THE TEMPERATURE 55 



Although the temperature was below 

 zero, there was not so much as a flake or 

 a rav of ice to be seen. Havinar allowed 

 his companions to gaze for a few moments 

 in wonderment at this spectacle, the 

 leader of the expedition threw a stone 

 into the lake, and produced a spectacle 

 still stranger. As the ripples spread out 

 in a ring round the splash, arrows of 

 young ice darted after and beyond them ; 

 with silent rapidity they darted in all 

 directions ; as they flew, the spaces be- 

 tween them were filled up by films ; and 

 within ten minutes the lake had such an 

 attractive surface that the intrepid ad- 

 venturers were skating. 



The explanation is simple. The lake 

 was surrounded by hills preventing a 

 breath of air from striking it ; motionless 

 water does not freeze ; the energy of 

 nature was liberated in the agitation 

 caused by the thrown stone. 



We do not need to go to either of the 

 Poles for proof that this fable is not 

 absurd. Satisfactory evidence may be 



