AsIimagined，theshipprovestobeinacurrent；ifthatappellationcanproperlybegiventoatidewhich，howlingandshriekingbythewhiteice，thundersontothesouthwardwithavelocityliketheheadlongdashingofacataract。
Toconceivethehorrorofmysensationsis，Ipresume，utterlyimpossible；yetacuriositytopenetratethemysteriesoftheseawfulregions，predominatesevenovermydespair，andwillreconcilemetothemosthideousaspectofdeath。Itisevidentthatwearehurryingonwardstosomeexcitingknowledgesomenever-to-be-impartedsecret，whoseattainmentisdestruction。Perhapsthiscurrentleadsustothesouthernpoleitself。Itmustbeconfessedthatasuppositionapparentlysowildhaseveryprobabilityinitsfavor。
Thecrewpacethedeckwithunquietandtremulousstep；butthereisupontheircountenancesanexpressionmoreoftheeagernessofhopethanoftheapathyofdespair。
Inthemeantimethewindisstillinourpoop，and，aswecarryacrowdofcanvas，theshipisattimesliftedbodilyfromouttheseaOh，horroruponhorror！theiceopenssuddenlytotheright，andtotheleft，andwearewhirlingdizzily，inimmenseconcentriccircles，roundandroundthebordersofagiganticamphitheatre，thesummitofwhosewallsislostinthedarknessandthedistance。Butlittletimewillbeleftmetoponderuponmydestinythecirclesrapidlygrowsmallweareplungingmadlywithinthegraspofthewhirlpoolandamidaroaring，andbellowing，andthunderingofoceanandoftempest，theshipisquivering，ohGod！andgoingdown。
NOTE。The“MS。FoundinaBottle。”wasoriginallypublishedin1831，anditwasnotuntilmanyyearsafterwardsthatIbecameacquaintedwiththemapsofMercator，inwhichtheoceanisrepresentedasrushing，byfourmouths，intothenorthernPolarGulf，tobeabsorbedintothebowelsoftheearth；thePoleitselfbeingrepresentedbyablackrock，toweringtoaprodigiousheight。