Once it had passed ahead, Frank and his companions broke the ice away from around the bowsprit with axes, and released her.
Going aboard, they ran her back for the entrance to the ravine to get out on the icy plain again.
But when they reached the place where the opening had been, they found it blocked up by tons of the ice that had fallen down from the cliff tops.
Every one was alarmed by this, for the ice blocks were so high and thick that they saw no possible means of getting the ship over it, for the top of the gorge was too contracted to allow her to fly up and thus pass the barrier.
A conference was held by the four adventurers to devise a means of overcoming the icy barrier choking up the exit of the ravine, and finally Frank said:
“The only way I can see out of the difficulty is to melt it.”
“How yo’ gwine ter do dat?” asked Pomp, in perplexity.
“By means of electric heat,” promptly answered Frank.
“Faix, it’s a puzzle yer givin’ us intoirely,” said Barney.
“I’ll explain. By forming a wire net over the ice and charging it with all the heat we use for the boat, the ice can gradually be melted away enough to let us get through.”
“Such a plan will consume much time,” said Dr. Vaneyke, “but as no better solution of the problem can be advanced, let us try it.”
“By de time we done reach Nordenskjold bay,” said Pomp, “de Red Eric mebbe be gone away.”
They saw no more of the cyclone that drove them into the pass, and set to work to carry out his idea.
The days were now so short that most of the work was done by moonlight.
Frank’s plan operated, but it took a long time to melt the icy barrier, and deprived of the heat, the interior of the Ranger became cold and cheerless.
A day and a night passed before they finally got the ice ship out on the icy plain again, and resumed their journey over the ground toward the place where the whaler was in winter quarters.
The question that most troubled them was whether Ben Bolt had the shanghaied boy aboard his ship yet.
They did not know that he had contracted with Alfred Milburn to put Walter Grey out of the way, so the lawyer could gain possession of the boy’s fortune.
Nor did Bolt know that the lawyer was in prison, Mrs. Grey in possession of her husband’s fortune, and Frank on his track to rescue the boy.