Symzonia: Voyage of Discovery

Slim, who was with me, as I did not think it prudent to leave him on board, had been very docile until now: on finding me determined to push into the interior so great a distance, he became evidently uneasy. He dared not express his fears to me, but took care that I should overhear him say to one of the men, "I hope the captain won't waste so much time in exploring this desert, that we shall be obliged to go away without a full cargo of skins, or run the risk of being obliged to winter here, so near the pole, where we should certainly all freeze to death, in spite of every thing we could do." As this was a reasonable apprehension in the mind of an ignorant man, I endeavoured to remove his fears by calling his attention to the tussoc grass and other plants, and asked him how they survived the winter, if the cold was so intense as he supposed? and advanced the opinion that wherever plants can sustain the cold of winter, and retain their vitality, man can exist, with the aid of good clothing and artificial heat. A fatiguing march of 15 miles brought us to the hill, which we found to be the highest part of a ridge of moderate elevation running from the coast in a S. S. W. direction into the interior. We were amply compensated for our trouble in wading through the grass, as this eminence afforded an extensive view of the country in every direction. The S. E. side of this ridge broke off very abruptly, in some places perpendicularly; and at its foot was a large and beautiful river, full a mile in width, flowing from the S. S. W. Beyond it was a prairie country, gently waving and rising into sloping hills in the distant horizon. Far up the river I could descry with my glass a few trees, towards which I felt a strong inclination to proceed; but being excessively fatigued, thought best to devote a few hours to refreshment. After a comfortable meal, and a sound nap of four hours, I descended the precipice to ascertain whether the river was an arm of the sea, or a fresh water stream. It proved to be pure potable water, and the existence of a continent near the south pole, was thus fully established.