d, but
the cliffs were such that no boat could land until they found a bay and
struck across under sail to the other side where the shore looked lower;
they were scant of provisions and out of water, but they got sight of
something that looked like a great town. 'For God's sake, Gaffett!' said
I, the first time he told me. 'You don't mean a town two degrees farther
north than ships had ever been?' for he'd got their course marked on an
old chart that he'd pieced out at the top; but he insisted upon it, and
told it over and over again, to be sure I had it straight to carry to
those who would be interested. There was no snow and ice, he said, after
they had sailed some days with that warm current, which seemed to come
right from under the ice that they'd been pinched up in and had been
crossing on foot for weeks."

"But what about the town?" I asked. "Did they get to the town?"

"They did," said the captain, "and found inhabitants; 'twas an awful
condition of things. It appeared, as near as Gaffett could express it,
like a place where there was neither living nor dead. They could see the
place when they were approaching it by sea pretty near like any town,
and thick with habitations; but all at once they lost sight of it
altogether, and when they got close inshore they could see the shapes
of folks, but they never could get near them,--all blowing gray figures
that would pass along alone, or sometimes gathered in companies as if
they were watching. The men were frightened at first, but the shapes
never came near them,--it was as if they blew back; and at last they all
got bold and went ashore, and found birds' eggs and sea fowl, like any
wild northern spot where creatures were tame and folks had never been,
and there was good water. Gaffett said that he and another man came near
one o' the fog-shaped men that was going along slow with the look of a
pack on his back, among the rocks, an' they chased him; but, Lord! he
flittered away out o' sight like a leaf the wind takes with it, or a
piece of cobweb. They would make as if they talked together, but there
was no sound of voices, and 'they acted as if they didn't see us, but
only felt us coming towards them,' says Gaffett one day, trying to tell
the particulars. They couldn't see the town when they were ashore. One
day the captain and the doctor were gone till night up across the high
land where the town had seemed to be, and they came back at night
beat out and white as a