The Boy Aviators' Polar Dash; or, Facing Death in the Antarctic

and their rugged old companion. We left them sitting on the bow-or rather per

tion after one of the prolonged silences whic

oys l

Ben, "but I do. Any o

ndred miles at sea

, I smell land," stubborn

shore and that's the re

part of the world that I ever heard tell of. But say," he broke off suddenly, "what's come over the weather

pproaching tropical disturbance of some kind. The air had suddenly

's a bad blow coming on or I'm a Dutchman," e

le overboard," warned Frank, as Ben, balan

opple over," shouted Ben,

the whole ship's company hurled him headlong into the night and the boys, balanced as they were on the pro

instead of falling into the sea, fully prepared to swim for his life, he found himself instead plunged into a sti

s and almost gave a cry s

red an unmistak

was mired to the knees in sticky mud,-

his first shock of surprise w

e am I awake or dr

Frank, overjoyed to know that one

ly Harry's voice haile

ck in mud. Where

timbers if we ain't," came a deep throat

nyhow," cried Frank, "this mud

n eaten by sharks by this time," Billy assu

be?" exclaimed Har

suppose they have even missed us and even if th

en, "anyhow I'm going to try to get o

deemed was forward and soon were rewarded for their efforts by finding themselves on real dry

red Frank, "we are rea

ourse and we are stranded on the

"and besides if we'd hit la

n we be on?"

up," sa

t a match?"

roof boxes they had used on their previous expeditions they were dry. Some wer

to the boys. Some large birds, scared by the light, flapped screaming out of the boughs above them as the bonfire blazed up. They could now see that they had be

said Frank, "we had better sleep as well as we can and sta

feeling that something or somebody was prowling about the "camp." Once he could have sworn he saw a pair of eyes, like two flaming points of fire, glare a

hey could under a fallen tree trunk. The storm was the one that had blackened the sky some hours before. Luck

had little ey

r of voicing the general question that beset them all afte

r belts," g

ked," exclaimed Ben pointing to some branches which dipped i

id Frank, "I brought them on deck with me

id Ben, as having heated some stones

arty was there that did not think with longing regrets of t

ce along the beach for five miles or so in opposite directions, the group being formed into two parties for the purpose. Harry and Frank pai

un till they felt as if they were going to drop, but they held pluckily

panse of sparkling sea that stretched before

hip will make a searc

nd out we are gone by this time and will naturally conclude

and that if the coast on which they were cast away proved

the collision," suggested Harry, "how she ever came

bout this whole thing. The Southern Cross is, as you know, equipped with a submarine bell w

right up to this coast," was the o

coast doing here at all. We are two hundred miles out

show any land ou

ome of the deepest parts of th

must have been

rienced navigators. Her compasses and other in

we'll wake up and find ourselves in

reply to this extraordinary sugges

ar

ir quick breathing they could h

were coming

He had by a lucky oversight neglected to take it off when he had finished his target practice, merely thrusting it back

ill we see who it