"I was a fool to take you along! I should have retained all the honor
for myself. Now you will share it. It will be published all over the
world that you accompanied Professor Scudmore on his trial trip in his
wonderful air ship."

He glared at them a moment, as if he longed to cast them overboard, and
then the handling of the craft claimed his entire attention.

"How do yez loike it, Frankie, me b'y?" asked Barney, with a sly nudge
at his companion.

"It is decidedly uncomfortable."

"Phwat shall we do--jump th' son-av-a-goon at wance?"

"Nothing of the sort. We will keep still, as if we are quite satisfied
and content. I will draw him into conversation when I think it proper,
and he may be brought round all right."

So the boys remained silent and passive, one of them constantly watching
Scudmore, so that they might not be taken by surprise, in case he took a
fancy to attack them.

He continued to mutter and talk to himself, now and then laughing in a
way that was not pleasant to hear.

The boys fell to wondering what the various bundles contained. Opening
one of them, covertly, they found it was a supply of dried beef.

"Great shmoke!" gasped Barney. "He has laid in a supply av provisions to
larrust a wake!"

Frank nodded.

"It looks that way; but these things are not all provisions. See there
at his side--one of those bundles contains firearms, for you may see the
muzzles of two rifles protruding. I fancy the bundle next to that
contains ammunition."

"Whoy, thot's enoogh to shtock a small arumy, Frankie!"

"A man like Professor Scudmore has very little notion as to what he
needs or desires, and so he is liable to obtain four or five times what
is necessary."

"Are you talking of me?" harshly demanded the inventor. "Then speak up
distinctly. I may think you are plotting against me--plotting to keep me
from reaching the land beyond the ice."

"The land beyond the ice?" cried Frank.

"That is what I said."

"Well, what did you mean? Whither are we bound?"

"For the South Pole," was the answer. "Ha! ha! ha! We will pass over the
ice floes and reach the land beyond them!"

CHAPTER XVII.

GONE.

All that day and far into the night the mad inventor held control of the
flying-machine, refusing to listen to reason or argument, and keeping
the boys at bay.

Some time in the night he fell asleep, and, when he awoke, he was
enraged to find himself bound hands and feet, while the boys w