ng him from side to side of
the bunk.

Strangely enough there was nothing to the storm but wind. There was no
rain or snow, and the air was remarkably clear, excepting for the
darkness of the clouds. Aside from the way in which the ship was blown
along there was nothing to indicate that the breeze was rushing along at
tempest speed. There were no trees bent to the earth, and no clouds of
dust. The sky clouds kept pace with the airship.

"I wonder where we are?" asked Jack, who with Mark had come back from
the tower.

"We'll have to guess at it," replied Andy. "It would be as much as a
man's life is worth to go outside and take an observation."

"Don't hab to do dat," broke in Washington. "See here!"

He stooped over and pulled on an iron ring that was fastened in the
floor of the dining-room cabin. A section of a board came up.

"Look!" exclaimed the negro pointing down. All leaned forward and saw
that a heavy plate glass had been set over a hole cut through the floor
of the ship. By means of this strange window one could look directly
down toward the earth. Jack kneeled and peered through the glass. He
rose to his feet with a cry of fear.

"What's the matter?" asked Andy.

"We are right over the ocean!" exclaimed the boy. "I can see immense
waves not three hundred feet below! The airship must be falling and
we'll be dashed into the sea!"

At these words Washington ran to the engine room. He looked at the
height indicator.

"We's four hundred feet in de air, an' a--we's agoin' down!" he
muttered.

Jack, who had followed him, saw by the instrument what the dreadful
truth was. Blown from her course, the _Monarch_ was now over an open
polar sea, into which she might be dashed at any moment. The tornado
still howled and roared outside, making it impossible to inflate the gas
bag, so strong was the pressure of wind on it. And without a fresh
supply of gas, the ship must fall.

There was no abatement to the tornado. The ship was tossed more
violently than ever. Jack peered through the floor-window again.

"We are nearer the water!" he exclaimed as he arose. "The sea is
covered with icebergs. They are crashing together in the big waves. If
we fall the ship will be ground to pieces in the floes!"

"Try the gas machine again!" urged Andy. "Maybe the wind has lessened."

Washington started the machine. He kept one eye on the needle of the
indicator that told the gas pressure in the bag, and the other on the
he