on!" shouted the Captain.

Poor Alf could not help holding on. The turns of the line round his arm
held him fast.

Another moment, and he was abreast of the Captain who sprang at him as
he passed like a leopard on his prey and held on. But the pace was
little checked with this additional weight. It was beyond the Captain's
running powers, and both he and Alf would have been thrown violently to
the ground had it not happened that they had reached the water, into
which they plunged with a tremendous splash. They were dragged through
it, however, only for a few seconds, for by that time the Captain had
succeeded in getting hold of the red line and pulling it separately.
The result was immediate and satisfactory. The head of the kite was
thrown forward, acting somewhat as a sail does when a ship is thrown
into the wind, and the two unfortunates came to an anchor in four feet
of water.

"We must not let it into the water, Alf," gasped the Captain, clearing
the water from his eyes.

"How can we prevent it?" spluttered Alf, shaking the wet hair off his
face.

"Ease your fingers a bit. There; hold on." As he spoke the Captain
gave a slight pull on the regulating line. The kite at once caught the
wind and soared, giving the two operators an awful tug, which nearly
overturned them again.

"Too much," growled the Captain. "You see it takes some experience to
regulate the excitable thing properly. There, now, haul away for the
shore."

By this time they were joined by Leo and Chingatok, who ran into the
water and aided them in dragging the refractory machine ashore.

"That's a vigorous beginning, father," remarked Benjy as they came to
land.

"It is, my boy. Go and fetch me dry clothes while we haul in the kite
and make her snug."

"When do you mean to start?" asked Leo, as he coiled away the slack of
the line on the reel.

"The first steady fair wind that blows from the south," answered the
Captain, "but we must have one or two experimental trials of the kites
and boats together, before we set out on the real voyage."

"It's a capital idea," returned Leo enthusiastically. "There's a sort
of neck-or-nothing dash about it that quite suits me. But, uncle, what
of the Eskimos? The three boats won't carry the half of them."

"I know that, lad, and shall get over the difficulty by leaving some of
them behind. Chingatok says they are quite able to take care of
themselves; can easily regain the Greenland