Part 15 (2/2)

It was a joyful meeting that took place between the united parties.

When Jarvis saw the Doctor working over the disabled natives he roared first with laughter, then with anger. His last desire was to put them out of the way at once.

”For, sir,” he argued, ”them hain't no natural, ordinary 'eathen, indeed not, sir. They are the very h'old Nick 'isself, sir.”

But Dave suggested putting them in their own ivory prison, and this advice prevailed. After their wounds were dressed they were thrust in and the door barred from without. Wiser men than the ”sub” crew have learned that a man is seldom safe in a prison of his own making, but the sailors never gave the prisoners another thought.

”Rainey,” said the engineer, as he found himself alone with the young gob, ”we'll all be rich men.”

”How?” asked his companion.

”There's mineral! Mineral! Gold, me lad, tons of it!” The older man's wrinkled face caught the tints of the sunset and seemed to take on the hue of the metal of which he spoke.

CHAPTER X

TO THE TREASURE CITY

Once all the members of the submarine party were reunited, their one thought was to repair their damaged craft as soon as possible and start again on their way to the Pole. Perhaps the engineer wasted a thought now and again on the supposed great mineral wealth of that peninsula, but if he did, he said nothing.

The men were divided into three groups. The first, the mechanics, undertook the task of removing the shaft; the second guarded the craft against possible attack by the natives, while the third was dispatched up the beach to search for firewood which the mechanics must have.

The work of the guard seemed a joke. Not one of the natives could be induced to approach the dark ”spirit-whale” which some of their comrades had seen rise from the water. Even after the steel shaft had been brought ash.o.r.e as tangible evidence that the craft was a thing of metal, they could not be induced to approach it.

The wood hunters found their task a hard one, for, either there never had been much driftwood on these sh.o.r.es, or the natives had used it for summer camp-fires. They searched far down the bay without finding a sufficient quant.i.ty to make ”a decent fire over which to roast 'hot-dogs',” as Rainey expressed it.

But as the engineer rounded a point, he suddenly exclaimed;

”There! Ain't h'I been sayin' hit! I 'ates to think 'ow jolly stupit som'ums of ye are.”

He was pointing to the banks which overhung the sea. The men, who were looking only for driftwood, did not at first see the cause of his exclamation.

”Coal, my lads!” Jarvis exclaimed, half beside himself. ”Coal cropping from the bank!”

It was true. A careful examination showed a four-foot vein of soft coal.

It was not long until reindeer sleds, secured from the natives, were drawing quant.i.ties of the fuel to a point beneath a cliff, where a crude forge had been made out of granite rock.

While this work was going on, the engineer disappeared in the direction of the village. In a half-hour he came tearing back, his face red with rage.

”They're h'out!” he sputtered. ”The bally, blithering unnatural 'eathen hev flew the h'ivory coops. T'was to be expected. I 'ates t' think what h'I'd a-done, 'ad h'I 'ad the say of it.”

”Oh, well,” said the Doctor, who was inclined to take Jarvis' quarrel with the natives rather lightly, ”in twenty-four hours we'll be away from these sh.o.r.es never to return.”

”Return?” exclaimed Jarvis. ”H'I'll return, an' Dave 'ere'll return.

We'll be rich men, we'll be. I 'ates t' think 'ow rich 'im an' me'll be!”

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