ships--two, three, five in all can becounted, and their sails are all clewed; and those innumerable blackticks on the snow, what can they be but seals, and men sealing?
"Don't you long to join them?" said Allan, addressing his companions.
"I don't," replied Rory; "in spite of the cold I feel a strange, dreamykind of happiness all over heart and brain. Troth! I feel as if I hadbreakfasted on lotus-leaves."
"And I," said Ralph, "feel as I hadn't breakfasted on anything inparticular. Let us see what Peter has done up for us."
And he stretched out his hand as he spoke towards a basket.
"Ah?" cried the Frenchman, "not dat basket; dat is my Bagdads--mypigeons, my letter-carriers! You see, gentlemen, I have come preparedto combat eevery deeficulty."
"So I see," said Ralph, coolly undoing the other basket; "what anappetite the fresh air gives a fellow, to be sure!"
"Indeed," says Rory, archly, "it is never very far from home you've gotto go for that same, big brother Ralph. But it's hardly fair, afterall, to try to eat the Bagdads."
"Remember one thing, though," replied Ralph; "if it should occur to mesuddenly that you want your ears pulled you cannot run away to saveyourself."
"Indeed," said Rory, "I don't think that the frost has left any ears atall on me worth pulling, or worth speaking about either."
"Ha?" cried Allan, "that reminds me; I've got those face mufflers.There! I'll show you how to put one on. The fur side goes inside--thus; now I have a hole to breathe through, and a couple of holes forvision."
"And a pretty guy you look!"
"Oh! bother the looks," responded Ralph, "let us all be guys. Give us amask, old man."
They did feel more comfortable now that they had the masks on, and couldgaze about them without the risk of being frozen.
The cold was intense; it was bitter.
"I'd beat my feet to keep them warm," said Rory, "if I didn't think I'dbeat the bottom of the car out. Then we'd all go fluttering down likeso many kittywakes, and it's Captain McBain himself that would beastounded to see us back so soon."
"Gentlemen," said the Frenchman, "we are right over the mouth of thecrater. I shall now make descent, with your permission. Then it villnot be so cold."
"And is it inside the volcano," cries Rory, "you'd be taking us to warmus? Down into the crater, to toast our toes at Vulcan's own fireside?Sure, Captain De Vere, it is splicing the main-brace you're after, foryou want to give us all a drop of the craytur."
"Oh!--oh!" this from Ralph. "Oh! Rory--oh! how can you make so vile apun? In such a situation, too!"
The gentlest of breezes was carrying the balloon almost imperceptiblytowards the north and west; meanwhile De Vere was permitting a gradualescape of gas, and the _Perseverando_ sunk gradually towards themountain-top, the mouth of which seemed to yawn to swallow them up.There was a terrible earnestness about this daring aeronaut's face thatawed even Rory into silence.
"Stand by," he whispered; for in the dread silence even a whisper couldbe heard,--"stand by, Allan, to throw that bag of ballast over themoment I say the word."
Viewing it from the sea of ice, no one could calculate how large is theextent of the crater on the top of that mighty mountain cone. It isperfectly circular, and five hundred yards at least in circumference,but it is deeper, far and away, than any volcanic crater into which ithas ever been my fortune to peer. Even when the great balloon began toalight in its centre the gulf below seemed bottomless. The_Perseverando_ appeared to be sinking down--down--down into theblackness of darkness. To the perceptions of our heroes, who peeredfearfully over the car and gazed below, the gulf was rising towards themand swallowing them up.
I do not think I am detracting in the slightest from their character forbravery, when I say that the hearts of Ralph, Rory, and Allan, at allevents, felt as if standing still, so terrible was the feeling of dreadof some unknown danger that crept over them. As for De Vere, he was afatalist of the newest French school, and a man that carried his life inhis hand. He never attempted, it is true, any feat which he deemed allbut impossible to perform; but, having embarked on an enterprise, hewould go through with it, or he cared not to live.
Strange though it may appear, it is just men like this that fortunefavours. Probably because the wish to continue to exist is notuppermost in their minds, the wish and the hope to achieve success isthe paramount feeling.
Still slowly, very slowly, sunk the balloon, as if unwilling to leaveher aerial home. And now a faint shade of light begins to mingle withthe darkness beneath them; they are near the bottom of the crater atlast.
"Stand by once again," whispers De Vere, "to throw that anchor over assoon as I tell you."
A moment of awful suspense.
"Now! now!" hisses De Vere.
Two anchors quit the car at the same time--one thrown by the aeronauthimself, one by Allan, and the ropes are speedily made fast. Theballoon gives an upward plunge, the cables tighten, then all is still!
"Ha! ha! she is fast!" cried De Vere, now for the first time showing alittle excitement. "Oh, she is a beauty! she has behave most lofely!Look up, gentlemen!--look up!--behold the mighty walls of blue ice thatsurround us!--behold the circle of blue sky dat over-canopies us!--look,the stars are shining!"
"Can it be night so soon?" exclaimed Allan, in alarm.
"Nay, nay, gentlemen," said the enthusiastic Frenchman, "be easy of yourminds. It is not night in the vorld outside, but here it is alvaysnight; up yonder the stars shine alvays, alvays, when de clouds areabsent. And shine dey vill until de crack of doom. Now gaze aroundyou. See, the darkness already begins to vanish, and you can see thevast and mighty cavern into which I have brought you. If my judgmentserves me, it extends for miles around beneath de mountain. There!--youbegin to perceive the gigantic stalactites that seem to support theroof!"
"Ralph," cried Rory, seizing his friend by the hand, "do you remember,years and years ago, while we all sat round the fire in the tartanparlour of Arrandoon Castle, wishing we might be able to do somethingthat no one, man or boy, had ever done before?"
"I do--I do," answered Ralph.
"Descend with me here, then," continued Rory, "and let us explore thecavern. Only a little, _little_ way, captain," he pleaded, seeing thatDe Vere shook his head in strong dissent.
"You know not vat you do ask," said De Vere, solemnly. "Here are caveswithin caves, one cavern but hides a thousand more; besides, there are,maybe, and doubtless are, crevasses in de floor of dis awful crater,into which you may tumble, neever, neever to be seen again. Pray do notthink of risking a danger so vast."
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The day wore slowly to a close; many and many an anxious look did McBaintake skywards, in hopes of seeing the returning balloon. But the sunset, tipping the distant hills with brightest crimson, twilight diedaway in the west, and one by one shone out the stars, till night anddarkness and silence reigned over all the sea of ice.
He went below at last. His feelings may be better imagined thendescribed. He tried to make himself believe that nothing had occurred,and that the balloon had safely descended in some snow-clad valley, andthat morning would bring good tidings. But for all this he could notfor the life of him banish a dread, cold feeling that something terriblehad occurred, the very novelty of which made it all the more appallingto think of. Presently the mate entered the saloon.
"What cheer, Stevenson! Any tidings?"
"A pigeon, sir," replied the mate, handing the bird into the captain'sgrasp.
McBain's hands shook as he had never remembered them shake before, as heundid the tiny missive from the pigeon's leg.
It ran briefly thus:--
"We are detained here in the crater all night. Do not be alarmed.To-morrow will, please Providence, see us safely home."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
ANXIOUS HOURS--EXPLORATION OF THE MOUNTAIN CAVERN--THE CAVE OF THE KINGOF ICE, AND GHOULS OF A THOUSAND WI
NTERS--TRANSFORMATION SCENES--SNOWBLIND--LOST.
It would be difficult to say which was most to be pitied, McBain onboard the _Arrandoon_, passing long hours of inconceivable anxiety, orour other heroes, left to spend the drear, cold night in the awfuldepths of that Arctic crater.
It was with light hearts that Ralph and Rory descended from the car ofthe _Perseverando_ and commenced their perilous exploration of the vastand dimly-lighted cavern; but heavy hearts were left behind them, andhardly had they disappeared in the gloom ere the Frenchman exclaimed toAllan, "I greatly fear dat I have done wrong. Your two friends are bigwid impulse; if anydings
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