At the same time he called in his native language to the dogs to lie down. The brutes heard the cracking of the cruel thong, whose force they knew but too well, and they recognized their master's voice. On came the Esquimaux, until, reaching the pack of dogs, he laid about among them with good will, the blows of the whip bringing blood. Sticking their tails between their legs, the remaining dogs ran away with frightened yelps. The driver had come in the nick of time. "That was quite a fright!" panted Andy, when the excitement was at an end. "My, but those were fierce brutes!" While the dogs that were left alive among the pack, including several wounded ones, withdrew to a far end of the ice floe, the adventurers crawled back under the tent for a much-needed rest. The Esquimaux, with a silence worthy of an American Indian, took up his position in the small doorway. It was growing much colder, and the big chunk of ice that served the refugees as a raft was moving quite rapidly over a choppy sea. It was several hours later that the Esquimaux with a loud cry attracted all the others to the tent opening. He pointed ahead. "I believe we're drifting back to shore!" shouted Andy. CHAPTER XXVII BACK TO THE SHIP With anxious eyes the adventurers crawled out on the floe and gazed ahead. Across the black stretch of water could be seen a dim whiteness. It looked like the main ice pack, but they realized that it might be only another floe or berg. The current was setting strong in the direction of it. "We will soon learn our fate," said the professor. "We should be up to it in an hour." In less time than that they were near enough to the white mass to tell that it was no floe or berg, but the main field of ice, part of that from which they had been separated. "I don't know as we'll be much better off when we get there," said Andy. "There are not dogs enough left to draw the sled, and if we have to walk back to where the airship is, providing this Esquimaux can find it, we'll freeze." "Let us wait until we get to shore before we begin to find new trouble," counseled the professor. In a little while the floating floe bumped up against the main ice field with a grinding and crashing. No sooner had it touched than the dogs scampered off, and were soon lost to sight. The Esquimaux did not seem to worry much over their disappearance. He coolly righted the sled, having first demolished the temporary tent, and proceeded, unaided, to haul the vehicle ashore. "Give him a hand, Washington," said the professor. "He is our friend, and rendered us good service. We must help him." Then, while Washington and the native dragged the sled, the others followed afoot, and in a short time were safe on the main ice. "Now, the question is," said the inventor, "can our guide take us to the ship?"