66o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



How the old rogue managed to duplicate the bonds so cleverly and 

 place them in the tree before a knot had been placed in the original, 

 is a problem I leave others to solve, though to my mind it is not so 

 difficult as might be imagined. But how or where he obtained his 

 dead wolf is entirely beyond my conjecture. There was no w T olf be- 

 neath the blanket five minutes before it came to light, for I had but 

 just given the sufferer a careful examination, and could not have failed 

 to detect its presence. There was but one other occupant of the lodge 

 besides the patient and ourselves the husband and he sat too far 

 away for collusion. He had not moved for more than an hour, and no 

 one had passed in or out for double that period of time. The violence 

 of the conjurer's exertions had reduced his apparel until it rivaled that 

 of the historic Georgia major ; and a breech-clout and medicine-bag 

 would scarce account for anything larger than a small rodent. There 

 was no available place of concealment : then where did it come from ? 



Subsequently I questioned Wa-ah-poos upon the subject, but he 

 would give me no other satisfaction than might be derived from 

 a series of baboonish chuckles and grins, and a repetition of the 

 words, " Medicine big medicine ! " 



-+++- 



THE ANTAECTIC OCEAN. 



By JOSEPH F. JAMES. 



THE Antarctic Ocean occupies a position around the south pole 

 similar to that of the Arctic Ocean at the opposite end of the 

 earth. It fills all the space to the south of the Antarctic Circle. It 

 differs vastly, however, from its northern homologue, for, instead of 

 having land at its outer circumference, it has water. "While the North 

 American, the European, and the Asiatic coasts encircle the Northern 

 Ocean, the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Oceans mingle their 

 waters with those of the frozen zone at the south. 



As it differs in physical conditions, so also it differs in having re- 

 ceived much less attention from the world at large. While the aim of 

 innumerable expeditions for the past four hundred years has been to 

 find a northwest passage to Asia, to plant a flag at latitude 90, or 

 to rescue some unfortunate commander and his crew from a horrible 

 fate, and while thousands of dollars have been expended, and hundreds 

 of lives have been lost, there is a strange contrast offered when we 

 turn to the far south. The expeditions which have been sent out by 

 the great nations of the world to explore the vast watery expanse 

 about the southern pole are so few as to be counted on the fingers of 

 one hand, and all the ships which have left records of any extensive 

 explorations beyond the Antarctic Circle might be counted on the fin- 

 gers of two. hands. And yet " within the periphery of the Antarctic 



