"Ask us, Hatteras," answered the doctor; "we are all devoted to you, our answers shall be sincere. And, in the first place, have you any plan?"
"I can't have any alone," said Hatteras, sadly. "My opinion might seem interested; I want to hear your opinion first."
"Captain," said Johnson, "before speaking on such weighty matters, I have an important question to ask you."
"What is it?"
"You ascertained our position yesterday; well, has the ice-field drifted any more, or are we in just the same place?"
"It has not stirred," answered Hatteras. "The latitude before we left was 80° 15', and longitude 97° 35'."
"And," said Johnson, "how far are we from the nearest sea to the west?"[*]
"About six hundred miles," answered Hatteras.
"And this water is—"