e."

The boys looked in the direction of the sound and saw the English
officer lying on the grass not far away. He seemed in pain, but had
raised himself on his elbow and was pointing his finger sternly at the
boys.

CHAPTER VII

OFF FOR THE SOUTH POLE

"Are you hurt?" asked Jack.

"I think my leg is broken, but otherwise I'm not damaged," replied the
detective. "Even if I am disabled, it makes no difference, you are my
prisoners. I command you to stay here until help comes."

The boys did not know what to do. They did not like to see even an enemy
suffer, but, at the same time, they knew he had no right to arrest them.

"Here comes a wagon," said Mark, catching the sound of wheels.

"Well, fo' de land sakes! Gollyation! What terrible catafterme hab
occurred in dis unapproachable manner?" a voice demanded.

"It's Washington!" cried Mark, as he saw Professor Henderson's colored
assistant driving along the road.

"Dat's who it am!" exclaimed Washington as he noticed the boys. "My! My!
But am you boff dead?"

"No, only one of us," said Mark with a laugh, as he and Jack ran toward
the wagon.

"Ha! Ha! Dat's one ob yo' jokes," said Washington. "But hurry up, boys.
De perfessor he done sent me to meet you. He reckoned you'd becomin'
ober on an early trolley. He's in a hurry to git away."

"Don't you boys dare to leave!" exclaimed Detective Ducket.

"Who's dat?" asked Washington.

"Never mind," said Mark. "He was hurt in the trolley smash, but not
badly. We'll send help, from the first farm house we come to. Come on,
Washington, we'll go with you."

The boys jumped into the wagon, and Washington started off. He explained
that the inventor was anxious to make a start that day, as there would
be an unusually high tide which would be followed a little later by a
low one, and that would make it difficult to cross the harbor bar.

"So I hired dis wagon an' come after you," said the colored man.

At the first house they came to the boys stopped and told about the
accident. The farmer agreed to go and get the detective and the others
who were hurt and take them to a hospital.

"I guess we're rid of that detective now," observed Jack, as they
started off again.

"Yes, but we're getting away under a cloud on our characters," said
Mark. "I'd like to stay and see the thing through, if we had time."

"But we can't, and there's no use worrying over it," spoke Jack.

In a short time they were at the inven