hot sounded quite close.

Jack put his hand in his pocket. His fingers touched something.

"Hurrah!" he cried. "I have my revolver and there are four shots left!"

He passed it over to Andy, who shot twice at intervals of about a
quarter of a minute.

"Where are you?" they heard a faint voice calling from somewhere above
their heads.

In reply Andy fired the last shot. It was responded to, and then, a few
seconds later, a dark object loomed up at the opening at the top of the
inclined plane. The prisoners, looking up, recognized the professor.

"Hello, down there!" he shouted.

"Hello, up there!" answered Andy.

"We'll get you out!" called down the inventor. "How did you get there?
What do you need in order to come up here?"

"We slid down," said the hunter in reply, "and we didn't do it for fun
either. If you're going to get us out you'll need a long rope."

The professor, sizing up the situation, sent Bill Jones back to the ship
on the run to bring a long stout cable. While this was coming there were
questions and answers sent up and down the inclined shaft that told each
of the two parties what had happened. In a short time the rope was
brought, and one end fastened to an iron bar thrust into the ice, while
the other was thrown down to the prisoners. With this as an aid and
guide they were able to walk up the incline and soon were on the surface
again.

"There, I forgot something!" exclaimed the old hunter as he emerged from
the mouth of the shaft.

"What?" asked the professor.

"The polar bear," was the answer. "I think I'll go back after him. The
skin may be valuable."

"There are plenty more," said the inventor. "We have no time to go back
after this one. I must hurry to the ship."

Pulling up the rope, and strapping their rifles on their backs, the
party of rescued ones and rescuers began their march to the airship.
They decided to leave the bear Andy had first shot on the ice, and come
back later for some steaks.

It was a bright day, and though it was very cold, being about twenty
degrees below zero, there was no wind, which was a great relief. The
party marched on, with Andy in the lead. He had reloaded his rifle with
some ammunition the helpers had brought from the ship, and he was almost
wishing he would meet another bear or two, now that he was ready for
them.

Just as the adventurers turned around the side of a large ice hill,
which hid the airship from their sight, they heard a queer