mit in
about an hour and a half, pausing at frequent intervals to admire and
enjoy the magnificent panorama of woods and hills and streams which lay
spread out beneath them. Herds of elk, reindeer, and musk-oxen were
seen dotted about here and there on the plains below, as well as a
skulking wolf or two, a few Arctic foxes, and other wild animals. The
herd of mammoths--apparently the only herd in the island--was also seen;
and, with the aid of their telescopes, the travellers were also able to
make out, far away at sea, certain dark moving spots which, from their
alternate appearance above and disappearance beneath the surface, they
judged to be whales.

The chief business of the travellers, however, on the summit of "Mount
Mildmay" was to ascertain whether or no the North Pole of the earth was
or was not situated within its circumference. This was rightly regarded
as a matter of such great importance that several days were
unhesitatingly devoted to its settlement; and Mildmay, the professor,
and Colonel Lethbridge were busy from breakfast time in the morning
until dinner-time at night, making the most careful observations and
working out the necessary calculations. These were at length
satisfactorily completed--not one moment too soon, for the sun was daily
dropping nearer and nearer to the horizon--and the trio were enabled,
not only to say that the North Pole _was_ contained within the limits of
the summit, but to plant their feet upon it and to say unhesitatingly
and authoritatively:

"This is the North Pole!"

The position having thus been accurately determined, the next thing was
to mark the spot.

With this object a large triangle was first described about it, and a
point was carefully marked off on each of its sides in such a position
that a line tightly strained from such point to the opposite angle of
the triangle would pass directly through the pole. This done, an
excavation six feet deep in the solid rock was made, and in its bottom
was deposited a tightly-sealed bottle containing a small parchment
scroll, on which was inscribed a brief statement of the circumstances
connected with the discovery of the spot, with the date, and the
signatures of the joint discoverers. This bottle was carefully packed
in and buried up with small fragments of rock, and made finally secure
by a covering of excellent concrete, the materials for compounding which
had been carefully and with infinite labour prepared by t