was
ready he called the professor, and, one after another all the
adventurers rose from their bunks and refreshed themselves with hot
coffee, bacon, eggs and preserves, all prepared from condensed foods, of
which a large supply had been brought.

"Now to see if we can make our way upward through the ice," announced
Mr. Henderson.

"We ought to be far enough south to strike the open polar sea which I
believe exists."

The engine was started after the small leaks in the bow, caused by the
ramming of the boat on the rocks, had been stopped up, and the
professor, entering the conning tower, turned her due south.

The screw vibrated in the tunnel, the water rushed out in a big stream,
the engines and dynamos hummed, and the hearts of all were lightened as
they knew they were nearing the goal of their journey.

Several hours passed and the professor, who was keeping watch of the
gages noted they had covered more than one hundred miles. As the supply
of compressed air was getting low Mr. Henderson, not wanting to run any
chances, decided to make an attempt to reach the surface and refill the
tanks.

Accordingly the water tanks were emptied of their ballast, the rudder
was set to force the ship to the surface, and soon the depth gage showed
a constantly decreasing amount of water over the heads of the
adventurers.

"Now, if we don't hit the ice above us we'll be all right," spoke Mr.
Henderson. "We are within fifteen feet of the surface."

Hardly had he ceased speaking when the _Porpoise_ brought up against
something with a bump that jarred everyone. Then the submarine went
scraping along, hitting the conning tower every now and then.

"Not clear of the ice yet," said Mr. Henderson. "We must go down a
little and try again."

The tanks were filled with enough water to keep the boat about fifty
feet under the surface, and at that depth she was sent ahead at full
speed. The professor's face wore an anxious look, and when Washington
asked him if it was not time to replenish the air supply of the boat the
inventor told the colored man to be very sparing of the contents of the
compressing tanks.

"I'm afraid we are not as near the open sea as I at first thought," Mr.
Henderson finished.

On and on rushed the _Porpoise_. The engines were kept at full speed,
and after two hours of this fast run another attempt was made to reach
the surface. Once more the thick ice intervened.

"Guess we'll have to blast our way out,"