Still more beautiful is the paler pink
reflection, tinting the smooth surface of the water on all sides of us
save the west. There the sun has just gone down, and the lingering
glories of the sky are reflected on the rippling waves in a wonderful
network of bright yellow and deep orange. Look southward again, now
that the darkness is beginning to tell on the scene. Over yonder great
iceberg the rising moon sends a path of silvery light across the
water, now a broad waving band, now innumerable sparks and circlets
dancing like fairy lights upon the gently swelling sea.
All this is beautiful, but what follows is a rarer sight.
"Mr. La Trobe, the northern lights."
"Thank you, captain, I will be on deck in a moment."
I have seen many pictures of the Aurora Borealis, and we have already
had some fine displays during this voyage, but I never witnessed
anything like this. Truly the heavens declare the glory of God and the
firmament sheweth His handiwork! Undulating bands of bright white
light are swiftly scintillating across the sky, now curving upwards
from the horizon, now stretching in broad stripes right over the
zenith.
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