would disappear--that is to say, the colonists would lose a good many
square miles of their domain. On this account Hobson warned every one
not to wander far, as a rough sea would be enough to bring about the
dreaded catastrophe.
Soundings were, however, taken, in several places with a view to
ascertaining where the ice was thickest, and it was found that, near
Cape Bathurst, not only was the layer of earth and sand of greater
extent--which was of little importance--but the crust of ice was
thicker than anywhere else. This was a most fortunate circumstance,
and the holes made in sounding were kept open, so that the amount of
diminution in the base of the island could be estimated every day. This
diminution was slow but sure, and, making allowance for the unfortunate
fact that the island was drifting into warmer waters, it was decided
that it was impossible for it to last another three weeks.
The next week, from the 19th to the 25th May, the weather was very bad.
A fearful storm broke over the island, accompanied by flash after
flash of lightning and peals of thunder. The sea rose high, lashed by
a powerful north-west wind, and its waves broke over the doomed island,
making it tremble ominously. The little colony were on the watch, ready
on an emergency to embark in the raft, the scaffolding of which was
nearly finished, and some provisions and fresh water were taken on
board.
Rain heavy enough to penetrate to the ice-crust fell in large quantities
during this storm, and melted it in many places. On the slopes of some
of the hills the earth was washed away, leaving the white foundations
bare. These ravines were hastily filled up with soil to protect the ice
from the action of the warm air and rain, and but for this precaution
the soil would have been everywhere perforated.
Great havoc was caused amongst the woods by this storm; the earth and
sand were washed away from the roots of the trees, which fell in large
numbers. In a single night the aspect of the country between the lake
and the former Port Barnett was completely changed. A few groups of
birch trees and thickets of firs alone remained--a fact significant of
approaching decomposition, which no human skill could prevent! Every one
knew and felt that the ephemeral inland was gradually succumbing--every
one, except perhaps Thomas Black, who was still gloomily indifferent to
all that was going on.
On the 23d of May, during the storm, the hunter Sabine left the house in
the thick fog, and was nearly drowned in a large hole which had opened
during the night on the site formerly occupied by the principal house of
the factory.
Hitherto, as we are aware, the house, three quarters submerged, and
buried beneath a mass of earth and sand, had remained fixed in the
ice-crust beneath the island; but now the sea had evidently enlarged the
crevasse, and the house with all it contained had sunk to rise no more.
Earth and sand were pouring through this fissure, at the bottom of which
surged the tempest-tossed waves
Sabine’s comrades, hearing his cries, rushed to his assistance, and
were just in time to save him as he was still clinging to the slippery
walls of the abyss. He escaped with a ducking which might have had
tragic consequences.
A little later the beams and planks of the house, which had slid under
the island, were seen floating about in the offing like the spars of a
wrecked vessel. This was the worst evil the storm had wrought, and would
compromise the solidity of the island yet more, as the waves would now
eat away the ice all round the crevasse.
In the course of the 25th May, the wind veered to the north-east,
and although it blew strongly, it was no longer a hurricane; the rain
ceased, and the sea became calmer. After a quiet night the sun rose
upon the desolate scene, the Lieutenant was able to take the bearings
accurately, and obtained the following result:--
At noon on the 25th May, Victoria Island was in latitude 56° 13’, and
longitude 170° 23’.
It had therefore advanced at great speed, having drifted nearly eight
hundred miles since the breaking up of the ice set it free in Behring
Strait two months before.
This great speed made the Lieutenant once more entertain a slight hope.
He pointed out the Aleutian Islands on the map to his comrades, and
said--
“Look at these islands; they are not now two hundred miles from us,
and we may reach them in eight days.”
“Eight days!” repeated Long, shaking his head; “eight days is a
long time.”
“I must add,” continued Hobson, “that if our island had followed
the hundred and sixty-eighth meridian, it would already have reached
the parallel of these islands, but in consequence of a deviation of the
Behring current, it is bearing in a south-westerly direction.”
The Lieutenant was right, the current seemed likely to drag the island
away from all land, even out of sight of the Aleutian Islands, which
only extend as far as the hundred and seventieth meridian.
Mrs Barnett examined the map in silence. She saw the pencil-mark which
denoted the exact spot then occupied by the island.
The map was made on a large scale, and the point representing the island
looked but a speck upon the vast expanse of the Behring Sea. She traced
back the route by which the island had come to its present position,
marvelling at the fatality, or rather the immutable law, by which the
currents which had borne it along had avoided all land, sheering
clear of islands, and never touching either continent; and she saw
the boundless Pacific Ocean, towards which she and all with her were
hurrying.
She mused long upon this melancholy subject, and at last exclaimed
suddenly--
“Could not the course of the island be controlled? Eight days at this
pace would bring us to the last island of the Aleutian group.”
“Those eight days are in the hands of God,” replied Lieutenant
Hobson gravely; “we can exercise no control upon them. Help can only
come to us from above; there is nothing left for us to try.”
“I know, I know!” said Mrs Barnett; “but Heaven helps those who
help themselves. Is there really nothing we can do?”
Hobson shook his head doubtfully. His only hope was in the raft, and he
was undecided whether to embark every one on it at once, contrive some
sort of a sail with clothes, &c., and try to reach the nearest land, or
to wait yet a little longer.
He consulted Sergeant Long, Mac-Nab, Rae, Marbre, and Sabine, in whom he
had great confidence, and all agreed that it would be unwise to abandon
the island before they were obliged. The raft, constantly swept as it
would be by the waves, could only be a last resource, and would not move
at half the pace of the island, still driven towards the south by the
remains of the ice-wall. The wind generally blew from the east, and
would be likely to drift the raft out into the offing away from all
land. They must still wait then, always wait; for the island was
drifting rapidly towards the Aleutians. When they really approached the
group they would be able to see what it would be best to do.
This was certainly the wisest course to take. In eight days, if the
present speed were maintained, the island would either stop at the
southern boundary of Behring Sea, or be dragged to the south west to the
waters of the Pacific Ocean, where certain destruction awaited it.
But the adverse fate which seemed all along to have followed the hapless
colonists had yet another blow in store for them: the speed on which
they counted was now to fail them, as everything else had done.
During the night of the 26th May, the orientation of the island changed
once more; and this time the results of the displacement were extremely
serious. The island turned half round, and the icebergs still remaining
of the huge ice-wall, which had shut in the northern horizon, were now
on the south.
In the morning the shipwrecked travellers--what name could be more
appropriate?--saw the sun rise above Cape Esquimaux instead of above
Port Barnett.
Hardly a hundred yards off rose the icebergs, rapidly melting, but still
of a considerable size, which till then had driven the island before
them. The southern horizon was now partly shut in by them.
What would be the consequences of this fresh change of position? Would
not the icebergs now float away from the island, with which they were no
longer connected?
All were oppressed with a presentiment of some new misfortune, and
understood only too well what Kellet meant when he exclaimed--
“This evening we shall have lost our screw!’“
By this Kellet meant that the icebergs, being before instead of behind
the island, would soon leave it, and as it was they which imparted to
it its rapid motion, in consequence of their very great draught of
water--their volume being six or seven feet below the sea level for
every one above--they would now go on without it, impelled by the
submarine current, whilst Victoria Island, not deep enough in the water
to come under the influence of the current, would be left floating
helplessly on the waves.
Yes! Kellet was right; the island would then be like a vessel with
disabled masts and a broken screw.
No one answered the soldier’s remark, and a quarter of an hour had
not elapsed before a loud cracking sound was heard. The summits of
the icebergs trembled, large masses broke away, and the icebergs,
irresistibly drawn along by the submarine current, drifted rapidly to
the south.
CHAPTER XXI. THE ISLAND BECOMES AN ISLET. Three hours later the last
relics of the ice-wall had disappeared, proving that the island now
remained stationary, and that all the force of the current was deep down
below the waves, not on the surface of the sea.
The bearings were taken at noon with the greatest care and twenty-four
hours later it was found that Victoria Island had not advanced one mile.
The only remaining hope was that some vessel should sight the poor
shipwrecked creatures, either whilst still on the island, or after they
had taken to their raft.
The island was now in 54° 33’ latitude, and 177° 19’ longitude,
several hundred miles from the nearest land, namely, the Aleutian
Islands.
Hobson once more called his comrades together, and asked them what they
thought it would be best to do.
All agreed that they should remain on the island until it broke up, as
it was too large to be affected by the state of the sea, and only take
to the raft when the dissolution actually commenced. Once on the frail
vessel, they must wait.
Still wait!
The raft was now finished. Mac-Nab had made one large shed or cabin big
enough to hold every one, and to afford some little shelter from the
weather. A mast had been prepared, which could be put up if necessary,
and the sails intended for the boat had long been ready. The whole
structure was strong, although clumsy; and if the wind were favourable,
and the sea not too rough, this rude assortment of planks and timbers
might save the lives of the whole party.
“Nothing,” observed Mrs Barnett,--”nothing is impossible to Him
who rules the winds and waves.”
Hobson carefully looked over the stores of provisions. The reserves had
been much damaged by the avalanche, but there were plenty of animals
still on the island, and the abundant shrubs and mosses supplied them
with food. A few reindeer and hares were slaughtered by the hunters, and
their flesh salted for future needs.
The health of the colonists was on the whole good. They had suffered
little in the preceding mild winter, and all the mental trials they
had gone through had not affected their physical well-being. They were,
however, looking forward with something of a shrinking horror to the
moment when they would have to abandon their island home, or, to speak
more correctly, when it abandoned them. It was no wonder that they did
not like the thought of floating on the ocean in a rude structure of
wood subject to all the caprices of winds and waves. Even in tolerably
fine weather seas would be shipped and every one constantly drenched
with saltwater. Moreover, it must be remembered that the men were none
of them sailors, accustomed to navigation, and ready to risk their lives
on a few planks, but soldiers, trained for service on land. Their island
was fragile, it is true, and rested on a thin crust of ice; but then it
was covered with a productive soil, trees and shrubs flourished upon it,
its huge bulk rendered it insensible to the motion of the waves, and
it might have been supposed to be stationary. They had, in fact, become
attached to Victoria Island, on which they had lived nearly two years;
every inch of the ground had become familiar to them; they had tilled
the soil, and had come safely through so many perils in their wandering
home, that in leaving it they felt as if they were parting from an old
and sorely-tried friend.
Hobson fully sympathised with the feelings of his men, and understood
their repugnance to embarking on the raft; but then he also knew that
the catastrophe could not now be deferred much longer, and ominous
symptoms already gave warning of its rapid approach.
We will now describe this raft. It was thirty feet square, and its deck
rose two feet above the water. Its bulwarks would therefore keep out the
small but not the large waves. In the centre the carpenter had built a
regular deck-house, which would hold some twenty people. Round it were
large lockers for the provisions and water-casks, all firmly fixed to
the deck with iron bolts. The mast, thirty feet high, was fastened to
the deck-house, and strengthened with stays attached to the corners
of the raft. This mast was to have a square sail, which would only be
useful when the wind was aft. A sort of rudder was fixed to this rough
structure, the fittings of which were necessarily incomplete.
Such was the raft constructed by the head carpenter, on which twenty-one
persons were to embark. It was floating peacefully on the little lake,
strongly moored to the shore.
It was certainly constructed with more care than if it had been put
together in haste on a vessel at sea doomed to immediate destruction. It
was stronger and better fitted up; but, after all, it was but a raft.
On the 1st June a new incident occurred. Hope, one of the soldiers, went
to fetch some water from the lake for culinary purposes, and when Mrs
Joliffe tasted it, she found that it was salt. She called Hope, and said
she wanted fresh, not salt water.
The man replied that he had brought it from the lake as usual, and as he
and Mrs Joliffe were disputing about it, the Lieutenant happened to come
in. Hearing Hope’s repeated [asertions] assertions that he had fetched
the water from the lake, he turned pale and hurried to the lagoon.
The waters were quite salt; the bottom of the lake had evidently given
way, and the sea had flowed in.
The fact quickly became known, and every one was seized with a terrible
dread.
“No more fresh water!” exclaimed all the poor creatures together.
Lake Barnett had in fact disappeared, as Paulina River had done before.
Lieutenant Hobson hastened to reassure his comrades about drinkable
water.
“There will be plenty of ice, my friends,” he said. “We can always
melt a piece of our island, and,” he added, with a ghastly attempt at
a smile, “I don’t suppose we shall drink it all.”
It is, in fact, well known that salt separates from sea-water
in freezing and evaporation. A few blocks of ice were therefore
“disinterred,” if we may so express it, and melted for daily use,
and to fill the casks on board the raft.
It would not do, however, to neglect this fresh warning given by nature.
The invasion of the lake by the sea proved that the base of the island
was rapidly melting. At any moment the ground might give way, and Hobson
forbade his men to leave the factory, as they might be drifted away
before they were aware of it.
The animals seemed more keenly alive than ever to approaching danger;
they gathered yet more closely round the firmer part, and after the
disappearance of the fresh water lake, they came to lick the blocks of
ice. They were all uneasy, and some seemed to be seized with madness,
especially the wolves, who rushed wildly towards the factory, and
dashed away again howling piteously. The furred animals remained huddled
together round the large well where the principal house had formerly
stood. There were several hundreds of them, of different species,
and the solitary bear roamed backwards and forwards, showing no more
hostility to the quadrupeds than to men.
The number of birds, which had hitherto been considerable, now
decreased. During the last few days all those capable of long-sustained
flight--such as swans, &c, migrated towards the Aleutian Islands in the
south, where they would find a sure refuge. This significant and ominous
fact was noticed by Mrs Barnett and Madge, who were walking together on
the beach.
“There is plenty of food for these birds on the island,” observed
Mrs Barnett, “and yet they leave it--they have a good reason, no
doubt.”
“Yes,” replied Madge; “their instinct of self-preservation makes
them take flight, and they give us a warning by which we ought to
profit. The animals also appear more uneasy than usual.”
Hobson now decided to take the greater part of the provisions and all
the camping apparatus on board the raft, and when that was done, to
embark with the whole party.
The sea was, however, very rough, and the waters of the former
lake--now a kind of Mediterranean in miniature--were greatly agitated.
The waves, confined in the narrow space, dashed mountains high, and
broke violently upon the steep banks. The raft tossed up and down, and
shipped sea after sea. The embarkation of provisions, &c., had to be put
off.
Every one wished to pass one more quiet night on land, and Hobson
yielded against his better judgment, determined, if it were calmer the
next day, to proceed with the embarkation.
The night was more peaceful than had been expected; the wind went down,
and the sea became calmer; it had but been swept by one of those sudden
and brief hurricanes peculiar to these latitudes.
At eight o’clock in the evening the tumult ceased, and a slight
surface agitation of the waters of lake and sea alone remained.
It was some slight comfort that the island would not now be broken up
suddenly, as it must have done had the storm continued. Its dissolution
was, of course, still close at hand, but would not, it was hoped, be
sudden and abrupt.
The storm was succeeded by a slight fog, which seemed likely to thicken
during the night. It came from the north, and owing to the changed
position of the island, would probably cover the greater part of it.
Before going to bed, Hobson went down and examined the moorings of the
raft, which were fastened to some strong birch-trees. To make security
doubly sure, he tightened them, and the worst that could now happen
would be, that the raft would drift out on to the lagoon, which was not
large enough to be lost upon it.
CHAPTER XXII. THE FOUR FOLLOWING DAYS. The night was calm, and in the
morning the Lieutenant resolved to order the embarkation of everything
and everybody that very day. He, therefore, went down to the lake to
look at the raft.
The fog was still thick, but the sunbeams were beginning to struggle
through it. The clouds had been swept away by the hurricane of the
preceding day, and it seemed likely to be hot.
When Hobson reached the banks of the lake, the fog was still too dense
for him to make out anything on its surface, and he was waiting for it
to clear away, when he was joined by Mrs Barnett, Madge, and several
others.
The fog gradually cleared off, drawing back to the end of the lake, but
the raft was nowhere to be seen.
Presently a gust of wind completely swept away the fog.
The raft was gone! There was no longer a lake! The boundless ocean
stretched away before the astonished colonists!
Hobson could not check a cry of despair; and when he and his companions
turned round and saw the sea on every side, they realised with a shock
of horror that their island was now nothing more than an islet!
During the night six-sevenths of the district once belonging to Cape
Bathurst had silently floated away, without producing a shock of any
kind, so completely had the ice been worn away by the constant action
of the waves, the raft had drifted out into the offing, and those whose
last hope it had been could not see a sign of it on the desolate sea.
The unfortunate colonists were now overwhelmed with despair; their last
hope gone, they were hanging above an awful abyss ready to swallow them
up; and some of the soldiers in a fit of madness were about to throw
themselves into the sea, when Mrs Barnett flung herself before them,
entreating them to desist. They yielded, some of them weeping like
children.
The awful situation of the colonists was indeed manifest enough, and
we may well pity the Lieutenant surrounded by the miserable despairing
creatures. Twenty-one persons on an islet of ice which must quickly melt
beneath their feet! The wooded hills had disappeared with the mass
of the island now engulfed; not a tree was left. There was no wood
remaining but the planks of the rough lodging, which would not be nearly
enough to build a raft to hold so many. A few days of life were all
the colonists could now hope for; June had set in, the mean temperature
exceeded 68° Fahrenheit, and the islet must rapidly melt.
As a forlorn hope, Hobson thought he would make a reconaissance of his
limited domain, and see if any part of it was thicker than where they
were all now encamped. In this excursion he was accompanied by Mrs
Barnett and Madge.
“Do you still hope!” inquired the lady of her faithful companion.
“I hope ever!” replied Madge.
Mrs Barnett did not answer, but walked rapidly along the coast at the
Lieutenant’s side. No alteration had taken place between Cape Bathurst
and Cape Esquimaux, that is to say, for a distance of eight miles. It
was at Cape Esquimaux that the fracture had taken place, and running
inland, it followed a curved line as far as the beginning of the lagoon,
from which point the shores of the lake, now bathed by the waves of the
sea, formed the new coast-line. Towards the upper part of the lagoon
there was another fracture, running as far as the coast, between Cape
Bathurst and what was once Port Barnett, so that the islet was merely an
oblong strip, not more than a mile wide anywhere.
Of the hundred and forty square miles which once formed the total
superficial area of the island, only twenty remained.
Hobson most carefully examined the new conformation of the islet,
and found that its thickest part was still at the site of the former
factory. He decided, therefore, to retain the encampment where it was,
and, strange to say, the instinct of the quadrupeds still led them to
congregate about it.
A great many of the animals had, however, disappeared with the rest of
the island, amongst them many of the dogs which had escaped the former
catastrophe. Most of the quadrupeds remaining were rodents; and the
bear, which seemed terribly puzzled, paced round and round the islet
like a caged animal.
About five o’clock in the evening the three explorers returned to the
camp. The men and women were gathered together in gloomy silence in the
rough shelter still remaining to them, and Mrs Joliffe was preparing
some food. Sabine, who was less overcome than his comrades, was
wandering about in the hope of getting some fresh venison, and the
astronomer was sitting apart from every one, gazing at the sea in an
absent indifferent manner, as if nothing could ever rouse or astonish
him again.
The Lieutenant imparted the results of his excursion to the whole party.
He told them that they were safer where they were than they would be
on any other spot, and he urged them not to wander about, as there were
signs of another approaching fracture half way between the camp and Cape
Esquimaux. The superficial area of the islet would soon be yet further
reduced, and they could do nothing, absolutely nothing.
The day was really quite hot. The ice which had been “disinterred”
for drinkable water melted before it was brought near the fire. Thin
pieces of the ice crust of the steep beach fell off into the sea, and it
was evident that the general level of the islet was being lowered by the
constant wearing away of its base in the tepid waters.
No one slept the next night. Who could have closed his eyes with the
knowledge that the abyss beneath might open at any moment?--who but the
little unconscious child who still smiled in his mother’s arms, and
was never for one instant out of them?
The next morning, June 4th, the sun rose in a cloudless sky. No change
had taken place in the conformation of the islet during the night.
In the course of this day a terrified blue fox rushed into the shed,
and could not be induced to leave it. The martens, ermines, polar hares,
musk-rats, and beavers literally swarmed upon the site of the former
factory. The wolves alone were unrepresented, and had probably all been
swallowed up with the rest of the island. The bear no longer wandered
from Cape Bathurst, and the furred animals seemed quite unconscious of
its presence; nor did the colonists notice it much, absorbed as they
were in the contemplation of the approaching doom, which had broken down
all the ordinary distinctions of race.
A little before noon a sudden hope--too soon to end in
disappointment--revived the drooping spirits of the colonists.
Sabine, who had been standing for some time on the highest part of the
islet looking at the sea, suddenly cried--
“A boat! a boat!”
It was as if an electric shock had suddenly ran through the group, for
all started up and rushed towards the hunter.
The Lieutenant looked at him inquiringly, and the man pointed to a
white vapour on the horizon. Not a word was spoken, but all watched in
breathless silence as the form of a vessel gradually rose against the
sky.
It was indeed a ship, and most likely a whaler. There was no doubt about
it, and at the end of an hour even the keel was visible.
Unfortunately this vessel appeared on the east of the islet, that is to
say, on the opposite side to that from which the raft had drifted, so
that there could be no hope that it was coming to their rescue
after meeting with the raft, which would have suggested the fact of
fellow-creatures being in danger.
The question now was, would those in this vessel perceive the islet?
Would they be able to make out signals on it? Alas! in broad daylight,
with a bright sun shining, it was not likely they would. Had it been
night some of the planks of the remaining shed might have made a fire
large enough to be seen at a considerable distance, but the boat would
probably have disappeared before the darkness set in; and, although it
seemed of little use, signals were made, and guns fired on the islet.
The vessel was certainly approaching, and seemed to be a large
three-master, evidently a whaler from New Archangel, which was on its
way to Behring Strait after having doubled the peninsula of Alaska.
It was to the windward of the islet, and tacking to starboard with its
lower sails, top sails, and top-gallant sails all set. It was steadily
advancing to the north. A sailor would have seen at a glance that it was
not bearing towards the islet, but it might even yet perceive it, and
alter its course.
“If it does see us,” whispered Hobson in Long’s ear, “it is more
likely to avoid us than to come nearer.”
The Lieutenant was right, for there is nothing vessels dread more in
these latitudes than the approach of icebergs and ice-floes; they
look upon them as floating rocks, against which there is a danger of
striking, especially in the night, and they therefore hasten to change
their course when ice is sighted; and this vessel would most likely do
the same, if it noticed the islet at all.
The alternations of hope and despair through which the anxious watchers
passed may be imagined, but cannot be described. Until two o’clock in
the afternoon they were able to believe that Heaven had at last taken
pity on them--that help was coming--that their safety was assured. The
vessel continued to approach in an oblique direction, and was presently
not more than six miles from the islet. Signal after signal was tried,
gun after gun fired, and some of the planks of the shed were burnt.
All in vain--either they were not seen, or the vessel was anxious to
avoid the islet.
At half-past two it luffed slightly, and bore away to the northeast.
In another hour a white vapour was all that was visible, and that soon
disappeared.
On this the soldier Kellet burst into a roar of hysterical laughter, and
flinging himself on the ground, rolled over and over like a madman.
Mrs Barnett turned and looked Madge full in the face, as if to ask her
if she still hoped, and Madge turned away her head.
On this same ill-fated day a crackling noise was heard, and the greater
part of the islet broke off, and plunged into the sea. The cries of the
drowning animals rent the air, and the islet was reduced to the narrow
strip between the site of the engulfed house and Cape Bathurst. It was
now merely a piece of ice.
CHAPTER XXIII. ON A PIECE OF ICE. A piece of ice, a jagged triangular
strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five
hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some
hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this
moment crouching at the very edge!
Yes! all the luckless colonists were there. Not one had yet been
swallowed up. The last rupture had occurred when they were all in the
shed. Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish
together.
A silent sleepless night ensued. No one spoke or moved, for the
slightest shake or blow might suffice to break the ice.
No one would touch the salt-meat served round by Mrs Joliffe. What would
be the good of eating?
Nearly every one remained in the open air, feeling that it would be
better to be drowned in the open sea than in a narrow wooden shed.
The next day, June 5th, the sun shone brightly down upon the heads of
the doomed band of wanderers. All were still silent, and seemed anxious
to avoid each other. Many gazed with troubled anxious eyes at the
perfect circle of the horizon, of which the miserable little strip of
ice formed the centre. But the sea was absolutely deserted--not a sail,
not an ice-floe, not an islet! Their own piece of ice was probably the
very last floating on the Behring Sea.
The temperature continued to rise. The wind had gone down, and a
terrible calm had set in, a gentle swell heaved the surface of the sea,
and the morsel of earth and ice, which was all that was left of Victoria
Island, rose and sank without change of position, like a wreck--and
what was it but a wreck?
But a wreck, a piece of woodwork, a broken mast, or a few planks, remain
floating; they offer some resistance to the waves, they will not melt;
but this bit of ice, this solidified water, must dissolve with the heat
of the sun!
This piece of ice had formed the thickest part of the island, and this
will explain its having lasted so long. A layer of earth and plenty
of vegetation covered it, and the base of ice must have been of
considerable thickness. The long bitter Polar winters must have “fed
it with fresh ice,” in the countless centuries during which it was
connected with the mainland. Even now its mean height was five or six
feet above the sea level, and its base was probably of about the same
thickness. Although in these quiet waters it was not likely to be
broken, it could not fail gradually to melt, and the rapid dissolution
could actually be watched at the edges, for as the long waves licked
the sides, piece after piece of ground with its verdant covering sank to
rise no more.
On this 5th June a fall of this nature occurred at about one o’clock
P.M., on the site of the shed itself, which was very near the edge of
the ice. There was fortunately no one in it at the time, and all that
was saved was a few planks, and two or three of the timbers of the
roofs. Most of the cooking utensils and all the astronomical instruments
were lost. The colonists were now obliged to take refuge on the highest
part of the islet, where nothing protected them from the weather, but
fortunately a few tools had been left there, with the air pumps and
the air-vessel, which Hobson had employed for catching a little of the
rain-water for drinking purposes, as he no longer dared to draw for a
supply upon the ice, every atom of which was of value.
At about four o’clock P.M., the soldier Kellet, the same who had
already given signs of insanity, came to Mrs Barnett and said quietly--
“I am going to drown myself, ma’am.”
“What, Kellet?” exclaimed the lady.
“I tell you I am going to drown myself,” replied the soldier. “I
have thought the matter well over: there is no escape for us, and I
prefer dying at once to waiting to be killed.”
“Kellet!” said Mrs Barnett, taking the man’s hand and looking into
his face, which was strangely composed, “you will not do that?”
“Yes, I will, ma’am; and as you have always been very good to us
all, I wanted to wish you good-bye. Good-bye, ma’am!”
And Kellet turned towards the sea. Mrs Barnett, terrified at his manner,
threw herself upon him and held him back. Her cries brought Hobson and
Long to her assistance, and they did all in their power to dissuade the
unhappy man from carrying out his purpose, but he was not to be moved,
and merely shook his head.
His mind was evidently disordered, and it was useless to reason with
him. It was a terrible moment, as his example might lead some of his
comrades to commit suicide also. At all hazards he must be prevented
from doing as he threatened.
“Kellet,” said Mrs Barnett gently, with a half smile, “we have
always been very good friends, have we not?”
“Yes, ma’am,” replied Kellet calmly.
“Well, Kellet, if you like we will die together, but not to-day.”
“What, ma’am?”
“No, my brave fellow, I am not ready; but to-morrow, to-morrow if you
like.”
The soldier looked more fixedly than ever at the courageous woman, and
seemed to hesitate an instant; then he cast a glance of fierce longing
at the sea, and passing his hand over his eyes, said--
“To-morrow!”
And without another word he quietly turned away and went back to his
comrades.
“Poor fellow.” murmured Mrs Barnett; “I have asked him to wait
till to-morrow, and who can say whether we shall not all be drowned by
that time!”
Throughout that night Hobson remained motionless upon the beach,
pondering whether there might not yet be some means to check the
dissolution of the islet--if it might not yet be possible to preserve
it until they came in sight of land of some sort.
Mrs Barnett and Madge did not leave each other for an instant. Kalumah
crouched like a dog at the feet of her mistress, and tried to keep her
warm. Mrs Mac-Nab, wrapped in a few furs, the remains of the rich stores
of Fort Hope, had fallen into a kind of torpor, with her baby clasped in
her arms.
The stars shone with extraordinary brilliancy, and no sounds broke the
stillness of the night but the rippling of the waves and the splash of
pieces of ice as they fell into the sea. The colonists, stretched upon
the ground in scattered groups, were as motionless as corpses on an
abandoned wreck.
Sometimes Sergeant Long rose and peered into the night-mists, bat seeing
nothing, he resumed his horizontal position. The bear, looking like a
great white snowball, cowered motionless at the very edge of the strip
of ice.
This night also passed away without any incident to modify the
situation. The grey morning dawned in the east, and the sun rose and
dispersed the shadows of the night.
The Lieutenant’s first care, as soon as it was light, was to examine
the piece of ice. Its perimeter was still more reduced, and, alas! its
mean height above the sea level had sensibly diminished. The waves,
quiet as they were, washed over the greater part of it; the summit of
the little hill alone was still beyond their reach.
Long, too, saw the changes which had taken place during the night, and
felt that all hope was gone.
Mrs Barnett joined Lieutenant Hobson, and said to him--
“It will be to-day then!”
“Yes, madam, and you will keep your promise to Kellet!”
“Lieutenant Hobson,” said the lady solemnly, “have we done all in
our power!”
“We have, madam.”
“Then God’s will be done!”
One last attempt was, however, made during the day. A strong breeze set
in from the offing, that is to say, a wind bearing to the south-east,
the direction in which were situated the nearest of the Aleutian
Islands. How far off no one could say, as without instruments the
bearings of the island could not be taken. It was not likely to have
drifted far, however, unless under the influence of the current, as it
gave no hold to the wind.
Still it was just possible that they might be nearer land than they
thought. If only a current, the direction of which it was impossible
to ascertain, had taken them nearer to the much-longed-for Aleutian
Islands, then, as the wind was bearing down upon those very islands, it
might drive the strip of ice before it if a sail of some kind could
be concocted. The ice had still several hours to float, and in several
hours the land might come in sight, or, if not the land, some coasting
or fishing vessel.
A forlorn hope truly, but it suggested an idea to the Lieutenant which
he resolved to carry out. Could not a sail be contrived on the islet
as on an ordinary raft? There could be no difficulty in that; and when
Hobson suggested it to Mac-Nab, he exclaimed--
“You are quite right, sir;” adding to his men, “bring out all the
canvas there is!”
Every one was quite revived by this plan, slight as was the chance it
afforded, and all lent a helping hand, even Kellet, who had not yet
reminded Mrs Barnett of her promise.
A beam, which had once formed part of the roof of the barracks, was sunk
deep into the earth and sand of which the little hill was composed, and
firmly fixed with ropes arranged like shrouds and a stay. A sail made
of all the clothes and coverlets still remaining fastened on to a strong
pole for a yard, was hoisted on the mast This sail, or rather collection
of sails, suitably set, swelled in the breeze, and by the wake it left,
it was evident that the strip of ice was rapidly moving towards the
south-east.
It was a success, and every one was cheered with newly-awakened hope.
They were no longer stationary; they were advancing slowly, it was true,
but still they were advancing. The carpenter was particularly elated;
all eagerly scanned the horizon, and had they been told that no land
could be sighted, they would have refused to believe it.
So it appeared, however; for the strip of ice floated along on the waves
for three hours in the centre of an absolutely circular and unbroken
horizon. The poor colonists still hoped on.
Towards three o’clock, the Lieutenant took the Sergeant aside, and
said to him--
“We are advancing at the cost of the solidity and duration of our
islet.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“I mean that the ice is being rapidly fretted away as it moves along.
Its speed is hastening its dissolution, and since we set sail it has
diminished one-third.”
“Are you quite sure?”
“Absolutely certain. The ice is longer and flatter. Look, the sea la
not more than ten feet from the hill!”
It was true, and the result was what might naturally have been expected
from the motion of the ice.
“Sergeant,” resumed Hobson, “do you think we ought to take down
our sail?”
“I think,” replied Long, after a moment’s reflection, “that we
should consult our comrades. We ought all to share the responsibility of
a decision now.”
The Lieutenant bent his head in assent, and the two returned to their
old position on the little hill.
Hobson put the case before the whole party.
“The speed we have given to the ice,” he said, “is causing it to
wear away rapidly, and will perhaps hasten the inevitable catastrophe
by a few hours. My friends, you must decide whether we shall still go
on.”
“Forwards!” cried all with one voice.
So it was decided, and, as it turned out, the decision was fraught with
consequences of incalculable importance.
At six o’clock P.M. Madge rose, and pointing to a point on the
south-east, cried--
“Land!”
Every one started up as if struck by lightning. Land there was indeed,
on the south-east, twelve miles from the island.
“More sail! more sail!” shouted Hobson.
He was understood, and fresh materials were hastily brought. On
the shrouds a sort of studding sail was rigged up of clothes, furs,
everything, in short, that could give hold to the wind.
The speed increased as the wind freshened, but the ice was melting
everywhere; it trembled beneath the feet of the anxious watchers, and
might open at any moment. But they would not think of that; they were
buoyed up with hope; safety was at hand, on the land they were rapidly
nearing. They shouted--they made signals--they were in a delirium of
excitement.
At half-past seven the ice was much nearer the land, but it was visibly
melting, and sinking rapidly; water was gushing from it, and the waves
were washing over it, sweeping off the terrified quadrupeds before the
eyes of the colonists. Every instant they expected the whole mass to
be engulfed, and it was necessary to lighten it like a sinking vessel.
Every means was tried to check the dissolution; the earth and sand were
carefully spread about, especially at the edges of the ice, to protect
it from the direct influence of the sunbeams; and furs were laid here
and there, as being bad conductors of heat. But it was all of no avail;
the lower portion of the ice began to crack, and several fissures opened
in the surface. It was now but a question of moments!
Night set in, and there was nothing left for the poor colonists to do
to quicken the speed of the islet. Some of them tried to paddle about on
planks. The coast was still four miles to windward.
It was a dark gloomy night, without any moon, and Hobson, whose heroic
courage did not even now fail him, shouted--
“A signal, my friends! a signal!” A pile was made of all the
remaining combustibles--two or three planks and a beam. It was set fire
to, and bright flames soon shot up, but the strip of ice continued to
melt and sink. Presently the little hill alone remained above water, and
on it the despairing wretches, with the few animals left alive, huddled
together, the bear growling fiercely.
The water was still rising, and there was no sign that any one on land
had seen the signal. In less than a quarter of an hour they must all be
swallowed up.
Could nothing be done to make the ice last longer? In three hours, three
short hours, they might reach the land, which was now but three miles to
windward.
“Oh!” cried Hobson, “if only I could stop the ice from melting! I
would give my life to know how! Yes, I would give my life!”
“There is one way,” suddenly replied a voice.
It was Thomas Black who spoke, the astronomer, who had not opened his
lips for so long, and who had long since appeared dead to all that was
going on.
“Yes,” he continued, “there is one way of checking the dissolution
of the ice--there is one way of saving us all.”
All gathered eagerly round the speaker, and looked at him inquiringly.
They thought they must have misheard what he said.
“Well!” asked Hobson, “what way do you mean?”
“To the pumps!” replied Black simply.
Was he mad? Did he take the ice for a sinking vessel, with ten feet of
water in the hold?
The air pumps were at hand, together with the air vessel, which Hobson
had been using as a reservoir for drinking water, but of what use could
they be? Could they harden the ice, which was melting all over?
“He is mad!” exclaimed Long.
“To the pumps!” repeated the astronomer; “fill the reservoir with
air!”
“Do as he tells you!” cried Mrs Barnett.
The pumps were attached to the reservoir, the cover of which was closed
and bolted. The pumps were then at once set to work, and the air was
condensed under the pressure of several atmospheres. Then Black, taking
one of the leather pipes connected with the reservoir, and opening the
cock, let the condensed air escape, walking round the ice wherever it
was melting.
Every one was astonished at the effect produced. Wherever the air was
projected by the astronomer, the fissures filled up, and the surface
re-froze.
“Hurrah! hurrah!” shouted all with one voice.
It was tiring enough to work the pumps, but there were plenty of
volunteers. The edges of the ice were again solidified, as if under the
influence of intense cold.
“You have saved us, Mr Black,” said Lieutenant Hobson.
“Nothing could be more natural,” replied the astronomer quietly.
Nothing, in fact, could have been more natural; and the physical effect
produced may be described as follows:--
There were two reasons for the relegation:--First, under the pressure
of the air, the water vaporised on the surface of the ice produced
intense cold, and the compressed air in expanding abstracted the heat
from the thawed surface, which immediately re-froze. Wherever the ice
was opening the cold cemented the edges, so that it gradually regained
its original solidity.
This went on for several hours, and the colonists, buoyed up by hope,
toiled on with unwearying zeal.
They were nearing the coast, and when they were about a quarter of a
mile from it, the bear plunged into the sea, and swimming to the shore,
soon disappeared.
A few minutes afterwards the ice ran aground upon a beach, and the
few animals still upon it hurried away in the darkness. The colonists
“disembarked,” and falling on their knees, returned thanks to God
for their miraculous deliverance.
CHAPTER XXIV CONCLUSION. It was on the island of Blejinie, the last of
the Aleutian group, at the extreme south of Behring Sea, that all the
colonists of Fort Hope at last landed, after having traversed eighteen
hundred miles since the breaking-up of the ice. They were hospitably
received by some Aleutian fishermen who had hurried to their assistance,
and were soon able to communicate with some English agents of the
Hudson’s Bay Company.
After all the details we have given, it is needless to dwell on the
courage and energy of the brave little band, which had proved itself
worthy of its noble leader. We know how all struggled with their
misfortunes, and how patiently they had submitted to the will of God.
We have seen Mrs Barnett cheering every one by her example and sympathy;
and we know that neither she nor those with her yielded to despair when
the peninsula on which Fort Hope had been built was converted into a
wandering island, when that island became an islet, and the islet a
strip of ice, nor even when that strip of ice was melting beneath the
combined influence of sun and waves. If the scheme of the Company was
a failure, if the new fort had perished, no one could possibly blame
Hobson or his companions, who had gone through such extraordinary and
unexpected trials. Of the nineteen persons under the Lieutenant’s
charge, not one was missing, and he had even two new members in his
little colony, Kalumah and Mrs Barnett’s godson, Michael Mac-Nab.
Six days after their rescue the shipwrecked mariners arrived at New
Archangel, the capital of Russian America.
Here the friends, bound together by so many dangers shared, must part,
probably for ever! Hobson and his men were to return to Fort Reliance
across English America, whilst Mrs Barnett, accompanied by Kalumah, who
would not leave her, Madge, and Thomas Black, intended to go back to
Europe via San Francisco and the United States.
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