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 pa.s.sage, 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.