ON THE ICE FLOE
If ever Tom Raymond had need of skill and care it was then, for what
might be an ordinary mishap ashore must be a fatal accident under the
conditions by which they were faced.
But almost as lightly as a snowflake touches the ground he brought the
wheels under the big bomber in contact with the ice. Indeed, Jack could
not tell for a certainty when the actual contact occurred; though
immediately afterwards he found himself being shaken more or less as the
heavy plane bumped along over the ice.
One peril still menaced them, which was that their momentum, unless
halted, might carry them to the terminus of the floe, and plunge them
over. But Tom had taken all precautions, and allowed for everything, even
an unusual slide on account of the smooth surface under the wheels.
Slower grew their progress, though the bumping continued unabated. And
finally they had come to a full stop, with still some little stretch of
the ice field ahead.
Then Jack tried to yell, cowboy fashion; but, to his surprise and
disgust, he could hardly make a sound above a whisper, his voice having
failed him through sheer nervous excitement.
He jumped from his seat, and immediately sat down with a rude jar on the
ice; but, nothing daunted, he quickly scrambled to his feet and began to
dance like a wild Indian might when the war tocsin sounds through the
village, and all his primeval instincts are aroused by the thought of
fighting and plunder.
Tom and Lieutenant Beverly also hastened to leave their seats. They too
found that their legs were cramped and almost useless, through having
maintained a sitting position during so many weary hours.
Jack's exuberant spirits caused him to fairly hug his chum.
"Didn't I know you could do it, Tom?" he cried. "See how the old luck
keeps hanging over us, will you? It's always been this way, Colin; and to
have Tom along means success every time."
"That may be," the lieutenant replied, giving Tom a fond look; "but if I
were you I'd call it something more than just luck. It takes brains to
think up such schemes as this one, brains and a lively imagination in
the bargain; and Tom's rich in both of those requirements."
"Let's get busy, and see about fixing that feedpipe," broke out the
modest object of all this praise. "We have only a short time of daylight
to work in, and after that must depend on our little searchlight torch."
All were willing to start work. Jack found himself shivering slightly,
although they had not been on the ice-floe many minutes.
"Gee, but it's certainly cold, for a fact!" he exclaimed. "I'd hate to be
marooned here any length of time, let me tell you, even if we did have
grub enough to last over a week. Why, we'd freeze to death; not to
mention what would become of us when the old berg crashed over and
scattered all this floe ice!"
"Let's hope that our stay will be of short duration then," said Beverly,
with a quick and apprehensive glance in the direction of the towering
iceberg, upon the peak of which the last rays of the sinking sun glinted
until it seemed to be frosted with a million diamonds.
Tom was already busily engaged, after the bomber had been wheeled partly
around, in order that he might have the benefit of what light remained
with the departure of day.
Beverly and Jack hovered over him, ready to give advice, or lend a
helping hand. Of course none of them had ever had to do with this
particular type of a plane; but then all engines have many similarities
in their construction, and Tom, as well as the other two, had proved
themselves to be capable mechanics, as well as able pilots.
Finally, as it was impossible for the three of them to work at the
repairs, Jack walked around and examined the singular formation
constituting the berg and attendant ice-floe.
"Why," he told himself in glee, "it floated across our path when we
needed a landing-place the worst kind, as if we'd ordered it to be held
in waiting. It might be the next time there'll be a convenient island
handy, though I hope there'll come no next time."
He even found a way to climb on to the berg itself, though in most places
the field ice was chopped into small bits by some action on the part of
the vast bulk, perhaps during a high wind and a heavy sea.
"All I want to be able to say is that I've been on a regular iceberg,"
Jack announced, after he had once more returned to his mates; "but
it's frigid, let me tell you. Why, there's enough ice in that mountain
to freeze all the cream made around New York in a whole season, and
then some."
He found that Tom was still busily engaged, with Beverly bending down in
frequent consultation.
"Say, is it going to be anything serious, fellows? Worse than we at
first thought?"
Beverly looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. He was now holding
the little hand-torch and directing its ray so that Tom could get the
full benefit.
"No reason to believe so, Jack," he remarked quietly. "Tom's still of the
opinion that we ought to have it all fixed up for keeps before an hour
goes by, if things keep on working as we expect."
"Fine! You make me happy when you say that, Colin!" Jack returned. "If
only the berg doesn't roll over before we get out of this, I'll consider
that we have much to be thankful for," he added slowly.
"Could you feel any motion when you stood on that lower shelf of the
berg?" asked Beverly, showing that he had watched what Jack was doing.
"I should say I could," the other assured him. "It nearly made me
sea-sick. I'd hate to have to stay here very much longer. If you watch a
cloud passing you can see just how the peak dips, and swings back and
forth. It's getting ready to tumble, and before long!"
Tom worked on.
He too realized that the longer they were compelled to stay on the ice
field the greater their danger must become. If that towering berg ever
did turn over bottom-up it would smash the floe into fragments and churn
up the adjacent waters in a way that would leave no avenue of escape for
the trio of adventurous air pilots who had alighted there by reason of
circumstances beyond their control.
His hands felt cold, and he was compelled at times to get up and thrash
both arms about to induce circulation in his extremities. Beverly and
Jack both offered to take his place, but Tom, having started the job,
thought he had better finish it if possible.
"Everything seems to be working along as good as pie," Beverly reported,
in order to add to Jack's peace of mind, for he knew the other must be
growing a bit anxious again. Delay meant so much to Jack in this endeavor
to beat the steamship across the Atlantic.
"If you've no objections, I'll rustle after that grub bag, and indulge in
something to help get rid of this empty feeling I've got. We'll all feel
better for something to eat," said Jack. "I think Tom could work faster
if he would take time now for a sandwich."
"You're right, perhaps, Jack," returned Colin. "Although we had better
wait for a full meal till we get in the air."
"Here's luck, boys!" cried Jack a minute afterwards.
"What have you found now?" asked Tom, without looking up.
"Why, the coffee's still hot. And let me tell you, it feels good to my
hands. There never was a finer thing for poor air pilots than these
bottles that allow them to have a warm drink when two miles up, and in
freezing temperature. This will put fresh life in our bodies."
"That isn't half bad," answered Tom; "so hand it over, and I'll take a
drink or two."
Tom swallowed his coffee and hastily ate a sandwich, but the others,
without Tom's reason for haste, ate hungrily.
Never, they confessed, had they felt such voracious appetites as on this
flight. Perhaps the invigorating sea air had something to do with it; but
Jack, at least, was not the one to bother himself about the cause, so
long as the provisions held out.
Some time passed in this way. Tom at work, Beverly holding the flashlight
in one hand and taking in the other such food as Jack handed to him.
Tom had just remarked he believed he had effected a radical cure, and
that the feed-pipe was not likely to become obstructed again; at the same
time Jack could see he was starting to put things together once more.
It began to look as though they might be ready to make a fresh start in
a very short time, not more than ten minutes, Jack figured. It thrilled
him to realize this fact. He even glanced toward the towering berg as
if to say:
"Now be good, and just hold off your gymnastics till we get started, old
chap! Afterwards you can cut up as much as you please, and little we'll
care. But I've got too much at stake right now in getting to land to have
any silly ice mountain turn over on me. So forget your troubles for
another half hour, if you please!"
Just then Jack saw something move close by. A scuffling sound, followed
by a strange sniffling, could be plainly heard. Jack bent down and
clutched Beverly by the arm, saying shrilly:
"Listen, both of you! That Polar bear is coming for us, and I think he
means business, too!"