he professor.
Then, when the concrete had become properly hardened, a substantial
flagstaff of aethereum was stepped into the hole in a position
accurately corresponding with the North Pole of the earth, and also made
secure by being built in or "set" in concrete, which completely filled
the hole. The professor next, with the aid of a diamond, engraved on
the staff, in bold conspicuous characters, at a height of five feet from
the ground, the words:

"_This staff marks the exact position of the North Pole of the earth_."
And finally, amid cheers from the rest of the party, Sir Reginald
Elphinstone ran the Union Jack up to the staff head and knotted the
halliards so that it would remain there, thus formally claiming for the
British nation the honour of actual discovery.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

SOUTHWARD HO!

So important a matter as the localisation of the Pole having thus been
satisfactorily disposed of, it was next resolved to effect a thorough
exploration of the entire island, including its circumnavigation. This,
with the aid of the _Flying Fish_, was pretty effectually accomplished
in a fortnight, after which the ship returned to her original anchorage
in the harbour, on the south side of the island, now named Lethbridge
Cove.

Both the forests and the adjacent waters of this favoured hyperborean
land were found to be literally swarming with game and other animals,
some of which afforded in their flesh a welcome change from the
preserved meats with which the ship's larder was stocked, whilst the
chief value of others lay in their "pelts" or skins; and, the
hydrographic features of the island having been carefully ascertained
and recorded, the party, with the exception of von Schalckenberg, now
gave themselves up unreservedly to the pleasures of the chase. The
professor's tastes lay more in the direction of geology, mineralogy, and
botany, though he was also an enthusiastic naturalist, and thus, whilst
he sallied forth every morning armed with gun, hammer, specimen box for
his botanical treasures, and bag for his minerals, the three others went
their several ways, either armed with traps and guns in search of game,
or in one of the boats, duly provided with dredger, net, and line, in
quest of ocean spoils.

Thus employed, the short remainder of the Arctic summer swiftly passed
away; the sun daily sank nearer and nearer the horizon; the temperature
fell; frost made its appearance, hardening the soil beneath