Chapter XII. Between the Polar Circle and the Ice Wall

           SincetheHalbranehaspassedbeyondtheimaginarycurvedrawnattwenty-threeandahalfdegreesfromthePole,itseemsasthoughshehadenteredanewregion,“thatregionofDesolationandSilence,”asEdgarPoesays;thatmagicpersonofsplendourandgloryinwhichtheEleanora’ssingerlongedtobeshutuptoalleternity;thatimmenseoceanoflightineffable.

           Itismybelief—toreturntolessfancifulhypotheses—thattheAntarcticregion,withasuperficiesofmorethanfivemillionsofsquaremiles,hasremainedwhatourspheroidwasduringtheglacialperiod.Inthesummer,thesouthernzone,asweallknow,enjoysperpetualday,owingtotheraysprojectedbytheorboflightaboveitshorizoninhisspiralascent.Then,sosoonashehasdisappeared,thelongnightsetsin,anightwhichisfrequentlyilluminedbythepolarauroraorNorthernLights.

           Itwasthenintheseasonoflightthatourschoonerwasabouttosailintheseformidableregions.ThepermanentbrightnesswouldnotfailusbeforeweshouldhavereachedTsalalIsland,wherewefeltnodoubtoffindingthemenoftheJane.

           WhenCaptainLenGuy,West,andtheoldsailorsofthecrewlearnedthattheschoonerhadclearedthesixty-sixthparalleloflatitude,theirroughandsunburntfacesshonewithsatisfaction.Thenextday,Hurliguerlyaccostedmeonthedeckwithabroadsmileandacheerfulmanner.

           “Sothen,Mr.