Part 30 (2/2)
”The volcano! the volcano!” was the simultaneous exclamation
But the words had hardly passed their lips before the fantastic vision had vanished The wind suddenly changed to south-east, and drove the shi+p back again from the land
”Confound it!” said Hatteras; ”eren't three miles from the coast”
However, resistance was i; but every few h she righted herself again immediately obedient to the hel the hel soul of the shi+p
All at once, a fearful sight reat block of ice co on the stormy billows, ready to overturn at any moment and crush theer that threatened the bold navigators The iceberg was packed hite bears, huddling close together, and evidently beside thehtful lurches, sole that the anirowling, which led with the roar of the elements and made a terrible concert
For a quarter of an hour, which seemed a whole century, the sloop sailed on in this formidable coh to touch The Greenland dogs trembled for fear, but Duk was quite iot driven by the wind further and further away till it disappeared in the fog, only at intervals betraying its presence by the oe
[Illustration: Mast and sail were torn off, and went flying away through the darkness like soe white bird--P224]
The storm now burst forth with redoubled fury The little barque was lifted bodily out of the water, and whirled round and round with the htful rapidity Mast and sail were torn off, and went flying away through the darkness like so the waves, drawing down the shi+p gradually by its irresistible suction
[Illustration: ]
Deeper and deeper she sank, whizzing round at such tremendous speed that to the poor fellows on board, the water see at each other in speechless terror But suddenly the shi+p rose perpendicularly, her proent above the edge of the vortex, and getting out of the centre of attraction by her own velocity, she escaped at a tangent from the circumference, and was thrown far beyond, swift as a ball from a cannon's mouth
Altamont, the Doctor, Johnson, and Bell were pitched flat on the planks When they got up, Hatteras had disappeared!
It o o'clock in the
CHAPTER XXIII
THE ENGLISH FLAG
For a few seconds they seemed stupefied, and then a cry of ”Hatteras!” broke fro was visible but the tempestuous ocean Duk barked desperately, and Bell could hardly keep hi into the waves
”Take the helm, Altamont,” said the Doctor, ”and let us try our utmost to find our poor captain”
Johnson and Bell seized the oars, and rowed about for more than an hour; but their search was vain--Hatteras was lost!
Lost! and so near the Pole, just as he had caught sight of the goal!
The Doctor called, and shouted, and fired signals, and Duk made piteous lamentations; but there was no response Clawbonny could bear up no longer; he buried his head in his hands, and fairly wept aloud