Chapter 13. The Ice Bank

           TheNautiluswassteadilypursuingitssoutherlycourse,followingthefiftiethmeridianwithconsiderablespeed.Didhewishtoreachthepole?Ididnotthinkso,foreveryattempttoreachthatpointhadhithertofailed.Again,theseasonwasfaradvanced,forintheAntarcticregionsthe13thofMarchcorrespondswiththe13thofSeptemberofnorthernregions,whichbeginattheequinoctialseason.Onthe14thofMarchIsawfloatingiceinlatitude55°,merelypalebitsofdebrisfromtwentytotwenty-fivefeetlong,formingbanksoverwhichtheseacurled.TheNautilusremainedonthesurfaceoftheocean.NedLand,whohadfishedintheArcticSeas,wasfamiliarwithitsicebergs;butConseilandIadmiredthemforthefirsttime.Intheatmospheretowardsthesouthernhorizonstretchedawhitedazzlingband.Englishwhalershavegivenitthenameof"iceblink."Howeverthickthecloudsmaybe,itisalwaysvisible,andannouncesthepresenceofanicepackorbank.Accordingly,largerblockssoonappeared,whosebrilliancychangedwiththecapricesofthefog.Someofthesemassesshowedgreenveins,asiflongundulatinglineshadbeentracedwithsulphateofcopper;othersresembledenormousamethystswiththelightshiningthroughthem.Somereflectedthelightofdayuponathousandcrystalfacets.Othersshadedwithvividcalcareousreflectionsresembledaperfecttownofmarble.Themorewenearedthesouththemorethesefloatingislandsincreasedbothinnumberandimportance.

           At60°lat.everypasshaddisappeared.But,seekingcarefully,CaptainNemosoonfoundanarrowopening,throughwhichheboldlyslipped,knowing,however,thatitwouldclosebehindhim.Thus,guidedbythiscleverhand,theNautiluspassedthroughalltheicewithaprecisionwhichquitecharmedConseil;