The result was that a clear way was well traced out for the _Hvalross_ right up to the rugged land with its mountains, not more than eight miles away, so that navigation would be perfectly easy at that moment. What it would be with the vast army of ice blocks advancing to invade the shores of the unknown land, it would be impossible to say. All these facts were communicated bit by bit to the deck, with the consequence that the speed was increased, and the vessel went gliding on in and out amongst the floating fields of ice, while Steve stayed with his companion, who kept pointing out objects worthy of notice. "Seals yonder," he said, pointing to one low flat of snow-covered ice; and Steve brought the glass to bear upon the cluster of animals huddled up together. "Yonder's a bear, too," said Johannes after a time. "What eyes you have!" cried Steve. "I had not even seen that with the glass. Why, he's on quite a small island of ice, all to himself. How easily we could get to him with a boat!" "Yes, easily enough, sir; but this is no time for hunting," said the Norseman. "While we are drifting onward with all this ice the danger is not great; but if we lay to while boats were out fishing we should soon be fast, and it might be months before we got free. There is only one thing to do now: get the ship into a safe haven. Then we can talk about hunting." "How long will it take us to get there?" "Little more than an hour if we do not meet with a check," said Johannes, as the _Hvalross_ glided round the edge of an ice-field into quite a winding river of black water, more open than any they had passed since the storm, and along which the vessel now made good way, while the land ahead began to grow more rugged and wild, looking grand, desolate, and apparently very much broken-up by jutting promontories and deep inlets. "Yes," said Johannes, after a long inspection through the glass; "there are plenty of shelter havens there, if we are not shut off from them by the ice." All these observations were duly communicated to the captain, who directed the course of the vessel by the instructions he received as to the lay of the water. And as Johannes had said, the places where Steve had imagined the open water to end proved to be quite clear, so that mile after mile was passed, and at last the boy gave his opinion upon the state of the navigation. "Why, it's easy enough," he said; "any one might go right on like this to the North Pole." "It's too easy, sir," said Johannes, smiling. "How would you get back?" "Wait till the tide turns and the ice is going the other way." "Yes, that would be a capital plan," replied Johannes drily. "Cold? Want to come down?" cried the captain from below. "No, sir; quite warm shut up here," replied Steve. "Stay up then, for you're making the navigation quite easy. All clear ahead?" "Yes, sir; nothing but a few floating blocks of no consequence; and there are more openings farther on."