On and on went the sleds. Jack had dozed off, when he was aroused by a shout. He raised his head to look about him, and was filled with terror at what he saw.
The sled he was on, as well as all the others, was coasting down a great hill of ice at fearful speed! The dogs were gone, and the fleet of sleighs, under their own weight, were dashing down the Mountainous side of a great glacier!
CHAPTER XVI
THE STRANGE WOMAN AIDS
"Professor! Professor!" cried Jack. He saw the sled on which the old inventor was lashed close to him.
"Eh! Yes! What is it?" asked the old man, sticking his head out from under the fur robe.
"They have set us adrift down the mountain and we'll be killed!"
The boy struggled to free himself from his bonds. The professor, raising his head and realizing the danger, did likewise.
But the tough walrus hide was too tightly drawn. The captives, if they went to their deaths, would go bound and unable to help themselves. In terror Jack glanced on either side of him. To his surprise he noticed that not only were the sleds of himself and his comrades going down the hill, but the vehicles of all the Esquimaux as well.
"Can an accident have happened?" he asked himself. "Or have they all gone crazy? This beats me."