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"The whole story," said Melick, "may have been written by one of Ross's men and thrown overboard. If I'd been on that expedition I should probably have written it to beguile the time." "Oh yes," said the doctor; "and you would also have manufactured the papyrus and the copper cylinder on board to beguile the time."
Some of these so-called fossil animals may have their representatives still living in the remoter parts of the world. Think of the recently discovered ornithorhynchus of Australia!" "If you please, I'd really much rather not," said Melick with a gesture of despair. "I haven't the honor of the gentleman's acquaintance."
"A transparent hoax!" repeated the doctor. "Will you please state why you regard it in that light?" "Certainly," said Melick. "Some fellow wanted to get up a sensation novel and introduce it to the world with a great flourish of trumpets, and so he has taken this way of going about it. You see, he has counted on its being picked up, and perhaps published.
"Halloa!" cried Melick. "Why, this is English!" At this the others crowded around to look on, and Featherstone in his excitement forgot that he had lost his bet. There were three sheets, all covered with writing one in English, another in French, and a third in German. It was the same message, written in these three different languages. But at that moment they scarcely noticed this.
Oxenden made the same bet, which was taken by Melick and the doctor. Other bets were now made as to the direction which they would take, as to the distance by which the red would beat the white, as to the time which would be occupied by the race, and as to fifty other things which need not be mentioned. All took part in this; the excitement rose high and the betting went on merrily.
Gradually they drew apart, the green one drifting astern, the yellow one remaining under the vessel, while the red and the white were carried out in the direction where they were expected to go, with about a foot of space between them. "Two to one on the red!" cried Featherstone, betting on the one which had gained the lead. "Done," said Melick, promptly taking his offer.
Why, man, there are successive layers of barnacles on that copper cylinder which show a submersion of at least three years, perhaps more." "By Jove! yes," remarked Featherstone. "Your sensation novelist must have been a lunatic if he chose that way of publishing a book." "Then, again," continued the doctor, "how did it get here?" "Oh, easily enough," answered Melick.
"The thing that struck me most," said Oxenden, "in all that has been read thus far, is the flatness of the South Pole, and the peculiar effect which this produces on the landscape." "I must say," added Melick, "that the writer has got hold of a very good idea there, and has taken care to put it forward in a very prominent fashion."
"I'll give you the words of a later poet," said Melick, "who takes a different view of the case. I think I'll sing them, with your permission."
"Oh, it's a spar," said Melick. "It's one end of it, the rest is under water." The spot thus chosen was a dark, circular object, about a hundred yards away, and certainly did look very much like the extremity of some spar, the rest of which was under water.
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