friend. His extremely commonplace mind had never been
exercised by such ideas. "I never asked him about that," he said, "and
he never told me. Perhaps he will tell you if you ask him."

The interpreter turned on his side with a sigh and went to sleep. The
giant lay on his back gazing long and steadily with a wistful look at
the unbroken vault of sky, whose vast profundity seemed to thrust him
mercilessly back. As he gazed, a little cloud, light as a puff of
eider-down, and golden as the sun from which its lustre came, floated
into the range of his vision. He smiled, for the thought that light may
suddenly arise when all around seems blank gave his inquiring spirit
rest, and he soon joined the slumbering band who lay upon the ice around
him.

According to Chingatok's prophecy, on the third day the fagged and weary
discoverers surmounted their first difficulty, and came upon
comparatively smooth ice, the surface of which resembled hard-trodden
snow, and was sufficiently free from obstructing lumps to admit of rapid
sledge travelling. It was late when they reached it, but as they could
now all sit on the sledges and leave the hard work to the dogs, the
leader resolved to continue the advance without resting.

"It's time enough to stop when we're stopped," he remarked to Leo, while
making preparations to start. "We will sleep at the first obstruction
we meet with, if it's a sufficiently troublesome one. See that the
things are well lashed on all the sledges, Alf. Remember that I hold
you responsible for lost articles."

"And what am I responsible for, father?" asked Benjy with a pert look.

"For keeping out of mischief, Ben. That's the most I can expect of
you."

"You are only a sort of negative blessing to us, you see, Benjy," said
Alf, as he stooped to tighten a rope. "It's not so much what you do, as
what you don't do, that rejoices us."

"I'm glad of that," retorted the boy, arranging himself comfortably on
his father's sledge, "because I won't do anything at all for some hours
to come, which ought to fill you all with perfect felicity. Awake me,
Leo, if we chance to upset."

"Now then, all ready?" cried the Captain. "Off you go, then--clap on
all sail!"

Crack went the mighty whips, howl went the dogs, and the sledges were
soon skimming over the sea at the rate of ten miles an hour. Of course
they did not keep that pace up very long. It became necessary to rest
at times, also, to give the do