Page:Twenty Thousand Verne Frith 1876.pdf/419

 and with a yellow ring round the neck. They were killed with stones without making any attempt to escape.

All this time the fog hung over us, and at 11, the sun had not shone out. His absence caused me some uneasiness, for without his appearance we could get no observations. How, then, could we ascertain whether we had reached the Pole?

When I rejoined Captain Nemo I found him leaning against a rock, gazing at the sky. He seemed impatient—worried. But what was to be done? He could not command the sun like the sea.

Mid-day arrived, and the sun had not appeared for a moment. We could not even see its position through the fog, and the fog soon turned to snow.

“To-morrow,” the captain said calmly, and we returned to the Nautilus. During our absence the nets had been drawn, and I noticed with much interest the fish that had been captured, which were chiefly migrates from less elevated zones. I tasted some of them subsequently, and found them insipid, notwithstanding Conseil’s opinion, for he liked them.

The snow-storm continued till next day. It was impossible to remain on the platform. Even in the saloon, where I stayed to make notes of the excursion, I could hear the cries of the petrels and albatrosses sporting in the storm. The Nautilus did not remain at anchor, but went down the coast about ten miles to the south in the midst of the twi- light left by the sun as it touched the horizon.

Next day, 20th of March, the snow had ceased to fall. The cold was rather more intense; the thermometer was 2° below zero. The mists were lifting, and I was in hopes that to-day we should be able to take the observation.

Captain Nemo not having yet appeared, the boat took