he region immediately around the Pole is absolutely nothing
at all!--only empty space caused by the whirling of the earth,--a space
which extends through its centre from pole to pole!

Much amusement did the Captain derive from the contemplation of these
theories as he crossed over the grand and boundless ocean, and chatted
pleasantly with his son, or Chingatok, or Toolooha, who formed the crew
of his little boat.

The party consisted of thirteen, all told. These were distributed as
follows:--

In the Captain's boat were the three just mentioned.

In Leo's boat were Butterface, Oolichuk, and Oblooria. How it came to
pass that Oolichuk and Oblooria were put into the same boat no one
seemed to know, or indeed to care, except Oolichuk himself, who, to
judge from the expression of his fat face, was much pleased. As for
Oblooria, her mild visage always betokened contentment or resignation--
save when overshadowed by timidity.

In Alf's boat were Anders, Ivitchuk, Akeetolik, and Tekkona. The
interpreter had been given to Alf because he was not quite so muscular
or energetic as the Captain or his brother, while Anders was eminently
strong and practical. The Eskimo women counted as men, being as expert
with oar and paddle as they, and very nearly as strong as most ordinary
men.

What added to the romance of the first day's experience was the fact
that, a few hours after they started, a dead calm settled down over the
sea, which soon became like a great sheet of undulating glass, in which
the rich, white clouds, the clear sky, and the boats with their crews,
were reflected as in a moving, oily mirror; yet, strange to say, the
kites kept steady, and the pace of ten or twelve miles an hour did not
abate for a considerable time. This, of course, was owing to the fact
that there was a continuous current blowing northward in the higher
regions of the atmosphere. The sun, meantime, glowed overhead with four
mock-suns around him, nevertheless the heat was not oppressive, partly
because the voyagers were sitting at rest, and partly because a slight
current of cool air, the creation of their own progress, fanned their
cheeks. Still further to add to the charm, flocks of sea-birds circling
in the air or dipping in the water, a berg or two floating in the
distance, a porpoise showing its back fin now and then, a seal or a
walrus coming up to stare in surprise and going down to meditate,
perhaps in wonder, with an occasional