the two farm
+hands, who had been peering over the edge of the shed down at the
+airship, leaned over too far in their anxiety to observe everything. As
+the gas bag brushed past them they were startled. They lost their
+balances and the next instant all three toppled right into the bow of
+the _Monarch_ as she arose, and were lifted up into the air with her.
+
+"Hold on, there! Stop!" cried Taggert, who by this time had come close
+to the shed.
+
+"It's too late!" shouted back the professor, poking his head from a
+window in the engine room.
+
+"Hey, there! You're carrying me off in your ship!" yelled Andy Sudds as
+he scrambled to his feet after his tumble into the bow of the _Monarch_.
+
+"And me!" ejaculated Bill Jones.
+
+"And me!" exclaimed Tom Smith. "I didn't figure on coming with you."
+
+"It's too late!" the old inventor cried. He turned some wheels and
+levers and the airship arose faster. Then he switched on the electric
+machinery. The big propeller began to revolve. Swifter and swifter it
+went. The _Monarch_, which had risen several hundred feet, started
+forward at a swift pace. "We are off for the north pole!" shouted the
+inventor. "Hurrah! The ship works! I knew it would!"
+
+"Here!" roared Andy Sudds. "I don't want to go to the north pole. I want
+to hunt muskrats down by the creek."
+
+"You can hunt seals and whales up north," the professor called to him.
+
+"But I've lost my gun!" the hunter exclaimed, soberly, yet a little
+appeased at the prospect of big game.
+
+"I'll give you a better one," promised Mr. Henderson. "You shall have
+all the hunting you want."
+
+"I can't go to the north pole," fairly yelled Bill Jones, starting back
+toward the engine room. "I had a job plowing on a farm. If I don't go
+back I'll lose my place."
+
+"You can hire out to me," suggested the professor. "I need a crew, and I
+didn't have time to ship one."
+
+"What about me?" asked Tom Smith. "I was working on a farm like Bill."
+
+"I'll hire you also," spoke the inventor of the _Monarch_.
+
+"Hi, Perfessor! Shall I shut off de gas?" Washington suddenly cried.
+
+"For a while," was the inventor's reply. "We are high enough now. Then
+oil up the engines and dynamos, they need it. You boys can help," he
+said to Mark and Jack. "I must see to my instruments and find whether
+everything is working right."
+
+The two boys were delighted to have a chance in the engine room. Under
+Washington's direction, the colored man showing quite a knowledge of the
+apparatus, they oiled the various bearings until everything was running
+smoothly.
+
+Until now they had no time to realize what an experience they were
+going through. Things had happened so quickly that it was hard to
+realize they were sailing through the air in a wonderful ship, probably
+the most successful navigator of the upper regions ever invented.
+
+It was not until Jack looked over the edge of the airship from the
+engine room window that he felt what a trip up among the clouds meant.
+Below the earth was spread out like a good-sized map, with little
+threads of silver for rivers, patches of green for big fields, and
+narrow gray ribbons where there were roads.
+
+"It's wonderful!" he cried to Mark.
+
+"And to think we were chased out of town yesterday by a constable,"
+spoke his companion. "This is a great change. I'd like to see him catch
+us now."
+
+"Dis prolonguated elevation into de airy space ob de zeneth am extremely
+discommodatiousness to a pusson what ain't used to it," remarked
+Washington with a broad grin as he oiled a whirring motor.
+
+"Yes--er--I guess it is," admitted Mark.
+
+"Are your teeth all fast after that effort?" asked Jack with a laugh.
+
+"Neber yo' mind my teeth," said Washington. "Golly! What's de matter
+now?"
+
+The _Monarch_ was darting from side to side like a kite that has lost
+its tail in a high wind.
+
+"It's only the professor trying the steering apparatus," said Jack,
+looking forward toward the conning tower. This proved to be true, for,
+in a moment, the airship resumed a straight path, and the professor,
+coming back to the engine room, cried:
+
+"She answers her helm perfectly. It certainly is a success in every way!
+But now, since the machinery is working well, and I have the _Monarch_
+headed due north, in which direction she will sail alone for a while, I
+want you boys to come into the dining room, while we talk over matters
+with our unexpected visitors. We must lay plans and divide up the work
+of running the ship."
+
+Jack and Mark went with the old man into the middle room of the craft.
+There they found the old hunter and the two farm hands. None of the
+three had quite gotten over his fright at being suddenly carried off
+through the air.
+
+"Everything has turned out for the best," the inventor began. "I feared
+my forced start would spoil my plans, but you see I got a crew almost at
+the last moment. Now we will--"
+
+He was interrupted by a sudden cry from the engine room.
+
+"Help! Help!" rang out the voice of the colored man. "Hurry up an'
+help, Perfessor. I'm caught in some cantankerous conglomeration an' I'm
+bein' killed! Help! Help!"
+
+Followed by the boys and the three men the old inventor hastened aft,
+alarm showing on his face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+HELD BY ELECTRICITY
+
+
+As they reached the engine room they saw a queer sight. Washington was
+close to the buzzing dynamo which he had started to oil. His hands
+grasped two large copper switches used to turn the current on and off.
+
+"Let go and come away from there!" cried Mr. Henderson.
+
+"I can't! I'se stuck fast!" yelled the negro, writhing in pain.
+
+Andy Sudds started on the jump to assist the unfortunate man.
+
+"Don't touch him!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson. "He's held fast by
+electricity! If you attempt to pull him away with your bare hands you'll
+be caught just as he is! Wait a minute!"
+
+The inventor rapidly opened a locker. From it he took out a pair of
+rubber gloves. Putting these on he hurried to where the negro was still
+squirming in pain and terror.
+
+"Help! Help!" Washington yelled. "I'm burning up!"
+
+"Wait a moment! I'll save you!" shouted the captain of the _Monarch_.
+The next instant he reached up, and turned off the electric current.
+Washington fell in a limp heap on the floor of the engine room. He was
+freed from the grip of the electricity that had held him as in a vise.
+The professor ran to a medicine closet and got a remedy which he
+administered to the unfortunate one.
+
+In a little while the colored man was better. He sat up, opened his
+eyes, which had been closed, and remarked:
+
+"Dat was a mighty close call fer dis chicken!"
+
+"What made you go near the switch?" asked Mr. Henderson. "I have warned
+you several times never to put both hands on a copper switch at the same
+time. One hand does not matter, but two make the connection."
+
+"I knows it now, Perfessor," said Washington humbly.
+
+"Then I hope you'll remember it. That applies to all of you," he went
+on. "If ever you have occasion to touch any electrical machinery, don't
+do it with both hands at the same time, if there is danger of forming a
+connection. Always use rubber gloves, and you'll be in no danger. Rubber
+is a non-conductor. Remember, Washington."
+
+"I'll recollection it on de next obstreperous occasion," promised the
+negro.
+
+"You must feel better when you can use your big words," said Mr.
+Henderson with a laugh. "Now," he continued, "I was about to give a few
+general instructions about the airship, when Washington interrupted us.
+
+"You men who are here against your will I am sorry about. I could not
+stop and let you off a while ago, because there was a man at the shed
+whom I did not want to meet. But if you want to go back to your homes I
+will let the airship down to the earth and you can go. I would like to
+have you stay with me. I can promise you all good wages, since I am well
+off as regards money.
+
+"To you, Mr. Sudds, I can promise such game hunting as you never had
+before. And to you two farm hands I can promise such sights as you never
+saw before. Do you want to continue with me, now that you have had a
+chance to think the thing over?"
+
+All three said they did.
+
+"Then I'll divide our forces," went on the captain and owner of the
+_Monarch_. "I will be in general charge of the ship, just as if I was a
+commander of an ocean steamer. I expect to be obeyed in every
+particular. Washington will be the engineer, with the two boys to help
+him. Tom Smith and Bill Jones will be in charge of the kitchen, and I
+will show them how to prepare the condensed foods. Andy Sudds will be a
+sort of look-out and the hunter of the expedition. I will steer the ship
+and keep watch of the different instruments.
+
+"In order that you may know a little bit about the _Monarch_ I will tell
+you how she is run. In the first place, she is lifted above the earth by
+the power of a very strong gas I discovered. It is much lighter than
+hydrogen, or the gas ordinary airships are filled with, and has a
+greater lifting power than the hot air used in the old balloons.
+
+"By putting more gas into the silk bag above us I can rise higher. The
+less gas I use the lower we go. The gas is let into or out of the bag by
+means of valves which are operated from the engine room or the steering
+tower. The forward motion of the ship is brought about by means of the
+propeller at the stern. This propeller works by electricity. The
+electricity comes from storage batteries which are kept charged from the
+dynamo run by one of the gasolene engines. I also have an electric motor
+that is run by either a gasolene engine or the storage battery. If one
+breaks down I can use the other. The motor alone will run the propeller
+if the storage batteries fail, and I have to run the electric machine
+directly from the gasolene engine.
+
+"That apparatus there," and he pointed to a complicated machine,
+"is where the lifting gas is generated. A gasolene engine runs it.
+Those tubes carry the gas from the machine to the bag above."
+
+Then the professor pointed out the levers that started and stopped
+The _Monarch_, those that sent it higher into the air or toward the
+earth, the wheel for steering, and told the boys and men how to read
+the instrument that gave the heights, the force of the wind, the
+temperature, and much other information. He showed them how the entire
+control of the ship could be accomplished from the conning or steering
+tower by the turning of one wheel or another.
+
+"Rattlesnakes an' mud turtles, but she sure is a bang-up affair,"
+observed Andy Sudds. "But about that gun--"
+
+"That's so. I promised you a gun in exchange for the one you lost," said
+Mr. Henderson. "Wait a moment."
+
+He was gone a little while. Presently he returned with a fine rifle, at
+the sight of which the old hunter's eyes sparkled.
+
+"That's a beauty!" he exclaimed. "It beats mine."
+
+"It is a magazine gun," explained the professor. "It fires sixteen shots
+with one loading," he explained.
+
+"And I can kill sixteen white bears, sixteen seals or sixteen whales!"
+exclaimed Andy with delight. "Well, I certainly am glad I come along,
+Professor."
+
+"I have a gun for each of us," Mr. Henderson went on, "in case we should
+meet with enemies. But we may not need them. There is also the machine
+gun at the stern."
+
+Then the professor initiated his crew into the mysteries of the kitchen
+and dining room. Nearly all the foods carried on the _Monarch_ were of
+the condensed type. A small capsule made a plate of soup. There were
+other pills or capsules that held meat extracts, condensed cereals, tea,
+milk, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and everything needed in the general
+eating line. All the cooking was done by electricity.
+
+As has been said, there was plenty of clothing to withstand the rigors
+of the arctic regions. There was an abundance of gasolene for the
+engines and for heating the ship. In short, Professor Henderson seemed
+to have forgotten nothing that would make his trip to the north pole a
+success.
+
+After he had explained all he thought necessary, he told the two farm
+hands to see what they could do in the way of preparing a meal, as it
+was nearly noon, and everyone was hungry. Rather awkwardly at first,
+Bill and Tom started in. They soon got the knack of things, however, and
+once they had found out how to run the electric stove they were right at
+home making soups and other dishes from the condensed foods. The first
+meal on the _Monarch_ was voted a success.
+
+Meanwhile the airship was sailing on. It was not moving very rapidly,
+for the professor wanted to give the machinery a chance to warm up.
+After the meal the inventor took the two boys into the steering tower
+with him, telling Washington to speed up the engines.
+
+In a few minutes the boys were aware that they were moving forward at a
+faster pace. The air, as it came in the opened window of the conning
+tower, rushed past with great force.
+
+"I think we'll go a little higher," said Mr. Henderson.
+
+He turned a small lever. All at once the boys experienced a sensation as
+if they were in a rapidly ascending elevator. Up and up they went, for
+the professor had admitted more gas to the big silk bag above them.
+
+Suddenly the earth which the boys had dimly perceived below them as if
+it was a small map in a big geography, faded out of sight. At the same
+instant there was a sudden moisture and chilliness to the air. Then a
+dense white mist enveloped the _Monarch_.
+
+"Oh!" cried Mark. "What has happened?"
+
+"We are going through a cloud!" called the professor. So dense was the
+vapor that the boys, though within five feet of the captain, could not
+see him. His voice sounded far off.
+
+Then came a sudden rush of light. The mist cleared away. The boys could
+see clearly, but as they glanced down they noticed rolling masses of
+white below them.
+
+"We are above the clouds!" said the professor. "Be careful not to exert
+yourselves, as it is hard to breathe in this rarefied or thin
+atmosphere."
+
+The boys experienced some difficulty, but by avoiding any exertion were
+not much bothered.
+
+"Now we'll go down a bit," said the inventor, after the ship had whizzed
+along for several miles above the masses of vapor. "I want to get an
+idea where I am."
+
+He turned some more wheels and levers. In a few minutes the ship was
+again surrounded with a white cloud. Then it passed away, and the earth
+came into view.
+
+Suddenly the professor looked forward. He seemed to be gazing intently
+at something.
+
+"I wonder what that is?" he muttered. He took down a telescope and
+adjusted it, peering forward with strained eyes.
+
+"Can it be possible!" he exclaimed. Then he dropped the glass and
+frantically signaled to the engine room.
+
+"We must look out for ourselves!" he cried, "Come here, Andy Sudds!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+SURROUNDED BY EAGLES
+
+
+There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the
+engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power. Then
+sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag. The ship began
+to sink toward the earth.
+
+The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer. It
+grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving
+objects.
+
+"Quick, Andy!" cried the old inventor. "We shall need your services
+now!"
+
+"What's the matter?" exclaimed the old hunter, as he hurried forward
+with his gun in readiness.
+
+"Eagles!" cried Amos Henderson.
+
+"Eagles?"
+
+"Yes! A whole flock of them. Just ahead! See that dark cloud! They are
+coming this way! They think the ship is a rival bird and they will
+attack it. Strong as the _Monarch_ is, the silk in the gas bag is
+frail. If the birds tear that we will fall to the earth and be killed!
+Use your gun! See if you can drive them off!"
+
+Andy kneeled down on the forward part of the ship. He aimed at the black
+mass, in which scores and scores of birds could now be seen. Then his
+gun sent out fire and lead.
+
+Bang! Bang! it spoke, and two birds dropped toward the earth. Again the
+gun belched forth, and more of the eagles were killed. As fast as Andy
+could pull the trigger he fired.
+
+"We must all get guns!" cried the professor. "It is the only way to save
+the ship! Come on, boys! You'll find weapons in the dining-room
+lockers!"
+
+Mark and Jack hurried after the rifles. The professor was greatly
+excited. Bill and Tom came running forward. The inventor rapidly handed
+out the guns.
+
+In the meanwhile the ship was slowly settling toward the ground. The
+captain hoped to get low enough to escape the onward rush of the big
+birds, but he had counted without the anger of the eagles. They thought
+the airship was a rival in the realms of space and were determined to
+destroy it.
+
+On and on they came in spite of the number among them that were killed.
+Every one on the ship, except Washington, who had to attend to the
+engines, was firing. The birds never stopped or swerved from their
+course.
+
+Then with a rush and roar, a flapping of wings that sounded like
+thunder, and shrill cries and screams that almost drowned the noise of
+the guns, the eagles surrounded the _Monarch_. They struck at it with
+their talons. They opened wide their sharp beaks and snapped at the wood
+and iron.
+
+Some of the fierce birds even attacked the men, and boys, and were
+beaten off with the butts of the rifles. Others of the eagles rose
+higher in the air and struck at the oiled silk bag. At first the
+yielding surface offered no resistance and was not damaged. Then one
+fierce bird, with wide-opened beak, struck at the thin cloth and tore a
+hole in it as large as a man's hand.
+
+The sudden settling of the airship told that something was wrong. Then
+the professor, glancing aloft, saw what had happened, and hastened to
+his helper.
+
+"Quick, Washington!" he shouted. "Start the gas generator at full speed!
+We must pump lots of the gas in to keep us afloat! We are in great
+danger!"
+
+"Why not try the machine gun on the eagles?" shouted Jack.
+
+"Good idea!" exclaimed the inventor. "You two boys work it!"
+
+At last the eagles, alarmed by the number killed, and frightened by the
+noise of the guns and the shots, halted in their rushes at the airship.
+Some of the wounded ones wheeled away. Then others followed until,
+finally, the whole colony of birds sailed off.
+
+"There they go!" cried Jack.
+
+"Yes, but I fear too late to do us any good," spoke the professor. "The
+airship is slowly settling."
+
+"Can't it be fixed?" asked Mark.
+
+"I suppose I could let it down to earth and patch up the hole, but I
+fear to do so," answered the inventor. "The _Monarch_ is not under
+control, and if I attempt to make a landing I may smash her all to
+pieces. She may settle down until within a few hundred feet of the earth
+and then plunge like a meteor. We would all be killed then."
+
+"Is there no other way?" asked Jack.
+
+"None, unless we could patch up the hole in the gas bag while we are up
+aloft. I can hold the ship there for a while yet. Another reason why I
+do not want to land is that we are over a thickly settled portion of the
+state now, and if I go down to earth we will be surrounded by a curious
+crowd that will delay us."
+
+"Is that netting strong?" asked Mark, suddenly, pointing to the cords
+that confined the gas bag.
+
+"Two strands would support a man's weight," said Mr. Henderson.
+
+"And have you anything to mend the silk bag with?" went on the boy.
+
+"Yes, but why do you ask?"
+
+"Because," answered Mark, "if you'll let me I'll climb up and mend the
+hole the eagle made."
+
+"Dare you do it?" cried the old professor, hope shining in his face.
+
+"Try me and see."
+
+The professor quickly prepared a piece of silk, kept on hand to repair
+breaks in the bag. It was coated with a very strong and fresh cement.
+The silk was to be inserted in the tear made by the eagles, when it
+would at once harden and prevent the further escape of gas.
+
+Mark made ready for the perilous ascent. He took off his coat, and
+removed his shoes so his feet could better cling to the frail-looking
+though strong cords.
+
+"Slow down the ship!" commanded the captain. "Now, Mark, try! I hope
+you succeed! Move cautiously. You don't want to lose your life!"
+
+Mark said nothing. He grasped the piece of oiled silk, coated with the
+cement, in his teeth, clinching it by a strip that was free from the
+sticky substance. Then he stood on the rail of the _Monarch_ and began
+his climb aloft. Surely few ascents were made under such fearful
+conditions. The airship was now more than a mile above the earth. One
+false step and the boy would plunge into eternity. Nothing could save
+him.
+
+Up and up he went, testing every cord and mesh before he trusted his
+weight to it. On and on he advanced. The frail gas bag swayed in the
+wind that was springing up. It seemed like a thing alive.
+
+"Careful! Careful!" cautioned the professor in strained tones. Everyone
+on the ship held his breath. Up and up Mark went. At last he reached the
+place where the eagle's beak had torn the bag.
+
+He braced himself in the meshes of the net. Then, leaning forward, he
+fixed the patch under the rent, and pressed it into place. The cement
+did not take hold at first. Mark pressed harder. Would the leak be
+stopped?
+
+"Will he make it?" asked one.
+
+"I don't think so."
+
+"He must make it!"
+
+"If not we are lost!"
+
+"You are right!"
+
+For a moment there was a doubt. Then the sticky stuff adhered to the
+silk bag, and the patch was made fast. A shout from Washington in the
+engine room told that the gas had ceased to rush out. Mark had
+succeeded.
+
+Washington hastened to turn the gas generator to half speed. Before he
+could do so, however, there had been a great increase in the volume of
+vapor in the bag, caused by the sudden stopping off of the vent. Up shot
+the airship, the accumulation of gas lifting it higher from the earth.
+So suddenly did it shoot up, from having been almost at rest, that there
+was a tremor through the whole craft.
+
+"Look out, Mark!" cried Jack. He looked up to where his comrade clung to
+the netting.
+
+"Hold fast! We'll stop the ship in a second," exclaimed the captain.
+
+But it was too late. The sudden rising of the craft had shaken Mark's
+hold, which was not of the best at any time, since the gas bag was a
+yielding surface to lean against.
+
+The next instant the boy, vainly clutching the air for some sort of grip
+for his hands, toppled over backward. His feet slid from the meshes of
+the net, and he plunged downward toward the earth, more than a mile
+below!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE FROZEN NORTH REACHED
+
+
+"He'll be killed!" shouted Jack.
+
+"He's a goner!" yelled Washington, looking up from the engine room
+window.
+
+The old professor groaned and shut his eyes. He did not want to see the
+boy fall.
+
+Bill and Tom, with old Andy Sudds, had been watching Mark at his
+perilous task, standing directly beneath him. Andy was the closer. He
+leaned quickly backward when he saw what had happened.
+
+Mark's body, turning over in its descent, was at the ship's side. Out
+shot the hands of the old hunter. His fingers were curved like the
+talons of an eagle. The long arms seemed to reach a great distance, and
+then, just as it seemed that Mark would plunge downward to his death,
+Andy grasped and held him.
+
+"There!" exclaimed the hunter. "That was a close call, my boy!"
+
+Mark did not answer. The fearful danger he had been saved from had so
+frightened him that he became partially unconscious.
+
+"Is he dead?" faltered Jack.
+
+"He has only fainted," answered Amos Henderson. "I'll soon bring him
+around."
+
+The inventor hurried into the cabin and came out with some liquid in a
+glass. This he placed to Mark's lips and soon the color came back into
+the pale cheeks.
+
+"What happened? Where am I?" asked the boy, sitting up and looking
+around.
+
+"You're all right," answered Andy. "It was a close call though. I reckon
+you won't want to mend any more airships right away."
+
+"I remember now," went on Mark, who had been dazed by the suddenness of
+it all. "I fell, didn't I?"
+
+"Yes, and Andy caught you," put in Jack. "He was just in time."
+
+Mark said nothing, but the fervor with which he shook the old hunter by
+the hand showed how deep his feeling was.
+
+In a little while the fright and excitement caused by the accident had
+passed over. The ship now rode evenly and neither rose nor fell, in
+consequence of the gas supply in the bag remaining the same, there being
+no leak. The patch Mark had put on fitted so closely that there was not
+the least escape of gas now.
+
+"Well, we might as well start ahead," said Amos Henderson, at length.
+"We have had excitement enough in this neighborhood, and maybe we'll be
+better off if we go forward."
+
+Accordingly he went to the conning tower, set the propeller in motion,
+and soon the _Monarch_ was moving northward at great speed. With his
+eyes on the compass in front of him the captain held the ship on her
+course.
+
+They were about half a mile above the ground now, the captain having
+allowed the _Monarch_ to settle. They could see that they were passing
+over a populated part of the country.
+
+"Come up here!" yelled Captain Henderson to the boys from the steering
+tower. "I'll explain a few things to you."
+
+Willingly enough the boys joined him. He was busy making a calculation
+of figures on a piece of paper. The steering wheel was lashed and the
+compass pointed to indicate that the ship was rushing due north.
+
+"We're making satisfying progress," said the professor. "At this rate we
+will not be long on the journey."
+
+"How fast are we moving?" asked Jack.
+
+"About fifty miles an hour," replied the inventor. "That is 1,200 miles
+a day, counting that we run day and night at this speed. But we will
+hardly do that, not that we could not, for there will be no dangers of
+collisions up here. I think we have the air all to ourselves.
+
+"But there will be contrary winds, and we may be blown off our course.
+That is the only disadvantage an airship is under. It can't sail against
+the wind like a ship on the water. Still, we have many advantages. Now I
+figure that we can count on an average of at least twenty-five miles an
+hour all day long and part of the night.
+
+"We started from about the middle of New York state, and to the north
+pole would be about 3,000 miles. We ought to make the distance in about
+five days, or say a week, to be on the safe side. We will move as fast
+as we can, from now on, though, especially during the daylight."
+
+The professor turned some wheels and levers and the speed of the airship
+increased a little. It was kept at about the same height.
+
+The sun was beginning to descend in the west, for it was getting late in
+the afternoon. Down below, on the earth, the landscape had changed from
+that of cities and towns to a stretch of dense woods.
+
+"Must be near supper time," observed Mark.
+
+"Your fright didn't deprive you of your appetite, then?" asked Amos
+Henderson.
+
+"Not a bit," replied the boy.
+
+In a few minutes Tom and Bill were preparing a meal of the condensed
+foods, cooked on the electric stove. Everyone voted the victuals
+excellent. Then, as night settled down, the bunks were made up and the
+boys, together with the two farm hands, were glad to seek some rest, for
+the day had been an exciting one. Washington and the professor agreed to
+divide the night into two watches, as they were not familiar enough with
+the workings of the ship to dare to leave it unguarded. The machinery
+might need attention any moment.
+
+The boys and their companions were soon asleep, and no thoughts of their
+strange position, that of slumbering on an airship high in the
+atmosphere, disturbed their dreams.
+
+The last thing Jack wondered was whether the passing of the _Monarch_
+would not be taken by people on the earth for the flight of some giant
+comet, as it sailed aloft, all lighted up. But he was too tired to
+pursue this speculation long.
+
+Morning dawned without anything unusual having occurred. The ship had
+been kept going at a slow speed all night, and no accidents happened.
+Breakfast was served, and then each of the crew took up his duties.
+
+The professor, having made a careful examination of the ship to see that
+everything was in order, showed Jack and Mark how to steer the craft,
+and how to start, stop, raise and lower it from the conning tower or the
+engine room.
+
+Then he let them practice a bit, and two more delighted boys there never
+was, as they sent the craft ahead up or down, starting and stopping her
+with a few turns of a wheel or lever.
+
+"You may want to know how to run her some day in an emergency," said
+Amos Henderson. "No telling what will happen."
+
+"We hope nothing will," spoke Jack.
+
+"There's no telling," prophesied the inventor.
+
+For several days the ship moved ahead at moderate speed. The machinery,
+excepting for some minor accidents, worked smoothly. The gas bag did not
+leak, which was the accident most dreaded, and it was not necessary to
+run the gas generator, which proved a saving of the valuable chemical
+from which the lifting-vapor was produced.
+
+Now and then, when in need of water, the craft was lowered to the earth
+in a secluded spot near a stream or lake, and the tanks were filled for
+drinking and washing purposes. But so far, from the time of the hasty
+flight, no one on the earth had spoken to the voyagers. Nor, so far as
+was known, had their presence been noted, though the black speck in the
+sky might have furnished plenty of talk all over the country for those
+who observed it. The weather was pleasant, but it was noticed that it
+was constantly growing colder.
+
+One morning Jack, who was the first up, stuck his head out of the cabin
+door before he had finished dressing. He quickly popped back again.
+
+"Whew!" he exclaimed. "Colder than Greenland!"
+
+"What's that about Greenland?" asked the professor, who had just
+awakened.
+
+"It's awful cold outside," said Jack, shivering from the remembrance.
+
+Without a word the professor, wrapping a dressing-gown about him,
+hurried to the engine room, where several thermometers were kept. One
+was outside, and could be read through a glass side.
+
+"No wonder you felt cold," he said to Jack, when he returned. "It's ten
+degrees below zero!"
+
+The boys hurried to complete their dressing. The professor did likewise,
+as he was anxious to take some observations.
+
+"Get out the fur garments," he said. "We must take no more chances now.
+It will become colder rapidly, and ordinary clothes will be of no
+protection."
+
+The boys and the professor donned heavy fur coats, with immense gloves
+and caps that covered all of their faces but the eyes. Then they went
+outside. Jack was the first to look over the side of the ship. As he did
+so he uttered a cry of astonishment.
+
+Down below, about three-quarters of a mile, was a great white, snowy
+waste. Giant mountains of ice were heaped on every side. It was a cold,
+frosty silent world that the _Monarch_ was flying over. They had reached
+the frozen north! They were at the beginning of the entrance to the land
+of the Pole!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+LOST IN AN ICE CAVE
+
+
+"I'm not surprised that the thermometer is down below zero," remarked
+Jack. "There's enough ice under us to supply the whole United States."
+
+"It is getting colder!" exclaimed the inventor as he glanced at an
+instrument near him. "It is fifteen below zero now!"
+
+In truth the _Monarch_ was far to the north. She had gone faster than
+the inventor calculated. A glance downward showed that all traces of
+civilization had been left behind.
+
+There was nothing to be seen but snow and ice, ice and snow, piled in
+fantastic heaps,--mountains, ridges, hills and valleys.
+
+The professor hastily made a few calculations.
+
+"I believe we are somewhere over Greenland or Baffin Bay, but whether we
+are over the land or sea I cannot tell. At any rate we are still going
+north," and he glanced at the compass.
+
+They were about to retrace their steps to the dining cabin, when there
+was a sudden settling of the _Monarch_. It seemed to be plunging
+downward.
+
+"What's the matter?" cried Jack.
+
+The inventor hurried to the engine room. A glance at the registering
+needle of the instrument for telling the height attained, showed that
+the ship was sinking fifty feet a minute.
+
+"Some conglomerous contraption has disproportionated herself," cried
+Washington. "What shall I do, Perfessor?"
+
+"Start the gas generator at full speed!" cried the inventor. "Heat the
+vapor before it goes to the bag! The cold has contracted the gas in the
+holder above so that it will no longer support us! Work quick,
+Washington!"
+
+Washington sprang to set the gas machine in operation. He seemed to be
+having trouble with it.
+
+"She won't work!" he called. "She's busted!"
+
+Faster and faster the airship continued to sink. The inventor hurried to
+Washington's help, but it seemed that nothing could be done. On board
+the _Monarch_ there was deadly fear in every heart.
+
+"I can't keep her afloat!" the professor groaned.
+
+Down and down went the craft. The inventor and Washington were working
+furiously. The boys, old Andy and Tom and Bill hurried to the engine
+room.
+
+Then came a sudden jolt. The airship had struck the ice!
+
+"Shut off the engines!" cried the professor. "Stop everything or we'll
+go to smash! We must set to work to repair the gas machine and raise the
+ship."
+
+The _Monarch_ had settled down on a vast ice plane. So gently had the
+ship sunk through the air that she had suffered no injury. She rested on
+an even keel and there was still enough lifting power in the gas
+contained in the bag to keep that afloat, so that the vapor holder
+tugged gently at the confining meshes of the net.
+
+"Ma goodness sakes alive!" cried Washington as soon as he had poked his
+head out of the warm engine room. "De atmospheric conditions am such dat
+dey is conducive to de utmost congestion of mah circulatory
+systemation!"
+
+"I suppose you mean it is too cold for your blood," spoke the inventor,
+with a smile.
+
+"Yo' has conducted mah meanin' to de utmost circumspection, Perfessor,"
+was the answer.
+
+"You'd better get out a suit of furs," suggested the captain, for
+Washington had not yet donned these garments. The colored man ran back
+into the cabin, got out the heaviest set he could find, and put it on.
+
+The professor and the boys, together with the two helpers, were clothed
+to withstand the rigors of the arctic regions. In a little while
+Washington was warmly dressed. Then the professor led the way over the
+rail and down on the ice.
+
+"Are we on land or sea?" asked Jack.
+
+"It's hard to say, but I think we are on land," replied Amos Henderson.
+"However, it doesn't make much difference. We are pretty far north. The
+thing to do is to get the airship in shape as quickly as possible."
+
+"Can we help?" asked Mark.
+
+"I hardly think so," answered the old inventor. "Washington and I
+understand every piece of machinery. If we need any help we will call on
+you. In the meanwhile you may take a look around if you wish."
+
+"I'd like to stretch my legs a bit," spoke up old Andy. "I ain't used to
+stayin' cramped up in a ship like I have been. I'd like to see some of
+that big game you talked about, Professor."
+
+"Take your gun along, and you may spot a polar bear or a walrus,"
+suggested Mr. Henderson. "Some fresh bear steak would not go badly at
+all."
+
+Delighted at the prospect at getting a shot Andy hastened after his gun.
+Then after a hasty breakfast, with the two boys and the two helpers as
+companions, all warmly wrapped in furs, the hunter set forth across the
+fields of ice and snow.
+
+It was a strange experience for all of them. There was not a sign of
+life to be seen. On every side there was nothing but the cold
+whiteness--a coldness and a whiteness that was like death itself. They
+walked on for more than a mile, and saw nothing but the desolate waste.
+
+"There's something!" called Jack in a hoarse whisper, coming to a halt
+and pointing to a small hill of ice in the distance.
+
+"It's a polar bear!" yelled Mark. "He's right behind the ice!"
+
+"There are two of 'em!" cried Bill. "This is no place for me! Come on,
+Tom!"
+
+"Hold still! Let me get a shot!" pleaded the old hunter.
+
+He could see the two animals plainly, now that his eyes had become used
+to the difference between their shaggy coats and the surrounding snow
+and ice. Andy kneeled down and took careful aim. A shot rang out, and
+one of the bears toppled over.
+
+"Good shot!" cried Jack.
+
+Once more the hunter pulled the trigger. A dull click was the only
+response. Andy quickly cocked the gun again, thinking it had missed
+fire. Again the hammer fell with only a click. The hunter quickly threw
+open the magazine.
+
+"The chamber is empty!" he cried. "I have fired my last shot!"
+
+"And there comes the bear!" yelled Mark. "He's in a fit of rage!"
+
+The fierce beast, in anger at the sight of his enemies, was coming
+toward the men and boys at top speed. On the first alarm Bill and Tom
+had turned to flee. Andy, swinging his gun by the muzzle, and loosening
+a long hunting knife in his belt, awaited the bear's onslaught. Mark and
+Jack were too surprised to run, and stood their ground, not knowing what
+to do.
+
+"Run away!" shouted Andy. "I'll tackle the beast! I'm not afraid!"
+
+"We're not going to leave you!" yelled Jack. "I have a revolver!"
+
+Quickly he drew out the small weapon, a present from the inventor.
+Taking hasty aim he fired several shots, but his aim was poor. One
+bullet struck the bear on the nose, and, instead of stopping the beast,
+only made him the more angry.
+
+The brute was now but fifty feet away and coming on at a rapid pace
+over the uneven lumps of ice and snow.
+
+"Run, I tell you!" called Andy. "Do you boys want to be killed?"
+
+He aimed a furious stroke at the bear, but as he did so his foot slipped
+and he came down heavily on the ice. Mark and Jack uttered cries of
+terror and fright.
+
+With blood dripping from his wounds, foam falling from his red jaws, and
+with every appearance of rage, the maddened beast rushed on the old
+hunter.
+
+"He'll be killed!" yelled Mark.
+
+"If I only had a gun!" groaned Jack.
+
+Andy rolled to one side. As he did so he uttered a loud cry, and then,
+to the astonishment of the boys, he disappeared from sight as if the
+frozen earth had opened and swallowed him up. At the same time the bear,
+that was just about to cast himself down on the fallen hunter, seemed to
+drop down through some hole into the earth.
+
+For an instant Jack and Mark looked at each other with fear in their
+eyes.
+
+"What has happened?" inquired Mark, in an awestruck voice.
+
+"I don't know," answered Jack. "But look! there are spots of blood over
+there. That is where the bear was!"
+
+The boys ran forward. As they did so their feet seemed to slip from
+under them. Down and down they felt themselves going. Faster and faster
+they slipped. They gazed with frightened eyes about them and saw they
+were on some giant slide of ice, that led into unknown regions.
+
+"Where are we going?" gasped Mark.
+
+"I don't know!" yelled back Jack. "At any rate we're getting a good
+coast!" He could joke even in the face of danger.
+
+With a jolt the two boys came to the end of their sudden journey. For a
+moment they were so startled and shaken up that they could hardly see.
+Then, as their senses came back, they gazed around.
+
+There were white glistening walls of ice on every side. Above glittered
+a tiny patch of light, showing where the blue sky was.
+
+"Where are we?" asked Mark.
+
+"You're with me an' the bear!" exclaimed a voice.
+
+The boys started. They saw, lying near them, old Andy. At his feet was
+the polar bear, dead, with the hunter's knife sticking in his heart.
+
+"And what place is this?" asked Jack.
+
+"It appears to me like a big ice cave," answered the hunter.
+
+"Yes, and we're lost in it," spoke up Jack, and gave something of a
+shudder.
+
+"That's right, my boy," answered Andy Sudds.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+ATTACKED BY SEA LIONS
+
+
+Frightened and alarmed at the unusual sight of an enraged polar bear
+rushing in their direction, Bill and Tom had turned and fled at the
+first appearance of danger. They were not cowards, and would probably
+have faced a mad bull, but that was something they were used to, while a
+bear was something new.
+
+So they raced back over the ice toward the place where the disabled
+airship rested.
+
+"Quick!" yelled Bill.
+
+"They'll all be killed!" cried Tom.
+
+"Who?" asked the professor, dropping his tools.
+
+Rapidly the two helpers told what had occurred, and how they had left
+Andy and the boys as the bear was rushing at them, the hunter having no
+more cartridges in his gun.
+
+"Take two rifles from the chest!" exclaimed the inventor. "Washington
+and I will follow as soon as we get our furs on! Hurry now!"
+
+Tom and Bill needed no second bidding. Seeing that the magazines of the
+rifles they took were filled, they hastened again over the ice and snow
+in the direction of Sudds and the boys. As they hustled along, the sun,
+which had been hidden by clouds, emerged and shone with dazzling
+splendor on the ice fields. It almost blinded the men.
+
+As they ran on they heard a shout behind them. Turning, they saw
+Washington and the professor, each with a gun, following. They waited
+for the pair to come up.
+
+"How far away is the place?" asked Mr. Henderson.
+
+"We must be close to it now," said Bill. "Yes, there is the bear Andy
+killed," pointing to where the dead animal was stretched on the ice.
+"But where are the boys?"
+
+"And where is Andy?" asked Amos Henderson.
+
+Not knowing what had become of the hunter and the boys, the rescue party
+was puzzled. They looked on every side but saw no traces. The ground was
+so uneven that the professor suggested the hunter and boys might be
+lying wounded in a hollow, and screened from sight.
+
+"We must scatter and look for them," he said.
+
+Meanwhile the three in the ice cave had been looking about them. They
+saw what had brought them into the place. It was a big cavern hollowed
+out by nature in the frozen crystals, and leading to it was a smooth
+inclined plane of ice.
+
+"How are we going to get out?" asked Jack, after all three had taken a
+survey of the cavern.
+
+"Can't we walk up the place where we slid down?" asked Mark.
+
+Jack was already busy trying to climb up the slippery place. It was much
+harder than it seemed. The incline was a glare of ice, and Jack's first
+attempt sent him sliding back with considerable force to the cavern
+floor.
+
+"There's only one way to do it," said Andy. "You must take my hunting
+knife and cut steps in the slide. Then you will have some support for
+your feet."
+
+The boys saw this was good advice and followed it. But the ice was
+frozen almost as hard as stone, and after chipping and cutting away for
+half an hour they only had three niches.
+
+"At this rate we will have to stay here several days," said the old
+hunter, and there came an anxious note in his voice. "I wish we could
+send word to some of the others."
+
+"Hark! What was that?" asked Jack suddenly.
+
+All listened. There came a faint report, like that of a gun.
+
+"It's the professor, Washington, and the two farmers searching for us!"
+exclaimed Mark. "They are firing their rifles."
+
+"That's it! They can't find us because we are down in this hole," said
+Andy. "If I only had a cartridge now I could give an answer."
+
+There came another report. This time there was no doubt that signal guns
+were being fired, for the shot sounded quite close.
+
+Jack put his hand in his pocket. His fingers touched something.
+
+"Hurrah!" he cried. "I have my revolver and there are four shots left!"
+
+He passed it over to Andy, who shot twice at intervals of about a
+quarter of a minute.
+
+"Where are you?" they heard a faint voice calling from somewhere above
+their heads.
+
+In reply Andy fired the last shot. It was responded to, and then, a few
+seconds later, a dark object loomed up at the opening at the top of the
+inclined plane. The prisoners, looking up, recognized the professor.
+
+"Hello, down there!" he shouted.
+
+"Hello, up there!" answered Andy.
+
+"We'll get you out!" called down the inventor. "How did you get there?
+What do you need in order to come up here?"
+
+"We slid down," said the hunter in reply, "and we didn't do it for fun
+either. If you're going to get us out you'll need a long rope."
+
+The professor, sizing up the situation, sent Bill Jones back to the ship
+on the run to bring a long stout cable. While this was coming there were
+questions and answers sent up and down the inclined shaft that told each
+of the two parties what had happened. In a short time the rope was
+brought, and one end fastened to an iron bar thrust into the ice, while
+the other was thrown down to the prisoners. With this as an aid and
+guide they were able to walk up the incline and soon were on the surface
+again.
+
+"There, I forgot something!" exclaimed the old hunter as he emerged from
+the mouth of the shaft.
+
+"What?" asked the professor.
+
+"The polar bear," was the answer. "I think I'll go back after him. The
+skin may be valuable."
+
+"There are plenty more," said the inventor. "We have no time to go back
+after this one. I must hurry to the ship."
+
+Pulling up the rope, and strapping their rifles on their backs, the
+party of rescued ones and rescuers began their march to the airship.
+They decided to leave the bear Andy had first shot on the ice, and come
+back later for some steaks.
+
+It was a bright day, and though it was very cold, being about twenty
+degrees below zero, there was no wind, which was a great relief. The
+party marched on, with Andy in the lead. He had reloaded his rifle with
+some ammunition the helpers had brought from the ship, and he was almost
+wishing he would meet another bear or two, now that he was ready for
+them.
+
+Just as the adventurers turned around the side of a large ice hill,
+which hid the airship from their sight, they heard a queer noise.
+
+"What's that?" asked the professor.
+
+"Sounded like some beast roaring," answered Jack.
+
+"Look out!" shouted Andy, springing back, and bringing his gun to bear.
+"We're in for it now!"
+
+"Sea lions, by their looks!" exclaimed the inventor. "A whole crowd of
+them and they are right between us and the ship!"
+
+The next instant the party came into full view of the beasts. There were
+about two hundred of them, great big brutes, with sharp tusks. At the
+sight of the men and boys the animals set up a chorus of roars that
+sounded as if several score of real African jungle lions had broken
+loose. At the same time the beasts, with curious hitchings of their
+unwieldly bodies, advanced on the adventurers!
+
+"Get your guns ready," cried Andy. "These fellows mean business! Make
+every shot tell!"
+
+He had already begun firing and two of the sea lions toppled over in
+quick succession, testifying to his good aim. Then the boys, the two
+helpers, the professor and Washington began a fusillade that made the
+icy regions echo and re-echo as though a battle was in progress.
+
+But the number killed among them, and the sound of the guns, did not
+halt the progress of the beasts. On and on they came, their roars
+increasing in fierceness.
+
+The continuous firing could not be kept up long. Already the old
+hunter's gun was empty, and there was no spare ammunition now. One after
+another the rifles of the others were emptied of their cartridges. Still
+the beasts came on.
+
+"We must retreat!" shouted Andy. "Back to the ice cave! They can not get
+us there!"
+
+"But what about the airship! We must regain that at any cost!" called
+the professor.
+
+"Wait until these beasts go away!" yelled Andy. "If they get us down
+it's only a matter of seconds before they'll kill us with those tusks!
+Run back!"
+
+All turned to execute this command. There was only a narrow opening in
+the slowly encircling ring of sea lions, and this the adventurers made
+for, running toward the ice cave. They had passed beyond the mass of the
+beasts, when a loud cry from Jack startled them. At the same time he
+pointed ahead.
+
+There, coming on at full speed was a pack of polar bears! The
+adventurers were between the two forces of enraged animals!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE
+
+
+"It's all up with us now!" shouted Andy. "I wish I had never come to the
+north pole!"
+
+"How shall we escape?" yelled the professor.
+
+Not knowing what to do, the whole party stood still. Behind them were
+the sea lions, roaring and snorting. In front of them, a hundred feet
+away were the bears, growling and howling.
+
+"Turn to the right!" cried Jack. "There is a big hill of ice we can
+climb!"
+
+The adventurers turned. As they did so Mark glanced back at the sea
+lions, and uttered a cry of surprise.
+
+"The lions are running away!" he shouted.
+
+Sure enough, the seals, though their progress could not be called
+"running" were retreating with their hitching, lumbering gait, away from
+the adventurers.
+
+"But the bears are coming!" called Andy.
+
+"They aren't after us! It's the sea lions they want!" exclaimed Jack. "I
+don't believe they will pay any attention to us!"
+
+"The boy is right!" came from Andy. "The bears want fresh meat and are
+going to tackle the lions. We're safe, but we'd better not stay around
+here long!"
+
+Jack's surmise was correct. The white bears did not follow the
+adventurers when the latter had run to the right. Instead, increasing
+their pace, the polar bears sprang into the midst of the sea lions and
+soon there was a fierce battle between the two animal forces.
+
+It was a fearful sight and the adventurers gazed at it in wonder,
+mingled with terror. The bears would seek to enfold the lions in their
+strong fore-paws, while the lions would try to sink their long tusks
+into the vitals of the enemy.
+
+Nearly a dozen had been killed on either side, but still the battle
+raged fiercely. The men and boys were so fascinated by the sight that
+they did not move, but stood staring from a small hummock of ice they
+had mounted.
+
+"I think we had better go!" called Professor Henderson. "No telling when
+they will get tired of fighting each other and turn on us. Besides I am
+anxious about the ship." And off they started.
+
+The ship rested in the same position it had settled in when the gas
+contracted. No harm had come to it as the fall had been so gradual.
+
+"I'll have the gas machine in operation in about an hour," Professor
+Henderson said. "Meanwhile, Bill, you and Tom had better get some dinner
+for us. I'm hungry and I dare say the others are. Have some hot coffee,
+for it is growing colder."
+
+"I was thinking I didn't feel quite so warm," observed Andy. "While
+there was a lot of excitement I didn't notice it, but now I am chilled
+through."
+
+"No wonder," remarked the inventor. "It's forty degrees below zero!"
+
+All were glad to go inside the ship which was warmed with gasolene
+stoves. Bill and Tom took off their heavy furs and began preparing a
+meal, which was soon smoking on the table. Everyone had a good appetite,
+and, just as the boys, with Andy and the two farmers were about to sit
+down, the professor came into the dining room.
+
+"It's all right!" he exclaimed. "Washington and I have the machine
+fixed. The gas is generating and we will be able to rise and continue
+our journey in about an hour."
+
+This was good news, and, during the dinner the adventures of the
+morning were talked over in detail.
+
+"We certainly had excitement enough for one day," observed Jack.
+
+Rising from the table and donning their furs Jack and Mark went out on
+the deck. They glanced up at the gas bag, and found it was filling out
+from the pressure of the vapor being pumped into it from the machine.
+
+"I wonder if we'd have time to walk out on the ice a little?" asked
+Mark. "I haven't had a chance to look around, we've been so busy since
+we landed."
+
+"We'll ask the captain," spoke Jack. "I'd like a little stroll myself."
+
+The inventor had no objections.
+
+"Don't go far away," he cautioned. "We'll start very soon now, and don't
+go near those animals."
+
+The boys promised, and then, climbing over the rail, and down the ice
+hummocks they walked along a broad level expanse that stretched out for
+about a mile.
+
+They had not gone far before Jack, who was in the lead, came to a halt.
+
+"Look here!" he called to Mark, who came hurrying up.
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"There's a pile of bones frozen into the ice! Looks as if there had been
+a fight here between bears and sea lions, and this is all that was left.
+They ate each other up, all but the bones, which became covered with
+ice."
+
+"Those aren't animal bones, Jack!"
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"See, there is the skull of a man! And another! There are a dozen
+skulls!" and Mark pointed to where they showed from underneath the
+crystal ice.
+
+"You're right!" Jack shouted. "And see! Here is something that looks
+like a copper cylinder! Maybe it has something inside! We must tell
+Professor Henderson!"
+
+Full of the importance of their discovery, the boys hastened back to the
+airship. The old inventor was much interested. Directing Washington to
+keep a careful eye on the gas machine, and taking an axe with him, the
+captain returned with the boys to where the bones were.
+
+"They are certainly the remains of human beings," was the professor's
+opinion. "I don't know that it would be any service to dig them out, but
+that copper cylinder may be of value."
+
+A few blows with the axe served to chop out the object. It was about
+two feet long and nearly three inches in diameter, and seemed to be
+securely sealed.
+
+"We'll take it back to the ship and open it," said the inventor. "It is
+too cold to do it here."
+
+Back to the _Monarch_ they hurried. Then, with a file, the professor
+removed one end of the copper case. From within he drew out a roll of
+paper, a watch, a knife and a few trinkets such as a man would carry
+about him.
+
+"Some white man did this!" exclaimed the old inventor, his hands
+trembling with eagerness as he unrolled the paper. "Let us see if he has
+left any word behind to tell of his death."
+
+All crowded around while Amos Henderson glanced at the mysterious
+message that had so curiously come to them. Some of the writing was very
+faint, but by the aid of a magnifying glass it was deciphered. Then,
+amid a deep silence the professor read the paper.
+
+"Whoever may find this, take warning and do not seek to find the north
+pole. Danger lurks there. My name is Andre Christiansen, and I am a Dane,
+educated in America, who set out to find the pole. I discovered it but
+was taken into captivity by the fierce people who dwell around it. They
+determined to get rid of me. With a party I was sent away. I was to be
+killed and buried in the ice. Before they could kill me we were all
+attacked by polar bears. All the other men were killed and I was wounded.
+As I write this I am dying. I write it with my blood and a piece of bone.
+Send word to Denmark of my death, kind friend whoever you may be that
+finds this. If you reach this far in your search for the pole, be warned
+and go no farther. This is all I can write. I am nearly dead. I put the
+message in this copper cylinder which I brought along. I hope it will be
+found. Good-bye."
+
+For a few moments after the professor ceased reading the strange message
+no one spoke. They were all thinking of the terrible fate that had
+befallen Andre Christiansen; to die all alone in that icy land, yet who,
+in the agony of death had thought to warn some explorer who might come
+after him.
+
+"Poor fellow," murmured Amos Henderson. "He must have died soon after
+putting the message in the cylinder."
+
+"And then the bears finished up their work by eating him and the men who
+wanted to kill him," said Andy. "They left only the bones."
+
+"How long ago do you suppose that was written?" asked Jack.
+
+"There is no telling," replied the professor. "But it must have been
+several years. I have read of all recent polar expeditions, and within
+the last twenty years there has been no one of this name to venture
+toward the pole. Besides the copper cap on the cylinder has become
+rusted on, and that would indicate the passage of considerable time."
+
+"I wonder if there are people at the pole?" came from Mark.
+
+"We'll go and see!" exclaimed the professor.
+
+"You don't mean to say you are going further north after what that
+message says?" asked Andy Sudds.
+
+"Certainly; why not?"
+
+"We may all be killed."
+
+"We'll try not to have that happen," said the professor. "I am glad you
+boys found this. It is a valuable relic," and Amos Henderson put the
+message, the trinkets and the cylinder carefully away.
+
+"I--I guess I won't go--" began Andy.
+
+At that instant the airship gave a sudden tremble. Then the whole craft
+shivered. Next it began to rise in the air.
+
+"Here we go!" cried the professor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+FORWARD ONCE MORE
+
+
+The airship rose rapidly. Washington had continued to operate the gas
+machine until there was a sufficient quantity of vapor to overcome the
+contracting influence of the cold atmosphere.
+
+"Forward once more!" cried the professor, hurrying to the engine room.
+"This time we may reach the north pole!"
+
+He and Washington soon started the motors, the dynamos and engines. The
+propeller revolved rapidly. The adventurers were under way again.
+
+"Jack and Mark, go into the conning tower and steer!" called Mr.
+Henderson from the engine room. "Take her up about half a mile, and send
+her straight north by the compass. I have to adjust some of the
+machinery."
+
+Delighted at the prospect of running the airship, the two boys hurried
+forward. Mark went to the steering wheel, which was similar to the kind
+used on automobiles. The _Monarch_ was heading to the west, having no
+one to guide her, but Mark soon brought her around until her bow was
+poked directly for the north.
+
+Under the guidance of the two boys, the airship rushed forward. They had
+become somewhat used to the queer feeling of being high up in the air,
+and now it did not seem wonderful to be sailing among the clouds, though
+two weeks before they would have laughed at the idea of such a thing.
+Andy and the two farmers had, likewise, become a little indifferent to
+the strange sensations, and, aside from being careful not to go too near
+the rail of the ship when it was sailing aloft, they took no more
+precautions than as if they were on the deck of a steamboat.
+
+For several hours the ship was kept on her course. The boys remained in
+the conning tower, gazing ahead. Not a single thing could be observed
+but a monotonous expanse of whiteness. Now and then they would run into
+a bank of clouds which obscured their vision as if there was a heavy
+fog.
+
+"Look at the clock!" exclaimed Mark suddenly, pointing to the
+time-piece.
+
+"What's the matter with it?" asked Jack.
+
+"Can it be right?" went on Mark. "Surely it isn't nine o'clock, and the
+sun shining as brightly as if it was noon."
+
+"It's nine o'clock at night!" exclaimed the professor, entering the
+steering tower in time to hear Mark's words.
+
+"But it can't be," argued the boy. "Look how the sun is shining."
+
+"You must realize where you are," was the reply. "We are so far north,
+my boy, that we are in the land of the midnight sun. From now on we will
+have daylight all the while. We are nearing the pole, where it is light
+six months of the year, and dark the other six. We are having summer
+here, now."
+
+"I guess it don't feel much like summer outside," said Mark. "The
+thermometer indicates fifty below zero!"
+
+"So it does," said Amos Henderson, glancing at the instrument which,
+though it was outside, could be read through the glass in the tower.
+"Well, we may have struck a cold wave. Ordinarily we will not have much
+more than twenty below zero when the sun shines."
+
+"That's cold enough for me," said Mark.
+
+The professor announced that the airship's machinery was now in good
+shape. He said he expected to come to the end of the journey in about
+three days more, provided no accidents occurred, and there were no
+storms to delay the _Monarch_.
+
+"I think we will divide the night into four watches," he said.
+"Washington, Jack, Mark and I will take them in turn. During the day we
+will all be on duty, but from six in the morning to six at night we will
+stand watch and watch."
+
+It was arranged that Jack should take the first period, the professor
+the second, Mark the third and Washington the fourth. As the first watch
+had passed Jack was excused and the inventor said he would take charge
+of the ship. Then, as every one was tired from the happenings of the
+day, they all went to bed, excepting Amos Henderson, who entered the
+tower to steer the ship.
+
+The engines, dynamos and motors ran without much attention save such as
+the pilot might give them occasionally, for he could leave the ship with
+the steering wheel fastened, a few minutes at a time, as there was no
+danger of collisions. So the _Monarch_ continued to race toward the
+north.
+
+It was almost time for Mark's tour of duty to begin. The two boys, who
+were sleeping together, were in a deep slumber, when Washington ran in
+and shouted at the top of his voice:
+
+"Wake up everybody! De perfessor is killed dead!"
+
+Andy, Mark, Jack and the two helpers sat up in their bunks, rubbing
+their sleepy eyes and wondering what had happened.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Jack.
+
+"Mr. Henderson is dead! He's in the engine room!"
+
+"What killed him?" inquired Andy.
+
+"He must hab got a shock from de dynamo!"
+
+Andy jumped from his bunk and hurried to the engine room. There, as the
+negro had described, Professor Henderson was lying white and senseless
+on the floor.
+
+The old hunter stooped over the inventor and felt of his heart.
+
+"He is alive!" he exclaimed. "His heart beats! We must carry him to a
+bunk!"
+
+Aided by Washington, Andy carried the professor to the sleeping room,
+where he was made comfortable in one of the beds. The captain was so
+near death that he could not be seen to breathe, and only the faint
+flutter of his heart told that life existed.
+
+"We're lost!" cried Washington. "If he dies we'll never get back home
+again. He is de only one dat knows how to mix de chemicals for de gas!"
+
+This was alarming news. Without the mysterious vapor the ship would not
+keep afloat long, nor could it be worked back from the desolate land of
+ice and snow. How much of the gas was left no one knew.
+
+"Did he ever get a shock like this before?" asked the hunter of
+Washington.
+
+"Once, but not so strong."
+
+"What did you do for him? What medicine did he take?"
+
+"Glory! Glory!" shouted the negro, jumping up and down in his
+excitement. "I remembers it now. Wait a second!"
+
+He hurried to the engine room, and came back in a little while with a
+small bottle.
+
+"Perfessor done say," he began, "dat if eber I seed him senselike, when
+he done gone and got a shock from de 'lectrisititeness, I was to gib him
+two spoons full ob dis."
+
+Andy took the bottle, which contained a red liquid. Bill got a spoon
+from the locker where the dishes were kept. With hands that trembled the
+old hunter poured out some of the fluid. Then, with Jack's help he
+forced open the inventor's mouth and put the medicine in.
+
+"I hope it works!" murmured Andy.
+
+He poured out a second spoonful. This was administered to the
+unconscious man. In a few seconds his face that had been pale showed a
+little color. His chest expanded as he drew a long breath. Then the old
+inventor opened his eyes and asked faintly:
+
+"What happened? Where am I?"
+
+"You are all right now," spoke Andy in a gentle voice. "You are out of
+danger I hope, and safe on the _Monarch_."
+
+"Is the airship all right?" asked the captain eagerly.
+
+"Yes, and sailing along like a bird," was the answer. In fact every one
+had forgotten that the craft was forging ahead, and that all the
+machinery was working.
+
+A look of relief crossed Professor Henderson's face, and he sat up.
+
+"I remember now," he said. "I was adjusting the dynamo, and I touched a
+live wire. The current was very strong. It is a wonder I was not killed.
+But how did you bring me around again?"
+
+"Washington happened to remember some medicine you had told him to use
+in emergencies."
+
+"Oh, yes: I'm glad I had some on board. It is a remedy for those shocked
+with electricity. But I must see to the machinery."
+
+"No, you must not," said Andy firmly. "You are too weak to get up yet,
+and you have a bad burn on your hand."
+
+"All right," agreed Amos Henderson, for he felt weak and sick from the
+shock. "Some one had better see to the steering now," he added, and then
+he leaned back in the bunk and closed his eyes.
+
+Jack ran to the conning tower. He found that the ship, under the
+influence of a strong wind, was going due west, instead of to the north.
+He shifted the steering wheel and brought the _Monarch_ on her course
+again, pointing to the north pole. Then he called for Mark, and the two
+boys arranged that between them they would run the ship until Professor
+Henderson recovered.
+
+Andy and Washington, who were watching beside the professor's bunk,
+where he reclined, seemingly in a deep slumber, were startled as he
+suddenly sat upright.
+
+"Hark!" the old man exclaimed. "Listen! Do you hear it?"
+
+"Hear what?" asked the hunter, in a soothing tone, wishing to humor the
+sick man.
+
+"Do you not hear a terrible rushing, roaring wind? The ship! The ship is
+in danger!"
+
+The thrilling words sent a chill to the hearts of the watchers. There
+was no sign of a storm. In fact it was strangely quiet outside, the
+only noise heard being that of the engines of the ship.
+
+"His mind wanders," said Andy.
+
+He had no sooner spoken than a cry from Jack, who with Mark was in the
+steering tower, startled them. His voice ran out through the cabins as
+he cried:
+
+"A whirlwind! A whirlwind! We are running straight into a whirlwind!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+TOSSED BY A TORNADO
+
+
+"Shut down de engines!" cried Washington.
+
+"Lower the ship!" exclaimed Mark, who had run back from the tower.
+"Close to the earth we may escape the wind!"
+
+"Is it headed toward us?" asked Andy.
+
+"Straight," answered Mark. Jack tried to steer to one side, but the
+currents of air sucked the ship right back into the path again!
+
+"The captain knew more than we gave him credit for," muttered the
+hunter. "He heard the storm coming."
+
+The air, that had been so strangely quiet, now vibrated with a curious
+humming. It seemed to make the whole ship tremble. Then, just as the
+craft began to settle down, the upward pulling force of the gas being
+lessened under Washington's manipulations, there came a terrible
+roaring. The wind howled like a thousand demons seeking to tear the
+_Monarch_ to pieces.
+
+"It's a regular tornado!" cried Andy.
+
+Then the storm picked the downward-falling ship up as if it had been a
+feather and tossed the craft into the air. The adventurers were in a sad
+plight.
+
+There was nothing to be done. The forces of nature were ten times
+stronger than those of man. To start the engines and try to run the ship
+out of the grasp of the wind would only mean to strain the craft to a
+dangerous point. There was but one thing to do, to run before the
+tornado, as ships on the sea scud before the gale. In this way the
+airship might be saved, if it was not dashed down to earth.
+
+As soon as this plan manifested itself to be the best one, Washington
+stopped drawing gas from the bag. He wanted to keep the ship as high as
+he could. Jack still held his place in the conning tower, but he could
+do nothing to guide the craft, and it would have been folly to attempt
+it, so fearful was the force of the wind.
+
+"Which way are we headed?" asked Mark, making his way back to the tower
+where Jack was.
+
+"Almost due west," was the reply. "About two points to the south, too."
+
+"Then we are being driven away from the north pole," said Mark.
+
+"We're as helpless as kittens tied up in a sack," said Andy. "If only I
+could do something I'd feel better. But I've got to sit here and take
+what comes."
+
+The sick man stirred uneasily. Then he muttered in his delirium
+something about the tornado that was tossing him from side to side of
+the bunk.
+
+Strangely enough there was nothing to the storm but wind. There was no
+rain or snow, and the air was remarkably clear, excepting for the
+darkness of the clouds. Aside from the way in which the ship was blown
+along there was nothing to indicate that the breeze was rushing along at
+tempest speed. There were no trees bent to the earth, and no clouds of
+dust. The sky clouds kept pace with the airship.
+
+"I wonder where we are?" asked Jack, who with Mark had come back from
+the tower.
+
+"We'll have to guess at it," replied Andy. "It would be as much as a
+man's life is worth to go outside and take an observation."
+
+"Don't hab to do dat," broke in Washington. "See here!"
+
+He stooped over and pulled on an iron ring that was fastened in the
+floor of the dining-room cabin. A section of a board came up.
+
+"Look!" exclaimed the negro pointing down. All leaned forward and saw
+that a heavy plate glass had been set over a hole cut through the floor
+of the ship. By means of this strange window one could look directly
+down toward the earth. Jack kneeled and peered through the glass. He
+rose to his feet with a cry of fear.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Andy.
+
+"We are right over the ocean!" exclaimed the boy. "I can see immense
+waves not three hundred feet below! The airship must be falling and
+we'll be dashed into the sea!"
+
+At these words Washington ran to the engine room. He looked at the
+height indicator.
+
+"We's four hundred feet in de air, an' a--we's agoin' down!" he
+muttered.
+
+Jack, who had followed him, saw by the instrument what the dreadful
+truth was. Blown from her course, the _Monarch_ was now over an open
+polar sea, into which she might be dashed at any moment. The tornado
+still howled and roared outside, making it impossible to inflate the gas
+bag, so strong was the pressure of wind on it. And without a fresh
+supply of gas, the ship must fall.
+
+There was no abatement to the tornado. The ship was tossed more
+violently than ever. Jack peered through the floor-window again.
+
+"We are nearer the water!" he exclaimed as he arose. "The sea is
+covered with icebergs. They are crashing together in the big waves. If
+we fall the ship will be ground to pieces in the floes!"
+
+"Try the gas machine again!" urged Andy. "Maybe the wind has lessened."
+
+Washington started the machine. He kept one eye on the needle of the
+indicator that told the gas pressure in the bag, and the other on the
+height register. The black pointer of the latter went lower and lower.
+It was now at one hundred, and kept on going down slowly, until it stood
+at seventy-five. Soon only sixty-five feet stood between the airship and
+her passengers, and the angry, swirling water beneath, where the
+icebergs crashed and ground together.
+
+Then Washington, who was ready to faint with fear and despair, gave a
+cry of joy. He had noticed that the height indicator stopped. At the
+same time the gas register showed that the vapor from the machine was
+entering the bag.
+
+"Glory! Glory!" cried the negro. "We's saved now. De ship is goin' up,
+and the gas is workin' in. De wind must be goin' down!"
+
+Then, while all save Professor Henderson, who was still unconscious,
+crowded into the engine room, they saw that what Washington said was
+true. The pressure of the wind had lessened, permitting the bag to fill
+with the gas. This served to lift the ship, and the pointer on the
+height indicator began to move upward. Higher and higher went the craft,
+until in a few minutes the register showed six hundred feet. They had
+been saved from death in the sea.
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Jack. "I believe the tornado has left us!"
+
+Indeed the roaring of the wind was less now. The ship was no longer
+violently tossed. In a few minutes the wind died away almost completely,
+and, aside from the rising motion, and a slight swaying, the _Monarch_
+rode on an even keel. The danger was over.
+
+"Is the ship safe?" called Professor Henderson from his bunk.
+
+"All safe!" exclaimed the hunter cheerfully. "We had a little blow, but
+it is all over, and the _Monarch_ behaved like the King she is--or,
+perhaps I ought to say Queen, seeing that all ships are ladies. But how
+do you feel, professor?"
+
+"I am much better," was the answer, showing that the medicine had done
+its work. "I feel hungry," he went on. "What time is it?"
+
+"Six o'clock," answered Jack, looking at the dial.
+
+"Night or morning?"
+
+"Morning, I guess."
+
+"Then we'll have breakfast," said the professor with a smile.
+
+He stepped from the bunk. As he did so there was a sudden lurch to the
+ship. Then it began to sink suddenly.
+
+"We are going down!" cried the captain. "What has happened?"
+
+"The gas bag is leaking again!" shouted Washington from the engine room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+PRISONERS OF THE ESQUIMAUX
+
+
+The hearts of all were filled with new terror. They had just come safely
+through one danger only to fall into another.
+
+The professor limped to the engine room. A glance confirmed his fears.
+The gas was escaping from the bag in large quantities.
+
+"I am afraid the patch we put on has come loose," he said. "The tornado
+must have unfastened it. Are we over land or sea?" he asked anxiously.
+
+Jack hurried to where the sheet of thick glass was set into the floor of
+the cabin. He peered down toward the ground.
+
+"We are over land, or, at least, a big ice field," he said, looking up."
+We must have crossed some arm of the sea, or, perhaps, a bay." Then, as
+he looked down through the window again, he gave a frightened start.
+"There are people below us!" he cried. "I can see hundreds of them! They
+are waiting for us to land!"
+
+The ship was fast settling, and, because of that fact, and for the
+reason that the propeller was sending it ahead, the _Monarch_ was
+approaching the ice at a sharp angle.
+
+"Stop the engines!" commanded the professor. "Our only hope is in coming
+down easily. If we strike the ice hard we are lost!"
+
+Lower and lower sank the _Monarch_, like a bird with a broken wing. In a
+few minutes there came a sudden jar that told the ship had struck the
+ice. Then, with a swish and rustle the silk bag, emptied of gas fell on
+the roof of the cabins. The _Monarch_ had come down between two big
+hummocks of ice, and rested almost in a level position.
+
+The adventurers peered from the windows. At first they could see nothing
+but a vast expanse of frozen whiteness. Then the ship, in an instant,
+seemed to be surrounded by men, women and children, all dressed in furs,
+only their faces showing.
+
+"Here they come!" cried Andy.
+
+The Esquimaux showed no fear of the airship nor the strange beings that
+inhabited it. They advanced boldly, many of them bearing rude weapons,
+spears, stone axes, and bows and arrows of bone. They were a fierce
+looking crowd.
+
+"I can't have them come inside the ship," spoke the professor, "they
+will tear the machinery apart."
+
+"Shall I fire on them?" asked Andy, getting his rifle ready.
+
+"Not for the world!" cried the captain. "They are ten to our one, and
+probably this is but a small part of the tribe. Our only safety lies in
+peaceful means. Come, we must put on our fur garments and go outside.
+That may induce them to let the ship alone."
+
+"They may take us prisoners," objected Jack.
+
+"Better be prisoners with the airship safe than with it all broken so we
+can never use it," said the old inventor. "If we lose the ship then we
+are lost indeed. If we go out to them, they may be afraid to venture in
+alone. Come, we must hurry!"
+
+Obeying the captain's advice, they all donned their fur garments, and
+each took a revolver and several rounds of ammunition. These small
+weapons could be concealed about them without much trouble.
+
+Then the whole party emerged from the cabins out on the forward deck of
+the _Monarch_. It was high time, for several of the Esquimaux, with
+their big stone axes, were advancing to batter in the doors. At the
+sight of the adventurers, who had only been dimly observed through the
+windows, there arose a great shout among the savages.
+
+Rapidly the air-travelers climbed over the ship's rail, down on to the
+ice, and walked boldly among the Esquimaux.
+
+"Show a brave front!" exclaimed the captain, in a low voice. "Perhaps
+they mean no harm after all."
+
+But this idea was soon dismissed. With a shout the foremost of the
+natives rushed on the party of whites, surrounded them, and, before any
+one had a chance to draw his revolver, had he desired to do so, each
+member of the _Monarch's_ crew was seized and bound with strong thongs
+of walrus hide.
+
+"Well, they've got us," groaned old Andy. "I wish I'd taken a few shots
+at them first!"
+
+The old inventor watched narrowly every move the Esquimaux made. At
+first several of the natives showed a desire to penetrate the interior
+of the _Monarch_. But the commands of one big man, evidently the chief,
+who was clad entirely in white furs, deterred them. Scores crawled up
+the ice hummock and looked the strange craft over with wondering eyes,
+but none molested it.
+
+Suddenly the man in the white furs uttered a loud cry. It was answered
+from a dozen throats, and then great activity was manifested. Big
+sledges, made of bone for a framework, with laced thongs for a body,
+were brought up, and dogs were harnessed to the vehicles. While some
+natives were attending to this, others scattered in different
+directions, returning presently with large supplies of dead fish, seals,
+and a large polar bear.
+
+"This is evidently a hunting party," said Mr. Henderson. "They have been
+away from their main town or camp for several days, and were on their
+way back when they saw our airship. I wonder what they will do with us."
+
+He was not long left in doubt. The chief of the Esquimaux approached
+the adventurers, who, bound with thongs, were sitting on the ice. He
+addressed Washington in a strange language, but Washington, with a
+motion of his head nodded toward Captain Henderson, to indicate that he
+was the commander of the party. To the old inventor, therefore, did the
+native in the white furs speak next.
+
+He made a motion of a person reclining on a sledge and indicated that
+the captives were to be taken away in that fashion. Then the chief
+motioned to his mouth and pretended to chew.
+
+"He seems to want us to take a sleigh ride and get something to eat,"
+said Mr. Henderson. "I suppose we might as well go along."
+
+He nodded an assent to the Esquimaux chief, thinking the sign for that
+would be understood. It was, evidently, for the chief nodded back and
+smiled.
+
+The rude sleds were brought close to the party from the _Monarch_. Then
+the captives were bundled on the vehicles like so many logs of wood, and
+bound to the runners with hide thongs. Next a fur robe was thrown over
+each one, a hole being left for them to breathe, and a dog driver took
+his position at the front of each sled.
+
+With cracks of the whips and wild shouts the natives started off at a
+rapid speed. Then it was the prisoners appreciated the extra fur
+coverings, for when the vehicles were in motion the keen wind cut like
+a knife on the little portion of the face left exposed.
+
+A sharp pang of regret struck the professor's heart as he realized that
+he was being carried away from his beloved airship, which was left in
+the hands of the enemy. They might wreck it he realized, to get the
+valuable wood and metal in the different parts. If they did, it would
+mean that the adventurers would be doomed to remain in the land of
+perpetual ice and snow forever.
+
+For several hours the journey was continued. The dogs drawing the sleds
+never seemed to slacken their speed, but, urged by voice and whip, sped
+on over ice and snow.
+
+Suddenly a loud cry sounded. The sleds, as if in obedience to a command,
+came to a halt. The captives raised their heads and saw that the whole
+party had come to a stop. Several of the Esquimaux began opening bundles
+and took out pieces of frozen fat meat. With this they went from team to
+team among the dogs, and fed the brutes that seemed ravenous from
+hunger.
+
+The animals provided with a meal, the Esquimaux fed themselves. It was a
+primitive feast. The men simply bit off chunks of fat and blubber and
+swallowed them almost whole.
+
+"I'm pretty hungry, but I don't believe I could eat that," observed
+Jack.
+
+"Wait until you get a chance," advised Mark. "Maybe they are not going
+to offer us any. As for me, I am starved enough to tackle most
+anything."
+
+Presently the Esquimaux chief approached the captives, who had been
+drawn close together on their sleds. The leader of the natives had in
+his hands some queer looking stuff. At a sign from him several of the
+other Esquimaux loosened the bonds that bound the prisoners.
+
+"Um!" grunted the chief. "Um! Um!" At least his words sounded like that.
+
+"I guess he wants us to eat," said the professor.
+
+He took some of the food the Esquimaux chief held out. The stuff did
+not look very inviting, about as much like cold fat as anything. The
+professor bit into it.
+
+"It's good!" he exclaimed. "It's chopped up meat and suet, and it's
+cooked! Eat it!"
+
+They all did, for they were very hungry and cold. Then the captives were
+bound again, the dogs were harnessed, and the journey was resumed. The
+sun still shone, though it was getting late, but the prisoners were all
+sleepy, for, by the run of hours, it was now night.
+
+On and on went the sleds. Jack had dozed off, when he was aroused by a
+shout. He raised his head to look about him, and was filled with terror
+at what he saw.
+
+The sled he was on, as well as all the others, was coasting down a great
+hill of ice at fearful speed! The dogs were gone, and the fleet of
+sleighs, under their own weight, were dashing down the Mountainous side
+of a great glacier!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE STRANGE WOMAN AIDS
+
+
+"Professor! Professor!" cried Jack. He saw the sled on which the old
+inventor was lashed close to him.
+
+"Eh! Yes! What is it?" asked the old man, sticking his head out from
+under the fur robe.
+
+"They have set us adrift down the mountain and we'll be killed!"
+
+The boy struggled to free himself from his bonds. The professor, raising
+his head and realizing the danger, did likewise.
+
+But the tough walrus hide was too tightly drawn. The captives, if they
+went to their deaths, would go bound and unable to help themselves. In
+terror Jack glanced on either side of him. To his surprise he noticed
+that not only were the sleds of himself and his comrades going down the
+hill, but the vehicles of all the Esquimaux as well.
+
+"Can an accident have happened?" he asked himself. "Or have they all
+gone crazy? This beats me."
+
+Faster and faster went the sleighs. Showers of ice splinters flew up on
+either side of the bone runners. The wind whistled past Jack's face.
+Then, as a sled of one of the natives shot near to Jack's, the boy
+noticed that the Esquimaux's face was calm, and he was smiling a bit.
+
+"This doesn't look as if he was going to be killed," reasoned the boy.
+But the speed of the sleds never slackened and Jack was much afraid, as
+were the other prisoners.
+
+But at length, with a swish and a whizz, the sleighs shot around a
+curve, and slid out on a broad expanse of smooth ice. Off jumped the
+natives, laughing and chatting. Then Jack realized the truth.
+
+The Esquimaux, instead of trusting to their dogs to draw them down the
+steep hill, had simply coasted, just as Jack had done many a time at
+home.
+
+In a little while the dogs, that had been led by a number of the natives
+down an easier path than that which the steep hill offered, came up,
+barking and yelping. They were again harnessed to the sledges, and the
+journey commenced once more.
+
+This time it did not last more than an hour. It was along a level
+stretch of ice, and soon they were in the midst of an Esquimaux village.
+
+Huts of ice, with rounded tops, were on every side, with here and there
+a tent made of seal skins stretched over poles. There were several
+hundred inhabitants, who mingled with the members of the hunting party,
+that included men, women and children, for, when the Esquimaux go for a
+several days' stay after fish they take their families along.
+
+"We seem to have struck camp at last," remarked the professor to Andy.
+"I wonder what they are going to do with us now."
+
+"The least they could do would be to untie us and give us a good meal,"
+growled the old hunter, who was stiff from being bound so long on the
+sled.
+
+"Who said dinner?" broke in Washington from his sled. "I jest wish I had
+a chicken pot-pie!"
+
+"I'd willingly go without a meal if I was sure the airship was safe,"
+sighed the professor.
+
+At this mention of their craft all the adventurers became silent and a
+feeling of sadness came over them. But they had little time to indulge
+in gloomy thoughts.
+
+As soon as the inhabitants of the camp had greeted the fishing party the
+captives were surrounded by a group of curious ones, who followed the
+chief, in his white furs, to where the prisoners' sleds had been drawn
+up. The white men, who must have seemed strange beings to the Esquimaux,
+were still fastened to the vehicles. At a word from the leader the bonds
+were cut.
+
+"I guess they want us to get up," said Jack.
+
+He rose from his sleigh, and his example was followed by the others. The
+Esquimaux closed around them. Then, before any of the prisoners could
+raise a hand in their defense, they were seized by a score of the dark
+natives and hurried off across the snow.
+
+"Draw your revolvers and shoot!" cried Andy. "They are going to kill
+us!"
+
+"No! No!" shouted the old inventor. "To resist now would be folly. Have
+patience a little longer!"
+
+His voice was so earnest that all obeyed him. So, unresisting, the
+captives were borne away. Then a strange thing happened.
+
+The sun, which had been shining in the sky from which it would not
+disappear for six months, suddenly seemed to darken. The captives
+started in surprise.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked the old inventor, struggling to escape from
+the arms which held him. "Is it night?"
+
+"I guess dey done gone and blindfolded us!" exclaimed Washington.
+
+Indeed it was as black as if the prisoners had been plunged into a
+gloomy pit. Then, as they looked up while being half led, half dragged
+along they saw that they had left the outer air and were being conducted
+into some sort of a cave.
+
+"It's an ice-cavern!" groaned the old hunter, "They are going to torture
+us as the Indians do!"
+
+"Hush!" cautioned the inventor. "Do not think of such things. All is not
+yet lost!"
+
+In a little while the darkness, caused by the captives being suddenly
+taken from the bright sunlight into the cave, was somewhat dispelled. It
+grew gradually brighter, thought they were conducted farther and farther
+into the recesses of the cavern. Then, as they were led around the turn
+of a passage, they saw what made the light.
+
+Scores of rude lamps, made from hollowed out stones, with twisted moss
+for wicks, and burning seal oil, gave a smoky illumination, that lit up
+the cave with a red glare. The lamps were set in niches in the icy walls
+of the cavern, while some were placed upon the floor and others seemed
+to be arranged about a sort of altar at the farther end of the big ice
+chamber.
+
+From the icy crystal walls the glare of the moss wicks was reflected
+back in a thousand points of light, and amid the glow the captives
+beheld a score or more of old men seated in a circle about a big centre
+lamp, that shone with a flame five times as bright as any of the others.
+
+"It looks as if we were being brought before the head men of the tribe,"
+muttered the old hunter.
+
+A short distance away from the circle of old men, the native in the
+white furs, who seemed to have lost some of his authority on entering
+the ice chamber, motioned the captives to be seated. They sat down,
+crossed legs, and waited.
+
+They were aware that the interior of the cave was much warmer than the
+air outside, and soon were forced to lay aside some of their heavy
+garments. In a little while several women approached bearing huge
+platters on which rested smoked chunks of hot meat.
+
+It did not look very inviting. There were no knives, no forks, no
+napkins and no plates. None of the somewhat limited comforts of the
+airship were to be had. But the captives were too hungry to mind such
+things. Using their fingers, they ate ravenously, and found the meat
+very good, though they did not know what it was.
+
+"I feel much better," said Jack. "If I only had some place to wash my
+hands now, I'd be quite satisfied."
+
+"You ought to be thankful you got something to eat," returned Mark. "I
+was almost starved."
+
+"Dat was as good as roast beef, chicken, pork-chops, cranberry sauce,
+celery an' potatoes," observed Washington with a sigh of satisfaction.
+
+Since the native women had brought them food no one in the cave had
+taken the slightest notice of the prisoners. The men in the centre about
+the big stone lamp sat like so many dark and graven images, saying not a
+word.
+
+"I wonder what is next on the program?" asked Andy.
+
+In a few minutes an old woman, bearing a stone basin full of some
+liquid, and a horn cup, approached them, and, filling the smaller
+vessel, offered the old professor something to drink. As she neared him
+she caught sight of his white face and long whitish beard and hair, and
+gave such a start that she nearly dropped the basin she was carrying.
+She peered down into the old man's face and muttered something that
+sounded like:
+
+"Ingliss!"
+
+"What has she got and what is she saying?" asked the hunter.
+
+"I don't know what she said," replied Amos Henderson, "but she has
+given me some good milk."
+
+Then, going from one to the other, the old woman, who seemed strangely
+agitated as she saw so many white faces, poured out the reindeers' milk,
+which made a welcome drink.
+
+"They are treating us better than I thought they would," remarked Andy.
+"Maybe we will not be so badly off as I feared."
+
+Suddenly, from the midst of the circle of natives, a voice arose. The
+captives glanced quickly over in the direction, and saw that the man in
+the white furs, who had superintended their capture, was addressing the
+council.
+
+His words were strange to the prisoners, but they could tell by his
+gestures he was describing how he had found the white men, who had come
+in the wonderful airship. At times the narrator would point in the
+direction of the captives. Again he would show by gestures how the
+airship had settled down on the ice. He was interrupted by many
+questions and, at the end of his tale, a silence fell over the crowd of
+natives.
+
+Then, as if by some signal, all the lights save the large central lamp
+were extinguished. By the glow from that the prisoners could see their
+captors, one by one, filing from the cave.
+
+"They are leaving us all alone," said the inventor. "At any rate they
+have done us no harm, and perhaps may not. If we could only get back to
+the ship; that would be all I'd ask," and he sighed as he thought of his
+beloved craft.
+
+For a long while the captives sat in silence, brooding over their fate.
+Worn out by the trials of the day, the two farmers at last fell asleep.
+Washington, too, was soon snoring, and the two boys felt drowsy. The
+regular breathing of the professor told that he, also, had forgotten his
+troubles in dreamland, and Andy was about to drop off nodding, when he
+was startled by a soft foot-fall. He sat up on the icy floor of the cave
+where he had stretched himself out.
+
+"Who's there?" he asked sharply.
+
+"Sh! Ingliss!" exclaimed a soft voice. "No spik! Me like Ingliss! Me
+Dirola!"
+
+"Who are you?" asked the old hunter again, but in a whisper.
+
+"Me like Ingliss!" was the reply. "They kill! Me save! You come! All
+Ingliss!"
+
+Then, into the glare of the big lamp, glided the strange woman who had
+brought the milk.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+FIGHTING FOR THE SHIP
+
+
+"Professor Henderson! Wake up!" called Andy. "Hey, boys, Bill, Tom,
+Washington! This may mean something!"
+
+In an instant the prisoners were sitting up, and blinking in the
+direction of the big lamp.
+
+"What is it all about?" asked Amos Henderson.
+
+"As near as I can make out this lady is going to save us," replied the
+hunter. "She says the natives want to kill us, and that she likes the
+English, though how she can talk United States is more than I can
+understand."
+
+Dirola, as the Esquimaux woman had called herself, approached the old
+inventor, and, kneeling down in front of him, spoke rapidly in her
+broken tongue.
+
+"Me save you!" she repeated. "Me Dirola! Me from way, way off," and she
+pointed to the north. "Me been prisoner here long time. Me see white
+Ingliss man once. He come my country. He go way. My people want kill
+him, no like. He be take away. His name Andre!"
+
+"Great Scott!" exclaimed the professor. "I believe this woman was
+acquainted with the poor fellow whose bones we found! Can it be
+possible!"
+
+"You come; me save!" went on the strange woman. "Me no like it here;
+want go to my people. Me learn spik Ingliss from Andre. Me young girl
+then!"
+
+"Well, of all the strange happenings!" exclaimed the inventor. "I
+believe she is telling the truth. Probably poor Andre Christiansen got
+among her people and she learned a little English from him."
+
+"You come?" questioned Dirola. "Me show you where ship hid."
+
+"I wonder if it's safe to trust her," said the old hunter. "According to
+the message we found, the people Andre fell among were not very kind."
+
+The woman seemed to understand that some objection was being raised. She
+spoke rapidly and earnestly.
+
+"My people no harm," she said. "Me tell 'um you save me, they no kill
+you. You come. Much hurry now. You be killed here!"
+
+"I think we might as well chance it," was Professor Henderson's
+opinion. "Perhaps she does know where the ship is from hearing talk
+among members of the fishing party that captured us. What do you say?
+Shall we go?"
+
+Every one agreed that it would be better than to stay in the cave and
+face an unknown danger. So, wrapping their furs closely about them, the
+captives rose silently and prepared to follow the woman, who seemed
+pleased that they were going. She did not lead them out the way they had
+been brought in, but by a smaller entrance.
+
+"Go easy!" she cautioned. "No want bad mans to hear! They kill Dirola!"
+
+Walking like cats in their soft boots of fur, the prisoners followed the
+strange woman who had so opportunely come to their rescue. Though they
+were very apprehensive, they met with no one. Leaving the glare of the
+big lamp behind, they were soon in semi-darkness, but in a little while
+they emerged into the bright sunlight.
+
+"They all sleep!" muttered Dirola, motioning toward the camp of
+Esquimaux which she indicated was behind the ice cavern they had just
+left. "We walk; den we git dogs an' sleds. Den we ride so no can catch!"
+
+At a sign from Dirola the seven prisoners stepped out briskly. It seemed
+queer to see the sun shining after having been in the dark cave, where
+it looked like night, and to get used to the appearance of Old Sol
+shining steadily all night long, was something the adventurers had not
+quite accomplished. They walked perhaps a mile before they came to where
+the dog teams were, behind a hill of ice.
+
+There were two big sleds, with room enough for all, and ten dogs to each
+vehicle. The animals, which were securely tied to pinnacles of ice, were
+snapping and snarling among themselves.
+
+"Quick, git on!" commanded Dirola. "Maybe they chase us!"
+
+The captives needed no second bidding. They piled on the sledges, the
+professor, Andy and Washington on one and the two boys and the two
+helpers on the other. Dirola took her seat in front of Professor
+Henderson.
+
+"Who's going to drive our dogs?" asked Jack.
+
+"No drive. They follow me," said the woman, and then Jack saw that the
+foremost animal of his team was tied by a long thong to the rear of the
+first sleigh.
+
+The Esquimaux woman snapped her whip, having first untied the dogs, and
+away the teams went over the snow at a great pace.
+
+The spirits of all arose as they went on, making mile after mile on
+their journey, away from the ice cave and back to the _Monarch_. Dirola
+seemed to know just where she was going, and never hesitated. With voice
+and whip she guided the dog teams on, urging them to top speed, for she
+was escaping as well as the adventurers.
+
+For several hours the captives rode, becoming thoroughly chilled, for a
+cold, cutting wind sprang up and blew in their faces.
+
+"We most there," said the woman at length.
+
+"I'm glad to hear it," remarked Andy. "I will be glad to get back to a
+civilized place, even if it is an airship."
+
+Suddenly Dirola turned her head and glanced behind. As she did so she
+uttered an exclamation and called shrilly to the dogs, at the same time
+snapping her long whip viciously.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Andy.
+
+"They come after us."
+
+Looking back, Andy was startled to see, about a mile in the rear, more
+than a score of sleds, laden with fur-robed Esquimaux, in full pursuit.
+
+"Now we're in for it!" he cried. "It will be a race to see who gets to
+the ship first! Get out your revolvers! I'm not going to be captured
+again!"
+
+Each one of the adventurers brought out his weapon. The pursuing
+Esquimaux seemed aware that their former captives had observed them, and
+urged their dog teams to greater speed. It was indeed a race.
+
+Dirola's animals had been urged almost to their limit, and were now
+lagging. Voice and whip no longer served to send them forward. Several
+of the beasts were limping.
+
+"There ship!" cried the woman suddenly. The crew and owner of the
+_Monarch_ glanced ahead. They saw, about a quarter of a mile in advance,
+their airship, resting on an icy ledge.
+
+"If we can only get there first!" cried the professor.
+
+"You forget the leak in the gas bag," spoke up Andy. "That will have to
+be mended before we can escape."
+
+"With quick work we can do it!" exclaimed the inventor. "Hurry on,
+Dirola!"
+
+Dirola needed no urging. With fierce words she hurried on the dogs, her
+whip sounding like a revolver as it snapped and cracked.
+
+But fast as the escaping ones went, the pursuers seemed to come faster.
+Now they were so close that they could be seen brandishing their spears,
+bows and arrows. Their shouts, too, were borne forward on the cold wind.
+
+At last the adventurers were at the side of the airship. Hastily they
+dismounted from their sleds turning the dogs loose. The Esquimaux in
+pursuit were about half a mile to the rear and would soon be upon them.
+
+"Quick, Dirola! Into the ship with you!" called Andy. "We'll take you
+with us if we go at all!"
+
+"We must mend the tear first!" exclaimed the professor, scrambling up
+the icy slope toward the cabin of the _Monarch_ in a fashion that would
+have done credit to a much younger man. "Andy, you and the boys, with
+Tom and Bill, hold the enemy at bay until Washington and I get the ship
+in readiness for a start!"
+
+"All right!" cried Andy, now in his element. "I'll make those Esquimaux
+wish they had let us alone!"
+
+Dirola had disappeared inside the cabin. In a few minutes the professor
+and Washington were hard at work setting the machinery in motion.
+
+First, after having seen that none of the apparatus was disarranged,
+Amos Henderson started the gas generating machine. Next, leaving
+Washington in charge of this and the engine room, the inventor prepared
+a big patch with some cement on it. This he gave to Mark, who quickly
+found the place where the old patch had come off the silk bag, and
+covered the opening. Already the bag was beginning to swell with the
+gas.
+
+But now with loud yells the Esquimaux came rushing up. Leaping off their
+sleds, they began throwing their spears and shooting their arrows.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+NORTHWARD ONCE MORE
+
+
+"Repel boarders!" sung out Andy. "Where are the guns?"
+
+"Here!" shouted Tom, handing out the rifles fully loaded.
+
+The old hunter seized a weapon, as did Bill, Jack, and Mark. Tom also
+leveled his gun at the savages.
+
+Bang! Crack! Bang! went the guns. It was like a skirmish in battle. As
+Andy directed, each one fired low.
+
+So heavy a fusillade as the adventurers were able to fire had its
+effect. Many of the Esquimaux fell, none badly hurt, but disabled so
+they could not attack. Still the main body advanced up the slope with
+angry cries, determined to capture the airship and regain their
+captives.
+
+The ship now began to quiver through its whole length. Larger and larger
+distended the gas bag. Then, with a motion as of a great bird arising
+from where it had been fastened to the earth, the _Monarch_ arose
+slowly in the air. A cry of astonishment burst from the Esquimaux. Some
+who had hold of the rail retained their grip until they felt themselves
+lifted up. Then they let go suddenly and dropped to the ice.
+
+"We're off!" cried Andy. He aimed a blow at a native who was still
+clinging to the ship and endeavoring to spear the old hunter. Andy
+missed his blow, just as the native let fly his spear, which pierced the
+hunter in the arm.
+
+With a yell of rage, the native let go and fell. Andy sank back on the
+deck of the ship sorely wounded. The ship soared aloft. The next instant
+the propeller started revolving and the _Monarch_ passed off over the
+heads of the savages.
+
+"Is any one hurt?" asked the professor, coming from the engine room.
+
+"Andy was struck by a spear!" exclaimed Jack.
+
+At the inventor's suggestion they carried the old hunter into the cabin,
+and laid him on one of the bunks.
+
+"You take the steering wheel," said Amos Henderson to Jack. "Washington
+will run the engines for a while and Mark and I will see to Andy. Bill
+and Tom, you can get something to eat; and turn on the heating stoves;
+it is cold here."
+
+Soon everyone on board was busily engaged. The professor bandaged
+Andy's arm, which contained a severe though not fatal wound. In a little
+while the hunter awoke from the stupor into which the pain had thrown
+him.
+
+"Fire!" he cried.
+
+"There is no need," said the professor soothingly. "We are safe now."
+
+Then Andy grew quiet. In the meanwhile Bill and Tom had started the
+gasolene and electric stoves, and a meal, made from the capsule food,
+was soon ready. That it tasted good goes without saying.
+
+On and on rushed the ship, for Washington had speeded up all the engines
+in order to sooner escape from the natives who had held him and his
+friends captives.
+
+As soon as the professor could leave Andy in charge of Mark, he went to
+the engine room. There he found everything in good shape. Next he went
+to the conning tower, where Jack was steering.
+
+"How is she heading?" asked the old man.
+
+"Straight for the north!" replied the boy.
+
+"Good! Keep her so. Let me see; we are about a mile high now. I guess
+that will do," and he turned off the gas generator. "Moving about
+twenty miles an hour," he added. "That is fast enough. I wonder how
+cold it is?"
+
+He consulted the dial that was connected to a thermometer outside.
+
+"Whew!" he whistled. "Fifty below! I'm glad we are here!"
+
+Jack was too. The old inventor glanced at the direction compass and then
+at the deflecting one that indicated how near the north pole they were.
+As he did so he uttered a cry.
+
+"What is it?" cried the boy.
+
+For answer Mr. Henderson pointed to the needle. It was almost straight
+up and down.
+
+"Well?" asked Jack, who did not understand much about scientific things.
+
+"That means we are almost at the north pole!" cried the professor. "At
+the exact north the needle points straight down, because the pole is a
+magnet, and being directly underneath pulls the end of the needle down.
+See, it is almost down now. I believe we shall really get to the pole,
+and my ambition will be realized."
+
+Aside from the wound Andy had received, none of the party was any the
+worse for their adventures as prisoners. Now that they were safe back on
+the ship they were inclined to laugh at the fears they had felt.
+
+For several hours the _Monarch_ was held to her course at a fairly good
+speed. Then, at the professor's order, the engines were turned on at
+full power, since the air was still, and there was no sign of a storm.
+Straight to the north the craft shot, every one on board now anxious, as
+they became aware that they were near to their destination.
+
+The former life was resumed, and the hours of watch were marked out as
+they had been. The sun still shone, never setting, but by this time the
+adventurers were used to perpetual day. Dirola kept to herself, not
+saying a word to anybody.
+
+"I think I'll drop the ship down a bit and see what sort of a country is
+beneath us," announced Mr. Henderson about four o'clock, though whether
+it was four o'clock in the morning or the afternoon, no one knew.
+However, it did not matter much. "If there is an open sea around the
+north pole, as some believe," he went on, "we ought to see some signs of
+it now."
+
+He let some gas out of the bag, and the _Monarch_ slowly settled toward
+the earth. The inventor opened the trap door that covered the plate
+glass in the floor of the cabin, and peered down. When within five
+hundred feet of the ground he signaled to stop the descent of the ship.
+
+"Nothing but ice, ice, ice!" he announced. "Big hills and mountains of
+it. There is no sign of open water. Well, we are not quite at the pole
+yet."
+
+Jack's turn at the wheel came to a close, and Mark relieved him.
+Washington, who had been on duty pretty steadily in the engine room,
+gave his place up to the inventor, and stretched out to sleep. Bill and
+Tom were snoring in their bunks, and Andy was resting easily, the pain
+from his wound being relieved by some ointment the professor put on.
+
+The boy in the conning tower kept his eye on the two compasses, the one
+telling the direction, the other the nearness to the north pole. The
+latter gradually kept inclining more and more toward the earth.
+
+"If we can only make it," thought Mark. "It will be something no one has
+ever done before. My! What a story the papers would make of it if they
+knew!"
+
+"How is she running?" asked the captain, coming into the tower.
+
+"Very well, indeed, sir."
+
+"You might send her up a little," suggested the professor. "Keep her
+about half a mile high, and I'll be with you again before long."
+
+The professor went to his bunk, and Mark was pleased enough to be left
+alone in charge of the ship. He held the wheel firmly, and did not
+deviate half a point from the northern course.
+
+He had been steering for half an hour when he was suddenly aware of a
+dense gloom that settled down all about him. Then there came a great
+roaring sound. The air craft rocked violently. The wind whistled shrilly
+through the cordage and careened the _Monarch_ to one side.
+
+Then the whole atmosphere grew from a dense black to a strange opaque
+whiteness: a whiteness that shut out the view from every side, and
+enveloped the ship as if it had fallen into a feather bed. Mark started
+back in fright and let go his hold on the steering wheel.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+A BLINDING SNOWSTORM
+
+
+"Quick! Professor!" cried Mark. "Jack, Washington, everybody! Hurry up!"
+
+"What's the matter?" asked the inventor, running to the conning tower.
+
+In answer Mark pointed outside.
+
+"A snow storm!" exclaimed the captain. "We must expect them up north.
+But this is worse than I thought!"
+
+He glanced ahead. Nothing could be seen but a wall of white. The wind
+increased until it blew with almost the force of a cyclone, and the ship
+swayed fearfully.
+
+"Stop the engines!" cried the professor. "We had better drift than run
+the chances of hitting an iceberg if we should suddenly take a drop down
+to the ground."
+
+Washington, awakened from his sleep, turned off the power. Then began a
+fight between the ship and the elements; a battle between the _Monarch_
+and the wind and snow. Which was to win?
+
+The airship was, apparently, in the heart of the storm. It was tossed
+this way and that, now up and now down, though because of the quantity
+of gas in the bag the craft was buoyed up. The gas generating machine
+had not been stopped, only the machinery that moved the propeller.
+
+How the wind howled! How the snow blew! It was a blinding storm, for
+from the windows of the conning tower and from those on either side of
+the cabin nothing could be discerned five feet away. Through the window
+in the bottom of the ship nothing showed but a sea of white flakes.
+
+The cold was intense, seventy degrees below zero being marked on the
+thermometer. Even with the gasolene stoves going it was chilling inside
+the airship, for the cutting, biting wind found many cracks through
+which to enter.
+
+But, if the propeller no longer urged the ship on, the force of the wind
+sent it ahead at a fearful pace. The gale careened the _Monarch_ from
+side to side. Now the bow would be elevated, and, again, the stern. It
+was like a ship on a rough sea, and the occupants of the craft were
+tossed from side to side, receiving many bruises.
+
+Old Andy was tied into his bunk, or he never could have stayed there,
+so violent was the motion.
+
+"Where is Dirola?" asked Mr. Henderson suddenly.
+
+"She was out on the stern a while ago," answered Bill. "She was saying
+something about it being too hot for her inside. That was before the
+storm came up."
+
+"We must see to her," said the captain. "She must come inside. The
+motion of the ship may toss her off!"
+
+Bill volunteered to go out and bring the Esquimaux woman in. It was all
+he could do to open the door, so strong was the pressure of wind on it.
+
+When he did swing it back such a cloud of snow entered that it seemed as
+if some one had emptied a feather bed in the cabin.
+
+"She don't want to come in," Bill reported when, after much exertion, he
+had made his way back again. "She is laughing at this storm, and says
+it's like what they have where she came from. She is braced against the
+cabin, and is wrapped up in furs. I guess she is all right."
+
+"I suppose we must let her have her way," remarked Amos Henderson.
+"After all she may be used to it."
+
+In anxiousness and apprehension the voyagers waited for the storm to
+cease. But it showed no signs of abating. More and more violently rocked
+the _Monarch_.
+
+"We must shut off the gasolene stoves!" exclaimed the inventor after a
+particularly heavy pitching and tossing motion, when the craft nearly
+turned over. "If we upset, the fluid will run from the tanks, come in
+contact with the flames, and we will burn in mid-air!"
+
+Washington set to work turning off all the gasolene, and the larger
+tanks were lashed fast and securely stopped up.
+
+"Better put our furs on," suggested the inventor. "It will be very cold
+in here soon."
+
+The lack of heat quickly made itself felt, the ship becoming like an
+ice-box. Old Andy was warmly covered, for he was asleep in his bunk,
+having fallen into a slumber after being lashed in. The noise of the
+storm did not awaken him, since he was somewhat stupid from a fever into
+which his wound had thrown him.
+
+All that could be done was to wait and hope. No human force could
+prevail over the storm. Bracing themselves against whatever offered, and
+clinging by their hands to projections, the adventurers in the cabin
+expected every moment to be their last. Washington, who had gone out to
+the engine room, came hurrying back.
+
+"Look, here, Perfessor," he said, sticking his head in the dining cabin
+door, "de gas machine hab stopped circulatin'."
+
+"Did you shut off the power?"
+
+"No, sah! I ain't done gone and shut off no power!"
+
+Making his way as best he could while the ship pitched and tossed, Amos
+Henderson reached the engine room. He looked at the gas generator. The
+power was turned on full, but the apparatus was not working.
+
+"That is strange," he remarked. "I wonder--"
+
+Then he hurried forward to the conning tower. As he did so the ship was
+whirled quickly around several times, and the sudden motion threw the
+old man down, his head striking on the edge of one of the bunks. He lay
+white and still.
+
+"He's killed!" cried Washington.
+
+"We are in a whirlwind!" yelled Bill at the same instant. "We'll be
+sucked up to the sky!"
+
+The airship was swinging around and around as if in the grasp of some
+giant. The craft was really caught in the centre of a whirlwind, which
+spun it around like a top. Every one felt sick and dizzy from the queer
+motion.
+
+"We must see to the professor!" said Jack. "Washington, get some of the
+remedy you used before. I think he has only fainted."
+
+At this moment the old inventor opened his eyes.
+
+"What happened?" he asked feebly. "Please give me some water. I am all
+right."
+
+They brought him a drink, and he managed to sip a little of it. Then he
+attempted to sit up. But the effort was too much for him.
+
+"What--what is the matter?" he asked. "I feel so strange. I am dizzy.
+Has anything happened?"
+
+"Somebody am a-playin' 'Ring around de Rosy' wid dis airship!" exclaimed
+Washington, "My head am a-swimmin' so I can't stand."
+
+"I must get to the conning tower!" muttered the old inventor. "I must
+get there."
+
+"Let me go, you can never make it," said Jack. "What is it you want to
+see?"
+
+"Look at the deflecting needle!" was the answer. "See how the needle
+points and come back and tell me! It may be we are at the north pole!"
+
+Jack started forward, crawling on his hands and knees. Indeed, this was
+the only way he could advance. The professor watched him with anxious
+eyes. The ship spun around even faster. Old Andy had awakened and was
+gazing around with fear-stricken eyes.
+
+Then, just as Jack reached the door of the conning tower, and started
+inside, the _Monarch_ gave a violent motion. She seemed to stop for a
+moment, and then, with a great lurch, turned completely over, throwing
+the occupants to the ceiling. Then she plunged straight down to the
+earth, through the centre of the whirlwind, like an arrow falling!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+AT THE NORTH POLE?
+
+
+For an instant the utmost confusion reigned. The adventurers fell in a
+heap on the ceiling that, for the time being, became the floor. Then, as
+the ship righted herself, they fell back again to the floor. The cords
+that bound Andy to his bunk broke, and he toppled with the rest.
+
+"Repel the enemy!" yelled the old hunter, thinking in his delirium that
+the ship was again attacked.
+
+"We are lost!" cried the professor, as he felt the _Monarch_ plunging
+down.
+
+For a hundred feet or more the ship shot earthward bow first, so that
+the adventurers all slid down to that end. It was well that everything,
+including the gasolene tanks, had been lashed fast, or there would have
+been a great jumble inside the craft.
+
+Then, almost as suddenly as the ship had started to fall, it ceased, and
+rode on an even keel, righting and floating easily in the air. The wind
+no longer blew with the circular motion, the whirling having come to an
+end. But the blinding snow continued.
+
+Jack staggered from the conning tower, where he had gone to look at the
+deflecting compass.
+
+"What has happened?" he cried.
+
+"No one knows," answered Professor Henderson. "We are in dire straits.
+Did you look at the needle, Jack?"
+
+"I did."
+
+"What did it show?"
+
+"The needle was straight up and down!"
+
+"I knew it!" cried the old inventor. "I said we would reach the pole,
+and we have!"
+
+"It ain't goin' to do us a heab sight ob good," said Washington. "I'd
+rather hab a good barber pole any day! No north poles fo' me!"
+
+"Hush, Washington!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson. "This is no time to joke.
+You are sure you made no mistake, Jack?"
+
+"I am sure, sir."
+
+"I thought we were at the pole when I saw that the gas engine had
+stopped," went on the professor. "The attraction of the earth-magnets at
+the pole exerted such a strong influence on the iron and steel that the
+gas machine could not work. At last I have reached the goal of my
+ambitions!"
+
+The ship remained stationary for several minutes. Those aboard began to
+have hopes. The snow storm was still as fierce as ever, but that was all
+the manifestation of the elements.
+
+"I want to take a look at the needle," said the professor. "I feel all
+right now; I was only a little faint from my fall. How are you, Andy?"
+
+"I feel much better," replied the hunter, whose delirium had somewhat
+left him. "My arm is sore, that's all. But why have you all got your
+furs on?"
+
+"We had to turn off the stoves," explained Amos Henderson. "You had
+better put your's on, too, Andy. You'll need them. We could only cover
+you over when you were in the bunk."
+
+The hunter soon began to realize that it was chilly in the ship, and he
+donned his heavy garments. The professor started for the conning tower.
+He gave one glance at the needle of the deflecting compass, and a look
+of disappointment came over his face.
+
+"It is not pointing down," he said to Jack, who had followed him.
+
+"But I am sure it did when I noticed it," replied the boy.
+
+"Then we have come past the pole," was Amos Henderson's opinion. "There
+is only a small spot that is exactly north, and we have passed over it
+during the storm. We must return. I want to descend exactly there and
+make some experiments. Tell Washington to start the engines. We will
+turn the ship around and go back!"
+
+"We may run into the whirlwind again," objected Jack.
+
+"That is so, I did not think of that. However, tell Washington to get
+everything in readiness."
+
+It was no small task to get the engine room into shape after the
+upsetting it had been subjected to, but with the help of the boys and
+the two men Washington succeeded. In about an hour the _Monarch_ was
+ready to be sent up or down, forward or back. Since she had ceased
+falling she had remain at a stationary height, about half a mile above
+the earth.
+
+Meanwhile Professor Henderson was trying to make up his mind what to do.
+He wanted very much to get to the exact north pole, or the spot where
+the imaginary pole was supposed to be. But he hesitated about taking the
+airship back over the course, and run the chance of again encountering
+the whirlwind.
+
+"The more I think of it," he said to Jack and Mark, who had joined him,
+"the more I think that the whirlwind is always there. It did not come
+to us, we ran into it. It may be caused by the magnetic currents at the
+pole eternally revolving. I am afraid to go back within their influence,
+for it might mean death."
+
+"I have a plan," said Jack modestly.
+
+"Let us hear it," came from the professor. "I am at a loss what to do."
+
+"Supposing we let the ship down now," Jack continued, "and walk back
+until we come to the north pole, since it must be near here. We can take
+along the deflecting needle to tell when we reach it, and the whirlwind
+will not do much harm if we are on the ground and afoot."
+
+"Good idea!" exclaimed the professor. "We'll do it. Washington, let the
+gas out and we'll descend!"
+
+In a few minutes a hissing told that the gas was being let out of the
+silk bag. Soon the ship began to sink gently toward the earth, through
+the clouds of snow.
+
+"Let us go outside," suggested Jack. "The wind doesn't blow now, and the
+snow will not hurt us. We will be warm enough in our furs."
+
+Mark voted the suggestion a good one, and the two boys went out on the
+deck. Washington was busy in the engine room, and the professor was in
+the conning tower, so they did not go, but Tom and Bill said they would
+like to get a little fresh air, even if the temperature was far below
+zero, and they joined the lads.
+
+The four stood and gazed in wonder at the strange scene. At first the
+terrible cold cut them as if it was a keen knife. But they soon grew
+used to it, and enjoyed what little of it reached them through the
+opening in their fur caps. The snowflakes covered everything and the
+airship looked more like a craft bedecked from stem to stern with cotton
+batting than anything else. Jack and Mark walked around to the stern.
+Suddenly Mark stumbled over something.
+
+"What's this?" he cried.
+
+Jack hurried to his side. As he did so the bundle gave a heave, and,
+breaking through the snow blanket, there was displayed the calm features
+of Dirola.
+
+"Me sleep!" she announced with a smile.
+
+And that was what she had been doing while the airship was being whirled
+around by the strange force! She had braced herself in a corner, pulled
+her furs about her face, and slumbered, even when the ship turned over.
+So well braced was she that she did not tumble off.
+
+"Well! She's a cool one!" exclaimed Mark.
+
+"I guess you'd be too, if you slept out of doors with the temperature
+about seventy below zero," remarked Jack. "But let's go in and tell the
+professor Dirola is here. He may be worried about her."
+
+The boys started for the cabin. They had not taken five steps before,
+with a sudden lurch, the airship dived like a kite without its tail.
+Then the craft turned completely over!
+
+Jack and Mark with the two helpers and Dirola were thrown from the deck,
+head first, toward the earth! Down and down they fell, uttering
+despairing cries!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+LOST IN THE SNOW
+
+
+Once more the wind blew with hurricane force. On board the _Monarch_
+Washington and Professor Henderson were tossed to the ceiling again.
+Then the ship righted herself.
+
+"De boys! De boys!" cried Washington, suddenly thinking of them. "Dey
+hab falled off!"
+
+"Great Scott! So they have!" exclaimed the inventor. "That is, unless
+they grabbed something as we went over!"
+
+"An de Sesquitomexico woman, too!" cried the colored man, meaning
+Dirola.
+
+"I guess she went with the others," said the professor. "We must take a
+look as soon as it is safe."
+
+Then came a strong gust of wind that hurled the ship forward. When it
+had subsided Washington and the old inventor ventured outside. The boys
+were nowhere to be seen.
+
+"They are lost!" cried Andy, who had crawled to the bow of the ship
+after the captain and Washington.
+
+For a little while longer the airship sailed along easily, the wind no
+more rushing with such force. Then, all at once the craft settled down
+until, with a jerk, it came to rest on a big snow bank.
+
+"We's landed!" exclaimed Washington. "We's hit de ole north pole at
+last. Now I'll see what sort ob a stick it is!"
+
+"We've landed sure enough," remarked the professor, "but I'm afraid we
+are not at the north pole. However, in view of all that has happened, I
+suppose we had better stop here for a while. Some of the machinery is
+wrecked by the overturning of the ship, but I guess we can fix it. I
+only wish I knew where the boys and the two men were."
+
+"Don't forget Dirola," spoke up Andy. "We owe a good deal to her."
+
+It stopped snowing about half an hour after the _Monarch_ had found
+lodgement on the edge of a bank of ice. From the deck and windows of the
+craft nothing could be seen but a big expanse of white. It was a cold,
+lifeless world to which the ship had brought what remained of her crew
+and owner.
+
+The engine room of the _Monarch_ was once more a sorry sight, and
+Washington and the inventor worked like a dozen men in restoring order.
+They soon had things in ship-shape, but one of the motors would require
+considerable repairing before it would run again. However, it was not
+the most important one, and the craft could run without it, though only
+at half speed.
+
+Suddenly, there came from without a chorus of shouts.
+
+"What's that?" cried the professor.
+
+"Sounded like some one calling," ventured Andy.
+
+"It am de boys and Tom and Bill come back to overjoy us," said
+Washington.
+
+The shouts grew louder. Andy glanced from a cabin window.
+
+"The Esquimaux! The Esquimaux!" he exclaimed. "Here they are after us
+again! They'll carry us back to the ice cave and eat us alive this
+time!"
+
+"These are not the same ones!" cried the professor. "We are hundreds of
+miles from the ice cave."
+
+"Then these are the ones the mysterious message was about," said Andy,
+"and we had better be on our guard!"
+
+"Perhaps these are Dirola's friends," ventured Amos Henderson. "If they
+are I wish we had her here to intercede for us."
+
+There came a rattling against the sides of the airship. It sounded like
+a storm of hail.
+
+"They are firing arrows at us!" yelled Andy. "That doesn't look very
+friendly."
+
+"Wait until I go out and speak to them," suggested the professor. "They
+will respect my gray, hairs."
+
+He went outside. The ship was surrounded by hundreds of little men, all
+dressed in thick furs. At the sight of the ship's commander they gave a
+loud yell.
+
+"I wisht I'd neber done come to de north pole!" groaned Washington. He
+grabbed up a rifle and followed Andy outside. At the sight of them the
+Esquimaux set up louder yells, and shot another shower of arrows.
+Fortunately none of the missiles struck the white men.
+
+"Stop firing!" said the professor, raising his hand. "We mean you no
+harm!"
+
+His answer was a wilder burst of yells.
+
+"Fire over their heads! Maybe that will teach them a little respect,"
+spoke Andy.
+
+He and Washington discharged their guns several times in rapid
+succession. With frightened yells the men in furs fell flat on their
+faces.
+
+"We've scared them!" cried Andy.
+
+But he reckoned without his host, for in an instant the Esquimaux had
+leaped to their feet and were rushing toward the ship.
+
+"Here they come!" shouted the hunter. "Shoot to kill, Washington! Look
+out for yourself, Professor!"
+
+"Don't kill them!" yelled Amos Henderson. "They are too many for us, and
+our only hope is to try peaceful means!"
+
+But Washington aimed his rifle straight in the faces of the advancing
+men of the snow country and pulled the trigger rapidly. Half a dozen
+sharp reports rang out, and several Esquimaux fell on the ice, which
+became red with their blood. However, the negro's aim was not good, and
+the wounds were only in arms or legs of the natives.
+
+This served to check their ardor for a while, and the advance was halted
+while the wounded were carried back. But the Esquimaux were only made
+more angry by the resistance. They came on again with wild cries and,
+though Andy, Washington and the professor fought with all their
+strength, clubbing their guns and cracking several of the savages over
+the head, they were finally overpowered.
+
+From one who seemed to be a leader of the natives several sharp orders
+came. The others listened and then, lifting the three prisoners, who
+had been securely bound, they hurried with them from the deck of the
+ship.
+
+"We's ketched agin!" cried Washington. "They'll eat us shuah dis time!
+Land ob Goshen! How I does wish I'd neber come heah!"
+
+There was little time for protest, reflection or anything else. Once the
+Esquimaux had secured their prisoners they lost no time in hastening
+away. The airship did not seem to interest them. Hoisting the three men
+on shoulders, the natives fairly ran along over the ice.
+
+"I wish they'd bring up a sled," said Andy. "It would be easier than
+this style. The breath is 'most jolted out of me."
+
+As if in answer to his desire, the party of Esquimaux soon came upon a
+little camp. There were several ice huts, and a number of sleds, while
+the yelping of scores of dogs could be heard on every side. In a few
+minutes, after a short talk among the natives, the captives were tossed,
+none too gently, all on one big sled, a dog team was hitched fast, and a
+driver started them off across the field of ice.
+
+"Good-bye to de ole _Monarch_!" cried Washington. "No mo' good meals in
+yo'! Landy! Landy! I wisht I had some dynamite to blow dese heathen up!"
+
+"Hush!" cried Andy. "I've got three revolvers in my pockets. I'll slip
+you one if I can get my arms free, but don't fire until I give the word.
+We'll have to save our shots."
+
+"We seem to be having nothing but bad luck," said Professor Henderson.
+"I am afraid it is all up with us this time. Those poor boys, and Bill
+and Tom! I wish I knew what had become of them!"
+
+"Same here!" remarked Andy.
+
+Then the captives became silent, filled with their sad thoughts and
+worry over their predicament. On and on went the sledge over the ice,
+into the unknown. Mile after mile was covered. Then the driver of the
+prisoners, as well as the one in charge of three sleds that followed,
+halted the dogs. All the natives talked rapidly together, pointing this
+way and that.
+
+"They've missed the path!" exclaimed Andy. "We are lost in this land of
+snow!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+MAGNETIC FIRE WORSHIPERS
+
+
+Jack's only thought, when he felt himself falling from the deck of the
+airship to the earth, was that he would strike on a pinnacle of ice and
+be killed. Much the same were the feelings of the others, as they
+admitted later. Jack was half senseless from fright when, seemingly half
+an hour after he tumbled, though in reality it was but a few seconds, he
+stuck head first into a big drift of soft snow.
+
+His mouth, ears, eyes and nose were filled with the fluffy flakes, and
+he nearly choked before he could struggle to an upright position and
+clear a breathing space.
+
+To his astonishment he saw similar struggles going on in several places
+in the snow. First Mark stuck his head out of the drift. Then Bill's
+face appeared, to be followed by Tom's, and next Dirola bobbed up,
+smiling as though it was the biggest joke in the world, and as if
+falling from an airship was an every-day occurrence with her.
+
+"Well, we're alive," remarked Jack, after getting his breath.
+
+"We couldn't have fallen so very far after all," said Mark.
+
+"It seemed like a mighty long ways when I was a-comin'," came from Bill.
+
+"We went fast, an' we stopped pretty suddint!" was Tom's opinion. "Lucky
+we had a sort of feather bed under us. I'd hate to fall right on the
+ice."
+
+"Come down soon!" exclaimed Dirola with a laugh, in which all joined, in
+spite of their sorry plight. It was still snowing and terribly cold.
+They pulled the hoods of their fur coats close about their faces and
+scrambled out on the ice.
+
+"I guess the ship was closer to the earth when we fell than we thought,"
+said Mark.
+
+"I suppose we had better hunt around for the _Monarch_," observed Jack.
+"It can't be a great way off, for Professor Henderson was bringing it
+down and the propeller was not moving."
+
+"Let's start right away," said Mark. "I'm hungry, and the sooner we find
+the ship the better off we'll be. But this snow is every bit as bad as a
+fog."
+
+It was, indeed, and the boys and men could not distinguish each other
+ten feet distant. In spite of this, however, Jack started off in the
+direction he thought the ship might be.
+
+"No go! No go!" called Dirola. "Git lost! Fall in hole! Die! Better stay
+here! Snow stop! Me show you!"
+
+"She means we'll get lost if we wander off," said Jack. "I guess we'd
+better do as she says."
+
+Dirola seemed in good spirits and not a bit discouraged by the storm.
+She walked slowly about, as if looking for something. Then, with a cry,
+she began digging at a certain spot.
+
+"What in the world is she doing?" asked Mark.
+
+"I don't know," said Jack.
+
+"Maybe she's after a rabbit," observed Bill. "I'd like a good hot rabbit
+stew myself."
+
+Dirola's hands, encased in heavy fur gloves, made the snow fly. In a
+little while she held up a, dark mass of what looked like seaweed.
+
+"Eat! Um good!" she exclaimed.
+
+"I guess it's some kind of moss that the people up north eat," remarked
+Tom. "I remember reading something about it once. I suppose we'd better
+tackle it, for we may not get a meal in some time."
+
+Jack, who had been fumbling in the big pocket of his fur coat, gave a
+sudden cry.
+
+"What's the matter; somethin' bit ye?" asked Bill.
+
+"Look here!" cried the boy, and he held up a large tin can.
+
+"What is it; soup?" inquired Mark.
+
+"It's some of those capsule foods from the ship," said Jack, reading the
+label. "I remember I put it in my pocket when I thought the ship was
+going to be wrecked. I felt I might need it. Now it will come in handy."
+
+"But what is it?" insisted Mark.
+
+"It's a combination of chocolate, wheat, malt and preserved milk,"
+replied Jack, looking at the label again, "and it says that one capsule,
+if chewed and swallowed, is as much as an ordinary meal. There are two
+hundred capsules in here, and that will last us for a few days at
+least."
+
+"Not very hearty eatin', 'cordin' to my way of thinkin'," said Bill;
+"but I guess with that and the moss Dirola can dig up we'll get along."
+
+The Esquimaux woman had finished her simple meal. She dug up quite a
+quantity of the moss and laid it on top of a big pile of ice, where she
+could find it again.
+
+"Must build house now," she announced. "Make place for sleep. I show
+you!"
+
+In a little while a large space was scooped out of the snow drift. Many
+hands soon enlarged the cave until it was large enough for all to move
+about inside with comfort.
+
+"Now for dinner!" exclaimed Jack, as he opened the tin.
+
+The meal, though simple, was satisfying, and soon the lost ones felt
+more comfortable.
+
+"It's stopped snowing!" announced Mark, going to the entrance of the
+cave, "and it's much colder. I guess we'll stay here a while."
+
+He returned to his companions. They all went as far to the rear of the
+cave as they could, for the wind came in the wide entrance.
+
+"We must make a winding passage, and then the breeze can't find it's way
+in," suggested Jack. "I think--"
+
+But what he thought he never told, for at that instant the floor of the
+snow cave gave way right under where they were all standing, and the
+whole five of them went slipping, sliding and tumbling down, they knew
+not to where.
+
+For an instant all were so surprised and frightened that they could not
+even cry out. They were plunged into dense blackness.
+
+"What has happened?" Jack cried.
+
+Before any one could answer him, the blackness gave way to a glare of
+light, and the two boys, with Dirola and the men, brought up suddenly
+with a jolt on the floor of a big ice cavern.
+
+It was several hundred feet long, and as many wide, with a roof fifty
+feet above their heads.
+
+The sides were of pure ice, but, strangest of all, was the rosy, golden
+glow that filled the whole place. With wonder in their eyes the
+adventurers gazed at the source of the illumination.
+
+At one end of the cavern was a rude altar. Behind it, and on both sides,
+there arose great streamers of fire, tongues of flame, red, green, blue,
+purple, yellow and glaring white.
+
+Yet the fire did not burn, for there was ice on every side, and the ice
+did not melt. In wonder the crew of the _Monarch_ gazed.
+
+Presently from the other end of the cave there sounded a wild, weird
+song. It was like a chant. Then, before the adventurers could get to
+there feet, there filed into the cavern two score of men, all dressed in
+white fur. At the head of the procession marched two men who were
+veritable giants, compared to those about them. They bore between them,
+on a rude litter, a man, wearing only a fur cloth about his middle.
+
+"What is it?" whispered Jack in awed accents.
+
+"They are fire-worshipers!" exclaimed Mark. "If they see us they'll kill
+us!"
+
+"They must be going to sacrifice that poor man on the altar," spoke
+Jack. "Come, let's see if we can't crawl out of the way."
+
+The head of the procession was now close to the altar, and had passed
+the adventurers, who were off to one side, in about the middle of the
+cavern. Up some ice steps the two giants in white went, bearing their
+victim. The poor fellow gave one loud shriek as he was brought nearer to
+the colored flames.
+
+"Oh! Oh! Oh!" screamed Dirola, sinking down on the floor of the cavern.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+A STRANGE SACRIFICE
+
+
+The natives who had made Professor Henderson, Andy, and Washington
+prisoners seemed at a loss for some little time as to which direction to
+take. They talked among themselves, while the prisoners were much
+alarmed, for if the Esquimaux were lost, and without food, it would mean
+the death of all.
+
+At last, however, the native in charge of the main sled prevailed on the
+others, and they proceeded, turning off to the left.
+
+The sleds, including that on which the prisoners were, bumped along over
+the ice, the dogs pulling the rude vehicles along swiftly. It was about
+an hour later that another halt was made. This time it did not seem to
+be because the way was lost, for the natives showed no signs of alarm.
+Instead, they were laughing and talking. In a little while the small
+advance party was joined by a larger body of Esquimaux, who had been at
+the attack on the airship, but who had taken a different route.
+
+Then the whole crowd started forward again. Half an hour's travel
+brought another halt, this time a final one, for when the professor and
+his companions glanced around them they found they were in the midst of
+a native village of ice huts.
+
+"Golly! We's somewhere, anyhow," spoke Washington; "but I can't say I
+thinks much ob dis place. It's too lonesome."
+
+"Better be here than out on the ice field," spoke up the professor. "The
+Esquimaux have little stone stoves in which they burn oil, and their
+huts are quite warm inside."
+
+In a few minutes the captives had a chance to test this statement. They
+were unbound and carried from the sled to one of the larger huts. As is
+usual in the far northern regions, each hut was made of blocks of ice
+laid one on the other, forming a semicircular house, with a round dome.
+
+The door or entrance was so small that the only way to get in was to
+crawl. There was no door to keep the cold out, but the passage was made
+a winding one, or there were two huts, one built over the other, so that
+the openings did not come opposite, and this served to keep out the
+wind.
+
+Arriving at the doorway, the Esquimaux set their prisoners down in front
+of the house, and signed to them to crawl in. The professor went first,
+followed by Andy and Washington. Inside they found the place to be warm
+from the flame of a crude stove. This consisted of a hollowed out stone,
+filled with seal oil, the wick being made of moss. The stove, or lamp,
+for it served both purposes, smoked very much.
+
+There were several natives squatting down inside the hut, but they did
+not seem surprised when the three prisoners entered. Others of the
+Esquimaux crowded into the ice house, until it was uncomfortably filled.
+Then a native who seemed to be a leader began a long talk to the others.
+
+Judging from his gestures he was telling about the fight at the airship
+and the capture of the captives. At times he would be interrupted by
+those who wanted to question him.
+
+At length the recital was done. All the Esquimaux, save about half a
+dozen, crawled out of the hut. One of those who remained placed an
+earthen pot over the flame of the stove, and soon a delicious smell
+filled the air. Evidently something good was being cooked.
+
+"It's chicken pot-pie," said Washington. "How I does love chicken!"
+
+Presently one of the natives removed the pot from the stove and set it
+in front of the captives. The contents were steaming hot, and seemed to
+be some sort of meat stew, made with chunks of flesh, gravy and moss.
+
+"How are we going to eat, without knives, forks or spoons?" asked Andy.
+
+He soon found out. The natives who had remained in the hut drew up to
+the pot. They dipped their bare hands in, drew out pieces of meat and
+wads of the moss, and ate without ceremony.
+
+"Fingers were made before forks," quoted the professor. "We'll have to
+eat as the old cave-dwellers did. Well, I'm hungry enough not to stand
+on politeness."
+
+He reached in the vessel and got some meat. It was hot, but he did not
+mind that, and ate it with a relish. Andy and Washington followed his
+example, and soon the travelers from the _Monarch_ and the Esquimaux
+were eating together as if they had been friends all their lives.
+
+When the rude meal had ended, the prisoners felt much better. They were
+warm, their hunger was appeased, and, in spite of their many worries
+over the loss of the airship and their companions, they were so tired
+out that they felt very sleepy. Soon the professor's head nodded over,
+shortly Andy was snoring and in a little while Washington too slumbered.
+
+They did not know how long they had slept, but they were suddenly and
+rudely awakened by being shaken. Opening their eyes, they saw the hut
+was filled with Esquimaux, all clothed in suits of spotless white fur.
+
+"These must all be chiefs," remarked the professor.
+
+With quick motions the natives bound their captives again, with stout
+thongs. Then, like so many logs of wood, they were pulled out of the hut
+on their backs, a native outside hauling on one end of the skin ropes.
+
+There was no telling what hour it was, for the sun shone as brightly as
+it had been doing for days past. Once more the three men were tossed on
+sleds, and the dogs, driven by the Esquimaux, hauled them off. But it
+was not a far journey this time. In about fifteen minutes the sleds came
+to a stop, the prisoners were lifted off, and carried, as they could
+see, toward a large opening in a hill of ice and snow.
+
+As soon as they had passed from the sunlight to darkness, the captives
+knew they were in a sort of cave. The blackness was intense, but in a
+short time there was a faint glow observed ahead, caused by a number of
+the stone lamps burning.
+
+At that point were gathered several more of the Esquimaux, all attired
+in white furs. There was some excitement when the prisoners were brought
+in, and all crowded around to see them.
+
+Then began what seemed a discussion among the natives. They talked loud
+and long. Finally from some other part of the cave two tall men, dressed
+as the others were, in white, came in. They seemed to be in authority,
+for when they had spoken all the others were silent.
+
+While the captives waited in anxiety for what would happen next, the
+whole cave was illuminated with a wonderful light. It was rosy red at
+first, then changed to a golden hue, then to green, yellow, blue and
+purple. The captives could not see where the fire came from, but they
+gazed at the light in mingled fear and admiration.
+
+"It is the northern light; the aurora borealis!" exclaimed the
+professor. "It is the most beautiful light in the world."
+
+"What makes it?" asked Andy.
+
+"Electricity, magnetism, the sun and the intense cold; no one knows
+exactly what produces it," replied Amos Henderson. "It is quite likely
+that there is some opening to this cave, and the sun shines in it, or
+the lights may be reflected from outside by reason, of the ice, which
+acts as a mirror."
+
+"It's pretty," observed Andy, "but all the same I'd rather--"
+
+He got no further for the two giant-sized natives advanced quickly
+toward them. One roughly seized Professor Henderson, and, with the help
+of his companion, began stripping off his clothes. Andy started forward
+to aid the captain, but the other natives held him back. Washington,
+too, was restrained by several hands.
+
+In a few minutes the professor was stripped, except for a piece of fur
+about his middle. Then a rude litter was brought in. The two big
+natives, after pouring some oil over the old man, placed their victim on
+the stretcher, and then began a march up the cave. Washington and Andy
+were forced to walk directly behind the inventor, and were surrounded by
+natives on every side. The poor professor soon became half insensible
+from the cold.
+
+"This is terrible!" groaned Andy.
+
+"Dey is goin' to slaughter him!" wailed Washington. "He'll be sacrificed
+and burned up! See, de altar ob de sacrifice am just ahead. Oh! I wisht
+we wuz all dead!"
+
+"We're likely to be, soon enough," muttered Andy. "But keep up your
+courage!"
+
+At that instant the head of the procession was close to the ice altar.
+Behind it the mysterious lights played and flickered in streamers of
+red, green and gold. Up the steps went the two gigantic men, carrying
+the professor. They were about to sacrifice him in a horrible way!
+
+"Oh! Oh! Oh!" screamed a woman's voice. At the sound of it Andy started.
+
+"That was Dirola!" exclaimed the old hunter. "How did she get here?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+SAVED BY DIROLA
+
+
+Instantly the ice cavern was a scene of great uproar and confusion. The
+procession broke up as soon as Dirola cried out and the intruders at the
+sacrifice were observed. All, save those carrying the victim and those
+guarding Andy and Washington, rushed with their long bone knives at Jack
+and Mark and the two helpers from the airship.
+
+"There are the boys!" cried Andy, trying to break away from those who
+held him.
+
+"An' Tom an' Bill is there likewise!" exclaimed Washington, who had
+caught a glimpse of the two helpers. "De heathen am goin' to kill 'um!"
+
+"We're here, Jack!" sung out the hunter. "Make the best fight you can,
+for we are in terrible hands. The poor professor is done for, I guess,
+and we'll soon be, too!"
+
+His voice rang out high above the shouts and yells of the natives, who
+were now in a dense circle about the two boys and their companions.
+
+"We haven't anything to fight with!" called back Mark.
+
+"Well, I have!" yelled Andy.
+
+With a quick motion he snatched his arms from the encircling ones of his
+captors. His fists went back. There were two quick, sharp blows, and two
+of the Esquimaux who were guarding the old hunter toppled backward.
+
+With suddenness that was startling Andy drew a brace of revolvers from
+his inner pockets. He leveled them at the mass of white figures in front
+of him, on whose fierce faces the colored lights gleamed and flickered.
+
+Andy's fingers trembled on the triggers. He was about to fire.
+
+"Lay low, boys!" he called to the _Monarch's_ crew. "I'll get rid of a
+few of these savages before I go!"
+
+"No shoot! No shoot!" screamed Dirola.
+
+She darted from her place, broke through the circle of natives, and
+rushed up to where Andy stood with leveled weapons.
+
+"No shoot! Me save!" she cried.
+
+She was all but too late. Andy's fingers had crooked on the triggers,
+but Dirola pushed his arms upward, and when the two reports rang out the
+bullets struck the icy roof of the cavern.
+
+In the confined space the shots sounded almost like thunder. A silence
+that was startling in its suddenness fell as the echoes of the reports
+died away. Dirola ran toward the altar. She grasped the arms of the two
+big Esquimaux, who had taken Professor Henderson from the litter with
+the intention of sacrificing the old inventor.
+
+She cried out one word in a strange tongue.
+
+The men stopped as though she had struck them. Then, with a dramatic
+gesture, she mounted to the top step of the altar.
+
+A chorus of cries greeted her. She seemed to pay no heed. Silent and
+straight she stood there on the steps of ice, her figure in dark relief
+against the background of flickering lights.
+
+The next instant Dirola, with a motion so quick the eye could scarcely
+follow, slipped off her suit of black fur, and stood revealed in dress
+of white fur, the exact counterpart of that worn by all the others in
+the cave.
+
+A low murmur of astonishment ran around the vast cavern. Then, as if by
+common impulse, every one kneeled down, Dirola alone of all the
+Esquimaux remaining upright. The cave dwellers were bowing down to one
+they either feared or loved.
+
+Then Dirola spoke. At first her words were slow. Gradually she talked
+faster, until she was speaking a very torrent of sounds. She pointed,
+first to the insensible body of the old inventor at her feet, next to
+the group of white men and boys, and then to Andy and Washington. She
+gave some command, evidently, for no sooner had she ceased than those
+who had attacked Mark, Jack and the two farmers drew back, and left them
+free.
+
+At the same time, those surrounding Andy and the negro withdrew. Then
+some warm furs were thrown over the cold body of the professor and he
+was borne gently away.
+
+Dirola glided to where Andy stood, not knowing what to make of it all.
+
+"No be feared now," she said. "They take ole man way an' warm him an'
+feed him. He be all right. So you be all right, an' boys an' oder mans.
+No be feared now. Them do what I tell 'um!" and she motioned to the
+natives, who had risen to their feet as soon as she left the ice altar.
+
+"How in the world did you do it?" asked the old hunter.
+
+"Me chief one--what you call 'um--queen here. Long time go. Me be take
+prisoner when you found me. Me come back. Me glad. No let Ingliss mans
+an' boys be hurt, nor 'um black man too. Me save. Me be queen agin!"
+
+"How does that strike you?" went on Andy, to Mark and Jack, who had
+joined him. "The luckiest thing we ever did was to pick up Dirola."
+
+"To think we should land right among her own people, too!" spoke up
+Jack. "It's just like a fairy story."
+
+"But where in the world did you come from?" asked Andy. "We thought you
+were all killed by falling from the ship."
+
+"Not a bit," replied Jack, and he told the old hunter what had happened
+to himself, Mark and the others. In turn Andy related his experiences.
+
+"If only the poor professor comes around all right we'll be in pretty
+good shape," finished the old man. "But I'm afraid he's frozen. I wonder
+what they were going to do with him."
+
+"Put him in big hole, where all ice," broke in Dirola. "That what we do
+when the lights shine. But we no hurt any you now. You all safe. Me
+save!"
+
+"I guess that was their intention," muttered Andy. "They were going to
+sacrifice him to the Goddess of Ice, I suppose. Well, well, we certainly
+are having plenty of experiences."
+
+Many of the natives had now left the cave. Dirola gave an order to one
+of the big Esquimaux who had remained, and he went off on the run.
+
+"We eat now," the woman remarked. "Me plenty hungry too, Professor
+come back an' eat wid you."
+
+In a few minutes Professor Henderson, warmly clad, was brought in,
+leaning on the shoulder of the big man who, a little while before, had
+been about to sacrifice him. The old inventor was weak, but had suffered
+no serious harm. His body had been coated with thick oil before the
+proposed sacrifice, as part of the ceremony, and this had served, in a
+large measure, to keep the cold out.
+
+He was warmly greeted by his friends, and then they all squatted down on
+the ice, while in a few minutes a big earthen pot of hot stew was
+brought in. Dirola ate with them, dipping her fingers in with the
+others.
+
+"It's the first time I ever ate with a queen," said Jack with a smile.
+
+"Me sure queen," said the woman with a laugh. "Me tell you 'bout it."
+
+Whereupon she related how she was of the royal house, and had, on the
+death of her father, ascended to the throne. Then came the visit of the
+white men, including Andre, whose strange message the adventurers had
+found. He was driven, with his companions, from the land. Then the
+Esquimaux of Dirola's tribe had been attacked by others living farther
+south. A great battle had been fought and the queen and others were
+taken prisoners. Dirola had been held captive until the advent of the
+_Monarch_.
+
+She did not know how close she was to her own people and the big
+sacrificial cave, until she fell into it with the boys and farmers. Then
+the procession came in and Dirola recognized Professor Henderson as the
+victim. She at once resolved to declare herself, and did so, showing
+that beneath the black fur she wore the white robes that none but
+members of the royal household could don.
+
+The woman also explained how the big cave was used for religious
+services by her people, who worshiped the northern lights, or magnetic
+fire that never burned, and she told how they sacrificed to it at times.
+
+"Well, I hope they don't sacrifice any of us," said the professor. "I
+was as near death as I ever care to go. I wonder what has become of my
+airship. If we--"
+
+"What's that?" cried Jack, starting up.
+
+"Listen!" came from another.
+
+Far off in the cave sounded a strange, wild, weird chant. Then came the
+tramp of many feet. A little later a great concourse of people came
+rushing into the cave, led by a score of the white-robed men.
+
+"They're coming back after us!" cried Andy. "Here, take a revolver,
+Professor, and defend yourself!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+ADRIFT ON THE ICE
+
+
+"No shoot! Me save!" exclaimed Dirola, springing in front of Andy. "You
+trust me!"
+
+On came the crowd, plainly visible because of the magnetic fire. It came
+to a halt a short distance in front of the adventurers, while from the
+ranks of the white-robed ones stepped forth a native. He spoke rapidly
+to Dirola, who answered him in fierce tones.
+
+For several minutes the conversation was kept up. At length Dirola
+appeared to gain her point, for the crowd withdrew and once more the
+captives were alone with their Esquimaux friend.
+
+"What did they want?" asked Andy.
+
+"Some people no believe me queen," explained the newly-discovered ruler.
+"They come in an' be mad. Then some no satisfy. They want have
+sacrifice. I tell 'um no sacrifice of 'um white men what save my life. I
+save 'um for they bring me back. People no like, but must do. Me queen!"
+and she drew herself up proudly. "Them must do what Dirola say!"
+
+"They may this time," muttered Andy, "but the next time they may not. I
+think this isn't a very healthy place for us, Professor."
+
+"I would only be too glad to get away, and back to my ship," said the
+inventor. "I am satisfied I have reached and passed the north pole. I
+would be glad to go back home again."
+
+"Me take care you," spoke Dirola. "Wait few days. See! You come, me hide
+you."
+
+She looked carefully around. There was no one in sight save the party
+from the _Monarch_. Then, proceeding with caution, Dirola led the way up
+to and behind the big altar of ice. The mysterious fires behind it had
+died out somewhat, and once in the rear of the steps the captives could
+see a long icy shaft, leading down deep into the earth. There was also
+an opening in the roof of the cavern, down which the sunlight and
+magnetic currents came.
+
+"Go easy so no fall," cautioned Dirola. "If fall down hole never git
+up!"
+
+The prisoners needed no bidding to warn them to be wary of the cruel
+looking shaft, and they gave it a wide berth. Dirola led the way past it
+to a small chamber or room, hewn out of the ice to the left and rear of
+the altar.
+
+"You stay here," she said. "They no find you here. This great
+place--what you call holy place. Here all white robes stay," and she
+showed where were piled many of the garments of white fur. The place was
+evidently a storehouse for the ceremonial robes.
+
+"Me go now an' come back," spoke Dirola. "Me try find ship. You keep
+quiet!"
+
+She glided away, almost like a ghost in the semi-darkness, through which
+her white furs showed plainly. Left to themselves, the captives were in
+no easy frame of mind. They did not know what would happen next, whether
+they could depend on Dirola or whether the mob would come after them to
+offer all of them up as sacrifices to the Goddess of Ice.
+
+"What puzzles me," said Andy, "is how we both happened to fetch up in
+the same cave. You boys, with Bill, Tom and Dirola, land in one place on
+the ice and fall into this cave. We in the ship continue on for some
+distance, are brought a good ways on sleds and yet here we are with
+you."
+
+"The ship might have been blown backward instead of forward after the
+boys fell off," suggested the professor. "That would explain it. The
+Esquimaux were traveling to this cave with us, and simply brought us
+from where the ship had been blown, up to where the boys landed."
+
+"I guess that must be it," admitted Andy; "but listen! some one is
+coming."
+
+Footsteps were heard approaching. In a few seconds Dirola entered the
+ice chamber.
+
+"I fix it!" she exclaimed. "You must all go 'way quick. The people want
+kill you, but me save. Listen. You climb up the slide me an' boys come
+down. Me bring sharp bones," and she brought out from under her jacket
+several sharp bone picks. "Make um steps in ice; climb up. Go in little
+cave, where boys know. There man wait for you wid sled an' dogs. He take
+you to airship. But hurry, hurry! People be after you soon when find you
+gone. Me keep 'um back long what I can, but not for very long, so you go
+fast."
+
+"We must lose no time," said the professor. "This may be our last
+chance. How can we thank you, Dirola?"
+
+"Never mind talk, go!" exclaimed the Esquimaux queen. "Must hurry!"
+
+The captives were anxious enough to escape. Led by Dirola they went out
+into the main cavern. It was quite dark, as the sun had moved around so
+it no longer shone in the opening, and the mysterious lights had died
+away. They were soon at the bottom of the slope by means of which the
+boys and the helpers had fallen into the ice cave.
+
+"Now climb up!" Dirola commanded. "Me give people big feast 'cause I
+back again. They eat an' no think of you for long time, but they chase
+when they find out. Hurry! Hurry!"
+
+It was no easy task for the prisoners to make their way up the icy
+slope. Each one was given a pair of short sharp-pointed heavy bones.
+With these in their hands, using them much as a seal does his tusks,
+they managed to scramble up the slippery incline. Soon they found
+themselves able to enter the cave the boys, Bill, Tom and Dirola had
+made, through the opening from which they had tumbled.
+
+"Good-bye," called Dirola to them, as they passed out of her sight.
+
+"Good-bye," all called back softly, from the roof of the cavern. It was
+the last they were to see of their kind friend.
+
+Outside of the little cave they found a native waiting with a large
+sled, to which twenty dogs were hitched. The Esquimaux seemed to be
+watching for them, for he made a sign that they were to get on a sled.
+No time was lost. Dirola had evidently made her plans well and in haste.
+The dog driver looked to see that his charges were safe, and then
+cracked his long whip.
+
+Off went the sled at a swift pace, the animals tugging at their
+harness. Not a native was in sight save the one driving the sled. They
+were all probably at the feast Dirola had prepared in celebration of her
+home-coming.
+
+"This is the first sled ride we've had when we were not tied on like so
+much cordwood," observed Andy. "Now we have a chance to observe the
+scenery."
+
+Faster and faster went the sled. It was a calm clear cold day--or it
+might have been night as far as time went, but the sun shone from a blue
+sky. It was very cold, and the heavy furs made the adventurers none too
+warm.
+
+Suddenly, as the party sped on, there came a loud explosion. It was like
+a great cannon being fired.
+
+"What was that?" exclaimed Andy, starting in alarm.
+
+With a cry of fear the dog driver pointed behind him.
+
+Looking over their shoulders, the escaping ones saw a great crack in the
+ice field. In it showed the black waters of the ocean. Ahead appeared an
+ever-widening black line, and on either side it was the same.
+
+A large part of the ice field had become detached and was floating out
+to sea. Though they did not know it, the adventurers had driven over
+the water and away from the land.
+
+"We are adrift on the ice!" cried Andy. "We only escaped from one danger
+to fall into another!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+FIGHTING WILD DOGS
+
+
+For a moment the realization of their horrible position struck all dumb.
+Adrift on the great polar sea, they might freeze to death before they
+again got near to the main land. The dogs continued to run on,
+approaching nearer the ever-widening crack in front. The driver seemed
+to suddenly awaken to the danger.
+
+With a series of sharp commands he brought the team to a halt. Then,
+signing to the adventurers to get off the sled, he turned it over on the
+side.
+
+Next he unhitched the dogs, and fastened them by their thongs to his
+whip handle, which he stuck in a crack in the ice. The beasts were thus
+secured at some distance from the sled.
+
+This done, the Esquimaux took the fur robes that had been on the sleigh,
+and, spreading them over the frame of the vehicle, made a low but fairly
+large and comfortable tent. He motioned for the men and boys to crawl
+inside, which they were glad enough to do, to escape the bitter wind.
+Then the native sat down in the low doorway of the shelter and seemed
+willing to wait for whatever turned up.
+
+"It doesn't seem to worry him much," observed Andy.
+
+"He certainly has made us comfortable," said Jack. "I wonder what we are
+going to do?"
+
+"Wait and see what turns up," advised the professor. "We are on a large
+ice floe. It may float for many days, and, after a while, strike the
+main ice again. When it does we will escape."
+
+"Yes, an' what am we goin' to eat in dat time?" demanded Washington.
+
+With a triumphant gesture Jack pulled from his pocket a tin can. It
+contained the patent condensed food capsules.
+
+"Hurrah!" cried the professor on seeing it. "This will keep us from
+starving for many days!"
+
+"Lucky I didn't lose this after all I've been through," said Jack.
+
+The meagre rations were distributed, the Esquimaux driver coming in for
+his share. The patent food, though a small quantity sufficed for a meal,
+was fairly satisfying, and soon all felt better. It was quite warm under
+the little tent, and the adventurers stretched out for a rest.
+
+They had been dozing several hours when a series of wild yelps and
+barks outside roused them. With an exclamation the driver jumped to his
+feet and rushed toward where he had tied the dogs.
+
+The professor and the others crawled from the tent to see what the
+trouble was. They saw that which filled them with fear.
+
+The Esquimaux dogs, never any too tame, had gone half mad and wild from
+fear at seeing the water all around them, and from lack of food. They
+were fighting among themselves, snarling, biting and barking viciously.
+
+Just before the driver reached them they broke loose from the thongs
+that held them, and started for the tent. The Esquimaux tried to stop
+them, but two of the savage brutes sprang at him and soon had him down
+on the ice. The other dogs rushed on toward the group of adventurers,
+who stood still, awaiting the onslaught, and not knowing what to do.
+
+"We must defend ourselves!" cried Andy. "Those beasts will tear us
+apart! They are as savage as wolves! Oh, for my rifle!"
+
+"Haven't you a revolver?" cried Jack.
+
+"Of course! I forgot," said Andy, bringing out his two weapons.
+"Washington has one, too! Hurry up with it, Washington!"
+
+"I'll give mine to Jack!" yelled the negro, handing the boy the weapon,
+and then, taking to his heels, ran away from the on-coming brutes.
+
+The animals were now fifty feet off and advancing rapidly. Their eyes
+flashed with the mad rage of hunger and fear, while foam dripped from
+their jaws.
+
+Taking careful aim, Andy fired both revolvers at the pack of animals.
+They were so close together he could not help hitting some. Two fell,
+killed or badly wounded.
+
+Jack also fired and dropped one dog. But the others came on, never
+halting.
+
+"Fire as fast as you can!" cried Andy. "It is our only chance! We must
+stop them!"
+
+The old hunter and Jack pulled the triggers of their weapons rapidly.
+Spurts of flame and small clouds of smoke issued from the muzzles, and
+several more of the dogs were killed.
+
+There were at least a dozen dogs left when the revolver chambers were
+empty, and with wild bounds they leaped upon the adventurers. The
+yelping and barking sounded loud above the hoarse shouts of the men and
+boys, who, with their fists, prepared to fight the wild dogs.
+
+"Hit 'em with chunks of ice!" called Andy.
+
+His advice came just in time. Each one grabbed up a chunk of the frozen
+water. It was as hard as a stone. One big brute leaped for the
+professor's throat. In his weakened condition, caused by his exposure in
+the ice chamber, it seemed as if the old inventor would be killed.
+
+Suddenly a white object flew through the air. It struck the dog on the
+head, and the brute, with a howl, fell back. Jack had launched his chunk
+of ice just in time.
+
+"Good shot!" cried Andy.
+
+He hit another of the brutes over the skull with some of the frozen
+stuff, and Washington, whose courage had returned, did likewise. Tom and
+Bill disabled the two dogs nearest them.
+
+Mark aimed at once fierce beast, but missed his shot, and, slipping on
+the ice, fell right in the animal's path. In an instant the brute was
+upon him.
+
+"Lie on your back and cover your head with your arms!" shouted Andy, as
+he ran toward the animal. Mark did as he was told. The dog endeavored to
+bite him, but the stout furs on his back prevented much damage being
+done. Then, having secured a large chunk of ice, Andy ran up behind the
+beast and stretched it out with a well-directed blow. Mark was saved,
+and scrambled to his feet uninjured.
+
+Suddenly there sounded a series of sharp reports as if a rifle was
+being discharged. The refugees looked up, expecting to see some armed
+force coming to their aid. Instead, they beheld the Esquimaux driver
+approaching on the run. He was swinging his long-lashed whip, which he
+had secured from the crack in the ice where he had stuck it, and was
+snapping it vigorously.
+
+At the same time he called in his native language to the dogs to lie
+down. The brutes heard the cracking of the cruel thong, whose force they
+knew but too well, and they recognized their master's voice. On came the
+Esquimaux, until, reaching the pack of dogs, he laid about among them
+with good will, the blows of the whip bringing blood.
+
+Sticking their tails between their legs, the remaining dogs ran away
+with frightened yelps. The driver had come in the nick of time.
+
+"That was quite a fright!" panted Andy, when the excitement was at an
+end. "My, but those were fierce brutes!"
+
+While the dogs that were left alive among the pack, including several
+wounded ones, withdrew to a far end of the ice floe, the adventurers
+crawled back under the tent for a much-needed rest. The Esquimaux, with
+a silence worthy of an American Indian, took up his position in the
+small doorway.
+
+It was growing much colder, and the big chunk of ice that served the
+refugees as a raft was moving quite rapidly over a choppy sea.
+
+It was several hours later that the Esquimaux with a loud cry attracted
+all the others to the tent opening. He pointed ahead.
+
+"I believe we're drifting back to shore!" shouted Andy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+BACK TO THE SHIP
+
+
+With anxious eyes the adventurers crawled out on the floe and gazed
+ahead. Across the black stretch of water could be seen a dim whiteness.
+It looked like the main ice pack, but they realized that it might be
+only another floe or berg. The current was setting strong in the
+direction of it.
+
+"We will soon learn our fate," said the professor. "We should be up to
+it in an hour."
+
+In less time than that they were near enough to the white mass to tell
+that it was no floe or berg, but the main field of ice, part of that
+from which they had been separated.
+
+"I don't know as we'll be much better off when we get there," said Andy.
+"There are not dogs enough left to draw the sled, and if we have to walk
+back to where the airship is, providing this Esquimaux can find it,
+we'll freeze."
+
+"Let us wait until we get to shore before we begin to find new trouble,"
+counseled the professor.
+
+In a little while the floating floe bumped up against the main ice
+field with a grinding and crashing. No sooner had it touched than the
+dogs scampered off, and were soon lost to sight. The Esquimaux did not
+seem to worry much over their disappearance. He coolly righted the sled,
+having first demolished the temporary tent, and proceeded, unaided, to
+haul the vehicle ashore.
+
+"Give him a hand, Washington," said the professor. "He is our friend,
+and rendered us good service. We must help him."
+
+Then, while Washington and the native dragged the sled, the others
+followed afoot, and in a short time were safe on the main ice.
+
+"Now, the question is," said the inventor, "can our guide take us to the
+ship?"
+
+But the Esquimaux guide seemed to be in no dilemma. He gave one look
+about, after reaching the main shore, and then, with Washington helping
+him pull the sled, started off across the ice.
+
+It was no easy path for the adventurers to follow. There were little
+hills and hollows, many rough and few smooth places. Their feet were
+weary before they had gone two miles. But the native did not seem to
+tire.
+
+"I declare to goodness I'se dat kerflusteredcated dat I can't
+extradition myself forward in dis line ob progression de leastest moment
+longer!" exclaimed Washington at length, coming to a halt. "I'se
+prognosticated in de lower extremities!"
+
+"I suppose he means he's too tired to go any further and his legs ache,"
+translated Professor Henderson. "Well, he takes a lot of words, but I
+guess his condition is about like that of all of us. I'm tired too."
+
+One after another all admitted that they felt the need of rest. At the
+professor's direction they came to a halt under the shelter of an ice
+hill, that kept off some of the wind. Here they made some sort of a meal
+of the condensed food.
+
+This served to render their fatigue a little less, and, after an hour's
+rest, they started off again. There did not seem to be much need of
+dragging along the sled, which was useless without dogs to pull it, but
+the vehicles are scarce and hard to make, so, doubtless, the Esquimaux
+did not want to desert his property.
+
+Mile after mile the refugees traversed. It was hard work and walking
+over the humpy ice was quite different from anything the adventurers
+were used to, and their feet ached very much. But they knew their only
+safety was in keeping on.
+
+The cold was terrible. They had no instruments for telling how low the
+mercury might be, but the professor ventured a guess that it was at
+seventy degrees below zero. The wind, too, sprang up, and adding to the
+unpleasant situation the sky was overcast with heavy clouds that
+threatened a snow storm.
+
+That would mean a calamity which might bring to an untimely end the
+brave men and boys who had dared so much in the search for the north
+pole. A blinding fall of the white flakes would result in the guide
+losing his way, and they might all perish. So they hurried on, anxious
+to get to the _Monarch_, if they were lucky enough to find her.
+
+There was no use asking the guide any questions or trying to learn how
+much farther they had to go. Professor Henderson tried to learn from him
+if the journey would last much longer, but the Esquimaux only shook his
+head, pointed in advance, and uttered but one word:
+
+"Ship!"
+
+They kept on for several hours more. Their pace was slow, for all of the
+adventurers, men and boys, were foot-sore and weary. The guide, however,
+did not seem to mind it. Tom and Bill took turns relieving Washington at
+helping pull the sled.
+
+At last the party came to a long hill of ice. It was the hardest kind of
+going to climb to the top, but the Esquimaux inspired hope in all their
+hearts by showing signs of excitement, while he exclaimed rapidly:
+
+"Ship! Ship! Ship!"
+
+Up the long slope they toiled, almost ready to drop at every step.
+Finally they gained the top. The guide was in the lead. As he got to the
+summit he pointed down and gave a joyful cry.
+
+Andy, weary as he was, hurried to his side. He gazed long and
+steadfastly in the direction the Esquimaux pointed.
+
+"It's the _Monarch_ sure enough!" cried the old hunter. "I can make out
+the yellow gas bag against the snow bank! Hurrah!"
+
+"Hurrah! Hurrah!" yelled Jack, Mark, Bill, Washington and Tom. Even
+Professor Henderson joined in, and the Esquimaux added his voice in a
+queer sort of native cheer that made all of the others smile.
+
+"Now if we could only fly to her we'd be all right," exclaimed Mark.
+
+The guide was busy overhauling the sled. He tightened some of the
+retaining thongs that had become loosened, and then, with guttural
+cries, he pointed to the vehicle, to the different members of the party
+and to the long slope that lay before them, and which led down almost to
+the abandoned airship.
+
+"I believe he means for us to coast down the hill on the sled!" cried
+Andy. "That's a good scheme. It will beat walking all to pieces!"
+
+Down, down, down the adventurers went, like an arrow shot from a stout
+bow. The bone runners of the sled glided over the frozen surface, which
+was as slippery as glass.
+
+The speed was very swift and the wind caused by the rapid passage cut in
+their faces so that all had to pull their fur hoods over their heads.
+The ice, scraped up by the runners, flew in a shower on either side.
+
+The Esquimaux skillfully steered the sled. He avoided several hollows
+and gullies that would have brought disaster, and kept the vehicle on a
+proper course. In less than five minutes from the start at the top of
+the hill they were at the bottom, more than a mile's distance, and
+within a quarter of a mile of the airship.
+
+Joy at the discovery of the _Monarch_ lent strength to travel-weary
+legs. The refugees hastened on, and soon were at the place where the
+craft had settled on a bank of ice and snow.
+
+"Back to the _Monarch_!" shouted Andy. "I hope the ship is in working
+order!"
+
+Indeed this might well be a source of worry. One glance served to show
+that the airship was frozen fast in the ice, while the gas bag, which
+had collapsed, and was resting on top of the deck-house, was partially
+covered with snow!
+
+As weak as they were the boys set up a cheer and the men joined in, the
+sound echoing for a long distance around.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+ATTACKED BY THE NATIVES
+
+
+"We must clear away the snow and ice!" said Professor Henderson. "Come,
+boys, we must work quickly. We have no time to lose! Remember what
+Dirola said about the natives following us!"
+
+Now that he was back at his craft the inventor seemed to have recovered
+all of his energies.
+
+"Washington and I will see to the machinery, and get the bag inflated,"
+he continued. "The rest begin to dig out the ship from below."
+
+Fortunately the professor had foreseen the need of shovels on his
+northern journey and had a supply in the ship. They were quickly brought
+out. The snow was soon cleared from the silk bag, it being rather light.
+Then, while the professor and the negro went to the engine room to start
+the various apparatus, the others began chipping away the ice that held
+the main body of the Monarch in a tight grip.
+
+Inside the airship matters were in bad shape. The intense cold had
+contracted all the metal and made it very brittle. Care had to be
+exercised in handling every piece of apparatus. There was no heat in the
+ship, and it was almost as cold as outside.
+
+However, the gas generating machine was set in operation by a current
+from the storage battery. Some of the gas was turned into the heating
+stoves, which were constructed to burn it, and this made heat which soon
+enabled the professor to work on the motors and dynamos. In a little
+while the gas began filling the bag, which slowly distended.
+
+"Hurrah!" yelled Jack, seeing that the _Monarch_ was beginning to look
+like herself again. He and the others were working hard at the ice,
+which did not seem to want to let the ship go.
+
+The inventor went about testing each separate piece of apparatus. He
+found that, with a little tinkering, all the machinery would work well.
+Meanwhile the gas continued to fill the bag, until it was tugging at the
+net and cords that fastened it to the airship. But all the lifting power
+that could be produced from the machine would not elevate the _Monarch_
+while it was held fast in the ice.
+
+However, the forces attacking the frozen crystals worked to good
+advantage. In the midst of their labors Washington brought out some hot
+coffee, which was received with cheers. It was the first white man's
+food, except the patent capsules, they had tasted since leaving the
+ship.
+
+At last, after several hours' hard digging, the body of the ship was all
+but free. A few more blows would sever the last connecting grapple of
+ice.
+
+Suddenly Jack, who happened to glance up, gave a loud cry. All the
+others stopped their digging.
+
+"Here come the Esquimaux!" yelled the boy. "I just saw them around that
+big iceberg!"
+
+This was alarming news. Old Andy dropped his shovel and scrambled over
+the side of the ship.
+
+"What's de matter? Am yo' skeered?" asked Washington.
+
+"Not a bit of it!" cried Andy. "I want to get a gun and give those
+fellows something to remember me by!"
+
+"Never mind them!" shouted the professor. "Get the ship free and we need
+not stay to fight them. We are almost ready to start!"
+
+But Andy was bound to have a shot at the savages, and he grabbed up his
+rifle, which was fully loaded, and came out on the deck.
+
+The natives came on with a rush. There were about two hundred of them,
+and they had arrived on several big sleds. The Esquimaux who had
+piloted the adventurers back to their ship had disappeared, for he knew
+he would be killed as a traitor if his tribesmen caught him.
+
+"Come on!" cried Bill to Tom and the boys. "Let's get aboard. We'll be
+killed!"
+
+"You can go!" shouted Jack. "I'm going to stay down here and free the
+ship from ice. That's the only thing to do."
+
+"I'll stay with you!" exclaimed Mark.
+
+Tom and Bill scrambled up the sides of the ship and disappeared into the
+cabin. The boys remained on the ice, partly under the airship, chipping
+and picking to free the bottom.
+
+With loud shouts and yells the Esquimaux surrounded the _Monarch_. The
+savages were armed with bows and arrows, and soon a shower of these
+missiles were shot toward the craft.
+
+Professor Henderson was in mortal terror lest one of the sharp weapons
+would pierce the gas bag, but, for some reason, the natives fired at the
+lower part of the ship. Andy and the two helpers were now ready to
+return the fire. Their guns rattled out and the reports caused the
+natives great astonishment.
+
+The first shots the defenders had fired over the heads of the Esquimaux,
+not wishing to kill them if they could help it. But though the reports
+caused a momentary falling back, the attackers soon rallied again, and
+shot a thicker cloud of arrows, some of which fell uncomfortably near.
+
+"Let 'em have it right in the faces this time!" shouted Andy.
+
+He took careful aim at the mass of natives who were advancing, and one
+fell. Bill and Tom followed his example, and the onslaught was checked
+for a time.
+
+But now reinforcements to the Esquimaux arrived until there were fully
+five hundred of the fur-clad savages out on the ice surrounding the
+airship. To cope with such a force seemed madness. Bill received a
+slight wound in the arm, and Tom had a narrow escape from being killed,
+a big spear just missing his head.
+
+"Drop down below the rail!" yelled Andy. "They can't hit us so easy
+then, and we can fire just as good!"
+
+The defenders dropped flat to the deck, outside of the cabin. A loud
+yell on the part of the Esquimaux told that they thought the adventurers
+had been killed, and there was a rush to capture the ship.
+
+"Let 'em have it! As fast as you can pull the triggers!" cried the old
+hunter. "We'll show 'em what we can do!"
+
+The three guns rang out again and two of the natives fell, both badly
+wounded.
+
+"I wish we had more help!" exclaimed Andy. "We're likely to have trouble
+soon! Why don't those boys come up; in a few minutes they won't have a
+chance!"
+
+Indeed it would have been risky now for Jack and Mark to venture out
+from under the ship, where they were still bravely chipping at the last
+remaining bit of ice that help the ship fast. So far their presence had
+not been noted by the enemy.
+
+At that instant Professor Henderson ran out of the engine room.
+
+"Use the machine gun!" he yelled. "That is our only hope!"
+
+The next second he fell to the deck, struck by a spear.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+THE ESCAPE
+
+
+"He's killed!" cried Andy.
+
+"Oh Perfessor! Perfessor!" exclaimed Washington. "I tole yo' not to go
+out."
+
+"Never mind! Start the machine gun!" yelled Andy. "We must fight off
+these human fiends!"
+
+"Call up the boys!" shouted Bill. "They'll be killed under the ship!"
+
+"I'm afraid it's too late," said Andy. "Here, Tom, you help Washington
+work the machine gun!"
+
+The weapon had been covered by canvas, and, fortunately, the snow had
+not harmed it. The canvas was yanked off, and, while Tom prepared to
+feed the cartridges down the hopper, Washington worked the crank. In a
+few seconds there was a fusillade that sounded like a small battery
+going into action.
+
+From the muzzle of the machine gun poured out a leaden hail. It struck
+the Esquimaux fairly and though they tried to stand against it they
+could not. Their arrows and spears dropped from their hands and they
+staggered back, many badly hurt or killed.
+
+"Why don't those pesky boys come up!" wondered Andy. His gun was again
+empty. He hastened into the cabin to reload the magazine. As he did so
+he heard a tapping on the plate glass window set in the floor of the
+car.
+
+"Who is there?" he cried.
+
+"It's us; Jack and Mark!" a voice answered. "Let us up! The ship is
+free!"
+
+Andy flung open the window. It was just large enough for a boy to
+squeeze through. In a moment Jack and Mark were in the cabin.
+
+In the meanwhile Bill had dropped his gun and carried the professor from
+the deck inside. The old man was unconscious, but a glance showed that
+the spear had made only a slight wound on the head, and not one that was
+likely to be dangerous.
+
+"Is he dead?" cried the boys.
+
+"We hope not," answered Andy. "But we have no time to lose. Can one of
+you start the ship?"
+
+"I can!" exclaimed Jack.
+
+"Then do it, while I help hold the enemy at bay!"
+
+The Esquimaux, in spite of their losses, were returning to the attack.
+Closer and closer they pressed to the ship. The machine gun was making
+great gaps in their ranks, but they did not seem to mind. They were bent
+on recapturing their former captives, whose track they had followed from
+the ice cavern.
+
+Jack ran to the engine room. He saw that everything was in readiness for
+sending the ship aloft. But little gas more was needed in the bag. He
+turned on the full supply. The noise of the guns, the shouts and yells
+of the natives, made the place resound with wild noises. It was a battle
+such as the arctic regions had never before witnessed.
+
+A tremor shook the _Monarch_. The ship shivered. Jack ran to the conning
+tower. He grasped the lever that started the propeller. Then came a
+sudden lurch. The airship tore loose from the ice and rose swiftly in
+the air. Jack set the screw to working and turned the steering wheel so
+that the _Monarch's_ nose was pointed due south, away from the land of
+perpetual ice and snow.
+
+A wild yell of disappointed rage burst from hundreds of throats as the
+Esquimaux saw their captives escape. They filled the air with arrows and
+spears, but to no purpose. Andy sent the last shots in his rifle at the
+savages, and, as the ship rose a hundred feet in the air, the remaining
+cartridges in the machine gun were exploded.
+
+"Hurrah!" cried the old hunter. "We're off!"
+
+On and on sped the _Monarch_, every second putting the frozen north
+behind her. Jack had all the engines going at full speed.
+
+"What has happened? Where are we?" asked Professor Henderson, suddenly
+recovering consciousness.
+
+"We's on de _Monarch_ an' we's done left dem cantankerous conglomerated
+disputatious Mosquitoes down on de ice!" exclaimed Washington, coming in
+to see how his master was. "Are yo' much hurted, Perfessor?"
+
+"It's only a scratch," replied the inventor. "I'm all right," and he
+insisted on getting up and seeing how the engines were running. He was a
+little weak, but some medicine which Washington fixed at his master's
+direction soon brought him around.
+
+The airship was working beautifully in spite of being frozen up in the
+terrible cold. On and up she went until she had left the vicinity of the
+savages far behind. After about an hour's flight the professor had Jack
+lower the craft to within half a mile of the surface, as he said he
+wanted to see what was below.
+
+The boy, who was in charge of the conning tower, set the necessary
+machinery, while the professor went to the window in the bottom of the
+ship to watch.
+
+"We're over the sea!" he exclaimed. "There is no land or ice in sight!"
+
+"Come here quick!" cried Washington, from the engine room.
+
+"What's the matter?" exclaimed the professor.
+
+"De gas machine am gone on a rampage ag'in!"
+
+Then, all at once, the airship began to sink. All rushed to the engine
+room. The gas generator had ceased working and the craft was settling
+toward the ocean, there being nothing to keep it aloft.
+
+Frantically the professor and Washington worked at the apparatus. It
+could not be adjusted. Despair was on every face. Faster and faster sunk
+the _Monarch_.
+
+"Will we sink?" asked Andy. "I can't swim."
+
+"We may float," said the professor. "The bottom part of the ship is
+water tight. We may float long enough to fix the machinery."
+
+Then, with a splash, the _Monarch_ settled into the ocean, the gas bag
+falling limply on top of the cabins.
+
+"Get out the life preservers!" shouted the professor. "They are in the
+forward part. Put them on, while Washington and I try to fix the gas
+machine!"
+
+The airship had now become a water ship. It rose and fell on the waves,
+rocking from side to side.
+
+"Get ready to jump!" yelled Jack, running in from the conning tower.
+
+"What now?" asked Professor Henderson, "Haven't we troubles enough?"
+
+"There's a big whale and he's headed right this way!" yelled Jack. "He's
+coming on like a locomotive, to ram us!"
+
+Andy caught up his gun and hastened to the tower. As Jack had said, a
+big sperm whale, spouting water high in the air from his nostrils, was
+headed for the _Monarch_, which, as it lay on the surface, the whale
+evidently took for a rival.
+
+"I wonder if I can stop him with this rifle," exclaimed Andy.
+
+"No, but you can with the machine gun!" said Jack.
+
+"Not while it's in the stern," replied the old hunter. "I guess we are
+done for this time. I'll fire a few shots, anyhow, before I die!"
+
+"Wait!" yelled Jack. "I'll turn the ship around!"
+
+"Can you do it?"
+
+"I think I can," was the short reply.
+
+"We cannot use the machinery."
+
+"I know that, but I can use something else--that is, I think I can."
+
+"There is nothing to use."
+
+"Yes, there is. See here!"
+
+As the youth spoke he seized a long pole from the deck, and stuck one
+end of it in a large cake of ice that floated close by. Slowly, but with
+the strength of despair he pushed the bow of the airship around so that
+it was pointed away from the on-coming whale.
+
+"Run to the rear!" the boy cried to Andy. "And hurry up!"
+
+The hunter did so. A few seconds later the stern of the ship was toward
+the ocean monster. Andy called for some one to bring ammunition and feed
+the hopper of the machine gun, and Bill responded.
+
+Then, when the whale was within a hundred feet of the _Monarch_, Andy
+began turning the crank. A storm of lead shot out toward the big fish.
+The water about was dyed with blood and the spouting streams from the
+nostrils were changed from white to red. With a terrible flurry, lashing
+the waters of the ocean to foam with its broad flukes, the whale died,
+hundreds of bullets in its head.
+
+The airship was saved.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+HOMEWARD BOUND
+
+
+"We're sinking! we're sinking!" yelled Bill Jones. He pointed to a
+stream of water that was trickling up from the cabin floor. The freezing
+of the ship in the ice had strained the seams.
+
+The professor and Washington were working earnestly over the gas
+machine. They piled in fresh chemicals and started the electric current.
+The water in the cabin continued to rise.
+
+"Well, I guess I might as well have let the whale finish us," sighed
+Andy. "We're bound to die, anyhow!"
+
+"Not yet!" cried the professor suddenly. "Not if I can help it! Quick,
+Washington. Another turn to the handle, and I think we will be safe!"
+
+The negro adjusted the machine as the professor had directed.
+
+"Is the water gaining?" asked Amos Henderson.
+
+"No. It's stopped coming in," replied Bill.
+
+"Then we are saved!" announced the inventor. "The gas is entering the
+bag and lifting the ship!"
+
+Sure enough, the Monarch no longer pitched and tossed on the waves. It
+was rising in the air. In a little while it was quite a distance above
+the ocean. All on board watched anxiously, but the craft appeared to be
+on its good behavior and mounted steadily upward. The propeller, which
+had been stopped, was again set in motion. The professor went to the
+conning tower and began steering the ship to the south. The adventurers
+were homeward bound at last.
+
+For some time no one spoke, so anxious were they lest another accident
+should occur. But when, after another hour or two, the ship still kept
+on its flight, all breathed easier.
+
+"Well, we've been to the north pole," remarked Jack, after a long pause.
+"That's something very few can say."
+
+"Yes, I think we can safely assert that we have accomplished what we set
+out to do," remarked the professor. "True, we did not land on the exact
+spot, and I am inclined to believe it would be impossible, because of
+the whirlwind of the electric currents. But we certainly were at the
+exact north, as the deflecting needle showed."
+
+"I wonder if the south pole is like this?" asked Mark.
+
+"I do not know," returned Amos Henderson with a smile. "I hope the south
+pole is a little nicer. We might go and see, some day. Would you boys
+like to make the trip?"
+
+"You bet!" exclaimed Jack fervently, speaking for himself and Mark.
+
+The _Monarch_ sped on her way. Every hour brought her nearer to her
+starting point. When it became evident that the machinery was now in
+good working order and not liable to a breakdown, the professor ordered
+a meal gotten ready, since all were hungry.
+
+With thankful hearts they sat down to a spread of the best the patent
+foods afforded, and ate heartily. Then, being worn out with fatigue, the
+professor advised all to take to their bunks and get some sleep. He said
+he would steer the ship for a while, to be relieved by Washington and
+Jack in turn.
+
+Regular watches were established before the adventurers sought their
+bunks, and then, while the craft shot southward, quiet reigned aboard.
+
+No further mishaps occurred. For some days the _Monarch_ was kept on her
+course. Every hour it grew warmer until the fur garments were
+discarded, and at length the windows were opened and the fresh breezes
+blew inside the cabins. The temperate zone had been reached.
+
+Over green meadows, woods, hills and valleys the airship flew; across
+wide bays, great rivers and large lakes. Now it was high in the air,
+above the clouds, and, again, close to the earth, as the captain
+directed.
+
+At last, just at dusk one summer afternoon, a little less than a month
+from the time they had left, the inventor stopped the propeller.
+
+"We are right above my old cabin," he said. "Now we are going to land.
+This ends the voyage to the north pole, and we are back safe and sound."
+
+The ship settled down, about a hundred feet from the balloon shed, which
+remained the same as when the adventurers had left it. No one was in
+sight, and the travelers stepped out on the ground.
+
+"If you will come inside I will pay you for your time, Andy," said Mr.
+Henderson; "and you, too, Bill and Tom. You know I promised you good
+wages while you were with me, and I think you have earned the money."
+
+The hunter and the two helpers were liberally rewarded for the time they
+had spent. Bidding the professor good-bye, they went their several
+ways, to astonish their friends and acquaintances with their strange
+tales.
+
+"As for you, boys," went on Amos Henderson to Jack and Mark, "I will pay
+you, too, if you like, or you can continue with me, and perhaps some day
+we'll make a trip to the South Pole--if not through the air, then under
+the sea, for I have in mind to build a submarine boat next. What do you
+say?"
+
+"I'll stay," said Jack.
+
+"So will I," exclaimed Mark. "Hurrah for the South Pole!"
+
+"Then come on in to supper," cried the professor gaily, leading the way
+to his cabin.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Through the Air to the North Pole, by Roy Rockwood
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14665 ***
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #14665 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14665)
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+Project Gutenberg's Through the Air to the North Pole, by Roy Rockwood
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Through the Air to the North Pole
+       or The Wonderful Cruise of the Electric Monarch
+
+Author: Roy Rockwood
+
+Release Date: January 11, 2005 [EBook #14665]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THROUGH THE AIR TO THE NORTH POLE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Lybarger, Beginners Projects, Mary Meehan, and
+the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                   THROUGH THE AIR TO THE NORTH POLE
+
+                                  OR
+
+             The Wonderful Cruise of the Electric Monarch
+
+                            BY ROY ROCKWOOD
+
+    AUTHOR OF "THE RIVAL OCEAN DIVERS," "A SCHOOLBOY'S PLUCK," ETC.
+
+                                 1906
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAP.
+
+       I. DRIVEN FROM TOWN
+
+      II. THE RUNAWAY TRAIN
+
+     III. A STRANGE RESCUER
+
+      IV. THE AIRSHIP
+
+       V. A PLAN TO SEEK THE NORTH POLE
+
+      VI. AWAY IN THE AIRSHIP
+
+     VII. HELD BY ELECTRICITY
+
+    VIII. SURROUNDED BY EAGLES
+
+      IX. THE FROZEN NORTH REACHED
+
+       X. LOST IN AN ICE CAVE
+
+      XI. ATTACKED BY SEA LIONS
+
+     XII. A MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE
+
+    XIII. FORWARD ONCE MORE
+
+     XIV. TOSSED BY A TORNADO
+
+      XV. PRISONERS OF THE ESQUIMAUX
+
+     XVI. THE STRANGE WOMAN AIDS
+
+    XVII. FIGHTING FOR THE SHIP
+
+   XVIII. NORTHWARD ONCE MORE
+
+     XIX. A BLINDING SNOWSTORM
+
+      XX. AT THE NORTH POLE?
+
+     XXI. LOST IN THE SNOW
+
+    XXII. MAGNETIC FIRE WORSHIPPERS
+
+   XXIII. A STRANGE SACRIFICE
+
+    XXIV. SAVED BY DIROLA
+
+     XXV. ADRIFT ON THE ICE
+
+    XXVI. FIGHTING WILD DOGS
+
+   XXVII. BACK TO THE SHIP
+
+  XXVIII. ATTACKED BY THE NATIVES
+
+    XXIX. THE ESCAPE
+
+     XXX. HOMEWARD BOUND
+
+
+
+
+THROUGH THE AIR TO THE NORTH POLE.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+DRIVEN FROM TOWN
+
+
+"Come now, you boys git out of here! No tramps allowed in Freeport while
+Ezra Jenkins is constable! Move along, now, or I'll arrest ye! Here's my
+badge of authority!" And a crabbed old man, wearing a faded blue suit,
+with a big shining star of metal on his coat, tapped the emblem with his
+club.
+
+Two boys, who had just joined each other, after having called at houses
+on the main street of the little New York village, where Constable
+Jenkins held sway as the entire police force, started at the sound of
+the harsh voice.
+
+"Come; are ye goin' to move?" snapped the constable.
+
+"I suppose we'll have to," answered the larger and stouter of the two
+lads, "but we haven't done anything."
+
+"Ye're tramps, ain't ye?" inquired the constable. "Course ye are! Been
+beggin', ain't ye? Course ye have! I kin see the victuals stickin' out
+of yer pockets now! Move on an' git out of Freeport! We don't want any
+tramps here!"
+
+"Come on, Mark," said the heavier of the two boys; "if our room is
+better than our company, they can have the room. I hope you'll get
+richer boarders than we are," the youth went on, turning to the
+constable. "We are going to shake the dust of Freeport from our feet.
+I think they ought to call this town Closedport instead of Freeport!"
+
+"None of yer sass, now!" warned the constable, tapping his badge again.
+"Jest you move on out of town!"
+
+"I think we had better go," murmured the other boy, who was thin and
+small. "Don't make any trouble, Jack."
+
+"All right," assented the other. "Ta-ta, Mr. Chief of Police! See you
+later!"
+
+"Here, you young rascals!" cried the constable. "Come back here an' I'll
+lock ye up!"
+
+But the boys started to run, and, as Mr. Jenkins was no longer young,
+and as his legs were rather stiff, he went only a little way before he
+had to stop. He shook his fist after the two lads.
+
+"Do you suppose he would have locked us up?" asked the small boy, whom
+his companion addressed as Mark. His full name was Mark Sampson, but he
+was very unlike his strong ancestor who pulled over the pillars of the
+temple.
+
+"He acted mean enough to do anything," replied Jack Darrow, who was
+quite a contrast in point of size and fleshiness to his companion.
+
+"What shall we do now?" asked Mark.
+
+"Keep on moving, I guess," was the reply, "At least until we get outside
+of Freeport."
+
+"Well, I'm glad I've got company now. It was lonesome before I met you."
+
+"Same here. We'll travel a way together, eh?"
+
+The two boys had met under rather strange circumstances. Early that
+morning Jack Darrow, the stout one, had awakened from his sleep in a
+pile of hay in a farmer's field. Close to him was another youth, whose
+name he had inquired as soon as the owner of it awoke.
+
+Then the two boys discovered that their conditions in life were very
+similar. Both were orphans, about the same age, Jack being sixteen and
+Mark fifteen years, and neither had a place he could call home.
+
+"My folks have been dead for some years," said Jack, in telling his
+story to his companion. "I was hired out to a farmer in the upper part
+of New York, but he worked me so hard and treated me so mean that I ran
+away. I've been tramping ever since; don't my clothes show it? You see
+I was forced to go without taking my many trunks along," and he laughed,
+for he was of a jolly disposition.
+
+"My people are dead also," said Mark. "I had a job with a man going
+around the country with a traction engine, threshing wheat and oats at
+different farms. But he used to beat me, so, one night, I ran away."
+
+"And didn't bring any extra clothes with you, either," put in Jack.
+
+"I never owned any to bring. I only had the one suit I wore."
+
+And after that the boys had told something of their experiences and
+become very friendly.
+
+The two boys walked on for a while in silence, kicking up the dust of
+the country road. Then Jack came to a halt, clapped his hand on his
+pocket, and said:
+
+"I nearly forgot I had something to eat! Just think of it! And I haven't
+dined since yesterday! I wonder what the lady gave me. She looked good
+natured."
+
+He sat down on a grassy bank along the highway, pulled the package of
+food out, and began to eat with every indication of satisfaction.
+
+"Bread, meat, piece of pie and a piece of cake!" he announced, looking
+over his lunch. "What did you get, Mark?"
+
+"I got the same as you, except I didn't get any pie or cake."
+
+"I guess your lady hadn't baked this week. Never mind, you can have half
+my pie and half my cake."
+
+"I'm sure I'm much obliged," said the thin youth.
+
+"You needn't be," broke in Jack. "That's the law of the road. When
+two--well, I suppose I might as well say tramps, for that's what we
+are--when two tramps go off together, they whack up. And that's what
+we're going to do!"
+
+It did not take long for the boys to finish their simple meal. Jack,
+true to his promise, shared his dessert with his companion.
+
+"Well, I feel like going on now, and looking for a job," remarked the
+heavier weighted lad. "What do you say, Mark?"
+
+"I guess we might as well get out of this town. They don't seem to care
+for us. But I wish I had a drink of water."
+
+"Nothing easier," replied Jack. "There you are," and he pointed a short
+distance ahead, where a brook ran along the road. The boys got down on
+their faces near a little pool, the bottom of which was covered with
+white pebbles, and drank heartily. Then, refreshed by the water, their
+hunger appeased, and rested, they started on the tramp again.
+
+"Any particular place you want to go to?" asked Mark.
+
+"No, I'm not particular. East or west, the north pole or the south pole.
+I haven't any one to worry about me, no matter which way I go. I'd a
+little rather go north, though, as it is mighty warm to-day," and Jack
+laughed carelessly.
+
+Little did he guess how soon his wish was to be gratified.
+
+"Then we may as well keep on until we get to the next town," said Mark.
+
+They walked on for some distance, their thoughts busy with their recent
+experiences, when they suddenly heard a noise at a distance.
+
+"Sounds like a freight train," said Mark.
+
+"So it is! Come on! Let's get aboard! Riding is easier than walking any
+day! Hurry up!"
+
+And then the two boys broke into a run toward a slow moving freight on a
+track that crossed the country road a short distance away from them.
+
+"Look out that you don't get under the wheels!" cautioned Jack to his
+companion.
+
+"Oh, I'm used to jumping the cars," replied Mark, as he ran quickly up
+beside the rails.
+
+The two boys reached the track along which the freight train was bumping
+and clicking. It was a long outfit, with many box, flat and gondola
+cars.
+
+"Try for a gondola!" suggested Jack, indicating the cars with sides
+about five feet high, and open at the top.
+
+The next instant he had swung up on a car, thrusting his foot in the
+iron step, and grasping the handle in a firm grip. Jack grabbed the next
+car, and landed safely aboard. Then, running forward, and clambering
+over to where his companion was, Jack pulled Mark down on the bottom of
+the gondola.
+
+"No use letting a brakeman see you if you can help it," he explained.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE RUNAWAY TRAIN
+
+
+On went the train, carrying the boys to a destination unknown to them.
+All they cared for was that they were going away from Freeport and its
+vindictive constable.
+
+"How long have your folks been dead?" asked Jack, after he had settled
+himself comfortably in a corner.
+
+"About five years," was the answer. "Father and mother went about the
+same time. They were poor, and I had no brothers or sisters. When I was
+all alone," the boy's voice trembled a bit, "I didn't know what to do.
+They wanted to send me to the poor-house, but I ran away. Then, after
+knocking about a bit, I got the job with the traction engine man, until
+he used me so I couldn't stand it."
+
+"That's about my case," said Jack. "I had a brother, and he ran away
+before my folks died. I guess they felt bad about him. Anyhow, mother
+used to cry an awful lot. When I was left all alone I was taken care of
+by some poor folks, who kept me as long as they could. Then I had to
+shift for myself. I had a good many jobs, and then I thought I'd like
+to be a farmer. I was sent to a place but the man wasn't very kind. He
+whipped me because I made a mistake and pulled up an onion instead of a
+weed. Then he beat me because I gave the horse too many oats. He never
+told me how much to give. So I ran away, and I'm glad of it. I've been
+cold and hungry lots of times since, but I haven't been whipped."
+
+"I guess that old constable would have licked us if he had the chance,"
+put in Mark.
+
+"No use worrying over that. He's a good many miles away now."
+
+"Here! What are you boys doing there?" cried a voice.
+
+Jack and Mark looked up, to see a brakeman gazing down at them from the
+top of a box car.
+
+"We're taking a ride," answered Jack coolly.
+
+"So I see," replied the brakeman. "Well, I guess it will come to an end
+right now. Hop off!"
+
+"Are you the conductor?" asked Jack.
+
+"No, of course not," said the wheel-twister.
+
+"Then don't try to put us off," went on the boy, with an assumed haughty
+air. "Just send the conductor here to punch our tickets. We're traveling
+first class, and don't want to be disturbed any more than is necessary."
+
+"Well, I like your nerve!" exclaimed the brakeman, climbing down. "Who
+are you, anyhow?"
+
+The railroad man laughed. Then Jack smiled, for he knew he and his
+companion were safe. In a few words he told their stories, and the
+brakeman promised they might go as far as the train went.
+
+"You boys are all right," said the brakeman. "I have two youngsters of
+my own at home, and I hope, if ever they get in a tight place, some one
+will help them. Can I do anything to fix you up?"
+
+"Not unless you can lend us about one thousand dollars each," laughed
+Jack, and the brakeman joined in with him.
+
+"Or tell us where we can get work," put in Mark, who seemed quite
+worried.
+
+"I can't say for sure where you can get jobs," the brakeman said, "but
+if I was in your place I'd get off at the next town. The name of it is
+Millville, and there are lots of factories there. Maybe you can strike
+something. I'll speak to the conductor and have him ask the engineer to
+slow up so you can jump off."
+
+"We'd be obliged if you would," Jack said. "We may be tramps for a
+while, but we're both anxious to get work, and maybe Millville will be
+just the place for us."
+
+"We're coming into it now," the brakeman went on. "It's about a mile
+from here. I'll go back, and when you hear five whistles from the engine
+you'll know it's slowing up and you are to jump off. I know the
+conductor will do that if I ask him."
+
+The brakeman climbed up the ladder on the end of the box car next to the
+gondola where the boys were, until he reached the run-boards on top.
+Then he hurried along to the caboose, where the conductor was.
+
+"We must listen for the five whistles," said Jack. "Get ready to jump,
+Mark. Don't forget your baggage."
+
+"No danger of that," chimed in the other, falling into the joyful mood
+of his companion, who never seemed to be cast down for long, no matter
+what happened.
+
+The train was going down grade now, and the speed was much increased.
+Telegraph poles whizzed past at a rapid rate and the wheels sung a
+livelier tune as they clipped over the rail joints.
+
+"It's a good thing the engineer is going to slow down for us," said
+Jack. "We'd never be able to jump off at the rate we're going."
+
+"Hark!" exclaimed Mark. "There goes the whistle!"
+
+The boys listened. A long, shrill blast cut the summer air, and
+vibrated back to them over the tops of the cars.
+
+"That isn't five whistles; it's one!" cried Jack. "It's the call for
+brakes! I wonder if anything has happened to the train!"
+
+There was a pause. Then came another single shriek from the engine's
+whistle. It sounded appealingly, as if the steam monster was in
+distress.
+
+"Look! Look!" shouted Mark. "We are going much faster than we were!"
+
+At the same instant there was a crash and a jolting sound. The train
+seemed to break in two parts at about the centre. The forward section,
+drawn by the engine, went one way, and the other part, with the gondola
+containing the boys, in the lead, took another track. An insecurely
+fastened switch was responsible for the accident. The locomotive and
+nearly half the cars of the train took the main track, while the
+remainder of the outfit swung on to a siding.
+
+The section of the train with the boys aboard had become a runaway
+freight!
+
+"What has happened?" cried Mark.
+
+"The train's broken in two!" shouted Jack. "Come on! Help twist the
+brakes!"
+
+Both boys sprang to the wheel of the gondola. It was all they could do
+to give it a few turns, but they managed to make the brake-shoes grip
+the wheels to some degree, as was evidenced by the shrill shrieking.
+
+"Can you climb up to the top of the box car?" asked Jack.
+
+"Sure!" shouted Mark. "Go ahead!"
+
+Though Mark was thin, he had a nervous strength almost equal to that of
+his stouter companion.
+
+"We must set all the brakes we can!" Jack cried. "That's the only way to
+stop the runaway train!"
+
+With their small arms they twisted the wheel on the box car. They got it
+as tight as they could, then ran along the top of the vehicle to the
+next one. About ten cars down they saw their friendly brakeman.
+
+"That's the stuff, boys!" he shouted. "There'll be a smash-up if we
+don't stop the cars!"
+
+He was twisting wheels with all his might. As fast as they could the two
+boys went from car to car, setting the brakes.
+
+But in spite of their efforts, and the efforts of another brakeman
+besides the one they had spoken to, the speed of the runaway freight
+train increased. The grade was a steep one, and down the hill the
+uncontrolled cars rushed.
+
+"I don't believe we're going to stop," said Jack.
+
+"Shall we jump?" asked Mark.
+
+"Not if you want to get a job in the mill or factory," replied Jack. "I
+reckon if you or I jumped that would be the last of us."
+
+With a rush and a roar the train continued to speed along. The trees and
+telegraph poles whizzed past so quickly as to be almost invisible.
+
+"I guess this is Millville," said Mark, as the runaway train passed a
+station, on several sides of which there were large buildings to be
+seen.
+
+So fast was the runaway train going now that the boys had to lie down on
+their faces and cling to the run-boards on top of the box car to avoid
+being jolted off. The wind fairly whistled in their ears. Through the
+town they rushed, observing, as by a flash, the white, frightened face
+of the station agent as he watched them go past.
+
+"Do you think there'll be a smash-up?" asked Mark.
+
+"I don't see how it can be avoided," replied Jack. "This track has to
+come to an end somewhere. When it does, look out, that's all!"
+
+On and on rushed the train! It's speed was now fearful, for the down
+grade had increased. It was of no avail to twist the brakes, for no
+strength would avail to slacken the awful speed. The boys, in common
+with the brakemen, could only cling and wait in terror for what was to
+come.
+
+The cars swayed as they went around a curve. Jack lifted his head and
+peered forward.
+
+"Hold fast!" he shouted. "We're going to strike something in a minute!"
+
+He had looked up in time to see that the track siding came to an abrupt
+end about a quarter of a mile further on, the rails stopping in a sand
+bank.
+
+Hardly had the boys time to take a tighter grip with their fingers on
+the boards to which they were clinging, when the whole string of freight
+cars seemed to crumple up like a collection of paper vehicles.
+
+There was a grinding, sickening crash, a succession of heavy jolts, a
+piling up of one car on top of another, a splintering of wood, a rending
+of iron and steel, and then with one terrible smash, with one final
+roar, the runaway freight piled itself up in a mass of shattered cars
+against the sand hill, at the base of which the rails came to an end. It
+was a fearful wreck.
+
+"Hold fast!" were the last words Jack cried to his companion. His voice
+sounded faint above the din.
+
+"Where are you, Jack?" he heard Mark shout in reply.
+
+Then all became dark, and the boys lost their senses as they were hurled
+into the splintered mass of wreckage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A STRANGE RESCUER
+
+
+"For de land sakes, Perfessor, hurry up! Heah's de stupenduousness
+conglomeration dat eber transcribed dis terresterial hemisphere!"
+exclaimed a stout, jolly looking colored man a few seconds after the
+crash of the wreck had ceased echoing.
+
+"What is it, Washington?" asked a mild mannered elderly gentleman, with
+long flowing hair and beard, who, with the negro, had been walking in a
+field close to the railroad.
+
+"I doan perzackly know, Perfessor, but it seems like there was a
+discontinuation ob de transportation facilities, when some sudden
+construction on de elongated tempestuousness attached to de railroad
+made de cars go bump! bump! Bang! Smack! Crash!"
+
+"Washington! Washington! When will you stop using words that don't mean
+anything!" cried the old man, hurrying forward. "I presume you mean
+there has been a railroad wreck?"
+
+"That's it, Perfessor. De extenuatin' circumstances ob
+transmigration--"
+
+"That will do, Washington!" said the aged man, somewhat sternly. "You
+must stop talking, and act. This is no time for foolishness. There may
+be people hurt. Come along and let us see what we can do."
+
+"Yes, sah!" replied the negro, calming down.
+
+Then the two hurried down along the track, piled high with the debris of
+the runaway freight train.
+
+"My! My! This is a terrible wreck!" cried the old man, as the two
+climbed over the mass of wreckage.
+
+"Hi, Perfessor!" called the colored man, suddenly. "I've found
+something!"
+
+"What is it, Washington?"
+
+"It's a boy, an' he dead!"
+
+"Oh, that's too bad!"
+
+"An' heah's another, an' he's dead! Dis catafterme is de most--"
+
+"Now, Washington, remember what I told you. No big words wanted at the
+present time. Where are the boys?"
+
+"Here, Perfessor," and the negro showed the old man where Mark and Jack
+were lying, close together on a pile of sand. The professor bent over
+them. He felt of their hearts and listened to their breathing.
+
+"Here!" he cried, suddenly. "They're not dead! They're only stunned!
+Maybe we can save them! Hurry, Washington, and carry them to my cabin.
+You take one and I will bring the other!"
+
+"You don't need to carry any ob 'em," answered the colored man. "Dis
+chile is strong 'nuff, I reckon, to tote dem two boys," and, suiting the
+action to the words, he stooped down, put an arm around each of the
+prostrate forms and lifted one on each shoulder. "'Bout face! Forward
+march!" he cried.
+
+With the old man following, the negro made his way along a path that led
+over the fields, until he came to a long and rather narrow shed built on
+the edge of the woods.
+
+"Be sure no one is in sight before you go in!" cautioned the old man, as
+he opened the door, which was fastened with several padlocks. "It would
+never do to have my secret discovered now."
+
+"Nobody in sight, master!" exclaimed the colored man, as he turned, with
+the two unconscious boys on his shoulders, and gazed about "De coast am
+clear."
+
+"Then hurry inside and we will see what we can do for the poor lads. I
+fear they are seriously hurt."
+
+The negro slipped in as the old man held the door open, hurriedly
+closing it afterward, and bolting it on the inside.
+
+"Put them on my bed," went on the gray-haired man. "Then hurry back to
+the wreck! There may be more people hurt, whom you can aid. Don't stop
+to talk, but hurry back. I will see to the boys."
+
+Not very willingly the negro left the shed. When he was gone, and the
+door was securely fastened after him, the old man went over to where
+Mark and Jack lay, both still unconscious.
+
+"Poor lads!" sighed the old man. "I hope I can save them."
+
+He went rapidly to work. Loosening the clothing of the boys he soon
+found that no bones were broken. Then from a medicine chest he took
+several bottles. In a tall glass, such as druggists use for mixing
+prescriptions, he put several liquids, and stirred the whole together.
+Then he moistened a little cotton in the preparation, and placed the
+white stuff under the noses of the lads, holding it in place with
+cloths. He had about completed this when a knock was heard at the door.
+
+"Who is there?" he cried, starting up in alarm.
+
+"Mr. Washington Jackson Alexander White," was the answer.
+
+"Give the countersign!" demanded the old man, sternly, making no move to
+undo the bolts that held the door tight.
+
+"De North Pole, an' long may it stand!" was the rather odd reply.
+
+"Right! Enter!" said the professor, opening the door to give admittance
+to the colored man.
+
+"Did you find any more victims of the wreck?" asked the old man.
+
+"No, sah; Mr. Perfessor Amos Henderson, I did not," answered Washington.
+
+"Just plain Professor will do," said Amos Henderson, quietly. "You
+needn't give my full name every time."
+
+"All right, Perfessor," went on the colored man. "I didn't find no mo'
+pussons entangled in the distribution of debris. Dere was a lot ob
+railroad men dere, but dey wasn't hurted. Dey was lookin' fer two boys
+what was ridin' on de train when it went kersmash."
+
+"I hope you didn't say anything about these lads, Washington."
+
+"Not one single disjointed word, Perfessor. Dis chile knows when to
+persecute de essence ob quietude an' silence."
+
+"There you go again! How many times have I told you not to try and use
+big words, Washington? Use simple language. I take it you mean there
+were no others injured in the wreck?"
+
+"Perzackly."
+
+"It is a miracle how these boys escaped instant death," the old man went
+on.
+
+"I reckon as how it were owin' to de fack dat dey struck in a bank ob
+soft sand dat concussioned de fall," explained Washington.
+
+"You mean the soft sand saved them?"
+
+"Dat's de correctness ob it."
+
+"I think you are right," the old man continued, as he fastened the door
+securely. "The shock of the sudden stopping of the runaway train, as it
+reached the end of the siding and crashed into the bank, probably threw
+the lads up in the air, and they came down in the sliding sand where we
+found them. Otherwise they would surely have been killed. As it is they
+have had severe shocks."
+
+"Are dey goin' to die, Perfessor?"
+
+"I hope not, Washington, but I must see to them."
+
+Amos Henderson went over to the bed on which the two boys were stretched
+out, each with the piece of cotton soaked in the preparation over his
+mouth and nose.
+
+"I am using a very powerful remedy," the old man muttered. "If they are
+not too badly hurt they will recover. Ah, yes, there is a little color
+in their pale cheeks."
+
+He bent over the boys. As he had said, Jack's face was tinged with a
+light pink, and Mark's eye-lids were moving slightly.
+
+"They are coming around all right," exclaimed the aged professor.
+"Hurry, Washington, and get some hot beef broth ready. Put the kettle on
+to boil and make some strong tea. They will want something to eat
+shortly after they recover their senses."
+
+The colored man, humming softly to himself, began moving about the shed.
+It was a rough looking place from the outside, but, within, was fitted
+with many comforts. There was a gasoline stove, a table, several chairs,
+a bed, and a large case full of books. But the queerest sights of all
+were on the walls.
+
+They were literally covered with cog wheels, levers, handles, springs,
+pieces of machinery, patterns, models, and strange devices. The room had
+two doors. One was that by which the old man and the negro had entered.
+The other was behind the bed, and was clamped and fastened with so many
+bolts and bars, with locks similar to those on big safes, that it would
+seem a rare treasure was concealed behind the portal.
+
+The old man gave no heed to the wonders that surrounded him. Instead he
+gave all his attention to the boys. He sat down beside the bed and
+watched them as their breathing became stronger. From time to time he
+felt of their pulses, and nodded his head as if satisfied.
+
+"Is the beef tea ready?" asked the old man, after a half hour had
+passed.
+
+"It am, Perfessor."
+
+"Then turn down the flame a bit so it will keep the stuff warm, and come
+back into the work shop with me. I want to get that last bolt in the
+engine."
+
+"Are dem young gen'men all hunky-dory?"
+
+"They are coming on nicely," was the old man's reply. "They will recover
+consciousness in half an hour and we can feed them, and give them some
+medicine. Come along, Washington."
+
+The two passed out through the much-locked door behind the bed, the
+undoing of the fastenings taking some time. As the portal swung open it
+disclosed a long shed which seemed to be occupied with a big, strange
+object.
+
+The old professor and the negro had not been gone more than five minutes
+before Jack opened his eyes. He turned over on one side. As he did so
+Mark slowly lifted his head.
+
+"Hello!" cried Jack, faintly.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Mark.
+
+"Matter? What? Where?" inquired Mark, sitting up.
+
+"Here! Everywhere!" replied Jack, raising himself slowly on his elbow.
+"All I remember is a terrible crash. Now look at all those wheels.
+Wheels! Wheels! Wheels! I wonder if they can be in my head?" and he
+tried to smile.
+
+"No, they are real wheels, and they are on the walls," announced Mark.
+
+"Then where in the world are we?" went on Jack. "In a machine shop or a
+railroad wreck?"
+
+"Looks like--" began Mark, when he was interrupted by a voice calling:
+
+"Hurry up, Perfessor! De boys has awakened from de unconsciousability!"
+
+And, to the astonishment of Jack and Mark, the old man and his negro
+helper hurried from the inner room and stood in front of the bed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE AIRSHIP
+
+
+"Do you feel better?" asked the professor, anxiously, as he came forward
+and felt of the boys' pulses.
+
+"A great deal," answered Jack. "But what has happened? Where are we?
+What are all these wheels for?"
+
+"Slowly, slowly," said the old man with a pleasant laugh. "One question
+at a time. For the first: what happened was a railroad wreck."
+
+"I remember now," said Jack, slowly. "We tried to stop the cars."
+
+"And you didn't succeed very well," went on the old man. "However, the
+sand bank did it for you, and stopped you two at the same time. As for
+your second question, you are here in my shop. As to the third, those
+wheels are parts of my great invention. But I will tell you about that
+after a while. I must give you some medicine now, and something to eat.
+Here, Washington!"
+
+"Comin', Perfessor!"
+
+Jack and Mark were more surprised than before when they saw a big
+colored man, seemingly as strong as an ox, coming toward them with two
+steaming bowls of beef broth. Washington was grinning with delight.
+
+"Dis am de best beef stew dat eber transpositioned itself into yo'
+vicinity!" he exclaimed, setting the bowls down on a table near the bed.
+
+"Now, Washington," cautioned the old man. "No big words, remember."
+
+"All right, Perfessor," was the answer.
+
+"Do you boys feel like eating?" asked the aged inventor.
+
+"I do," replied Jack. "There was a time, though, when I thought I'd
+never get a chance to eat again. That was just before the crash."
+
+"You were both knocked unconscious," the professor went on. "Washington
+and I happened to be near by and brought you here. Fortunately I am
+something of a doctor as well as an inventor, and I used a strong
+medicine I have."
+
+"I'm sure we're much obliged to you," answered Mark.
+
+"Let me see how much improved you are by eating," suggested the old man.
+"I can trust Washington to cook good meals, even if he does use big
+words."
+
+Then, while the colored man grinned cheerfully at them, Jack and Mark,
+sitting up on the bed, for they were still weak and sore, ate the broth.
+After that both boys said they felt better.
+
+"See if you can walk," suggested the inventor.
+
+Mark and Jack stepped on the floor. They both uttered cries of pain.
+They were stiff and lame from the shaking they had received.
+
+"A day in bed will do you no harm," said their strange rescuer. "I have
+some liniment that will soon take the soreness out of every one of your
+muscles."
+
+Though the boys protested at being made to remain in bed, the old man
+insisted. He made them take off most of their clothes, and then brought
+out some liniment. Under his direction Jack and Mark rubbed themselves
+well, and experienced almost immediate relief. It was now getting dusk,
+and Washington lighted a big lamp that hung in the centre of the room,
+first taking care that the shutters were tightly fastened.
+
+The colored man prepared a simple supper for Mr. Henderson, and
+afterward got himself a meal. When the dishes were cleared away the old
+man, who had noted with smiles the anxious glances Jack and Mark were
+casting about the strange room, said:
+
+"I suppose you boys would like to ask lots of questions."
+
+"I'd like to know what all this machinery is for," spoke Jack.
+
+"And what is behind that door," Mark went on, indicating the much-locked
+portal.
+
+"I knew it!" exclaimed the old man. "I knew it! Now if I tell you will
+you promise to keep it a secret until I give you leave to speak?"
+
+Of course the boys promised eagerly.
+
+"Do you think you have rested enough now to take a look inside?" the
+inventor asked, nodding toward the locked door.
+
+"Sure!" exclaimed Jack.
+
+"Then put on your coats and trousers and I'll introduce you to my pet."
+
+Wonderingly, the boys followed him. It took nearly a minute to unfasten
+the various bolts and bars, but at last the portal swung open. The place
+was dimly lighted by a single big lamp, but in the glare of it the boys
+caught sight of a strange, weird object. It looked like an immense
+cigar, and swayed slowly back and forward. It seemed to be covered with
+a net-work of cords. On the ground beneath it was what seemed to be a
+good-sized boat, with a large cabin amidships.
+
+"What in the world is it?" cried Jack.
+
+"It's my airship!" exclaimed Professor Henderson. "The only successful
+airship ever invented. It is the electric _Monarch_!"
+
+"What is it for?" asked Mark.
+
+"To navigate the realm of the stars and moon!" cried the old man. "With
+that I will rival the eagles in their flight!"
+
+The boys were a little alarmed. The professor was strangely excited. His
+eyes sparkled in the reflected light of the lamp. Jack and Mark thought
+they might have been brought to the abode of a madman. They shrank back
+a little. But they were reassured a moment later when, with a pleasant
+laugh, the old man said:
+
+"Don't be frightened, boys. I know what I am talking about. Here,
+Washington, more light! We will show them what we have done, hidden away
+from the sight of the curious, unbelieving world. Let them see my
+_Monarch_!"
+
+"We'll illuminationness dis abode like it was de orb ob day shinin'
+heah!" exclaimed the negro, as he started several more lamps aglow.
+
+"Are the shutters closed?" asked Mr. Henderson, anxiously.
+
+"Tight as a drum-head," was the reply.
+
+"Now look!" exclaimed the inventor, turning to the boys.
+
+They were more than astonished at what they saw. They had no idea that
+the rough shed held such a perfect piece of machinery.
+
+Up near the roof of the place, which was quite high, there swayed an
+immense bag of oiled silk. It was shaped like a cigar, big in the middle
+and tapering at both ends. The bag was enclosed in a net of ropes which
+extended down to the lower part of the airship.
+
+This lower part, as the boys could see, was just like a steam launch in
+shape, only much lighter in weight. It had a sharp bow, and a blunt
+stern. From the stern there extended a large propeller, the blades being
+made from sheets of aluminum.
+
+The main part of the ship proper, or the part suspended from the gas
+bag, was covered by a closed and roofed cabin about forty feet long, ten
+feet wide, and extending five feet above the gunwale of the ship. The
+cabin had four windows on each side, a companionway fore and aft, and a
+sort of look-out or conning tower forward, which, the professor
+explained, was the place for the steersman.
+
+"Because this ship can be steered wherever you want to go," he said,
+pointing to the big rudder that was hung aft, an opening in it allowing
+the screw or propeller to revolve.
+
+The boys were lost in admiration of the wonderful airship. They were
+consumed with curiosity as to how the machinery worked, and they thought
+no more of their knocks and bruises than as if a mosquito had bitten
+them. The professor watched their faces with delight. He loved boys and
+mechanical apparatus.
+
+"Now we will enter the _Monarch_," he said. "Turn on the lights,
+Washington."
+
+There was a click, and the cabin of the airship was flooded with a soft
+glow of incandescent lamps.
+
+"Come on!" called Mr. Henderson, leading the way. The boys followed,
+marveling at the wonders on every side.
+
+They found the cabin of the strange craft divided into three parts.
+First came a sort of parlor, with a table and seats arranged on the
+sides. In the front part of this was a passage leading to the conning
+tower, or the place for the steersman. Behind the parlor came the
+sleeping quarters and dining room combined. The bunks were arranged to
+fold against the wall, and a table in the centre could be shut up when
+not in use and hoisted to the ceiling, giving plenty of space.
+
+Next came the engine room, and as they entered it the boys could hardly
+restrain from giving cheers of delight. It was almost filled with
+machinery, and occupied a little more than half of the whole boat, being
+twenty-two by ten feet in size.
+
+The two boys did not know the use of one quarter of the machinery and
+apparatus they gazed on. There were electric motors, storage batteries,
+two gasoline engines similar to those used in automobiles, pumps, large
+and small tanks, instruments for measuring the electric current, for
+telling the temperature, the amount of moisture in the air, the speed of
+the wind, the speed of the ship, the height to which it went, besides
+compasses, barometers, telescopes, and other instruments.
+
+There were levers and wheels on every side, switches, valves, electric
+plugs and handles. Lockers arranged close to the wall and along the
+floor held supplies and materials. Everything was new and shining, and
+the professor smiled with pride as he touched piece after piece of
+machinery, and looked at the different instruments.
+
+"Now we'll go out on the stern," he said.
+
+The boys followed as he ascended the companion steps and emerged on a
+small platform at the rear end of the cabin.
+
+"Do you know what this is?" asked the professor, touching a long, thin,
+round object.
+
+"Looks like a gun," replied Mark.
+
+"That's just what it is. It's a machine gun that will fire one hundred
+shots a minute, and it can be turned in any direction, as it works on a
+swivel. I don't know that we'll have any use for it, but I thought I'd
+take it along."
+
+Then the professor pointed out where the propeller shaft ran from the
+engine room out through the stern, and showed how the rudder was worked
+by wire ropes extending from it to the conning tower.
+
+"In short we have everything necessary to successfully navigate the
+air," he went on. "Not a thing has been overlooked. All I have to do is
+to fill the big bag of oiled silk with a new gas I have discovered and
+up we go. This is really the most important part of the invention.
+Without this powerful gas the airship would not rise above the earth.
+
+"But I have found this gas, which can be made in unlimited quantities
+from simple materials that we can carry with us. The gas has enormous
+lifting power, and if it was not for that I would not dare make such a
+large and comfortable airship. As it is, we can sail through the air as
+easily as if we were on an ocean liner on the sea and much more quickly.
+
+"I generate the gas in the engine room as I need it," the professor
+went on. "It goes to the oiled silk bag through two tubes. When we have
+arisen to a sufficient height I start the electric engine, the propeller
+whirls around, and the ship moves forward, just as a steamboat does when
+the screw is set in motion. Then all I have to do is to steer."
+
+"It's great!" cried Jack with sparkling eyes.
+
+"It certainly is," agreed Mark.
+
+From the stern the professor took the boys to the conning tower, where
+there were several wheels and levers, that placed most of the important
+machines and engines in the boat under the direct control of the
+steersman. A lever turned one way would send the ship ahead. Turned in
+the opposite direction it would reverse the course. A wheel like that on
+an automobile served to direct the rudder and so guided the _Monarch's_
+course. Other levers controlled the speed of the engines, and the supply
+of gas that filled the silk bag.
+
+"Here is where we shall carry our supplies of condensed food," the
+professor went on, leading the way back into the middle room. "We will
+take along capsules that will supply us in a small space with meat,
+vegetables, soups, tea and coffee, besides milk.
+
+"The water we will get as we speed along, dropping down to earth
+whenever it is necessary. As for clothing, I have an abundant supply."
+
+He opened a locker and disclosed a pile of fur garments. There were big
+coats, caps and boots, everything made with a furry surface within as
+well as without.
+
+"Any one would think you were going into some cold country, professor,"
+said Jack, looking at the warm garments.
+
+"So we are! We are going to find the north pole!" exclaimed the old
+inventor.
+
+"The north pole?" cried Mark.
+
+"That's what I said. Do you boys want to go along in the _Monarch_ to a
+place where never mortal man has been?"
+
+At that instant there came a loud knock at the door.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+A PLAN TO SEEK THE NORTH POLE
+
+
+"Hark! What was that?" exclaimed Professor Henderson in a hoarse
+whisper.
+
+"Sounded like some one at the door," replied Mark.
+
+"Quick, Washington! Put out the lights! You boys creep back and hide
+under the bed. My secret must not be discovered now when everything is
+ready for the trial!"
+
+The boys started back toward the living room, Washington began putting
+out the lights and then, with the professor, joined the boys. The shed
+containing the airship was in total darkness, and the negro, turning
+down the lamp in the cabin, shrouded that in gloom also.
+
+Once more the knock was repeated. It was a peculiar one; first two raps,
+then a silence, then three blows, followed at intervals by six single
+raps.
+
+"Who is there?" asked the professor, going close to the door.
+
+"A friend," was the reply.
+
+"Give the countersign."
+
+"The North Pole, and long may it stand!" was the queer answer. It was
+the same the colored man had given when he sought admission after his
+second trip to the wreck that afternoon.
+
+Slowly the inventor unfastened the door. As he cautiously opened it a
+roughly dressed man slipped in.
+
+"What's the need of all this foolishness?" he demanded. "Why have you
+made it so dark? It's like a pocket. Is any one here?"
+
+The two boys had crawled under the bed before the door was opened, in
+accordance with the instructions from the old man. The inventor and
+Washington were the only ones visible in the cabin.
+
+"Why don't you turn up the light?" went on the visitor in fretful tones.
+"Are you sure no one is here to learn our secret?"
+
+"Do you see any one?" asked the professor, not wishing to disclose the
+boys' presence. "Do you think I am so foolish as to waste the labor and
+toil of years?"
+
+"I didn't think so," said the man, "but as I came along I thought I saw
+lights in the balloon shed."
+
+"Very likely," admitted Mr. Henderson coolly. "Washington and I were
+out there doing some work."
+
+"All right," was the rather ungracious answer. "I have those chemicals
+you wanted."
+
+"Give them to me!" implored the old man in an anxious tone. "I thought
+you would never bring them."
+
+"Oh, I don't forget so easily. Here you are," and the newcomer passed
+over a package. "Now when are you going to sail?"
+
+"In about a week," answered the inventor.
+
+"Then I guess I'll stay until you go," spoke the stranger. "I don't want
+to be left behind."
+
+At this the old professor seemed strangely excited. His hands trembled
+as he placed the chemicals on a shelf.
+
+"You don't like it, I see," observed the stranger with a sort of snarl.
+"But I know you too well, Professor Henderson. You would be only too
+glad to go and leave me behind after all I have done for you."
+
+"My only desire, and you know it, James Taggert," broke in the old man,
+"is to preserve my secret from the world until I see whether I can
+succeed or not. I do not want to be laughed at if I fail. I admit you
+have been of service to me, but, rather than risk failure, rather than
+run the chance of having my plans made known before I am ready to have
+them, I would do anything. I know you too well to imagine that you have
+aided me from pure love."
+
+"Well, go on," snarled the man, as the professor paused.
+
+"You have some object back of it all," continued the professor. "I do
+not know what your motive is, but I say, rather than have my plans
+spoiled, I will make you a prisoner and keep you here until after I have
+sailed. I am all ready to start,--tonight, if need be!"
+
+"So that's your game, is it?" cried Taggert. He turned toward the old
+man with an ugly look.
+
+"Washington!" cried the professor. "Bind him! Put him in the little room
+and see that he does not escape!"
+
+The next instant the big negro had folded his arms around Taggert. The
+white man struggled, but he was like a baby in the grasp of a giant, for
+Washington was very powerful. He procured a strong cord, and, before
+Taggert could resist had him firmly bound. Then, picking the man up in
+his arms, Washington carried him back into the balloon shed.
+
+"Help! Help!" cried Taggert, and then his cries were smothered.
+
+"Don't hurt him!" cautioned the professor, calling into the darkness to
+Washington.
+
+"I only guv him a soft piece ob wood to bite on," replied the negro. "He
+mustn't expostulate sounds too freely 'cause it might keep us awake."
+
+In a few minutes Washington returned.
+
+"I made him as comfortableness as de existin' circumstanceableness would
+permit ob," he announced.
+
+"That's right. I did not want to do this, but I was forced to," the
+inventor said. "I will release him as soon as we are ready to sail. But
+I am forgetting the boys. Come out," he called, and Jack and Mark, much
+mystified and somewhat frightened by what had taken place, crawled from
+under the bed.
+
+"I am sorry you witnessed what you did," the professor said to them.
+"But I could not have this man spoil my plans. Some time ago he
+discovered my secret, and to keep him from publishing it broadcast I was
+forced to take him into my confidence. He has given me some aid in
+getting rare chemicals, but he wants a heavy price. He demands a half
+interest in the _Monarch_, and to be taken to the north pole."
+
+"Then you are really going to search for the pole?" asked Jack.
+
+"I am, my boy, and, what is more, I am going to find it. Why, it is
+simple with the wonderful gas I have discovered. That is the whole
+secret of what will be my success. It is easy enough to make an airship
+that will move, but the trouble is no one has yet been able to make a
+gas strong enough to lift the heavy weight of the ship high into the
+air. That is where I have the advantage."
+
+"I wish I could see your ship sail," said Jack.
+
+"You may if you like," exclaimed the old man. "Do you remember what I
+asked you when the knock interrupted us? I asked you if you wanted to go
+to the north pole. Now I have taken a great liking to both you boys. I
+haven't even asked your names yet, but I like you. I need some help in
+running the ship, also in making my explorations in the frozen north.
+Would you like to go along?"
+
+For a few seconds the boys did not know what to say. It was a strange
+and sudden proposition. They had been through so many adventures in the
+last few hours that their brains were fairly bewildered. But to both of
+them there came a great desire to make this wonderful trip through the
+air. Before they could make a reply Professor Henderson spoke again:
+
+"Perhaps you had better think it over a bit," he said. "I realize that
+it comes rather suddenly. Supposing you go to bed, and we'll talk more
+in the morning. Come, Washington, make up a couple of bunks for the boys
+in this room. You can sleep in the balloon shed as usual."
+
+In a few minutes the colored man had made rude but comfortable beds on
+two bunks, like shelves that folded against the wall. Then, with an
+armful of bed clothes, he retired to the big shed.
+
+"Better use a little more liniment," advised the old man. "I don't want
+you sore and stiff if you go with me."
+
+Accordingly Jack and Mark rubbed their arms and legs well. Something in
+the stuff must have been very soothing for they soon fell asleep.
+
+It was broad day when the boys awoke. At first they could not realize
+where they were. They saw a colored man moving about and cooking
+something on the gasolene stove.
+
+"Did yo' gen'men obtain a sufficient percentage of restful
+slumberation?" he asked with a broad grin.
+
+"We slept fine," said Mark.
+
+"Washington, is breakfast ready?" asked Mr. Henderson, coming in from
+the balloon shed.
+
+"It am prepared," was the reply.
+
+"Hello, boys! How did you sleep?" asked the inventor, observing that
+Mark and Jack were awake.
+
+"Fine!" they said in a chorus and with a smile.
+
+"Well, wash up and we'll have something to eat. You'll find soap, water
+and towels out in the shed," and he pointed to where he had just come
+from.
+
+The boys found two big tubs full of cool water. In an instant they had
+stripped and were splashing around like ducks. It was a treat to get a
+good bath. They came back into the cabin glowing. Not even a reminder of
+the soreness and stiffness of the railroad accident remained. They did
+full justice to the meal of coffee and ham and eggs Washington had
+prepared.
+
+"Now, Washington, you had better take the prisoner something, and get
+your own breakfast," the professor said. "I want to have a talk with the
+boys."
+
+Whistling a merry tune, the colored man took out a tray of food to
+Taggert, who was still bound so he could not escape.
+
+"Now I'd like to hear your names, and all about you," the old man said.
+
+The lads told their simple stories from the time each of them had
+started to shift for himself until they had accidentally met, and been
+hurled from the train.
+
+"And have you thought over what I asked you last night?" asked the
+professor, when they had finished.
+
+"I have," said Jack, "and I'd like to go along."
+
+"Good! You shall go!" exclaimed the inventor. "How about you, Mark?"
+
+"I'll go, too."
+
+"All right. Now we have plenty to do," the old professor went on. "The
+actions of this man Taggert will hasten my plans. There are a few
+finishing touches to put on the ship. Come out into the shed."
+
+Delighted at the chance of helping about the mysterious _Monarch_, the
+boys followed the professor. They found the shed lighted by windows in
+the roof, from which the curtains had been rolled back. The windows on
+the side were not opened.
+
+By daylight the airship looked larger than before. It was a wonderful
+machine. The professor and his colored helper busied themselves in the
+engine room. Now and then the two boys were allowed to aid.
+
+As he hurried about from one part of the ship to the other the professor
+told them how he had come to build the _Monarch_. He said he was an old
+bachelor and alone in the world, and had long desired to sail to the
+north pole. The failure of many land expeditions had convinced him that
+an airship was the only feasible method. Accordingly he had come to this
+rather deserted part of the country, built his cabin and shed, and then
+had begun the putting together of his airship.
+
+The engine parts, the various pieces of apparatus, and the machinery, he
+bought from many different sources, so as not to excite suspicion. At
+last after much labor the great undertaking was done.
+
+"The _Monarch_ has never been tested," said the professor, "but I know
+it will sail. I have made many small models and they worked perfectly."
+
+Several busy hours were spent. Much more machinery was put in the ship,
+the food lockers were stored with supplies, the gasolene tanks filled,
+and the supply of fur clothing increased.
+
+"There!" exclaimed the professor at length. "We are about ready to sail.
+I could start in an hour if necessary. All I have to do is to fill the
+silk bag with my wonderful gas, which is all ready to generate."
+
+"Den you'd better start to generationess it right off quicker than
+sooner!" shouted Washington, running from the rear of the shed. "Hurry
+up, Perfessor!"
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Mr. Henderson anxiously.
+
+"Dat prisoner man has escaped!" cried Washington. "He's clean gone!
+Flown away! Jumped his bail!"
+
+"That's bad!" exclaimed the professor. "He'll work some mischief now! I
+guess we'll have to start on our trip at once!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+AWAY IN THE AIRSHIP
+
+
+"Quick, Washington!" cried the professor. "Jump in the engine room and
+start the gas generator. Mark, you bring in from the cabin all those
+wheels and things on the walls! Jack, load those packages there into the
+locker in the after part of the _Monarch_! But handle them carefully!
+They contain explosives and ammunition for the machine gun!"
+
+If there had been hurry and bustle before, there was ten times as much
+now. The professor gave one look at the place where Taggert had been
+concealed. The man had worked off his bonds and escaped while his
+captors were in the airship's cabin.
+
+Soon there was a queer hissing noise from the engine room of the
+_Monarch_. The gas bag began to distend.
+
+"She's fillin', Perfessor!" cried Washington.
+
+"We must tie her down," muttered the old man. "Otherwise she will rise
+and take the shed with her. I say, Washington!"
+
+"Yes, Perfessor."
+
+"We must get some one to help us open the shed roof to let the ship rise
+out. We can't do it alone."
+
+"Guess it's a extraunordinary contract," agreed the negro.
+
+"Then you go out and see if any one is in sight. Try to hire them for
+the work, but don't tell them about the ship. They can work up on the
+roof. I will see to the gas machine while you are away. Hurry now!"
+
+The colored man went out. In the meanwhile the professor and the two
+boys continued to load up the _Monarch_. They had nearly everything that
+the inventor intended to take along piled in its proper place, when
+footsteps were heard outside. Then the noise of some persons on the roof
+was audible. In a few minutes Washington came in.
+
+"I found three men," explained the negro. "One is dat old hunter as
+helped us before, Andy Sudds. He was goin' huntin' but he said he'd help
+take the roof off fer a dollar. De oder two is does farm hands, Tom
+Smith an' Bill Jones. Dey was goin' down to do post-office, but dey said
+dey'd help fer fifty cents apiece. All three is up on de roof now."
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the professor. "It's lucky I had the roof made in
+sections when I built this shed. Now it can be taken off in a hurry.
+Come on, boys! There are some more things that must go in the ship!"
+
+Thus urged, Mark and Jack worked with a will. Washington helped, and
+then went up on the roof to aid the three emergency toilers. By this
+time several sections of the covering to the shed had been taken off and
+the place was quite light.
+
+All the while the gas machine in the ship continued to generate the
+vapor. It flowed into the cigar-shaped bag through two rubber tubes. As
+the bag distended more and more, the _Monarch_ tugged and pulled at the
+anchoring ropes on the floor of the shed, as if anxious to be away.
+
+The boys worked with a will. The last articles were placed in the
+various rooms of the airship's cabin, until the balloon shed was
+stripped quite bare. The professor was busy in the engine room. The
+noise of the gas generating machine increased.
+
+Then came a series of sharp explosions as one of the gasolene engines
+was started. This was followed by the hum of an electric dynamo, and the
+whizz and purring of a big motor.
+
+The inventor was testing the many machines to see that all worked right.
+Suddenly he switched on the incandescent lights in the ship's cabin.
+Next he turned on the powerful searchlight in the bow, and the shed was
+illuminated by a glare that rivaled the sun. The professor then revolved
+the big propeller slowly and tested the rudder.
+
+"Everything is in good shape!" he cried. "We will start in five minutes
+if they get the roof off so we can rise. Those anchor ropes will not
+hold much longer!"
+
+Up on the roof, however, the men were working with a will. Board after
+board was torn away and the different sections moved to one side. At
+last the whole top of the shed was off. All that remained was to let the
+_Monarch_ out.
+
+Suddenly from where the three emergency helpers were working there came
+a cry of astonishment, mingled with fear. For the first time Andy Sudds,
+Tom Smith and Bill Jones, characters well known to Amos Henderson, had
+looked down into the shed, and caught sight of the tugging, swaying
+airship. The interior had been quite dark up to this point, which
+accounted for them not having noticed the ship before. But when they saw
+the strange affair so close beneath them they were startled.
+
+"Jumpin' rattlesnakes!" cried Andy Sudds. "What have I struck?"
+
+"It's a yellow elephant!" exclaimed Tom Jones.
+
+"A sea serpent!" ejaculated Bill Smith.
+
+They leaned over from the edge of the roof eaves to which they were
+clinging and peered down into the big balloon shed. Certainly the
+airship presented a queer sight to the three men.
+
+"Is everything ready?" asked the professor of Washington.
+
+"Eberyt'ing am circumulated to completeness," replied the negro.
+
+"Jump in, boys! Untie the ropes, Washington. We'll start!"
+
+"Hurry! Hurry! Perfessor!" cried Washington, as he looked out of a side
+window. "Here comes dat man we tied up in de shed! He's got anoder man
+wid him, an' dey got guns!"
+
+"It's Taggert! He is after me!" exclaimed the inventor. "He must not
+be allowed to get on the ship! Come on, Mark and Jack! Never mine
+unknotting the ropes! Cut 'em! We have no time to lose! Jump in,
+Washington!"
+
+The boys clambered over the sides of the airship. Washington followed
+their example. The anchor ropes were cut.
+
+"Hi, there! Stop!" cried a voice from outside. "Don't you dare start
+that ship!"
+
+"Here we go!" shouted Professor Henderson in a joyful tone. "Now to see
+if the _Monarch_ fulfills her promise!"
+
+He hurried into the engine room. The noise of the gas generating machine
+increased. The gasolene engine went faster, and the motors and dynamos
+added to the noise. There was a loud hissing sound. The professor had
+opened a valve admitting the full force of gas into the oiled silk bag.
+Then came a snapping sound as several anchoring ropes that had not been
+cut, broke.
+
+Up rose the _Monarch_ like some immense bird, through the opened shed
+roof. Out into the air went the big yellow bag. And then a strange thing
+happened.
+
+Andy Sudds, the hunter, and Bill Jones and Tom Smith, the two farm
+hands, who had been peering over the edge of the shed down at the
+airship, leaned over too far in their anxiety to observe everything. As
+the gas bag brushed past them they were startled. They lost their
+balances and the next instant all three toppled right into the bow of
+the _Monarch_ as she arose, and were lifted up into the air with her.
+
+"Hold on, there! Stop!" cried Taggert, who by this time had come close
+to the shed.
+
+"It's too late!" shouted back the professor, poking his head from a
+window in the engine room.
+
+"Hey, there! You're carrying me off in your ship!" yelled Andy Sudds as
+he scrambled to his feet after his tumble into the bow of the _Monarch_.
+
+"And me!" ejaculated Bill Jones.
+
+"And me!" exclaimed Tom Smith. "I didn't figure on coming with you."
+
+"It's too late!" the old inventor cried. He turned some wheels and
+levers and the airship arose faster. Then he switched on the electric
+machinery. The big propeller began to revolve. Swifter and swifter it
+went. The _Monarch_, which had risen several hundred feet, started
+forward at a swift pace. "We are off for the north pole!" shouted the
+inventor. "Hurrah! The ship works! I knew it would!"
+
+"Here!" roared Andy Sudds. "I don't want to go to the north pole. I want
+to hunt muskrats down by the creek."
+
+"You can hunt seals and whales up north," the professor called to him.
+
+"But I've lost my gun!" the hunter exclaimed, soberly, yet a little
+appeased at the prospect of big game.
+
+"I'll give you a better one," promised Mr. Henderson. "You shall have
+all the hunting you want."
+
+"I can't go to the north pole," fairly yelled Bill Jones, starting back
+toward the engine room. "I had a job plowing on a farm. If I don't go
+back I'll lose my place."
+
+"You can hire out to me," suggested the professor. "I need a crew, and I
+didn't have time to ship one."
+
+"What about me?" asked Tom Smith. "I was working on a farm like Bill."
+
+"I'll hire you also," spoke the inventor of the _Monarch_.
+
+"Hi, Perfessor! Shall I shut off de gas?" Washington suddenly cried.
+
+"For a while," was the inventor's reply. "We are high enough now. Then
+oil up the engines and dynamos, they need it. You boys can help," he
+said to Mark and Jack. "I must see to my instruments and find whether
+everything is working right."
+
+The two boys were delighted to have a chance in the engine room. Under
+Washington's direction, the colored man showing quite a knowledge of the
+apparatus, they oiled the various bearings until everything was running
+smoothly.
+
+Until now they had no time to realize what an experience they were
+going through. Things had happened so quickly that it was hard to
+realize they were sailing through the air in a wonderful ship, probably
+the most successful navigator of the upper regions ever invented.
+
+It was not until Jack looked over the edge of the airship from the
+engine room window that he felt what a trip up among the clouds meant.
+Below the earth was spread out like a good-sized map, with little
+threads of silver for rivers, patches of green for big fields, and
+narrow gray ribbons where there were roads.
+
+"It's wonderful!" he cried to Mark.
+
+"And to think we were chased out of town yesterday by a constable,"
+spoke his companion. "This is a great change. I'd like to see him catch
+us now."
+
+"Dis prolonguated elevation into de airy space ob de zeneth am extremely
+discommodatiousness to a pusson what ain't used to it," remarked
+Washington with a broad grin as he oiled a whirring motor.
+
+"Yes--er--I guess it is," admitted Mark.
+
+"Are your teeth all fast after that effort?" asked Jack with a laugh.
+
+"Neber yo' mind my teeth," said Washington. "Golly! What's de matter
+now?"
+
+The _Monarch_ was darting from side to side like a kite that has lost
+its tail in a high wind.
+
+"It's only the professor trying the steering apparatus," said Jack,
+looking forward toward the conning tower. This proved to be true, for,
+in a moment, the airship resumed a straight path, and the professor,
+coming back to the engine room, cried:
+
+"She answers her helm perfectly. It certainly is a success in every way!
+But now, since the machinery is working well, and I have the _Monarch_
+headed due north, in which direction she will sail alone for a while, I
+want you boys to come into the dining room, while we talk over matters
+with our unexpected visitors. We must lay plans and divide up the work
+of running the ship."
+
+Jack and Mark went with the old man into the middle room of the craft.
+There they found the old hunter and the two farm hands. None of the
+three had quite gotten over his fright at being suddenly carried off
+through the air.
+
+"Everything has turned out for the best," the inventor began. "I feared
+my forced start would spoil my plans, but you see I got a crew almost at
+the last moment. Now we will--"
+
+He was interrupted by a sudden cry from the engine room.
+
+"Help! Help!" rang out the voice of the colored man. "Hurry up an'
+help, Perfessor. I'm caught in some cantankerous conglomeration an' I'm
+bein' killed! Help! Help!"
+
+Followed by the boys and the three men the old inventor hastened aft,
+alarm showing on his face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+HELD BY ELECTRICITY
+
+
+As they reached the engine room they saw a queer sight. Washington was
+close to the buzzing dynamo which he had started to oil. His hands
+grasped two large copper switches used to turn the current on and off.
+
+"Let go and come away from there!" cried Mr. Henderson.
+
+"I can't! I'se stuck fast!" yelled the negro, writhing in pain.
+
+Andy Sudds started on the jump to assist the unfortunate man.
+
+"Don't touch him!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson. "He's held fast by
+electricity! If you attempt to pull him away with your bare hands you'll
+be caught just as he is! Wait a minute!"
+
+The inventor rapidly opened a locker. From it he took out a pair of
+rubber gloves. Putting these on he hurried to where the negro was still
+squirming in pain and terror.
+
+"Help! Help!" Washington yelled. "I'm burning up!"
+
+"Wait a moment! I'll save you!" shouted the captain of the _Monarch_.
+The next instant he reached up, and turned off the electric current.
+Washington fell in a limp heap on the floor of the engine room. He was
+freed from the grip of the electricity that had held him as in a vise.
+The professor ran to a medicine closet and got a remedy which he
+administered to the unfortunate one.
+
+In a little while the colored man was better. He sat up, opened his
+eyes, which had been closed, and remarked:
+
+"Dat was a mighty close call fer dis chicken!"
+
+"What made you go near the switch?" asked Mr. Henderson. "I have warned
+you several times never to put both hands on a copper switch at the same
+time. One hand does not matter, but two make the connection."
+
+"I knows it now, Perfessor," said Washington humbly.
+
+"Then I hope you'll remember it. That applies to all of you," he went
+on. "If ever you have occasion to touch any electrical machinery, don't
+do it with both hands at the same time, if there is danger of forming a
+connection. Always use rubber gloves, and you'll be in no danger. Rubber
+is a non-conductor. Remember, Washington."
+
+"I'll recollection it on de next obstreperous occasion," promised the
+negro.
+
+"You must feel better when you can use your big words," said Mr.
+Henderson with a laugh. "Now," he continued, "I was about to give a few
+general instructions about the airship, when Washington interrupted us.
+
+"You men who are here against your will I am sorry about. I could not
+stop and let you off a while ago, because there was a man at the shed
+whom I did not want to meet. But if you want to go back to your homes I
+will let the airship down to the earth and you can go. I would like to
+have you stay with me. I can promise you all good wages, since I am well
+off as regards money.
+
+"To you, Mr. Sudds, I can promise such game hunting as you never had
+before. And to you two farm hands I can promise such sights as you never
+saw before. Do you want to continue with me, now that you have had a
+chance to think the thing over?"
+
+All three said they did.
+
+"Then I'll divide our forces," went on the captain and owner of the
+_Monarch_. "I will be in general charge of the ship, just as if I was a
+commander of an ocean steamer. I expect to be obeyed in every
+particular. Washington will be the engineer, with the two boys to help
+him. Tom Smith and Bill Jones will be in charge of the kitchen, and I
+will show them how to prepare the condensed foods. Andy Sudds will be a
+sort of look-out and the hunter of the expedition. I will steer the ship
+and keep watch of the different instruments.
+
+"In order that you may know a little bit about the _Monarch_ I will tell
+you how she is run. In the first place, she is lifted above the earth by
+the power of a very strong gas I discovered. It is much lighter than
+hydrogen, or the gas ordinary airships are filled with, and has a
+greater lifting power than the hot air used in the old balloons.
+
+"By putting more gas into the silk bag above us I can rise higher. The
+less gas I use the lower we go. The gas is let into or out of the bag by
+means of valves which are operated from the engine room or the steering
+tower. The forward motion of the ship is brought about by means of the
+propeller at the stern. This propeller works by electricity. The
+electricity comes from storage batteries which are kept charged from the
+dynamo run by one of the gasolene engines. I also have an electric motor
+that is run by either a gasolene engine or the storage battery. If one
+breaks down I can use the other. The motor alone will run the propeller
+if the storage batteries fail, and I have to run the electric machine
+directly from the gasolene engine.
+
+"That apparatus there," and he pointed to a complicated machine,
+"is where the lifting gas is generated. A gasolene engine runs it.
+Those tubes carry the gas from the machine to the bag above."
+
+Then the professor pointed out the levers that started and stopped
+The _Monarch_, those that sent it higher into the air or toward the
+earth, the wheel for steering, and told the boys and men how to read
+the instrument that gave the heights, the force of the wind, the
+temperature, and much other information. He showed them how the entire
+control of the ship could be accomplished from the conning or steering
+tower by the turning of one wheel or another.
+
+"Rattlesnakes an' mud turtles, but she sure is a bang-up affair,"
+observed Andy Sudds. "But about that gun--"
+
+"That's so. I promised you a gun in exchange for the one you lost," said
+Mr. Henderson. "Wait a moment."
+
+He was gone a little while. Presently he returned with a fine rifle, at
+the sight of which the old hunter's eyes sparkled.
+
+"That's a beauty!" he exclaimed. "It beats mine."
+
+"It is a magazine gun," explained the professor. "It fires sixteen shots
+with one loading," he explained.
+
+"And I can kill sixteen white bears, sixteen seals or sixteen whales!"
+exclaimed Andy with delight. "Well, I certainly am glad I come along,
+Professor."
+
+"I have a gun for each of us," Mr. Henderson went on, "in case we should
+meet with enemies. But we may not need them. There is also the machine
+gun at the stern."
+
+Then the professor initiated his crew into the mysteries of the kitchen
+and dining room. Nearly all the foods carried on the _Monarch_ were of
+the condensed type. A small capsule made a plate of soup. There were
+other pills or capsules that held meat extracts, condensed cereals, tea,
+milk, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and everything needed in the general
+eating line. All the cooking was done by electricity.
+
+As has been said, there was plenty of clothing to withstand the rigors
+of the arctic regions. There was an abundance of gasolene for the
+engines and for heating the ship. In short, Professor Henderson seemed
+to have forgotten nothing that would make his trip to the north pole a
+success.
+
+After he had explained all he thought necessary, he told the two farm
+hands to see what they could do in the way of preparing a meal, as it
+was nearly noon, and everyone was hungry. Rather awkwardly at first,
+Bill and Tom started in. They soon got the knack of things, however, and
+once they had found out how to run the electric stove they were right at
+home making soups and other dishes from the condensed foods. The first
+meal on the _Monarch_ was voted a success.
+
+Meanwhile the airship was sailing on. It was not moving very rapidly,
+for the professor wanted to give the machinery a chance to warm up.
+After the meal the inventor took the two boys into the steering tower
+with him, telling Washington to speed up the engines.
+
+In a few minutes the boys were aware that they were moving forward at a
+faster pace. The air, as it came in the opened window of the conning
+tower, rushed past with great force.
+
+"I think we'll go a little higher," said Mr. Henderson.
+
+He turned a small lever. All at once the boys experienced a sensation as
+if they were in a rapidly ascending elevator. Up and up they went, for
+the professor had admitted more gas to the big silk bag above them.
+
+Suddenly the earth which the boys had dimly perceived below them as if
+it was a small map in a big geography, faded out of sight. At the same
+instant there was a sudden moisture and chilliness to the air. Then a
+dense white mist enveloped the _Monarch_.
+
+"Oh!" cried Mark. "What has happened?"
+
+"We are going through a cloud!" called the professor. So dense was the
+vapor that the boys, though within five feet of the captain, could not
+see him. His voice sounded far off.
+
+Then came a sudden rush of light. The mist cleared away. The boys could
+see clearly, but as they glanced down they noticed rolling masses of
+white below them.
+
+"We are above the clouds!" said the professor. "Be careful not to exert
+yourselves, as it is hard to breathe in this rarefied or thin
+atmosphere."
+
+The boys experienced some difficulty, but by avoiding any exertion were
+not much bothered.
+
+"Now we'll go down a bit," said the inventor, after the ship had whizzed
+along for several miles above the masses of vapor. "I want to get an
+idea where I am."
+
+He turned some more wheels and levers. In a few minutes the ship was
+again surrounded with a white cloud. Then it passed away, and the earth
+came into view.
+
+Suddenly the professor looked forward. He seemed to be gazing intently
+at something.
+
+"I wonder what that is?" he muttered. He took down a telescope and
+adjusted it, peering forward with strained eyes.
+
+"Can it be possible!" he exclaimed. Then he dropped the glass and
+frantically signaled to the engine room.
+
+"We must look out for ourselves!" he cried, "Come here, Andy Sudds!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+SURROUNDED BY EAGLES
+
+
+There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the
+engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power. Then
+sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag. The ship began
+to sink toward the earth.
+
+The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer. It
+grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving
+objects.
+
+"Quick, Andy!" cried the old inventor. "We shall need your services
+now!"
+
+"What's the matter?" exclaimed the old hunter, as he hurried forward
+with his gun in readiness.
+
+"Eagles!" cried Amos Henderson.
+
+"Eagles?"
+
+"Yes! A whole flock of them. Just ahead! See that dark cloud! They are
+coming this way! They think the ship is a rival bird and they will
+attack it. Strong as the _Monarch_ is, the silk in the gas bag is
+frail. If the birds tear that we will fall to the earth and be killed!
+Use your gun! See if you can drive them off!"
+
+Andy kneeled down on the forward part of the ship. He aimed at the black
+mass, in which scores and scores of birds could now be seen. Then his
+gun sent out fire and lead.
+
+Bang! Bang! it spoke, and two birds dropped toward the earth. Again the
+gun belched forth, and more of the eagles were killed. As fast as Andy
+could pull the trigger he fired.
+
+"We must all get guns!" cried the professor. "It is the only way to save
+the ship! Come on, boys! You'll find weapons in the dining-room
+lockers!"
+
+Mark and Jack hurried after the rifles. The professor was greatly
+excited. Bill and Tom came running forward. The inventor rapidly handed
+out the guns.
+
+In the meanwhile the ship was slowly settling toward the ground. The
+captain hoped to get low enough to escape the onward rush of the big
+birds, but he had counted without the anger of the eagles. They thought
+the airship was a rival in the realms of space and were determined to
+destroy it.
+
+On and on they came in spite of the number among them that were killed.
+Every one on the ship, except Washington, who had to attend to the
+engines, was firing. The birds never stopped or swerved from their
+course.
+
+Then with a rush and roar, a flapping of wings that sounded like
+thunder, and shrill cries and screams that almost drowned the noise of
+the guns, the eagles surrounded the _Monarch_. They struck at it with
+their talons. They opened wide their sharp beaks and snapped at the wood
+and iron.
+
+Some of the fierce birds even attacked the men, and boys, and were
+beaten off with the butts of the rifles. Others of the eagles rose
+higher in the air and struck at the oiled silk bag. At first the
+yielding surface offered no resistance and was not damaged. Then one
+fierce bird, with wide-opened beak, struck at the thin cloth and tore a
+hole in it as large as a man's hand.
+
+The sudden settling of the airship told that something was wrong. Then
+the professor, glancing aloft, saw what had happened, and hastened to
+his helper.
+
+"Quick, Washington!" he shouted. "Start the gas generator at full speed!
+We must pump lots of the gas in to keep us afloat! We are in great
+danger!"
+
+"Why not try the machine gun on the eagles?" shouted Jack.
+
+"Good idea!" exclaimed the inventor. "You two boys work it!"
+
+At last the eagles, alarmed by the number killed, and frightened by the
+noise of the guns and the shots, halted in their rushes at the airship.
+Some of the wounded ones wheeled away. Then others followed until,
+finally, the whole colony of birds sailed off.
+
+"There they go!" cried Jack.
+
+"Yes, but I fear too late to do us any good," spoke the professor. "The
+airship is slowly settling."
+
+"Can't it be fixed?" asked Mark.
+
+"I suppose I could let it down to earth and patch up the hole, but I
+fear to do so," answered the inventor. "The _Monarch_ is not under
+control, and if I attempt to make a landing I may smash her all to
+pieces. She may settle down until within a few hundred feet of the earth
+and then plunge like a meteor. We would all be killed then."
+
+"Is there no other way?" asked Jack.
+
+"None, unless we could patch up the hole in the gas bag while we are up
+aloft. I can hold the ship there for a while yet. Another reason why I
+do not want to land is that we are over a thickly settled portion of the
+state now, and if I go down to earth we will be surrounded by a curious
+crowd that will delay us."
+
+"Is that netting strong?" asked Mark, suddenly, pointing to the cords
+that confined the gas bag.
+
+"Two strands would support a man's weight," said Mr. Henderson.
+
+"And have you anything to mend the silk bag with?" went on the boy.
+
+"Yes, but why do you ask?"
+
+"Because," answered Mark, "if you'll let me I'll climb up and mend the
+hole the eagle made."
+
+"Dare you do it?" cried the old professor, hope shining in his face.
+
+"Try me and see."
+
+The professor quickly prepared a piece of silk, kept on hand to repair
+breaks in the bag. It was coated with a very strong and fresh cement.
+The silk was to be inserted in the tear made by the eagles, when it
+would at once harden and prevent the further escape of gas.
+
+Mark made ready for the perilous ascent. He took off his coat, and
+removed his shoes so his feet could better cling to the frail-looking
+though strong cords.
+
+"Slow down the ship!" commanded the captain. "Now, Mark, try! I hope
+you succeed! Move cautiously. You don't want to lose your life!"
+
+Mark said nothing. He grasped the piece of oiled silk, coated with the
+cement, in his teeth, clinching it by a strip that was free from the
+sticky substance. Then he stood on the rail of the _Monarch_ and began
+his climb aloft. Surely few ascents were made under such fearful
+conditions. The airship was now more than a mile above the earth. One
+false step and the boy would plunge into eternity. Nothing could save
+him.
+
+Up and up he went, testing every cord and mesh before he trusted his
+weight to it. On and on he advanced. The frail gas bag swayed in the
+wind that was springing up. It seemed like a thing alive.
+
+"Careful! Careful!" cautioned the professor in strained tones. Everyone
+on the ship held his breath. Up and up Mark went. At last he reached the
+place where the eagle's beak had torn the bag.
+
+He braced himself in the meshes of the net. Then, leaning forward, he
+fixed the patch under the rent, and pressed it into place. The cement
+did not take hold at first. Mark pressed harder. Would the leak be
+stopped?
+
+"Will he make it?" asked one.
+
+"I don't think so."
+
+"He must make it!"
+
+"If not we are lost!"
+
+"You are right!"
+
+For a moment there was a doubt. Then the sticky stuff adhered to the
+silk bag, and the patch was made fast. A shout from Washington in the
+engine room told that the gas had ceased to rush out. Mark had
+succeeded.
+
+Washington hastened to turn the gas generator to half speed. Before he
+could do so, however, there had been a great increase in the volume of
+vapor in the bag, caused by the sudden stopping off of the vent. Up shot
+the airship, the accumulation of gas lifting it higher from the earth.
+So suddenly did it shoot up, from having been almost at rest, that there
+was a tremor through the whole craft.
+
+"Look out, Mark!" cried Jack. He looked up to where his comrade clung to
+the netting.
+
+"Hold fast! We'll stop the ship in a second," exclaimed the captain.
+
+But it was too late. The sudden rising of the craft had shaken Mark's
+hold, which was not of the best at any time, since the gas bag was a
+yielding surface to lean against.
+
+The next instant the boy, vainly clutching the air for some sort of grip
+for his hands, toppled over backward. His feet slid from the meshes of
+the net, and he plunged downward toward the earth, more than a mile
+below!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE FROZEN NORTH REACHED
+
+
+"He'll be killed!" shouted Jack.
+
+"He's a goner!" yelled Washington, looking up from the engine room
+window.
+
+The old professor groaned and shut his eyes. He did not want to see the
+boy fall.
+
+Bill and Tom, with old Andy Sudds, had been watching Mark at his
+perilous task, standing directly beneath him. Andy was the closer. He
+leaned quickly backward when he saw what had happened.
+
+Mark's body, turning over in its descent, was at the ship's side. Out
+shot the hands of the old hunter. His fingers were curved like the
+talons of an eagle. The long arms seemed to reach a great distance, and
+then, just as it seemed that Mark would plunge downward to his death,
+Andy grasped and held him.
+
+"There!" exclaimed the hunter. "That was a close call, my boy!"
+
+Mark did not answer. The fearful danger he had been saved from had so
+frightened him that he became partially unconscious.
+
+"Is he dead?" faltered Jack.
+
+"He has only fainted," answered Amos Henderson. "I'll soon bring him
+around."
+
+The inventor hurried into the cabin and came out with some liquid in a
+glass. This he placed to Mark's lips and soon the color came back into
+the pale cheeks.
+
+"What happened? Where am I?" asked the boy, sitting up and looking
+around.
+
+"You're all right," answered Andy. "It was a close call though. I reckon
+you won't want to mend any more airships right away."
+
+"I remember now," went on Mark, who had been dazed by the suddenness of
+it all. "I fell, didn't I?"
+
+"Yes, and Andy caught you," put in Jack. "He was just in time."
+
+Mark said nothing, but the fervor with which he shook the old hunter by
+the hand showed how deep his feeling was.
+
+In a little while the fright and excitement caused by the accident had
+passed over. The ship now rode evenly and neither rose nor fell, in
+consequence of the gas supply in the bag remaining the same, there being
+no leak. The patch Mark had put on fitted so closely that there was not
+the least escape of gas now.
+
+"Well, we might as well start ahead," said Amos Henderson, at length.
+"We have had excitement enough in this neighborhood, and maybe we'll be
+better off if we go forward."
+
+Accordingly he went to the conning tower, set the propeller in motion,
+and soon the _Monarch_ was moving northward at great speed. With his
+eyes on the compass in front of him the captain held the ship on her
+course.
+
+They were about half a mile above the ground now, the captain having
+allowed the _Monarch_ to settle. They could see that they were passing
+over a populated part of the country.
+
+"Come up here!" yelled Captain Henderson to the boys from the steering
+tower. "I'll explain a few things to you."
+
+Willingly enough the boys joined him. He was busy making a calculation
+of figures on a piece of paper. The steering wheel was lashed and the
+compass pointed to indicate that the ship was rushing due north.
+
+"We're making satisfying progress," said the professor. "At this rate we
+will not be long on the journey."
+
+"How fast are we moving?" asked Jack.
+
+"About fifty miles an hour," replied the inventor. "That is 1,200 miles
+a day, counting that we run day and night at this speed. But we will
+hardly do that, not that we could not, for there will be no dangers of
+collisions up here. I think we have the air all to ourselves.
+
+"But there will be contrary winds, and we may be blown off our course.
+That is the only disadvantage an airship is under. It can't sail against
+the wind like a ship on the water. Still, we have many advantages. Now I
+figure that we can count on an average of at least twenty-five miles an
+hour all day long and part of the night.
+
+"We started from about the middle of New York state, and to the north
+pole would be about 3,000 miles. We ought to make the distance in about
+five days, or say a week, to be on the safe side. We will move as fast
+as we can, from now on, though, especially during the daylight."
+
+The professor turned some wheels and levers and the speed of the airship
+increased a little. It was kept at about the same height.
+
+The sun was beginning to descend in the west, for it was getting late in
+the afternoon. Down below, on the earth, the landscape had changed from
+that of cities and towns to a stretch of dense woods.
+
+"Must be near supper time," observed Mark.
+
+"Your fright didn't deprive you of your appetite, then?" asked Amos
+Henderson.
+
+"Not a bit," replied the boy.
+
+In a few minutes Tom and Bill were preparing a meal of the condensed
+foods, cooked on the electric stove. Everyone voted the victuals
+excellent. Then, as night settled down, the bunks were made up and the
+boys, together with the two farm hands, were glad to seek some rest, for
+the day had been an exciting one. Washington and the professor agreed to
+divide the night into two watches, as they were not familiar enough with
+the workings of the ship to dare to leave it unguarded. The machinery
+might need attention any moment.
+
+The boys and their companions were soon asleep, and no thoughts of their
+strange position, that of slumbering on an airship high in the
+atmosphere, disturbed their dreams.
+
+The last thing Jack wondered was whether the passing of the _Monarch_
+would not be taken by people on the earth for the flight of some giant
+comet, as it sailed aloft, all lighted up. But he was too tired to
+pursue this speculation long.
+
+Morning dawned without anything unusual having occurred. The ship had
+been kept going at a slow speed all night, and no accidents happened.
+Breakfast was served, and then each of the crew took up his duties.
+
+The professor, having made a careful examination of the ship to see that
+everything was in order, showed Jack and Mark how to steer the craft,
+and how to start, stop, raise and lower it from the conning tower or the
+engine room.
+
+Then he let them practice a bit, and two more delighted boys there never
+was, as they sent the craft ahead up or down, starting and stopping her
+with a few turns of a wheel or lever.
+
+"You may want to know how to run her some day in an emergency," said
+Amos Henderson. "No telling what will happen."
+
+"We hope nothing will," spoke Jack.
+
+"There's no telling," prophesied the inventor.
+
+For several days the ship moved ahead at moderate speed. The machinery,
+excepting for some minor accidents, worked smoothly. The gas bag did not
+leak, which was the accident most dreaded, and it was not necessary to
+run the gas generator, which proved a saving of the valuable chemical
+from which the lifting-vapor was produced.
+
+Now and then, when in need of water, the craft was lowered to the earth
+in a secluded spot near a stream or lake, and the tanks were filled for
+drinking and washing purposes. But so far, from the time of the hasty
+flight, no one on the earth had spoken to the voyagers. Nor, so far as
+was known, had their presence been noted, though the black speck in the
+sky might have furnished plenty of talk all over the country for those
+who observed it. The weather was pleasant, but it was noticed that it
+was constantly growing colder.
+
+One morning Jack, who was the first up, stuck his head out of the cabin
+door before he had finished dressing. He quickly popped back again.
+
+"Whew!" he exclaimed. "Colder than Greenland!"
+
+"What's that about Greenland?" asked the professor, who had just
+awakened.
+
+"It's awful cold outside," said Jack, shivering from the remembrance.
+
+Without a word the professor, wrapping a dressing-gown about him,
+hurried to the engine room, where several thermometers were kept. One
+was outside, and could be read through a glass side.
+
+"No wonder you felt cold," he said to Jack, when he returned. "It's ten
+degrees below zero!"
+
+The boys hurried to complete their dressing. The professor did likewise,
+as he was anxious to take some observations.
+
+"Get out the fur garments," he said. "We must take no more chances now.
+It will become colder rapidly, and ordinary clothes will be of no
+protection."
+
+The boys and the professor donned heavy fur coats, with immense gloves
+and caps that covered all of their faces but the eyes. Then they went
+outside. Jack was the first to look over the side of the ship. As he did
+so he uttered a cry of astonishment.
+
+Down below, about three-quarters of a mile, was a great white, snowy
+waste. Giant mountains of ice were heaped on every side. It was a cold,
+frosty silent world that the _Monarch_ was flying over. They had reached
+the frozen north! They were at the beginning of the entrance to the land
+of the Pole!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+LOST IN AN ICE CAVE
+
+
+"I'm not surprised that the thermometer is down below zero," remarked
+Jack. "There's enough ice under us to supply the whole United States."
+
+"It is getting colder!" exclaimed the inventor as he glanced at an
+instrument near him. "It is fifteen below zero now!"
+
+In truth the _Monarch_ was far to the north. She had gone faster than
+the inventor calculated. A glance downward showed that all traces of
+civilization had been left behind.
+
+There was nothing to be seen but snow and ice, ice and snow, piled in
+fantastic heaps,--mountains, ridges, hills and valleys.
+
+The professor hastily made a few calculations.
+
+"I believe we are somewhere over Greenland or Baffin Bay, but whether we
+are over the land or sea I cannot tell. At any rate we are still going
+north," and he glanced at the compass.
+
+They were about to retrace their steps to the dining cabin, when there
+was a sudden settling of the _Monarch_. It seemed to be plunging
+downward.
+
+"What's the matter?" cried Jack.
+
+The inventor hurried to the engine room. A glance at the registering
+needle of the instrument for telling the height attained, showed that
+the ship was sinking fifty feet a minute.
+
+"Some conglomerous contraption has disproportionated herself," cried
+Washington. "What shall I do, Perfessor?"
+
+"Start the gas generator at full speed!" cried the inventor. "Heat the
+vapor before it goes to the bag! The cold has contracted the gas in the
+holder above so that it will no longer support us! Work quick,
+Washington!"
+
+Washington sprang to set the gas machine in operation. He seemed to be
+having trouble with it.
+
+"She won't work!" he called. "She's busted!"
+
+Faster and faster the airship continued to sink. The inventor hurried to
+Washington's help, but it seemed that nothing could be done. On board
+the _Monarch_ there was deadly fear in every heart.
+
+"I can't keep her afloat!" the professor groaned.
+
+Down and down went the craft. The inventor and Washington were working
+furiously. The boys, old Andy and Tom and Bill hurried to the engine
+room.
+
+Then came a sudden jolt. The airship had struck the ice!
+
+"Shut off the engines!" cried the professor. "Stop everything or we'll
+go to smash! We must set to work to repair the gas machine and raise the
+ship."
+
+The _Monarch_ had settled down on a vast ice plane. So gently had the
+ship sunk through the air that she had suffered no injury. She rested on
+an even keel and there was still enough lifting power in the gas
+contained in the bag to keep that afloat, so that the vapor holder
+tugged gently at the confining meshes of the net.
+
+"Ma goodness sakes alive!" cried Washington as soon as he had poked his
+head out of the warm engine room. "De atmospheric conditions am such dat
+dey is conducive to de utmost congestion of mah circulatory
+systemation!"
+
+"I suppose you mean it is too cold for your blood," spoke the inventor,
+with a smile.
+
+"Yo' has conducted mah meanin' to de utmost circumspection, Perfessor,"
+was the answer.
+
+"You'd better get out a suit of furs," suggested the captain, for
+Washington had not yet donned these garments. The colored man ran back
+into the cabin, got out the heaviest set he could find, and put it on.
+
+The professor and the boys, together with the two helpers, were clothed
+to withstand the rigors of the arctic regions. In a little while
+Washington was warmly dressed. Then the professor led the way over the
+rail and down on the ice.
+
+"Are we on land or sea?" asked Jack.
+
+"It's hard to say, but I think we are on land," replied Amos Henderson.
+"However, it doesn't make much difference. We are pretty far north. The
+thing to do is to get the airship in shape as quickly as possible."
+
+"Can we help?" asked Mark.
+
+"I hardly think so," answered the old inventor. "Washington and I
+understand every piece of machinery. If we need any help we will call on
+you. In the meanwhile you may take a look around if you wish."
+
+"I'd like to stretch my legs a bit," spoke up old Andy. "I ain't used to
+stayin' cramped up in a ship like I have been. I'd like to see some of
+that big game you talked about, Professor."
+
+"Take your gun along, and you may spot a polar bear or a walrus,"
+suggested Mr. Henderson. "Some fresh bear steak would not go badly at
+all."
+
+Delighted at the prospect at getting a shot Andy hastened after his gun.
+Then after a hasty breakfast, with the two boys and the two helpers as
+companions, all warmly wrapped in furs, the hunter set forth across the
+fields of ice and snow.
+
+It was a strange experience for all of them. There was not a sign of
+life to be seen. On every side there was nothing but the cold
+whiteness--a coldness and a whiteness that was like death itself. They
+walked on for more than a mile, and saw nothing but the desolate waste.
+
+"There's something!" called Jack in a hoarse whisper, coming to a halt
+and pointing to a small hill of ice in the distance.
+
+"It's a polar bear!" yelled Mark. "He's right behind the ice!"
+
+"There are two of 'em!" cried Bill. "This is no place for me! Come on,
+Tom!"
+
+"Hold still! Let me get a shot!" pleaded the old hunter.
+
+He could see the two animals plainly, now that his eyes had become used
+to the difference between their shaggy coats and the surrounding snow
+and ice. Andy kneeled down and took careful aim. A shot rang out, and
+one of the bears toppled over.
+
+"Good shot!" cried Jack.
+
+Once more the hunter pulled the trigger. A dull click was the only
+response. Andy quickly cocked the gun again, thinking it had missed
+fire. Again the hammer fell with only a click. The hunter quickly threw
+open the magazine.
+
+"The chamber is empty!" he cried. "I have fired my last shot!"
+
+"And there comes the bear!" yelled Mark. "He's in a fit of rage!"
+
+The fierce beast, in anger at the sight of his enemies, was coming
+toward the men and boys at top speed. On the first alarm Bill and Tom
+had turned to flee. Andy, swinging his gun by the muzzle, and loosening
+a long hunting knife in his belt, awaited the bear's onslaught. Mark and
+Jack were too surprised to run, and stood their ground, not knowing what
+to do.
+
+"Run away!" shouted Andy. "I'll tackle the beast! I'm not afraid!"
+
+"We're not going to leave you!" yelled Jack. "I have a revolver!"
+
+Quickly he drew out the small weapon, a present from the inventor.
+Taking hasty aim he fired several shots, but his aim was poor. One
+bullet struck the bear on the nose, and, instead of stopping the beast,
+only made him the more angry.
+
+The brute was now but fifty feet away and coming on at a rapid pace
+over the uneven lumps of ice and snow.
+
+"Run, I tell you!" called Andy. "Do you boys want to be killed?"
+
+He aimed a furious stroke at the bear, but as he did so his foot slipped
+and he came down heavily on the ice. Mark and Jack uttered cries of
+terror and fright.
+
+With blood dripping from his wounds, foam falling from his red jaws, and
+with every appearance of rage, the maddened beast rushed on the old
+hunter.
+
+"He'll be killed!" yelled Mark.
+
+"If I only had a gun!" groaned Jack.
+
+Andy rolled to one side. As he did so he uttered a loud cry, and then,
+to the astonishment of the boys, he disappeared from sight as if the
+frozen earth had opened and swallowed him up. At the same time the bear,
+that was just about to cast himself down on the fallen hunter, seemed to
+drop down through some hole into the earth.
+
+For an instant Jack and Mark looked at each other with fear in their
+eyes.
+
+"What has happened?" inquired Mark, in an awestruck voice.
+
+"I don't know," answered Jack. "But look! there are spots of blood over
+there. That is where the bear was!"
+
+The boys ran forward. As they did so their feet seemed to slip from
+under them. Down and down they felt themselves going. Faster and faster
+they slipped. They gazed with frightened eyes about them and saw they
+were on some giant slide of ice, that led into unknown regions.
+
+"Where are we going?" gasped Mark.
+
+"I don't know!" yelled back Jack. "At any rate we're getting a good
+coast!" He could joke even in the face of danger.
+
+With a jolt the two boys came to the end of their sudden journey. For a
+moment they were so startled and shaken up that they could hardly see.
+Then, as their senses came back, they gazed around.
+
+There were white glistening walls of ice on every side. Above glittered
+a tiny patch of light, showing where the blue sky was.
+
+"Where are we?" asked Mark.
+
+"You're with me an' the bear!" exclaimed a voice.
+
+The boys started. They saw, lying near them, old Andy. At his feet was
+the polar bear, dead, with the hunter's knife sticking in his heart.
+
+"And what place is this?" asked Jack.
+
+"It appears to me like a big ice cave," answered the hunter.
+
+"Yes, and we're lost in it," spoke up Jack, and gave something of a
+shudder.
+
+"That's right, my boy," answered Andy Sudds.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+ATTACKED BY SEA LIONS
+
+
+Frightened and alarmed at the unusual sight of an enraged polar bear
+rushing in their direction, Bill and Tom had turned and fled at the
+first appearance of danger. They were not cowards, and would probably
+have faced a mad bull, but that was something they were used to, while a
+bear was something new.
+
+So they raced back over the ice toward the place where the disabled
+airship rested.
+
+"Quick!" yelled Bill.
+
+"They'll all be killed!" cried Tom.
+
+"Who?" asked the professor, dropping his tools.
+
+Rapidly the two helpers told what had occurred, and how they had left
+Andy and the boys as the bear was rushing at them, the hunter having no
+more cartridges in his gun.
+
+"Take two rifles from the chest!" exclaimed the inventor. "Washington
+and I will follow as soon as we get our furs on! Hurry now!"
+
+Tom and Bill needed no second bidding. Seeing that the magazines of the
+rifles they took were filled, they hastened again over the ice and snow
+in the direction of Sudds and the boys. As they hustled along, the sun,
+which had been hidden by clouds, emerged and shone with dazzling
+splendor on the ice fields. It almost blinded the men.
+
+As they ran on they heard a shout behind them. Turning, they saw
+Washington and the professor, each with a gun, following. They waited
+for the pair to come up.
+
+"How far away is the place?" asked Mr. Henderson.
+
+"We must be close to it now," said Bill. "Yes, there is the bear Andy
+killed," pointing to where the dead animal was stretched on the ice.
+"But where are the boys?"
+
+"And where is Andy?" asked Amos Henderson.
+
+Not knowing what had become of the hunter and the boys, the rescue party
+was puzzled. They looked on every side but saw no traces. The ground was
+so uneven that the professor suggested the hunter and boys might be
+lying wounded in a hollow, and screened from sight.
+
+"We must scatter and look for them," he said.
+
+Meanwhile the three in the ice cave had been looking about them. They
+saw what had brought them into the place. It was a big cavern hollowed
+out by nature in the frozen crystals, and leading to it was a smooth
+inclined plane of ice.
+
+"How are we going to get out?" asked Jack, after all three had taken a
+survey of the cavern.
+
+"Can't we walk up the place where we slid down?" asked Mark.
+
+Jack was already busy trying to climb up the slippery place. It was much
+harder than it seemed. The incline was a glare of ice, and Jack's first
+attempt sent him sliding back with considerable force to the cavern
+floor.
+
+"There's only one way to do it," said Andy. "You must take my hunting
+knife and cut steps in the slide. Then you will have some support for
+your feet."
+
+The boys saw this was good advice and followed it. But the ice was
+frozen almost as hard as stone, and after chipping and cutting away for
+half an hour they only had three niches.
+
+"At this rate we will have to stay here several days," said the old
+hunter, and there came an anxious note in his voice. "I wish we could
+send word to some of the others."
+
+"Hark! What was that?" asked Jack suddenly.
+
+All listened. There came a faint report, like that of a gun.
+
+"It's the professor, Washington, and the two farmers searching for us!"
+exclaimed Mark. "They are firing their rifles."
+
+"That's it! They can't find us because we are down in this hole," said
+Andy. "If I only had a cartridge now I could give an answer."
+
+There came another report. This time there was no doubt that signal guns
+were being fired, for the shot sounded quite close.
+
+Jack put his hand in his pocket. His fingers touched something.
+
+"Hurrah!" he cried. "I have my revolver and there are four shots left!"
+
+He passed it over to Andy, who shot twice at intervals of about a
+quarter of a minute.
+
+"Where are you?" they heard a faint voice calling from somewhere above
+their heads.
+
+In reply Andy fired the last shot. It was responded to, and then, a few
+seconds later, a dark object loomed up at the opening at the top of the
+inclined plane. The prisoners, looking up, recognized the professor.
+
+"Hello, down there!" he shouted.
+
+"Hello, up there!" answered Andy.
+
+"We'll get you out!" called down the inventor. "How did you get there?
+What do you need in order to come up here?"
+
+"We slid down," said the hunter in reply, "and we didn't do it for fun
+either. If you're going to get us out you'll need a long rope."
+
+The professor, sizing up the situation, sent Bill Jones back to the ship
+on the run to bring a long stout cable. While this was coming there were
+questions and answers sent up and down the inclined shaft that told each
+of the two parties what had happened. In a short time the rope was
+brought, and one end fastened to an iron bar thrust into the ice, while
+the other was thrown down to the prisoners. With this as an aid and
+guide they were able to walk up the incline and soon were on the surface
+again.
+
+"There, I forgot something!" exclaimed the old hunter as he emerged from
+the mouth of the shaft.
+
+"What?" asked the professor.
+
+"The polar bear," was the answer. "I think I'll go back after him. The
+skin may be valuable."
+
+"There are plenty more," said the inventor. "We have no time to go back
+after this one. I must hurry to the ship."
+
+Pulling up the rope, and strapping their rifles on their backs, the
+party of rescued ones and rescuers began their march to the airship.
+They decided to leave the bear Andy had first shot on the ice, and come
+back later for some steaks.
+
+It was a bright day, and though it was very cold, being about twenty
+degrees below zero, there was no wind, which was a great relief. The
+party marched on, with Andy in the lead. He had reloaded his rifle with
+some ammunition the helpers had brought from the ship, and he was almost
+wishing he would meet another bear or two, now that he was ready for
+them.
+
+Just as the adventurers turned around the side of a large ice hill,
+which hid the airship from their sight, they heard a queer noise.
+
+"What's that?" asked the professor.
+
+"Sounded like some beast roaring," answered Jack.
+
+"Look out!" shouted Andy, springing back, and bringing his gun to bear.
+"We're in for it now!"
+
+"Sea lions, by their looks!" exclaimed the inventor. "A whole crowd of
+them and they are right between us and the ship!"
+
+The next instant the party came into full view of the beasts. There were
+about two hundred of them, great big brutes, with sharp tusks. At the
+sight of the men and boys the animals set up a chorus of roars that
+sounded as if several score of real African jungle lions had broken
+loose. At the same time the beasts, with curious hitchings of their
+unwieldly bodies, advanced on the adventurers!
+
+"Get your guns ready," cried Andy. "These fellows mean business! Make
+every shot tell!"
+
+He had already begun firing and two of the sea lions toppled over in
+quick succession, testifying to his good aim. Then the boys, the two
+helpers, the professor and Washington began a fusillade that made the
+icy regions echo and re-echo as though a battle was in progress.
+
+But the number killed among them, and the sound of the guns, did not
+halt the progress of the beasts. On and on they came, their roars
+increasing in fierceness.
+
+The continuous firing could not be kept up long. Already the old
+hunter's gun was empty, and there was no spare ammunition now. One after
+another the rifles of the others were emptied of their cartridges. Still
+the beasts came on.
+
+"We must retreat!" shouted Andy. "Back to the ice cave! They can not get
+us there!"
+
+"But what about the airship! We must regain that at any cost!" called
+the professor.
+
+"Wait until these beasts go away!" yelled Andy. "If they get us down
+it's only a matter of seconds before they'll kill us with those tusks!
+Run back!"
+
+All turned to execute this command. There was only a narrow opening in
+the slowly encircling ring of sea lions, and this the adventurers made
+for, running toward the ice cave. They had passed beyond the mass of the
+beasts, when a loud cry from Jack startled them. At the same time he
+pointed ahead.
+
+There, coming on at full speed was a pack of polar bears! The
+adventurers were between the two forces of enraged animals!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE
+
+
+"It's all up with us now!" shouted Andy. "I wish I had never come to the
+north pole!"
+
+"How shall we escape?" yelled the professor.
+
+Not knowing what to do, the whole party stood still. Behind them were
+the sea lions, roaring and snorting. In front of them, a hundred feet
+away were the bears, growling and howling.
+
+"Turn to the right!" cried Jack. "There is a big hill of ice we can
+climb!"
+
+The adventurers turned. As they did so Mark glanced back at the sea
+lions, and uttered a cry of surprise.
+
+"The lions are running away!" he shouted.
+
+Sure enough, the seals, though their progress could not be called
+"running" were retreating with their hitching, lumbering gait, away from
+the adventurers.
+
+"But the bears are coming!" called Andy.
+
+"They aren't after us! It's the sea lions they want!" exclaimed Jack. "I
+don't believe they will pay any attention to us!"
+
+"The boy is right!" came from Andy. "The bears want fresh meat and are
+going to tackle the lions. We're safe, but we'd better not stay around
+here long!"
+
+Jack's surmise was correct. The white bears did not follow the
+adventurers when the latter had run to the right. Instead, increasing
+their pace, the polar bears sprang into the midst of the sea lions and
+soon there was a fierce battle between the two animal forces.
+
+It was a fearful sight and the adventurers gazed at it in wonder,
+mingled with terror. The bears would seek to enfold the lions in their
+strong fore-paws, while the lions would try to sink their long tusks
+into the vitals of the enemy.
+
+Nearly a dozen had been killed on either side, but still the battle
+raged fiercely. The men and boys were so fascinated by the sight that
+they did not move, but stood staring from a small hummock of ice they
+had mounted.
+
+"I think we had better go!" called Professor Henderson. "No telling when
+they will get tired of fighting each other and turn on us. Besides I am
+anxious about the ship." And off they started.
+
+The ship rested in the same position it had settled in when the gas
+contracted. No harm had come to it as the fall had been so gradual.
+
+"I'll have the gas machine in operation in about an hour," Professor
+Henderson said. "Meanwhile, Bill, you and Tom had better get some dinner
+for us. I'm hungry and I dare say the others are. Have some hot coffee,
+for it is growing colder."
+
+"I was thinking I didn't feel quite so warm," observed Andy. "While
+there was a lot of excitement I didn't notice it, but now I am chilled
+through."
+
+"No wonder," remarked the inventor. "It's forty degrees below zero!"
+
+All were glad to go inside the ship which was warmed with gasolene
+stoves. Bill and Tom took off their heavy furs and began preparing a
+meal, which was soon smoking on the table. Everyone had a good appetite,
+and, just as the boys, with Andy and the two farmers were about to sit
+down, the professor came into the dining room.
+
+"It's all right!" he exclaimed. "Washington and I have the machine
+fixed. The gas is generating and we will be able to rise and continue
+our journey in about an hour."
+
+This was good news, and, during the dinner the adventures of the
+morning were talked over in detail.
+
+"We certainly had excitement enough for one day," observed Jack.
+
+Rising from the table and donning their furs Jack and Mark went out on
+the deck. They glanced up at the gas bag, and found it was filling out
+from the pressure of the vapor being pumped into it from the machine.
+
+"I wonder if we'd have time to walk out on the ice a little?" asked
+Mark. "I haven't had a chance to look around, we've been so busy since
+we landed."
+
+"We'll ask the captain," spoke Jack. "I'd like a little stroll myself."
+
+The inventor had no objections.
+
+"Don't go far away," he cautioned. "We'll start very soon now, and don't
+go near those animals."
+
+The boys promised, and then, climbing over the rail, and down the ice
+hummocks they walked along a broad level expanse that stretched out for
+about a mile.
+
+They had not gone far before Jack, who was in the lead, came to a halt.
+
+"Look here!" he called to Mark, who came hurrying up.
+
+"What is it?"
+
+"There's a pile of bones frozen into the ice! Looks as if there had been
+a fight here between bears and sea lions, and this is all that was left.
+They ate each other up, all but the bones, which became covered with
+ice."
+
+"Those aren't animal bones, Jack!"
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"See, there is the skull of a man! And another! There are a dozen
+skulls!" and Mark pointed to where they showed from underneath the
+crystal ice.
+
+"You're right!" Jack shouted. "And see! Here is something that looks
+like a copper cylinder! Maybe it has something inside! We must tell
+Professor Henderson!"
+
+Full of the importance of their discovery, the boys hastened back to the
+airship. The old inventor was much interested. Directing Washington to
+keep a careful eye on the gas machine, and taking an axe with him, the
+captain returned with the boys to where the bones were.
+
+"They are certainly the remains of human beings," was the professor's
+opinion. "I don't know that it would be any service to dig them out, but
+that copper cylinder may be of value."
+
+A few blows with the axe served to chop out the object. It was about
+two feet long and nearly three inches in diameter, and seemed to be
+securely sealed.
+
+"We'll take it back to the ship and open it," said the inventor. "It is
+too cold to do it here."
+
+Back to the _Monarch_ they hurried. Then, with a file, the professor
+removed one end of the copper case. From within he drew out a roll of
+paper, a watch, a knife and a few trinkets such as a man would carry
+about him.
+
+"Some white man did this!" exclaimed the old inventor, his hands
+trembling with eagerness as he unrolled the paper. "Let us see if he has
+left any word behind to tell of his death."
+
+All crowded around while Amos Henderson glanced at the mysterious
+message that had so curiously come to them. Some of the writing was very
+faint, but by the aid of a magnifying glass it was deciphered. Then,
+amid a deep silence the professor read the paper.
+
+"Whoever may find this, take warning and do not seek to find the north
+pole. Danger lurks there. My name is Andre Christiansen, and I am a Dane,
+educated in America, who set out to find the pole. I discovered it but
+was taken into captivity by the fierce people who dwell around it. They
+determined to get rid of me. With a party I was sent away. I was to be
+killed and buried in the ice. Before they could kill me we were all
+attacked by polar bears. All the other men were killed and I was wounded.
+As I write this I am dying. I write it with my blood and a piece of bone.
+Send word to Denmark of my death, kind friend whoever you may be that
+finds this. If you reach this far in your search for the pole, be warned
+and go no farther. This is all I can write. I am nearly dead. I put the
+message in this copper cylinder which I brought along. I hope it will be
+found. Good-bye."
+
+For a few moments after the professor ceased reading the strange message
+no one spoke. They were all thinking of the terrible fate that had
+befallen Andre Christiansen; to die all alone in that icy land, yet who,
+in the agony of death had thought to warn some explorer who might come
+after him.
+
+"Poor fellow," murmured Amos Henderson. "He must have died soon after
+putting the message in the cylinder."
+
+"And then the bears finished up their work by eating him and the men who
+wanted to kill him," said Andy. "They left only the bones."
+
+"How long ago do you suppose that was written?" asked Jack.
+
+"There is no telling," replied the professor. "But it must have been
+several years. I have read of all recent polar expeditions, and within
+the last twenty years there has been no one of this name to venture
+toward the pole. Besides the copper cap on the cylinder has become
+rusted on, and that would indicate the passage of considerable time."
+
+"I wonder if there are people at the pole?" came from Mark.
+
+"We'll go and see!" exclaimed the professor.
+
+"You don't mean to say you are going further north after what that
+message says?" asked Andy Sudds.
+
+"Certainly; why not?"
+
+"We may all be killed."
+
+"We'll try not to have that happen," said the professor. "I am glad you
+boys found this. It is a valuable relic," and Amos Henderson put the
+message, the trinkets and the cylinder carefully away.
+
+"I--I guess I won't go--" began Andy.
+
+At that instant the airship gave a sudden tremble. Then the whole craft
+shivered. Next it began to rise in the air.
+
+"Here we go!" cried the professor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+FORWARD ONCE MORE
+
+
+The airship rose rapidly. Washington had continued to operate the gas
+machine until there was a sufficient quantity of vapor to overcome the
+contracting influence of the cold atmosphere.
+
+"Forward once more!" cried the professor, hurrying to the engine room.
+"This time we may reach the north pole!"
+
+He and Washington soon started the motors, the dynamos and engines. The
+propeller revolved rapidly. The adventurers were under way again.
+
+"Jack and Mark, go into the conning tower and steer!" called Mr.
+Henderson from the engine room. "Take her up about half a mile, and send
+her straight north by the compass. I have to adjust some of the
+machinery."
+
+Delighted at the prospect of running the airship, the two boys hurried
+forward. Mark went to the steering wheel, which was similar to the kind
+used on automobiles. The _Monarch_ was heading to the west, having no
+one to guide her, but Mark soon brought her around until her bow was
+poked directly for the north.
+
+Under the guidance of the two boys, the airship rushed forward. They had
+become somewhat used to the queer feeling of being high up in the air,
+and now it did not seem wonderful to be sailing among the clouds, though
+two weeks before they would have laughed at the idea of such a thing.
+Andy and the two farmers had, likewise, become a little indifferent to
+the strange sensations, and, aside from being careful not to go too near
+the rail of the ship when it was sailing aloft, they took no more
+precautions than as if they were on the deck of a steamboat.
+
+For several hours the ship was kept on her course. The boys remained in
+the conning tower, gazing ahead. Not a single thing could be observed
+but a monotonous expanse of whiteness. Now and then they would run into
+a bank of clouds which obscured their vision as if there was a heavy
+fog.
+
+"Look at the clock!" exclaimed Mark suddenly, pointing to the
+time-piece.
+
+"What's the matter with it?" asked Jack.
+
+"Can it be right?" went on Mark. "Surely it isn't nine o'clock, and the
+sun shining as brightly as if it was noon."
+
+"It's nine o'clock at night!" exclaimed the professor, entering the
+steering tower in time to hear Mark's words.
+
+"But it can't be," argued the boy. "Look how the sun is shining."
+
+"You must realize where you are," was the reply. "We are so far north,
+my boy, that we are in the land of the midnight sun. From now on we will
+have daylight all the while. We are nearing the pole, where it is light
+six months of the year, and dark the other six. We are having summer
+here, now."
+
+"I guess it don't feel much like summer outside," said Mark. "The
+thermometer indicates fifty below zero!"
+
+"So it does," said Amos Henderson, glancing at the instrument which,
+though it was outside, could be read through the glass in the tower.
+"Well, we may have struck a cold wave. Ordinarily we will not have much
+more than twenty below zero when the sun shines."
+
+"That's cold enough for me," said Mark.
+
+The professor announced that the airship's machinery was now in good
+shape. He said he expected to come to the end of the journey in about
+three days more, provided no accidents occurred, and there were no
+storms to delay the _Monarch_.
+
+"I think we will divide the night into four watches," he said.
+"Washington, Jack, Mark and I will take them in turn. During the day we
+will all be on duty, but from six in the morning to six at night we will
+stand watch and watch."
+
+It was arranged that Jack should take the first period, the professor
+the second, Mark the third and Washington the fourth. As the first watch
+had passed Jack was excused and the inventor said he would take charge
+of the ship. Then, as every one was tired from the happenings of the
+day, they all went to bed, excepting Amos Henderson, who entered the
+tower to steer the ship.
+
+The engines, dynamos and motors ran without much attention save such as
+the pilot might give them occasionally, for he could leave the ship with
+the steering wheel fastened, a few minutes at a time, as there was no
+danger of collisions. So the _Monarch_ continued to race toward the
+north.
+
+It was almost time for Mark's tour of duty to begin. The two boys, who
+were sleeping together, were in a deep slumber, when Washington ran in
+and shouted at the top of his voice:
+
+"Wake up everybody! De perfessor is killed dead!"
+
+Andy, Mark, Jack and the two helpers sat up in their bunks, rubbing
+their sleepy eyes and wondering what had happened.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Jack.
+
+"Mr. Henderson is dead! He's in the engine room!"
+
+"What killed him?" inquired Andy.
+
+"He must hab got a shock from de dynamo!"
+
+Andy jumped from his bunk and hurried to the engine room. There, as the
+negro had described, Professor Henderson was lying white and senseless
+on the floor.
+
+The old hunter stooped over the inventor and felt of his heart.
+
+"He is alive!" he exclaimed. "His heart beats! We must carry him to a
+bunk!"
+
+Aided by Washington, Andy carried the professor to the sleeping room,
+where he was made comfortable in one of the beds. The captain was so
+near death that he could not be seen to breathe, and only the faint
+flutter of his heart told that life existed.
+
+"We're lost!" cried Washington. "If he dies we'll never get back home
+again. He is de only one dat knows how to mix de chemicals for de gas!"
+
+This was alarming news. Without the mysterious vapor the ship would not
+keep afloat long, nor could it be worked back from the desolate land of
+ice and snow. How much of the gas was left no one knew.
+
+"Did he ever get a shock like this before?" asked the hunter of
+Washington.
+
+"Once, but not so strong."
+
+"What did you do for him? What medicine did he take?"
+
+"Glory! Glory!" shouted the negro, jumping up and down in his
+excitement. "I remembers it now. Wait a second!"
+
+He hurried to the engine room, and came back in a little while with a
+small bottle.
+
+"Perfessor done say," he began, "dat if eber I seed him senselike, when
+he done gone and got a shock from de 'lectrisititeness, I was to gib him
+two spoons full ob dis."
+
+Andy took the bottle, which contained a red liquid. Bill got a spoon
+from the locker where the dishes were kept. With hands that trembled the
+old hunter poured out some of the fluid. Then, with Jack's help he
+forced open the inventor's mouth and put the medicine in.
+
+"I hope it works!" murmured Andy.
+
+He poured out a second spoonful. This was administered to the
+unconscious man. In a few seconds his face that had been pale showed a
+little color. His chest expanded as he drew a long breath. Then the old
+inventor opened his eyes and asked faintly:
+
+"What happened? Where am I?"
+
+"You are all right now," spoke Andy in a gentle voice. "You are out of
+danger I hope, and safe on the _Monarch_."
+
+"Is the airship all right?" asked the captain eagerly.
+
+"Yes, and sailing along like a bird," was the answer. In fact every one
+had forgotten that the craft was forging ahead, and that all the
+machinery was working.
+
+A look of relief crossed Professor Henderson's face, and he sat up.
+
+"I remember now," he said. "I was adjusting the dynamo, and I touched a
+live wire. The current was very strong. It is a wonder I was not killed.
+But how did you bring me around again?"
+
+"Washington happened to remember some medicine you had told him to use
+in emergencies."
+
+"Oh, yes: I'm glad I had some on board. It is a remedy for those shocked
+with electricity. But I must see to the machinery."
+
+"No, you must not," said Andy firmly. "You are too weak to get up yet,
+and you have a bad burn on your hand."
+
+"All right," agreed Amos Henderson, for he felt weak and sick from the
+shock. "Some one had better see to the steering now," he added, and then
+he leaned back in the bunk and closed his eyes.
+
+Jack ran to the conning tower. He found that the ship, under the
+influence of a strong wind, was going due west, instead of to the north.
+He shifted the steering wheel and brought the _Monarch_ on her course
+again, pointing to the north pole. Then he called for Mark, and the two
+boys arranged that between them they would run the ship until Professor
+Henderson recovered.
+
+Andy and Washington, who were watching beside the professor's bunk,
+where he reclined, seemingly in a deep slumber, were startled as he
+suddenly sat upright.
+
+"Hark!" the old man exclaimed. "Listen! Do you hear it?"
+
+"Hear what?" asked the hunter, in a soothing tone, wishing to humor the
+sick man.
+
+"Do you not hear a terrible rushing, roaring wind? The ship! The ship is
+in danger!"
+
+The thrilling words sent a chill to the hearts of the watchers. There
+was no sign of a storm. In fact it was strangely quiet outside, the
+only noise heard being that of the engines of the ship.
+
+"His mind wanders," said Andy.
+
+He had no sooner spoken than a cry from Jack, who with Mark was in the
+steering tower, startled them. His voice ran out through the cabins as
+he cried:
+
+"A whirlwind! A whirlwind! We are running straight into a whirlwind!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+TOSSED BY A TORNADO
+
+
+"Shut down de engines!" cried Washington.
+
+"Lower the ship!" exclaimed Mark, who had run back from the tower.
+"Close to the earth we may escape the wind!"
+
+"Is it headed toward us?" asked Andy.
+
+"Straight," answered Mark. Jack tried to steer to one side, but the
+currents of air sucked the ship right back into the path again!
+
+"The captain knew more than we gave him credit for," muttered the
+hunter. "He heard the storm coming."
+
+The air, that had been so strangely quiet, now vibrated with a curious
+humming. It seemed to make the whole ship tremble. Then, just as the
+craft began to settle down, the upward pulling force of the gas being
+lessened under Washington's manipulations, there came a terrible
+roaring. The wind howled like a thousand demons seeking to tear the
+_Monarch_ to pieces.
+
+"It's a regular tornado!" cried Andy.
+
+Then the storm picked the downward-falling ship up as if it had been a
+feather and tossed the craft into the air. The adventurers were in a sad
+plight.
+
+There was nothing to be done. The forces of nature were ten times
+stronger than those of man. To start the engines and try to run the ship
+out of the grasp of the wind would only mean to strain the craft to a
+dangerous point. There was but one thing to do, to run before the
+tornado, as ships on the sea scud before the gale. In this way the
+airship might be saved, if it was not dashed down to earth.
+
+As soon as this plan manifested itself to be the best one, Washington
+stopped drawing gas from the bag. He wanted to keep the ship as high as
+he could. Jack still held his place in the conning tower, but he could
+do nothing to guide the craft, and it would have been folly to attempt
+it, so fearful was the force of the wind.
+
+"Which way are we headed?" asked Mark, making his way back to the tower
+where Jack was.
+
+"Almost due west," was the reply. "About two points to the south, too."
+
+"Then we are being driven away from the north pole," said Mark.
+
+"We're as helpless as kittens tied up in a sack," said Andy. "If only I
+could do something I'd feel better. But I've got to sit here and take
+what comes."
+
+The sick man stirred uneasily. Then he muttered in his delirium
+something about the tornado that was tossing him from side to side of
+the bunk.
+
+Strangely enough there was nothing to the storm but wind. There was no
+rain or snow, and the air was remarkably clear, excepting for the
+darkness of the clouds. Aside from the way in which the ship was blown
+along there was nothing to indicate that the breeze was rushing along at
+tempest speed. There were no trees bent to the earth, and no clouds of
+dust. The sky clouds kept pace with the airship.
+
+"I wonder where we are?" asked Jack, who with Mark had come back from
+the tower.
+
+"We'll have to guess at it," replied Andy. "It would be as much as a
+man's life is worth to go outside and take an observation."
+
+"Don't hab to do dat," broke in Washington. "See here!"
+
+He stooped over and pulled on an iron ring that was fastened in the
+floor of the dining-room cabin. A section of a board came up.
+
+"Look!" exclaimed the negro pointing down. All leaned forward and saw
+that a heavy plate glass had been set over a hole cut through the floor
+of the ship. By means of this strange window one could look directly
+down toward the earth. Jack kneeled and peered through the glass. He
+rose to his feet with a cry of fear.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Andy.
+
+"We are right over the ocean!" exclaimed the boy. "I can see immense
+waves not three hundred feet below! The airship must be falling and
+we'll be dashed into the sea!"
+
+At these words Washington ran to the engine room. He looked at the
+height indicator.
+
+"We's four hundred feet in de air, an' a--we's agoin' down!" he
+muttered.
+
+Jack, who had followed him, saw by the instrument what the dreadful
+truth was. Blown from her course, the _Monarch_ was now over an open
+polar sea, into which she might be dashed at any moment. The tornado
+still howled and roared outside, making it impossible to inflate the gas
+bag, so strong was the pressure of wind on it. And without a fresh
+supply of gas, the ship must fall.
+
+There was no abatement to the tornado. The ship was tossed more
+violently than ever. Jack peered through the floor-window again.
+
+"We are nearer the water!" he exclaimed as he arose. "The sea is
+covered with icebergs. They are crashing together in the big waves. If
+we fall the ship will be ground to pieces in the floes!"
+
+"Try the gas machine again!" urged Andy. "Maybe the wind has lessened."
+
+Washington started the machine. He kept one eye on the needle of the
+indicator that told the gas pressure in the bag, and the other on the
+height register. The black pointer of the latter went lower and lower.
+It was now at one hundred, and kept on going down slowly, until it stood
+at seventy-five. Soon only sixty-five feet stood between the airship and
+her passengers, and the angry, swirling water beneath, where the
+icebergs crashed and ground together.
+
+Then Washington, who was ready to faint with fear and despair, gave a
+cry of joy. He had noticed that the height indicator stopped. At the
+same time the gas register showed that the vapor from the machine was
+entering the bag.
+
+"Glory! Glory!" cried the negro. "We's saved now. De ship is goin' up,
+and the gas is workin' in. De wind must be goin' down!"
+
+Then, while all save Professor Henderson, who was still unconscious,
+crowded into the engine room, they saw that what Washington said was
+true. The pressure of the wind had lessened, permitting the bag to fill
+with the gas. This served to lift the ship, and the pointer on the
+height indicator began to move upward. Higher and higher went the craft,
+until in a few minutes the register showed six hundred feet. They had
+been saved from death in the sea.
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Jack. "I believe the tornado has left us!"
+
+Indeed the roaring of the wind was less now. The ship was no longer
+violently tossed. In a few minutes the wind died away almost completely,
+and, aside from the rising motion, and a slight swaying, the _Monarch_
+rode on an even keel. The danger was over.
+
+"Is the ship safe?" called Professor Henderson from his bunk.
+
+"All safe!" exclaimed the hunter cheerfully. "We had a little blow, but
+it is all over, and the _Monarch_ behaved like the King she is--or,
+perhaps I ought to say Queen, seeing that all ships are ladies. But how
+do you feel, professor?"
+
+"I am much better," was the answer, showing that the medicine had done
+its work. "I feel hungry," he went on. "What time is it?"
+
+"Six o'clock," answered Jack, looking at the dial.
+
+"Night or morning?"
+
+"Morning, I guess."
+
+"Then we'll have breakfast," said the professor with a smile.
+
+He stepped from the bunk. As he did so there was a sudden lurch to the
+ship. Then it began to sink suddenly.
+
+"We are going down!" cried the captain. "What has happened?"
+
+"The gas bag is leaking again!" shouted Washington from the engine room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+PRISONERS OF THE ESQUIMAUX
+
+
+The hearts of all were filled with new terror. They had just come safely
+through one danger only to fall into another.
+
+The professor limped to the engine room. A glance confirmed his fears.
+The gas was escaping from the bag in large quantities.
+
+"I am afraid the patch we put on has come loose," he said. "The tornado
+must have unfastened it. Are we over land or sea?" he asked anxiously.
+
+Jack hurried to where the sheet of thick glass was set into the floor of
+the cabin. He peered down toward the ground.
+
+"We are over land, or, at least, a big ice field," he said, looking up."
+We must have crossed some arm of the sea, or, perhaps, a bay." Then, as
+he looked down through the window again, he gave a frightened start.
+"There are people below us!" he cried. "I can see hundreds of them! They
+are waiting for us to land!"
+
+The ship was fast settling, and, because of that fact, and for the
+reason that the propeller was sending it ahead, the _Monarch_ was
+approaching the ice at a sharp angle.
+
+"Stop the engines!" commanded the professor. "Our only hope is in coming
+down easily. If we strike the ice hard we are lost!"
+
+Lower and lower sank the _Monarch_, like a bird with a broken wing. In a
+few minutes there came a sudden jar that told the ship had struck the
+ice. Then, with a swish and rustle the silk bag, emptied of gas fell on
+the roof of the cabins. The _Monarch_ had come down between two big
+hummocks of ice, and rested almost in a level position.
+
+The adventurers peered from the windows. At first they could see nothing
+but a vast expanse of frozen whiteness. Then the ship, in an instant,
+seemed to be surrounded by men, women and children, all dressed in furs,
+only their faces showing.
+
+"Here they come!" cried Andy.
+
+The Esquimaux showed no fear of the airship nor the strange beings that
+inhabited it. They advanced boldly, many of them bearing rude weapons,
+spears, stone axes, and bows and arrows of bone. They were a fierce
+looking crowd.
+
+"I can't have them come inside the ship," spoke the professor, "they
+will tear the machinery apart."
+
+"Shall I fire on them?" asked Andy, getting his rifle ready.
+
+"Not for the world!" cried the captain. "They are ten to our one, and
+probably this is but a small part of the tribe. Our only safety lies in
+peaceful means. Come, we must put on our fur garments and go outside.
+That may induce them to let the ship alone."
+
+"They may take us prisoners," objected Jack.
+
+"Better be prisoners with the airship safe than with it all broken so we
+can never use it," said the old inventor. "If we lose the ship then we
+are lost indeed. If we go out to them, they may be afraid to venture in
+alone. Come, we must hurry!"
+
+Obeying the captain's advice, they all donned their fur garments, and
+each took a revolver and several rounds of ammunition. These small
+weapons could be concealed about them without much trouble.
+
+Then the whole party emerged from the cabins out on the forward deck of
+the _Monarch_. It was high time, for several of the Esquimaux, with
+their big stone axes, were advancing to batter in the doors. At the
+sight of the adventurers, who had only been dimly observed through the
+windows, there arose a great shout among the savages.
+
+Rapidly the air-travelers climbed over the ship's rail, down on to the
+ice, and walked boldly among the Esquimaux.
+
+"Show a brave front!" exclaimed the captain, in a low voice. "Perhaps
+they mean no harm after all."
+
+But this idea was soon dismissed. With a shout the foremost of the
+natives rushed on the party of whites, surrounded them, and, before any
+one had a chance to draw his revolver, had he desired to do so, each
+member of the _Monarch's_ crew was seized and bound with strong thongs
+of walrus hide.
+
+"Well, they've got us," groaned old Andy. "I wish I'd taken a few shots
+at them first!"
+
+The old inventor watched narrowly every move the Esquimaux made. At
+first several of the natives showed a desire to penetrate the interior
+of the _Monarch_. But the commands of one big man, evidently the chief,
+who was clad entirely in white furs, deterred them. Scores crawled up
+the ice hummock and looked the strange craft over with wondering eyes,
+but none molested it.
+
+Suddenly the man in the white furs uttered a loud cry. It was answered
+from a dozen throats, and then great activity was manifested. Big
+sledges, made of bone for a framework, with laced thongs for a body,
+were brought up, and dogs were harnessed to the vehicles. While some
+natives were attending to this, others scattered in different
+directions, returning presently with large supplies of dead fish, seals,
+and a large polar bear.
+
+"This is evidently a hunting party," said Mr. Henderson. "They have been
+away from their main town or camp for several days, and were on their
+way back when they saw our airship. I wonder what they will do with us."
+
+He was not long left in doubt. The chief of the Esquimaux approached
+the adventurers, who, bound with thongs, were sitting on the ice. He
+addressed Washington in a strange language, but Washington, with a
+motion of his head nodded toward Captain Henderson, to indicate that he
+was the commander of the party. To the old inventor, therefore, did the
+native in the white furs speak next.
+
+He made a motion of a person reclining on a sledge and indicated that
+the captives were to be taken away in that fashion. Then the chief
+motioned to his mouth and pretended to chew.
+
+"He seems to want us to take a sleigh ride and get something to eat,"
+said Mr. Henderson. "I suppose we might as well go along."
+
+He nodded an assent to the Esquimaux chief, thinking the sign for that
+would be understood. It was, evidently, for the chief nodded back and
+smiled.
+
+The rude sleds were brought close to the party from the _Monarch_. Then
+the captives were bundled on the vehicles like so many logs of wood, and
+bound to the runners with hide thongs. Next a fur robe was thrown over
+each one, a hole being left for them to breathe, and a dog driver took
+his position at the front of each sled.
+
+With cracks of the whips and wild shouts the natives started off at a
+rapid speed. Then it was the prisoners appreciated the extra fur
+coverings, for when the vehicles were in motion the keen wind cut like
+a knife on the little portion of the face left exposed.
+
+A sharp pang of regret struck the professor's heart as he realized that
+he was being carried away from his beloved airship, which was left in
+the hands of the enemy. They might wreck it he realized, to get the
+valuable wood and metal in the different parts. If they did, it would
+mean that the adventurers would be doomed to remain in the land of
+perpetual ice and snow forever.
+
+For several hours the journey was continued. The dogs drawing the sleds
+never seemed to slacken their speed, but, urged by voice and whip, sped
+on over ice and snow.
+
+Suddenly a loud cry sounded. The sleds, as if in obedience to a command,
+came to a halt. The captives raised their heads and saw that the whole
+party had come to a stop. Several of the Esquimaux began opening bundles
+and took out pieces of frozen fat meat. With this they went from team to
+team among the dogs, and fed the brutes that seemed ravenous from
+hunger.
+
+The animals provided with a meal, the Esquimaux fed themselves. It was a
+primitive feast. The men simply bit off chunks of fat and blubber and
+swallowed them almost whole.
+
+"I'm pretty hungry, but I don't believe I could eat that," observed
+Jack.
+
+"Wait until you get a chance," advised Mark. "Maybe they are not going
+to offer us any. As for me, I am starved enough to tackle most
+anything."
+
+Presently the Esquimaux chief approached the captives, who had been
+drawn close together on their sleds. The leader of the natives had in
+his hands some queer looking stuff. At a sign from him several of the
+other Esquimaux loosened the bonds that bound the prisoners.
+
+"Um!" grunted the chief. "Um! Um!" At least his words sounded like that.
+
+"I guess he wants us to eat," said the professor.
+
+He took some of the food the Esquimaux chief held out. The stuff did
+not look very inviting, about as much like cold fat as anything. The
+professor bit into it.
+
+"It's good!" he exclaimed. "It's chopped up meat and suet, and it's
+cooked! Eat it!"
+
+They all did, for they were very hungry and cold. Then the captives were
+bound again, the dogs were harnessed, and the journey was resumed. The
+sun still shone, though it was getting late, but the prisoners were all
+sleepy, for, by the run of hours, it was now night.
+
+On and on went the sleds. Jack had dozed off, when he was aroused by a
+shout. He raised his head to look about him, and was filled with terror
+at what he saw.
+
+The sled he was on, as well as all the others, was coasting down a great
+hill of ice at fearful speed! The dogs were gone, and the fleet of
+sleighs, under their own weight, were dashing down the Mountainous side
+of a great glacier!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE STRANGE WOMAN AIDS
+
+
+"Professor! Professor!" cried Jack. He saw the sled on which the old
+inventor was lashed close to him.
+
+"Eh! Yes! What is it?" asked the old man, sticking his head out from
+under the fur robe.
+
+"They have set us adrift down the mountain and we'll be killed!"
+
+The boy struggled to free himself from his bonds. The professor, raising
+his head and realizing the danger, did likewise.
+
+But the tough walrus hide was too tightly drawn. The captives, if they
+went to their deaths, would go bound and unable to help themselves. In
+terror Jack glanced on either side of him. To his surprise he noticed
+that not only were the sleds of himself and his comrades going down the
+hill, but the vehicles of all the Esquimaux as well.
+
+"Can an accident have happened?" he asked himself. "Or have they all
+gone crazy? This beats me."
+
+Faster and faster went the sleighs. Showers of ice splinters flew up on
+either side of the bone runners. The wind whistled past Jack's face.
+Then, as a sled of one of the natives shot near to Jack's, the boy
+noticed that the Esquimaux's face was calm, and he was smiling a bit.
+
+"This doesn't look as if he was going to be killed," reasoned the boy.
+But the speed of the sleds never slackened and Jack was much afraid, as
+were the other prisoners.
+
+But at length, with a swish and a whizz, the sleighs shot around a
+curve, and slid out on a broad expanse of smooth ice. Off jumped the
+natives, laughing and chatting. Then Jack realized the truth.
+
+The Esquimaux, instead of trusting to their dogs to draw them down the
+steep hill, had simply coasted, just as Jack had done many a time at
+home.
+
+In a little while the dogs, that had been led by a number of the natives
+down an easier path than that which the steep hill offered, came up,
+barking and yelping. They were again harnessed to the sledges, and the
+journey commenced once more.
+
+This time it did not last more than an hour. It was along a level
+stretch of ice, and soon they were in the midst of an Esquimaux village.
+
+Huts of ice, with rounded tops, were on every side, with here and there
+a tent made of seal skins stretched over poles. There were several
+hundred inhabitants, who mingled with the members of the hunting party,
+that included men, women and children, for, when the Esquimaux go for a
+several days' stay after fish they take their families along.
+
+"We seem to have struck camp at last," remarked the professor to Andy.
+"I wonder what they are going to do with us now."
+
+"The least they could do would be to untie us and give us a good meal,"
+growled the old hunter, who was stiff from being bound so long on the
+sled.
+
+"Who said dinner?" broke in Washington from his sled. "I jest wish I had
+a chicken pot-pie!"
+
+"I'd willingly go without a meal if I was sure the airship was safe,"
+sighed the professor.
+
+At this mention of their craft all the adventurers became silent and a
+feeling of sadness came over them. But they had little time to indulge
+in gloomy thoughts.
+
+As soon as the inhabitants of the camp had greeted the fishing party the
+captives were surrounded by a group of curious ones, who followed the
+chief, in his white furs, to where the prisoners' sleds had been drawn
+up. The white men, who must have seemed strange beings to the Esquimaux,
+were still fastened to the vehicles. At a word from the leader the bonds
+were cut.
+
+"I guess they want us to get up," said Jack.
+
+He rose from his sleigh, and his example was followed by the others. The
+Esquimaux closed around them. Then, before any of the prisoners could
+raise a hand in their defense, they were seized by a score of the dark
+natives and hurried off across the snow.
+
+"Draw your revolvers and shoot!" cried Andy. "They are going to kill
+us!"
+
+"No! No!" shouted the old inventor. "To resist now would be folly. Have
+patience a little longer!"
+
+His voice was so earnest that all obeyed him. So, unresisting, the
+captives were borne away. Then a strange thing happened.
+
+The sun, which had been shining in the sky from which it would not
+disappear for six months, suddenly seemed to darken. The captives
+started in surprise.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked the old inventor, struggling to escape from
+the arms which held him. "Is it night?"
+
+"I guess dey done gone and blindfolded us!" exclaimed Washington.
+
+Indeed it was as black as if the prisoners had been plunged into a
+gloomy pit. Then, as they looked up while being half led, half dragged
+along they saw that they had left the outer air and were being conducted
+into some sort of a cave.
+
+"It's an ice-cavern!" groaned the old hunter, "They are going to torture
+us as the Indians do!"
+
+"Hush!" cautioned the inventor. "Do not think of such things. All is not
+yet lost!"
+
+In a little while the darkness, caused by the captives being suddenly
+taken from the bright sunlight into the cave, was somewhat dispelled. It
+grew gradually brighter, thought they were conducted farther and farther
+into the recesses of the cavern. Then, as they were led around the turn
+of a passage, they saw what made the light.
+
+Scores of rude lamps, made from hollowed out stones, with twisted moss
+for wicks, and burning seal oil, gave a smoky illumination, that lit up
+the cave with a red glare. The lamps were set in niches in the icy walls
+of the cavern, while some were placed upon the floor and others seemed
+to be arranged about a sort of altar at the farther end of the big ice
+chamber.
+
+From the icy crystal walls the glare of the moss wicks was reflected
+back in a thousand points of light, and amid the glow the captives
+beheld a score or more of old men seated in a circle about a big centre
+lamp, that shone with a flame five times as bright as any of the others.
+
+"It looks as if we were being brought before the head men of the tribe,"
+muttered the old hunter.
+
+A short distance away from the circle of old men, the native in the
+white furs, who seemed to have lost some of his authority on entering
+the ice chamber, motioned the captives to be seated. They sat down,
+crossed legs, and waited.
+
+They were aware that the interior of the cave was much warmer than the
+air outside, and soon were forced to lay aside some of their heavy
+garments. In a little while several women approached bearing huge
+platters on which rested smoked chunks of hot meat.
+
+It did not look very inviting. There were no knives, no forks, no
+napkins and no plates. None of the somewhat limited comforts of the
+airship were to be had. But the captives were too hungry to mind such
+things. Using their fingers, they ate ravenously, and found the meat
+very good, though they did not know what it was.
+
+"I feel much better," said Jack. "If I only had some place to wash my
+hands now, I'd be quite satisfied."
+
+"You ought to be thankful you got something to eat," returned Mark. "I
+was almost starved."
+
+"Dat was as good as roast beef, chicken, pork-chops, cranberry sauce,
+celery an' potatoes," observed Washington with a sigh of satisfaction.
+
+Since the native women had brought them food no one in the cave had
+taken the slightest notice of the prisoners. The men in the centre about
+the big stone lamp sat like so many dark and graven images, saying not a
+word.
+
+"I wonder what is next on the program?" asked Andy.
+
+In a few minutes an old woman, bearing a stone basin full of some
+liquid, and a horn cup, approached them, and, filling the smaller
+vessel, offered the old professor something to drink. As she neared him
+she caught sight of his white face and long whitish beard and hair, and
+gave such a start that she nearly dropped the basin she was carrying.
+She peered down into the old man's face and muttered something that
+sounded like:
+
+"Ingliss!"
+
+"What has she got and what is she saying?" asked the hunter.
+
+"I don't know what she said," replied Amos Henderson, "but she has
+given me some good milk."
+
+Then, going from one to the other, the old woman, who seemed strangely
+agitated as she saw so many white faces, poured out the reindeers' milk,
+which made a welcome drink.
+
+"They are treating us better than I thought they would," remarked Andy.
+"Maybe we will not be so badly off as I feared."
+
+Suddenly, from the midst of the circle of natives, a voice arose. The
+captives glanced quickly over in the direction, and saw that the man in
+the white furs, who had superintended their capture, was addressing the
+council.
+
+His words were strange to the prisoners, but they could tell by his
+gestures he was describing how he had found the white men, who had come
+in the wonderful airship. At times the narrator would point in the
+direction of the captives. Again he would show by gestures how the
+airship had settled down on the ice. He was interrupted by many
+questions and, at the end of his tale, a silence fell over the crowd of
+natives.
+
+Then, as if by some signal, all the lights save the large central lamp
+were extinguished. By the glow from that the prisoners could see their
+captors, one by one, filing from the cave.
+
+"They are leaving us all alone," said the inventor. "At any rate they
+have done us no harm, and perhaps may not. If we could only get back to
+the ship; that would be all I'd ask," and he sighed as he thought of his
+beloved craft.
+
+For a long while the captives sat in silence, brooding over their fate.
+Worn out by the trials of the day, the two farmers at last fell asleep.
+Washington, too, was soon snoring, and the two boys felt drowsy. The
+regular breathing of the professor told that he, also, had forgotten his
+troubles in dreamland, and Andy was about to drop off nodding, when he
+was startled by a soft foot-fall. He sat up on the icy floor of the cave
+where he had stretched himself out.
+
+"Who's there?" he asked sharply.
+
+"Sh! Ingliss!" exclaimed a soft voice. "No spik! Me like Ingliss! Me
+Dirola!"
+
+"Who are you?" asked the old hunter again, but in a whisper.
+
+"Me like Ingliss!" was the reply. "They kill! Me save! You come! All
+Ingliss!"
+
+Then, into the glare of the big lamp, glided the strange woman who had
+brought the milk.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+FIGHTING FOR THE SHIP
+
+
+"Professor Henderson! Wake up!" called Andy. "Hey, boys, Bill, Tom,
+Washington! This may mean something!"
+
+In an instant the prisoners were sitting up, and blinking in the
+direction of the big lamp.
+
+"What is it all about?" asked Amos Henderson.
+
+"As near as I can make out this lady is going to save us," replied the
+hunter. "She says the natives want to kill us, and that she likes the
+English, though how she can talk United States is more than I can
+understand."
+
+Dirola, as the Esquimaux woman had called herself, approached the old
+inventor, and, kneeling down in front of him, spoke rapidly in her
+broken tongue.
+
+"Me save you!" she repeated. "Me Dirola! Me from way, way off," and she
+pointed to the north. "Me been prisoner here long time. Me see white
+Ingliss man once. He come my country. He go way. My people want kill
+him, no like. He be take away. His name Andre!"
+
+"Great Scott!" exclaimed the professor. "I believe this woman was
+acquainted with the poor fellow whose bones we found! Can it be
+possible!"
+
+"You come; me save!" went on the strange woman. "Me no like it here;
+want go to my people. Me learn spik Ingliss from Andre. Me young girl
+then!"
+
+"Well, of all the strange happenings!" exclaimed the inventor. "I
+believe she is telling the truth. Probably poor Andre Christiansen got
+among her people and she learned a little English from him."
+
+"You come?" questioned Dirola. "Me show you where ship hid."
+
+"I wonder if it's safe to trust her," said the old hunter. "According to
+the message we found, the people Andre fell among were not very kind."
+
+The woman seemed to understand that some objection was being raised. She
+spoke rapidly and earnestly.
+
+"My people no harm," she said. "Me tell 'um you save me, they no kill
+you. You come. Much hurry now. You be killed here!"
+
+"I think we might as well chance it," was Professor Henderson's
+opinion. "Perhaps she does know where the ship is from hearing talk
+among members of the fishing party that captured us. What do you say?
+Shall we go?"
+
+Every one agreed that it would be better than to stay in the cave and
+face an unknown danger. So, wrapping their furs closely about them, the
+captives rose silently and prepared to follow the woman, who seemed
+pleased that they were going. She did not lead them out the way they had
+been brought in, but by a smaller entrance.
+
+"Go easy!" she cautioned. "No want bad mans to hear! They kill Dirola!"
+
+Walking like cats in their soft boots of fur, the prisoners followed the
+strange woman who had so opportunely come to their rescue. Though they
+were very apprehensive, they met with no one. Leaving the glare of the
+big lamp behind, they were soon in semi-darkness, but in a little while
+they emerged into the bright sunlight.
+
+"They all sleep!" muttered Dirola, motioning toward the camp of
+Esquimaux which she indicated was behind the ice cavern they had just
+left. "We walk; den we git dogs an' sleds. Den we ride so no can catch!"
+
+At a sign from Dirola the seven prisoners stepped out briskly. It seemed
+queer to see the sun shining after having been in the dark cave, where
+it looked like night, and to get used to the appearance of Old Sol
+shining steadily all night long, was something the adventurers had not
+quite accomplished. They walked perhaps a mile before they came to where
+the dog teams were, behind a hill of ice.
+
+There were two big sleds, with room enough for all, and ten dogs to each
+vehicle. The animals, which were securely tied to pinnacles of ice, were
+snapping and snarling among themselves.
+
+"Quick, git on!" commanded Dirola. "Maybe they chase us!"
+
+The captives needed no second bidding. They piled on the sledges, the
+professor, Andy and Washington on one and the two boys and the two
+helpers on the other. Dirola took her seat in front of Professor
+Henderson.
+
+"Who's going to drive our dogs?" asked Jack.
+
+"No drive. They follow me," said the woman, and then Jack saw that the
+foremost animal of his team was tied by a long thong to the rear of the
+first sleigh.
+
+The Esquimaux woman snapped her whip, having first untied the dogs, and
+away the teams went over the snow at a great pace.
+
+The spirits of all arose as they went on, making mile after mile on
+their journey, away from the ice cave and back to the _Monarch_. Dirola
+seemed to know just where she was going, and never hesitated. With voice
+and whip she guided the dog teams on, urging them to top speed, for she
+was escaping as well as the adventurers.
+
+For several hours the captives rode, becoming thoroughly chilled, for a
+cold, cutting wind sprang up and blew in their faces.
+
+"We most there," said the woman at length.
+
+"I'm glad to hear it," remarked Andy. "I will be glad to get back to a
+civilized place, even if it is an airship."
+
+Suddenly Dirola turned her head and glanced behind. As she did so she
+uttered an exclamation and called shrilly to the dogs, at the same time
+snapping her long whip viciously.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Andy.
+
+"They come after us."
+
+Looking back, Andy was startled to see, about a mile in the rear, more
+than a score of sleds, laden with fur-robed Esquimaux, in full pursuit.
+
+"Now we're in for it!" he cried. "It will be a race to see who gets to
+the ship first! Get out your revolvers! I'm not going to be captured
+again!"
+
+Each one of the adventurers brought out his weapon. The pursuing
+Esquimaux seemed aware that their former captives had observed them, and
+urged their dog teams to greater speed. It was indeed a race.
+
+Dirola's animals had been urged almost to their limit, and were now
+lagging. Voice and whip no longer served to send them forward. Several
+of the beasts were limping.
+
+"There ship!" cried the woman suddenly. The crew and owner of the
+_Monarch_ glanced ahead. They saw, about a quarter of a mile in advance,
+their airship, resting on an icy ledge.
+
+"If we can only get there first!" cried the professor.
+
+"You forget the leak in the gas bag," spoke up Andy. "That will have to
+be mended before we can escape."
+
+"With quick work we can do it!" exclaimed the inventor. "Hurry on,
+Dirola!"
+
+Dirola needed no urging. With fierce words she hurried on the dogs, her
+whip sounding like a revolver as it snapped and cracked.
+
+But fast as the escaping ones went, the pursuers seemed to come faster.
+Now they were so close that they could be seen brandishing their spears,
+bows and arrows. Their shouts, too, were borne forward on the cold wind.
+
+At last the adventurers were at the side of the airship. Hastily they
+dismounted from their sleds turning the dogs loose. The Esquimaux in
+pursuit were about half a mile to the rear and would soon be upon them.
+
+"Quick, Dirola! Into the ship with you!" called Andy. "We'll take you
+with us if we go at all!"
+
+"We must mend the tear first!" exclaimed the professor, scrambling up
+the icy slope toward the cabin of the _Monarch_ in a fashion that would
+have done credit to a much younger man. "Andy, you and the boys, with
+Tom and Bill, hold the enemy at bay until Washington and I get the ship
+in readiness for a start!"
+
+"All right!" cried Andy, now in his element. "I'll make those Esquimaux
+wish they had let us alone!"
+
+Dirola had disappeared inside the cabin. In a few minutes the professor
+and Washington were hard at work setting the machinery in motion.
+
+First, after having seen that none of the apparatus was disarranged,
+Amos Henderson started the gas generating machine. Next, leaving
+Washington in charge of this and the engine room, the inventor prepared
+a big patch with some cement on it. This he gave to Mark, who quickly
+found the place where the old patch had come off the silk bag, and
+covered the opening. Already the bag was beginning to swell with the
+gas.
+
+But now with loud yells the Esquimaux came rushing up. Leaping off their
+sleds, they began throwing their spears and shooting their arrows.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+NORTHWARD ONCE MORE
+
+
+"Repel boarders!" sung out Andy. "Where are the guns?"
+
+"Here!" shouted Tom, handing out the rifles fully loaded.
+
+The old hunter seized a weapon, as did Bill, Jack, and Mark. Tom also
+leveled his gun at the savages.
+
+Bang! Crack! Bang! went the guns. It was like a skirmish in battle. As
+Andy directed, each one fired low.
+
+So heavy a fusillade as the adventurers were able to fire had its
+effect. Many of the Esquimaux fell, none badly hurt, but disabled so
+they could not attack. Still the main body advanced up the slope with
+angry cries, determined to capture the airship and regain their
+captives.
+
+The ship now began to quiver through its whole length. Larger and larger
+distended the gas bag. Then, with a motion as of a great bird arising
+from where it had been fastened to the earth, the _Monarch_ arose
+slowly in the air. A cry of astonishment burst from the Esquimaux. Some
+who had hold of the rail retained their grip until they felt themselves
+lifted up. Then they let go suddenly and dropped to the ice.
+
+"We're off!" cried Andy. He aimed a blow at a native who was still
+clinging to the ship and endeavoring to spear the old hunter. Andy
+missed his blow, just as the native let fly his spear, which pierced the
+hunter in the arm.
+
+With a yell of rage, the native let go and fell. Andy sank back on the
+deck of the ship sorely wounded. The ship soared aloft. The next instant
+the propeller started revolving and the _Monarch_ passed off over the
+heads of the savages.
+
+"Is any one hurt?" asked the professor, coming from the engine room.
+
+"Andy was struck by a spear!" exclaimed Jack.
+
+At the inventor's suggestion they carried the old hunter into the cabin,
+and laid him on one of the bunks.
+
+"You take the steering wheel," said Amos Henderson to Jack. "Washington
+will run the engines for a while and Mark and I will see to Andy. Bill
+and Tom, you can get something to eat; and turn on the heating stoves;
+it is cold here."
+
+Soon everyone on board was busily engaged. The professor bandaged
+Andy's arm, which contained a severe though not fatal wound. In a little
+while the hunter awoke from the stupor into which the pain had thrown
+him.
+
+"Fire!" he cried.
+
+"There is no need," said the professor soothingly. "We are safe now."
+
+Then Andy grew quiet. In the meanwhile Bill and Tom had started the
+gasolene and electric stoves, and a meal, made from the capsule food,
+was soon ready. That it tasted good goes without saying.
+
+On and on rushed the ship, for Washington had speeded up all the engines
+in order to sooner escape from the natives who had held him and his
+friends captives.
+
+As soon as the professor could leave Andy in charge of Mark, he went to
+the engine room. There he found everything in good shape. Next he went
+to the conning tower, where Jack was steering.
+
+"How is she heading?" asked the old man.
+
+"Straight for the north!" replied the boy.
+
+"Good! Keep her so. Let me see; we are about a mile high now. I guess
+that will do," and he turned off the gas generator. "Moving about
+twenty miles an hour," he added. "That is fast enough. I wonder how
+cold it is?"
+
+He consulted the dial that was connected to a thermometer outside.
+
+"Whew!" he whistled. "Fifty below! I'm glad we are here!"
+
+Jack was too. The old inventor glanced at the direction compass and then
+at the deflecting one that indicated how near the north pole they were.
+As he did so he uttered a cry.
+
+"What is it?" cried the boy.
+
+For answer Mr. Henderson pointed to the needle. It was almost straight
+up and down.
+
+"Well?" asked Jack, who did not understand much about scientific things.
+
+"That means we are almost at the north pole!" cried the professor. "At
+the exact north the needle points straight down, because the pole is a
+magnet, and being directly underneath pulls the end of the needle down.
+See, it is almost down now. I believe we shall really get to the pole,
+and my ambition will be realized."
+
+Aside from the wound Andy had received, none of the party was any the
+worse for their adventures as prisoners. Now that they were safe back on
+the ship they were inclined to laugh at the fears they had felt.
+
+For several hours the _Monarch_ was held to her course at a fairly good
+speed. Then, at the professor's order, the engines were turned on at
+full power, since the air was still, and there was no sign of a storm.
+Straight to the north the craft shot, every one on board now anxious, as
+they became aware that they were near to their destination.
+
+The former life was resumed, and the hours of watch were marked out as
+they had been. The sun still shone, never setting, but by this time the
+adventurers were used to perpetual day. Dirola kept to herself, not
+saying a word to anybody.
+
+"I think I'll drop the ship down a bit and see what sort of a country is
+beneath us," announced Mr. Henderson about four o'clock, though whether
+it was four o'clock in the morning or the afternoon, no one knew.
+However, it did not matter much. "If there is an open sea around the
+north pole, as some believe," he went on, "we ought to see some signs of
+it now."
+
+He let some gas out of the bag, and the _Monarch_ slowly settled toward
+the earth. The inventor opened the trap door that covered the plate
+glass in the floor of the cabin, and peered down. When within five
+hundred feet of the ground he signaled to stop the descent of the ship.
+
+"Nothing but ice, ice, ice!" he announced. "Big hills and mountains of
+it. There is no sign of open water. Well, we are not quite at the pole
+yet."
+
+Jack's turn at the wheel came to a close, and Mark relieved him.
+Washington, who had been on duty pretty steadily in the engine room,
+gave his place up to the inventor, and stretched out to sleep. Bill and
+Tom were snoring in their bunks, and Andy was resting easily, the pain
+from his wound being relieved by some ointment the professor put on.
+
+The boy in the conning tower kept his eye on the two compasses, the one
+telling the direction, the other the nearness to the north pole. The
+latter gradually kept inclining more and more toward the earth.
+
+"If we can only make it," thought Mark. "It will be something no one has
+ever done before. My! What a story the papers would make of it if they
+knew!"
+
+"How is she running?" asked the captain, coming into the tower.
+
+"Very well, indeed, sir."
+
+"You might send her up a little," suggested the professor. "Keep her
+about half a mile high, and I'll be with you again before long."
+
+The professor went to his bunk, and Mark was pleased enough to be left
+alone in charge of the ship. He held the wheel firmly, and did not
+deviate half a point from the northern course.
+
+He had been steering for half an hour when he was suddenly aware of a
+dense gloom that settled down all about him. Then there came a great
+roaring sound. The air craft rocked violently. The wind whistled shrilly
+through the cordage and careened the _Monarch_ to one side.
+
+Then the whole atmosphere grew from a dense black to a strange opaque
+whiteness: a whiteness that shut out the view from every side, and
+enveloped the ship as if it had fallen into a feather bed. Mark started
+back in fright and let go his hold on the steering wheel.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+A BLINDING SNOWSTORM
+
+
+"Quick! Professor!" cried Mark. "Jack, Washington, everybody! Hurry up!"
+
+"What's the matter?" asked the inventor, running to the conning tower.
+
+In answer Mark pointed outside.
+
+"A snow storm!" exclaimed the captain. "We must expect them up north.
+But this is worse than I thought!"
+
+He glanced ahead. Nothing could be seen but a wall of white. The wind
+increased until it blew with almost the force of a cyclone, and the ship
+swayed fearfully.
+
+"Stop the engines!" cried the professor. "We had better drift than run
+the chances of hitting an iceberg if we should suddenly take a drop down
+to the ground."
+
+Washington, awakened from his sleep, turned off the power. Then began a
+fight between the ship and the elements; a battle between the _Monarch_
+and the wind and snow. Which was to win?
+
+The airship was, apparently, in the heart of the storm. It was tossed
+this way and that, now up and now down, though because of the quantity
+of gas in the bag the craft was buoyed up. The gas generating machine
+had not been stopped, only the machinery that moved the propeller.
+
+How the wind howled! How the snow blew! It was a blinding storm, for
+from the windows of the conning tower and from those on either side of
+the cabin nothing could be discerned five feet away. Through the window
+in the bottom of the ship nothing showed but a sea of white flakes.
+
+The cold was intense, seventy degrees below zero being marked on the
+thermometer. Even with the gasolene stoves going it was chilling inside
+the airship, for the cutting, biting wind found many cracks through
+which to enter.
+
+But, if the propeller no longer urged the ship on, the force of the wind
+sent it ahead at a fearful pace. The gale careened the _Monarch_ from
+side to side. Now the bow would be elevated, and, again, the stern. It
+was like a ship on a rough sea, and the occupants of the craft were
+tossed from side to side, receiving many bruises.
+
+Old Andy was tied into his bunk, or he never could have stayed there,
+so violent was the motion.
+
+"Where is Dirola?" asked Mr. Henderson suddenly.
+
+"She was out on the stern a while ago," answered Bill. "She was saying
+something about it being too hot for her inside. That was before the
+storm came up."
+
+"We must see to her," said the captain. "She must come inside. The
+motion of the ship may toss her off!"
+
+Bill volunteered to go out and bring the Esquimaux woman in. It was all
+he could do to open the door, so strong was the pressure of wind on it.
+
+When he did swing it back such a cloud of snow entered that it seemed as
+if some one had emptied a feather bed in the cabin.
+
+"She don't want to come in," Bill reported when, after much exertion, he
+had made his way back again. "She is laughing at this storm, and says
+it's like what they have where she came from. She is braced against the
+cabin, and is wrapped up in furs. I guess she is all right."
+
+"I suppose we must let her have her way," remarked Amos Henderson.
+"After all she may be used to it."
+
+In anxiousness and apprehension the voyagers waited for the storm to
+cease. But it showed no signs of abating. More and more violently rocked
+the _Monarch_.
+
+"We must shut off the gasolene stoves!" exclaimed the inventor after a
+particularly heavy pitching and tossing motion, when the craft nearly
+turned over. "If we upset, the fluid will run from the tanks, come in
+contact with the flames, and we will burn in mid-air!"
+
+Washington set to work turning off all the gasolene, and the larger
+tanks were lashed fast and securely stopped up.
+
+"Better put our furs on," suggested the inventor. "It will be very cold
+in here soon."
+
+The lack of heat quickly made itself felt, the ship becoming like an
+ice-box. Old Andy was warmly covered, for he was asleep in his bunk,
+having fallen into a slumber after being lashed in. The noise of the
+storm did not awaken him, since he was somewhat stupid from a fever into
+which his wound had thrown him.
+
+All that could be done was to wait and hope. No human force could
+prevail over the storm. Bracing themselves against whatever offered, and
+clinging by their hands to projections, the adventurers in the cabin
+expected every moment to be their last. Washington, who had gone out to
+the engine room, came hurrying back.
+
+"Look, here, Perfessor," he said, sticking his head in the dining cabin
+door, "de gas machine hab stopped circulatin'."
+
+"Did you shut off the power?"
+
+"No, sah! I ain't done gone and shut off no power!"
+
+Making his way as best he could while the ship pitched and tossed, Amos
+Henderson reached the engine room. He looked at the gas generator. The
+power was turned on full, but the apparatus was not working.
+
+"That is strange," he remarked. "I wonder--"
+
+Then he hurried forward to the conning tower. As he did so the ship was
+whirled quickly around several times, and the sudden motion threw the
+old man down, his head striking on the edge of one of the bunks. He lay
+white and still.
+
+"He's killed!" cried Washington.
+
+"We are in a whirlwind!" yelled Bill at the same instant. "We'll be
+sucked up to the sky!"
+
+The airship was swinging around and around as if in the grasp of some
+giant. The craft was really caught in the centre of a whirlwind, which
+spun it around like a top. Every one felt sick and dizzy from the queer
+motion.
+
+"We must see to the professor!" said Jack. "Washington, get some of the
+remedy you used before. I think he has only fainted."
+
+At this moment the old inventor opened his eyes.
+
+"What happened?" he asked feebly. "Please give me some water. I am all
+right."
+
+They brought him a drink, and he managed to sip a little of it. Then he
+attempted to sit up. But the effort was too much for him.
+
+"What--what is the matter?" he asked. "I feel so strange. I am dizzy.
+Has anything happened?"
+
+"Somebody am a-playin' 'Ring around de Rosy' wid dis airship!" exclaimed
+Washington, "My head am a-swimmin' so I can't stand."
+
+"I must get to the conning tower!" muttered the old inventor. "I must
+get there."
+
+"Let me go, you can never make it," said Jack. "What is it you want to
+see?"
+
+"Look at the deflecting needle!" was the answer. "See how the needle
+points and come back and tell me! It may be we are at the north pole!"
+
+Jack started forward, crawling on his hands and knees. Indeed, this was
+the only way he could advance. The professor watched him with anxious
+eyes. The ship spun around even faster. Old Andy had awakened and was
+gazing around with fear-stricken eyes.
+
+Then, just as Jack reached the door of the conning tower, and started
+inside, the _Monarch_ gave a violent motion. She seemed to stop for a
+moment, and then, with a great lurch, turned completely over, throwing
+the occupants to the ceiling. Then she plunged straight down to the
+earth, through the centre of the whirlwind, like an arrow falling!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+AT THE NORTH POLE?
+
+
+For an instant the utmost confusion reigned. The adventurers fell in a
+heap on the ceiling that, for the time being, became the floor. Then, as
+the ship righted herself, they fell back again to the floor. The cords
+that bound Andy to his bunk broke, and he toppled with the rest.
+
+"Repel the enemy!" yelled the old hunter, thinking in his delirium that
+the ship was again attacked.
+
+"We are lost!" cried the professor, as he felt the _Monarch_ plunging
+down.
+
+For a hundred feet or more the ship shot earthward bow first, so that
+the adventurers all slid down to that end. It was well that everything,
+including the gasolene tanks, had been lashed fast, or there would have
+been a great jumble inside the craft.
+
+Then, almost as suddenly as the ship had started to fall, it ceased, and
+rode on an even keel, righting and floating easily in the air. The wind
+no longer blew with the circular motion, the whirling having come to an
+end. But the blinding snow continued.
+
+Jack staggered from the conning tower, where he had gone to look at the
+deflecting compass.
+
+"What has happened?" he cried.
+
+"No one knows," answered Professor Henderson. "We are in dire straits.
+Did you look at the needle, Jack?"
+
+"I did."
+
+"What did it show?"
+
+"The needle was straight up and down!"
+
+"I knew it!" cried the old inventor. "I said we would reach the pole,
+and we have!"
+
+"It ain't goin' to do us a heab sight ob good," said Washington. "I'd
+rather hab a good barber pole any day! No north poles fo' me!"
+
+"Hush, Washington!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson. "This is no time to joke.
+You are sure you made no mistake, Jack?"
+
+"I am sure, sir."
+
+"I thought we were at the pole when I saw that the gas engine had
+stopped," went on the professor. "The attraction of the earth-magnets at
+the pole exerted such a strong influence on the iron and steel that the
+gas machine could not work. At last I have reached the goal of my
+ambitions!"
+
+The ship remained stationary for several minutes. Those aboard began to
+have hopes. The snow storm was still as fierce as ever, but that was all
+the manifestation of the elements.
+
+"I want to take a look at the needle," said the professor. "I feel all
+right now; I was only a little faint from my fall. How are you, Andy?"
+
+"I feel much better," replied the hunter, whose delirium had somewhat
+left him. "My arm is sore, that's all. But why have you all got your
+furs on?"
+
+"We had to turn off the stoves," explained Amos Henderson. "You had
+better put your's on, too, Andy. You'll need them. We could only cover
+you over when you were in the bunk."
+
+The hunter soon began to realize that it was chilly in the ship, and he
+donned his heavy garments. The professor started for the conning tower.
+He gave one glance at the needle of the deflecting compass, and a look
+of disappointment came over his face.
+
+"It is not pointing down," he said to Jack, who had followed him.
+
+"But I am sure it did when I noticed it," replied the boy.
+
+"Then we have come past the pole," was Amos Henderson's opinion. "There
+is only a small spot that is exactly north, and we have passed over it
+during the storm. We must return. I want to descend exactly there and
+make some experiments. Tell Washington to start the engines. We will
+turn the ship around and go back!"
+
+"We may run into the whirlwind again," objected Jack.
+
+"That is so, I did not think of that. However, tell Washington to get
+everything in readiness."
+
+It was no small task to get the engine room into shape after the
+upsetting it had been subjected to, but with the help of the boys and
+the two men Washington succeeded. In about an hour the _Monarch_ was
+ready to be sent up or down, forward or back. Since she had ceased
+falling she had remain at a stationary height, about half a mile above
+the earth.
+
+Meanwhile Professor Henderson was trying to make up his mind what to do.
+He wanted very much to get to the exact north pole, or the spot where
+the imaginary pole was supposed to be. But he hesitated about taking the
+airship back over the course, and run the chance of again encountering
+the whirlwind.
+
+"The more I think of it," he said to Jack and Mark, who had joined him,
+"the more I think that the whirlwind is always there. It did not come
+to us, we ran into it. It may be caused by the magnetic currents at the
+pole eternally revolving. I am afraid to go back within their influence,
+for it might mean death."
+
+"I have a plan," said Jack modestly.
+
+"Let us hear it," came from the professor. "I am at a loss what to do."
+
+"Supposing we let the ship down now," Jack continued, "and walk back
+until we come to the north pole, since it must be near here. We can take
+along the deflecting needle to tell when we reach it, and the whirlwind
+will not do much harm if we are on the ground and afoot."
+
+"Good idea!" exclaimed the professor. "We'll do it. Washington, let the
+gas out and we'll descend!"
+
+In a few minutes a hissing told that the gas was being let out of the
+silk bag. Soon the ship began to sink gently toward the earth, through
+the clouds of snow.
+
+"Let us go outside," suggested Jack. "The wind doesn't blow now, and the
+snow will not hurt us. We will be warm enough in our furs."
+
+Mark voted the suggestion a good one, and the two boys went out on the
+deck. Washington was busy in the engine room, and the professor was in
+the conning tower, so they did not go, but Tom and Bill said they would
+like to get a little fresh air, even if the temperature was far below
+zero, and they joined the lads.
+
+The four stood and gazed in wonder at the strange scene. At first the
+terrible cold cut them as if it was a keen knife. But they soon grew
+used to it, and enjoyed what little of it reached them through the
+opening in their fur caps. The snowflakes covered everything and the
+airship looked more like a craft bedecked from stem to stern with cotton
+batting than anything else. Jack and Mark walked around to the stern.
+Suddenly Mark stumbled over something.
+
+"What's this?" he cried.
+
+Jack hurried to his side. As he did so the bundle gave a heave, and,
+breaking through the snow blanket, there was displayed the calm features
+of Dirola.
+
+"Me sleep!" she announced with a smile.
+
+And that was what she had been doing while the airship was being whirled
+around by the strange force! She had braced herself in a corner, pulled
+her furs about her face, and slumbered, even when the ship turned over.
+So well braced was she that she did not tumble off.
+
+"Well! She's a cool one!" exclaimed Mark.
+
+"I guess you'd be too, if you slept out of doors with the temperature
+about seventy below zero," remarked Jack. "But let's go in and tell the
+professor Dirola is here. He may be worried about her."
+
+The boys started for the cabin. They had not taken five steps before,
+with a sudden lurch, the airship dived like a kite without its tail.
+Then the craft turned completely over!
+
+Jack and Mark with the two helpers and Dirola were thrown from the deck,
+head first, toward the earth! Down and down they fell, uttering
+despairing cries!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+LOST IN THE SNOW
+
+
+Once more the wind blew with hurricane force. On board the _Monarch_
+Washington and Professor Henderson were tossed to the ceiling again.
+Then the ship righted herself.
+
+"De boys! De boys!" cried Washington, suddenly thinking of them. "Dey
+hab falled off!"
+
+"Great Scott! So they have!" exclaimed the inventor. "That is, unless
+they grabbed something as we went over!"
+
+"An de Sesquitomexico woman, too!" cried the colored man, meaning
+Dirola.
+
+"I guess she went with the others," said the professor. "We must take a
+look as soon as it is safe."
+
+Then came a strong gust of wind that hurled the ship forward. When it
+had subsided Washington and the old inventor ventured outside. The boys
+were nowhere to be seen.
+
+"They are lost!" cried Andy, who had crawled to the bow of the ship
+after the captain and Washington.
+
+For a little while longer the airship sailed along easily, the wind no
+more rushing with such force. Then, all at once the craft settled down
+until, with a jerk, it came to rest on a big snow bank.
+
+"We's landed!" exclaimed Washington. "We's hit de ole north pole at
+last. Now I'll see what sort ob a stick it is!"
+
+"We've landed sure enough," remarked the professor, "but I'm afraid we
+are not at the north pole. However, in view of all that has happened, I
+suppose we had better stop here for a while. Some of the machinery is
+wrecked by the overturning of the ship, but I guess we can fix it. I
+only wish I knew where the boys and the two men were."
+
+"Don't forget Dirola," spoke up Andy. "We owe a good deal to her."
+
+It stopped snowing about half an hour after the _Monarch_ had found
+lodgement on the edge of a bank of ice. From the deck and windows of the
+craft nothing could be seen but a big expanse of white. It was a cold,
+lifeless world to which the ship had brought what remained of her crew
+and owner.
+
+The engine room of the _Monarch_ was once more a sorry sight, and
+Washington and the inventor worked like a dozen men in restoring order.
+They soon had things in ship-shape, but one of the motors would require
+considerable repairing before it would run again. However, it was not
+the most important one, and the craft could run without it, though only
+at half speed.
+
+Suddenly, there came from without a chorus of shouts.
+
+"What's that?" cried the professor.
+
+"Sounded like some one calling," ventured Andy.
+
+"It am de boys and Tom and Bill come back to overjoy us," said
+Washington.
+
+The shouts grew louder. Andy glanced from a cabin window.
+
+"The Esquimaux! The Esquimaux!" he exclaimed. "Here they are after us
+again! They'll carry us back to the ice cave and eat us alive this
+time!"
+
+"These are not the same ones!" cried the professor. "We are hundreds of
+miles from the ice cave."
+
+"Then these are the ones the mysterious message was about," said Andy,
+"and we had better be on our guard!"
+
+"Perhaps these are Dirola's friends," ventured Amos Henderson. "If they
+are I wish we had her here to intercede for us."
+
+There came a rattling against the sides of the airship. It sounded like
+a storm of hail.
+
+"They are firing arrows at us!" yelled Andy. "That doesn't look very
+friendly."
+
+"Wait until I go out and speak to them," suggested the professor. "They
+will respect my gray, hairs."
+
+He went outside. The ship was surrounded by hundreds of little men, all
+dressed in thick furs. At the sight of the ship's commander they gave a
+loud yell.
+
+"I wisht I'd neber done come to de north pole!" groaned Washington. He
+grabbed up a rifle and followed Andy outside. At the sight of them the
+Esquimaux set up louder yells, and shot another shower of arrows.
+Fortunately none of the missiles struck the white men.
+
+"Stop firing!" said the professor, raising his hand. "We mean you no
+harm!"
+
+His answer was a wilder burst of yells.
+
+"Fire over their heads! Maybe that will teach them a little respect,"
+spoke Andy.
+
+He and Washington discharged their guns several times in rapid
+succession. With frightened yells the men in furs fell flat on their
+faces.
+
+"We've scared them!" cried Andy.
+
+But he reckoned without his host, for in an instant the Esquimaux had
+leaped to their feet and were rushing toward the ship.
+
+"Here they come!" shouted the hunter. "Shoot to kill, Washington! Look
+out for yourself, Professor!"
+
+"Don't kill them!" yelled Amos Henderson. "They are too many for us, and
+our only hope is to try peaceful means!"
+
+But Washington aimed his rifle straight in the faces of the advancing
+men of the snow country and pulled the trigger rapidly. Half a dozen
+sharp reports rang out, and several Esquimaux fell on the ice, which
+became red with their blood. However, the negro's aim was not good, and
+the wounds were only in arms or legs of the natives.
+
+This served to check their ardor for a while, and the advance was halted
+while the wounded were carried back. But the Esquimaux were only made
+more angry by the resistance. They came on again with wild cries and,
+though Andy, Washington and the professor fought with all their
+strength, clubbing their guns and cracking several of the savages over
+the head, they were finally overpowered.
+
+From one who seemed to be a leader of the natives several sharp orders
+came. The others listened and then, lifting the three prisoners, who
+had been securely bound, they hurried with them from the deck of the
+ship.
+
+"We's ketched agin!" cried Washington. "They'll eat us shuah dis time!
+Land ob Goshen! How I does wish I'd neber come heah!"
+
+There was little time for protest, reflection or anything else. Once the
+Esquimaux had secured their prisoners they lost no time in hastening
+away. The airship did not seem to interest them. Hoisting the three men
+on shoulders, the natives fairly ran along over the ice.
+
+"I wish they'd bring up a sled," said Andy. "It would be easier than
+this style. The breath is 'most jolted out of me."
+
+As if in answer to his desire, the party of Esquimaux soon came upon a
+little camp. There were several ice huts, and a number of sleds, while
+the yelping of scores of dogs could be heard on every side. In a few
+minutes, after a short talk among the natives, the captives were tossed,
+none too gently, all on one big sled, a dog team was hitched fast, and a
+driver started them off across the field of ice.
+
+"Good-bye to de ole _Monarch_!" cried Washington. "No mo' good meals in
+yo'! Landy! Landy! I wisht I had some dynamite to blow dese heathen up!"
+
+"Hush!" cried Andy. "I've got three revolvers in my pockets. I'll slip
+you one if I can get my arms free, but don't fire until I give the word.
+We'll have to save our shots."
+
+"We seem to be having nothing but bad luck," said Professor Henderson.
+"I am afraid it is all up with us this time. Those poor boys, and Bill
+and Tom! I wish I knew what had become of them!"
+
+"Same here!" remarked Andy.
+
+Then the captives became silent, filled with their sad thoughts and
+worry over their predicament. On and on went the sledge over the ice,
+into the unknown. Mile after mile was covered. Then the driver of the
+prisoners, as well as the one in charge of three sleds that followed,
+halted the dogs. All the natives talked rapidly together, pointing this
+way and that.
+
+"They've missed the path!" exclaimed Andy. "We are lost in this land of
+snow!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+MAGNETIC FIRE WORSHIPERS
+
+
+Jack's only thought, when he felt himself falling from the deck of the
+airship to the earth, was that he would strike on a pinnacle of ice and
+be killed. Much the same were the feelings of the others, as they
+admitted later. Jack was half senseless from fright when, seemingly half
+an hour after he tumbled, though in reality it was but a few seconds, he
+stuck head first into a big drift of soft snow.
+
+His mouth, ears, eyes and nose were filled with the fluffy flakes, and
+he nearly choked before he could struggle to an upright position and
+clear a breathing space.
+
+To his astonishment he saw similar struggles going on in several places
+in the snow. First Mark stuck his head out of the drift. Then Bill's
+face appeared, to be followed by Tom's, and next Dirola bobbed up,
+smiling as though it was the biggest joke in the world, and as if
+falling from an airship was an every-day occurrence with her.
+
+"Well, we're alive," remarked Jack, after getting his breath.
+
+"We couldn't have fallen so very far after all," said Mark.
+
+"It seemed like a mighty long ways when I was a-comin'," came from Bill.
+
+"We went fast, an' we stopped pretty suddint!" was Tom's opinion. "Lucky
+we had a sort of feather bed under us. I'd hate to fall right on the
+ice."
+
+"Come down soon!" exclaimed Dirola with a laugh, in which all joined, in
+spite of their sorry plight. It was still snowing and terribly cold.
+They pulled the hoods of their fur coats close about their faces and
+scrambled out on the ice.
+
+"I guess the ship was closer to the earth when we fell than we thought,"
+said Mark.
+
+"I suppose we had better hunt around for the _Monarch_," observed Jack.
+"It can't be a great way off, for Professor Henderson was bringing it
+down and the propeller was not moving."
+
+"Let's start right away," said Mark. "I'm hungry, and the sooner we find
+the ship the better off we'll be. But this snow is every bit as bad as a
+fog."
+
+It was, indeed, and the boys and men could not distinguish each other
+ten feet distant. In spite of this, however, Jack started off in the
+direction he thought the ship might be.
+
+"No go! No go!" called Dirola. "Git lost! Fall in hole! Die! Better stay
+here! Snow stop! Me show you!"
+
+"She means we'll get lost if we wander off," said Jack. "I guess we'd
+better do as she says."
+
+Dirola seemed in good spirits and not a bit discouraged by the storm.
+She walked slowly about, as if looking for something. Then, with a cry,
+she began digging at a certain spot.
+
+"What in the world is she doing?" asked Mark.
+
+"I don't know," said Jack.
+
+"Maybe she's after a rabbit," observed Bill. "I'd like a good hot rabbit
+stew myself."
+
+Dirola's hands, encased in heavy fur gloves, made the snow fly. In a
+little while she held up a, dark mass of what looked like seaweed.
+
+"Eat! Um good!" she exclaimed.
+
+"I guess it's some kind of moss that the people up north eat," remarked
+Tom. "I remember reading something about it once. I suppose we'd better
+tackle it, for we may not get a meal in some time."
+
+Jack, who had been fumbling in the big pocket of his fur coat, gave a
+sudden cry.
+
+"What's the matter; somethin' bit ye?" asked Bill.
+
+"Look here!" cried the boy, and he held up a large tin can.
+
+"What is it; soup?" inquired Mark.
+
+"It's some of those capsule foods from the ship," said Jack, reading the
+label. "I remember I put it in my pocket when I thought the ship was
+going to be wrecked. I felt I might need it. Now it will come in handy."
+
+"But what is it?" insisted Mark.
+
+"It's a combination of chocolate, wheat, malt and preserved milk,"
+replied Jack, looking at the label again, "and it says that one capsule,
+if chewed and swallowed, is as much as an ordinary meal. There are two
+hundred capsules in here, and that will last us for a few days at
+least."
+
+"Not very hearty eatin', 'cordin' to my way of thinkin'," said Bill;
+"but I guess with that and the moss Dirola can dig up we'll get along."
+
+The Esquimaux woman had finished her simple meal. She dug up quite a
+quantity of the moss and laid it on top of a big pile of ice, where she
+could find it again.
+
+"Must build house now," she announced. "Make place for sleep. I show
+you!"
+
+In a little while a large space was scooped out of the snow drift. Many
+hands soon enlarged the cave until it was large enough for all to move
+about inside with comfort.
+
+"Now for dinner!" exclaimed Jack, as he opened the tin.
+
+The meal, though simple, was satisfying, and soon the lost ones felt
+more comfortable.
+
+"It's stopped snowing!" announced Mark, going to the entrance of the
+cave, "and it's much colder. I guess we'll stay here a while."
+
+He returned to his companions. They all went as far to the rear of the
+cave as they could, for the wind came in the wide entrance.
+
+"We must make a winding passage, and then the breeze can't find it's way
+in," suggested Jack. "I think--"
+
+But what he thought he never told, for at that instant the floor of the
+snow cave gave way right under where they were all standing, and the
+whole five of them went slipping, sliding and tumbling down, they knew
+not to where.
+
+For an instant all were so surprised and frightened that they could not
+even cry out. They were plunged into dense blackness.
+
+"What has happened?" Jack cried.
+
+Before any one could answer him, the blackness gave way to a glare of
+light, and the two boys, with Dirola and the men, brought up suddenly
+with a jolt on the floor of a big ice cavern.
+
+It was several hundred feet long, and as many wide, with a roof fifty
+feet above their heads.
+
+The sides were of pure ice, but, strangest of all, was the rosy, golden
+glow that filled the whole place. With wonder in their eyes the
+adventurers gazed at the source of the illumination.
+
+At one end of the cavern was a rude altar. Behind it, and on both sides,
+there arose great streamers of fire, tongues of flame, red, green, blue,
+purple, yellow and glaring white.
+
+Yet the fire did not burn, for there was ice on every side, and the ice
+did not melt. In wonder the crew of the _Monarch_ gazed.
+
+Presently from the other end of the cave there sounded a wild, weird
+song. It was like a chant. Then, before the adventurers could get to
+there feet, there filed into the cavern two score of men, all dressed in
+white fur. At the head of the procession marched two men who were
+veritable giants, compared to those about them. They bore between them,
+on a rude litter, a man, wearing only a fur cloth about his middle.
+
+"What is it?" whispered Jack in awed accents.
+
+"They are fire-worshipers!" exclaimed Mark. "If they see us they'll kill
+us!"
+
+"They must be going to sacrifice that poor man on the altar," spoke
+Jack. "Come, let's see if we can't crawl out of the way."
+
+The head of the procession was now close to the altar, and had passed
+the adventurers, who were off to one side, in about the middle of the
+cavern. Up some ice steps the two giants in white went, bearing their
+victim. The poor fellow gave one loud shriek as he was brought nearer to
+the colored flames.
+
+"Oh! Oh! Oh!" screamed Dirola, sinking down on the floor of the cavern.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+A STRANGE SACRIFICE
+
+
+The natives who had made Professor Henderson, Andy, and Washington
+prisoners seemed at a loss for some little time as to which direction to
+take. They talked among themselves, while the prisoners were much
+alarmed, for if the Esquimaux were lost, and without food, it would mean
+the death of all.
+
+At last, however, the native in charge of the main sled prevailed on the
+others, and they proceeded, turning off to the left.
+
+The sleds, including that on which the prisoners were, bumped along over
+the ice, the dogs pulling the rude vehicles along swiftly. It was about
+an hour later that another halt was made. This time it did not seem to
+be because the way was lost, for the natives showed no signs of alarm.
+Instead, they were laughing and talking. In a little while the small
+advance party was joined by a larger body of Esquimaux, who had been at
+the attack on the airship, but who had taken a different route.
+
+Then the whole crowd started forward again. Half an hour's travel
+brought another halt, this time a final one, for when the professor and
+his companions glanced around them they found they were in the midst of
+a native village of ice huts.
+
+"Golly! We's somewhere, anyhow," spoke Washington; "but I can't say I
+thinks much ob dis place. It's too lonesome."
+
+"Better be here than out on the ice field," spoke up the professor. "The
+Esquimaux have little stone stoves in which they burn oil, and their
+huts are quite warm inside."
+
+In a few minutes the captives had a chance to test this statement. They
+were unbound and carried from the sled to one of the larger huts. As is
+usual in the far northern regions, each hut was made of blocks of ice
+laid one on the other, forming a semicircular house, with a round dome.
+
+The door or entrance was so small that the only way to get in was to
+crawl. There was no door to keep the cold out, but the passage was made
+a winding one, or there were two huts, one built over the other, so that
+the openings did not come opposite, and this served to keep out the
+wind.
+
+Arriving at the doorway, the Esquimaux set their prisoners down in front
+of the house, and signed to them to crawl in. The professor went first,
+followed by Andy and Washington. Inside they found the place to be warm
+from the flame of a crude stove. This consisted of a hollowed out stone,
+filled with seal oil, the wick being made of moss. The stove, or lamp,
+for it served both purposes, smoked very much.
+
+There were several natives squatting down inside the hut, but they did
+not seem surprised when the three prisoners entered. Others of the
+Esquimaux crowded into the ice house, until it was uncomfortably filled.
+Then a native who seemed to be a leader began a long talk to the others.
+
+Judging from his gestures he was telling about the fight at the airship
+and the capture of the captives. At times he would be interrupted by
+those who wanted to question him.
+
+At length the recital was done. All the Esquimaux, save about half a
+dozen, crawled out of the hut. One of those who remained placed an
+earthen pot over the flame of the stove, and soon a delicious smell
+filled the air. Evidently something good was being cooked.
+
+"It's chicken pot-pie," said Washington. "How I does love chicken!"
+
+Presently one of the natives removed the pot from the stove and set it
+in front of the captives. The contents were steaming hot, and seemed to
+be some sort of meat stew, made with chunks of flesh, gravy and moss.
+
+"How are we going to eat, without knives, forks or spoons?" asked Andy.
+
+He soon found out. The natives who had remained in the hut drew up to
+the pot. They dipped their bare hands in, drew out pieces of meat and
+wads of the moss, and ate without ceremony.
+
+"Fingers were made before forks," quoted the professor. "We'll have to
+eat as the old cave-dwellers did. Well, I'm hungry enough not to stand
+on politeness."
+
+He reached in the vessel and got some meat. It was hot, but he did not
+mind that, and ate it with a relish. Andy and Washington followed his
+example, and soon the travelers from the _Monarch_ and the Esquimaux
+were eating together as if they had been friends all their lives.
+
+When the rude meal had ended, the prisoners felt much better. They were
+warm, their hunger was appeased, and, in spite of their many worries
+over the loss of the airship and their companions, they were so tired
+out that they felt very sleepy. Soon the professor's head nodded over,
+shortly Andy was snoring and in a little while Washington too slumbered.
+
+They did not know how long they had slept, but they were suddenly and
+rudely awakened by being shaken. Opening their eyes, they saw the hut
+was filled with Esquimaux, all clothed in suits of spotless white fur.
+
+"These must all be chiefs," remarked the professor.
+
+With quick motions the natives bound their captives again, with stout
+thongs. Then, like so many logs of wood, they were pulled out of the hut
+on their backs, a native outside hauling on one end of the skin ropes.
+
+There was no telling what hour it was, for the sun shone as brightly as
+it had been doing for days past. Once more the three men were tossed on
+sleds, and the dogs, driven by the Esquimaux, hauled them off. But it
+was not a far journey this time. In about fifteen minutes the sleds came
+to a stop, the prisoners were lifted off, and carried, as they could
+see, toward a large opening in a hill of ice and snow.
+
+As soon as they had passed from the sunlight to darkness, the captives
+knew they were in a sort of cave. The blackness was intense, but in a
+short time there was a faint glow observed ahead, caused by a number of
+the stone lamps burning.
+
+At that point were gathered several more of the Esquimaux, all attired
+in white furs. There was some excitement when the prisoners were brought
+in, and all crowded around to see them.
+
+Then began what seemed a discussion among the natives. They talked loud
+and long. Finally from some other part of the cave two tall men, dressed
+as the others were, in white, came in. They seemed to be in authority,
+for when they had spoken all the others were silent.
+
+While the captives waited in anxiety for what would happen next, the
+whole cave was illuminated with a wonderful light. It was rosy red at
+first, then changed to a golden hue, then to green, yellow, blue and
+purple. The captives could not see where the fire came from, but they
+gazed at the light in mingled fear and admiration.
+
+"It is the northern light; the aurora borealis!" exclaimed the
+professor. "It is the most beautiful light in the world."
+
+"What makes it?" asked Andy.
+
+"Electricity, magnetism, the sun and the intense cold; no one knows
+exactly what produces it," replied Amos Henderson. "It is quite likely
+that there is some opening to this cave, and the sun shines in it, or
+the lights may be reflected from outside by reason, of the ice, which
+acts as a mirror."
+
+"It's pretty," observed Andy, "but all the same I'd rather--"
+
+He got no further for the two giant-sized natives advanced quickly
+toward them. One roughly seized Professor Henderson, and, with the help
+of his companion, began stripping off his clothes. Andy started forward
+to aid the captain, but the other natives held him back. Washington,
+too, was restrained by several hands.
+
+In a few minutes the professor was stripped, except for a piece of fur
+about his middle. Then a rude litter was brought in. The two big
+natives, after pouring some oil over the old man, placed their victim on
+the stretcher, and then began a march up the cave. Washington and Andy
+were forced to walk directly behind the inventor, and were surrounded by
+natives on every side. The poor professor soon became half insensible
+from the cold.
+
+"This is terrible!" groaned Andy.
+
+"Dey is goin' to slaughter him!" wailed Washington. "He'll be sacrificed
+and burned up! See, de altar ob de sacrifice am just ahead. Oh! I wisht
+we wuz all dead!"
+
+"We're likely to be, soon enough," muttered Andy. "But keep up your
+courage!"
+
+At that instant the head of the procession was close to the ice altar.
+Behind it the mysterious lights played and flickered in streamers of
+red, green and gold. Up the steps went the two gigantic men, carrying
+the professor. They were about to sacrifice him in a horrible way!
+
+"Oh! Oh! Oh!" screamed a woman's voice. At the sound of it Andy started.
+
+"That was Dirola!" exclaimed the old hunter. "How did she get here?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+SAVED BY DIROLA
+
+
+Instantly the ice cavern was a scene of great uproar and confusion. The
+procession broke up as soon as Dirola cried out and the intruders at the
+sacrifice were observed. All, save those carrying the victim and those
+guarding Andy and Washington, rushed with their long bone knives at Jack
+and Mark and the two helpers from the airship.
+
+"There are the boys!" cried Andy, trying to break away from those who
+held him.
+
+"An' Tom an' Bill is there likewise!" exclaimed Washington, who had
+caught a glimpse of the two helpers. "De heathen am goin' to kill 'um!"
+
+"We're here, Jack!" sung out the hunter. "Make the best fight you can,
+for we are in terrible hands. The poor professor is done for, I guess,
+and we'll soon be, too!"
+
+His voice rang out high above the shouts and yells of the natives, who
+were now in a dense circle about the two boys and their companions.
+
+"We haven't anything to fight with!" called back Mark.
+
+"Well, I have!" yelled Andy.
+
+With a quick motion he snatched his arms from the encircling ones of his
+captors. His fists went back. There were two quick, sharp blows, and two
+of the Esquimaux who were guarding the old hunter toppled backward.
+
+With suddenness that was startling Andy drew a brace of revolvers from
+his inner pockets. He leveled them at the mass of white figures in front
+of him, on whose fierce faces the colored lights gleamed and flickered.
+
+Andy's fingers trembled on the triggers. He was about to fire.
+
+"Lay low, boys!" he called to the _Monarch's_ crew. "I'll get rid of a
+few of these savages before I go!"
+
+"No shoot! No shoot!" screamed Dirola.
+
+She darted from her place, broke through the circle of natives, and
+rushed up to where Andy stood with leveled weapons.
+
+"No shoot! Me save!" she cried.
+
+She was all but too late. Andy's fingers had crooked on the triggers,
+but Dirola pushed his arms upward, and when the two reports rang out the
+bullets struck the icy roof of the cavern.
+
+In the confined space the shots sounded almost like thunder. A silence
+that was startling in its suddenness fell as the echoes of the reports
+died away. Dirola ran toward the altar. She grasped the arms of the two
+big Esquimaux, who had taken Professor Henderson from the litter with
+the intention of sacrificing the old inventor.
+
+She cried out one word in a strange tongue.
+
+The men stopped as though she had struck them. Then, with a dramatic
+gesture, she mounted to the top step of the altar.
+
+A chorus of cries greeted her. She seemed to pay no heed. Silent and
+straight she stood there on the steps of ice, her figure in dark relief
+against the background of flickering lights.
+
+The next instant Dirola, with a motion so quick the eye could scarcely
+follow, slipped off her suit of black fur, and stood revealed in dress
+of white fur, the exact counterpart of that worn by all the others in
+the cave.
+
+A low murmur of astonishment ran around the vast cavern. Then, as if by
+common impulse, every one kneeled down, Dirola alone of all the
+Esquimaux remaining upright. The cave dwellers were bowing down to one
+they either feared or loved.
+
+Then Dirola spoke. At first her words were slow. Gradually she talked
+faster, until she was speaking a very torrent of sounds. She pointed,
+first to the insensible body of the old inventor at her feet, next to
+the group of white men and boys, and then to Andy and Washington. She
+gave some command, evidently, for no sooner had she ceased than those
+who had attacked Mark, Jack and the two farmers drew back, and left them
+free.
+
+At the same time, those surrounding Andy and the negro withdrew. Then
+some warm furs were thrown over the cold body of the professor and he
+was borne gently away.
+
+Dirola glided to where Andy stood, not knowing what to make of it all.
+
+"No be feared now," she said. "They take ole man way an' warm him an'
+feed him. He be all right. So you be all right, an' boys an' oder mans.
+No be feared now. Them do what I tell 'um!" and she motioned to the
+natives, who had risen to their feet as soon as she left the ice altar.
+
+"How in the world did you do it?" asked the old hunter.
+
+"Me chief one--what you call 'um--queen here. Long time go. Me be take
+prisoner when you found me. Me come back. Me glad. No let Ingliss mans
+an' boys be hurt, nor 'um black man too. Me save. Me be queen agin!"
+
+"How does that strike you?" went on Andy, to Mark and Jack, who had
+joined him. "The luckiest thing we ever did was to pick up Dirola."
+
+"To think we should land right among her own people, too!" spoke up
+Jack. "It's just like a fairy story."
+
+"But where in the world did you come from?" asked Andy. "We thought you
+were all killed by falling from the ship."
+
+"Not a bit," replied Jack, and he told the old hunter what had happened
+to himself, Mark and the others. In turn Andy related his experiences.
+
+"If only the poor professor comes around all right we'll be in pretty
+good shape," finished the old man. "But I'm afraid he's frozen. I wonder
+what they were going to do with him."
+
+"Put him in big hole, where all ice," broke in Dirola. "That what we do
+when the lights shine. But we no hurt any you now. You all safe. Me
+save!"
+
+"I guess that was their intention," muttered Andy. "They were going to
+sacrifice him to the Goddess of Ice, I suppose. Well, well, we certainly
+are having plenty of experiences."
+
+Many of the natives had now left the cave. Dirola gave an order to one
+of the big Esquimaux who had remained, and he went off on the run.
+
+"We eat now," the woman remarked. "Me plenty hungry too, Professor
+come back an' eat wid you."
+
+In a few minutes Professor Henderson, warmly clad, was brought in,
+leaning on the shoulder of the big man who, a little while before, had
+been about to sacrifice him. The old inventor was weak, but had suffered
+no serious harm. His body had been coated with thick oil before the
+proposed sacrifice, as part of the ceremony, and this had served, in a
+large measure, to keep the cold out.
+
+He was warmly greeted by his friends, and then they all squatted down on
+the ice, while in a few minutes a big earthen pot of hot stew was
+brought in. Dirola ate with them, dipping her fingers in with the
+others.
+
+"It's the first time I ever ate with a queen," said Jack with a smile.
+
+"Me sure queen," said the woman with a laugh. "Me tell you 'bout it."
+
+Whereupon she related how she was of the royal house, and had, on the
+death of her father, ascended to the throne. Then came the visit of the
+white men, including Andre, whose strange message the adventurers had
+found. He was driven, with his companions, from the land. Then the
+Esquimaux of Dirola's tribe had been attacked by others living farther
+south. A great battle had been fought and the queen and others were
+taken prisoners. Dirola had been held captive until the advent of the
+_Monarch_.
+
+She did not know how close she was to her own people and the big
+sacrificial cave, until she fell into it with the boys and farmers. Then
+the procession came in and Dirola recognized Professor Henderson as the
+victim. She at once resolved to declare herself, and did so, showing
+that beneath the black fur she wore the white robes that none but
+members of the royal household could don.
+
+The woman also explained how the big cave was used for religious
+services by her people, who worshiped the northern lights, or magnetic
+fire that never burned, and she told how they sacrificed to it at times.
+
+"Well, I hope they don't sacrifice any of us," said the professor. "I
+was as near death as I ever care to go. I wonder what has become of my
+airship. If we--"
+
+"What's that?" cried Jack, starting up.
+
+"Listen!" came from another.
+
+Far off in the cave sounded a strange, wild, weird chant. Then came the
+tramp of many feet. A little later a great concourse of people came
+rushing into the cave, led by a score of the white-robed men.
+
+"They're coming back after us!" cried Andy. "Here, take a revolver,
+Professor, and defend yourself!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+ADRIFT ON THE ICE
+
+
+"No shoot! Me save!" exclaimed Dirola, springing in front of Andy. "You
+trust me!"
+
+On came the crowd, plainly visible because of the magnetic fire. It came
+to a halt a short distance in front of the adventurers, while from the
+ranks of the white-robed ones stepped forth a native. He spoke rapidly
+to Dirola, who answered him in fierce tones.
+
+For several minutes the conversation was kept up. At length Dirola
+appeared to gain her point, for the crowd withdrew and once more the
+captives were alone with their Esquimaux friend.
+
+"What did they want?" asked Andy.
+
+"Some people no believe me queen," explained the newly-discovered ruler.
+"They come in an' be mad. Then some no satisfy. They want have
+sacrifice. I tell 'um no sacrifice of 'um white men what save my life. I
+save 'um for they bring me back. People no like, but must do. Me queen!"
+and she drew herself up proudly. "Them must do what Dirola say!"
+
+"They may this time," muttered Andy, "but the next time they may not. I
+think this isn't a very healthy place for us, Professor."
+
+"I would only be too glad to get away, and back to my ship," said the
+inventor. "I am satisfied I have reached and passed the north pole. I
+would be glad to go back home again."
+
+"Me take care you," spoke Dirola. "Wait few days. See! You come, me hide
+you."
+
+She looked carefully around. There was no one in sight save the party
+from the _Monarch_. Then, proceeding with caution, Dirola led the way up
+to and behind the big altar of ice. The mysterious fires behind it had
+died out somewhat, and once in the rear of the steps the captives could
+see a long icy shaft, leading down deep into the earth. There was also
+an opening in the roof of the cavern, down which the sunlight and
+magnetic currents came.
+
+"Go easy so no fall," cautioned Dirola. "If fall down hole never git
+up!"
+
+The prisoners needed no bidding to warn them to be wary of the cruel
+looking shaft, and they gave it a wide berth. Dirola led the way past it
+to a small chamber or room, hewn out of the ice to the left and rear of
+the altar.
+
+"You stay here," she said. "They no find you here. This great
+place--what you call holy place. Here all white robes stay," and she
+showed where were piled many of the garments of white fur. The place was
+evidently a storehouse for the ceremonial robes.
+
+"Me go now an' come back," spoke Dirola. "Me try find ship. You keep
+quiet!"
+
+She glided away, almost like a ghost in the semi-darkness, through which
+her white furs showed plainly. Left to themselves, the captives were in
+no easy frame of mind. They did not know what would happen next, whether
+they could depend on Dirola or whether the mob would come after them to
+offer all of them up as sacrifices to the Goddess of Ice.
+
+"What puzzles me," said Andy, "is how we both happened to fetch up in
+the same cave. You boys, with Bill, Tom and Dirola, land in one place on
+the ice and fall into this cave. We in the ship continue on for some
+distance, are brought a good ways on sleds and yet here we are with
+you."
+
+"The ship might have been blown backward instead of forward after the
+boys fell off," suggested the professor. "That would explain it. The
+Esquimaux were traveling to this cave with us, and simply brought us
+from where the ship had been blown, up to where the boys landed."
+
+"I guess that must be it," admitted Andy; "but listen! some one is
+coming."
+
+Footsteps were heard approaching. In a few seconds Dirola entered the
+ice chamber.
+
+"I fix it!" she exclaimed. "You must all go 'way quick. The people want
+kill you, but me save. Listen. You climb up the slide me an' boys come
+down. Me bring sharp bones," and she brought out from under her jacket
+several sharp bone picks. "Make um steps in ice; climb up. Go in little
+cave, where boys know. There man wait for you wid sled an' dogs. He take
+you to airship. But hurry, hurry! People be after you soon when find you
+gone. Me keep 'um back long what I can, but not for very long, so you go
+fast."
+
+"We must lose no time," said the professor. "This may be our last
+chance. How can we thank you, Dirola?"
+
+"Never mind talk, go!" exclaimed the Esquimaux queen. "Must hurry!"
+
+The captives were anxious enough to escape. Led by Dirola they went out
+into the main cavern. It was quite dark, as the sun had moved around so
+it no longer shone in the opening, and the mysterious lights had died
+away. They were soon at the bottom of the slope by means of which the
+boys and the helpers had fallen into the ice cave.
+
+"Now climb up!" Dirola commanded. "Me give people big feast 'cause I
+back again. They eat an' no think of you for long time, but they chase
+when they find out. Hurry! Hurry!"
+
+It was no easy task for the prisoners to make their way up the icy
+slope. Each one was given a pair of short sharp-pointed heavy bones.
+With these in their hands, using them much as a seal does his tusks,
+they managed to scramble up the slippery incline. Soon they found
+themselves able to enter the cave the boys, Bill, Tom and Dirola had
+made, through the opening from which they had tumbled.
+
+"Good-bye," called Dirola to them, as they passed out of her sight.
+
+"Good-bye," all called back softly, from the roof of the cavern. It was
+the last they were to see of their kind friend.
+
+Outside of the little cave they found a native waiting with a large
+sled, to which twenty dogs were hitched. The Esquimaux seemed to be
+watching for them, for he made a sign that they were to get on a sled.
+No time was lost. Dirola had evidently made her plans well and in haste.
+The dog driver looked to see that his charges were safe, and then
+cracked his long whip.
+
+Off went the sled at a swift pace, the animals tugging at their
+harness. Not a native was in sight save the one driving the sled. They
+were all probably at the feast Dirola had prepared in celebration of her
+home-coming.
+
+"This is the first sled ride we've had when we were not tied on like so
+much cordwood," observed Andy. "Now we have a chance to observe the
+scenery."
+
+Faster and faster went the sled. It was a calm clear cold day--or it
+might have been night as far as time went, but the sun shone from a blue
+sky. It was very cold, and the heavy furs made the adventurers none too
+warm.
+
+Suddenly, as the party sped on, there came a loud explosion. It was like
+a great cannon being fired.
+
+"What was that?" exclaimed Andy, starting in alarm.
+
+With a cry of fear the dog driver pointed behind him.
+
+Looking over their shoulders, the escaping ones saw a great crack in the
+ice field. In it showed the black waters of the ocean. Ahead appeared an
+ever-widening black line, and on either side it was the same.
+
+A large part of the ice field had become detached and was floating out
+to sea. Though they did not know it, the adventurers had driven over
+the water and away from the land.
+
+"We are adrift on the ice!" cried Andy. "We only escaped from one danger
+to fall into another!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+FIGHTING WILD DOGS
+
+
+For a moment the realization of their horrible position struck all dumb.
+Adrift on the great polar sea, they might freeze to death before they
+again got near to the main land. The dogs continued to run on,
+approaching nearer the ever-widening crack in front. The driver seemed
+to suddenly awaken to the danger.
+
+With a series of sharp commands he brought the team to a halt. Then,
+signing to the adventurers to get off the sled, he turned it over on the
+side.
+
+Next he unhitched the dogs, and fastened them by their thongs to his
+whip handle, which he stuck in a crack in the ice. The beasts were thus
+secured at some distance from the sled.
+
+This done, the Esquimaux took the fur robes that had been on the sleigh,
+and, spreading them over the frame of the vehicle, made a low but fairly
+large and comfortable tent. He motioned for the men and boys to crawl
+inside, which they were glad enough to do, to escape the bitter wind.
+Then the native sat down in the low doorway of the shelter and seemed
+willing to wait for whatever turned up.
+
+"It doesn't seem to worry him much," observed Andy.
+
+"He certainly has made us comfortable," said Jack. "I wonder what we are
+going to do?"
+
+"Wait and see what turns up," advised the professor. "We are on a large
+ice floe. It may float for many days, and, after a while, strike the
+main ice again. When it does we will escape."
+
+"Yes, an' what am we goin' to eat in dat time?" demanded Washington.
+
+With a triumphant gesture Jack pulled from his pocket a tin can. It
+contained the patent condensed food capsules.
+
+"Hurrah!" cried the professor on seeing it. "This will keep us from
+starving for many days!"
+
+"Lucky I didn't lose this after all I've been through," said Jack.
+
+The meagre rations were distributed, the Esquimaux driver coming in for
+his share. The patent food, though a small quantity sufficed for a meal,
+was fairly satisfying, and soon all felt better. It was quite warm under
+the little tent, and the adventurers stretched out for a rest.
+
+They had been dozing several hours when a series of wild yelps and
+barks outside roused them. With an exclamation the driver jumped to his
+feet and rushed toward where he had tied the dogs.
+
+The professor and the others crawled from the tent to see what the
+trouble was. They saw that which filled them with fear.
+
+The Esquimaux dogs, never any too tame, had gone half mad and wild from
+fear at seeing the water all around them, and from lack of food. They
+were fighting among themselves, snarling, biting and barking viciously.
+
+Just before the driver reached them they broke loose from the thongs
+that held them, and started for the tent. The Esquimaux tried to stop
+them, but two of the savage brutes sprang at him and soon had him down
+on the ice. The other dogs rushed on toward the group of adventurers,
+who stood still, awaiting the onslaught, and not knowing what to do.
+
+"We must defend ourselves!" cried Andy. "Those beasts will tear us
+apart! They are as savage as wolves! Oh, for my rifle!"
+
+"Haven't you a revolver?" cried Jack.
+
+"Of course! I forgot," said Andy, bringing out his two weapons.
+"Washington has one, too! Hurry up with it, Washington!"
+
+"I'll give mine to Jack!" yelled the negro, handing the boy the weapon,
+and then, taking to his heels, ran away from the on-coming brutes.
+
+The animals were now fifty feet off and advancing rapidly. Their eyes
+flashed with the mad rage of hunger and fear, while foam dripped from
+their jaws.
+
+Taking careful aim, Andy fired both revolvers at the pack of animals.
+They were so close together he could not help hitting some. Two fell,
+killed or badly wounded.
+
+Jack also fired and dropped one dog. But the others came on, never
+halting.
+
+"Fire as fast as you can!" cried Andy. "It is our only chance! We must
+stop them!"
+
+The old hunter and Jack pulled the triggers of their weapons rapidly.
+Spurts of flame and small clouds of smoke issued from the muzzles, and
+several more of the dogs were killed.
+
+There were at least a dozen dogs left when the revolver chambers were
+empty, and with wild bounds they leaped upon the adventurers. The
+yelping and barking sounded loud above the hoarse shouts of the men and
+boys, who, with their fists, prepared to fight the wild dogs.
+
+"Hit 'em with chunks of ice!" called Andy.
+
+His advice came just in time. Each one grabbed up a chunk of the frozen
+water. It was as hard as a stone. One big brute leaped for the
+professor's throat. In his weakened condition, caused by his exposure in
+the ice chamber, it seemed as if the old inventor would be killed.
+
+Suddenly a white object flew through the air. It struck the dog on the
+head, and the brute, with a howl, fell back. Jack had launched his chunk
+of ice just in time.
+
+"Good shot!" cried Andy.
+
+He hit another of the brutes over the skull with some of the frozen
+stuff, and Washington, whose courage had returned, did likewise. Tom and
+Bill disabled the two dogs nearest them.
+
+Mark aimed at once fierce beast, but missed his shot, and, slipping on
+the ice, fell right in the animal's path. In an instant the brute was
+upon him.
+
+"Lie on your back and cover your head with your arms!" shouted Andy, as
+he ran toward the animal. Mark did as he was told. The dog endeavored to
+bite him, but the stout furs on his back prevented much damage being
+done. Then, having secured a large chunk of ice, Andy ran up behind the
+beast and stretched it out with a well-directed blow. Mark was saved,
+and scrambled to his feet uninjured.
+
+Suddenly there sounded a series of sharp reports as if a rifle was
+being discharged. The refugees looked up, expecting to see some armed
+force coming to their aid. Instead, they beheld the Esquimaux driver
+approaching on the run. He was swinging his long-lashed whip, which he
+had secured from the crack in the ice where he had stuck it, and was
+snapping it vigorously.
+
+At the same time he called in his native language to the dogs to lie
+down. The brutes heard the cracking of the cruel thong, whose force they
+knew but too well, and they recognized their master's voice. On came the
+Esquimaux, until, reaching the pack of dogs, he laid about among them
+with good will, the blows of the whip bringing blood.
+
+Sticking their tails between their legs, the remaining dogs ran away
+with frightened yelps. The driver had come in the nick of time.
+
+"That was quite a fright!" panted Andy, when the excitement was at an
+end. "My, but those were fierce brutes!"
+
+While the dogs that were left alive among the pack, including several
+wounded ones, withdrew to a far end of the ice floe, the adventurers
+crawled back under the tent for a much-needed rest. The Esquimaux, with
+a silence worthy of an American Indian, took up his position in the
+small doorway.
+
+It was growing much colder, and the big chunk of ice that served the
+refugees as a raft was moving quite rapidly over a choppy sea.
+
+It was several hours later that the Esquimaux with a loud cry attracted
+all the others to the tent opening. He pointed ahead.
+
+"I believe we're drifting back to shore!" shouted Andy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+BACK TO THE SHIP
+
+
+With anxious eyes the adventurers crawled out on the floe and gazed
+ahead. Across the black stretch of water could be seen a dim whiteness.
+It looked like the main ice pack, but they realized that it might be
+only another floe or berg. The current was setting strong in the
+direction of it.
+
+"We will soon learn our fate," said the professor. "We should be up to
+it in an hour."
+
+In less time than that they were near enough to the white mass to tell
+that it was no floe or berg, but the main field of ice, part of that
+from which they had been separated.
+
+"I don't know as we'll be much better off when we get there," said Andy.
+"There are not dogs enough left to draw the sled, and if we have to walk
+back to where the airship is, providing this Esquimaux can find it,
+we'll freeze."
+
+"Let us wait until we get to shore before we begin to find new trouble,"
+counseled the professor.
+
+In a little while the floating floe bumped up against the main ice
+field with a grinding and crashing. No sooner had it touched than the
+dogs scampered off, and were soon lost to sight. The Esquimaux did not
+seem to worry much over their disappearance. He coolly righted the sled,
+having first demolished the temporary tent, and proceeded, unaided, to
+haul the vehicle ashore.
+
+"Give him a hand, Washington," said the professor. "He is our friend,
+and rendered us good service. We must help him."
+
+Then, while Washington and the native dragged the sled, the others
+followed afoot, and in a short time were safe on the main ice.
+
+"Now, the question is," said the inventor, "can our guide take us to the
+ship?"
+
+But the Esquimaux guide seemed to be in no dilemma. He gave one look
+about, after reaching the main shore, and then, with Washington helping
+him pull the sled, started off across the ice.
+
+It was no easy path for the adventurers to follow. There were little
+hills and hollows, many rough and few smooth places. Their feet were
+weary before they had gone two miles. But the native did not seem to
+tire.
+
+"I declare to goodness I'se dat kerflusteredcated dat I can't
+extradition myself forward in dis line ob progression de leastest moment
+longer!" exclaimed Washington at length, coming to a halt. "I'se
+prognosticated in de lower extremities!"
+
+"I suppose he means he's too tired to go any further and his legs ache,"
+translated Professor Henderson. "Well, he takes a lot of words, but I
+guess his condition is about like that of all of us. I'm tired too."
+
+One after another all admitted that they felt the need of rest. At the
+professor's direction they came to a halt under the shelter of an ice
+hill, that kept off some of the wind. Here they made some sort of a meal
+of the condensed food.
+
+This served to render their fatigue a little less, and, after an hour's
+rest, they started off again. There did not seem to be much need of
+dragging along the sled, which was useless without dogs to pull it, but
+the vehicles are scarce and hard to make, so, doubtless, the Esquimaux
+did not want to desert his property.
+
+Mile after mile the refugees traversed. It was hard work and walking
+over the humpy ice was quite different from anything the adventurers
+were used to, and their feet ached very much. But they knew their only
+safety was in keeping on.
+
+The cold was terrible. They had no instruments for telling how low the
+mercury might be, but the professor ventured a guess that it was at
+seventy degrees below zero. The wind, too, sprang up, and adding to the
+unpleasant situation the sky was overcast with heavy clouds that
+threatened a snow storm.
+
+That would mean a calamity which might bring to an untimely end the
+brave men and boys who had dared so much in the search for the north
+pole. A blinding fall of the white flakes would result in the guide
+losing his way, and they might all perish. So they hurried on, anxious
+to get to the _Monarch_, if they were lucky enough to find her.
+
+There was no use asking the guide any questions or trying to learn how
+much farther they had to go. Professor Henderson tried to learn from him
+if the journey would last much longer, but the Esquimaux only shook his
+head, pointed in advance, and uttered but one word:
+
+"Ship!"
+
+They kept on for several hours more. Their pace was slow, for all of the
+adventurers, men and boys, were foot-sore and weary. The guide, however,
+did not seem to mind it. Tom and Bill took turns relieving Washington at
+helping pull the sled.
+
+At last the party came to a long hill of ice. It was the hardest kind of
+going to climb to the top, but the Esquimaux inspired hope in all their
+hearts by showing signs of excitement, while he exclaimed rapidly:
+
+"Ship! Ship! Ship!"
+
+Up the long slope they toiled, almost ready to drop at every step.
+Finally they gained the top. The guide was in the lead. As he got to the
+summit he pointed down and gave a joyful cry.
+
+Andy, weary as he was, hurried to his side. He gazed long and
+steadfastly in the direction the Esquimaux pointed.
+
+"It's the _Monarch_ sure enough!" cried the old hunter. "I can make out
+the yellow gas bag against the snow bank! Hurrah!"
+
+"Hurrah! Hurrah!" yelled Jack, Mark, Bill, Washington and Tom. Even
+Professor Henderson joined in, and the Esquimaux added his voice in a
+queer sort of native cheer that made all of the others smile.
+
+"Now if we could only fly to her we'd be all right," exclaimed Mark.
+
+The guide was busy overhauling the sled. He tightened some of the
+retaining thongs that had become loosened, and then, with guttural
+cries, he pointed to the vehicle, to the different members of the party
+and to the long slope that lay before them, and which led down almost to
+the abandoned airship.
+
+"I believe he means for us to coast down the hill on the sled!" cried
+Andy. "That's a good scheme. It will beat walking all to pieces!"
+
+Down, down, down the adventurers went, like an arrow shot from a stout
+bow. The bone runners of the sled glided over the frozen surface, which
+was as slippery as glass.
+
+The speed was very swift and the wind caused by the rapid passage cut in
+their faces so that all had to pull their fur hoods over their heads.
+The ice, scraped up by the runners, flew in a shower on either side.
+
+The Esquimaux skillfully steered the sled. He avoided several hollows
+and gullies that would have brought disaster, and kept the vehicle on a
+proper course. In less than five minutes from the start at the top of
+the hill they were at the bottom, more than a mile's distance, and
+within a quarter of a mile of the airship.
+
+Joy at the discovery of the _Monarch_ lent strength to travel-weary
+legs. The refugees hastened on, and soon were at the place where the
+craft had settled on a bank of ice and snow.
+
+"Back to the _Monarch_!" shouted Andy. "I hope the ship is in working
+order!"
+
+Indeed this might well be a source of worry. One glance served to show
+that the airship was frozen fast in the ice, while the gas bag, which
+had collapsed, and was resting on top of the deck-house, was partially
+covered with snow!
+
+As weak as they were the boys set up a cheer and the men joined in, the
+sound echoing for a long distance around.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+ATTACKED BY THE NATIVES
+
+
+"We must clear away the snow and ice!" said Professor Henderson. "Come,
+boys, we must work quickly. We have no time to lose! Remember what
+Dirola said about the natives following us!"
+
+Now that he was back at his craft the inventor seemed to have recovered
+all of his energies.
+
+"Washington and I will see to the machinery, and get the bag inflated,"
+he continued. "The rest begin to dig out the ship from below."
+
+Fortunately the professor had foreseen the need of shovels on his
+northern journey and had a supply in the ship. They were quickly brought
+out. The snow was soon cleared from the silk bag, it being rather light.
+Then, while the professor and the negro went to the engine room to start
+the various apparatus, the others began chipping away the ice that held
+the main body of the Monarch in a tight grip.
+
+Inside the airship matters were in bad shape. The intense cold had
+contracted all the metal and made it very brittle. Care had to be
+exercised in handling every piece of apparatus. There was no heat in the
+ship, and it was almost as cold as outside.
+
+However, the gas generating machine was set in operation by a current
+from the storage battery. Some of the gas was turned into the heating
+stoves, which were constructed to burn it, and this made heat which soon
+enabled the professor to work on the motors and dynamos. In a little
+while the gas began filling the bag, which slowly distended.
+
+"Hurrah!" yelled Jack, seeing that the _Monarch_ was beginning to look
+like herself again. He and the others were working hard at the ice,
+which did not seem to want to let the ship go.
+
+The inventor went about testing each separate piece of apparatus. He
+found that, with a little tinkering, all the machinery would work well.
+Meanwhile the gas continued to fill the bag, until it was tugging at the
+net and cords that fastened it to the airship. But all the lifting power
+that could be produced from the machine would not elevate the _Monarch_
+while it was held fast in the ice.
+
+However, the forces attacking the frozen crystals worked to good
+advantage. In the midst of their labors Washington brought out some hot
+coffee, which was received with cheers. It was the first white man's
+food, except the patent capsules, they had tasted since leaving the
+ship.
+
+At last, after several hours' hard digging, the body of the ship was all
+but free. A few more blows would sever the last connecting grapple of
+ice.
+
+Suddenly Jack, who happened to glance up, gave a loud cry. All the
+others stopped their digging.
+
+"Here come the Esquimaux!" yelled the boy. "I just saw them around that
+big iceberg!"
+
+This was alarming news. Old Andy dropped his shovel and scrambled over
+the side of the ship.
+
+"What's de matter? Am yo' skeered?" asked Washington.
+
+"Not a bit of it!" cried Andy. "I want to get a gun and give those
+fellows something to remember me by!"
+
+"Never mind them!" shouted the professor. "Get the ship free and we need
+not stay to fight them. We are almost ready to start!"
+
+But Andy was bound to have a shot at the savages, and he grabbed up his
+rifle, which was fully loaded, and came out on the deck.
+
+The natives came on with a rush. There were about two hundred of them,
+and they had arrived on several big sleds. The Esquimaux who had
+piloted the adventurers back to their ship had disappeared, for he knew
+he would be killed as a traitor if his tribesmen caught him.
+
+"Come on!" cried Bill to Tom and the boys. "Let's get aboard. We'll be
+killed!"
+
+"You can go!" shouted Jack. "I'm going to stay down here and free the
+ship from ice. That's the only thing to do."
+
+"I'll stay with you!" exclaimed Mark.
+
+Tom and Bill scrambled up the sides of the ship and disappeared into the
+cabin. The boys remained on the ice, partly under the airship, chipping
+and picking to free the bottom.
+
+With loud shouts and yells the Esquimaux surrounded the _Monarch_. The
+savages were armed with bows and arrows, and soon a shower of these
+missiles were shot toward the craft.
+
+Professor Henderson was in mortal terror lest one of the sharp weapons
+would pierce the gas bag, but, for some reason, the natives fired at the
+lower part of the ship. Andy and the two helpers were now ready to
+return the fire. Their guns rattled out and the reports caused the
+natives great astonishment.
+
+The first shots the defenders had fired over the heads of the Esquimaux,
+not wishing to kill them if they could help it. But though the reports
+caused a momentary falling back, the attackers soon rallied again, and
+shot a thicker cloud of arrows, some of which fell uncomfortably near.
+
+"Let 'em have it right in the faces this time!" shouted Andy.
+
+He took careful aim at the mass of natives who were advancing, and one
+fell. Bill and Tom followed his example, and the onslaught was checked
+for a time.
+
+But now reinforcements to the Esquimaux arrived until there were fully
+five hundred of the fur-clad savages out on the ice surrounding the
+airship. To cope with such a force seemed madness. Bill received a
+slight wound in the arm, and Tom had a narrow escape from being killed,
+a big spear just missing his head.
+
+"Drop down below the rail!" yelled Andy. "They can't hit us so easy
+then, and we can fire just as good!"
+
+The defenders dropped flat to the deck, outside of the cabin. A loud
+yell on the part of the Esquimaux told that they thought the adventurers
+had been killed, and there was a rush to capture the ship.
+
+"Let 'em have it! As fast as you can pull the triggers!" cried the old
+hunter. "We'll show 'em what we can do!"
+
+The three guns rang out again and two of the natives fell, both badly
+wounded.
+
+"I wish we had more help!" exclaimed Andy. "We're likely to have trouble
+soon! Why don't those boys come up; in a few minutes they won't have a
+chance!"
+
+Indeed it would have been risky now for Jack and Mark to venture out
+from under the ship, where they were still bravely chipping at the last
+remaining bit of ice that help the ship fast. So far their presence had
+not been noted by the enemy.
+
+At that instant Professor Henderson ran out of the engine room.
+
+"Use the machine gun!" he yelled. "That is our only hope!"
+
+The next second he fell to the deck, struck by a spear.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+THE ESCAPE
+
+
+"He's killed!" cried Andy.
+
+"Oh Perfessor! Perfessor!" exclaimed Washington. "I tole yo' not to go
+out."
+
+"Never mind! Start the machine gun!" yelled Andy. "We must fight off
+these human fiends!"
+
+"Call up the boys!" shouted Bill. "They'll be killed under the ship!"
+
+"I'm afraid it's too late," said Andy. "Here, Tom, you help Washington
+work the machine gun!"
+
+The weapon had been covered by canvas, and, fortunately, the snow had
+not harmed it. The canvas was yanked off, and, while Tom prepared to
+feed the cartridges down the hopper, Washington worked the crank. In a
+few seconds there was a fusillade that sounded like a small battery
+going into action.
+
+From the muzzle of the machine gun poured out a leaden hail. It struck
+the Esquimaux fairly and though they tried to stand against it they
+could not. Their arrows and spears dropped from their hands and they
+staggered back, many badly hurt or killed.
+
+"Why don't those pesky boys come up!" wondered Andy. His gun was again
+empty. He hastened into the cabin to reload the magazine. As he did so
+he heard a tapping on the plate glass window set in the floor of the
+car.
+
+"Who is there?" he cried.
+
+"It's us; Jack and Mark!" a voice answered. "Let us up! The ship is
+free!"
+
+Andy flung open the window. It was just large enough for a boy to
+squeeze through. In a moment Jack and Mark were in the cabin.
+
+In the meanwhile Bill had dropped his gun and carried the professor from
+the deck inside. The old man was unconscious, but a glance showed that
+the spear had made only a slight wound on the head, and not one that was
+likely to be dangerous.
+
+"Is he dead?" cried the boys.
+
+"We hope not," answered Andy. "But we have no time to lose. Can one of
+you start the ship?"
+
+"I can!" exclaimed Jack.
+
+"Then do it, while I help hold the enemy at bay!"
+
+The Esquimaux, in spite of their losses, were returning to the attack.
+Closer and closer they pressed to the ship. The machine gun was making
+great gaps in their ranks, but they did not seem to mind. They were bent
+on recapturing their former captives, whose track they had followed from
+the ice cavern.
+
+Jack ran to the engine room. He saw that everything was in readiness for
+sending the ship aloft. But little gas more was needed in the bag. He
+turned on the full supply. The noise of the guns, the shouts and yells
+of the natives, made the place resound with wild noises. It was a battle
+such as the arctic regions had never before witnessed.
+
+A tremor shook the _Monarch_. The ship shivered. Jack ran to the conning
+tower. He grasped the lever that started the propeller. Then came a
+sudden lurch. The airship tore loose from the ice and rose swiftly in
+the air. Jack set the screw to working and turned the steering wheel so
+that the _Monarch's_ nose was pointed due south, away from the land of
+perpetual ice and snow.
+
+A wild yell of disappointed rage burst from hundreds of throats as the
+Esquimaux saw their captives escape. They filled the air with arrows and
+spears, but to no purpose. Andy sent the last shots in his rifle at the
+savages, and, as the ship rose a hundred feet in the air, the remaining
+cartridges in the machine gun were exploded.
+
+"Hurrah!" cried the old hunter. "We're off!"
+
+On and on sped the _Monarch_, every second putting the frozen north
+behind her. Jack had all the engines going at full speed.
+
+"What has happened? Where are we?" asked Professor Henderson, suddenly
+recovering consciousness.
+
+"We's on de _Monarch_ an' we's done left dem cantankerous conglomerated
+disputatious Mosquitoes down on de ice!" exclaimed Washington, coming in
+to see how his master was. "Are yo' much hurted, Perfessor?"
+
+"It's only a scratch," replied the inventor. "I'm all right," and he
+insisted on getting up and seeing how the engines were running. He was a
+little weak, but some medicine which Washington fixed at his master's
+direction soon brought him around.
+
+The airship was working beautifully in spite of being frozen up in the
+terrible cold. On and up she went until she had left the vicinity of the
+savages far behind. After about an hour's flight the professor had Jack
+lower the craft to within half a mile of the surface, as he said he
+wanted to see what was below.
+
+The boy, who was in charge of the conning tower, set the necessary
+machinery, while the professor went to the window in the bottom of the
+ship to watch.
+
+"We're over the sea!" he exclaimed. "There is no land or ice in sight!"
+
+"Come here quick!" cried Washington, from the engine room.
+
+"What's the matter?" exclaimed the professor.
+
+"De gas machine am gone on a rampage ag'in!"
+
+Then, all at once, the airship began to sink. All rushed to the engine
+room. The gas generator had ceased working and the craft was settling
+toward the ocean, there being nothing to keep it aloft.
+
+Frantically the professor and Washington worked at the apparatus. It
+could not be adjusted. Despair was on every face. Faster and faster sunk
+the _Monarch_.
+
+"Will we sink?" asked Andy. "I can't swim."
+
+"We may float," said the professor. "The bottom part of the ship is
+water tight. We may float long enough to fix the machinery."
+
+Then, with a splash, the _Monarch_ settled into the ocean, the gas bag
+falling limply on top of the cabins.
+
+"Get out the life preservers!" shouted the professor. "They are in the
+forward part. Put them on, while Washington and I try to fix the gas
+machine!"
+
+The airship had now become a water ship. It rose and fell on the waves,
+rocking from side to side.
+
+"Get ready to jump!" yelled Jack, running in from the conning tower.
+
+"What now?" asked Professor Henderson, "Haven't we troubles enough?"
+
+"There's a big whale and he's headed right this way!" yelled Jack. "He's
+coming on like a locomotive, to ram us!"
+
+Andy caught up his gun and hastened to the tower. As Jack had said, a
+big sperm whale, spouting water high in the air from his nostrils, was
+headed for the _Monarch_, which, as it lay on the surface, the whale
+evidently took for a rival.
+
+"I wonder if I can stop him with this rifle," exclaimed Andy.
+
+"No, but you can with the machine gun!" said Jack.
+
+"Not while it's in the stern," replied the old hunter. "I guess we are
+done for this time. I'll fire a few shots, anyhow, before I die!"
+
+"Wait!" yelled Jack. "I'll turn the ship around!"
+
+"Can you do it?"
+
+"I think I can," was the short reply.
+
+"We cannot use the machinery."
+
+"I know that, but I can use something else--that is, I think I can."
+
+"There is nothing to use."
+
+"Yes, there is. See here!"
+
+As the youth spoke he seized a long pole from the deck, and stuck one
+end of it in a large cake of ice that floated close by. Slowly, but with
+the strength of despair he pushed the bow of the airship around so that
+it was pointed away from the on-coming whale.
+
+"Run to the rear!" the boy cried to Andy. "And hurry up!"
+
+The hunter did so. A few seconds later the stern of the ship was toward
+the ocean monster. Andy called for some one to bring ammunition and feed
+the hopper of the machine gun, and Bill responded.
+
+Then, when the whale was within a hundred feet of the _Monarch_, Andy
+began turning the crank. A storm of lead shot out toward the big fish.
+The water about was dyed with blood and the spouting streams from the
+nostrils were changed from white to red. With a terrible flurry, lashing
+the waters of the ocean to foam with its broad flukes, the whale died,
+hundreds of bullets in its head.
+
+The airship was saved.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+HOMEWARD BOUND
+
+
+"We're sinking! we're sinking!" yelled Bill Jones. He pointed to a
+stream of water that was trickling up from the cabin floor. The freezing
+of the ship in the ice had strained the seams.
+
+The professor and Washington were working earnestly over the gas
+machine. They piled in fresh chemicals and started the electric current.
+The water in the cabin continued to rise.
+
+"Well, I guess I might as well have let the whale finish us," sighed
+Andy. "We're bound to die, anyhow!"
+
+"Not yet!" cried the professor suddenly. "Not if I can help it! Quick,
+Washington. Another turn to the handle, and I think we will be safe!"
+
+The negro adjusted the machine as the professor had directed.
+
+"Is the water gaining?" asked Amos Henderson.
+
+"No. It's stopped coming in," replied Bill.
+
+"Then we are saved!" announced the inventor. "The gas is entering the
+bag and lifting the ship!"
+
+Sure enough, the Monarch no longer pitched and tossed on the waves. It
+was rising in the air. In a little while it was quite a distance above
+the ocean. All on board watched anxiously, but the craft appeared to be
+on its good behavior and mounted steadily upward. The propeller, which
+had been stopped, was again set in motion. The professor went to the
+conning tower and began steering the ship to the south. The adventurers
+were homeward bound at last.
+
+For some time no one spoke, so anxious were they lest another accident
+should occur. But when, after another hour or two, the ship still kept
+on its flight, all breathed easier.
+
+"Well, we've been to the north pole," remarked Jack, after a long pause.
+"That's something very few can say."
+
+"Yes, I think we can safely assert that we have accomplished what we set
+out to do," remarked the professor. "True, we did not land on the exact
+spot, and I am inclined to believe it would be impossible, because of
+the whirlwind of the electric currents. But we certainly were at the
+exact north, as the deflecting needle showed."
+
+"I wonder if the south pole is like this?" asked Mark.
+
+"I do not know," returned Amos Henderson with a smile. "I hope the south
+pole is a little nicer. We might go and see, some day. Would you boys
+like to make the trip?"
+
+"You bet!" exclaimed Jack fervently, speaking for himself and Mark.
+
+The _Monarch_ sped on her way. Every hour brought her nearer to her
+starting point. When it became evident that the machinery was now in
+good working order and not liable to a breakdown, the professor ordered
+a meal gotten ready, since all were hungry.
+
+With thankful hearts they sat down to a spread of the best the patent
+foods afforded, and ate heartily. Then, being worn out with fatigue, the
+professor advised all to take to their bunks and get some sleep. He said
+he would steer the ship for a while, to be relieved by Washington and
+Jack in turn.
+
+Regular watches were established before the adventurers sought their
+bunks, and then, while the craft shot southward, quiet reigned aboard.
+
+No further mishaps occurred. For some days the _Monarch_ was kept on her
+course. Every hour it grew warmer until the fur garments were
+discarded, and at length the windows were opened and the fresh breezes
+blew inside the cabins. The temperate zone had been reached.
+
+Over green meadows, woods, hills and valleys the airship flew; across
+wide bays, great rivers and large lakes. Now it was high in the air,
+above the clouds, and, again, close to the earth, as the captain
+directed.
+
+At last, just at dusk one summer afternoon, a little less than a month
+from the time they had left, the inventor stopped the propeller.
+
+"We are right above my old cabin," he said. "Now we are going to land.
+This ends the voyage to the north pole, and we are back safe and sound."
+
+The ship settled down, about a hundred feet from the balloon shed, which
+remained the same as when the adventurers had left it. No one was in
+sight, and the travelers stepped out on the ground.
+
+"If you will come inside I will pay you for your time, Andy," said Mr.
+Henderson; "and you, too, Bill and Tom. You know I promised you good
+wages while you were with me, and I think you have earned the money."
+
+The hunter and the two helpers were liberally rewarded for the time they
+had spent. Bidding the professor good-bye, they went their several
+ways, to astonish their friends and acquaintances with their strange
+tales.
+
+"As for you, boys," went on Amos Henderson to Jack and Mark, "I will pay
+you, too, if you like, or you can continue with me, and perhaps some day
+we'll make a trip to the South Pole--if not through the air, then under
+the sea, for I have in mind to build a submarine boat next. What do you
+say?"
+
+"I'll stay," said Jack.
+
+"So will I," exclaimed Mark. "Hurrah for the South Pole!"
+
+"Then come on in to supper," cried the professor gaily, leading the way
+to his cabin.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Through the Air to the North Pole, by Roy Rockwood
+
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