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Hastily they dismounted from their sleds turning the dogs loose. The Esquimaux in pursuit were about half a mile to the rear and would soon be upon them. "Quick, Dirola! Into the ship with you!" called Andy. "We'll take you with us if we go at all!"
Then some warm furs were thrown over the cold body of the professor and he was borne gently away. Dirola glided to where Andy stood, not knowing what to make of it all. "No be feared now," she said. "They take ole man way an' warm him an' feed him. He be all right. So you be all right, an' boys an' oder mans. No be feared now.
Dirola, as the Esquimaux woman had called herself, approached the old inventor, and, kneeling down in front of him, spoke rapidly in her broken tongue. "Me save you!" she repeated. "Me Dirola! Me from way, way off," and she pointed to the north. "Me been prisoner here long time. Me see white Ingliss man once. He come my country. He go way. My people want kill him, no like. He be take away.
"I'll make those Esquimaux wish they had let us alone!" Dirola had disappeared inside the cabin. In a few minutes the professor and Washington were hard at work setting the machinery in motion. First, after having seen that none of the apparatus was disarranged, Amos Henderson started the gas generating machine.
Dirola gave an order to one of the big Esquimaux who had remained, and he went off on the run. "We eat now," the woman remarked. "Me plenty hungry too, Professor come back an' eat wid you." In a few minutes Professor Henderson, warmly clad, was brought in, leaning on the shoulder of the big man who, a little while before, had been about to sacrifice him.
I save 'um for they bring me back. People no like, but must do. Me queen!" and she drew herself up proudly. "Them must do what Dirola say!" "They may this time," muttered Andy, "but the next time they may not. I think this isn't a very healthy place for us, Professor." "I would only be too glad to get away, and back to my ship," said the inventor.
At length Dirola appeared to gain her point, for the crowd withdrew and once more the captives were alone with their Esquimaux friend. "What did they want?" asked Andy. "Some people no believe me queen," explained the newly-discovered ruler. "They come in an' be mad. Then some no satisfy. They want have sacrifice. I tell 'um no sacrifice of 'um white men what save my life.
"I will be glad to get back to a civilized place, even if it is an airship." Suddenly Dirola turned her head and glanced behind. As she did so she uttered an exclamation and called shrilly to the dogs, at the same time snapping her long whip viciously. "What's the matter?" asked Andy. "They come after us."
"Not a bit," replied Jack, and he told the old hunter what had happened to himself, Mark and the others. In turn Andy related his experiences. "If only the poor professor comes around all right we'll be in pretty good shape," finished the old man. "But I'm afraid he's frozen. I wonder what they were going to do with him." "Put him in big hole, where all ice," broke in Dirola.
Here all white robes stay," and she showed where were piled many of the garments of white fur. The place was evidently a storehouse for the ceremonial robes. "Me go now an' come back," spoke Dirola. "Me try find ship. You keep quiet!" She glided away, almost like a ghost in the semi-darkness, through which her white furs showed plainly.
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