Part 25 (1/2)

”Then that's the place!” cried Abe, excitedly. ”Go slow, Tom.”

Our hero needed no such caution. Carefully he sent the airs.h.i.+p forward. A few minutes later they were pa.s.sing over a large Eskimo village, the fur-clad inhabitants of which rushed about wildly excited at the sight of the airs.h.i.+p.

”There they are! Them's th' beggars!” cried the old miner. ”Them's th' fellows who drove me an' my partner away. But there's th' valley of gold! I know it now! Now t' fill our pockets with nuggets!”

”Are you sure this is the place?” asked Mr. Damon.

”Sartin sure of it!” declared Abe. ”Put her down, Tom! Put her down!”

”All right,” agreed the young inventor, as he s.h.i.+fted the deflection rudder. The airs.h.i.+p began her descent into the valley. The edge of the plateau, leading down into the great depression was now black with the Eskimos and Indians, who were capering about, gesticulating wildly.

”It's quite a surprise party to 'em,” observed Ned Newton.

”Yes, I hope they don't spring one on us,” added Tom.

Down and down went the RED CLOUD lower and lower into the valley.

”There are ice caves there!” cried Mr. Parker, pointing to the curiously rounded and hollow hummocks. ”Lots of them!”

”And larger than the others!” added Mr. Damon.

The airs.h.i.+p was now moving slowly, for Tom wanted to pick out a good landing place. He saw a smooth stretch of the ice just ahead of him, in front of an immense ice cave.

”I'll make for that,” he told Ned.

A few minutes later the craft had come to rest. Tom shut off the power and hurried from the pilothouse, donning his fur coat as he rushed out. A blast of frigid air met him as he opened the outer door of the cabin. Back on the ridge of the plateau he could see the fringe of Indians.

”Well, we're here in the valley,” he said, as his friends gathered about him on the icy ground.

”An' now for th' gold!” cried Abe, ”for it's here that th' nuggets are--enough for all of us! Come on an' have a hunt for 'em!”

CHAPTER XXI

THE FOGERS ARRIVE

In spite of the fact that he tried to remain calm, Tom Swift felt a wild exultation as he thought of what lay before him and his friends. To be in a place where gold could be picked up! where they might all become fabulously wealthy! where the ground might be seen covered with the precious yellow metal! this was enough to set the nerves of any one a-tingle!

Tom could hardly realize it at first. After many hards.h.i.+ps, no little danger, and after an attempt on the part of their enemies to defeat them, they had at last reached their goal. Now, as Abe had said, they could hunt for the gold.

But if they expected to see the precious yellow nuggets lying about ready to be picked up like so many kernels of corn, they were disappointed. A quick look all about showed them only a vast extent of ice and snow, broken here and there by the big caves of ice.

There were not so many of the latter as at the first place they stopped, but the caverns were larger.

”Gold--I don't see any gold,” remarked Ned Newton, with a disappointed air. ”Where is it?”

”Bless my pocketbook, yes! Where is it?” demanded Mr. Damon.

”Oh, we've got to dig for it,” explained Abe. ”It's only when there's been a slight thaw that some of th' pebble nuggets kin be seen. They're under th' ice, an' we've got t' dig for 'em.”

”Does it ever thaw up here?” asked Mr. Parker. ”The ice of the caves seems thick enough to last forever.”