HITTING THE ICE MOUNTAIN
Onward sped the RED CLOUD. For a moment after the accident to Andy's
ship, Tom had slowed up his craft, but he soon went on again, after
he had satisfied himself that his enemies were in no danger.
"Don't you think--that is to say--I know they can't expect anything
from us," spoke Mr. Damon, "but for humanity's sake, hadn't we
better stop and help them, Tom?"
"I hardly think so," replied the young inventor. "In the first place
they would hardly thank us for doing so, and, in the second, I don't
believe they need help. They are almost safely down now."
"I don't just mean that," went on the odd man. "But they may starve
to death. This is a very desolate country over which we are
sailing."
"They must have a supply of food in their ship," declared Tom, "and
they have brought their plight on themselves."
"They're in no great danger," put in Abe.
"There are plenty of natives around here, an' if the Fogers need
food or aid they can git it by payin' for it. Why, for the sake of
th' parts of their damaged airship, th' Eskimos would take th' whole
party back t' Sitka and feed 'em well on th' trip. Oh, they're all
right."
"Very well, if you say so," assented Mr. Damon. He looked back to
watch the ANTHONY slowly settling to earth. It came gently down,
proving that Tom knew whereof he spoke, when he had said they could
vol-plane down. Before the RED CLOUD was out of sight Tom and his
companions saw Andy and his father leave their wrecked craft and
venture out on the snow-covered ground. The Fogers gazed enviously
after the airship of our hero as they saw him still forging toward
the goal.
"I guess Andy's stolen map won't be of much use to him," mused Tom.
"Now we can put on all the speed we like," and with that he shifted
the gears and levers until the airship was making exceedingly good
time toward the valley of gold.
The remainder of that day saw our adventurers pursuing their way
eagerly. At times they were flying high, and again, when Abe
suggested that they go down to observe the character of the country
over which they were passing, they skimmed along, just above the big
mountains, which seemed almost like icebergs, so covered were they
with frost and snow.
They were indeed in a wild and desolate country. Below them
stretched a seemingly endless waste of snow and ice--great forests
interspersed with treeless patches, while now and then they sailed
over a frozen lake.
Once in a while they had glimpses of bands of Indians, dressed in
furs, hunting. At such times the natives would look up, on hearing
the noise made by the motor of the airship, and catching a glimpse
of what must have seemed to them like some supernatural object, they
would fall down prostrate in amazement and fear.
"Airships are pretty much of a novelty up here," remarked Abe with a
grim smile.
The weather was now very cold, and the gold-seekers had to get out
their heavy fur garments, of which they had brought along a goodly
supply. True, it was warm in the cabin of the airship, but at times,
they wanted to venture out on the deck to get fresh air, or to make
some adjustments to the wing planes, and, on such occasions the
keen, frosty air, as it was driven past them by the motion of the
craft, made even the thickest garments seem none too warm. Then,
too, it was colder at the elevation at which they flew than down on
the ground.
Another day found them in a still wilder and more desolate part of
Alaska. There were scarcely any signs of habitation now, and the
snow and ice seemed so thick that even a long summer of sunshine
could hardly have melted it. The hours of daylight, too, were
growing less and less the farther north they went.
"Do you think you can pilot us right to the Snow Mountains, Abe?"
asked Tom, on the third day after the accident to Andy's airship.
"Let's get out the map, and have another look at it. We must be
getting near the place now. We'll look at the map."
The young inventor went to his stateroom where he kept the important
document in a small desk, and the others heard him rummaging around.
He muttered impatiently, and Ned heard his chum say: "I thought sure
I put it in here." Then ensued a further search, and presently Tom
came out, his face wearing rather a puzzled and worried look, and he
asked: "Say, Abe, I didn't give that map back to you; did I?"
"Nope," answered the miner. "I ain't seen it since just before th'
hail storm. We was lookin' at it then."
"That's when I remember it," went on Tom, "and I thought I put it in
my desk. I didn't, by any possible chance give it to you; did I,
Ned?"
"Me? No, I haven't seen it."
"That's funny," went on Tom. "I'll look once more. Maybe it got
under some papers."
They heard him rummaging again in his desk.
"Bless my bank-book!" cried Mr. Damon. "I hope nothing has happened
to that map. We can't find the valley of gold without it."
Tom came back again.
"I can't find it." he said, hopelessly.
Then ensued a frantic search. Every possible place in the airship
was looked into, but the precious map did not turn up.
"Perhaps the Fogers took it," suggested Mr. Parker, who had helped
in the hunt, in a dreamy sort of fashion.
"That's not possible," said Tom. "They haven't been near enough to
us since I saw the map last. No, the last time I had it was just
before the hail storm, and, in the excitement of repairing the ship,
I have mislaid it."
"Maybe it's back there in the big cave," suggested Ned.
"It's possible," admitted the young inventor. "Pshaw! It's very
careless of me!"
"If you think it's in the cave, we'd better go back there and have a
hunt for it," suggested Mr. Damon. "Otherwise we are on a wild-goose
chase."
"Don't go back!" exclaimed old Abe. "I think we can find th' valley
of gold without th' map, now that we have come this far. I sort of
remember th' marks on that parchment, an' we are in the right
neighborhood now, for I kin see some of th' landmarks my partner and
I saw. I say, let's keep on! We can cruise around a bit until we
strike th' right place. That won't take us so long as it would to go
back to the cave. Besides, if we go back, the Fogers may get ahead
of us!"
"With their broken airship?" asked Ned.
"Can't they repair it?" demanded Abe.
"Hardly--up in this wild country," was Tom's opinion. "But perhaps
it WILL be just as well to keep on. I have a hazy remembrance of the
distances and directions on the map, and, though it will take longer
to hunt out the valley this way, I think we can do it. I can't
forgive myself for my carelessness! I should have kept a copy of the
map, or given one of you folks one."
But they would not hear of him blaming himself, and said it might
have happened to any one. It was decided that the map must be lost
in the big cave, and if it was there it was not likely to be found
by their enemies.
"We'll jest have t' prospect about a bit," declared Abe, "only we'll
do it in th' air instead of on th' ground."
It was dusk when the fruitless search for the map was over, and they
sat in the cabin discussing matters. The lights had not yet been
switched on, and the RED CLOUD was skimming along under the
influence of the automatic rudders and the propellers.
"Well, suppose we have supper," proposed Mr. Damon, who seemed to
think eating a remedy for many ills, mental and bodily. "Bless my
desert-spoon, but I'm hungry!"
He started toward the galley, while Tom went forward to the
pilothouse. Hardly had he reached it than there came a terrific
crash, and the airship seemed tossed back by some giant hand. Every
one was thrown off his feet, and the lights which had been turned on
suddenly went out.
"What's the matter?" cried Ned.
"Have we hit anything?" demanded Mr. Damon.
"Hit anything! I should say we had!" yelled Tom. "We've knocked a
piece off a big mountain of ice!"
As he spoke the airship began slowly settling toward the earth, for
her machinery had been stopped by the terrific impact.