OF THE FUR-BEARING ANIMALS 39 



squadrons resplendent with every shade of violet, 

 red and gold ; at others deadly pale phantoms creep 

 ghost-like upwards from the northern horizon, till 

 the whole space overhead is filled with quivering 

 rays. Icebergs, till now invisible, reveal their bane- 

 ful presence; but almost before the sailor has time 

 to note their bearings, these transient glories are 

 suddenly extinguished, and the sea and sky are once 

 more plunged into darkness, all the more death-like 

 for the contrast, so that men call it, " The dead at 

 play." The weird mirage also serves to add mystery 

 to these regions. Often have we seen huge icebergs 

 as if capsized, and hovering in the waves of ether 

 over the stern realities below, as though kissing 

 them and rejoicing in their power for evil. 



