They brought him a drink, and he managed to sip a little of it. Then he attempted to sit up. But the effort was too much for him.

"What--what is the matter?" he asked. "I feel so strange. I am dizzy.

Has anything happened?"

"Somebody am a-playin' 'Ring around de Rosy' wid dis airship!" exclaimed Washington, "My head am a-swimmin' so I can't stand."

"I must get to the conning tower!" muttered the old inventor. "I must get there."

"Let me go, you can never make it," said Jack. "What is it you want to see?"

"Look at the deflecting needle!" was the answer. "See how the needle points and come back and tell me! It may be we are at the north pole!"

Jack started forward, crawling on his hands and knees. Indeed, this was the only way he could advance. The professor watched him with anxious eyes. The ship spun around even faster. Old Andy had awakened and was gazing around with fear-stricken eyes.

Then, just as Jack reached the door of the conning tower, and started inside, the _Monarch_ gave a violent motion. She seemed to stop for a moment, and then, with a great lurch, turned completely over, throwing the occupants to the ceiling. Then she plunged straight down to the earth, through the centre of the whirlwind, like an arrow falling!

CHAPTER XX

AT THE NORTH POLE?

For an instant the utmost confusion reigned. The adventurers fell in a heap on the ceiling that, for the time being, became the floor. Then, as the ship righted herself, they fell back again to the floor. The cords that bound Andy to his bunk broke, and he toppled with the rest.

"Repel the enemy!" yelled the old hunter, thinking in his delirium that the ship was again attacked.

"We are lost!" cried the professor, as he felt the _Monarch_ plunging down.

For a hundred feet or more the ship shot earthward bow first, so that the adventurers all slid down to that end. It was well that everything, including the gasolene tanks, had been lashed fast, or there would have been a great jumble inside the craft.

Then, almost as suddenly as the ship had started to fall, it ceased, and rode on an even keel, righting and floating easily in the air. The wind no longer blew with the circular motion, the whirling having come to an end. But the blinding snow continued.

Jack staggered from the conning tower, where he had gone to look at the deflecting compa.s.s.

"What has happened?" he cried.

"No one knows," answered Professor Henderson. "We are in dire straits.

Did you look at the needle, Jack?"

"I did."

"What did it show?"

"The needle was straight up and down!"

"I knew it!" cried the old inventor. "I said we would reach the pole, and we have!"

"It ain't goin' to do us a heab sight ob good," said Washington. "I'd rather hab a good barber pole any day! No north poles fo' me!"

"Hush, Washington!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson. "This is no time to joke.

You are sure you made no mistake, Jack?"

"I am sure, sir."

"I thought we were at the pole when I saw that the gas engine had stopped," went on the professor. "The attraction of the earth-magnets at the pole exerted such a strong influence on the iron and steel that the gas machine could not work. At last I have reached the goal of my ambitions!"

The ship remained stationary for several minutes. Those aboard began to have hopes. The snow storm was still as fierce as ever, but that was all the manifestation of the elements.

"I want to take a look at the needle," said the professor. "I feel all right now; I was only a little faint from my fall. How are you, Andy?"

"I feel much better," replied the hunter, whose delirium had somewhat left him. "My arm is sore, that's all. But why have you all got your furs on?"

"We had to turn off the stoves," explained Amos Henderson. "You had better put your's on, too, Andy. You'll need them. We could only cover you over when you were in the bunk."

The hunter soon began to realize that it was chilly in the ship, and he donned his heavy garments. The professor started for the conning tower.

He gave one glance at the needle of the deflecting compa.s.s, and a look of disappointment came over his face.

"It is not pointing down," he said to Jack, who had followed him.

"But I am sure it did when I noticed it," replied the boy.

"Then we have come past the pole," was Amos Henderson's opinion. "There is only a small spot that is exactly north, and we have pa.s.sed over it during the storm. We must return. I want to descend exactly there and make some experiments. Tell Washington to start the engines. We will turn the ship around and go back!"

"We may run into the whirlwind again," objected Jack.

"That is so, I did not think of that. However, tell Washington to get everything in readiness."

It was no small task to get the engine room into shape after the upsetting it had been subjected to, but with the help of the boys and the two men Washington succeeded. In about an hour the _Monarch_ was ready to be sent up or down, forward or back. Since she had ceased falling she had remain at a stationary height, about half a mile above the earth.

Meanwhile Professor Henderson was trying to make up his mind what to do.

He wanted very much to get to the exact north pole, or the spot where the imaginary pole was supposed to be. But he hesitated about taking the airship back over the course, and run the chance of again encountering the whirlwind.

"The more I think of it," he said to Jack and Mark, who had joined him, "the more I think that the whirlwind is always there. It did not come to us, we ran into it. It may be caused by the magnetic currents at the pole eternally revolving. I am afraid to go back within their influence, for it might mean death."

"I have a plan," said Jack modestly.

"Let us hear it," came from the professor. "I am at a loss what to do."

"Supposing we let the ship down now," Jack continued, "and walk back until we come to the north pole, since it must be near here. We can take along the deflecting needle to tell when we reach it, and the whirlwind will not do much harm if we are on the ground and afoot."

"Good idea!" exclaimed the professor. "We'll do it. Washington, let the gas out and we'll descend!"

In a few minutes a hissing told that the gas was being let out of the silk bag. Soon the ship began to sink gently toward the earth, through the clouds of snow.

"Let us go outside," suggested Jack. "The wind doesn't blow now, and the snow will not hurt us. We will be warm enough in our furs."

Mark voted the suggestion a good one, and the two boys went out on the deck. Washington was busy in the engine room, and the professor was in the conning tower, so they did not go, but Tom and Bill said they would like to get a little fresh air, even if the temperature was far below zero, and they joined the lads.