"They no find you here. This great
place--what you call holy place. Here all white robes stay," and she
showed where were piled many of the garments of white fur. The place was
evidently a storehouse for the ceremonial robes.

"Me go now an' come back," spoke Dirola. "Me try find ship. You keep
quiet!"

She glided away, almost like a ghost in the semi-darkness, through which
her white furs showed plainly. Left to themselves, the captives were in
no easy frame of mind. They did not know what would happen next, whether
they could depend on Dirola or whether the mob would come after them to
offer all of them up as sacrifices to the Goddess of Ice.

"What puzzles me," said Andy, "is how we both happened to fetch up in
the same cave. You boys, with Bill, Tom and Dirola, land in one place on
the ice and fall into this cave. We in the ship continue on for some
distance, are brought a good ways on sleds and yet here we are with
you."

"The ship might have been blown backward instead of forward after the
boys fell off," suggested the professor. "That would explain it. The
Esquimaux were traveling to this cave with us, and simply brought us
from where the ship had been blown, up to where the boys landed."

"I guess that must be it," admitted Andy; "but listen! some one is
coming."

Footsteps were heard approaching. In a few seconds Dirola entered the
ice chamber.

"I fix it!" she exclaimed. "You must all go 'way quick. The people want
kill you, but me save. Listen. You climb up the slide me an' boys come
down. Me bring sharp bones," and she brought out from under her jacket
several sharp bone picks. "Make um steps in ice; climb up. Go in little
cave, where boys know. There man wait for you wid sled an' dogs. He take
you to airship. But hurry, hurry! People be after you soon when find you
gone. Me keep 'um back long what I can, but not for very long, so you go
fast."

"We must lose no time," said the professor. "This may be our last
chance. How can we thank you, Dirola?"

"Never mind talk, go!" exclaimed the Esquimaux queen. "Must hurry!"

The captives were anxious enough to escape. Led by Dirola they went out
into the main cavern. It was quite dark, as the sun had moved around so
it no longer shone in the opening, and the mysterious lights had died
away. They were soon at the bottom of the slope by means of which the
boys and the helpers had fallen into the ice cave.

"Now climb up!" Dirola commanded. "Me give peopl