“It am de boys and Tom and Bill come back to overjoy us,” said Washington.

The shouts grew louder.  Andy glanced from a cabin window.

“The Esquimaux!  The Esquimaux!” he exclaimed.  “Here they are after us again!  They’ll carry us back to the ice cave and eat us alive this time!”

“These are not the same ones!” cried the professor.  “We are hundreds of miles from the ice cave.”

“Then these are the ones the mysterious message was about,” said Andy, “and we had better be on our guard!”

“Perhaps these are Dirola’s friends,” ventured Amos Henderson.  “If they are I wish we had her here to intercede for us.”

There came a rattling against the sides of the airship.  It sounded like a storm of hail.

“They are firing arrows at us!” yelled Andy.  “That doesn’t look very friendly.”

“Wait until I go out and speak to them,” suggested the professor.  “They will respect my gray, hairs.”

He went outside.  The ship was surrounded by hundreds of little men, all dressed in thick furs.  At the sight of the ship’s commander they gave a loud yell.

“I wisht I’d neber done come to de north pole!” groaned Washington.  He grabbed up a rifle and followed Andy outside.  At the sight of them the Esquimaux set up louder yells, and shot another shower of arrows.  Fortunately none of the missiles struck the white men.

“Stop firing!” said the professor, raising his hand.  “We mean you no harm!”

His answer was a wilder burst of yells.

“Fire over their heads!  Maybe that will teach them a little respect,” spoke Andy.

He and Washington discharged their guns several times in rapid succession.  With frightened yells the men in furs fell flat on their faces.

“We’ve scared them!” cried Andy.

But he reckoned without his host, for in an instant the Esquimaux had leaped to their feet and were rushing toward the ship.

“Here they come!” shouted the hunter.  “Shoot to kill, Washington!  Look out for yourself, Professor!”

“Don’t kill them!” yelled Amos Henderson.  “They are too many for us, and our only hope is to try peaceful means!”

But Washington aimed his rifle straight in the faces of the advancing men of the snow country and pulled the trigger rapidly.  Half a dozen sharp reports rang out, and several Esquimaux fell on the ice, which became red with their blood.  However, the negro’s aim was not good, and the wounds were only in arms or legs of the natives.

This served to check their ardor for a while, and the advance was halted while the wounded were carried back.  But the Esquimaux were only made more angry by the resistance.  They came on again with wild cries and, though Andy, Washington and the professor fought with all their strength, clubbing their guns and cracking several of the savages over the head, they were finally overpowered.