“That is the South Pole, or at least it is exactly upon the spot where the pole should be!”
Over the Antarctic country the airship drifted.
There was a most remarkable change in the atmosphere. In place of the stinging cold there was a soft mildness which bore a strange resemblance to furnace heat.
Hundreds of miles in area was the fertile country of the South Pole.
Various animals were seen, but in all the three hundred miles of sailing across the fertile and warm area our voyagers saw nothing of human beings.
However, Gaston declared:
“It is but a small part we have explored as yet. They may exist in some other section. Our sole object now is to locate the two poles. Some other time we may be able to more extensively explore each. Eh, Mr. Reade?”
“That is agreeable to me,” replied Frank. “Indeed, we have not come prepared for a very long sojourn in this region.”
So the Dart crossed the Polar region as quickly as possible.
Straight across the region they went, until once more the circular range of mountains was crossed, and the region of ice and snow again was spread to view.