ten miles of the south pole."

The discovery of the pole itself had been announced three years
before, and several scientific parties were known to be exploring the
remarkable continent that surrounds it. But while they had sent home
many highly interesting reports, there had been nothing to suggest the
possibility of such an amazing discovery as that which was now
announced. Accordingly, most sensible people looked upon the New
Zealand despatch as a hoax.

But within a week, and from a different source, flashed another
despatch which more than confirmed the first. It declared that gold
existed near the south pole in practically unlimited quantity. Some
geologists said this accounted for the greater depth of the Antarctic
Ocean. It had always been noticed that the southern hemisphere
appeared to be a little overweighted. People now began to prick up
their ears, and many letters of inquiry appeared in the newspapers
concerning the wonderful tidings from the south. Some asked for
information about the shortest route to the new goldfields.

In a little while several additional reports came, some via New
Zealand, others via South America, and all confirming in every respect
what had been sent before. Then a New York newspaper sent a swift
steamer to the Antarctic, and when this enterprising journal published
a four-page cable describing the discoveries in detail, all doubt
vanished and the rush began.

Some time I may undertake a description of the wild scenes that
occurred when, at last, the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere
were convinced that boundless stores of gold existed in the unclaimed