Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice
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Victor Appleton >> Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice
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Still they all kept up their good spirits, and Mr. Damon concocted
some new dishes from the meat of the musk oxen. It was about a week
after the fight with the savage creatures when, one day, as Ned was
on duty in the pilothouse, he happened to lock down. What he saw
caused him to call to Tom.
"What's the matter?" demanded the young inventor, as he hurried
forward.
"Look down there," directed Ned. "It looks as if we were sailing
over a lot of immense beehives of the old-fashioned kind."
Tom looked. Below were countless, rounded hummocks of snow or ice.
Some were very large--as immense as a great shed in which a
dirigible balloon could be housed--while others were as small as the
ice huts in which the Eskimos live.
"That's rather strange," remarked Tom. "I wonder--"
But he did not complete his sentence, for Abe Abercrombie, who had
come to stand beside him, suddenly yelled out:
"The caves of ice! The caves of ice! Now I know where we are! We're
close to the valley of gold! There are the caves of ice, and just
beyond is th' place we're lookin' for! We've found it at last!"
CHAPTER XX
IN THE GOLD VALLEY
The excited cries of the old miner brought Mr. Damon and Mr. Parker
to the pilothouse on the run.
"Bless my refrigerator!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Are there more of
those savage, shaggy creatures down there?"
"No, but we are over th' caves of ice," explained Abe. "That means
we are near th' gold."
"You don't say so!" burst out the scientist. "The caves of ice! Now
I can begin my real observations! I have a theory that the caves are
on top of a strata of ice that is slowly moving down, and will
eventually bury the whole of the North American continent. Let me
once get down there, and I can prove what I say."
"I'd a good deal rather you wouldn't prove it, if it's going to be
anything like it was on Earthquake Island, or out among the diamond
makers." said Tom Swift. "But we will go down there, to see what
they are like. Perhaps there is a trail from among the ice caves to
the valley of gold."
"I don't think so," said Abe, shaking his head.
"I think th' gold valley lies over that high ridge," and he pointed
to one. "That's where me an' my partner was," he went on. "I
recognize th' place now."
"Well, we'll go down here, anyhow," decided Tom, and he pulled the
lever to let some gas out of the bag, and tilted the deflection
rudder to send the airship toward the odd caves.
And, curious enough did our friends find them when they had made a
landing and got out to walk about them. It was very cold, for on
every side was solid ice. They walked on ice, which was like a floor
beneath their feet, level save where the ice caves reared
themselves. As for the caverns, they, too, were hollowed out of the
solid ice. It was exactly as though there had once been a level
surface of some liquid. Then by some upheaval of nature, the surface
was blown into bubbles, some large and some small. Then the whole
thing had frozen solid, and the bubbles became hollow caves. In time
part of the sides fell in and made an opening, so that nearly all
the caves were capable of being entered.
This method of their formation was advanced as a theory by Mr.
Parker, and no one cared to dispute him. The gold-seekers walked
about, gazing on the ice caves with wonder showing on their faces.
It was almost like being in some fantastic scene from fairyland, the
big ice bubbles representing the houses, the roofs being rounded
like the igloos of the Eskimos. Some had no means of entrance, the
outer surface showing no break. Others had small openings, like a
little doorway, while of still others there remained but a small
part of the original cave, some force of nature having crumbled and
crushed it.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" exclaimed Mr. Parker. "It bears out my
theory exactly! Now to see how fast the ice is moving."
"How are you going to tell?" asked Tom.
"By taking some mark on this field of ice, and observing a distant
peak. Then I will set up a stake, and by noting their relative
positions, I can tell just how fast the ice field is moving
southward." The scientist hurried into the ship to get a sharpened
stake he had prepared for this purpose.
"How fast do you think the ice is moving?" asked Ned.
"Oh, perhaps two or three feet a year." "Two or three feet a year?"
gasped Mr. Damon. "Why, Parker, my dear fellow, at that rate it will
be some time before the ice gets to New York."
"Oh, yes. I hardly expect it will reach there within two thousand
years, but my theory will be proved, just the same!"
"Humph!" exclaimed Abe Abercrombie, "I ain't goin' to worry any
more, if it's goin' t' take all that while. I reckoned, to hear him
talk, that it was goin' t' happen next summer."
"So did I," agreed Tom, but their remarks were lost on Mr. Parker
who was busy making observations. The young inventor and the others
walked about among the ice caves.
"Some of these caverns would be big enough to house the RED CLOUD in
case of another hail storm," observed Tom. "That one over there
would hold two craft the size of mine," and, in fact, probably three
could have gotten in if the opening had been somewhat enlarged, for
the ice cave to which our hero pointed was an immense one.
As the adventurers were walking about they were startled by a
terrific crashing sound. They started in alarm, for, off to their
left, the top of one of the ice caverns had crashed inward, the
blocks of frozen water crushing and grinding against one another.
"It's a good thing we weren't in there," remarked Tom, and he could
not repress a shudder, "There wouldn't have been much left of the
RED CLOUD if she had been inside."
It was a desolate place, in spite of the wild beauty of it, and
beautiful it was when the sun shone on the ice caves, making them
sparkle as if they were studded with diamonds. But it was cold and
cheerless, and there were no signs that human beings had ever been
there. Mr. Parker had completed the setting of his stake, and picked
out his landmarks, and was gravely making his "observations," and
jotting down some figures in a notebook.
"How fast is it moving, Parker?" called Mr. Damon.
"I can't tell yet," was the response. "It will require observations
extending over several days before I will know the rate."
"Then we might as well go on," suggested Tom. "There is nothing to
be gained from staying here, and I would like to get to the gold
valley. Abe says we are near it."
"Right over that ridge, I take it to be," replied the miner. "An' we
can't get there any too soon for me. Those Fogers may git their ship
fixed up, an' arrive before we do if we wait much longer."
"Not much danger, I guess," declared Ned.
"Well, we'll go up in the air, and see what we can find," decided
Tom, as he turned back toward the ship.
They found the "ridge" as Abe designated it. to be a great plateau,
over a hundred miles in extent, and they were the better part of
that day crossing it, for they went slowly, so as not to miss the
valley which the miner was positive was close at hand. Mr. Parker
disliked leaving the ice caves, but Abe said there were more in the
valley where they were going, and the scientist could renew his
observations.
It was getting dusk when Tom, who was peering through a powerful
glass, called out:
"Well, we're at the end of the plateau, and it seems to dip down
into a valley just beyond here."
"Then that's the place!" cried Abe, excitedly. "Go slow, Tom."
Our hero needed no such caution. Carefully he sent the airship
forward. A few minutes later they were passing over a large Eskimo
village, the fur-clad inhabitants of which rushed about wildly
excited at the sight of the airship.
"There they are! Them's th' beggars!" cried the old miner. "Them's
th' fellows who drove me an' my partner away. But there's th' valley
of gold! I know it now! How t' fill our pockets with nuggets!"
"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Mr. Damon.
"Sartin sure of it!" declared Abe. "Put her down, Tom! Put her
down!"
"All right," agreed the young inventor, as he shifted the deflection
rudder. The airship began her descent into the valley. The edge of
the plateau, leading down into the great depression was now black
with the Eskimos and Indians, who were capering about, gesticulating
wildly.
"It's quite a surprise party to 'em," observed Ned Newton.
"Yes, I hope they don't spring one on us," added Tom.
Down and down went the RED CLOUD lower and lower into the valley.
"There are ice caves there!" cried Mr. Parker, pointing to the
curiously rounded and hollow hummocks. "Lots of them!"
"And larger than the others!" added Mr. Damon.
The airship was now moving slowly, for Tom wanted to pick out a good
landing place. He saw a smooth stretch of the ice just ahead of him,
in front of an immense ice cave.
"I'll make for that," he told Ned.
A few minutes later the craft had come to rest. Tom shut off the
power and hurried from the pilothouse, donning his fur coat as he
rushed out. A blast of frigid air met him as he opened the outer
door of the cabin. Back on the ridge of the plateau he could see the
fringe of Indians.
"Well, we're here in the valley," he said, as his friends gathered
about him on the icy ground.
"An' now for th' gold!" cried Abe, "for it's here that th' nuggets
are--enough for all of us! Come on an' have a hunt for 'em!"
CHAPTER XXI
THE FOGERS ARRIVE
In Spite of the fact that he tried to remain calm, Tom Swift felt a
wild exultation as he thought of what lay before him and his
friends. To be in a place where gold could be picked up! where they
might all become fabulously wealthy! where the ground might be seen
covered with the precious yellow metal! this was enough to set the
nerves of any one a-tingle!
Tom could hardly realize it at first. After many hardships, no
little danger, and after an attempt on the part of their enemies to
defeat them, they had at last reached their goal. Now, as Abe had
said, they could hunt for the gold.
But if they expected to see the precious yellow nuggets lying about
ready to be picked up like so many kernels of corn, they were
disappointed. A quick look all about showed them only a vast extent
of ice and snow, broken here and there by the big caves of ice.
There were not so many of the latter as at the first place they
stopped, but the caverns were larger.
"Gold--I don't see any gold," remarked Ned Newton, with a
disappointed air. "Where is it?"
"Bless my pocketbook, yes! Where is it?" demanded Mr. Damon.
"Oh, we've got to dig for it," explained Abe. "It's only when
there's been a slight thaw that some of th' pebble nuggets kin be
seen. They're under th' ice, an' we've got t' dig for 'em."
"Does it ever thaw up here?" asked Mr. Parker. "The ice of the caves
seems thick enough to last forever."
"It does thaw an' melt some," went on the miner. "But some of th'
caves last all through what they call 'summer' up here, though it's
more like winter. We're above th' Arctic circle now, friends."
"Maybe we can keep on to the Pole," suggested Ned.
"Not this trip," spoke Tom, grimly. "We'll try for the gold, first."
"Yes, an' I'm goin' t' begin diggin' right away!" exclaimed Abe, as
he turned back into the airship, and came out again with a pick and
shovel, a supply of which implements had been brought along. The
others followed his example. and soon the ice chips were flying
about in a shower, while the sun shining on them gave the appearance
of a rainbow.
"Look at those Indians watching us," remarked Ned to Tom, as he
paused in his chipping of the frozen surface. The young inventor
glanced up toward the distant plateau where a fringe of dark figures
stood. The natives were evidently intently watching the gold-
seekers.
"Do you think there's any danger from them. Abe?" asked Tom.
"Not much," was the reply. "They made trouble for me an' my partner,
but I guess th' airship has scared 'em sufficient, so they won't
come snoopin' down here," and Abe fell to at his digging again.
Mr. Damon was also vigorously wielding a pick, but Mr. Parker like
the true scientist he was, had renewed his observations. Evidently
the gold had no attractions for him, or, if it did, he preferred to
wait until he had finished his calculations.
Vigorously the adventurers wielded their implements, making the ice
fly, but for an hour or more no gold was discovered. Mr. Damon,
after picking lightly at a certain place, would get discouraged, and
move on to another. So did Ned, and Tom, after going down quite a
way, left off work, and walked over to one of the big ice caves.
"What's up?" asked Ned, resting from his labors.
"I was thinking whether it would be safe to put the RED CLOUD in
this ice cave for a shelter," replied Tom. "There may come up a hail
storm at any time, and damage it. The caves would be just the place
for it, only I'm afraid the roof might collapse."
"It looks strong," said Ned. "Let's ask Mr. Parker his opinion."
"Good idea," agreed Tom.
The scientist was soon taking measurements of the thickness of the
cave roof, noting its formation, and looking at the frozen floor.
"I see no reason why this cave should collapse," he finally
announced. "The only danger is the movement of the whole valley of
ice, and that is too gradual to cause any immediate harm. Yes, I
think the airship could be housed in the ice cave."
"Then I'll run her in, and she'll be safer," decided Tom. "I guess
we three can do it, Ned, and leave Mr. Damon and Abe to keep on
digging for gold." The airship was so buoyant that it could easily
be moved about on the bicycle wheels on which it rested, and soon,
after the lower edge of the opening into the ice cave had been
smoothed down, the RED CLOUD was placed in the novel shelter.
"Now to continue the search for the yellow nuggets!" cried Ned, and
Tom went with him, even Mr. Parker condescending to take a pick,
now. Abe was the only one who dug steadily in one place. The others
tried spot after spot.
"You've got t' stick t' one lead until you find somethin', or until
it peters out," explained the miner. "You must git down to th' dirt
before you'll find any gold, though you may strike a few grains that
have worked up into th' ice."
After this advice they all kept to one hole until they had worked
down through the ice to the dirt surface below. But even then, Abe,
who was the first to achieve this, found no gold, and the old miner
went to another location.
All the rest of that day they dug, but with no result. Not even a
few grains of yellow dust rewarded their efforts.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" asked Mr. Damon, somewhat
fretfully, of Abe. as they ate supper that night in the airship,
sheltered as it was in the ice cave.
"I'm positive of it," was the reply. "There's gold here, but it will
take some prospectin' t' find it. Maybe th' deposits have been
shifted by th' ice movement, as Mr. Parker says. But it's here, an'
we'll git it. We'll try ag'in t'-morrow."
They did try, but with small success. Laboring all day in the cold
the only result was a few little yellow pebbles that Tom found
imbedded in the ice. But they were gold, and the finding of them
gave the seekers hope as they wearily began their task the following
day. The weather seemed even colder, and there was the indication of
a big storm.
They were scattered in different places on the ice, not far away
from the big cave, each one picking away vigorously. Suddenly Abe,
who had laboriously worked his way down to the dirt, gave an
exultant yell.
"I've struck it! Struck it rich!" he shouted, leaping about as he
threw down his pick, "Look here, everybody!" He stooped down over
the hole. They all ran to his side, and saw him lifting from a
little pocket in the dirt, several large, yellow pebbles.
"Gold! Gold!" cried Abe. "We've struck it at last!"
For a moment no one spoke, though there was a wild beating of their
hearts. Then, off toward the farther end of the valley there sounded
a curious noise. It was a shouting and yelling, mingled with the
snapping of whips and the howls and barkings of dogs.
"Bless my handkerchief!" cried Mr. Damon. "What's that?"
They all saw a moment later. Approaching over the frozen snow were
several Eskimo sledges, drawn by dog teams, and the native drivers
were shouting and cracking their whips of walrus hide.
"The natives are coming to attack us!" cried Ned.
Tom said nothing. He was steadily observing the approaching sleds.
They came on rapidly. Abe was holding the golden nuggets in his
gloved hands.
"Get the guns! Where's your electric rifle, Tom?" cried Mr. Damon.
"I don't believe we'll need the guns--just yet," answered the young
inventor, slowly.
"Bless my cartridge-belt! Why not?" demanded the eccentric man.
"Because those are the Fogers," replied Tom. "They have followed us-
-Andy and his father! Andy Foger here!" gasped Ned.
Tom nodded grimly. A few minutes later the sleds had come to a halt
not far from our friends, and Andy, followed by his father, leaped
off his conveyance. The two were clad in heavy fur garments.
"Ha, Tom Swift! You didn't get here much ahead of us!" exulted the
bully. "I told you I'd get even with you! Come on, now, dad, we'll
get right to work digging for gold!"
Tom and his companions did not know what to say.
CHAPTER XXII
JUMPING THE CLAIM
There was a sneering look on Andy's face, and Mr. Foger, too, seemed
delighted at having reached the valley of gold almost as soon as had
our friends. Tom and the others looked at the means by which the
bully had arrived. There were four sleds, each one drawn by seven
dogs, and in charge of a dark-skinned native. On the two foremost
sleds Andy and his father had ridden, while the other two evidently
contained their supplies.
For a moment Andy surveyed Tom's party and then, turning to one of
the native drivers, he said:
"We'll camp here. You fellows get to work and make an ice house, and
some of you cook a meal--I'm hungry."
"No need build ice house," replied the native, who spoke English
brokenly.
"Why not?" demanded Andy.
"Live in ice cave-plenty much ob'em--plenty much room," went on the
Eskimo, indicating several of the large caverns.
"Ha! That's a good idea," agreed Mr. Foger, "Andy, my son, we have
houses already made for us, and very comfortable they seem, too.
We'll take up our quarters in one, and then hunt for the gold."
Mr. Foger seemed to ignore Tom and his friends. Abe Abercrombie
strode forward.
"Look here, you Fogers!" he exclaimed without ceremony, "was you
calculatin' on stakin' any claims here?"
"If you mean are we going to dig for gold, we certainly are,"
replied Andy insolently, "and you can't stop us."
"I don't know about that," went on Abe, grimly. "I ain't goin' t'
say nothin' now, about th' way you stole th' map from me, an' made a
copy, but I am goin t' say this, an' that is it won't be healthy fer
any of you t' git in my way, or t' try t' dig on our claims!"
"We'll dig where we please!" cried Andy. "You don't own this
valley!"
"We own as much of it as we care to stake out, by right of prior
discovery!" declared Tom, firmly.
"And I say we'll dig where we please!" insisted Andy. "Hand me a
pick," he went on to another of the natives.
"Wait jest a minute," spoke Abe calmly, as he put his little store
of nuggets in the pocket of his fur coat, and drew out a big
revolver. "It ain't healthy t' talk that way, Andy Foger, an' th'
sooner you find that out th' better. You ain't in Shopton now, an'
th' only law here is what we make for ourselves. Tom, maybe you'd
better get out th' rifles, an' your electric gun, after all. It
seems like we might have trouble," and Abe cooly looked to see if
his weapon was loaded.
"Oh, of course we didn't mean to usurp any of your rights, my dear
friend!" exclaimed Mr, Foger quickly, and he seemed nervous at the
sight of the big revolver, while Andy hastily moved until he was
behind the biggest of the sledge drivers. "We don't want to violate
any of your rights," went on Mr. Foger. "But this valley is large,
and do I understand that you claim all of it?"
"We could if we wanted to," declared Abe stoutly; "but we'll be
content with three-quarter of it, seein' we was here fust. If you
folks want t' dig fer gold, go over there," and he pointed to a spot
some distance away.
"We'll dig where we please!" cried Andy.
"Oh, will you?" and there was an angry light in Abe's eyes. "I
guess, Tom, you'd better git--"
"No! No! My son is wrong--he is too hasty," interposed Mr. Foger.
"We will go away--certainly we will. The valley is large enough for
both of us--just as you say. Come, Andy!"
The bully seemed about to refuse, but a look at Abe's angry face and
a sight of Mr. Damon coming from the cave where the airship was,
with a rifle, for the eccentric man had hastened to get his weapon--
this sight calmed Andy down. Without further words he and his father
got back on their sleds, and were soon being driven off to where a
large ice cave loomed up, about a mile away.
"Good riddance," muttered the miner, "now we kin go on diggin'
wthout bein' bothered by that little scamp."
"I don't know about that," spoke Tom, shaking his head dubiously.
"There's always trouble when Andy Foger's within a mile. I'm afraid
we haven't seen the last of him."
"He'd better not come around here ag'in," declared Abe. "Queer, how
he should turn up, jest when I made a big strike."
"They must have come on all the way from where their airship was
wrecked, by means of dog sleds," observed Ned, and the others agreed
with him. Later they learned that this was so; that after the
accident to the ANTHONY, the crew had refused to proceed farther
north, and had gone back. But Mr. Foger had hired the natives with
the dog teams, and, by means of the copy of the map and with what
knowledge his Eskimos had, had reached the valley of gold.
"We have certainly struck it rich," went on Abe, as he went back to
where he had dug the hole. "Now we'd better all begin prospectin'
here, for it looks like a big deposit. We'll stake out a large
enough claim to take it all in. I guess Mr. Parker can do that,
seein' as how he knows about such things."
The scientist agreed to do this part of the work, it being
understood that all the gold discovered would be shared equally
after the expenses of the trip had been paid.
Feverishly Abe and the others began to dig. They did not come upon
such a rich deposit as the miner had found, but there were enough
nuggets picked up to prove that the expedition would be very
successful.
No more attention was paid to the Fogers, but through the telescope
Tom could see that the bully and his father had made a camp in one
of the ice caves, and that both were eagerly digging in the frozen
surface of the valley.
Before night several thousand dollars' worth of gold had been taken
out by our friends. It was stored in the airship, and then, after
suppers the craft's searchlight was taken off, and placed in such a
position in front of the cave of ice so that the beams would
illuminate the claim staked out by Tom and the others.
"We'll stand watch an' watch," suggested Abe, "but I don't think
them Fogers will come around here ag'in."
They did not, and the night passed peacefully. The next day our
friends were again at work digging for gold. So were the Fogers, as
could be observed through the glass, but it was impossible to see
whether they got any nuggets.
The gold seemed to be in "pockets," and that day the ones in the
vicinity of the strike first made by Abe were cleaned out.
"We'll have to locate some new 'pockets,'" said the miner, and the
adventurers scattered over the frozen plain to look for other
deposits of the precious metal.
Tom and Ned were digging together not far from one another. Suddenly
Ned let out a joyful cry.
"Strike anything?" asked Tom.
"Something rich," answered the bank clerk. He lifted from a hole in
the ground a handful of the golden pebbles.
"It's as good as Abe's was!" exclaimed Tom. "We must stake it out at
once, or the Fogers may jump it. Come on, we'll go back and tell
Abe, and get Mr. Parker and Mr. Damon over here."
The three men were some distance away, and there was no sign of the
Fogers. Tom and Ned hurried back to where their friends were,
leaving their picks and shovels on the frozen ground.
The good news was soon told, and, with some stakes hastily made from
some extra wood carried on the airship, the little party hastened
back to where Tom and Ned had made their strike.
As they emerged from behind a big hummock of ice they saw, standing
over the holes which the lads had dug, Andy Foger and his father!
Each one had a rifle, and there was a smile of triumph on Andy's
face!
"What are you doing here?" cried Tom, the hot blood mounting to his
cheeks.
"We've just staked out a claim here," answered the bully.
"And you deserted it," put in Mr. Foger smoothly. "I think your
mining friend will tell you that we have a right to take up an
abandoned claim."
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