long have I been unconscious?"

"Not long. We turned in the ice stratum. Don't you recall the

sudden whirling of our seats? After that the drill was above you

instead of below. We didn't notice it at the time; but I recall

it now."

"You mean to say that we turned back in the ice stratum, David?

That is not possible. The prospector cannot turn unless its nose

is deflected from the outside--by some external force or resistance--the

steering wheel within would have moved in response. The steering

wheel has not budged, David, since we started. You know that."

I did know it; but here we were with our drill racing in pure air,

and copious volumes of it pouring into the cabin.

"We couldn't have turned in the ice stratum, Perry, I know as well

as you," I replied; "but the fact remains that we did, for here we

are this minute at the surface of the earth again, and I am going

out to see just where."

"Better wait till morning, David--it must be midnight now."

I glanced at the chronometer.

"Half after twelve. We have been out seventy-two hours, so it

must be midnight. Nevertheless I am going to have a look at the

blessed sky that I had given up all hope of ever seeing again,"

and so saying I lifted the bars from the inner door, and swung it

open. There was quite a quantity of loose material in the jacket,

and this I had to remove with a shovel to get at the opposite door

in the outer shell.

In a short time I had removed enough of the earth and rock to the

floor of the cabin to expose the door beyond. Perry was directly

behind me as I threw it open. The upper half was above the surface

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