[Illustration]
The peaks of Byam Martin, which rise above Cape Liverpool, were passed
on the left, and they soon disappeared in the evening mist; this hid
from them Cape Hay, which has a very slight elevation, and so is
frequently confounded with ice about the shore, a circumstance which
very often renders the determination of the coast-line in polar
regions very difficult.
Puffins, ducks, and white gulls appeared in great numbers. By
observation the latitude was 74° 1', and the longitude, according to
the chronometer, 77° 15'.
The two mountains, Catherine and Elizabeth, raised their snowy heads
above the clouds.
At ten o'clock on Friday Cape Warrender was passed on the right side
of the sound, and on the left Admiralty Inlet, a bay which has never
been fully explored by navigators, who are always hastening westward.
The sea ran rather high, and the waves often broke over the bows,
covering the deck with small fragments of ice. The land on the north
coast presented a strange appearance with its high, flat table-lands
sparkling beneath the sun's rays.
Hatteras would have liked to skirt these northern lands, in order to
reach the sooner Beechey Island and the entrance of Wellington
Channel; but, much to his chagrin, the bank-ice obliged him to take
only the passes to the south.
Hence, on the 26th of May, in the midst of a fog and a snow-storm, the
-Forward- found herself off Cape York; a lofty, steep mountain was
soon recognized; the weather got a little clearer, and at midday the
sun appeared long enough to permit an observation to be taken:
latitude 74° 4', and longitude 84° 23'. The -Forward- was at the end
of Lancaster Sound.
[Illustration]
Hatteras showed the doctor on the chart the route he had taken and
that which he was to follow. At that time the position of the brig was
interesting.
"I should have liked to be farther north," he said, "but it was
impossible; see, here is our exact position."
The captain pointed to a spot near Cape York.
"We are in the middle of this open space, exposed to every wind; into
it open Lancaster Sound, Barrow Strait, Wellington Channel, and
Regent's Inlet; here, of necessity, come all northern explorers."
"Well," answered the doctor, "so much the worse for them; it is indeed
an open space, where four roads meet, and I don't see any sign-post to
point out the right way! What did Parry, Ross, and Franklin do?"
"They didn't do anything in particular; they let themselves be
governed by circumstances; they had no choice, I can assure you; at
one time Barrow Strait would be closed against one, and the next year
it would be open for another; again the ship would be irresistibly
driven towards Regent's Inlet. In this way we have at last been able
to learn the geography of these confused seas."
"What a strange region!" said the doctor, gazing at the chart. "How
everything is divided and cut up, without order or reason! It seems as
if all the land near the Pole were divided in this way in order to
make the approach harder, while in the other hemisphere it ends in
smooth, regular points, like Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope, and
the Indian peninsula! Is it the greater rapidity at the equator which
has thus modified things, while the land lying at the extremity, which
was fluid at the beginning of the world, could not condense and unite
as elsewhere, on account of slower rotation?"
"That may be, for there is a reason for everything, and nothing
happens without a cause, which God sometimes lets students find out;
so, Doctor, find it out if you can."
"I shall not waste too much time over it, Captain. But what is this
fierce wind?" added the doctor, wrapping himself up well.
"The north-wind is the common one, and delays our progress."
"Still it ought to blow the ice toward the south, and leave our way
free."
"It ought to, Doctor, but the wind doesn't always do what it ought to.
See, that ice looks impenetrable. We shall try to reach Griffith
Island, then to get around Cornwallis Island to reach Queen's Channel,
without going through Wellington Channel. And yet I am anxious to
touch at Beechey Island to get some more coal."
"How will you do that?" asked the astonished doctor.
"Easily; by order of the Admiralty, a great amount has been placed on
this island, to supply future expeditions, and although Captain
MacClintock took some in 1859, I can assure you there is still some
left for us."
"In fact, these regions have been explored for fifteen years, and
until certain proof of Franklin's death was received, the Admiralty
always kept five or six ships cruising in these waters. If I'm not
mistaken, Griffith Island, which I see in the middle of the open
space, has become a general rendezvous for explorers."
"True, Doctor, and Franklin's ill-fated expedition has been the means
of our learning so much about these parts."
"Exactly; for there have been a great many expeditions since 1845. It
was not till 1848 that there was any alarm about the continued
non-appearance of the -Erebus- and the -Terror-, Franklin's two ships.
Then the admiral's old friend, Dr. Richardson, seventy years of age,
went through Canada, and descended Coppermine River to the Polar Sea;
on the other side, James Ross, in command of the -Enterprise- and the
-Investigator-, sailed from Upernavik in 1848, and reached Cape York,
where we are now. Every day he threw overboard a cask containing
papers telling where he was; during fogs he fired cannon; at night he
burned signal-fires and sent off rockets, carrying always but little
sail; finally, he wintered at Leopold's Harbor in 1848-49; there he
caught a large number of white foxes; he had put on their necks copper
collars on which was engraved a statement of the position of the ship
and where supplies had been left, and he drove them away in every
direction; then, in the spring, he explored the coast of North
Somerset on sledges, amid dangers and privations which disabled nearly
all his men. He built cairns, enclosing copper cylinders with
instructions to the absent expedition; during his absence, Lieutenant
MacClure explored fruitlessly the northern coast of Barrow Strait. It
is noteworthy, Captain, that James Ross had among his officers two men
who afterwards became celebrated,--MacClure, who found the Northwest
Passage, and MacClintock, who found the last remains of the Franklin
expedition."
[Illustration: "He caught a large number of white foxes; he had put on
their necks copper collars."]
"Two good and brave captains, two brave Englishmen; go on, Doctor,
with this account which you know so well; there is always something to
be learned from the account of bold adventurers."
"Well, to conclude with James Ross, I have only to add that he tried
to go farther west from Melville Island; but he nearly lost his ships,
and being caught in the ice he was carried, against his will, to
Baffin's Bay."
"Carried," said Hatteras, frowning,--"carried against his will!"
"He had discovered nothing," resumed the doctor; "it was only after
1850 that English ships were always exploring there, when a reward of
twenty thousand pounds was offered to any one who should discover the
crews of the -Erebus- and -Terror-. Already, in 1848, Captains Kellet
and Moore, in command of the -Herald- and the -Plover-, tried to make
their way through by Behring Strait. I ought to say that the winter of
1850-51, Captain Austin passed at Cornwallis Island; Captain Penny,
with the -Assistance- and -Resolute-, explored Wellington Channel; old
John Ross, who discovered the magnetic pole, started in his yacht, the
-Felix-, in search of his friend; the brig -Prince Albert- made her
first voyage at the expense of Lady Franklin; and, finally, two
American ships, sent out by Grinnell, under Captain Haven, carried
beyond Wellington Channel, were cast into Lancaster Sound. It was
during this year that MacClintock, Austin's lieutenant, pushed on to
Melville Island and to Cape Dundas, the extreme points reached by
Parry in 1819, and on Beechey Island were found traces of Franklin's
wintering there in 1845."
"Yes," answered Hatteras, "three of his sailors were buried there,
three fortunate men!"
"From 1851 to 1852," continued the doctor, with a gesture of
agreement, "we find the -Prince Albert- making a second attempt with
the French lieutenant, Bellot; he winters at Batty Bay in Prince
Regent's Sound, explores the southwest of Somerset, and reconnoitres
the coast as far as Cape Walker. Meanwhile, the -Enterprise- and
-Investigator-, having returned to England, came under the command of
Collinson and MacClure, and they rejoined Kellet and Moore at Behring
Strait; while Collinson returned to winter at Hong-Kong, MacClure went
on, and after three winters, 1850-51, 1851-52, and 1852-53, he
discovered the Northwest Passage without finding any traces of
Franklin. From 1852 to 1853, a new expedition, consisting of three
sailing-vessels, the -Assistance-, the -Resolute-, the -North Star-,
and two steam-vessels, the -Pioneer- and the -Intrepid-, started out
under the orders of Sir Edward Belcher, with Captain Kellet second in
command; Sir Edward visited Wellington Channel, wintered in
Northumberland Bay, and explored the coast, while Kellet, pushing on
as far as Brideport on Melville Island, explored that region without
success. But then it was rumored in England that two ships, abandoned
in the ice, had been seen not far from New Caledonia. At once Lady
Franklin fitted out the little screw-steamer -Isabella-, and Captain
Inglefield, after ascending Baffin's Bay to Victoria Point, at the
eightieth parallel, returned to Beechey Island with equal unsuccess.
At the beginning of 1855 the American Grinnell defrays the expense of
a new expedition, and Dr. Kane, trying to reach the Pole--"
"But he did not succeed," cried Hatteras with violence, "and thank God
he did not! What he did not do, we shall!"
"I know it, Captain," answered the doctor, "and I only speak of it on
account of its connection with the search for Franklin. Besides, it
accomplished nothing. I nearly forgot to say that the Admiralty,
regarding Beechey Island as a general rendezvous, ordered the steamer
-Phoenix-, Captain Inglefield, in 1853, to carry provisions there; he
sailed with Lieutenant Bellot, who for the second, and last, time
offered his services to England; we can get full details about the
catastrophe, for Johnson, our boatswain, was eye-witness of this sad
affair."
"Lieutenant Bellot was a brave Frenchman," said Hatteras, "and his
memory is honored in England."
"Then," resumed the doctor, "the ships of Belcher's squadron began to
return one by one; not all, for Sir Edward had to abandon the
-Assistance- in 1854, as McClure had the -Investigator- in 1853.
Meanwhile Dr. Rae, in a letter dated July 29, 1854, written from
Repulse Bay, gave information that the Esquimaux of King William's
Land had in their possession different objects belonging to the
-Erebus- and -Terror-; then there was no doubt possible about the fate
of the expedition; the -Phoenix-, the -North Star-, and the ship of
Collinson returned to England; there was then no English ship in these
waters. But if the government seemed to have lost all hope, Lady
Franklin did not despair, and with what was left of her fortune she
fitted out the -Fox-, commanded by MacClintock; he set sail in 1857,
wintered about where you made yourself known to us, Captain; he came
to Beechey Island, August 11, 1858; the next winter he passed at
Bellot Sound; in February, 1859, he began his explorations anew; on
the 6th of May he found the document which left no further doubt as to
the fate of the -Erebus- and -Terror-, and returned to England at the
end of the same year. That is a complete account of all that has been
done in these regions during the last fifteen years; and since the
return of the -Fox-, no ship has ventured among these dangerous
waters!"
"Well, we shall try it!" said Hatteras.
CHAPTER XV.
THE FORWARD DRIVEN SOUTHWARD.
Towards evening the weather cleared up, and land was clearly to be
seen between Cape Sepping and Cape Clarence, which juts out to the
east, then to the south, and is connected to the mainland on the west
by a low tongue of land. There was no ice at the entrance of Regent's
Sound; but it was densely massed beyond Leopold Harbor, as if to form
an impassable barrier to the northward progress of the -Forward-.
Hatteras, who, although he carefully concealed his feelings, was
exceedingly annoyed, had to blow out a way with powder in order to
enter Leopold Harbor; he reached it at midday, on Sunday, May 27th;
the brig was securely anchored to the large icebergs, which were as
firm, solid, and hard as rock.
At once the captain, followed by the doctor, Johnson, and his dog
Duke, leaped out upon the ice and soon reached the land. Duke leaped
about with joy; besides, since the captain had made himself known, he
had become very sociable and very gentle, preserving his ill-temper
for some of the crew, whom his master disliked as much as he did.
The harbor was free from the ice which is generally forced there by
the east-wind; the sharp peaks, covered with snow, looked like a
number of white waves. The house and lantern, built by James Ross,
were still in a tolerable state of preservation; but the provisions
appeared to have been eaten by foxes, and even by bears, of which
fresh traces were to be seen; part of the devastation was probably due
to the hand of man, for some ruins of Esquimaux huts were to be seen
on the shores of the bay.
The six tombs, enclosing six sailors of the -Enterprise- and the
-Investigator-, were recognizable by little mounds of earth; they had
been respected by all, by both men and beasts.
On first setting his foot on this northern earth, the doctor was
really agitated; it would not be easy to describe the emotions one
feels at the sight of these ruined houses, tents, huts, supplies,
which nature preserves so perfectly in cold countries.
[Illustration]
"There," said he to his companions,--"there is the spot which James
Ross himself named Camp Refuge! If Franklin's expedition had reached
this spot, it would have been saved. Here is the engine which was
taken out and left here, and the furnace which warmed the crew of the
-Prince Albert- in 1851; everything remains as it was left, and one
might fancy that Kennedy, her captain, had sailed away from here
yesterday. This is the launch that sheltered them for some days, for
Kennedy was separated from his ship, and only saved by Lieutenant
Bellot, who braved the cold of October to join him."
"A brave and excellent officer he was," said Johnson. "I knew him."
While the doctor eagerly sought for traces of previous winterings
there, Hatteras busied himself with collecting the scanty fragments of
fuel and provisions which lay there. The next day was devoted to
carrying them on board ship. The doctor explored the whole
neighborhood, never going too far from the brig, and sketched the most
remarkable views. The weather gradually grew milder; the snow-drifts
began to melt. The doctor made a tolerably large collection of
northern birds, such as gulls, divers, molly-nochtes, and eider-ducks,
which resemble ordinary ducks, with a white back and breast, a blue
belly, the top of the head blue, the rest of the plumage white, shaded
with different tints of green; many of them had already plucked from
their bellies the eider-down, which both the male and the female
devote to lining their nests. The doctor also saw great seals
breathing at the surface of the water, but he was unable to draw one.
[Illustration]
In his wanderings he discovered the stone on which is engraved the
following inscription:--
[E I]
1849,
which marks the passage of the -Enterprise- and -Investigator-; he
pushed on to Cape Clarence, to the spot where, in 1833, John and James
Ross waited so impatiently for the ice to thaw. The earth was covered
with the skulls and bones of animals, and traces of the dwellings of
Esquimaux were to be seen.
[Illustration]
The doctor thought of erecting a cairn at Leopold Harbor, and of
leaving a letter there to indicate the passage of the -Forward- and
the aim of the expedition. But Hatteras formally objected; he did not
wish to leave behind him any traces which might be of use to a rival.
In spite of all he could say, the doctor was obliged to yield to the
captain's will. Shandon was ready enough to blame this obstinacy, for,
in case of accident, no ship could have put out to the aid of the
-Forward-.
Hatteras refused to comply. Having completed his preparations on
Monday, he tried once more to go to the north through the ice, but,
after dangerous efforts, he was obliged to descend again Regent's
Channel; he was utterly averse to remaining at Leopold's Harbor, which
is open one day and closed the next by the unheralded motion of the
ice,--a frequent phenomenon in these seas, and one against which
navigators have to be ever on their guard.
If Hatteras kept his anxiety from the others, he was at heart very
anxious; he wanted to go northward, and he was obliged to retreat to
the south! Where would that bring him? Was he going as far back as
Victoria Harbor in the Gulf of Boothia, where Sir John Ross wintered
in 1833? Should he find Bellot Sound free at this time, and, by going
around North Somerset, could he ascend through Peel Sound? Or should
he, like his predecessors, be caught for many winters, and be obliged
to consume all his supplies and provisions?
These fears tormented him; but he had to decide; he put about and
started for the south.
Prince Regent's Channel is of nearly uniform width from Leopold's
Harbor to Adelaide Bay. The -Forward- went rapidly through the ice,
with better fortune than many other ships, most of which required a
month to descend the channel, even in a better season; it is true that
none of these ships, except the -Fox-, had steam at their command, and
were obliged to do their best against frequent unfavorable winds.
The crew seemed overjoyed at leaving the northern regions; they had
but a slight desire to reach the Pole; they were alarmed at Hatteras's
plans, for his reputation as a fearless man inspired them with but
little confidence. Hatteras tried to make use of every opportunity to
go forward, whatever the consequences might be. And yet in these
parts, to advance is all very well, but one must also maintain his
position and not run the risk of losing it.
The -Forward- went on under full steam; the black smoke whirled in
spirals about the sparkling summits of the icebergs; the weather was
changeable, turning from a dry cold to a snowstorm with inconceivable
rapidity. Since the brig drew but little water, Hatteras hugged the
west shore; he did not want to miss the entrance of Bellot Sound, for
the Gulf of Boothia has no other entrance towards the south than the
slightly known sound of the -Fury- and the -Hecla-; hence the gulf
would be impassable, if Bellot Sound were missed or found
impracticable.
By evening the -Forward- was in sight of Elwin Bay, which was
recognized by its high, steep cliffs; Tuesday morning Batty Bay was
seen, where, on the 10th of September, 1851, the -Prince Albert-
anchored for the winter. The doctor examined the coast with interest
through his glass. From this point started the expeditions which
determined the shape of North Somerset. The weather was clear enough
for them to see the deep ravines surrounding the bay.
The doctor and Johnson were probably the only ones who took any
interest in these deserted countries. Hatteras, always studying his
charts, talked little; his silence increased as the ship drew
southward; he often went upon the quarter-deck, and there he would
remain for hours, with folded arms, gazing absently at the horizon.
His orders, when he gave any, were short and quick. Shandon maintained
a cold silence, and drawing more and more into himself, he had nothing
more to do with Hatteras than was officially required; James Wall
remained devoted to Shandon, and modelled his conduct after that of
his friend. The rest of the crew waited for whatever might turn up,
ready to make the best use of it for their own profit. On board there
was none of the unanimity which is so necessary for the accomplishment
of great things. Hatteras knew this well.
During the day two whalers were seen making toward the south; a white
bear, too, was saluted with a few rifle-shots, but apparently without
success. The captain knew the worth of an hour at that time, and
refused permission to chase the animal.
[Illustration]
Wednesday morning the end of Regent Channel was passed; the angle of
the west coast was followed by a deep curve in the land. On examining
his chart, the doctor recognized Somerset-House Point, or Point Fury.
"There," he said to his usual companion,--"there is where the first
English ship was lost that was sent to these seas in 1815, in Parry's
third voyage; the -Fury- was so much injured by the ice in her second
winter, that the crew were obliged to abandon her and to return to
England in her companion, the -Hecla-."
"A good reason for having another ship," answered Johnson; "that is a
precaution which polar explorers should not neglect; but Captain
Hatteras was not the man to burden himself with a companion!"
"Do you consider him rash, Johnson?" asked the doctor.
"I? O, I don't say anything of the sort, Dr. Clawbonny! But see those
piles there, with fragments of a tent hanging to them."
"Yes, Johnson, it is there Parry unloaded all his ship's supplies,
and, if my memory serves me right, the roof of the hut he built was
made out of a mainsail covered by the running-rigging of the -Fury-."
"That must have changed a good deal since 1825."
"Not so very much. In 1829, John Ross kept his crew safe and sound in
this light building. In 1851, when Prince Albert sent out an
expedition, this hut was still standing; Captain Kennedy repaired it
nine years ago. It would be interesting to visit it, but Hatteras is
unwilling to stop."
"And he is probably right, Dr. Clawbonny; if in England time is money,
here it is safety, and for the delay of a day, of an hour even, the
whole voyage might be rendered useless. We must let him do as he
pleases."
On Thursday, June 1st, the -Forward- sailed diagonally across Creswell
Bay; from Point Fury the coast rises in steep rocks three hundred feet
high; towards the south, it is lower; a few snowy summits are to be
seen, of a regular shape, while others, more fantastic, were hidden in
the clouds.
During that day the weather grew milder, but cloudier; they lost sight
of land; the thermometer rose to 32°; a few water-quail were to be
seen, and flocks of wild geese flew toward the north; the crew laid
aside some of their thick clothes; they began to be aware of the
approach of summer in the arctic regions.
Toward evening the -Forward- doubled Cape Garry, a quarter of a mile
from the shore. The lead marked ten to twelve fathoms, and they bore
along the shore to Brentford Bay. In this latitude they were to find
Bellot Sound, a sound which entirely escaped the notice of Sir John
Ross in his expedition of 1828; his charts indicated an unbroken
coast-line, with the least irregularities indicated with the utmost
care; hence it is to be supposed that when he passed by the entrance
of the sound, it was completely closed with ice and so could not be
distinguished from the land.
This sound was really discovered by Captain Kennedy in an excursion
made in April, 1852; he named it after Lieutenant Bellot, as "a just
tribute," as he said, "to the important services rendered to our
expedition by the French officer."
CHAPTER XVI.
THE MAGNETIC POLE.
As Hatteras drew near this sound he felt his anxiety redoubling; in
fact, the success of his expedition was at stake; so far he had done
nothing more than his predecessors, the most successful of whom,
MacClintock, had consumed fifteen months in reaching this spot; but
that was little, indeed nothing, if he could not make Bellot Sound;
being unable to return, he would be kept a prisoner until the next
year.
Hence he took upon himself the care of examining the coast; he went up
to the lookout, and on Saturday passed many hours there.
The crew were all acquainted with the situation of the ship; an
unbroken silence reigned on board; the engine was slackened; the
-Forward- ran as near shore as possible; the coast was lined with ice
which the warmest summers could not melt; a practised eye was needed
to make out an entrance through them.
Hatteras was comparing his charts with the coast-line. The sun having
appeared for a moment at noon, Shandon and Wall took an observation,
the result of which was at once told him.
There was half a day of anxiety for all. But suddenly, at about two
o'clock, these words were shouted from aloft,--
"Head to the west, and put on all steam."
The brig obeyed at once, turning to the point directed; the screw
churned the water, and the -Forward- plunged under a full head of
steam between two swiftly running ice-streams.
The path was found; Hatteras came down to the quarter-deck, and the
ice-master went aloft.
"Well, Captain," said the doctor, "we have entered this famous sound
at last!"
"Yes," answered Hatteras; "but entering is not all, we have got to get
out of it too."
And with these words he went to his cabin.
"He is right," thought the doctor; "we are in a sort of trap, without
much space to turn about in, and if we had to winter here!--well, we
shouldn't be the first to do it, and where others lived through it,
there is no reason why we should not!"
The doctor was right. It was at this very place, in a little sheltered
harbor called Port Kennedy by MacClintock himself, that the -Fox-
wintered in 1858. At that moment it was easy to recognize the lofty
granite chains, and the steep beaches on each side.
Bellot Sound, a mile broad and seventeen long, with a current running
six or seven knots, is enclosed by mountains of an estimated height of
sixteen hundred feet; it separates North Somerset from Boothia; it is
easy to see that there is not too much sailing room there. The
-Forward- advanced carefully, but still she advanced; tempests are
frequent in this narrow pass, and the brig did not escape their usual
violence; by Hatteras's orders, all the topsail-yards were lowered,
and the topmasts also; in spite of everything the ship labored
fearfully; the heavy seas kept the deck continually deluged with
water; the smoke flew eastward with inconceivable rapidity; they went
on almost at haphazard through the floating ice; the barometer fell to
29°; it was hard to stay on deck, so most of the men were kept below
to spare them unnecessary exposure.
Hatteras, Johnson, and Shandon remained on the quarter-deck, in spite
of the whirlwinds of snow and rain; and the doctor, who had just asked
himself what was the most disagreeable thing to be done at that time,
soon joined them there; they could not hear, and hardly could they
see, one another; so he kept his thoughts to himself.
[Illustration]
Hatteras tried to pierce the dense cloud of mist, for, according to
his calculation, they should be through the strait at six o'clock of
the evening. At that time exit seemed closed, and Hatteras was obliged
to stop and anchor to an iceberg; but steam was kept up all night.
The weather was terrible. Every moment the -Forward- threatened to
snap her cables; there was danger, too, lest the mountain should be
driven by the wind and crush the brig. The officers kept on the alert,
owing to their extreme anxiety; besides the snow, large lumps of
frozen spray were blown about by the hurricane like sharp arrows.
The temperature arose strangely in that terrible night; the
thermometer marked 57°; and the doctor, to his great surprise, thought
he noticed some flashes of lightning followed by distant thunder. This
seemed to corroborate the testimony of Scoresby, who noticed the same
phenomenon above latitude 65°. Captain Parry also observed it in 1821.
Towards five o'clock in the morning the weather changed with singular
rapidity; the temperature fell to the freezing-point; the wind shifted
to the north and grew quiet. The western opening of the strait could
be seen, but it was entirely closed. Hatteras gazed anxiously at the
coast, asking himself if there really were any exit.
Nevertheless, the brig put out slowly into the ice-streams, while the
ice crushed noisily against her bows; the packs at this time were six
or seven feet thick; it was necessary carefully to avoid them, for if
the ship should try to withstand them, it ran the risk of being lifted
half out of the water and cast on her beam-ends.
At noon, for the first time, a magnificent solar phenomenon could be
observed, a halo with two parhelions; the doctor observed it, and took
its exact dimensions; the exterior arc was only visible for about
thirty degrees each side of the horizontal diameter; the two images of
the sun were remarkably clear; the colors within the luminous area
were, going toward the outside, red, yellow, green, faint blue, and
last of all white, gently fading away, without any sharp line of
termination.
[Illustration]
The doctor remembered Thomas Young's ingenious theory about these
meteors; he supposed that certain clouds composed of prisms of ice are
hanging in the air; the sun's rays falling on these prisms are
refracted at angles of sixty and ninety degrees. The halos can only be
formed in a clear sky. The doctor thought this an ingenious
explanation.
Sailors, who are familiar with northern seas, consider this phenomenon
a forerunner of heavy snow. If this should be the case, the position
of the -Forward- was very critical. Hence Hatteras resolved to push
on; during the rest of that day and the next night he took no rest,
but examined the horizon through his glass, entering every inlet, and
losing no opportunity to get out of the strait.
But in the morning he was compelled to stop before the impenetrable
ice. The doctor joined him on the quarter-deck. Hatteras led him clear
aft where they could talk without fear of being overheard.
"We are caught," said Hatteras. "It's impossible to go on."
"Impossible?" said the doctor.
"Impossible! All the powder on board the -Forward- would not open a
quarter of a mile to us."
"What are we to do?" asked the doctor.
"I don't know. Curse this unlucky year!"
"Well, Captain, if we must go into winter-quarters, we'll do it. As
well here as anywhere else!"
"Of course," said Hatteras in a low voice, "but we ought not to be
going into winter-quarters, especially in the month of June. It is
demoralizing, and bad for the health. The spirits of the crew are soon
cast down during this long rest among real sufferings. So I had made
up my mind to winter at a latitude nearer the Pole."
"Yes, but, unluckily, Baffin's Bay was closed."
"Any one else would have found it open," cried Hatteras; "that
American, that--"
"Come, Hatteras," said the doctor, purposely interrupting him, "it's
now only the 5th of June; we should not despair; a path may open
before us suddenly; you know the ice often breaks into separate
pieces, even when the weather is calm, as if it were driven apart by
some force of repulsion; at any moment we may find the sea free."
"Well, if that happens, we shall take advantage of it. It is not
impossible that beyond Bellot Strait we might get northward through
Peel Sound or MacClintock Channel, and then--"
"Captain," said James Wall, approaching, "the ice threatens to tear
away the rudder."
"Well," answered Hatteras, "never mind; I sha'n't unship it; I want to
be ready at any hour, day or night. Take every precaution, Mr. Wall,
and keep the ice off; but don't unship it, you understand."
"But--" began Wall.
"I don't care to hear any remarks, sir," said Hatteras, severely.
"Go!"
Wall returned to his post.
"Ah!" said Hatteras, angrily, "I would give five years of my life to
be farther north! I don't know any more dangerous place; and besides,
we are so near the magnetic pole that the compass is of no use; the
needle is inactive, or always shifting its direction."
"I confess," said the doctor, "that it is not plain sailing; but
still, those who undertook it were prepared for such dangers, and
there is no need to be surprised."
"Ah, Doctor! the crew has changed very much, and you have seen that
the officers have begun to make remarks. The high pay offered the
sailors induced them to ship; but they have their bad side, for as
soon as they are off they are anxious to get back. Doctor, I have no
encouragement in my undertaking, and if I fail, it won't be the fault
of such or such a sailor, but of the ill-will of certain officers. Ah,
they'll pay dearly for it!"
"You are exaggerating, Hatteras."
"Not at all! Do you fancy the crew are sorry for the obstacles we are
meeting? On the contrary, they hope I shall be compelled to abandon my
plans. So they do not murmur, and when the -Forward- is headed for the
south, it will be the same thing. Fools! They imagine they are
returning to England! But when I'm turned towards the north, you will
see a difference! I swear solemnly that no living being shall make me
swerve from my course! Give me a passage, an opening through which my
brig can go, and I shall take it, if I have to leave half her
sheathing behind!"
The desires of the captain were destined to be satisfied in a measure.
As the doctor had foretold, there was a sudden change in the evening;
under some influence of the wind, the ice-fields separated; the
-Forward- pushed on boldly, breaking the ice with her steel prow; all
the night they advanced, and towards six o'clock they were clear of
Bellot Strait.
But great was Hatteras's anger at finding the way to the north closed!
He was able to hide his despair; and as if the only open path were the
one of his choice, he turned the -Forward- towards Franklin Sound.
Being unable to go up Peel Sound, he determined to go around Prince of
Wales Land, to reach MacClintock Channel. But he knew that Shandon and
Wall could not be deceived, and were conscious of the failure of his
hopes.
Nothing especial happened on the 6th of June; snow fell, and the
prophecy of the halo came true.
For thirty-six hours the -Forward- followed the sinuosities of the
coast of Boothia, without reaching Prince of Wales Land. Hatteras put
on all steam, burning his coal extravagantly; he still intended to get
further supplies on Beechey Island; on Thursday he arrived at Franklin
Sound, and he still found the way northward impassable.
His position was a desperate one; he could not return; the ice pushed
him onward, and he saw his path forever closing behind him, as if
there were no open sea where he had passed but an hour before.
Hence, not only was the -Forward- unable to go toward the north, but
she could not stop for a moment lest she should be imprisoned, and she
fled before the ice like a ship before a storm.
Friday, June 7th, she arrived near the coast of Boothia, at the
entrance of James Ross Sound, which had to be avoided because its only
exit is to the west, close to the shore of America.
The observations taken at noon showed them to be in latitude 70° 5'
17", and longitude 96° 46' 45"; when the doctor heard this he examined
his chart, and found that they were at the magnetic pole, at the very
point where James Ross, the nephew of Sir John, came to determine its
situation.
The land was low near the coast, and it rose only about sixty feet at
the distance of a mile from the sea.
The boiler of the -Forward- needed cleaning; the captain anchored his
ship to a field of ice, and gave the doctor leave to go ashore with
the boatswain. For himself, being indifferent to everything outside of
his own plans, he shut himself up in his cabin, and studied the chart
of the Pole.
The doctor and his companion easily reached land; the first-named
carried a compass for his experiments; he wanted to test the work of
James Ross; he easily made out the mound of stones erected by him; he
ran towards it; an opening in the cairn let him see a tin box in which
James Ross had placed an account of his discovery. No living being had
visited this lonely spot for thirty years.
At this place a needle suspended as delicately as possible assumed a
nearly vertical position under the magnetic influence; hence the
centre of attraction was near, if not immediately beneath, the needle.
[Illustration]
The doctor made the experiment with all care. But if James Ross, owing
to the imperfection of his instruments, found a declination of only
89° 50', the real magnetic point is found within a minute of this
spot. Dr. Clawbonny was more fortunate, and at a little distance from
there he found a declination of 90°.
"This is exactly the magnetic pole of the earth!" he cried, stamping
on the ground.
"Just here?" asked Johnson.
"Precisely here, my friend!"
"Well, then," resumed the boatswain, "we must give up all the stories
of a magnetic mountain or large mass."
"Yes, Johnson," answered the doctor, laughing, "those are empty
hypotheses! As you see, there is no mountain capable of attracting
ships, of drawing their iron from them anchor after anchor, bolt after
bolt! and your shoes here are as light as anywhere in the world."
"But how do you explain--"
"There is no explanation, Johnson; we are not wise enough for that.
But what is mathematically certain is that the magnetic pole is at
this very spot!"
"Ah, Dr. Clawbonny, how glad the captain would be to say as much of
the North Pole!"
"He'll say it, Johnson; he'll say it!"
"God grant it!" was the answer.
The doctor and his companion raised a cairn at the spot where they
tried their experiment, and the signal for their return being made,
they returned to the ship at five o'clock of the evening.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE FATE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.
The -Forward- succeeded, though not without difficulty, in getting by
James Ross Sound, by frequent use of the ice-saws and gunpowder; the
crew was very much fatigued. Fortunately the temperature was
agreeable, and even thirty degrees above what James Ross found at the
same time of year. The thermometer marked 34°.
Saturday they doubled Cape Felix at the northern end of King William's
Land, one of the smaller islands of northern seas.
At that time the crew became very much depressed; they gazed wistfully
and sadly at its far-stretching shores.
In fact, they were gazing at King William's Land, the scene of one of
the saddest tragedies of modern times! Only a few miles to the west
the -Erebus- and -Terror- were lost.
The sailors of the -Forward- were familiar with the attempts made to
find Franklin, and the result they had obtained, but they did not know
all the sad details. Now, while the doctor was following on his chart
the course of the ship, many of them, Bell, Bolton, and Simpson, drew
near him and began to talk with him. Soon the others followed to
satisfy their curiosity; meanwhile the brig was advancing rapidly, and
the bays, capes, and promontories of the coast passed before their
gaze like a gigantic panorama.
[Illustration]
Hatteras was pacing nervously to and fro on the quarter-deck; the
doctor found himself on the bridge, surrounded by the men of the crew;
he readily understood the interest of the situation, and the
impression that would be made by an account given under those
circumstances, hence he resumed the talk he had begun with Johnson.
"You know, my friends, how Franklin began: like Cook and Nelson, he
was first a cabin-boy; after spending his youth in long sea-voyages,
he made up his mind, in 1845, to seek the Northwest Passage; he
commanded the -Erebus- and the -Terror-, two stanch vessels, which had
visited the antarctic seas in 1840, under the command of James Ross.
The -Erebus-, in which Franklin sailed, carried a crew of seventy men,
all told, with Fitz-James as captain; Gore and Le Vesconte,
lieutenants; Des Voeux, Sargent, and Couch, boatswains; and Stanley,
surgeon. The -Terror- carried sixty-eight men. Crozier was the
captain; the lieutenants were Little, Hodgson, and Irving; boatswains,
Horesby and Thomas; the surgeon, Peddie. In the names of the bays,
capes, straits, promontories, channels, and islands of these latitudes
you find memorials of most of these unlucky men, of whom not one has
ever again seen his home! In all one hundred and thirty-eight men! We
know that the last of Franklin's letters were written from Disco
Island, and dated July 12, 1845. He said, 'I hope to set sail to-night
for Lancaster Sound.' What followed his departure from Disco Bay? The
captains of the whalers, the -Prince of Wales- and the -Enterprise-,
saw these two ships for the last time in Melville Bay, and nothing
more was heard of them. Still we can follow Franklin in his course
westward; he went through Lancaster and Barrow Sounds and reached
Beechey Island, where he passed the winter of 1845-46."
"But how is this known?" asked Bell, the carpenter.
"By three tombs which the Austin expedition found there in 1850. Three
of Franklin's sailors had been buried there; and, moreover, by a paper
found by Lieutenant Hobson of the -Fox-, dated April 25, 1848. We know
also that, after leaving winter-quarters, the -Erebus- and -Terror-
ascended Wellington Channel as far as latitude 77°; but instead of
pushing to the north, which they doubtless found impossible, they
returned towards the south--"
"And that was a fatal mistake!" uttered a grave voice. "Safety lay to
the north."
Every one turned round. It was Hatteras, who, leaning on the rail of
the quarter-deck, had just made that solemn remark.
"Without doubt," resumed the doctor, "Franklin intended to make his
way to the American shore; but tempests beset him, and September 12,
1846, the two ships were caught in the ice, a few miles from here, to
the northwest of Cape Felix; they were carried to the north-northwest
of Point Victory; there," said the doctor, pointing out to the sea.
"Now," he added, "the ships were not abandoned till April 22, 1848.
What happened during these nineteen months? What did these poor men
do? Doubtless they explored the surrounding lands, made every effort
to escape, for the admiral was an energetic man; and if he did not
succeed--"
"It's because his men betrayed him," said Hatteras in a deep voice.
The sailors did not dare to lift their eyes; these words made them
feel abashed.
"To be brief, this paper, of which I spoke, tells us, besides, that
Sir John Franklin died, worn out by his sufferings, June 11, 1847. All
honor to his memory!" said the doctor, removing his hat.
The men did the same in silence.
"What became of these poor men, deprived of their leader, during the
next ten months? They remained on board of their ships, and it was not
till April, 1848, that they made up their mind to abandon them; one
hundred and five men survived out of the hundred and thirty-eight.
Thirty-three had died! Then Captains Crozier and Fitz-James erected a
cairn at Point Victory, and left their last paper there. See, my
friends, we are passing by that point. You can see traces of the
cairn, placed, so to speak, at the farthest point reached by John Ross
in 1831! There is Cape Jane Franklin! There Point Franklin! There
Point Le Vesconte! There Erebus Bay, where the launch, made of pieces
of one of the ships, was found on a sledge! There were found silver
spoons, plenty of food, chocolate, tea, and religious books. The
hundred and five survivors, under the command of Captain Crozier, set
out for Great Fish River. How far did they get? Did they reach
Hudson's Bay? Have any survived? What became of them after that?--"
"I will tell you what became of them," said John Hatteras in an
energetic voice. "Yes, they tried to reach Hudson's Bay, and separated
into several parties. They took the road to the south. In 1854 a
letter from Dr. Rae states that in 1850 the Esquimaux had met in King
William's Land a detachment of forty men, chasing sea-cows, travelling
on the ice, dragging a boat along with them, thin, pale, and worn out
with suffering and fatigue. Later, they discovered thirty corpses on
the mainland and five on a neighboring island, some half buried,
others left without burial; some lying beneath an overturned boat,
others under the ruins of a tent; here lay an officer with his glass
swung around his shoulder, and his loaded gun near him; farther on
were kettles with the remains of a horrible meal. At this news, the
Admiralty urged the Hudson's Bay Company to send its most skilful
agents to this place. They descended Black River to its mouth. They
visited Montreal and Maconochie Islands, and Point Ogle. In vain! All
these poor fellows had died of misery, suffering, and starvation,
after trying to prolong their lives by having recourse to cannibalism.
That is what became of them along their way towards the south, which
was lined with their mutilated bodies. Well, do you want to follow
their path?"
[Illustration: "All these poor fellows had died of misery, suffering,
and starvation."]
Hatteras's ringing voice, passionate gestures, and glowing face
produced an indescribable effect. The crew, moved by the sight of
these ill-omened lands, cried with one voice,--
"To the north! to the north!"
"Well, to the north! Safety and glory await us there at the north!
Heaven is declaring for us! The wind is changing! The passage is free!
Prepare to go about!"
The sailors hastened to their places; the ice-streams grew slowly
free; the -Forward- went about rapidly, and ran under full steam
towards MacClintock's Channel.
Hatteras was justified in counting on a freer sea; on his way he
retraced the probable path of Franklin; he went along the eastern side
of Prince of Wales Land, which is clearly defined, while the other
shore is still unknown. Evidently the clearing away of the ice towards
the south took place through the eastern strait, for it appeared
perfectly clear; so the -Forward- was able to make up for lost time;
she was put under full steam, so that the 14th they passed Osborne
Bay, and the farthest points reached by the expeditions of 1851. There
was still a great deal of ice about them, but there was every
indication that the -Forward- would have clear sailing-way before her.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE WAY NORTHWARD.
The crew seemed to have returned to their habits of discipline and
obedience. Their duties were slight and infrequent, so that they had
plenty of leisure. The temperature never fell below the
freezing-point, and the thaw removed the greatest obstacles from their
path.
Duke had made friends with Dr. Clawbonny. They got on admirably
together. But as in friendship one friend is always sacrificed to the
other, it must be said that the doctor was not the other. Duke did
with him whatever he pleased. The doctor obeyed him as a dog obeys his
master. Moreover, Duke conducted himself very amicably with most of
the officers and sailors; only, instinctively doubtless, he avoided
Shandon; he had, too, a grudge against Pen and Foker; his hatred for
them manifested itself in low growls when they came near him. They,
for their part, did not dare attack the captain's dog, "his familiar
spirit," as Clifton called him.
In a word, the crew had taken courage again.
[Illustration]
"It seems to me," said James Wall one day to Richard Shandon, "that
the men took the captain's words for earnest; they seem to be sure of
success."
"They are mistaken," answered Shandon; "if they would only reflect,
and consider our condition, they would see we are simply going from
one imprudence to another."
"Still," resumed Wall, "we are in a more open sea; we are going along
a well-known route; don't you exaggerate somewhat, Shandon?"
"Not a bit, Wall; the hate and jealousy, if you please, with which
Hatteras inspires me, don't blind my eyes. Say, have you seen the
coal-bunkers lately?"
"No," answered Wall.
"Well! go below, and you'll see how near we are to the end of our
supply. By right, we ought to be going under sail, and only starting
our engine to make headway against currents or contrary winds; our
fuel ought to be burned only with the strictest economy, for who can
say where and for how long we may be detained? But Hatteras is pushed
by this mania of going forward, of reaching the inaccessible Pole, and
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