now lay before us. The
opposite rapidly rising limb of the polar gulf, 500 miles away, was
brilliantly illuminated by the sun's rays far overhead, and its
splendid earth-light, twenty times brighter than moonlight, falling
upon us, compensated for the sudden obliteration of the daylight.

It was mid-day, and our only light was the earth-light of the gulf.
There stood over us the still rising circular rim of the ocean,
sparkling like an enormous jewel. It was a bewildering experience. In
the light of that distant ocean I assembled the men on deck and thus
addressed them:

"My men, when we started on the present expedition you stipulated for
a voyage of discovery to the North Pole (if possible) and return to
New York again. The first part of the voyage is happily accomplished.
We alone of all the explorers who have essayed polar discovery have
been rewarded with a sight of the pole. The mystery of the earth's
axis is no longer a secret. Here before your eyes is the axis on which
the earth performs its daily revolution. The North Pole is an immense
gulf 500 miles in diameter and of unknown depth. Within this gulf lies
our ship, at least a hundred miles below the level of the outer ocean!

"The question we are now called upon to decide is this: Are we to
remain satisfied with our present achievement, turn back the ship, and
go home without attempting to discover whither leads this enormous
gulf? As far as the officers of the ship and the scientific staff are
concerned, as far as I myself am concerned, I am satisfied if we were
once back in New York again, our first thought would be to return
hither, and, taking up the thread of our journey, endeavor to explore
the farthest recesses of the gulf."

I was here interrupted by loud applause from the entire officers and
many of the men.

"This being so, why should we waste a journey to New York and back
again for nothing? Why not, with our good ship well armed and
provisioned, that has in safety carried us so far, why not, I say,
proceed further, taking advantage of the only opportunity the ages of
time have ever offered to man to explore earth's profoundest secrets?

"Who knows what oceans, what continents, what nations, it may be of
men like ourselves, may not exist in a subterranean world? Who knows
what gold, what silver, what precious stones are there piled perhaps
mountains high? Are we to tamely throw aside the possibility of such
glory on account of base fears, an