OFF FOR THE SOUTH POLE
"Are you hurt?" asked Jack.
"I think my leg is broken, but otherwise I'm not damaged," replied the
detective. "Even if I am disabled, it makes no difference, you are my
prisoners. I command you to stay here until help comes."
The boys did not know what to do. They did not like to see even an enemy
suffer, but, at the same time, they knew he had no right to arrest them.
"Here comes a wagon," said Mark, catching the sound of wheels.
"Well, fo' de land sakes! Gollyation! What terrible catafterme hab
occurred in dis unapproachable manner?" a voice demanded.
"It's Washington!" cried Mark, as he saw Professor Henderson's colored
assistant driving along the road.
"Dat's who it am!" exclaimed Washington as he noticed the boys. "My! My!
But am you boff dead?"
"No, only one of us," said Mark with a laugh, as he and Jack ran toward
the wagon.
"Ha! Ha! Dat's one ob yo' jokes," said Washington. "But hurry up, boys.
De perfessor he done sent me to meet you. He reckoned you'd becomin'
ober on an early trolley. He's in a hurry to git away."
"Don't you boys dare to leave!" exclaimed Detective Ducket.
"Who's dat?" asked Washington.
"Never mind," said Mark. "He was hurt in the trolley smash, but not
badly. We'll send help, from the first farm house we come to. Come on,
Washington, we'll go with you."
The boys jumped into the wagon, and Washington started off. He explained
that the inventor was anxious to make a start that day, as there would
be an unusually high tide which would be followed a little later by a
low one, and that would make it difficult to cross the harbor bar.
"So I hired dis wagon an' come after you," said the colored man.
At the first house they came to the boys stopped and told about the
accident. The farmer agreed to go and get the detective and the others
who were hurt and take them to a hospital.
"I guess we're rid of that detective now," observed Jack, as they
started off again.
"Yes, but we're getting away under a cloud on our characters," said
Mark. "I'd like to stay and see the thing through, if we had time."
"But we can't, and there's no use worrying over it," spoke Jack.
In a short time they were at the inventor's cabin, and related to Mr.
Henderson all that had occurred.
"Well I guess your detective friend will have a hard time to find you in
a few hours," said the old man. "We start on our trip for the south pole
this evening."
There were busy times for the next few hours. Many supplies had to be
placed on board, and, while the boys, with Tom and Bill, saw to this, the
professor and Washington were occupied with putting the last touches to
the submarine boat's machinery.
Most of the supplies from the cabin were placed in the _Porpoise_,
including food and clothing and a good quantity of minerals that, with
sea water, generated the gas that made steam.
An early supper was made on shore, as the professor said they might be
so busy for the first few hours of the starting trip that they would get
no chance to eat. Then the cabin and buildings where the submarine had
been built, were securely fastened.
"I guess we're all ready," announced the professor, taking a last look
around.
One by one they went aboard the _Porpoise_ crawling down through the man
hole. The inventor was the last one to enter. He clamped the cover on by
means of the cam levers and switched on the electric lights. Then he
took his place in the conning tower with Andy Sudds.
"Forward, to the South Pole!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson.
With a turn of his wrist the inventor started the engines. The big screw
in the shaft revolved, pulling the water in at one end of the craft and
sending it out in a swirling stream at the other. The trip was fairly
begun.
For several miles the _Porpoise_ glided along on the surface of the
ocean. It was a calm evening, and the boys down in the cabin of the
craft could look into the reflecting mirrors on the wall, which were
connected with observation magnifying glasses in the conning tower, and
view what was going on, though their heads were below the surface of the
sea.
As it grew darker the view of shore and water faded away. The engine
kept up its speed with Washington to see to it every now and then,
oiling the bearings, some of which did not run quite smoothly because of
their newness.
"I'll send her down a bit now," observed the professor. "I don't want to
run into any more warships or scare the crews by making them think we
are a foreign torpedo boat."
He opened the sea cocks in the ballast tanks and soon the _Porpoise_
sunk about two hundred feet beneath the waves. The craft, which had been
pitching and tossing under the influence of a ground swell, became more
steady and quiet once it left the surface.
The searchlight in the conning tower was turned on, and in the glare of
it Andy and the professor were able to steer properly, aided by the
compass which gave them the true southern course.
It was now quite dark. Additional electric lights were switched on in
the cabin, engine and dining room. Andy came out of the conning tower
and announced that Captain Henderson wanted Washington to get supper.
All the cooking was done by electricity, and, in addition to a supply of
the usual and ordinary kinds of food, there was a big lot of patent
condensed victuals to draw on. Soup, broiled steak, potatoes, hot
biscuits, rice pudding and coffee made up the repast which was enjoyed
by all.
Toward the close of the meal Professor Henderson began to sniff the air
of the cabin.
"What's the matter? Do you smell a storm brewing?" asked Andy.
"No, but the air is not as fresh as it should be," replied the inventor.
"Washington, release a little more of the supply from the compression
tanks."
The ship, which had been left to steer itself automatically while the
professor was absent from the conning tower, was moving along at about
half speed. The gage showed they were going at twenty miles an hour, and
were three hundred feet below the surface.
"Washington and I will share the first night's watch between us," said
the inventor, after the supper things had been cleared away. "There will
not be much to do, as the ship will steer automatically in whatever
direction I set her. Still I want to see how she behaves. The rest of
you might as well go to your bunks."
The two boys were especially glad of a chance to go to bed, as they had
had but little sleep the night before on account of the fire. So they
lost no time in undressing and rolling up in the blankets, for it was
quite cool so far down under the water.
"Well, we've slept on the earth, above the earth and now we're under the
waters," observed Jack.
"There's only one place more to spend your time taking a snooze," said
Mark.
"Where's that?"
"Inside the earth."
Then they fell asleep. During the night and the next day the _Porpoise_
forged on underneath the waves. Washington relieved Mr. Henderson in the
conning tower and reported the machinery to be working well.
"Keep her headed due south," was the order of the inventor, and the
colored man did so.
It was about four o'clock one morning that Washington felt a slight jar
to the submarine.
"Hope we ain't goin' to hit no more battleships," he said.
He glanced at the speed-indicating gage. To his surprise it stood at
zero. The craft was not moving forward a foot! Yet the engines were
going at half speed!
In great alarm Washington shut off the power and ran to acquaint
Professor Henderson with the news.
"Suffin's ketched us!" cried the colored man.
"Nonsense!" said the inventor, yet he seemed alarmed as he slipped on
his clothes and hastened to the conning tower.
He peered ahead along the path of water illuminated by the glare of the
searchlight, but nothing was to be seen. Then he started the engine,
increasing the speed gradually until the big screw in the shaft revolved
more than one thousand times a minute. Still the _Porpoise_ never
stirred. She remained in the same position, as if some giant hand
grasped her.
"Reverse the engine," said the professor.
Washington did so. To the surprise of both of them the ship shot
backward like a frightened crab.
"Now forward!" exclaimed the old inventor.
But this time the _Porpoise_ did not move. It was as if she was up
against a stone wall.
"What's the matter?" asked Mark, who had been awakened by the excitement
on board.
"I do not know," replied Mr. Henderson gravely. "Something mysterious
has occurred. We can go no further!"