The children dreamt of it all again that night; but lo! when they went on deck next morning, before breakfast, to have a romp and a run with the dogs and Flossy, everything was changed.

And what a change!

The sun was now shining brightly, with not a cloud in the blue sky.  Icebergs lay far astern; all around was a calm blue sea, with one great whale half-asleep on its surface, wild birds more beautiful than any they had ever seen before sailing around, and, more wonderful than anything else, the Valhalla was safe at anchor in front of a pretty island, patched with the greens, reds, and browns of lovely flowers.

“Behold!” cried Peterkin, as he lifted Pansy up.  “Behold, my child, the land of gold and coals!”

Pansy’s reply was to the point.

“Very pretty, very pretty,” she said; “but, ’Fessor Pete, I wants to see the gold—­not the nasty coals.”

This very forenoon Peterkin started off in the biggest boat to “spy out the land”, as he called it Tom and the three little stowaways were allowed to come too.  To them it was going to be a kind of picnic, and the steward sent with them a huge basket, filled with enough good things to last the whole crew for a week.  As there was no wind, the men had to row all the way.

“Oh,” cried Pansy, “I hope dear Flossy won’t swim away!”

Yes, they had taken Flossy with them as well as the dogs.

The water was deep and dark quite close to the beautiful shore, and the girls could not help marvelling at the monsters of jelly-fish they saw far down in its depths.  Their bodies were as great as sunshades, and of the same shape, and the legs they jerked out from under were spangled with stars of blue and red.  Once a huge shark swam up to the boat, leered at them with his sly and evil eyes, then, turning on his back, showed a mouth that could have swallowed them all.  Poor Pansy drew nearer to the professor with a cry of horror.

They found a little bay at last, and landed for a meal.

“I don’t think there is anything that can hurt you here,” said Peterkin, “and, if you like, you can run about and gather flowers while I cruise round the coast for an hour.  There, I will leave you all the rugs, the bear-skin, and the basket too.”

They were delighted.

So off they set, Veevee and Briton bounding and barking in front, and Flossy waddling behind.  Tom had his rifle and plenty of cartridges, but there was really nothing to shoot but the lovely gulls, and the boy was not so cruel as to touch one of these.

So they wandered on and on and upwards, until they came to a level spot all one lovely carpet of small wild flowers.  Poppies of many colours grew here, mosses, yellow stone-crop, and grasses of every hue, but they agreed not to pick any until they should be returning.  Still higher they went up the mountain-side, when suddenly little Pansy exclaimed:  “Look, Tom! look, Ara! the sea is all flied away!”