Rapidly and unerringly as a dart flew the beautiful ship to the place of all places upon earth to our exultant voyagers. Nearer and nearer grew the elevation before them.
"We are within less than half an hour of the Pole," announced the Professor in a low constrained voice.
"Glory be to God!" said Dr. Jones with great solemnity. "I never felt His presence more than at this moment. To Him be all the praise."
"Amen!" responded every one of the little company.
They were now passing over the island. They could see that it was several miles in diameter, and nearly circular in form. Almost exactly in the center arose a conical hill or mountain, about one thousand feet in altitude.
"Upon the summit of that mount I am of the opinion we will find the North Pole," said Professor Gray.
"And we are heading directly for it!" cried Dr. Jones. "Just a few moments more, dear friends, and we shall have reached our journey's end. Now get ready to drop the anchor when Professor Gray gives the signal."
Silver Cloud was lowered as they neared the mount. They were just over the summit at but fifty feet from the surface. The signal was given, the anchors dropped. At first they dragged upon the frozen snow, but soon the flukes caught in the crevices of the icy masses, and the great globe was securely anchored at the North Pole!
They instantly prepared to descend in the cage. The cold was terrible, so much so that they could not have endured it at all but for provisions that Dr. Jones had made for this very event. Besides their splendid silk-lined and padded sealskin suits, he had brought a large number of Japanese fireboxes. The punks in these were lighted, and when all were very hot they were wrapped in flannels and distributed about their persons inside their sealskins. With this arrangement, Jack Frost's chances of nipping their persons were very slim indeed.
The thermometer registered seventy degrees below zero. Having taken every possible precaution, the Doctor and Professor descended. Their feelings cannot be described as they stepped upon the solidly frozen surface, and realized that they were the first human beings who had thus stood upon the summit of the earth! After looking about a few moments, Professor Gray said: