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.