The _Halbrane_ was going along slowly on these clear waters, which swarmed with fish belonging to the same species as we had already met. The sea-birds were more numerous, and were evidently not frightened; for they kept flying round the mast, or perching in the yards. Several whitish ropes about five or six feet long were brought on board. They were chaplets formed of millions of pearly shell-fish. Whales, spouting jets of feathery water from their blow-holes, appeared at a distance, and I remarked that all of them took a southerly direction. There was therefore reason to believe that the sea extended far and wide in that direction. The schooner covered two or three miles of her course without any increase of speed. This coast evidently stretched from north-west to south-east. Nevertheless, the telescopes revealed no distinctive features--even after three hours' navigation. The crew, gathered together on the forecastle, were looking on without revealing their impressions. West, after going aloft to the fore-cross-trees, where he had remained ten minutes, had reported nothing precise. Stationed at the port side, leaning my elbows on the bulwarks, I closely watched the sky line, broken only towards the east. At this moment the boatswain rejoined me, and without preface said: "Will you allow me to give you my opinion, Mr. Jeorling?" "Give it, boatswain," I replied, "at the risk of my not adopting it if I don't agree with it." "It is correct, and according as we get nearer one must really be blind not to adopt it!" "And what idea have you got?" "That it is not land which lies before us, Mr. Jeorling!" "What is it you are saying?" "Look attentively, putting one finger before your eyes--look there--out a--starboard." I did as Hurliguerly directed. "Do you see?" he began again. "May I lose my liking for my grog if these heights do not change place, not with regard to the schooner, but with regard to themselves!" "And what do you conclude from this?" "That they are moving icebergs." "Icebergs?" "Sure enough, Mr. Jeorling." Was not the boatswain mistaken? Were we in for a disappointment? Were there only drifting ice-mountains in the distance instead of a shore? Presently, there was no doubt on the subject; for some time past the crew had no longer believed in the existence of land in that direction. Ten minutes afterwards, the man in the crow's-nest announced that several icebergs were coming from the north-west, in an oblique direction, into the course of the _Halbrane_. This news produced a great sensation on board. Our last hope was suddenly extinguished. And what a blow to Captain Len Guy! We should have to seek this land of the austral zone under higher latitudes without being sure of ever coming across it! And then the cry, "Back ship! back ship!" resounded almost unanimously on board the _Halbrane_.