were made, which determined the character of the bottom and
the varied deposits thereupon, but the most important result of the work
of Mr. Gibbs and his associates was the discovery of the formation of
the extreme northern portion of the earth. The rock-bed of the sea was
found to be of the shape of a flattened cone, regularly sloping off from
the polar point.

This peculiar form of the solid portion of the earth at the pole was
occasioned, Mr. Gibbs believed, by the rotary motion of the bottom of
the sea, which moved much more rapidly than the water above it, thus
gradually wearing itself away, and giving to our earth that depression
at the poles which has been so long known to geographers.

Day after day the experiments went on; but Mr. Gibbs and his associates
were extremely interested in what they were doing; some of the rest
of the party began to get a little tired of the monotony. There was
absolutely nothing to see except water and sky; and although the
temperature was frequently some degrees above freezing, and became
sometimes quite pleasant as they gradually grew accustomed to the outer
arctic atmosphere, those who had no particular occupation to divert
their minds made frequent complaints of the cold. There were occasional
snow-storms, but these did not last long, and as a rule the skies were
clear.

"But think, Sarah," said Samuel Block, in answer to some of her
complaints, "what it would be if this were winter, and, instead of
being light all the time, it was dark, with the mercury 'way down at the
bottom of the thermometer!"

"I don't intend to think of it at all," replied Sarah, sharply. "Do you
suppose I am goin' to consent to stay here until the everlastin' night
comes on? If that happened, I would simply stretch myself out and die.
It's bad enough as it is; but when I look out on the sun, and think that
it is the same sun that is shinin' on Sardis, and on the house which
I hope we are goin' to have when we get back, I feel as if there was
somethin' up here besides you, Sammy, that I'm accustomed to. If it was
not for you and the sun, I could not get along at all; but if the sun's
gone, I don't think you will be enough. I wish they would plant that
corner-stone buoy and let us be off."

But by far the most dissatisfied person on board was the Pole, Rovinski.
He was chained to the floor in the hold, and could see nothing; nor
could he find out anything. Sammy had explained his character and
proba