"I'm sorry, Frank," contritely said Billy, "I won't speak any more
about it; but," he added to himself, "you can't keep me from thinking
about it."

As Frank had anticipated, Captain Hazzard agreed to ship Billy Barnes
as a member of the expedition. He was to be a sort of general
secretary and assist the boys with the aeroplane and motor sledge when
the time came. The reporter's face, when after a brief conference it
was announced to him that he might consider himself one of the
Southern Cross's ship's company, was a study. It was all he could do
to keep from shouting at the top of his voice. The contrast between
the dignity he felt he ought to assume before Captain Hazzard and the
desire he felt to skip about and express his feelings in some active
way produced such a ludicrous mixture of emotions on Billy's face that
both the boys and the captain himself had to burst into uncontrollable
laughter at it. Laughter in which the good natured Billy, without
exactly understanding its cause, heartily joined.

A week later the final good-byes were said and the Southern Cross was
ready for sea. She was to meet a coal-ship at Monte Video in the
Argentine Republic which would tow her as far as the Great Barrier.
This was to conserve her own coal supply. The other vessel would then
discharge her cargo of coal,--thus leaving the adventurers a plentiful
supply of fuel in case the worst came to worst, and they were frozen
in for a second winter.

In case nothing was heard of them by the following fall a relief ship
was to be despatched which would reach them roughly about the
beginning of December, when the Antarctic summer is beginning to draw
to a close. The commander of the Southern Cross expected to reach the