cold never comes upon him in the winter; a grain tossed into the earth
brings forth a bounteous return a few months later. There, outside of
society, everything is found to make man happy. And then these happy
isles lie in the path of ships; the castaway can hope to be picked up,
and he can wait in patience.
But here on the coast of New America how great is the difference! This
comparison would continually occur to the doctor, but he never
mentioned it to the others, and he struggled against the enforced
idleness.
He yearned ardently for the spring, in order to resume his excursions;
and yet he was anxious about it, for he foresaw difficulties between
Hatteras and Altamont. If they pushed on to the Pole, there would
necessarily be rivalry between the two men. Hence he had to prepare
for the worst, and still, as far as he could, to try to pacify these
rivals; but to reconcile an American and an Englishman, two men
hostile to one another from their birth, one endowed with real insular
prejudice, the other with the adventurous, irreverent spirit of his
country, was no easy task. When the doctor thought of their eager
rivalry, which in fact was one of nationalities, he could not help,
not shrugging his shoulders, but lamenting human weakness. He would
often talk to Johnson on this subject; he and the old sailor agreed in
the matter; they were uncertain what view to take, and they foresaw
complications in the future.
Still, the bad weather continued; they could not leave Fort Providence
even for an hour. Night and day they had to remain in the snow-house.
They all found it tedious, except the doctor, who found diversion for
himself.
"Isn't there any way we can amuse ourselves?" said Altamont one
evening. "This isn't really living, lying here like sluggish reptiles
all winter."
"It's a pity," said the doctor, "that we are too few to organize any
system of distractions."
"Do you mean it would be easier for us to combat idleness if there
were more of us?" asked the American.
"Yes; when whole crews have wintered in boreal regions, they have
found out the way to avoid idleness."
"To tell the truth," said Altamont, "I should like to know how they
did; they must have been very ingenious to get any fun out of these
surroundings. They didn't ask one another riddles, I suppose?"
"No," answered the doctor, "but they introduced into these lands two
great means of amusement, the press and the theatre."
"What! did they have a newspaper?" asked the American.
"Did they act plays?" asked Bell.
"Yes, and with much amusement. While he was wintering at Melville
Island, Captain Parry offered his crews these two entertainments, and
they enjoyed them very much."
"Well," said Johnson, "I should have liked to be there; it must have
been funny enough."
"Funny indeed; Lieutenant Beecher was manager of the theatre, and
Captain Sabine editor of the 'Winter Chronicle, or Gazette of North
Georgia.'"
"Good names," said Altamont.
"The paper appeared every Monday morning, from November 1, 1819, to
March 20, 1820. It contained an account of everything that happened,
the hunts, accidents, incidents, and of the weather; there were
stories written for it; to be sure, it lacked the humor of Sterne, and
the delightful articles of the 'Daily Telegraph'; but they got
amusement from it; its readers were not over-critical, and I fancy no
journalists ever enjoyed their occupation more."
"Well," said Altamont, "I should like to hear some extracts from this
paper, my dear Doctor; its articles must all have been frozen solid."
"No, no," answered the doctor; "at any rate, what would have seemed
simple enough to the Liverpool Philosophical Society, or the London
Literary Institution, was perfectly satisfactory to the crews beneath
the snow. Do you want a sample?"
"What! Do you remember--"
"No, but you had 'Parry's Voyages' on board the -Porpoise-, and I can
read you his own account."
"Do!" shouted the doctor's companions.
"There's nothing easier."
The doctor got the book from the shelves, and soon found the passage.
[Illustration]
"See here," he said, "here are some extracts from the newspaper. It is
a letter addressed to the editor:--
"'It is with genuine satisfaction that your plan for the establishment
of a newspaper has been received. I am convinced that under your
charge it will furnish us with a great deal of amusement, and will
serve to lighten materially the gloom of our hundred days of darkness.
"'The interest which I, for my part, take in it has caused me to
examine the effect of your announcement upon the members of our
society, and I can assure you, to use the consecrated phrase of the
London press, that it has produced a profound impression upon the
public.
"'The day after the appearance of your prospectus, there was on board
an unusual and unprecedented demand for ink. The green cloth of our
tables was suddenly covered with a deluge of quill-pens, to the great
injury of one of our servants, who, in trying to remove them, got one
under his nail.
"'Finally, I know that Sergeant Martin has had no less than nine
pocket-knives to sharpen.
"'Our tables are groaning beneath the unaccustomed weight of
inkstands, which had not seen the light for two months; and it is even
whispered that the depths of the hold have been often opened to secure
many reams of paper, which did not expect to issue so soon from their
place of repose.
"'I shall not forget to say to you that I have some suspicions that an
effort will be made to slip into your box some articles, which,
lacking complete originality, and not being wholly unpublished, may
not suit your plan. I can affirm that no later than last evening an
author was seen bending over his desk, holding in one hand an open
volume of the "Spectator," while with the other he was thawing his ink
by the flame of the lamp. It is useless to recommend you to keep a
lookout against such devices; we must not see reappearing in the
"Winter Chronicle" what our ancestors used to read at breakfast more
than a century ago.'"
"Well, well," said Altamont, when the doctor had finished reading,
"there is really good humor in that, and the writer must have been a
bright fellow."
"Bright is the word," answered the doctor. "Stop a moment, here is an
amusing advertisement:--
"'Wanted. A middle-aged, respectable woman to help dress the ladies of
the troupe of the "Theatre Royal of North Georgia." Suitable salary
given, tea and beer free. Address the Committee of the theatre.--N. B.
A widow preferred.'"
"They were not disgusted, at any rate," said Johnson.
"And did they get the widow?" asked Bell.
"Probably," answered the doctor, "for here is an answer addressed to
the committee:--
"'Gentlemen: I am a widow, twenty-six years old, and I can produce
warm testimonials as to my morals and talents. But before taking
charge of the dresses of the actresses of your theatre, I am anxious
to know if they intend to keep their trousers on, and whether I can
have the aid of some strong sailors to lace their corsets properly.
This being arranged, gentlemen, you may count upon your servant.
"'A. B.
"'P. S. Can you not substitute brandy for beer?'"
"Bravo!" shouted Altamont. "I suppose they had ladies'-maids to lace
you by the capstan. Well, they were jolly fellows!"
"Like all who do what they set out to do," remarked Hatteras.
Hatteras uttered these words, and then he relapsed into his usual
silence. The doctor, unwilling to dwell on that subject, hastened to
resume his reading.
"See here," he said, "here is a picture of arctic sufferings; it may
be varied infinitely; but a few of the observations are wise enough;
for instance:--
"'To go out in the morning to take the air, and on setting foot off
the ship, to take a cold bath in the cook's trough.
"'To go on a hunting-party, get near a fine reindeer, take aim, try to
fire, and miss the shot on account of a damp cap.
"'To start out with a piece of fresh bread in the pocket, and when one
gets hungry to find it frozen hard enough to break one's teeth.
"'To leave the table suddenly on hearing a wolf is in sight of the
ship, and to come back and find one's dinner eaten by the cat.
"'To return from a walk rapt in thought, and to be awakened suddenly
by the embrace of a bear.'
"You see, my friends," said the doctor, "we should not find it hard to
imagine other polar troubles; but from the moment it becomes necessary
to endure these miseries, it would be a pleasure to narrate them."
"Upon my word," said Altamont, "that's an amusing paper, and it's a
pity we can't subscribe to it."
"Suppose we should start one," suggested Johnson.
"We five!" answered Clawbonny; "we should all be editors, and there
would be no readers."
"Nor audience either, if we should act a play," said Altamont.
"Tell us, Doctor," said Johnson, "something about Captain Parry's
theatre; did they act new plays there?"
"Of course; at first they made use of two volumes which were put on
board of the -Hector-, and they had plays every fortnight; but soon
they had acted all; then they resorted to original authors, and Parry
himself wrote a suitable play for the Christmas holidays; it was very
successful, and was called 'The Northwest Passage, or the End of the
Voyage.'"
"A capital title," answered Altamont; "but I confess, if I had to
write on that subject, I should be puzzled about the end."
"You are right," said Bell; "who can say how it will end?"
"True," answered the doctor; "but why bother about the end, since the
beginning is so favorable? Let us trust in Providence, my friends; let
us act our part well, and since the end depends on the Author of all
things, let us have confidence in him; he will know what to do with
us."
"Let us sleep on it," answered Johnson; "it is late, and since bedtime
has come, let us turn in."
"You are in a great hurry, my old friend," said the doctor.
"Naturally enough, Doctor, I am so comfortable in bed! And then my
dreams are pleasant. I dream of warm countries; or that, to tell the
truth, half of my life is spent at the equator and half at the Pole!"
"The deuce," said Altamont, "you have a happy temperament."
"True," answered the boatswain.
"Well, it would be cruel to detain Johnson any longer. His tropical
sun is waiting for him. Let us go to bed."
CHAPTER XI.
DISQUIETING TRACES.
In the night of April 26-27, the weather changed; the thermometer fell
many degrees, and the inhabitants of Doctor's House perceived it from
the cold which made its way beneath their coverings; Altamont, who was
watching the stove, took care not to let the fire get low, and he was
kept busy putting on enough coal to keep the temperature at 50°. This
cold weather announced the end of the storm, and the doctor was glad
of it, for now they could resume their usual occupations, their
hunting, excursions, and explorations; this would put an end to the
apathy of their loneliness, which in time sours even the finest
characters.
[Illustration]
The next morning the doctor rose early, and made his way over the
drifts to the lighthouse. The wind was from the north; the air was
clear, the snow was hard under his feet. Soon his five companions had
left Doctor's House; their first care was to dig away the drifted
snow, which now disguised the plateau; it would have been impossible
to discover any traces of life upon it, for the tempest had buried all
inequalities beneath fifteen feet of snow.
After the snow was cleared away from the house, it was necessary to
restore its architectural outline. This was very easy, and after the
ice was removed a few blows with the snow-knife gave it its normal
thickness. After two hours' work the granite appeared, and access to
the stores and the powder-house was free. But since, in these
uncertain climates, such things can happen every day, a new supply of
food was carried to the kitchen. They were all wearied of salt food
and yearned for fresh meat, and so the hunters were charged with
changing the bill of fare, and they prepared to set out.
[Illustration]
Still the end of April did not bring with it the polar spring, which
was yet six weeks off; the sun's rays were still too feeble to melt
the snow or to nourish the few plants of these regions. They feared
lest animals should be scarce, both birds and quadrupeds. But a hare,
a few ptarmigans, even a young fox, would have been welcome to the
table of Doctor's House, and the hunters resolved to shoot whatever
should come within range.
The doctor, Altamont, and Bell determined to explore the country.
Altamont, they felt sure from his habits, was a bold and skilful
hunter, and, with all his bragging, a capital shot. So he went with
the hunters, as did Duke, who was equally skilful and less prone to
boasting.
The three companions ascended the east cone and set out towards the
large white plains; but they had gone no farther than two or three
miles before they saw numerous tracks; from that point, they ran down
to the shore of Victoria Bay, and appeared to surround Fort Providence
with a series of concentric circles.
[Illustration]
After they had followed these footprints for a short time, the doctor
said,--
"Well, that is clear enough."
"Too clear," said Bell; "they are bear tracks."
"Good game," continued Altamont, "and there is only one fault in it
to-day."
"What's that?" asked the doctor.
"The abundance," answered the American.
"What do you mean?" asked Bell.
"I mean that there are distinct tracks of five bears; and five bears
are a good many for five men."
"Are you sure of what you say?" asked the doctor.
"Judge for yourself; this mark is different from any other; the claws
on this one are farther apart than those. Here is the print of a
smaller bear. If you compare them together, you'll find traces of five
animals."
"You are right," said Bell, after a careful examination.
"Then," said the doctor, "there is no need of useless bravado, but
rather of caution; these animals are famished at the end of a severe
winter, and they may be very dangerous; and since there is no doubt of
their number--"
"Nor of their intentions," interrupted the American.
"Do you suppose," he asked, "that they have discovered our presence
here?"
"Without a doubt, unless we've fallen on a whole band of bears; but in
that case, why do their prints go about in a circle, instead of
running out of sight? See, they came from the southwest and stopped
here, and began to explore the country."
"You are right," said the doctor, "and it's certain they came last
night."
"And the other nights too," answered Altamont; "only the snow has
covered their tracks."
"No," said the doctor; "it's more likely that they waited for the end
of the storm; they went to the bay to catch some seals, and then they
scented us."
"True," said Altamont; "so it is easy to know whether they will return
to-night."
"How so?" asked Bell.
"By rubbing out some of their tracks; and if we find new ones
to-morrow, we can be sure that they are trying to get into Fort
Providence."
"Well," said the doctor, "we shall at least know what to expect."
The three then set to work, and soon effaced all the tracks over a
space of about six hundred feet.
"It's strange, however," said Bell, "that they could scent us at so
great a distance; we didn't burn anything greasy which could attract
them."
"O," answered the doctor, "they have very fine sight, and delicate
sense of smell! Besides, they are very intelligent, perhaps the most
intelligent of animals, and they have found out something strange
here."
"Perhaps," continued Bell, "during the storm, they came up as far as
the plateau."
"Then," said the American, "why should they have stopped there?"
"True, there is no answer to that," answered the doctor; "and we ought
to believe that they are shortening the circle about Fort Providence."
"We shall see," answered Altamont.
"Now, let us go on," said the doctor; "but we'll keep our eyes open."
They kept careful watch, through fear lest some bear should be hidden
behind the masses of ice; often they took the blocks for animals, from
their shape and whiteness, but soon they discovered their mistake.
They returned at last to the shore beneath the cone, and from there
their eyes swept in vain from Cape Washington to Johnson Island. They
saw nothing; everything was white and motionless; not a sound was to
be heard. They entered the snow-house.
Hatteras and Johnson were informed of the condition of affairs, and
they resolved to keep a strict watch. Night came; nothing occurred to
alarm them, or to mar its beauty. At dawn the next morning, Hatteras
and his companions, fully armed, went out to examine the condition of
the snow; they found the same tracks as on the previous day, only
nearer. Evidently the enemy was preparing to lay siege to Fort
Providence.
"They have opened their second parallel," said the doctor.
"They have made a point in advance," answered Altamont; "see those
footprints coming nearer the plateau; they are those of some strong
animal."
"Yes, they are gaining ground gradually," said Johnson; "it is evident
that they are going to attack us."
"There's no doubt of that," said the doctor; "let us avoid showing
ourselves. We are not strong enough to fight successfully."
"But where do these devilish bears come from?" asked Bell.
"From behind those pieces of ice to the east, where they are spying
us; don't let us get too near them."
"And our hunt?" asked Altamont.
"Let us put it off for a few days," answered the doctor; "let us again
rub out these nearest marks, and to-morrow we shall see if they are
renewed. In this way we can see the manoeuvres of our enemies."
The doctor's advice was taken, and they returned to the fort; the
presence of these terrible beasts forbade any excursion. Strict watch
was kept over the neighborhood of Victoria Bay. The lighthouse was
dismantled; it was of no real use, and might attract the attention of
the animals; the lantern and the electric threads were carried to the
house; then they took turns in watching the upper plateau.
Again they had to endure the monotony of loneliness, but what else was
to be done? They dared not risk a contest at so fearful odds; no one's
life could be risked imprudently. Perhaps the bears, if they caught
sight of nothing, might be thrown off the track; or, if they were met
singly, they might be attacked successfully. However, this inaction
was relieved by a new interest; they had to keep watch, and no one
regretted it.
April 28th passed by without any sign of the existence of the enemy.
The next morning their curiosity as to the existence of new tracks was
succeeded by astonishment. Not a trace was to be seen; the snow was
intact.
"Good," shouted Altamont, "the bears are thrown off the track! They
have no perseverance! They are tired of waiting, and have gone! Good
by, and now off to the hunt!"
"Eh!" answered the doctor, "who can say? For greater safety, my
friends, I beg one more day of watching; it is certain the enemy did
not approach last night, at least from this side--"
"Let us make a circuit of the plateau," said Altamont, "and then we
shall make sure."
"Willingly," said the doctor.
But with all their care in exploration, not the slightest trace could
be found.
"Well, shall we start on our hunt?" asked Altamont, impatiently.
"Let us wait till to-morrow," urged the doctor.
"All right," answered Altamont, who had some reluctance, however,
about conceding.
[Illustration]
They returned to the fort. Each one had to watch for an hour, as on
the previous evening. When Altamont's turn came, he went to relieve
Bell. As soon as he was gone, Hatteras called his companions together.
The doctor left his notes, and Johnson his furnaces. It might have
been supposed that Hatteras was going to discuss the dangers of the
situation; he did not even think of them.
"My friends," he said, "let us take advantage of the absence of this
American, to talk over our affairs; some things don't concern him at
all, and I don't care to have him meddling with them."
The others looked at one another, uncertain of his meaning.
"I want to speak with you," he said, "about our future plans."
"Well," answered the doctor, "let us talk now we are alone."
"In a month, or six weeks at the latest," Hatteras began, "we shall be
able to make distant excursions. Had you thought of what might be done
in the summer?"
"Had you, Captain?" asked Johnson.
"I? I can say that not an hour passes without my mind's recurring to
my plan. I suppose no one of you has any thought of returning--"
There was no immediate answer to this insinuation.
"As for me," continued Hatteras, "if I have to go alone, I shall go to
the North Pole; we are only three hundred and sixty miles from it at
the outside. No men have ever been so near it, and I shall not let
such a chance go by without the attempt, even if it be impossible.
What are your views in the matter?"
"Your own," answered the doctor.
"And yours, Johnson?"
"The same as the doctor's," answered the boatswain.
"It is your turn to speak, Bell," said Hatteras.
"Captain," answered the carpenter, "it is true we have no family
awaiting us in England, but our country is our country: don't you
think of going back?"
"We shall go back easily as soon as we shall have discovered the Pole.
In fact, more easily. The difficulties will not increase, for, on our
way thither, we leave behind us the coldest spots on the globe. We
have supplies of all sorts for a long time. There is nothing to hinder
us, and we should be to blame if we did not push on to the end."
"Well," answered Bell, "we are all of your opinion, Captain."
"Good!" replied Hatteras. "I have never doubted of you. We shall
succeed, my friends, and England shall have all the glory of our
success."
"But there is an American with us," said Johnson.
Hatteras could not restrain a wrathful gesture at this remark.
"I know it," he said in a deep voice.
"We can't leave him here," continued the doctor.
"No, we cannot," answered Hatteras, coldly.
"And he will certainly come."
"Yes, he will come, but who will command?"
"You, Captain."
"And if you obey me, will this Yankee refuse to obey?"
"I don't think so," answered Johnson; "but if he is unwilling to obey
your orders--"
"It would have to be settled between him and me."
The three Englishmen looked at Hatteras without a word. The doctor
broke the silence.
"How shall we travel?" he asked.
"By keeping along the coast as much as possible," answered Hatteras.
"But if we find the sea open, as is likely?"
"Well, we shall cross it."
"How? We have no boat."
Hatteras did not answer; he was evidently embarrassed.
"Perhaps," suggested Bell, "we might build a launch out of the timbers
of the -Porpoise-."
"Never!" shouted Hatteras, warmly.
"Never?" exclaimed Johnson.
The doctor shook his head; he understood the captain's unwillingness.
"Never!" the latter answered. "A launch made out of the wood of an
American ship would be an American launch--"
"But, Captain--" interposed Johnson.
The doctor made a sign to the old boatswain to keep silent. A more
suitable time was required for that question. The doctor, although he
understood Hatteras's repugnance, did not sympathize with it, and he
determined to make his friend abandon this hasty decision. Hence he
spoke of something else, of the possibility of going along the coast
to the north, and that unknown point, the North Pole. In a word, he
avoided all dangerous subjects of conversation up to the moment when
it was suddenly ended by the entrance of Altamont. He had nothing new
to report. The day ended in this way, and the night was quiet. The
bears had evidently disappeared.
CHAPTER XII.
THE ICE PRISON.
The next day they determined to arrange the hunt, in which Hatteras,
Altamont, and the carpenter were to take part; no more tracks were to
be seen; the bears had decidedly given up their plan of attack, either
from fear of their unknown enemies, or because there had been no sign
of living beings beneath the mass of snow. During the absence of the
three hunters, the doctor was to push on to Johnson Island to examine
the condition of the ice, and to make some hydrographic
investigations. The cold was sharp, but they supported it well, having
become accustomed to it by this time. The boatswain was to remain at
Doctor's House; in a word, to guard the house.
The three hunters made their preparations; each one took a
double-barrelled rifled gun, with conical balls; they carried a small
quantity of pemmican, in case night should fall before their return;
they also were provided with the snow-knife, which is so indispensable
in these regions, and a hatchet which they wore in their belts. Thus
armed and equipped they could go far; and since they were both skilled
and bold, they could count on bringing back a good supply.
At eight in the morning they set out. Duke sprang about ahead of them;
they ascended the hill to the east, went about the lighthouse, and
disappeared in the plains to the south, which were bounded by Mount
Bell. The doctor, having agreed on a danger-signal with Johnson,
descended towards the shore so as to reach the ice in Victoria Bay.
[Illustration]
The boatswain remained at Fort Providence alone, but not idle. He
first set free the Greenland dogs, which were playing about the Dog
Palace; they in their joy rolled about in the snow. Johnson then gave
his attentions to the cares of housekeeping. He had to renew the fuel
and provisions, to set the stores in order, to mend many broken
utensils, to patch the coverings, to work over the shoes for the long
excursions of the summer. There was no lack of things to do, but the
boatswain worked with the ease of a sailor, who has generally a
smattering of all trades. While thus employed he began to think of the
talk of the evening before; he thought of the captain, and especially
of his obstinacy, which, after all, had something very heroic and very
honorable about it, in his unwillingness that any American man or boat
should reach the Pole before him, or even with him.
"Still, it seems to me," he said to himself, "no easy task to cross
the ocean without a boat; and if we have the open sea before us, we
should need one. The strongest Englishman in the world couldn't swim
three hundred miles. Patriotism has its limits. Well, we shall see. We
have still time before us; Dr. Clawbonny has not yet said his last
word in the matter; he is wise, and he may persuade the captain to
change his mind. I'll bet that in going towards the island he'll
glance at the fragments of the -Porpoise-, and will know exactly what
can be made out of them."
Johnson had reached this point in his reflections, and the hunters had
been gone an hour, when a loud report was heard two or three miles to
windward.
"Good!" said the sailor; "they have come across something, and without
going very far, for I heard them distinctly. After all, the air is so
clear."
A second and then a third report was heard.
"Hulloa!" continued Johnson, "they've got into a good place."
Three other reports, in quicker succession, were heard.
"Six shots!" said Johnson; "now they've fired off everything. It was a
hot time! Is it possible--"
At the thought, Johnson grew pale; he quickly left the snow-house, and
in a few moments he had run up to the top of the cone. He saw a sight
that made him tremble.
"The bears!" he shouted.
The three hunters, followed by Duke, were running rapidly, followed by
five enormous animals; their six bullets had not disabled them; the
bears were gaining on them; Hatteras, behind the others, could only
keep his distance from the animals by throwing away his cap, hatchet,
and even his gun. The bears stopped, according to their habit, to
sniff at the different objects, and lost a little on this ground on
which they would have outstripped the swiftest horse. It was thus that
Hatteras, Altamont, and Bell, all out of breath, came up to Johnson,
and they all slid down the slope to the snow-house. The five bears
were close behind, and the captain was obliged to ward off the blow of
a paw with his knife. In a moment Hatteras and his companions were
locked in the house. The animals stopped on the upper plateau of the
truncated cone.
[Illustration: "Hatteras could only keep his distance from the animals
by throwing away his cap, hatchet, and even his gun."]
"Well," said Hatteras, "we can now defend ourselves better, five to
five!"
"Four to five!" shouted Johnson in a terrified voice.
"What?" asked Hatteras.
"The doctor!" answered Johnson, pointing to the empty room.
"Well?"
"He is on the shore of the island!"
"Poor man!" cried Bell.
"We can't abandon him in this way," said Altamont.
"Let us run!" said Hatteras.
He opened the door quickly, but he had hardly time to shut it; a bear
nearly crushed his skull with his claw.
"They are there," he cried.
"All?" asked Bell.
"All!" answered Hatteras.
Altamont hastened to the windows, heaping up the bays with pieces of
ice torn from the walls of the house. His companions did the same
without speaking. Duke's dull snarls alone broke the silence.
[Illustration]
But it must be said these men had only a single thought; they forgot
their own danger, and only considered the doctor. Poor Clawbonny! so
kind, so devoted! the soul of the little colony! for the first time he
was missing; extreme peril, a terrible death, awaited him; for when
his excursion was over he would return quietly to Fort Providence, and
would find these ferocious animals. And there was no way of warning
him.
"If I'm not mistaken, he will be on his guard; your shots must have
warned him, and he must know something has happened."
"But if he were far off," answered Altamont, "and did not understand?
There are eight chances out of ten that he'll come back without
suspicion of danger! The bears are hiding behind the scarp of the
fort, and he can't see them."
"We shall have to get rid of these dangerous beasts before his
return," answered Hatteras.
"But how?" asked Bell.
To answer this question was not easy. A sortie seemed impossible. They
took the precaution to barricade the entrance, but the bears could
easily have overcome the obstacles if the idea had occurred to them;
they knew the number and strength of their adversaries, and they could
easily have reached them. The prisoners were posted in each one of the
chambers of Doctor's House to watch for every attempt at entrance;
when they listened, they heard the bears coming and going, growling,
and tearing at the walls with their huge paws. But some action was
necessary; time was pressing. Altamont resolved to make a loop-hole to
shoot the assailants; in a few minutes he had made a little hole in
the ice-wall; he pushed his gun through it; but it had scarcely
reached the other side before it was torn from his hands with
irresistible force before he could fire.
[Illustration]
"The devil!" he cried, "we are too weak."
And he hastened to close the loop-hole. Thus matters went for an hour,
without any end appearing probable. The chances of a sortie were
discussed; they seemed slight, for the bears could not be fought
singly. Nevertheless, Hatteras and his companions, being anxious to
finish it, and, it must be said, very much confused at being thus
imprisoned by the beasts, were about to try a direct attack, when the
captain thought of a new means of defence.
He took the poker and plunged it into the stove; then he made an
opening in the wall, but so as to keep a thin coating of ice outside.
His companions watched him. When the poker was white hot, Hatteras
said,--
"This bar will drive away the bears, for they won't be able to seize
it, and through the loop-hole we will be able to fire at them, without
their taking our guns away from us."
"A good idea!" cried Bell, going towards Altamont.
Then Hatteras, withdrawing the poker from the stove, pushed it through
the wall. The snow, steaming at its touch, hissed sharply. Two bears
ran to seize the bar, but they roared fearfully when four shots were
fired at once.
"Hit!" shouted the American.
"Hit!" repeated Bell.
"Let us try again," said Hatteras, closing the opening for a moment.
The poker was put again into the fire; in a few minutes it was red
hot.
Altamont and Bell returned to their place after loading their guns;
Hatteras again pushed the poker through the loop-hole. But this time
an impenetrable substance stopped it.
[Illustration]
"Curse it!" cried the American.
"What's the matter?" asked Johnson.
"The matter! These cursed animals are heaping up the ice and snow so
as to bury us alive!"
"Impossible!"
"See, the poker can't go through! Really, this is absurd!"
It was more than absurd, it was alarming. Matters looked worse. The
bears, which are very intelligent beasts, employed this method of
suffocating their prey. They heaped the ice in such a way as to render
flight impossible.
[Illustration: "The bears heaped the ice in such a way as to render
flight impossible."]
"This is hard," said Johnson, with a very mortified air. "It's well
enough to have men treat you in this way, but bears!"
After this reflection two hours passed by without any material change
in their situation; a sortie became impossible; the thickened walls
deadened all sound without. Altamont walked to and fro like a bold man
in face of a danger greater than his courage. Hatteras thought
anxiously of the doctor, and of the great danger awaiting him when he
should return.
"Ah," shouted Johnson, "if Dr. Clawbonny were only here!"
"Well, what would he do?" asked Altamont.
"O, he would be able to help us!"
"How?" asked the American, with some asperity.
"If I knew," answered Johnson, "I shouldn't want him here. Still, I
can think of a piece of advice he would give us at this moment."
"What is that?"
"To take some food. It can't hurt us. What do you think, Mr.
Altamont?"
"Let us eat if you care to," was the answer; "although our condition
is stupid, not to say disgraceful."
"I'll bet," said Johnson, "that we'll find some way of driving them
off after dinner."
[Illustration]
They made no reply, but sat down to dinner. Johnson, as a pupil of the
doctor, tried to be a philosopher in the face of danger, but he
succeeded ill; his jokes stuck in his throat. Besides, they began to
feel uncomfortable; the air was growing bad in this hermetically
sealed prison; the stove-pipe drew insufficiently, and it was easy to
see that in a short time the fire would go out; the oxygen, consumed
by their lungs and the fire, would be replaced by carbonic acid, which
would be fatal to them, as they all knew. Hatteras was the first to
detect this new danger; he was unwilling to hide it from the others.
"So, at any risk we must get out!" said Altamont.
"Yes," answered Hatteras; "but let us wait till night; we will make a
hole in the snow that we may get fresh air; then one shall take his
place here and fire at the bears."
"It's the only thing we can do," said the American.
[Illustration]
Having agreed on this, they waited for the time of action; and during
the following hours, Altamont did not spare imprecations against a
state of things in which, as he put it, "there being men and bears
concerned, the men were getting the worst of it."
CHAPTER XIII.
THE MINE.
Night came, and the lamp began to burn dimly in the close air of the
room. At eight o'clock they made their final preparations. The guns
were carefully loaded, and an opening was begun in the roof of the
snow-house. Bell worked cleverly at this for a few minutes, when
Johnson, who had left the bedroom, where he was on guard, for a few
minutes, returned rapidly to his companions. He seemed disturbed.
"What is the matter?" the captain asked.
"The matter? nothing!" answered the old sailor, hesitatingly, "yet--"
"What is it?" asked Altamont.
"Hush! Don't you hear a strange sound?"
"On which side?"
"There! There is something happening to the wall of that room."
Bell stopped his work; each one listened. A distant noise could be
heard, apparently in the side wall; some one was evidently making a
passage-way through the ice.
"It's a tearing sound!" said Johnson.
"Without a doubt," answered Altamont.
"The bears?" asked Bell.
"Yes, the bears," said Altamont.
"They have changed their plan," continued the sailor; "they've given
up trying to suffocate us."
"Or else they think they've done it," added the American, who was
getting very angry.
"We shall be attacked," said Bell.
"Well," remarked Hatteras, "we shall fight against them."
"Confound it!" shouted Altamont; "I prefer that decidedly! I've had
enough working in the dark! Now we shall see one another and fight!"
"Yes," answered Johnson; "but with our guns it is impossible in so
small a space."
"Well, with a hatchet or a knife!"
The noise increased; the scratching of claws could be heard; the bears
had attacked the wall at the angle where it joined the snow fastened
to the rock."
"Evidently," said Johnson, "the animal is within six feet of us."
"You are right, Johnson," answered the American, "but we have time to
prepare ourselves to receive it!"
The American took the axe in one hand, his knife in the other; resting
on his right foot, his body thrown back, he stood ready to attack.
Hatteras and Bell did the same. Johnson prepared his gun in case
fire-arms should be necessary. The noise grew louder and louder; the
ice kept cracking beneath the repeated blows. At last only a thin
crust separated the adversaries; suddenly this crust tore asunder like
paper through which a clown leaps, and an enormous black body appeared
in the gloom of the room. Altamont raised his hand to strike it.
[Illustration: "An enormous black body appeared in the gloom of the
room. Altamont raised his hand to strike it."]
"Stop! for heaven's sake, stop!" said a well-known voice.
"The doctor, the doctor!" shouted Johnson.
It was indeed the doctor, who, carried by the impetus, rolled into the
room.
"Good evening, my friends," he said, springing to his feet.
His companions remained stupefied; but joy succeeded their
stupefaction; each one wished to embrace the worthy man; Hatteras, who
was much moved, clasped him for a long time to his breast. The doctor
answered by a warm clasp of the hand.
"What! you, Dr. Clawbonny!" said the boatswain.
"Why, Johnson, I was much more anxious about your fate than you about
mine."
"But how did you know that we were attacked by bears?" asked Altamont;
"our greatest fear was to see you returning quietly to Fort Providence
without thought of danger."
"O, I saw everything!" answered the doctor; "your shots warned me; I
happened to be near the fragments of the -Porpoise-; I climbed up a
hummock; I saw five bears chasing you; ah, I feared the worst for you!
But the way you slid down the hill, and the hesitation of the animals,
reassured me for a time; I knew you'd had time to lock yourselves in.
Then I approached gradually, climbing and creeping between cakes of
ice; I arrived near the fort, and I saw the huge beasts working like
beavers; they were tossing the snow about, heaping up the ice so as to
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