So they drifted on until the bleak, snow-capped peaks showed plainly.
Morning revealed a bay lying between the two points. Toward the entrance
to this bay they were drifting. One obstacle remained between them and
land. A half mile of the floe in which they were drifting lay between
them and the black stretch of open water which extended to the edge of
the solid shore ice, upon which the submarine might be dragged and over
which the shaft might be carried to land. But how was that stretch of
tumbled icefloe to be crossed? This, indeed, was a problem.

It was finally decided that Dave and the old engineer should spend the
forenoon exploring the ice to landward for a possible narrow channel that
would open a way to the water beyond. For this journey they took only
field-glasses, alpine staffs and a lunch in a sealskin sack. Had they
known better the nature of the land they were about to visit, they might
have gone more fully equipped.

"H'I don't mind tell' y', lad, that we was 'eaded for this point way
back some'ers in the late nineties," said the engineer, "but there
come a Nor'wester, an' the cap'in, 'e lost 'is 'ead and turned to run.
We'd froze in for the winter, but we'd a seen things if we 'ad. We'd a
seen 'um."

They were struggling over some pressure ridges and neither had breath to
spare for further talk just then. But presently, as they paused on a
high ridge of ice for a survey of their surroundings, Jarvis said:

"H'I said back there they might be coal in the banks. There is, an' other
minerals there are 'ere, too. H'it's a rich land, an' now we're 'ere we'd
make our fortunes if that daffy doctor wasn't 'eaded straight fer the