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

onsiderably startled by the inexplicable occurrence him

wouldn't throw cocoanu

rr

ubbornly, "what else

ed Billy; "perhaps a

st savages if any of the forest dwellers had really gone adrift on the floating island. It was not a cheerful party that sat down to another meal o

e burning through the dark hours. Harry and Ben were to share the first watch and Frank and Billy agreed to take the second

the waves against the shore of the floating island to break the deep stillness, when

ained their ears to see if they could ascertain the o

aces by the fire, however, befor

uman being,"

d or something!" crie

rn

had awakened and were sitting up

rom near at hand

and rushed toward them. Half unnerved with alarm at this sudden and inexplicable attack, Frank fired point-blank into the onrush, and two of the dark forms fell.

ank; "throw some wood on the fire, Ben, and

bent over the two still forms that l

!" exclaimed Frank in am

clared Ben, "I've heard of 'em. No wonder we wer

y attacked the ca

, "most likely they smelled the food and thought they

at took our water and then thre

y," said Ben; "them monkey

into their heads to annoy

he revolver and the sight of them two mates of their

adventurers passed the rema

r scrutiny of the horizon by all the castaways, but to their bitter disappoint

d some more time on 'Monkey Is

uch more time," s

?" deman

we to do f

xplore the island for a spring that could be tapped for further water supply. The boys all admitted to themselves that the chance of finding one was rem

ked their first night on the island,-they found nothing that promised an available supply. At noon they sat down in the shade of a huge palm to rest and made a meal off th

l make a start back fo

e moments had pa

s a fine camp. Why, there's nothing ther

evious night, the party trudging along the narrow beach in In

claimed, poin

s finger and gave a

" cried

Harry, "it's the

reaths of vapor that were blow

ike small fleecy clouds, but it mo

hed Billy Barnes, all his fears go

the party see

t that's steamer smo

e can it be?"

,-"that's a whole lot of smoke for a steamer to be

make such smoke

ed what seemed a

fire out when w

ived without his speaking a

and was

the crash as they fell, while the flames leaped through

floating island, and t

and all they could see above them was a thick canopy of smoke. It

e to do?" g

s Frank's reply, "our escape is

credible rapidity the fire, undoubtedly started by their carelessness in no

the spotted form, and without glancing to right or left, the cr

n; "a good thing it was

ge left," said Frank, gazing

had; we might as well die by a jaguar's teeth a

goutis or wild pigs, monkeys, birds of various kinds,-including huge macaws and numerous snakes. The creatures paid not the least attentio

he Golden Eagle h

ed Ben, capering about,

they grasped at it as a last resort. Two large tree trunks lay near to where they stood. They had fallen appare

er with some withes and ma

o get them into the

th them," replied the sailor; "come, we h

parks were falling about them in red-hot showers and already some of the brush in their

ork of getting the trunks into the water was, thanks to the natural rollers, not so hard as might have been anticipated. Ben and Frank managed the placing of the roll

had their situation not been so critical, the party would have been compelled to admire the wild magnificence of the spectacle. Great red tongues of flame shot up through the blanket of

shouted Frank as the clu

lost no time in putting the two branches they had cut to use as paddles into action. It was hard work but they

n to glide slowly over the waves, "w

nk; "we have no provisions and no wate

to be picked u

ope," rejoined Fran

nce, even had he been able to, for while he w

he distance a dusky form that had rushed out of the wood wit

h a Wild Howl, Shot

e, dull yellow hide, catlike form, and twitching tail, th

nt pa

wled menacingly the boys realized that they were practi

n, it drew back on its haunches and, lash