"And happy are we," rejoined the Captain, "to be welcomed by a people where our language is not entirely unknown. It will be so much easier for us to get acquainted, and adapt ourselves to our new surroundings." "In our district," said Iola, "you will find quite a number of people who can converse in English. We are teaching it in our schools." While this conversation was going on, Polaris had stepped to the side of the ship and commenced signaling with a yellow silken flag to the fleet of airships which hovered over us. Soon one of the largest, and seemingly the most elaborately furnished, swerved around and alighted upon the deck of the Ice King. Seeing that our attention was attracted to this new movement started by Polaris, MacNair said: "That is our hospital or relief ship. Polaris has called them to the assistance of your sick sailors." "Thank God!" ejaculated Captain Ganoe, "for indeed the poor fellows need the most careful attention. She and her comrades have placed us under obligations for their kindness, that can never be repaid. I am indeed most thankful to our new found friends." "Why feel under such obligations to anyone?" asked Iola. "Polaris is only doing her duty and so are her comrades. This is a duty which we owe to each other, and you and your sailors will only receive that which justly belongs to you." "But are we not under obligations to those who assist us when in trouble?" asked Captain Ganoe, "and should we not repay them for the burdens we impose on them?" "I do not quite understand you," said Iola. "You certainly are under obligations to yourself to entertain feelings of grateful appreciation toward those who assist you in getting out of a difficult and distressing situation, as this feeling tends to make us all better men and women, and hence more desirable members of the community. But as to repaying others for their assistance, I cannot see how we could do so unless we were to place them under similar environments, and we certainly would not do that, simply for the purpose of securing an opportunity to do for them what they did for us." "And I do not understand you at all," said the Captain. "When people help us, we are certainly under obligations to compensate them for their assistance, with something more substantial than mere thanks."