Part 24 (1/2)

”Never mind about that,” insisted Abe. ”We'll find th' place anyhow.

But look ahead there; is that another hail storm headin' this way, Tom?”

The young inventor glanced to where Abe pointed. There was a mist in the air, and, for a time great apprehension was felt, but, in a few minutes there was a violent flurry of snow and they all breathed easier. For, though the flakes were so numerous as to completely shut off the view, there was no danger to the airs.h.i.+p from them. Tom steered by the compa.s.s.

The storm lasted several hours, and when it was over the adventurers found themselves several miles nearer their destination--at least they hoped they were nearer it, for they were going it blind.

Abe declared they were now in the region of the gold valley. They cruised about for two days, making vain observations by means of powerful telescopes, but they saw no signs of any depression which corresponded with the place whence Abe had seen the gold taken from.

At times they pa.s.sed over Indian villages, and had glimpses of the skin-clad inhabitants rus.h.i.+ng out to point to the strange sight of the airs.h.i.+p overhead. Tom was beginning to reproach himself again for his carelessness in losing the map, and it did begin to took as if they were making a fruitless search.

Still they all kept up their good spirits, and Mr. Damon concocted some new dishes from the meat of the musk oxen. It was about a week after the fight with the savage creatures when, one day, as Ned was on duty in the pilothouse, he happened to lock down. What he saw caused him to call to Tom.

”What's the matter?” demanded the young inventor, as he hurried forward.

”Look down there,” directed Ned. ”It looks as if we were sailing over a lot of immense beehives of the old-fas.h.i.+oned kind.”

Tom looked. Below were countless, rounded hummocks of snow or ice.

Some were very large--as immense as a great shed in which a dirigible balloon could be housed--while others were as small as the ice huts in which the Eskimos live.

”That's rather strange,” remarked Tom. ”I wonder--”

But he did not complete his sentence, for Abe Abercrombie, who had come to stand beside him, suddenly yelled out:

”The caves of ice! The caves of ice! Now I know where we are! We're close to the valley of gold! There are the caves of ice, and just beyond is th' place we're lookin' for! We've found it at last!”

CHAPTER XX

IN THE GOLD VALLEY

The excited cries of the old miner brought Mr. Damon and Mr. Parker to the pilothouse on the run.

”Bless my refrigerator!” exclaimed Mr. Damon. ”Are there more of those savage, s.h.a.ggy creatures down there?”

”No, but we are over th' caves of ice,” explained Abe. ”That means we are near th' gold.”

”You don't say so!” burst out the scientist. ”The caves of ice! Now I can begin my real observations! I have a theory that the caves are on top of a strata of ice that is slowly moving down, and will eventually bury the whole of the North American continent. Let me once get down there, and I can prove what I say.”

”I'd a good deal rather you wouldn't prove it, if it's going to be anything like it was on Earthquake Island, or out among the diamond makers.” said Tom Swift. ”But we will go down there, to see what they are like. Perhaps there is a trail from among the ice caves to the valley of gold.”

”I don't think so,” said Abe, shaking his head.

”I think th' gold valley lies over that high ridge,” and he pointed to one. ”That's where me an' my partner was,” he went on. ”I recognize th' place now.”

”Well, we'll go down here, anyhow,” decided Tom, and he pulled the lever to let some gas out of the bag, and tilted the deflection rudder to send the airs.h.i.+p toward the odd caves.

And, curious enough did our friends find them when they had made a landing and got out to walk about them. It was very cold, for on every side was solid ice. They walked on ice, which was like a floor beneath their feet, level save where the ice caves reared themselves. As for the caverns, they, too, were hollowed out of the solid ice. It was exactly as though there had once been a level surface of some liquid. Then by some upheaval of nature, the surface was blown into bubbles, some large and some small. Then the whole thing had frozen solid, and the bubbles became hollow caves. In time part of the sides fell in and made an opening, so that nearly all the caves were capable of being entered.

This method of their formation was advanced as a theory by Mr.