Mystery—mystery! This was in the very air of the abandoned country. He was unable to solve it.
The Scorcher traveled along the wall for several days. But there was no break which would allow the machine to cross it.
“Well, I’m beat,” muttered the young inventor at last. “This beats all the puzzles I ever attempted.”
“It’s a mighty curious part of the world, mates,” declared Wendel.
“I agree with you,” said Frank, “but there must be some explanation of the mystery.”
And he continued to grope for it. But the days passed and he was no nearer success than ever.
Meanwhile the Antarctic night was wearing on.
While the sky remained clear of clouds the semi-gloom of the landscape was not bad. But when clouds obscured the heavens, then at times the darkness was most intense.
At such times it was often necessary to abandon the quest and wait for the darkness to pass.
The searchlight, of course, would dispel the gloom, but as it would be slow work pursuing research at such a time, Frank suspended all operations.