" Good evening, sir." " I'm Professor Ivarsson." "Yes, sir." "Sir Anthony's been expecting you." "It's in your hands, Marlow." "Stand fast with those steel fellows." "They'll come to terms." " Very well, sir." " If any other problems come up, consult with the board." "They know my thinking." "Ah." "Professor Ivarsson." "I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you've agreed to join me." "I haven't agreed to anything, Sir Anthony." "All I know is that somebody woke me up at 6:00 yesterday morning... saying he was the British ambassador." "It was the British ambassador." "He'd arranged my passage on a mail boat from Norway to England... and then a very large man appeared at my door." "He helped me pack my bags and drove me to the dock." " Your train leaves in 10 minutes, sir." " Good." "Come along, Ivarsson." "But, uh, Sir Anthony..." "Expedition to the Arctic?" "I'm..." "I'm hardly a professional explorer." "Ah, let me finish." " I've had you looked into." " Oh?" "You're an American from the University of Minnesota, currently a guest lecturer at the University of Christiania." "Your specialty is the archaeology of the north." "In the past, you've led several successful expeditions." "You've done some very interesting work in Greenland." "Oh, no, no." "You're the right man for the job, all right." "The right man for what job?" "And what's so urgent about it?" "What is it you hope to find?" "My... son." "You see, my wife died when Donald was a child." "As he grew older, I began to groom him to take my place in the business." "I... pushed him too hard." "L..." "Anyway, we had words." "Then suddenly Donald dropped everything and went off on a whaling ship... as an ordinary seaman." "Three months later, I got word that he'd left the ship in Baffin Land." "Why?" "I had no idea, until I received this... from a trading post at Fort Conger on Ellesmere Island." "Apparently Donald had left it with the factor for safekeeping... when he'd gone off on some sort of expedition." "When he didn't come back, the factor sent it on to me." "It's an old page from a Hudson's Bay Company journal." "Look at the entry forJanuary the 15th, 1856." ""To this post this day... cameJohn Murchison with his Eskimos... who hunt the white bear... far beyond the land's end." "He told of seeing a lone cloud... as if lying on the ice... and hidden beneath it... an island." "This island he sought to examine, but his Eskimos refused him... saying it's guarded by evil spirits... for it's the place where the whales go to die."" " We're coming into Dover now, sir." " Thank you." "Sir Anthony, the graveyard of whales is just a fantasy... a whaler's El Dorado, where he thinks he's going to find a huge fortune... in whale bone and ambergris." "The fact is, it simply doesn't exist." "Graveyard of whales is a legend, nothing more." "A legend or not, the graveyard is what my son went after." "It's my son I'm looking for." " Porter, sir?" " Uh, yes." "Take our luggage to the Admiralty Pier." " Very good, sir." " Sir Anthony..." "I'm afraid this has to be the end of the line for me." "I'd help if I could." "I know how much this means to you." "But you're trying the impossible." "To try to find one man... with nothing more to go on than a page from an old journal..." "There is something more." "Donald also left this with the factor." "I was hoping you might know what it was." "It's carved bone." "It's Eskimo work." "It's quite common in the Arctic." " This one's a kind of a map." " Map?" "Well, if I had the right chart, I could show you how this thing works." "My yacht is at the pier." "You can have all the charts you need." "See, this pattern hopefully will correspond to some part of the shoreline... here on the chart." "Look." "See how this matches?" "Now, it's not exactly to scale, of course." "Then this red mark could be the island we're looking for." "If there were such an island." " And why shouldn't there be?" " 'Cause there's no land here." "It's just a gigantic frozen sea." "All the explorers agree to that." " Peary, Nansen, all of them." " And what is Ivarsson's opinion?" "Of course, there's a lot they haven't covered." "But if there were such an island... if the graveyard of whales really did exist..." "The world will never know, will it?" "Unless you discover it." "Or unless someone else beats you to it." "Sir Anthony, you're a devious man." "Yes, I am, aren't I?" "I've got your contract here... your leave from the university, power of attorney." "My solicitors will handle your affairs in your absence." " We're underway." " And have been for some time." "We'll be in France in the morning." "Why France?" "That's hardly the most direct route to Fort Conger." "On the contrary." "I think you'll find that it is." "Can't you slow him down?" "You'd think we were leaving tomorrow morning." " We are." " What?" "I said we are." " First thing in the morning." " Impossible!" "It's winter." "No ship can get through the ice before spring." " I've made other arrangements." " What arrangements?" "If I told you, you'd think I was mad." "Sir Anthony, you are mad." "Now you're going to meet another madman." "Captain Brieux!" "Ah!" "Monsieur Ross!" "What a pleasure!" "He was building this for a syndicate of Americans, but he ran through all their money." "I heard of the project and took it over." "Ah!" " Captain Brieux!" " Good evening, Sir Anthony." " Professor Ivarsson." " I'm honored, Professor." " It's my pleasure, Captain." "Do you mind if I take a closer look?" " No, no, no." "No, please." " I'm proud we shall have you with us for the ceremony tomorrow." " Thank you very much." " What ceremony?" " Why, the first flight of my creation." "Tomorrow, the whole world will know of me and my Hyperion." "France will rule the air!" "Whatever you've planned, cancel it." "Tomorrow we leave for the Arctic." "The Arctic?" "The Arctic!" "Sir Anthony, that's ridiculous!" "It can't be done!" "That's impossible!" "We would need food, supplies, fuel for the motors!" "The fuel I leave to you, Captain." "All other necessities have been amply provided by my staff." "Monsieur, I think it is best that you and I have an understanding." "We have an understanding." "I bought and paid for your airship." "It's mine." "I intend to use it... to find my son who is lost in the Arctic." "But I cannot do it without your help." "I can offer you nothing except hardship and danger." "Accept your place in history." " History?" " Think of it, Captain." "You have an opportunity which comes but once in a generation." "The world will know you not only as the first man to fly over the Arctic... but the first man, perhaps, to brave the North Pole itself." "Today we make history." "There should be flags... music, a speech from the president." "But what do we have?" "Two small children and a herd of goats." "Don't worry, Captain." "When you bring her back to France, the celebration's gonna break all records." " Now we are ready to depart." " Very good, Captain." "Carry on." "There will be no speaking." "Contact!" "Well, we're on our way." "A glorious day, messieurs." "We rise with the sun." "Congratulations, Captain." "This'll be a morning to remember." "Something in the food hamper just bit me." "That is not the food hamper." "That is, uh... the small boudoir ofJosephine." " It's some kind of a dog!" " But of course." "The best kind." "French." "I am not interested in its nationality." "Who brought it aboard?" "No one brought her aboard." "She lives here." "This is her home, since the airship was begun." "I'm not running some kind of flying kennel." "Get rid of it." "Very well." "If you wish, monsieur." "But of course, it will take time." "The sun has warmed the gas." "We must wait until night to return to the hangar." " Then bring back the ground crew..." " Wait until night?" "Why, that'll mean 12 hours." "I can't lose the time." "You're absolutely right, Sir Anthony." "Congratulations, Josephine." "We've just signed on our ship's mascot." "Very well." "But I don't like small dogs, and I never did." "Britannia may rule the waves, Sir Anthony... but the French airship rules the sky." "Already we are speeding in triumph across the shores of your homeland." "It's raining as usual, I see." "How far have we come?" " About 150 miles." " 150?" "In six hours?" "Is that what you call "speeding in triumph"?" "In a day or two, we'll travel faster, but now my motors are at half speed." "What on earth for?" "They are new." "They must run themselves in." "Poppycock!" "I want full speed." "There are the controls, monsieur." "If you want full speed... it's your responsibility, not mine!" "What do you say now, Sir Anthony?" "I say I want full speed." "And I mean to have it." "You have your wish, monsieur." "It's on your head." " What's happening?" " Something about the propeller." "I followed your orders, monsieur, and you see the result." "Now we must go back to France for repairs." "We will not!" "We will proceed on one propeller." "In arctic winds?" "That would be insanity." "Without full power, my airship could not survive." " I refuse to go forward!" " And I refuse to go back." "Well, gentlemen, we have to go somewhere." "Captain, you carry a spare propeller, don't you?" " Naturally." " Well, why don't we put it on now?" " In midair?" " Mm-hmm." " Why, impossible!" " Nothing's impossible." "Splendid idea, Ivarsson." "Come along." "Give me a hand." "Gentlemen!" "May I remind you that I am in command here." "Only an idiot would attempt such a thing." "I will do it myself." "Do be careful." "And don't take any unnecessary risks." "Take good care." "The wind's coming up." "Let's haul him up." "Well done, Captain." "My congratulations." "Thank you, Sir Anthony." "I am deeply honored." " What's he up to now?" " Marcel, make contact." "Contact, mon capitaine." "Stout fellow, Brieux!" " The man's incredible." " Brave, but mad as a hatter." "Musk ox." "Oh, really?" " What are they doing?" " They're forming a defensive ring." "They think we're attacking them." "Captain, is it really necessary to fly so low?" "It's easier to control the airship at this altitude." "No need to be alarmed, Sir Anthony." "Look." "I am in full command." "You've made your point, Captain." "There's no need to overdo it." "Take hold of the lines." "What I don't understand is why Donald took only one Eskimo with him." "Because only one could be persuaded to go." "You see, they all knew what he was looking for." "The mythical island where the whales go to die." "One man's myth is another man's gospel, Mr. Ivarsson." "Anyway, the Eskimos believe the island exists." "They're frightened to death of it." "Say it's guarded by evil spirits." " What about the Eskimo who went with him?" " Aye." "Oomiak's his name." "They call him the fearless one... though he was far from fearless when he come back." " He came back?" " Oh, aye." "As a matter of fact, that's him out there... showin' the captain how to fly his airship." "Fetch the fellow." "Call him in." "I'm afraid you won't get anything out of him, sir." " Call him in at once." "Don't argue." " Very well, sir." "Any man who goes off with my son and then comes back alone..." "I'll see that he talks, all right." "I think you'd better let me handle him." "You've never dealt with Eskimos." "They have a sort of, uh, diplomacy all their own." "Blast it, Ivarsson." "Anyone would think I had no tact." "Come along, Oomiak." "Ah, so there you are." "Now, what I want from you is an exact account of everything that happened..." "Sir Anthony, this is the great Oomiak." " Who knows Oomiak?" " Your fame has traveled far." "What fame?" "Not even my dogs know me." "You were my son's guide." "What happened to him?" " Hello?" " This is the father of Donald Ross." " We want to know about your..." " Tell us what happened when you left here to find the island." " Island." " Don't try to play that game with me." "Oomiak, I think you've seen this before." "This is the place where the whales go to die." "It's the island Donald was looking for." "Well?" " Speak up, man." " My mind forgets." "Is the fearless one afraid to help us?" "We travel many days." "Evil spirits watch us." "When we find island, they make big blizzard." "Then they attack us." "I fight like bear." "Fight like bear, but evil spirits too strong." "So you ran away and left my son." "No!" "We both run, blind in snow." "When blizzard stop, I search for many hours." "No Donald." "I tell truth." "You Donald father." "I Donald friend." " His whole story is a pack of lies." " Maybe." "But he's the only chance we have." "Now, at least he could show us... where he lost Donald, and we could start our search from there." "I don't suppose there's any chance he'd go with us." "Oh, no, sir." "None at all." "Nothing on earth would make him go back." "Nothing on earth." "Captain!" "Why don't you let just one of them go on board?" " Then he can tell the others all about it." " No, no, no, no, monsieur..." "What about this fellow?" "He's been a great help to us." "Would you like to see the inside of the airship?" "Me?" "Yes, I like." "Good man." "Give him a hand, Captain." "Why don't you, uh, show him around?" " Perhaps we can, uh, win him over." " Well, we can try." "Captain, a word with you." " Captain?" " Mm-hmm." "No, no, no, no, monsieur." "Quite impossible." "There is no room, and we are overloaded now." "We could leave the mechanic behind, pick him up on the way back." "You ask me to fly the ship without a mechanic?" "But you have me." "Just tell me what to do." "I could tell you what to do, monsieur, but you wouldn't do it." "Looks like we're getting ready to leave." "I'd better take you down." "Let go the lines there." "Wait a minute." "Oomiak's still on board." "Hang it all, he's the only one who knows where Donald went to." "We'll bring him back... after he's helped us to find him." "Sir Anthony, since I no longer have a mechanic... may I suggest that you first make fast the door... then go aloft and take in the landing lines." "Aye, aye, Captain." "We're here." "I can only guess how far the island is." "This Eskimo map's a little vague." "It's a lot to gamble on a piece of bone." "He's not much help to us either." "Did you expect him to be?" " Sir Anthony.!" " Huh?" "Come up, please.!" "It's very important." "What is it?" "Look over there." " Whales." " White whales." "Beluga." "Indigenous to the Arctic." "Now look over there." "I say, that one's quite different." "The California Gray." "It's supposed to be found only in the Pacific." "A Narwhal, the unicorn of the sea." "That's a rare sight, Sir Anthony." "ByJove, there are whales everywhere!" "All kinds of whales." "And all moving in the same direction." "Exactly." "So there is a place where whales go to die." "Captain!" "That big lead of open water." "Follow it!" "If we really are on the right track, we'd have seen something by now." "Look." "You remember the journal?" ""A lone cloud, as if lying on the ice."" "Oomiak!" " Is that where the island is?" " Wrong way!" "Wrong way!" "Island not that way!" "Island back this way!" " He just told us what we wanted to know." " Yes." "Steady as you go, Captain." "Look!" ""And hidden beneath the cloud, an island."" "Captain!" "What happened?" "Captain!" "Captain?" "Why are we stopping?" " In such a cloud, it's not safe to proceed." " Not safe?" " What do you mean?" " I could not see to navigate." "And there will be strong winds." "My airship could be dashed against hidden cliffs and torn apart." "We can't turn back now." "We don't have to." "We can go in on foot." " Oh." " Capital idea!" " Take the ship down to the ice, Captain." " I'll get everything ready." "No, no." "You cannot leave the ship!" "Professor!" "You know the dangers that lie below." "Even if you survive the cold, there are still the cliffs." " You could not climb the cliffs." " We must try, Captain." "I know." "It's a gamble, Captain." "But with my son's life at stake, I have no choice." "No, Sir Anthony." "It is I who have no choice." "I'm not a man of stone." "There are times when the heart must rule the head." "We will attack the cloud." " Can we go above them?" " Impossible!" " Our load is too heavy." " I'll soon lighten it." "Hurry up!" "We are losing height!" " You all right?" " Yes, quite." "I can't help thinking of the captain, though." "Poor fella." "How long must we keep this up for?" "We can't survive in the open." "We've gotta keep moving... till we find shelter." "There should be caves in those mountains." "Oomiak?" "Ah." "Is this anything like the place that you and Donald came to?" "I tell you, Donald father." "We see nothing in blizzard." " Then spirits come, and..." " And you fought like a bear." "Yes, you mentioned that." " Somebody watches." " Where?" "I don't see." "I feel." "Tommyrot!" "Something moved!" " Did you see anything?" " I don't think so." "Neither did I." "All the same, I think we should head in that direction." "Oh, very well." "If you don't know where you're going..." "I suppose one way is as good as another." "It's incredible." "I don't believe it." "Green and fertile... in all this ice and snow." "Look." "There's the explanation." "The island must be volcanic." "Heat rising through fissures in the ground." "It's probably thermal springs, exactly like parts of Iceland." "There are buildings down there." " Looks like some sort of settlement." " People." "There are people there." "That means that Donald could be there." "The spirit!" "Spirit!" "Wait a minute." "No, wait!" "We're friends." "Do you understand their language?" "It's Norse." "The old Norse of the sagas." "Their-Their weapons, their clothes, their whole appearance." " They're Vikings." " Vikings?" "They think we're invaders." "We've come to take over their land." " What, the three of us?" " No, they think we're the first, and that thousands more are gonna follow us." "Why, it's ridiculous." "Talk to them." "Explain why we're here." "Well, I'll try, but I've never spoken old Norse." "I've only read it." " Donald?" " That's it!" "Donald Ross." "Where is he?" "Tell them I'm his father." " What is it?" "What's going on?" " I know he understood me." "But now he's gone off to sound an alarm, stir up the whole countryside." "We're to be kept under close guard and follow along." "Well, that's not good." "If they think we're invaders... then Donald could have been a prisoner all these months." "Make them tell us where he is." "Oomiak!" "No!" "Idiot." "He might have got us all killed." "But he does fight like a bear." "He says you saved his life." "I'm glad he appreciates it." "But tell him I don't want anything to happen to Oomiak." "Thank you." "He says your son is here and well." "He's living on a farm with the family of the man who found him after the great blizzard." "L-I knew it." "L-I knew he was safe." " What's happening?" " We're stopping to eat." "I just had a talk with our friend." "I found out why they're so panicky about invaders." "Oh?" "Why?" "These people have been here for centuries." "They're descendants of some early Viking expedition." " We've actually discovered a lost colony." " That's quite remarkable." "They've been so isolated up here that they've come to believe... that all the rest of the world is a frozen wilderness of ice and snow." "Oh, how very odd." " Uh, you mean none of them have ever left the island?" " Well, they have no reason to." "See, they call this island Astragard... and believe it to be the garden of the gods... and perfect and unique in a desolate world, and... and set aside for them alone, forever." " Why do they fear invaders?" " Oh, because they have a prophecy." "There'll be a day when the barbarians from the ice and snow... will try to conquer their paradise." "So that explains it." "They think that we're the savages... who've come to destroy them, hmm?" "Um, could be a bit tricky." "Anyway... as soon as I get to their head man, I'll, uh, straighten things out." "Reindeer." "Probably serve them as cattle." "That's the house where Donald's living." "Donald is there?" "Well, come on!" "Halt!" "My son." "I haven't seen him for two years." "Tell them, Ivarsson." "I'll go with them, but not until I've seen my son." "Thank you, my boy." "Very decent of you." "They don't look very happy to see us." "That hunter must've stirred them up, all right." "I don't see Donald amongst them." "Thank you, sir." "Uh, Donald." "Donald Ross." "Uh, where is he?" "Can you tell us?" "Ask him about Donald." "Is it true that you are Donald's father?" " Good heavens." "You speak English." " Donald taught me." "He lives with us since he came to our land." "This is my father." "I'm grateful to you, sir, for looking after my son." "Uh, where is he now?" "He wants us to go into the house." "We cannot talk out here." "Oh." "Very well." "Thank you." "What do you mean they took Donald away?" "Who took him?" "The Godi's men." "They came with weapons." "The Godi's their... their high priest." "It was because of the hunter." "He rode down from the mountain shouting of invaders." " It was that fellow on the horse." " Yes." "When the Godi heard, he sounded the long horn." "The long horn is their call to battle." "Battle?" "What battle?" "What has this to do with Donald?" "When it was told that one of the invaders was Donald's father... the Godi said that Donald was a spy... who came here to betray us to the enemy." "Well, surely you don't believe that." "We don't, because we know Donald." "There were many that did believe... because there was an omen in the sky." "Omen?" "A monster like a whale, but bigger many times." "Oh, my dear girl, that's easily explained." "What the people saw was my airship." "You see, it's like..." "It..." "It's like one of your boats... only it... it sails in the air." "Now, look, if I could just talk to this, uh, Godi of yours, I could explain everything." "We're to be taken before the council at the temple." "Erik's a member." "You'll get your chance to be heard." "That girl." "She speaks better English than Oomiak." " She's prettier too." " If she learned it all from Donald... he must have spent quite a lot of time in her company." "Can you blame him?" "I can't say I do, no." "This is like a..." "an archaeologist's dream... to go back in history and... and walk the Earth as it was 10 centuries ago." "I suggest you forget the past... and start thinking about the future... which, from the look of things, I'd say is not very promising." "The clothes they wear, the weapons they carry." " Each one of them could be a museum piece." " That's what I don't like." "Those museum pieces." "Look at that!" "A Viking longship, exactly the way they were built a thousand years ago." "Here, none of that." "Now stop it." "Poor fella." "And it's all my fault." "The temple." "That's where we're gonna meet the council." "Ah, good." "Go straight to the top, I always say." "Odin, Thor and Frey... the greatest of all the Viking gods." "I hope they're on our side." "We may need all the help we can get." "The Viking Council, straight out of a history book." "That's the girl's father." "He seems a sensible old fellow." "They probably still call the one with the staff the lawspeaker." "They all look reasonable enough." "They might be my board of directors... if it weren't for their outlandish costumes." "He said, "Bring out the other prisoner."" " Donald!" " Father!" "That's my son!" " I've been looking for you." " I thought you might." " That's my son." "John Ivarsson." " Donald." " How do you do?" " He's, uh, keen on the past." " Archaeology." " Oh." "Sorry about all this." "It's a bit sticky, I'm afraid." "Donald Ross..." "He says that when I came to this land..." "I gave my oath that I came alone and in peace." "But now come others, and with them... an evil omen in the sky that cannot be ignored." "That's my confounded airship." "Let the prisoners speak before they're judged." " That is precisely what I wanted to do." " Father..." "It's all right." "I'll handle this." "You just translate for me." " What do they call this island?" " Astragard." "But, Father, it's..." "Honored Council of Astragard..." "I come to your beautiful country as a friend... in peace... seeking only my son, who was lost to me." "The Godi." "He's telling them not to listen to our lies." "It's obvious that we're barbarians who covet their sacred lands." "And we must be condemned at once, and without a hearing." "Now, look here, I thought I explained..." "It is no longer a matter for the council, for the gods have spoken." "If these men are spared, more will come... in armed hordes... to pillage and profane our sacred land." "There can be but one penalty for the invaders:" "Death." "Quite a send-off." "Full Viking honors." "All very authentic." "Very final." " I'm sorry, Father." " Nonsense, my boy." " Donald!" " Freyja!" "We're in your debt, young lady." "Here they come!" "And pull!" "The shore!" "It's our only chance!" "You stay here." "I will draw them away." " No, you won't!" "It's too dangerous." " He's right, my dear." "It's you they're after, not me." "There is a hunters' cave up there with food and clothing." " I'll be back when it's safe." " Freyja!" "Here they come." "I think she's done it." "Good girl." "I should never have let her go." "If they catch her..." "Oh, don't worry, my boy." "She knows what she's doing." "Let's find that cave." " Hello!" " Oomiak!" "My dear old friend!" "I'm so glad to see you." " We all are." " We thought we'd lost you." "No, can't kill Oomiak." "I hide in water, swim far like white bear." "Good!" "Good!" "But let's go!" " I watch now." " There's still nothing." "Oh, Ivarsson's up above scouting around." "Right?" " Good morning, Father." " Hmm?" "Good morning." " Did you sleep well?" " Wretchedly." "You must be a bit done in yourself." " I'm worried about Freyja." " So am I, my boy." "So am I." "Well, I've made a mess of it, haven't I?" " Of what, Father?" " The whole miserable thing." "All this nightmare we're living in." "It..." "It's all my fault." "Every bit of it." "Your fault?" "Why?" "If anyone's to blame, I'm the one that ran off chasing rainbows." " You're not responsible for that." " I am." "Right from the beginning..." "I was always trying to shape you... into my mold... bullying, badgering, never letting up." "If I hadn't driven you away from home, none of this would have happened." "Father, you didn't drive me." "Donald, I rode an airship across the top of the world to tell you this." "If we get out of this... you can do anything you want to do." "You'll be free of me, I promise you." "But I don't want to be free of you." "I never did." "I came here looking for adventure... and I certainly found that... but I don't belong here." "Now, when we get out of this..." "and we will... then I'm coming home with you." "I want to share in your work and your responsibilities... if you'll let me." "If I'll let you?" "Well..." "You won't regret it." "I'll see to that." " Donald?" " Freyja!" " He was quite worried about you, my dear." " I went back to the farm." "It will be just as we had arranged it." "Father will give us dogs and a sled." " What had you arranged?" " You see, for some time now..." "Freyja and I have been planning to leave the island." "If we managed to escape, we hoped to reach Fort Conger." "What..." "The two of you together?" "Do you think I'd leave her behind?" "Not if you're your father's son, no." "Hello, hello!" "Boats!" "They come!" "What do we do now?" "There's not much cover, but I think we can get to the top without being seen." "That settles it." "We can't stay here." "Those hounds would find us in no time." "Look, the Godi's joined us." "Bloodthirsty bounder." "Come on, everybody." "Up we go." "They go!" "They go!" "We've done it!" "They've finally given up!" "Thank heavens for that." "Look out, Father!" "Clumsy of me." "Now the wolves are after us again." "I'm afraid so, Father." "It's incredible!" "It's absolutely incredible!" " Nasty sort of place." " Oomiak, go watch below." " We're going to need somewhere to hide." " But where?" "They must know every foot of this island." " The Bay of Whales!" " Donald!" "It's somewhere over there to the south." "It's sacred, taboo." " The Vikings won't go near it." " That's it then." "Let's go!" " No, Donald, please!" "The spirits." " Freyja, believe me." " What is it?" " The spirits are good spirits." "Didn't they protect your people when they first came here?" " Surely they'll protect us." " They come!" "They come!" "We go!" "Freyja, trust me." "Come on up!" "Oddly enough, they say this sulfur's good for the lungs." "Sir Anthony, this is hardly the time to rest." "I only hope we soon find that blasted Bay of Whales." "Come on!" "My father!" "Father!" "Burning one minute, freezing the next." "A man could catch his death." "Well, that's what's so interesting about the Arctic... its, uh, contradictions." "You know, on my first expedition to Baffin Land..." "Ivarsson, please." "Stop!" "What we need is a conference." "Conference?" "About what, Father?" "Well, if we find the Bay of Whales... and if it's true that the Godi won't follow us there... what do we do then?" "We lie low for a bit, try and make our way across the mountains to Freyja's farm." "We can't go back through that inferno." "No, no, no, no." "We find ice boat, float." " Very good." " Boat?" "What on earth's he talking about?" "I think he wants to find a piece of pack ice down there... and float around the mountain." "Preposterous!" "Where the whales go to die." "All those great creatures from every sea lying there... from the beginning of time." "Just look at all that whalebone... worth millions of pounds!" "And heaven knows what price the ambergris would fetch." "All that doesn't matter now, does it, Father?" "Freyja!" "Don't be afraid." "Think of the saga." "Doesn't it tell how, long ago, it was the whales that led your people here... where they found peace and happiness, so there's nothing to fear." "Believe me." "We need ice boat." "How we get down there?" "Yes, how?" "Not down these cliffs, obviously." "There must be a way." "The Vikings found one." "Freyja, is it in the saga?" "Does it tell how they came up from the sea?" "With the help of the gods." "It is told that they came through the mouth of hell." "That's not very explicit, I'm afraid." "Wait a minute." "That volcano in Iceland, Mount Hekla." "The early Christians believed that was the entrance to hell." " What?" " Entrance." "It's a wild thought." "Come on!" " The crater of a dead volcano!" " Quiet!" "Do you hear that?" "Down there somewhere there's an underground river." "The river must flow down to the sea, which means there has to be... a passage from the bottom of the crater to the bay!" "Hello, hello!" "Come on!" "Look, the water's running out." "Come on." " Where to?" " Wherever the water went." " We'll go right..." " Look!" "Do not worry." "I hunt seal this way many times." "It's not this I'm worried about." "It's them." "Will they never give up?" "I can't understand why the bowmen haven't been shooting at us." "They do not have to." " They only wait to see us die." " Freyja!" "It's told in the sagas that the bay is guarded... by sea beasts." "We cannot escape." " Killer whales!" " What do we do now?" "Anything we can." "Here comes the other one!" "Hold on, everybody!" " What happened?" " Hello, hello!" "The Hyperion, and heaven be praised, our old friend the captain!" "My compliments, Captain." "You keep an excellent table." "And you're an excellent shot." "You saved our lives." "Thank you." "An unexpected pleasure." "Since I landed two days ago, I've been trying to save my own." "But getting out of here..." "that's going to be quite a problem." " Isn't it, Captain?" " I have the solution." "My ship may be battered and torn... but the mind that conceived it, that still functions." "As you see, the ship has lost much gas... but it retains some, uh, buoyancy?" "So if we reduce sufficiently the weight, then it will rise." "How would you reduce the weight?" "Abandon the motors." "The propellers are broken anyway." "The gondola too." "Strip the ship of everything that weights it down." "What have we then?" "A free balloon." " ByJove!" " At least it would carry us across the bay." "Yes, and if we can just reach the pack ice..." "Oh, we shall go farther than that." "The prevailing wind is to the south." "If it holds, we should be able to drift to Greenland." "When we reach the coast, we descend... and proceed on foot to the nearest habitation." "Captain Brieux, you are a very remarkable man." "I've always felt so." "Sir Anthony!" "I say, this is a bit much, isn't it?" "Hardly the time for ceremonies." "Let's be off." "Please, Sir Anthony, this is a moment to be savored." "Once more we stand on the threshold of a great adventure." "To my Hyperion.!" "May she rise like a phoenix from the ashes of despair... and soar like man's imagination... to Greenland and beyond." "The Hyperion." " Now, let's get going, shall we?" " But of course, monsieur." "I will show you now the ingenious arrangements..." "I've made for our departure." "Perhaps you have observed that I've cut loose the gondola... and the ship is now attached to it only by a single cable." "So are the motors and the tail." "This section, too, linked to the ship only by a cable." "When I slip these cables... the gondola, the motors and the tail detach themselves... and we rise." "Are you sure?" "You will see." "Now, gentlemen, if you will assist me... the gondola... the motors and the tail." "When I say "three," you will pull with all your force." "Right." " Permission to proceed, monsieur?" " What?" "Oh, yes!" "Yes, yes." "Proceed." "Very well." "One... two, three." " Well, Sir Anthony?" " It worked perfectly." "Once again, Captain, I underestimated you." "Well, I think I'll turn in." "I haven't had a good night's sleep since I left England." " Sir Anthony?" " Hmm?" "Take a look." "Campfires." "So they're still waiting for us." "It's a pity we'll have to disappoint them." "What is it?" "You're not frightened anymore?" " A little." " Oh, no, you mustn't be." "It's all over." "We're safe now." "I know." "It is not that." "Well, what, then?" "It is the world beyond our mountains." "Your world." "My world isn't really so different." "It's bigger." "Everything moves faster." "We live by clocks and machines... instead of tides and seasons." "And you'll get used to it... and be happy... because you'll be surrounded by people you love... and who love you." "I wish my father could be with us." " I know." " But his home is Astragard." "His heart will always be here." "Yes." "Mine is with you." "Ivarsson!" "When does the first ship leave Greenland in the spring?" "Usually the beginning of April." "So with any luck, we should be back in England in about six weeks." "I should not count on it, monsieur." "The wind has changed." "We are drifting back to the land." "Well, hang it all!" "Can't something be done?" "I cannot command the wind, monsieur." " We are rising." " The updraft." " The wind against the cliffs." " What happens when we get to the top?" "Everybody, out!" "Quick!" "It's true that the gods were angry, uh, but it was the Godi who did wrong... by leading the people to hatred and to violence." "I'm glad they recognize that." "The prisoners may go in peace on this condition:" "That they swear a sacred oath... never to reveal the existence of this... this sacred island." "That's fair enough." "Oh, a-and to ensure that the oath be honored for all time... we must demand one thing." "Well, go on." "What is it?" "That you leave a hostage here." "Your son." "I refuse to discuss it any further." "How could they possibly imagine I would leave you behind?" " What do they think I came here for?" " But those are their terms." " I will not permit it." " Father, without a hostage, none of us will leave here!" " Blast it!" "Then I'll be the hostage!" " I don't think so, Sir Anthony." "As a matter of fact, everything's already been arranged." "And very satisfactorily for everybody, I think." "Are you sure it's what you want?" "Are you really sure you want to be left behind?" "Yes, I'm sure." "Now, this is a chance no archaeologist could turn down." "Not only to study the past, but to relive it?" "I mean, here it all is, hidden behind this mist for a thousand years... and I haven't even scratched the surface." "Besides, who says I'm being left behind?" "We archaeologists take a longer view." "Whole civilizations have vanished before, you know." "The day may come when this might be man's last refuge." "Good luck." "Right, then." "Get!" "Good-bye, my friends!"