"Oh, by the way, sir, are you going on a balloon voyage now?"
"Alas!" said Talbot, almost sadly, "that, I fear, will have to be abandoned for the present cruise. My intentions were excellent, but
"'The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief and pain,
For promised joy'.
Another day and another voyage will be needed for the balloon adventures.
"Well," he added, more cheerily, "our cruise has not been in vain, you know. I have taken many meteorological observations. We have scaled the heights of mighty Mount Terror, and we have proved that Right whales do abound in these seas; so that we have really re-opened a long-lost industry."
"We sailed in search of fortune," said Frank; "we have got some, haven't we, sir?"
"If we manage to get clear of this somewhat dangerous pack and to reach Kerguelen Island, I think we'll lay in enough sea-elephant skins and blubber to make up a rich and splendid cargo.
"But," he added, looking towards the monster icebergs, "I do wish these fellows were farther off."
"I suppose we couldn't blow them up, could we?" said innocent Conal.
Talbot laughed.