Scarcely any vegetation was seen, but as they glided along, view was caught of a few vagrant birds, some lemmings, ice-fox, and several immigrant reindeer.
Oil along the coast, though, countless numbers of ducks, geese and swan were flying about the rocks, making the air resonant with their cries and the ceaseless flapping of their wings.
Several miles from the glacier Frank observed a mass of beetling ice blocks strewn across their path.
There were several openings among them, though, through which he saw he could steer the ship to clearer ice beyond.
“How in the world could these immense blocks of ice have got there?” asked Dr. Vaneyke in surprise, when he saw them.
Frank pointed to a mountain cliff half a mile away.
“If they fell from there” said he, “wouldn’t they have been propelled along over this glassy surface to the very strait?”
“Sure enough, if they came from enough height to project them a great distance, for they would certainly slide freely.”
“Do you notice how much warmer it is here than it was in the sky, doctor?” asked the young inventor.
“Quite a difference in the temperature.”