the ground, and against the fresh breeze still blowing, at a pace of
about ninety miles per hour. A quarter of an hour later the rain
ceased, and the flying ship plunged into the midst of a dense fog, so
thick that it was impossible to see even so far as the guard-rail on
either side of the deck. The temperature had by this time, however,
risen to _thirty-three degrees above zero (Fahrenheit)_, and the
travellers therefore at once resolved to again brave the rigours of the
upper atmosphere. An immediate ascent was accordingly made, with the
satisfactory result, that at an elevation of three thousand feet above
the sea-level they found themselves once more clear of the fog, with no
perceptible fall of the thermometer, and with a clear view ahead.
Twenty minutes more of travelling, and the northern skirts of the fog-
bank were past, the clouds broke away, and the westering sun cast his
ruddy beams upon the surface of the heaving waters. The sea was still
without a vestige of ice, and the horizon was perfectly clear ahead.

Consumed with enthusiasm and impatience, the travellers now effected a
descent to the surface of the sea, that having been proved to be the
situation in which the _Flying Fish_ made her greatest speed, and the
journey was promptly proceeded with. A further run of twenty miles
found them beneath a cloudless sky, with the wind, soft and balmy,
fallen to the gentlest of zephyrs, and the temperature risen to the
extraordinary height of forty-five degrees above zero. Their delight,
especially that of the professor, was excessive at this wonderful change
in their surroundings within so short a time; indeed von Schalckenberg
became positively extravagant in his demonstrations, dancing about the
deck like a schoolboy, laughing, cheering, clapping his hands, and
uttering the most extraordinary prophecies as to what awaited them at
the now not far distant pole. The moment was favourable for an
astronomical observation; and the ship, notwithstanding their eagerness
to press forward, was accordingly stopped for a few minutes to take the
necessary sights, after which "Northward ho!" again became their
watchword. A few minutes sufficed Mildmay to complete his calculations,
and then, amidst vociferous cheering on the part of his companions, he
announced to them the gratifying intelligence that they had approached
to within a distance of _only one hundred and sixty miles of the North
Pole_.

At the moment whe