Under the Ocean to the South Pole Part 36

"Guess we'll have to blast our way out," observed Andy. "We seem to have lots of trouble on this trip."

"Why not try to ram your way through," suggested Jack.

"How do you mean?" asked Mr. Henderson.

"I mean to sink the boat say two hundred feet. Then start her up obliquely and perhaps the sharp prow will cut a hole through the ice."

"Hardly through ice fifteen feet or more thick," said the captain despondently.

"But it may be thinner now," persisted Jack.

"At any rate it will do no harm to try," the inventor admitted. "We can not last much longer down here."

Again the tanks were filled, and by the aid of the deflecting rudder the _Porpoise_ went down into the depths. Then the ballast tanks were quickly emptied, and the rudder turned so as to force the craft upward on a slant. The engine was set going at top speed.

"Hold fast everybody!" called the professor. "It is kill or cure this trip!"

Like an arrow from a bow the _Porpoise_ shot upward. On and on it sped, gathering momentum with every foot she traveled.

Suddenly there came a terrible crash, a grinding sound and a rending and tearing. The ship trembled from end to end. Every one was knocked from his feet. There were b.u.mpings and sc.r.a.pings all along the sides of the submarine. Then, with one final spurt of speed, the little ship tore her way through the ice and emerged, with a splash and shower of foam into the open sea!

Quickly the man hole was opened and, half dead from lack of fresh air, the adventurers crawled out on deck. It was night and the stars glittered in the sky above. They were just beyond the edge of the ice field, and all about them was a wide open sea.

"I was right after all," said the professor, "but I miscalculated the distance. Had we gone on a few feet farther it would not have been necessary to break through the ice."

"I guess it's a lucky thing we didn't try it before either," remarked Andy. "We never could have bored through fifteen feet of the frozen stuff. Where we plowed up it is less than two feet," and he pointed to where the immense floe came to an end.

It was decided to go no farther that night, however, as the professor wanted to take some observations by daylight and ascertain his position.

So filling their lungs with the air, cold and piercing though it was, the adventurers descended to their cabin, and lots were drawn to see who would stand the two night watches. It fell to Mr. Henderson to take the first, and Washington the second. The captain accordingly took up his position in the conning tower and prepared to pa.s.s several hours.

He was busy thinking over the exciting times he and his companions had pa.s.sed through, and planning new trips to see more wonders of the world, when his attention was attracted by slight noise near the man hole leading to the amidship companionway.

The professor looked up, and was startled to see a tall white object, with outstretched arms advancing toward him with slow and stealthy tread.

"The ghost again!" exclaimed the inventor softly. "I must catch it now, and see what foolishness it is," for the professor did not believe in spirits.

He got down on his hands and knees the better to escape observation, should the white thing prove to be a bodily substance, and started to crawl toward it. He came within ten feet of the thing, and could make out that it was a man, or at least the semblance of one, all clothed in white.

Nearer and nearer the inventor crawled to the thing. It turned to face him now and Mr. Henderson could not help feeling startled as he saw the object had no head. The neck ended in a white stump.

In spite of a little feeling of qualmishness, which even his boasted disbelief in ghosts did not save him from, Mr. Henderson was about to spring upon the thing and solve the mystery.

At that instant, however, Washington, who was coming on deck to take up his watch, appeared at the head of the companionway, and caught sight of the terrible object.

The yells of the colored man as he dove downward and back into the cabin, aroused the ship. Determined to solve the mystery, in spite of everything, the professor made a leap forward. He slipped, and tumbled down the iron stairway. At the same time, the ghost, with a blood curdling yell, leaped over the professor's back, and disappeared down the stairs of the conning tower.

In an instant the crew were rushing from their bunk rooms, seeking a meaning for the disturbance.

"It was the ghost again," explained the professor as he picked himself up, not much the worse for his tumble. "I tried to catch it, but I didn't. Come, Washington, it is your turn to stand watch."

"Not to-night," said Washington firmly.

It was no use to urge him, so Jack good-naturedly stood Washington's trick. Nothing further however occurred that night.

In the morning the professor made several observations and found that he was within one hundred and fifty miles of the south pole.

"We'll make it to-morrow, if we have luck," he said.

CHAPTER XXIX

THE BOILING WATER

The hours pa.s.sed and the strange voyage continued.

The _Porpoise_ traveled along at good speed, and the professor devoted most of his time to looking after the different scientific instruments and gages, for they were nearing the south pole. The deflecting compa.s.s, which when it came directly over the place corresponding to the pole, would point straight up and down, was a.s.suming more and more of a perpendicular position.

"We are getting there!" exclaimed the professor with delight. "A few hours more and we will have won the goal!"

There was considerable excitement on board when the professor's announcement was made. Though few of the adventurers cared as much for the scientific achievement as did Mr. Henderson, they were all glad he was about to succeed. To most of them the locating of the south pole was no different from visiting some new country, excepting that there were more adventures than on most voyages.

At dusk the _Porpoise_ went to the surface and during the night traveled along atop of the billows. In the morning she dived below again. The engine was started at high speed and the deflecting needle dipped still more.

"We's gittin' dar!" exclaimed Washington as he oiled the various bearings of the machinery.

Breakfast was served and hurriedly eaten, for the excitement was telling on every one. After the meal had been cleared away they all sat in the darkened cabin looking out at the water as it slipped past the gla.s.s windows. Big and little fish swam up and peered into the bull's-eyes and then darted away.

"That's sort of queer," remarked Jack a little later.

"What is?" asked Mark, who was sitting near his chum.

"All the fish seem to have suddenly disappeared," replied Jack. "There were hundreds a little while ago, and now I haven't seen one looking in the windows for some time."

"Perhaps there's a big fish on their trail," observed Mark. "That's what makes 'em take to the deep sea weed."

"Maybe so," replied Jack.

A little later Professor Henderson entered the room. He went over, looked at the thermometer, and then called to Washington:

"Have you got the heat turned on?"

"No, sah! I ain't done truned on no superheated vapor into de radiators," replied the colored man. "I were jest thinkin' dat we'd hit de south pole by de feel of it."

"It is getting strangely warm," admitted Mr. Henderson.