"It confirms the curious observations of the whaler Scoresby, who laid it before the Royal Society of Edinburgh, of which I have the honour to be an honorary member. You see that when it rains the waves are not very high, even under the influence of a violent wind, and when the weather is dry the sea is more agitated, even when there is less wind." "But how is this phenomenon accounted for?" "Very simply; it is not accounted for at all." Just then the ice-master, who was keeping watch on the crossbars of the topsails, signalled a floating mass on the starboard, at about fifteen miles distance before the wind. "An iceberg here!" cried the doctor. Shandon pointed his telescope in the direction indicated, and confirmed the pilot's announcement. "That is curious!" said the doctor. "What! you are astonished at last!" said the commander, laughing. "I am surprised, but not astonished," answered the doctor, laughing; "for the brig _Ann_, of Poole, from Greenspond, was caught in 1813 in perfect ice-fields, in the forty-fourth degree of north latitude, and her captain, Dayernent, counted them by hundreds!" "I see you can teach us something, even upon that subject." "Very little," answered Clawbonny modestly; "it is only that ice has been met with in even lower latitudes." "I knew that already, doctor, for when I was cabinboy on board the war-sloop _Fly_----" "In 1818," continued the doctor, "at the end of March, almost in April, you passed between two large islands of floating ice under the forty-second degree of latitude." "Well, I declare you astonish me!" cried Shandon. "But the iceberg doesn't astonish me, as we are two degrees further north." "You are a well, doctor," answered the commander, "and all we have to do is to be water-buckets." "You will draw me dry sooner than you think for; and now, Shandon, if we could get a nearer look at this phenomenon, I should be the happiest of doctors." "Just so, Johnson," said Shandon, calling his boatswain. "It seems to me that the breeze is getting up." "Yes, commander," answered Johnson; "we are making very little way, and the currents of Davis's Straits will soon be against us." "You are right, Johnson, and if we wish to be in sight of Cape Farewell on the 20th of April we must put the steam on, or we shall be thrown on the coasts of Labrador. Mr. Wall, will you give orders to light the fires?" The commander's orders were executed, an hour afterwards the steam was up, the sails were furled, and the screw cutting the waves sent the _Forward_ against the north-west wind. CHAPTER VI THE GREAT POLAR CURRENT A short time after the flights of birds became more and more numerous. Petrels, puffins, and mates, inhabitants of those desolate quarters, signalled the approach of Greenland. The _Forward_ was rapidly nearing the north, leaving to her leeward a long line of black smoke.