The Great War Syndicate

hills. In order to obtain a sufficient depth of water for his marine experiments, Roland Clewe had built an unusually high and strong da

ral workmen, examining a curious-looking vessel which was moored near by, when Margaret

to your house to tell you what I

felt that I must quiet my mind as soon as I could by giving it something real and tangi

d, as they moved together from the lake, "of that practical enterprise which we must take up and finish, in order to justify ourselves to the public and tho

g to try to do that-you, yourself?" And

ught I would go myself

laug

she. "Send Sammy Bl

st, far enough to start him-and I could so arrange matters that Sammy would have no difficulty in finishing the expedition, but I do not think that I could give u

journey himself," she sai

tisfied with the glory I get from the conception. The mere journey to the northern end of the earth's axis is of slight i

would give much to be the first human being

e kind of glory I crave. If I can help a man to go there, I shall be very wil

she said-"when will you

e. "Let me set the men at it, and then we will go in

Clewe made ready to describe his proposed arctic expedition to his partner, in whose mind th

e sure that I have it all straight in my mind. You will go, I su

ey start they will make a telegraphic connection with the station at Cape Tariff. The Dipsey will carry one of those light, portable cables, which will be wound on a drum in her hold, and this will be paid out as she proceeds on her way. Thus, you see, by means

ed to get to the north pole have met with the same bad fortune. They could not pass over the vast and awful regions of ice which lay b

ays the wild and wicked winds, in which no steering apparatus could be relied upon. We may steer and manage our vessels in the fiercest storms at sea, but

and hurled him and his ship against an iceberg, and nothing of his vessel but pieces of wood and iron, which the bears could not eat, was ever seen again. This was the last polar expedition of that sort, or any sort; but my plan is so easy of accomplishment-at least, so it seems to me-and so devoid of risk and danger, that i

ions of the ice and the bottom of the Arctic Ocean I believe to be quite sufficient to allow me all the room needed for navigation. I do not think it necessary to even consider the con

elf in an open sea, where she may rise to the surface. But if this should not be the case, a comparatively thin place in the ice will be chosen, and a great opening blown through it

miles under the ice, shut in as if an awful lid were put over her. No matter what happened down there, she could not come up and get out; it wo

ng so dear to the marine explorer as plenty of water, and plenty of

s," said she, "that you canno

d consulted so much about them, that I think I have provided against all the dangers we hav

Raleigh, "but it will be quite anot

w that it was his duty not to lose time or to risk his life when he was on the brink of a discovery far more wonderful, far more important to the world, than the finding of the pole. Th

cientific men; there would be a submarine engineer, and such minor officers and assistants as would be necessary; but Clewe wanted some one who would represent him, who could be trusted to act in his place in case of success or of failure, who could be thoroughly depended

in talking over arrangements with Roland Clewe,

ght of settin' out on any kind of sea-voyagin' without havin' a sa

ur old-fashioned mariners would not know what to do under the water. Submarine v

htily changed nowadays. Just think of that yacht-race in England the other day-a race between two electric yachts, with a couple of vessels ploughin' along to windward carryin' between 'em a board fence thirty feet high to keep the wind off the yachts and give 'em both smooth water and equal cha

aid Clewe; "ge

y people went about in ships with sails, and even after he grew up Cap'n Jim was a great feller

on on his part to send her, and all others fashioned after her plan, to depths a great deal lower than ever had been contemplated by their inventors. Still, as he wanted very much to go to the pole if it was possible

morning by a visit from Sammy's wife, Mrs. Sarah Block, who lost no time in informing him that

u could not go on such

n't go. We have travelled together on top of the land, and we have travelled together on top of the water, and if there's to be travellin' under the water, why then we travel together all the same. If Sammy goes polin', I go polin'. I think h

; but I will beg of you not to say anything about the third class of good offices which you

m over everything that will be like havin' a black pocket-handkercher tied over your

journey, nearly twice as far as the voyage to England, before she could hear from him; but when he arrived at Cape Tariff, a point far up on the northwestern coast of Greenland, she would hear from him

message from Mrs. Raleigh, the principal import of which was that on no account must he allow himself to be persuaded to go on the submarine voyag

ople, and there was room for all the stores which would be needed for a year. She was furnished, besides, with

ficers, the crew, and the passenger on board the Dipsey, and

ose it won't be very much longer before there's the end of all of us. I hope you will tell Mrs. Raleigh that I sent my best love to her with my last words; for even if I was to see her again, it would seem to me like beginning all over again, and this would be the end o

habitants of the station, and then the plate-glass hatchways of the Dipsey were tightly closed, and she began to sink, until she entire

Dipsey for a time, in order to see if everything was working properly with her. She kept on a straight course, flashing a light into the little globe every now and then; and finally, after meeting

ndicated life except a distant, wearily-flapping sea bird, and then, turning his back upon the pole, he made preparations f