CHAPTER VI.

LOST IN AN ICEBERG.

But what of Barney?

Had a cruel fate dragged him down to an awful death in the crevasse? As fortune would have it, he was spared.

But it was a close call.

Barney’s sensations as he found himself falling were not of the pleasantest.

He made a valiant effort to save himself, but failed.

Down he shot.

How far he fell he had no means of knowing.

The descent was extremely winding, circuitous and abrupt.

He was bumped and jolted and nigh rendered unconscious.

Only the thickness of his fur suit saved him from serious hurts.

When he came to a stop he was up to the neck in a huge pile of snow.

About him were mighty walls of ice and a great basin of water, which he instantly judged to be a part of the sea, but quickly discovered his mistake.

He was far below the level of the sea. And the water was dripping from the berg inclosed in a basin impervious to any connection with the waters of the ocean.

Had it been, the entire chamber would have been filled with water.

And Barney O’Shea would have been a dead Irishman.

The Celt picked himself up.

“Bejabers, phwativer has happened to me now?” he cried. “Shure, it’s nigh kilt I am.”

He rubbed his bruises ruefully.

But he could not help congratulating himself upon his escape from what might have been an awful death.

“Shure it’s down into the cinter av the berg I’ve fell,” he muttered. “Phwereiver is Misther Frank, anyway?”

Then he opened his lungs.

Yell after yell he sent up.

But only the dull echoes answered.

Frank was too far distant for the sound to reach him.

After a time Barney desisted.

It was impossible to return the way that he came.

This he discovered quickly.

But what was to be done?

He had no desire or intention of remaining where he was.

A change of base was at once necessary and desirable.

“Shure it’s no use I am in sthayin’ around here,” he muttered. “I’ll be afther crawling out av this place.”

He began to look around.

The waters of the basin were at his feet. He made his way around the basin.

This brought him to a remarkable spectacle.

He came in close proximity to a clear and transparent wall of ice.

Objects beyond it were as plainly visible as could be.

He experienced a thrill as he saw that this was only a remarkable sort of window through which he could look out into the waters of the ocean.

The waters of the sea were clear, and he could see the bottom plainly.

It was a most wonderful sight.

Barney saw various sea animals and fishes upon the bed of the sea.

It was an awful thing to think of.

Only the clear, transparent wall of the ice separated the chamber of the berg from the waters of the ocean.

Barney shivered as he reflected upon the possibility of that wall of ice breaking through and letting in the waters of the sea.

It would mean death to him.

This made the Celt feel a bit uncomfortable, and he began at once to look about for a way out of the place.

By the best good fortune he discovered an upward passage and at once took it.

It led upward, through various passages, and at times Barney had to cut niches in the ice to clamber up by.

But he kept at work.

He reflected that it was his only chance for life.

He had not the slightest idea as to where it would bring him or where he would come out.

But he kept on just the same.

Up, up he went.

Suddenly it began to grow lighter, and Barney felt a breath of air.

It gave him renewed courage and he went on.

Soon he caught a gleam of daylight far above.

He knew then that he was coming to the open air.

Where he would come out he could not guess.

But the question found speedy answer. In another moment the blue sky was above him, and he was drinking in the sea breeze.

Up he went over a wall of ice, and the horizon burst upon his view.

But he was amazed at his position.

He was far up on the top of the mighty berg.

As far as he could see all was a vast berg-studded sea.

An immense platform of ice extended far to the northern end of the berg.

Barney fancied that he might see the submarine boat from this position.

But though he leaned far over the ice cliffs and closely scrutinized the line, he could see no sign of the Explorer.

It was not in sight.

But Barney reflected that it might be upon the other side of the berg, and at once started thither.

But he found that it was quite impossible for him to reach there.

The berg upon this side was nothing but a mass of pinnacles and needle-pointed spires, which effectually precluded anything like progress.

“Bejabbers, it’s all surrounded I am,” wailed Barney. “Shure, I’ll niver see Misther Frank and the Explorer again!”

Despair now seized the Celt.

But he kept wandering about.

And as chance had it this brought him to a passage which seemed to lead down again into the centre of the berg.

In his bewilderment Barney took it. This proved his salvation.

It looked more like the passage by which he had entered the berg with Frank, and he kept on.

Suddenly he heard strange sounds.

He came to a halt.

They were in the far distance.

Yet the Irishman could distinguish quite plainly.

They consisted of hoarse growls and snarling cries like an angry beast.

“Begorra, that’s funny!” muttered Barney. “Phwativer is goin’ on?”

Then he heard what sounded like a distant human cry of distress.

That was enough for Barney.

“Bejabers, I believe that is Misther Frank!” he cried. “Shure I’d never be stayin’ here at all, at all.”

Away sped Barney.

Every moment the sounds became plainer. Then he came upon an astounding sight.

In the centre of the cavern chamber was a man wrapped in the embrace of a huge bear.

Barney recognized the victim at once.

It was Frank Reade, Jr.

“Whurroo! Hold up, Misther Frank!” cried the Celt, excitedly. “Shure, I’ll be afther savin’ yez!”

“Help, Barney!” cried Frank, feebly.

The bear was certainly getting the best of the young inventor.

There is no doubt but that he would have succumbed if it had not been for Barney’s arrival.

The Celt was overjoyed to be able to strike a blow for his master.

All through his experiences he had kept possession of his rifle.

He now ran up to the bear and placed the muzzle against his heart.

Barney pulled the trigger.

The battle was finished.

The bear rolled over backward, instantly dead. Frank, overjoyed, staggered to Barney’s side.

“Thank God! you were not killed after all, Barney!”

“Shure, I came near enough to it, sor, but not so near as you.”

“Let us get away from this accursed place at once. Let us go back to the Explorer.”

They started upon the return.

But somehow none of the passages seemed the same.

The further they went the more bewildered they became.

“Shure, sor, it’s lost I am intoirely!” cried Barney. “Arrah, an’ it was a bad toime that we iver came aboard this accursed berg!”

“You are right!” cried Frank. “It is a lesson to us. But I never had any idea before that anybody could ever get so completely lost on an iceberg.”

“Shure, sor, it seems to be a very simple matther.”

“So it does, Barney. But this looks like the right path. Let us take it and see where it will go to.”

“All right, sor!”

Along this new corridor the two lost explorers went.

But the further they went the more confused they became.

The reasons for this were obvious.

They were not aware of the splitting up of the berg, and consequently did not understand it.

But this was the real reason.

The paths by which they had come had been closed by this evolution.

But they had kept on at random.

This finally brought them into a mighty cavern chamber wholly arched.

A narrow shelf existed around, the verge of a huge inland sea, or basin, rather.

Frank Reade, Jr. stopped and looked keenly about him.

Then a chill struck him.

An inkling of the truth came to him.

“Heavens!” he gasped. “I think I can understand it now!”

“Phwat, sor?”

“The berg has collapsed on the side we entered by, and we are imprisoned by the change!”

“Shure, sor, ye don’t mean it?”

“Yes, I do.”

Barney was astounded. Then a light broke upon him.

“Shure, an’ I believe ye’re right.”

“Of course I am,” said Frank. “My God! it is too awful to think of!”

“But, sor----”

“What?”

The two explorers looked at each other.

Each read in the face of the other what was in the mind of each.

“Phwere is the Explorer?”

A shade of horror came over Frank’s handsome face.

Ah! that was an awful question.

Where was the Explorer?

Was it still safely riding the sea outside, or was it sunk beneath the tons and thousands of tons of falling ice?

Frank remembered the shock he had felt while in the berg.

But even as they stood there in their uncertainty, a strange thing happened before their eyes.

There was a mighty commotion of the waters in the basin.