They encountered rough seas and heavy storms. For weeks the brig fought her way through mountain rollers, until at last, somewhat battered, she sighted distant land.
The captain consulted his chart, and said:
“I reckon that is Graham Land. But there are fifty miles of ice-floes this side of it. Perhaps, though, we can find a channel for the brig.”
Down among the ice-floes the Pearl sailed. It was difficult work, but after many days of struggling she anchored in a little lagoon in the icefield and not ten miles from the coast.
And Wendel pointed to a distant break in the coast and cried:
“There is the fiord or river mouth up which we steered.”
This caused intense excitement. Preparations were at once begun for unloading the Scorcher.
The sections of the machine were taken off upon the ice-pack. Then Barney and Pomp went to work to put it together.
In a short space the machine was all ready for the start. All this while the captain and his men had stood by eagerly watching.
The captain had asked Frank many questions, all of which the young inventor had thought it no harm to answer.