"Then it seems," I responded, "that you joined the expedition with a view to making discoveries by which mankind would be benefited, by adding to the sum total of human knowledge, rather than from any hope of personal advantage."
"Possibly," he said. "But I cannot draw the line that your remark would seem to suggest. I cannot see how I could help mankind, without helping myself, at least so far as it would give me satisfaction, and that after all is the one great object that makes life worth the living. As to just what I expected to discover, I have only to say that I am not surprised at present appearances. There now seem to be as many indications of the existence of a habitable country on an inner surface of the globe, as there were of a western hemisphere, before the discovery of America. Columbus gave to mankind a new world, and should we be the means of discovering an inner world, and of opening a line of communication between that and the outer world, it would not be so much a matter of astonishment as it would be of actual advantage." Then turning to Captain Ganoe he asked: "What do you think of our prospect of success?"
"The present indications," replied the Captain, "are certainly most encouraging. From the observations which we have already made, I believe that we have passed over the verge into the gateway of an inner world. You remember," he continued, turning to me, "that when we made our escape from the ice, we sailed directly north and soon made the discovery that some thing interposed between us and certain stars that ought to have been visible just above the horizon."
"Yes," I replied, "I remember. But what do you infer from that?"
"I infer," he said, "that it was the opposite side of the verge that interposed between us and the stars which we calculated ought to have been visible. And now, I propose to sail south until we find land, or failing in that, run out at the south opening, if we find one. We have circumnavigated the north pole and yet when we tried to sail across the open polar sea we found ourselves sailing away from it, assisted by a powerful ocean current. Now, the water which comes from this impassable polar sea, is going somewhere, and it is our business to follow it up and find out all we can about its destination."
As he spoke, a large flock of birds passed over our heads.
"There," said the captain, "go our oracles that will lead us to land, and as they are going in our direction I propose to follow them," and going to the wheel, he placed the ship directly in their track.
"How is it," I asked, "that you now take the birds for our guide, something you have never done before?"
"Because," said the Captain, "we want to find land and these birds are evidently on their way to find feeding grounds. I wonder that it did not occur to me sooner to follow them."
The light we had observed in the southern horizon grew brighter, and soon we saw the sun emerge as if from behind a cloud and disappear again near the same point, when we saw the full moon and a few stars shining through the northern verge. It was indeed a strange sight to visitors from the outer world. It never became actually dark, as light from the sun either direct or reflected reached us at all times. We had therefore reached a country of which it might be truly said: "There is no night there."