_ When the engines of the Dipsey had stopped, and she was quietly
floating upon the smooth surface of Lake Shiver, Mr. Gibbs
greatly desired to make a connection with the telegraphic cable
which was stretched at the bottom of the ocean, beneath him, and
to thus communicate with Sardis, But when this matter was
discussed in council, several objections were brought against it,
the principal one being that the cable could not be connected
with the Dipsey without destroying its connection with the little
station near the pole; and although this means of telegraphic
communication with regions which might never be visited again
might well be considered as possessing no particular value, still
it was such a wonderful thing to lay a telegraph line to the pole
that it seemed the greatest pity in the world to afterwards
destroy it.
The friends of this exploring party had not heard from it since
it left the polar sea, but there could be no harm in making them
wait a little longer. If the return voyage under the ice should
be as successfully accomplished as the first submarine cruise, it
would not be very many days before the Dipsey should arrive at
Cape Tariff. She would not proceed so slowly as she did when
coming north, for now her officers would feel that in a measure
they knew the course, and moreover they would not be delayed by
the work of laying a cable as they progressed.
So it was agreed that it would be a waste of time and labor to
stop here and make connection with the cable, and preparations
were made for a descent to a safe depth beneath the surface, when
they would start southward on their homeward voyage. Mrs. Sarah
Block, wrapped from head to foot in furs, remained on deck as
long as her husband would allow her to do so. For some time
before her eyes had been slowly wandering around the edge of that
lonely piece of water, and it was with an unsatisfied air that
she now stood gazing from side to side. At last Sammy took her
by the arm and told her she must go below, for they were going to
close up the hatchways.
"Well," said Sarah, with a sigh, "I suppose I must give 'em up;
they were the warmest and most comfortable ones I had, and I
could have thawed 'em out and dried 'em so that they would have
been as good as ever. I would not mind leavin' 'em if there was
a human bein' in this neighborhood that would wear 'em; but there
ain't, and it ain't likely there ever will be, and if they are
frozen stiff in the ice somewhere, they may stay here, as good as
new, for countless ages!"
Of course everybody was very happy, now that they were returning
homeward from a voyage successful beyond parallel in history, and
even Rovinski was beginning to assume an air of gratified
anticipation. He had been released from his confinement and
allowed to attend to his duties, but the trust which had been
placed in him when this kindness had been extended to him on a
previous occasion was wanting now. Everybody knew that he was an
unprincipled man, and that if he could gain access to the
telegraph instrument at Cape Tariff he would make trouble for the
real discoverer of the north pole; so it was agreed among the
officers of the vessel that the strictest watch must be kept on
him and no shore privileges be allowed him.
The southward voyage of the Dipsey was an easy one and without
notable incident; and at last a lookout who had been posted at
the upper skylight reported light from above. This meant that
they had reached open water southward of the frozen regions they
had been exploring, and the great submarine voyage, the most
peculiar ever made by man, was ended. Captain Jim Hubbell
immediately put on a heavy pea-jacket with silver buttons, for as
soon as the vessel should sail upon the surface of the sea he
would be in command.
When the dripping Dipsey rose from the waters of the arctic
regions, it might have been supposed that the people on board
of her were emerging into a part of the world where they felt
perfectly at home. Cape Tariff, to which they were bound, was
a hundred miles away, and was itself a lonely spot, often
inaccessible in severe weather, and they must make a long and
hazardous voyage from it before they could reach their homes; but
by comparison with the absolutely desolate and mysterious region
they had left, any part of the world where there was a possibility
of meeting with other human beings seemed familiar and homelike.
But when the Dipsey was again upon the surface of the ocean, when
the light of day was shining unobstructed upon the bold form of
Captain Hubbell as he strode upon the upper deck--being careful
not to stand still lest his shoes should freeze fast to the
planks beneath him--the party on board were not so-well satisfied
as they expected to be. There was a great wind blowing, and the
waves were rolling high. Not far away, on their starboard bow, a
small iceberg, tossing like a disabled ship, was surging towards
them, impelled by a biting blast from the east, and the sea was
so high that sometimes the spray swept over the deck of the
vessel, making it impossible for Captain Hubbell and the others
with him to keep dry.
Still the captain kept his post and roared out his orders, still
the Dipsey pressed forward against wind and wave. Her engines
were strong, her electric gills were folded close to her sides,
and she seemed to feel herself able to contend against the storm,
and in this point she was heartily seconded by her captain.
But the other people on board soon began to have ideas of a
different kind. It seemed to all of them, including the
officers, that this vessel, not built to encounter very heavy
weather, was in danger, and even if she should be able to
successfully ride out the storm, their situation must continue to
be a very unpleasant one. The Dipsey pitched and tossed and
rolled and shook herself, and it was the general opinion, below
decks, that the best thing for her to do would be to sink into
the quiet depths below the surface, where she was perfectly at
home, and proceed on her voyage to Cape Tariff in the submarine
fashion to which she was accustomed.
It was some time before Captain Hubbell would consent to listen
to such a proposition as this, but when a wave, carrying on its
crest a lump of ice about the size of a flour barrel, threw its
burden on the deck of the vessel, raking it from stem to stern,
the captain, who had barely been missed by the grating missile,
agreed that in a vessel with such a low rail and of such
defective naval principles, it would be better perhaps to sail
under the water than on top of it, and so he went below, took off
his pea-jacket with the silver buttons, and retired into private
life. The Dipsey then sank to a quiet depth and continued her
course under water, to the great satisfaction of everybody on
board.
On a fine, frosty morning, with a strong wind blowing, although
the storm had subsided, the few inhabitants of the little
settlement at Cape Tariff saw in the distance a flag floating
over the water. The Dipsey had risen to the surface some twenty
miles from the Cape and now came bravely on, Captain Hubbell on
deck, his silver buttons shining in the sun. The sea was rough,
but everybody was willing to bear with a little discomfort in
order to be able to see the point of land which was the end of
the voyage on the Dipsey, to let their eyes rest as early as
possible upon a wreath of smoke arising from the habitation of
human beings, and to catch sight of those human beings themselves.
As soon as the Dipscy arrived in the harbor, Sammy and most of
the officers went on shore to open communication with Sardis.
Sarah Block stayed on the vessel. She had been on shore when she
had arrived at Cape Tariff in the Go Lightly, and her disgust
with the methods of living in that part of the world had been
freely expressed. So long as she had perfectly comfortable
quarters on board the good ship she did not wish to visit the low
huts and extremely close quarters in which dwelt the people of
the little colony. Rovinski also remained on board, but not
because he wanted to do so. A watch was kept upon him; but as
the Dipsey was anchored some distance from the landing-place, Mr.
Marcy was of the opinion that if he attempted to swim ashore it
might be well to let him do so, for if he should not be benumbed
in the water into which he would plunge he would certainly be
frozen to death as soon as he reached the shore.
The messages which came from Sardis as soon as news had been
received of the safe return of the explorers were full of hearty
congratulations and friendly welcome, but they were not very
long, and Sammy said to Mr. Gibbs that he thought it likely that
this was one of Mr. Clewe's busy times. The latter telegraphed
that he would send a vessel for them immediately, and as she was
now lying at St. John's they would not have to wait very long.
The fact was that the news of the arrival of the Dipsey at Cape
Tariff had come to Sardis a week after Clewe's descent into the
shaft, and he was absorbed, body and soul, in his underground
discoveries. He was not wanting in sympathy, or even affection,
for the people who had been doing his work, and his interest in
their welfare and their achievements was as great as it ever had
been, but the ideas and thoughts which now occupied his mind were
of a character which lessened and overshadowed every other object
of consideration. Most of the messages sent to Cape Tariff had
come from Margaret Raleigh. _