lock all the preparations for departure
were complete. At the moment of starting the doctor's thoughts
returned to the footprints they had seen. Were these men trying to
gain the North? Had they any means of crossing the Polar Sea! Should
they meet them again? For three days they had come across no trace of
the travellers, and certainly, whoever they were, they could not have
reached Altamont Harbor. That was a place which they were the first to
set foot in. But the doctor, who was harassed by his thoughts, wanted
to take a last view of the country, and he ascended a little hill
about a hundred feet high, whence he had a distant view to the south.

When he had reached the top, he put his glass to his eyes. Great was
his surprise when he found he could not see anything, either at a
distance on the plains, or within a few feet of him. This seemed very
odd; he made another examination, and at last he looked at the
glass,--the object-glass was missing.

[Illustration]

"The object-glass!" he cried.

The sudden revelation may be imagined; he uttered a cry so loud as to
be heard by his companions, and they were much astonished at seeing
him running down the hill.

"Well, what's the matter now?" asked Johnson.

The doctor was out of breath, and unable to speak. At length he
managed to bring out,--

"The footprints!--the expedition!--"

"Well, what?" said Hatteras; "are they here?"

"No, no!" resumed the doctor,--"the object-glass, mine!"

And he showed his own glass.

"O, ho!" cried the American, "so you lost--"

"Yes!"

"But then the footprints--"

"Our own!" cried the doctor. "We lost our way in the fog! We went
around in a circle, and came across our own footprints!"

"But the print of the shoes?" asked Hatteras.

"Bell's, you know, who walked all day in the snow after breaking his
snow-shoes."

"That's true," said Bell.

Their mistake was so clear, that they all, except Hatteras, burst out
laughing, and he was none the less pleased at the discovery.

"We were stupid enough," said the doctor, when they had stopped
laughing. What good guesses we made! Strangers up here! Really, we
ought to think before speaking. Well, since we are easy on this point,
we can't do better than start."

"Forward!" said Hatteras.

A quarter of an hour later each one had taken his place on board of
the launch, which sailed out of Altamont Harbor under mainsail and
jib. This voyage began Wednesday, July 10th; they were