open sea lay as far as the eye could reach.

Hatteras considered attentively the white part of the map, which
represented the Polar basin free from ice.

"After such testimony as that of Stewart, Penny, and Belcher, I can't
have a doubt about it," he said to himself. "They saw it with their
own eyes. But if the winter has already frozen it! But no; they made
their discoveries at intervals of several years. It exists, and I
shall find it! I shall see it."

Hatteras went on to the poop. An intense fog enveloped the _Forward_;
the masthead could scarcely be distinguished from the deck. However,
Hatteras called down the ice-master from his crow's nest, and took
his place. He wished to profit by the shortest clear interval to
examine the north-western horizon. Shandon did not let the occasion
slip for saying to the lieutenant:

"Well, Wall, where is the open sea?"

"You were right, Shandon, and we have only six weeks' coal in the
hold."

"Perhaps the doctor will find us some scientific fuel to warm us in
the place of coal," answered Shandon. "I have heard say you can turn
fire to ice; perhaps he'll turn ice to fire." And he entered his cabin,
shrugging his shoulders. The next day was the 20th of August, and
the fog cleared away for several minutes. They saw Hatteras look
eagerly at the horizon, and then come down without speaking; but it
was easy to see that his hopes had again been crushed. The _Forward_
weighed anchor, and took up her uncertain march northward. As the
_Forward_ began to be weather-worn, the masts were unreeved, for they
could no longer rely on the variable wind, and the sails were nearly
useless in the winding channels. Large white marks appeared here and
there on the sea like oil spots; they presaged an approaching frost;
as soon as the breeze dropped the sea began to freeze immediately;
but as soon as the wind got up again, the young ice was broken up
and dispersed. Towards evening the thermometer went down to 17
degrees.

When the brig came to a closed-up pass she acted as a battering ram,
and ran at full steam against the obstacle, which she sunk. Sometimes
they thought she was stopped for good; but an unexpected movement
of the streams opened her a new passage, and she took advantage of
it boldly. When the brig stopped, the steam which escaped from the
safety-pipes was condensed by the cold air and fell in snow on to
the deck. Another impediment came in the way; the ice-blocks sometimes
got