Tales of Fantasy and Fact

"Shipahoy!"There was an answer from our bark—for such it seemed to me by thistime—but I could not make out the words."Where do you hail from?"was the next question.I strained my ears to catch the response, beingnaturally anxious to know whence I had come."From the City ofDestruction!" was what I thought I heard; and I confess that itsurprised me not a little."Where are you bound?" was asked inturn.Again I listened with intensest interest, and again did the replyastonish me greatly."Ultima Thule!" was the answer from our boat,and the voice of the man who answered was deep and melancholy.Then I knewthat I had set out strange countries for to see, and that I was allunequipped for so distant a voyage. Thule I knew, or at least I had heard ofthe king who reigned there once and who cast his goblet into the sea. ButUltima Thule! was not that beyond the uttermost borders of the earth?