"Why they attacked us and frightened the life out of me," protested the professor.
"An' dem pesky pencilguins mos' bited mah nose off," roared Rastus, rubbing that not over prominent feature.
"Well, you had no business in their rookery, anyhow," rejoined Frank, unfeelingly. "Why did you go?"
"Why, my dear sir," said the professor, regarding him with sorrowful egg-stained countenance; "in the interests of science, of course. We would not have been attacked at all if Rastus had not tried to catch a penguin. What for, I cannot imagine."
"Why, perfusser, you done say dey tas' lak chickin," ruefully cried the black man.
"Did I?" exclaimed the man of science. "Well, bless my soul, so I did. That was very foolish of me. I ought to have known that Rastus would not be able to resist such an idea."
"Ah dunno 'bout de idah," observed Rastus, as he cranked up the machine, and the boys and the professor climbed on board; "but ah couldn' resis' de chicking."
CHAPTER XXII.
THE FLAMING MOUNTAIN.
A few days after the events described in the last chapter, Captain Hazzard summoned the boys to him and informed them that it was time to start out and establish "depots" for the storing of food and blankets as far as was practicable, in the direction of the pole. This was in order that any parties sent out to explore might not run the chance of being lost in the antarctic snows without having some place to which they could retreat. The "depots" were to be marked as rapidly as they were made with tall bamboo poles, each of which bore a black flag.