ble to the extreme beauty of
the scene.

"Not effectual, lad; not effectual," returned the Captain, stretching
out his hand and turning to the interpreter; "look, Anders, d'ye see
nothing on the horizon away to the nor'ard? Isn't that a bit of
water-sky over there?"

"Ya," replied the interpreter, gazing intently, "there be watter-sky
over there. Ya. But not possobubble for go there. Ice too big an'
brokkin up."

"Ask Chingatok what he thinks," returned the Captain.

Chingatok's opinion was that the water-sky indicated the open sea. He
knew that sea well--had often paddled over it, and his own country lay
in it.

"But how ever did he cross that ice?" asked the Captain; "what says he
to that, Anders?"

"I did not cross it," answered the Eskimo, through Anders. "When I came
here with my party the ice was not there; it was far off yonder."

He pointed to the eastward.

"Just so," returned the Captain, with a satisfied nod, "that confirms my
opinion. You see, boys, that the coast here trends off to the East'ard
in a very decided manner. Now, if that was only the shore of a bay, and
the land again ran off to the nor'ard, it would not be possible for such
a sea of ice to have come from _that_ direction. I therefore conclude
that we are standing on the most northern cape of Greenland; that
Greenland itself is a huge island, unconnected with the Polar lands;
that we are now on the shores of the great Polar basin, in which,
somewhere not very far from the Pole itself, lies the home of our friend
Chingatok--at least so I judge from what he has said. Moreover, I feel
sure that the water-sky we see over there indicates the commencement of
that `open sea' which, I hold, in common with many learned men, lies
around the North Pole, and which I am determined to float upon before
many days go by."

"We'd better spread our wings then, father, and be off at once," said
Benjy; "for it's quite certain that we'll never manage to scramble over
that ice-jumble with sledges."

"Nevertheless, I will try, Benjy."

"But how, uncle?" asked Leo.

"Ay, how?" repeated Alf, "_that_ is the question."

"Come, come, Alf, let Shakespeare alone," said the pert Benjy, "if you
_must_ quote, confine yourself to Buzzby."

"Nay, Benjy, be not so severe. It was but a slip. Besides, our leader
has not forbidden our carrying a whole library in our heads, so long as
we take only one book in our pockets. But, uncle, you have not yet to