The men were at breakfast, with the exception of Drap and Stern. The schooner was cutting the water under a stiff breeze. I was walking between the fore and main masts, watching the great flights of birds wheeling about the ship with deafening clangour, and the petrels occasionally perching on our yards. No effort was made to catch or shoot them; it would have been useless cruelty, since their oily and stringy flesh is not eatable. At this moment Hurliguerly approached me, looked attentively at the birds, and said,-- "I remark one thing, Mr. Jeorling." "What is it, boatswain?" "That these birds do not fly so directly south as they did up to the present. Some of them are setting north." "I have noticed the same fact." "And I add, Mr. Jeorling, that those who are below there will come back without delay." "And you conclude from this?" "I conclude that they feel the approach of winter." "Of winter?" "Undoubtedly." "No, no, boatswain; the temperature is so high that the birds can't want to get to less cold regions so prematurely." "Oh! prematurely, Mr. Jeorling." "Yes, boatswain; do we not know that navigators have always been able to frequent the Antarctic waters until the month of March?" "Not at such a latitude. Besides, there are precocious winters as well as precocious summers. The fine season this year was full two months in advance, and it is to be feared the bad season may come sooner than usual." "That is very likely," I replied. "After all, it does not signify to us, since our campaign will certainly be over in three weeks." "If some obstacle does not arise beforehand, Mr. Jeorling." "And what obstacle?" "For instance, a continent stretching to the south and barring our way." "A continent, Hurliguerly!" "I should not be at all surprised." "And, in fact, there would be nothing surprising in it." "As for the lands seen by Dirk Peters," said the boatswain, "where the men of the _Jane_ might have landed on one or another of them, I don't believe in them." "Why?" "Because William Guy, who can only have had a small craft at his disposal, could not have got so far into these seas." "I do not feel quite so sure of that." Nevertheless, Mr. Jeorling--" "What would there be so surprising in William Guy's being carried to land somewhere by the action of the currents? He did not remain on board his boat for eight months, I suppose. His companions and he may have been able to land on an island, or even on a continent, and that is a sufficient motive for us to pursue our search." "No doubt--but all are not of your opinion," replied Hurliguerly, shaking his head. "I know," said I, "and that is what makes me most anxious. Is the ill-feeling increasing?"