“We are nearing the summit,” Saxe. told us; “if the road continues like this we should reach it in an hour.”
We reached the North Pole in less than an hour. The road we had followed so faithfully gradually zigzagged to the summit of a precipitous mountain, then parted abruptly at the sharp lip of a deep, unfathomable pit. The view was magnificent, grand, diabolical, and in the strange half light fantastic shadows seemed to dance and beckon. Our route gleamed like a silver thread as it widened through the valley beneath to be submerged in far distant ice and snow fields. And down in the deep, black mountain pit, surrounded by high walls of shining petrification, was the ocean, whose roar had so puzzled us. An ocean? A wide pool of dark, glassy substance, without ripple or disturbance, yet the roar blared, deafening, like a great horn.
“Any amount,” said Sheldon, “that water down there is hot.”
“Won’t take your bet,” Saxe. answered, “but it’s hot all right, it’s lava—don’t care to investigate. But, gentlemen,” he suddenly exclaimed, “gentlemen, gentlemen, we have discovered the Pole!”
We gave three rousing cheers; the echo was like a thousand voices.
Saunders, after taking observations, told us we had reached 100 degrees north latitude. Time, 5.20 A. M.
“Onward!” cried Saxe.
But Sheldon called our attention to the sudden disturbance in the black waters below. Even as he spoke we heard a sizzling, bubbling sound, and a great column of water shot upward hundreds of feet, falling with tremendous roar; then another column mightier than the first rolled upward, while the mountain quaked to the detonation.
“Onward!” shouted Saxe.
The Propellier shot down the side of that quivering mountain like a rocket. Looking back I saw column after column of fiery, steaming substance boil upward in rapid succession. With lightning speed we got out of the vicinity of that strange pool with its marvelous geyser-like action, and did not slacken up till we were miles away; then—glory be to glory! we had reached the North Pole, and passed it.