that can wait. A Viking flea would be a novelty indeed."

At this moment loud tramplings on the deck overhead and shouts
apprised them that something out of the ordinary must be occurring.
Just as they were about to emerge from the cabin the captain rushed
in. He seemed much excited.

"My fur coat, quick," he cried, seizing the garment from Frank, who
had snatched it from its peg and handed it to him.

"What has happened?" asked Frank.

The words had hardly left his lips before there came a terrible
grinding and jarring and the Southern Cross came to a standstill. Her
bow seemed to tilt up, while her stern sank, till the cabin floor
attained quite a steep slope.

"What can be the matter?" cried the professor, as he dashed out after
the boys and the captain, the latter of whom had been much too excited
to answer Frank's question.




CHAPTER XIV.

MAROONED ON AN ICE FLOE.


"We have struck a polar reef!"