A prisoner, former Captain in Cope’s Royal Navy, his reversed skull:
Sailor: Without spines they thought we’d collapse.
Skull: And did you?
Sailor: There was no me. I was reversed, and I found the first cryolite tablets in Thule.
Skull: It was you that built the Machine!
[Crestfallen – unknown devices, glitter and silver picks.]
Sailor: I told you, there was no me. I was the first to place my hands, fit them into the saddle, yes – but! I was not me. I was you, and we carried it together. The ice boat, glazed with warm breath.
Skull: [laughs] Do you remember the tooth?
Sailor: I remember [unintelligible screaming] –
Sailor: [Suddenly coherent] The miiiiiiiiines...