CHAPTER V.

BATTLE WITH A WHALE.

Not one in the party but was hurled to the deck. But each gained his feet quickly.

“My goodness! We are lost!” cried Stanhope.

But one thought was in Frank’s mind. He believed that the Dolphin had run against a reef.

Pomp had been in the pilot-house. It was a remissness in duty upon his part if such was the case.

But now from the pilot-house came the terrified cry:

“Oh, Marse Frank, for de lov’ ob goodness, cum yere quick!”

Frank was not slow to respond.

He rushed into the pilot-house to find Pomp hanging to the wheel. The boat seemed to be flying.

“What is the matter? What did you strike?” shouted Frank.

“Didn’t strike nuffin’, sah. Somefin’ struck us, an’ it was de berry bigges’ fish eber dis chile see!”

“A fish!” exclaimed Frank.

“Yas, sah! Jes’ look ober yonder.”

Frank had reversed the motive key, and the Dolphin had come to a stop. Dead ahead, in the glare of the searchlight, was a monster body.

What Pomp had called a fish Frank instantly recognized.

It was a monster whale.

The cetacean, with the curiosity and pugnacity of its species, had boldly attacked this giant invader of its deep sea home.

Full tilt it had rushed upon the Dolphin. Only the buoyancy and strength of the submarine boat had saved it from being crushed like an eggshell.

Even now it seemed to be preparing for another dash at the Dolphin. Frank saw this.

He instantly started the engine and whirled the boat about so as to meet the whale head on.

The Dolphin had a ram, and if the whale should come in contact with this it would be a serious affair for him.

And the sea monster seemed inclined to accept the challenge.

One moment it hung there in the current; then it lowered its head apparently, and made a convulsive movement with its mighty flukes.

“It is coming!” cried Stanhope, excitedly.

This was true enough.

Instinctively all braced for the shock which they knew must come.

Frank opened the lever wide. The Dolphin darted forward like lightning.

But the whale, wary as its kind always are, and uncertain, suddenly took a lightning-like downward plunge.

The ram of the Dolphin barely scraped its back. The shock threw all off their feet, but no further harm was done.

Instantly Frank sprang to the wheel and whirled the Dolphin about.

He knew what to expect, and this was that the whale would return to the attack from a new quarter.

Indeed he could already see the monster turning to carry out this plan.

The Dolphin came about just in time; the whale once more faced its leviathan opponent.

This time the cetacean did not seem inclined to avoid the collision. It bore down full tilt for the Dolphin.

Frank instantly started the engines.

Then came the collision.

It was a most terrific one.

The ram struck the whale square in the forehead. It glanced and plowed its way through the monster.

The whale was instantly killed, but the submarine boat was now in a fix. The ram was immovably fixed in the flesh of the huge monster.

This was really a serious matter. In vain Frank tried to back the boat away.

The engines were not powerful enough to extricate the ram.

It was firmly fixed.

And now the buoyant body of the whale began to rise. Being greater in lightness than the Dolphin, it took it along with it.

Up toward the surface went the boat and fish.

Frank knew that the surface of the ocean was frozen solid. They would not come to open air, but in contact with the ice above.

And this was just what happened.

There was a sudden jar, and the boat and whale rested against the surface of ice.

Under ordinary circumstances this might have done no damage.

But the current now began to drag the boat and whale along the surface of the ice forcibly.

It was powerful at this spot, and Frank saw that something must be done, or much damage would be done the Dolphin.

The young inventor was for a moment at a loss just what to do.

Then an idea occurred to him.

They were scraping along the ice violently. Frank went below and brought up a curious-looking object.

It looked like a small pontoon boat, but something after the pattern of the Dolphin.

But Stanhope recognized its nature at once.

It was a light torpedo, and could be discharged from a shaft just aft the ram in the bow of the boat.

“A torpedo!” exclaimed the great explorer. “Are you going to use it, Frank?”

“Yes.”

“But——”

“What?”

“Is there no risk? May it not do us more harm than anything else?”

“I think not,” replied the young inventor. “This is a very light one, and the charge I think is not strong enough. If it will dislodge the whale that is the best we may ask.”

“Most certainly; but do you think it is sufficient?”

“We can only try.”

“That is right.”

Frank went forward and placed the torpedo in the tube.

This was operated by pneumatic pressure, but the force of expulsion was great enough to send it a long way.

Frank now fired the tube. The torpedo shot forth and struck the whale in its side. The result was instantaneous.

There was a shock. The Dolphin reeled and the water boiled about her. Then as it cleared it was seen that the monster had been literally blown in two pieces.

The ram was almost liberated, and as the air bladder of the fish was broken it now began to sink.

Frank now rushed back to the cabin.

Quickly he donned his diving suit. Stanhope, seeing the risk, tried to remonstrate with him.

But Frank did not listen; he left the cabin and was quickly out upon the deck.

He crept along until well out on the ram. In his right hand he carried a keen hatchet.

It was the work of but a few moments to cut away the section of blubber, and the boat was free.

At once it began to sink.

Frank crept back into the cabin safely, and into the overjoyed arms of his companions, who were indeed glad of his success.

“That was a plucky thing to do, Frank,” cried Stanhope.

But the young inventor only smiled.

“There are more difficult things,” he declared; “there was no other way.”

But the Dolphin had now reached the bottom again. She was unscathed by her thrilling experience.

Frank now started her ahead upon her northward trip.

The further north they proceeded, the more shallow, grew the ocean.

Many curious things were seen.

One day, as the boat was driving along at a lively rate, Barney, who was in the wheel-house, saw an object dead ahead.

As it was in the course of the boat he checked speed. Drawing nearer slowly he focussed the electric light and received a startling surprise.

At once he cried:

“Whurroo! Misther Frank, wud yez cum here, sor?”

Frank at once responded.

“What is it, Barney?”

“Shure, sor, it’s a ship!”

“A ship?”

“Yis, sor. Sunken under the wather, sor. A rale ship, sor!”

At once Frank was interested. He gazed out through a dead-eye window, and saw that Barney was right.

There, in the path of the Dolphin was a sunken ship. It was full rigged, and had apparently gone down with all sails set.

What was more, it was a whaling vessel, as its blackened funnels and high bulwarks attested.

“A sunken whale ship!” cried Frank.

Stanhope heard him.

“Is it?” he cried. “Mercy! What a sad fate!”

“But the Arctic holds many such.”

“You are right. Shall we stop to search her, Frank?” asked the explorer.

The young inventor shook his head.

“I think not,” he replied. “It will be hardly worth while. Besides, we must make this Northwest Passage before the Arctic winter sets in.”

The Dolphin now entered a labyrinth of channels and straits.

Only a master mind like Frank Reade, Jr.’s could have emerged successfully from this tangle.

But he succeeded, and one day, after a long threading of such passages, he appeared in the cabin with a startling declaration.

“We have made the Northwest Passage and shall soon emerge into the Behring Sea. We will before many days be in hot pursuit of the silver whale.”

Stanhope sprang up and swung his cap excitedly.

“Hurrah!” he shouted. “That is a great achievement in more than one sense. We have proved the existence of the Northwest Passage, which has been a subject of such doubt among mariners for hundreds of years.”

“You mean that we have proved the existence of the passage, but not that it is navigable,” said Frank.

“Ah, but it is that!”

“I fear not!”

“And why not?”

“There is every indication that it is perpetually blocked with ice. No vessel could find its way through.”

“Yet we did.”

“You are caught!” he said. “We will allow that it is navigable for a submarine boat. But only think! Very shortly we shall be in quest of the silver whale!”

“Let us hope that we shall succeed in finding him,” cried Stanhope, hopefully. “And also the confession which will save Valentine Tucker.”

“Amen to that.”

The Dolphin plowed the waters of the Behring Sea. The frightful cold of the Arctic waters now began to lessen.

It was evident that they were nearing the warmer waters of the Pacific. And in due time the Aleutian Isles were passed.