every day. Fresh snow constantly accumulated upon the windows, the wind
roared, the icebergs burst with a crash like thunder, the smoke was
forced back into the rooms, and there were no signs of a diminution of
the fury of the storm.
At last, however, on the 28th November the Aneroid barometer in the
large room gave notice of an approaching change in the state of the
atmosphere. It rose rapidly, whilst the thermometer outside fell almost
suddenly to less than four degrees below zero. These were symptoms which
could not be mistaken, and on the 29th November the silence all around
the fort told that the tempest had ceased.
Every one was eager to get out, tine confinement had lasted long enough.
The door could not be opened, and all had to get through the window, and
clear away the fresh accumulation of snow; this time, however, it was no
soft mass they had to remove, but compact blocks of ice, which required
pick-axes to break them up.
It took about half-an-hour to clear a passage, and then every one in the
fort, except Mrs Mac-Nab, who was not yet up, hastened into the interior
court, glad once more to be able to walk about.
The cold was still intense, but the wind having gone down it was
possible to endure it, although great care was necessary to escape
serious consequences on leaving the heated rooms for the open air,
the difference between the temperature inside and outside being some
fifty-four degrees.
It was eight o’clock in the morning. Myriads of brilliant
constellations studded the sky, and at the zenith shone the Pole star.
Although in both hemispheres there are in reality but 5000 fixed
stars visible to the naked eye, their number appeared to the observers
incalculable. Exclamations of admiration burst involuntarily from the
lips of the delighted astronomer as he gazed into the cloudless heavens,
once more undimmed by mists or vapours. Never had a more beautiful sky
been spread out before the eyes of an astronomer.
Whilst Thomas Black was raving in ecstasy, dead to all terrestrial
matters, his companions had wandered as far as the enceinte. The snow
was as hard as a rock, And so slippery that there were a good many
tumbles, but no serious injuries.
It is needless to state that the court of the fort was completely filled
up. The roof of the house alone appeared above the white mass, the
surface of which had been worn smooth by the action of the wind; of the
palisade nothing was visible but the top of the stakes, and the least
nimble of the wild animals they dreaded could easily have climbed over
them. But what was to be done? It was no use to think of clearing away a
mass of frozen snow ten feet thick, extending over so large an extent of
ground. All they could attempt would be to dig away the ice inside the
enceinte, so as to form a kind of moat, the counterscarp of which would
protect the palisade. But alas the winter was only beginning, and a
fresh tempest might at any time fill in the ditch a few hours.
Whilst the Lieutenant was examining the works, which could no more
protect his fort than a single sunbeam could melt the solid layer of
snow,-Mrs Joliffe suddenly exclaimed:
“And our dogs! our reindeer!”
It was indeed time to think about the poor animals. The dog house and
stable being lower than the house were probably entirely covered, and
the supply of air had perhaps been completely cut off. Some hurried to
the dog-house, others to the reindeer stable, and all fears were quickly
dispelled. The wall of ice, which connected the northern corner of the
house with the cliff, had partly protected the two buildings, and the
snow round them was not more than four feet thick, so that the apertures
left in the walls had not been closed up. The animals were all well, and
when the door was opened, the dogs rushed out barking with delight.
The cold was so intense, that after an hour’s walk every one began to
think of the glowing stove in the large room at home. There was nothing
left to be done outside, the traps buried beneath ten feet of snow could
not be visited, so all returned to the house, the window, was closed,
and the party sat down to the dinner awaiting them with sharpened
appetites.
We can readily imagine that the conversation turned on the intensity
of the cold, which had so rapidly converted the soft snow into a solid
mass. It was no light matter, and might to a certain extent compromise
the safety of the little colony.
“But, Lieutenant,” said Mrs Barnett, “can we not count upon a few
days’ thaw-will not all this snow be rapidly converted into water?”
“Oh no, madam,” replied Hobson, “a thaw at this time of year
is not at all likely. Indeed I expect the thermometer will fall still
lower, and it is very much to be regretted that we were unable to remove
the snow when it was soft.”
What, you think the temperature likely to become much colder?”
“I do most certainly, madam, 4° below zero-what is that at this
latitude?”
“What would it be if we were at the Pole itself?”
“The Pole, madam, is probably not the coldest point of the globe,
for most navigators agree that the sea is there open. From certain
peculiarities of its geographical position it would appear that a
certain spot on the shores of North Georgia, 95° longitude and 78°
latitude, has the coldest mean temperature in the world: 2° below zero
all the year round. It is, therefore, called the ‘pole of cold.’ “
“But,” said Mrs Barnett, “we are more than 8° further south than
that famous point.”
“Well, I don’t suppose we shall suffer as much at Cape Bathurst as
we might have done in North Georgia. I only tell you of the ‘pole of
cold,’ that you may not confound it with the Pole properly so-called
when the lowness of the temperature is discussed. Great cold has besides
been experienced on other points of the globe. The difference is, that
the low temperature is not there maintained.”
“To what places do you allude?” inquired Mrs Barnett; “I assure
you I take the greatest interest in this matter of degrees of cold.”
“As far as I can remember, madam,” replied the Lieutenant, Arctic
explorers state that at Melville Island the temperature fell to 61°
below zero, and at Port Felix to 65°.”
“But Melville Island and Port Felix are some degrees farther north
latitude than Cape Bathurst, are they not?”
“Yes, madam, but in a certain sense we may say that their latitude
proves nothing. A combination of different atmospheric conditions is
requisite to produce intense cold. Local and other causes largely modify
climate. If I remember rightly in 1845 . . . Sergeant Long, you were at
Fort Reliance at that date?
“Yes, sir,” replied Long.
“Well, was it not in January of that year that the cold was so
excessive?”
“Yes it was, I remember only too well that the thermometer marked 70°
below zero.”
“What!” exclaimed Mrs Barnett, “at Fort Reliance, on the Great
Slave Lake?”
“Yes, madam,” replied the Lieutenant, “and that was at 65° north
latitude only, which is the same parallel as that of Christiania and St
Petersburg.”
“Then we must be prepared for everything.”
“Yes, indeed, we must when we winter in Arctic countries.”
During the 29th and 30th November, the cold did not decrease, and it
was necessary to keep up huge fires to prevent the freezing in all the
corners of the house of the moisture in the atmosphere. Fortunately
there was plenty of fuel, and it was not spared. A mean temperature of
52° Fahrenheit was maintained indoors in spite of the intensity of the
cold without.
Thomas Black was so anxious to take stellar observations, now that the
sky was so clear, that he braved the rigour of the outside temperature,
hoping to be able to examine some of the magnificent constellations
twinkling on the zenith. But he was compelled to desist-his instruments
“burnt” his hands! ”Burnt“ is the only word to express the
sensation produced by touching a metallic body subjected to the
influence of intense cold. Exactly similar results are produced by
the sudden introduction of heat into an animate body, and the sudden
withdrawal of the same from it, as the astronomer found to his cost when
he left the skin of his fingers on his instruments. He had to give up
taking observations.
However, the heavens made him the best amends in their power by
displaying the most beautiful and indescribable phenomena of a lunar
halo and an Aurora Borealis.
The lunar halo was a white corona with a pale red edge encircling the
moon. This luminous meteor was about forty-five degrees in diameter, and
was the result of the diffraction of the lunar rays through the small
prismatic ice-crystals floating in the atmosphere. The queen of the
night shone with renewed splendour and heightened beauty from the centre
of the luminous ring, the colour and consistency of which resembled the
milky transparent lunar rainbows which have been so often described by
astronomers.
Fifteen hours later the heavens were lit up by a magnificent Aurora
Borealis, the arch of which extended over more than a hundred
geographical degrees. The vertex of this arch was situated in the
magnetic meridian, and, as is often the case, the rays darted by
the luminous meteor were of all the colours of the rainbow, red
predominating. Here and there. the stars seemed to be floating in blood.
Glowing lines of throbbing colour spread from the dark segment on the
horizon, some of them passing the zenith and quenching the light of the
moon in their electric waves, which oscillated and trembled as if swept
by a current of air.
No description could give an adequate idea of the glory which flushed
the northern sky, converting it into a vast dome of fire, but after
the magnificent spectacle had been enjoyed for about half an hour, it
suddenly disappeared-not fading gradually away after concentration of
its rays, or a diminution of its splendour, but dying abruptly, as if an
invisible hand had cut off the supply of electricity which gave it life.
It was time it was over, for the sake of Thomas Black, for in another
five minutes he would have been frozen where he stood !
CHAPTER XIX. A NEIGHBOURLY VISIT. On the 2nd December; the intensity of
the cold decreased. The phenomena of the lunar halo and Aurora Borealis
were symptoms which a meteorologist would have been at no loss to
interpret. They implied the existence of a certain quantity of watery
vapour in the atmosphere, and the barometer fell slightly, whilst the
thermometer rose to 15° above zero.
Although this temperature would have seemed very cold to the inhabitants
of a temperate zone, it was easily endured by the colonists. The absence
of wind made a great difference, and Hobson having noticed that the
upper layers of snow were becoming softer, ordered his men to clear
it away from the outer approaches of the enceinte. Mac-Nab and his
subordinates set to work zealously, and completed their task in a few
days. The traps were now uncovered and re-set. A good many footprints
showed that there were plenty of furred animals about the cape, and as
they could not get any other food, it was probable that the bait in the
snares would soon attract them. In accordance with the advice of Marbre
the hunter, a reindeer trap was constructed in the Esquimaux style. A
trench was dug twelve feet deep, and of a uniform width of ten feet. A
see-saw plank, which would rebound when lowered, was laid across it.
A bait of herbs was placed at one end of the plank, and any animal
venturing to take them, was inevitably flung to the bottom of the pit,
and the plank immediately returning to its former position, would allow
of the trapping of another animal in the same manner. Once in, there was
no getting out. The only difficulty Marbre had to contend with in making
his trap, was the extreme hardness of the ground to be dug out, but both
he and the Lieutenant were not a little surprised at finding beneath
some five feet of earth and sand a bed of snow, as hard as a rock, which
appeared to be very thick.
After closely examining the geological structure of the ground, Hobson
observed:
“This part of the coast must have been subjected to intense cold for
a considerable length of time a great many years ago. Probably the
ice rests on a bed of granite, and the earth and sand upon it have
accumulated gradually.”
“Well, sir, our trap won’t be any the worse for that, the reindeer
will find a slippery wall, which it will be impossible for them to
climb.”
Marbre was right, as the event proved.
On the 5th September, he and Sabine were on their way to the trench,
when they heard loud growls. They stood still and listened.
“It’s no reindeer making that noise, “said Marbre, “I know well
enough what creature has fallen into our pit.”
“A bear?” replied Sabine.
“Yes,” said Marbre, whose eyes glistened with delight.
“Well,” remarked Sabine, “we won’t grumble at that, bears’
steaks are as good as reindeers’, and we get the fur in! Come
along.”
The two hunters were armed. They quickly slipped balls into their
guns, which were already loaded with lead, and hurried to the trap.
The see-saw plank had swung back into its place, but the bait had
disappeared, having probably been dragged down, into the trench. The
growls became louder and fiercer, and looking down the hunters saw that
it was indeed a bear they had taken. A huge mass was huddled together
in one corner of the pit, looking in the gloom like a pile of white fur
with two glittering eyes. The sides of the trench had been ploughed up
by the creature’s sharp claws, and had they been made of earth instead
of ice, it would certainly have managed to scramble out, but it could
get no hold on the slippery surface, and it had only managed to enlarge
its prison, not to escape from it.
Under the circumstances the capture was easy. Two balls carefully aimed
put an end to the bear’s life, and the next thing to do was to get it
out of the pit. The two hunters returned to the fort for reinforcements,
and ten of the soldiers, provided with ropes, returned with them. It was
not without considerable difficulty that the body was hauled up. It was
a huge creature, six feet long, weighing six hundred pounds, and must
have possessed immense strength. It belonged to the sub-order of white
bears, and had the flattened head, long neck, short and slightly
curved claws, narrow muzzle, and smooth white fur characteristic of the
species. The edible portions of this valuable animal were confided to
Mrs Joliffe, and by her carefully prepared for the table.
The next week the traps were in full activity. Some twenty martens were
taken, in all the beauty of their winter clothing, but only two or three
foxes. These cunning creatures divined the snare laid for them, and
scratching up the ground near the trap, they often managed to run off
with the bait without being caught. This made Sabine beside himself
with rage "for,” he said, “such a subterfuge was unworthy of a
respectable fox.”
About the 10th December, the wind having veered round to the south-west,
the snow again began to fall, but not in thick flakes, or in large
quantities. The wind being high, however, the cold was severely felt,
and it was necessary to settle in-doors again, and resume domestic
occupations. Hobson distributed lime lozenges and lime juice to every
one as a precaution against the scorbutic affections, which damp cold
produces. No symptoms of scurvy had fortunately as yet appeared amongst
the occupants of the fort, thanks to the sanitary precautions taken.
The winter solstice was now approaching, when the darkness of the Polar
night would be most profound, as the sun would be at the lowest maximum
point below the horizon of the northern hemisphere. At midnight the
southern edges of the long white plains were touched with a faint
glimmer of twilight, that was all, and it would be impossible to imagine
anything more melancholy than the gloomy stillness and darkness of the
vast expanse.
Hobson felt more secure from the attacks of wild beasts, now that
the approaches to the enceinte had been cleared of snow, which was a
fortunate circumstance, as ominous growlings were heard, the nature of
which no one could mistake.
There was no fear of visits from Indian hunters or Canadians at this
time of year, but an incident occurred proving that these districts were
not altogether depopulated even in the winter, and which was quite an
episode in the long dreary dark months. Some human beings still lingered
on the coast hunting morses and camping under the snow. They belonged
to the race of Esquimaux, "or eaters of raw flesh,” which is scattered
over the continent of North America, from Baffin’s Bay to Behring
Strait, seldom, however, advancing farther south than the Great Slave
Lake.
On the morning of the 14th December, or rather nine hours before midday,
Sergeant Long, on his return from an excursion along the coast, ended
his report to the Lieutenant by saying, that if his eyes had not
deceived him, a tribe of nomads were encamped about four miles from the
fort, near a little cape jutting out from the coast.
“What do you suppose these nomads are?” inquired Hobson.
“Either men or morses,” replied the Sergeant. “There’s no
medium!”
The brave Sergeant would have been considerably surprised if any one had
told him that some naturalists admit the existence of the “ medium,”
the idea of which he scouted; and certain savants have with some humour
classed the Esquimaux as an “ intermediate species “ between roan
and the sea-cow.
Lieutenant Hobson, Mrs Barnett, Madge, and a few others at once went
to ascertain the truth of the report. Well wrapt up, and on their guard
against a sudden chill, their feet cased in furred boots, and guns and
hatchets in their hands, they issued from the postern, and made their
way over the frozen snow along the coast, strewn with masses of ice.
The moon, already in the last quarter, shed a few faint rays through the
mists which shrouded the ice-fields. After marching for about an hour,
the Lieutenant began to think that the Sergeant had been mistaken, and
that what he had seen were morses, who had returned to their native
element through the holes in the ice which they always keep open.
But Long, pointing to a grey wreath of smoke curling out of a conical
protuberance on the ice-field some hundred steps off, contented himself
with observing quietly--
“The morses are smoking, then !”
As he spoke some living creatures came out of the but dragging
themselves along the snow. They were Esquimaux, but whether male or
female none but a native could have said, for their costumes were all
exactly alike.
Indeed, without in the least sharing the opinion of the naturalist
quoted above, any one might have taken the rough shaggy figures for
seals or some other amphibious animals. There were six of them-four
full-grown, and two children. Although very short, they were
broad-chested and muscular. They had the flat noses, long eye-lashes,
large mouths, thick lips, long black coarse hair, and beardless chins of
their race. Their costume consisted of a round coat made of the skin of
the walrus, a hood, boots, trousers, and mittens of the same material.
They gazed at the Europeans in silence.
“Does any one understand Esquimaux?” inquired the Lieutenant.
No one was acquainted with that idiom, and every one started when a
voice immediately exclaimed in English, “Welcome! welcome !”
It was an Esquimaux, and, as they learned later, a woman, who,
approaching Mrs Barnett, held out her hand.
The lady, much surprised, replied in a few words, which the native
girl readily understood, and the whole family was invited to follow the
Europeans to the fort.
The Esquimaux looked searchingly at the strangers, and after a few
moments’ hesitation they accompanied the Lieutenant, keeping close
together, however:
Arrived at the enceinte, the native woman, seeing the house, of the
existence of which she had had no idea, exclaimed--
“House! snow-house!”
She asked if it were made of snow, which was a natural question enough,
for the house was all but hidden beneath the white mass which covered
the ground. She was made to understand that it was built of wood; she
then turned and said a few words to her companions, who made signs of
acquiescence, and they all passed through the postern, and were taken to
the large room in the chief building.
They removed their hoods, and it became possible to distinguish sexes.
There were two men, about forty or fifty years old, with yellowish-red
complexions, sharp teeth, and projecting cheek-bones, which gave them
something of the appearance of carnivorous animals; two women, still
young whose matted hair was adorned with the teeth and claws of Polar
bears; and two children, about five or six years old, poor little
creatures with intelligent faces, who looked about them with wide
wondering eyes.
“I believe the Esquimaux are always hungry,” said Hobson, “so I
don’t suppose our guests would object to a slice of venison.”
In obedience to the Lieutenant’s order, Joliffe brought some
reindeer-venison, which the poor creatures devoured with greedy avidity;
but the young woman who had answered in English behaved with greater
refinement, and watched Mrs Barnett and the women of the fort without
once removing her eyes from them. Presently noticing the baby in Mrs
Mac-Nabs arms; she rose and ran up to it, speaking to it in a soft
voice, and caressing it tenderly.
Indeed if not exactly superior, the young girl was certainly more
civilised than her companions, which was especially noticeable when,
being attacked by a slight fit of coughing, she put her hand before her
mouth in the manner enjoined by the first rules of civilised society.
This significant gesture did not escape any one, and Mrs Barnett, who
chatted for some time with the Esquimaux woman, learned from her in a
few short sentences that she had been for a year in the service of the
Danish governor of Upper Navik, whose wife was English, and that she had
left Greenland to follow her family to the hunting grounds. The two men
were her brothers; the other woman was her sister-in-law, married to one
of the men, and mother of the two children. They were all returning
from Melbourne Island, on the eastern coast of English America, and were
making for Point Barrow, on the western coast of Russian America, the
home of their tribe, and- were considerably astonished to find a factory
established on Cape Bathurst. Indeed the two men shook their heads when
they spoke of it. Did they disapprove of the construction of a fort
at this particular point of the coast? Did they think the situation
ill-chosen? In spite of all his endeavours, Hobson could get no
satisfactory reply to these questions, or rather he could not understand
the answers he received.
The name of the young girl was Kalumah, and she seemed to have taken
a great fancy to Mrs Barnett. But sociable as she was, she appeared to
feel no regret at having left the governor of Upper Navik, and to be
sincerely attached to her relations.
After refreshing themselves with the reindeer-venison, and drinking
half-a-pint of rum, in which the children had their share, the Esquimaux
took leave of their hosts; but before saying goodbye, the young girl
invited Mrs Barnett to visit their snow-hut, and the lady promised to do
so the next day, weather permitting.
The next day was fine, and accompanied by Madge, Lieutenant Hobson, and
a few soldiers, well armed in case any bears should be prowling about,
Mrs Barnett set out for “ Cape Esquimaux,” as they had named the
spot where the little colony had encamped.
Kalumah hastened forward to meet her friend of yesterday, and pointed
to the but with an, air of pride. It was a large cone of snow, with an
opening in the summit, through which the smoke from the fire inside
made its way. These snow-houses, called igloos in the language of the
Esquimaux, are constructed with great rapidity, and are admirably suited
to the climate. In them their owners can endure a temperature 40°
below zero, without fires, and without suffering much. In the summer
the Esquimaux encamp in tents made of seal and reindeer skins, which are
called tupics.
It was no easy matter to get into this hut. The only opening was a hole
close to the ground, and it was necessary to creep through a kind of
passage three or four feet long, which is about the thickness of the
walls of these snow-houses. But a traveller by profession, a laureate of
the Royal Society, could not hesitate, and Mrs Paulina Barnett did not
hesitate! Followed by Madge, she bravely entered the narrow tunnel in
imitation of her guide. Lieutenant Hobson and his men dispensed with
paying their respects inside.
And Mrs Barnett soon discovered that the chief difficulty was not
getting into the but, but remaining in it when there. The room was
heated by a fire, on which the bones of morses were burning; and the air
was full of the smell of the fetid oil of a lamp, of greasy garments,
and the flesh of the amphibious animals which form the chief article of
an Esquimaux’s diet. It was suffocating and sickening! Madge could not
stand it, and hurried out at once, but Mrs Barnett, rather than hurt the
feelings of the young native, showed superhuman courage, and extended
her visit over five long minutes!-five centuries! The two children and
their mother were at home, but the men had gone to hunt morses four or
five miles from their camp.
Once out of the hut, Mrs Barnett drew a long sigh of relief, and the
colour returned to her blanched cheeks.
“Well, madam,” inquired the Lieutenant, “what do you think of
Esquimaux houses?”
“The ventilation leaves something to be desired !” she replied
simply.
The interesting native family remained encamped near Cape Esquimaux for
eight days. The men passed twelve hours out of every twenty-four hunting
morses. With a patience which none but sportsmen could understand, they
would watch for the amphibious animals near the holes through which
they come up to the surface of the ice-field to breathe. When the morse
appears, a rope with a running noose is flung round its body a little
below the head, and it is dragged on to the ice-field, often with
considerable difficulty, and killed with hatchets. It is really more
like fishing than hunting. It is considered a great treat to drink
the warm blood of the walrus, and the Esquimaux often indulge in it to
excess.
Kalumah came to the fort every day in spite of the severity of the
weather. She was never tired of going through the different rooms, and
watching Mrs Joliffe at her cooking or sewing. She asked the English
name of everything, and talked for hours together with Mrs Barnett, if
the term “talking” can be applied to an exchange of words after
long deliberation on both sides. When Mrs Barnett read aloud, Kalumah
listened with great attention, although she probably understood nothing
of what she heard.
The young native girl had a sweet voice, and sometimes sang some strange
melancholy rhythmical songs with a peculiar metre, and, if we may so
express it, a frosty ring about them, peculiarly characteristic of their
origin.
Mrs Barnett had the patience to translate one of these Greenland sagas,
which was sung to a sad air, interspersed with long pauses, and filled
with strange intervals, which produced an indescribable effect. We give
an English rendering of Mrs Barnett’s translation, which may give a
faint idea of this strange hyperborean poetry.
GREENLAND SONG Dark Is the sky, The sun sinks wearily; My trembling
heart, with sorrow filled, Aches drearily ! My sweet child at my songs
is smiling still, While at his tender heart the icicles lie chill. Child
of my dreams I Thy love doth cheer me; The cruel biting frost I brave
But to be near thee! Ah me, Ah me, could these hot tears of mine But
melt the icicles around that heart of thine! Could we once more Meet
heart to heart, Thy little hands close clasped in mine, No more to part.
Then on thy chill heart rays from heaven above Should fall, and softly
melt it with the warmth of love! On the 20th December the Esquimaux
family came to take leave of the occupants of the fort. Kalumah was
sorry to part with Mrs Barnett, who would gladly have retained her in
her service, but the young native could not be persuaded to leave her
own people; she promised, however, to return to Fort Hope in the summer.
Her farewell was touching. She presented Mrs Barnett with a copper
ring, and received in exchange a necklace of black beads, which
she immediately put on. Hobson gave the poor people a good stock of
provisions, which they packed in their sledge; and after a few words of
grateful acknowledgment from Kalumah, the whole party set out towards
the west, quickly disappearing in the thick fogs on the shore.
CHAPTER XX. MERCURY FREEZES. A few days of dry calm weather favoured the
operations of the hunters, but they did not venture far from the fort;
the abundance of game rendered it unnecessary to do so, and Lieutenant
Hobson could justly congratulate himself on having chosen so favourable
a situation for the new settlement. A great number of furred animals of
all kinds were taken in the traps, and Sabine and Marbre killed a good
many Polar hares. Some twenty starving wolves were shot. Hunger rendered
the latter animals aggressive, and bands of them gathered about the
fort, filling the air with hoarse howls, and amongst the “ hummocks
“ on the ice-fields sometimes prowled huge bears, whose movements were
watched with great interest.
On the 25th December all excursions had again to be given up. The wind
veered suddenly to the north, and the cold became exceedingly severe.
It was impossible to remain out of doors without being frost-bitten. The
Fahrenheit thermometer fell to 18° below zero, and the gale roared like
a volley of musketry. Hobson took care to provide the animals with food
enough to last several weeks.
Christmas Day, the day of home-gatherings so dear to the heart of all
Englishmen, was kept with due solemnity. The colonists returned thanks
to God for preserving them through so many perils; and the workmen,
who had a holiday in honour of the day, afterwards assembled with their
masters and the ladies round a well-filled board, on which figured two
huge Christmas puddings.
In the evening a huge bowl of punch flamed in the centre of the table;
the lamps were put out, and for a time the room was lighted only by
the livid flames of the spirit, the familiar objects assuming strange
fantastic forms. The spirits of the soldiers rose as they watched the
flickering illumination, and their excitement was not lessened after
imbibing some of the burning liquid.
But now the flames began to pale; bluish tongues still fitfully licked
the plump sides of the national pudding for a few minutes, and then died
away.
Strange to say, although the lamps had not been relit, the room did
not become dark on the extinction of the flames. A bright red light was
streaming through the window, which had passed unnoticed in the previous
illumination.
The revellers started to their feet, and looked at each other in
astonishment.
“A fire !” cried several.
But unless the house itself were burning, there could not be a fire
anywhere near Cape Bathurst.
The Lieutenant rushed to the window, and at once understood the cause of
the phenomenon. It was an eruption.
Indeed, above the western cliffs beyond Walruses’ Bay the horizon
was on fire. The summits of the igneous hills, some miles from Cape
Bathurst, could not be seen; but the sheaf of flame shot up to a
considerable height, lighting up the whole country in a weird, unearthly
manner.
“It is more beautiful than the Aurora Borealis!” exclaimed Mrs
Barnett.
Thomas Black indignantly protested against this assertion. A terrestrial
phenomenon more beautiful than a meteor! But no one was disposed to
argue with him about it, for all hurried out, in spite of the bitter
gale and biting cold, to watch the glorious spectacle of the flashing
sheaf of flames standing out against the black background of the night
sky.
Had not the mouths and ears of the party been cased in furs, they would
have been able to hear the rumbling noise of the eruption, and to tell
each other of the impressions made upon them by this magnificent sight;
but, as it was, they could neither speak nor hear. They might well be
content, however, with gazing upon such a glorious scene-a scene which
once looked upon could never be forgotten. The glowing sheets of
flames contrasted alike with the gloomy darkness of the heavens and the
dazzling whiteness of the far-stretching carpet of snow, and produced
effects of light and shade which no pen or pencil could adequately
portray. The throbbing reverberations spread beyond the zenith,
gradually quenching the light of all the stars. The white ground became
dashed with golden tints, the hummocks on the ice-field and the huge
icebergs in the background reflecting the glimmering colours like
so many glowing mirrors. The rays of light, striking on the edges or
surfaces of the ice, became bent and diffracted; the angles and varying
inclinations on which they fell fretting them into fringes of colour,
and reflecting them back with changed and heightened beauty. It was like
a fairy scene in which ice and snow combined to add éclat to a mêlee
of rays in which luminous waves rushed upon each other, breaking into
coloured ripples.
But the excessive cold soon drove the admiring spectators back to their
warm dwelling, and many a nose paid dearly for the feast enjoyed by the
eyes.
During the following days the cold became doubly severe. The mercurial
thermometer was of course no longer of any use for marking degrees, and
an alcohol thermometer had to be used. On the night of the 28th to the
29th December the column fell to 32° below zero.
The stoves were piled up with fuel, but the temperature in the
house could not be maintained above 20° degrees. The bedrooms were
exceedingly cold, and ten feet from the stove, in the large room, its
heat could not be felt at all. The little baby had the warmest corner,
and its cradle was rocked in turn by those who came to the fire. Opening
doors or windows was strictly forbidden, as the vapour in the rooms
would immediately have been converted into snow, and in the passage the
breathing of the inmates already produced that result. Every now and
then dull reports were heard, which startled those unaccustomed to
living in such high latitudes. They were caused by the cracking of the
trunks of trees, of which the walls were composed under the influence of
the intense cold. The stock of rum and gin stowed away in the garret had
to be brought down into the sitting-room, as the alcohol was freezing
and sinking to the bottom of the bottles. The spruce-beer made from a
decoction of young fir-branchlets burst the barrels in which it was kept
as it froze, whilst all solid bodies resisted the introduction of
heat as if they were petrified. Wood burnt very slowly, and Hobson was
obliged to sacrifice some of the walrus-oil to quicken its combustion.
Fortunately the chimneys drew well, so that there was no disagreeable
smell inside, although for a long distance outside the air was
impregnated with the fetid odour of the smoke from Fort Hope, which a
casual observer might therefore have pronounced an unhealthy building.
One symptom we must notice was the great thirst from which every one
suffered. To relieve it, different liquids had to be melted at the fire,
for it- would have been dangerous to eat ice. Another effect of the cold
was intense drowsiness, which Hobson earnestly entreated his companions
to resist. Some appeared unable to do so; but Mrs Barnett was invaluable
in setting an example of constant activity: always brave, she kept
herself awake, and encouraged others by her kindness, brightness, and
sympathy. Sometimes she read aloud accounts of travels, or sang some old
familiar English song, in the chorus of which all joined. These joyous
strains roused up the sleepers whether they would or no, and their
voices soon swelled the chorus. The long days of imprisonment passed
wearily by, and the Lieutenant, consulting the outside thermometer
through the windows, announced that the cold was still on the increase.
On the 31st December, the mercury was all frozen hard in the cistern of
the instrument, so that the temperature was 44° below freezing point.
The next day, 1st January 1860, Lieutenant Hobson wished Mrs Barnett a
happy new year, and complimented her on the courage and good temper with
which she endured the miseries of this northern winter. The astronomer
was not forgotten in the universal interchange of good wishes amongst
the members of the little colony; but his only thought on entering
another year was, that it was the beginning of that in which the great
eclipse was to take place. Fortunately the general health still remained
good, and any symptoms of scurvy were promptly checked by the use of
lime-juice and lime-lozenges.
It would not do, however, to rejoice too soon. The winter had still to
last three months. The sun would doubtless reappear above the horizon in
due time; but there was no reason to think that the cold had reached its
maximum intensity, especially as in most northern countries February is
the month during which the temperature falls lowest. However that might
be, there was no decrease in the severity of the weather during
the first days of the new year, and on the 8th January the alcohol
thermometer placed outside the window of the passage marked 66° below
zero. A few degrees more and the minimum temperature at Fort Reliance in
1835 would be reached!
Jaspar Hobson grew more and more uneasy at the continued severity of the
cold. He began to fear that the furred animals would have to seek a less
rigorous climate further south, which would of course thwart all his
plans for hunting in the early spring. Moreover, he sometimes heard
subterranean rumblings, which were evidently connected with the volcanic
eruption. The western horizon still glowed with the reflection of the
burning lava, and it was evident that some great convulsion was going
on in the bowels of the earth. Might not the close vicinity of an active
volcano be dangerous to the new fort ? Such was the question which the
subterranean rumblings forced upon the mind of the Lieutenant, but he
kept his vague apprehensions to himself.
Of course under these circumstances no one dreamt of leaving the house.
The animals were well provided for, and being accustomed to long fasts
in the winter, required no attention from their masters, so that there
really was no necessity for any exposure out of doors. It was difficult
enough to endure the inside temperature, even with the help of a
plentiful combustion of wood and oil; for, in spite of every precaution,
damp crept into the ill-ventilated rooms, and layers of ice, increasing
in thickness every day, were formed upon the beams. The condensers were
choked up, and one of them burst from the pressure of the ice.
Lieutenant Hobson did not spare his fuel; he was, in fact, rather lavish
of it in his anxiety to raise the temperature, which, when the fires got
low-as of course sometimes happened-fell to 15° Fahrenheit. The men on
guard, who relieved each other every hour, had strict orders to keep up
the fires, and great was the dismay of the Lieutenant when Sergeant Long
said to him one day--
“We shall be out of wood soon !”
“Out of wood !” exclaimed Hobson.
“I mean our stock is getting low, and we must lay in fresh stores
soon. Of course I know, though, that it will be at the risk of his life
that any one goes out in this cold !”
“Yes,” replied Hobson. “It was a mistake not to build the wooden
shed close to the house, and to make no direct communication with it. I
see that now it is too late. I ought not to have forgotten that we
were going to winter beyond the seventieth parallel. But what’s done
can’t be undone. How long will the wood last?”
“There is enough to feed the furnace and stove for another two or
three days,” replied the Sergeant.
“Let us hope by that time that the severity of the cold may have
decreased, and that we may venture across the court of the fort without
danger.”
“I doubt it, sir,” replied Long, shaking his head. “The atmosphere
is very clear, the wind is still in the north, and I shall not be
surprised if this temperature is maintained. for another fifteen
days-until the new moon, in fact.”
“Well, my brave fellow,” said the Lieutenant, “we won’t die of
cold if we can help it, and the day we have to brave the outside air “
“We will brave it, sir,” said Long.
Hobson pressed his subordinate’s hand, well knowing the poor
fellow’s devotion.
We might fancy that Hobson and the Sergeant were exaggerating when they
alluded to fatal results from sudden exposure to the open air, but they
spoke from experience, gained from long residence in the rigorous Polar
regions. They had seen strong men fall fainting on the ice under similar
circumstances; their breath failed them, and they were taken up in a
state of suffocation. Incredible as such facts may appear, they have
been of frequent occurrence amongst those who have wintered in the
extreme north. In their journey along the shores of Hudson’s Bay in
1746, Moor and Smith saw many incidents of this kind,-some of their
companions were killed, struck down by the cold, and there can be no
doubt that sudden death may result from braving a temperature in which
mercury freezes.
Such was the distressing state of things at Fort Hope, when a new danger
arose to aggravate the sufferings of the colonists.
CHAPTER XXI. THE LARGE POLAR BEARS. The only one of the four windows
through which it was possible to look into the court of the fort was
that opening at the end of the entrance passage. The outside shutters
had not been closed; but before it could be seen through it had to
be washed with boiling water, as the panes were covered with a thick
coating of ice. This was done several times a day by the Lieutenant’s
orders, when the districts surrounding the fort were carefully examined,
and the state of the sky, and of the alcohol thermometer placed outside,
were accurately noted.
On the 6th January, towards eleven o’clock in the morning, Kellet,
whose turn it was to look out, suddenly called the Sergeant, and
pointed to some moving masses indistinctly visible in the gloom. Long,
approaching the window observed quietly--
“They are bears!”
In fact half-a-dozen of these formidable animals had succeeded in
getting over the palisades, and, attracted by the smoke from the
chimneys, were advancing upon the house.
On hearing of the approach of the bears, Hobson at once ordered
the window of the passage to be barricaded inside; it was the only
unprotected opening in the house, and when it was secured it appeared
impossible for the bears to effect an entrance. The window was,
therefore, quickly closed up with bars, which the carpenter Mac-Nab
wedged firmly in, leaving a narrow slit through which to watch the
movements of the unwelcome visitors.
“Now,” observed the head carpenter, “these gentlemen can’t get
in without our permission, and we have time to hold a council of war.”
“Well, Lieutenant,” exclaimed Mrs Barnett, “nothing has been
wanting to our northern winter! After the cold come the bears.”
“Not after,” replied the Lieutenant, “but, which is a serious
matter, with the cold, and a cold ago intense that we cannot venture
outside! I really don’t know how we shall get rid .of these tiresome
brutes.”
“I suppose they will soon get tired of prowling about,” said the
lady, “and return as they came.”
Hobson shook his head as if he had his doubts.
“You don’t know these animals, madam. They are famished with hunger,
and will not go until we make them!”
“Are you anxious, then?”
“Yes and no,” replied the Lieutenant. “I don’t think the bears
will get in; but neither do I see how we can get out, should it become
necessary for us to do so.”
With these words Hobson turned to the window, and Mrs Barnett joined the
other women, who had gathered round the Sergeant, and were listening to
what he had to say about the bears. He spoke like a man well up in
his subject, for he had had many an encounter with these formidable
carnivorous creatures, which are often met with even towards the south,
where, however, they can be safely attacked, whilst here the siege would
be a regular blockade, for the cold would quite prevent any attempt at a
sortie.
Throughout the whole day the movements of the bears were attentively
watched. Every now and then one of them would lay his great head against
the window-pane and an ominous growl was heard.
The Lieutenant and the Sergeant took counsel together, and it was agreed
that if their enemies showed no sign of beating a retreat, they would
drill a few loopholes in the walls of the house, and fire at them. But
it was decided to put off this desperate measure for a day or two, as
it was desirable to avoid giving access to the outer air; the inside
temperature being already far too low. The walrus oil to be burnt was
frozen so hard that it had to be broken up with hatchets.
The day passed without any incident. The bears went and came, prowling
round the house, but attempting no direct attack. Watch was kept all
night, and at four o’clock in the morning they seemed to have left the
court-at any rate, they were nowhere to be seen.
But about seven o’clock Marbre went up to the loft to fetch some
provisions, and on his return announced that the bears were walking
about on the roof.
Hobson, the Sergeant, Mac-Nab, and two or three soldiers seized their
arms, and rushed to the ladder in the passage, which. communicated with
the loft by a trap-door. The cold was, however, so intense in the loft
that the men could not hold the barrels of their guns, and their breath
froze as it left their lips and floated about them as snow.
Marbre was right; the bears were all on the roof, and the sound of
their feet and their growls could be distinctly heard. Their great claws
caught in the laths of the roof beneath the ice, and there was some
danger that they might have sufficient strength to tear away the
woodwork.
The Lieutenant and his men, becoming giddy and faint from the intense
cold, were soon obliged to go down, and Hobson announced the state of
affairs in as hopeful a tone as he could assume.
“The bears,” he said, “are now upon the roof. We ourselves have
nothing to fear, as they can’t get into our rooms; but they may force
an entrance to the loft, and devour the furs stowed away there. Now
these furs belong to the Company, and it is our duty to preserve them
from injury I ask you then, my friends, to aid me in removing them to a
place of safety.”
All eagerly volunteered, and relieving each other in parties of two or
three, for none could have supported the intense severity of the cold
for long at a time, they managed to carry all the furs into the large
room in about an hour.
Whilst the work was proceeding, the bears continued their efforts to get
in, and tried to lift up the rafters of .the roof. In some places the
laths became broken by their weight, and poor Mac-Nab was in despair; he
had not reckoned upon such a contingency when he constructed the roof,
and expected to see it give way every moment.
The day passed, however, without any change in the situation. The bears
did not get in; but a no less formidable enemy, the cold, gradually
penetrated into every room. The fires in the stoves burnt low; the fuel
in reserve was almost exhausted; and before twelve o’clock, the last
piece of wood would be burnt, and the genial warmth of the stove would
no longer cheer the unhappy colonists.
Death would then await them-death in its most fearful form, from cold.
The poor creatures, huddled together round the stove, felt that their
own vital heat must soon become exhausted, but not a word of complaint
passed their lips. The women bore their sufferings with the greatest
heroism, and Mrs Mac-Nab pressed her baby convulsively to her ice-cold
breast. Some of the soldiers slept, or rather were wrapped in a heavy
torpor, which could scarcely be called sleep.
At three o’clock in the morning Hobson consulted the thermometer
hanging in the large room, about ten feet from the stove.
It marked 4° Fahrenheit below zero.
The Lieutenant pressed his hand to his forehead, and looked mournfully
at his silent companions without a word. His half-condensed breath
shrouded his face in a white cloud, and he was standing rooted to the
spot when a hand was laid upon his shoulder. He started, and looked
round to see Mrs Barnett beside him.
“Something must be done, Lieutenant Hobson !” exclaimed the
energetic woman; “we cannot die like this without an effort to save
ourselves !”
“Yes,” replied the Lieutenant, feeling revived by the moral courage
of his companion--” yes, something must be done !” and he called
together Long, Mac-Nab, and Rae the blacksmith, as the bravest men in
his party. All, together with Mrs Barnett, hastened to the window,
and having washed the panes with boiling water, they consulted the
thermometer outside.
“Seventy-two degrees !” cried Hobson. “My friends, two courses
only are open to us, we can risk our lives to get a fresh supply of
fuel, or we can burn the benches, beds, partition walls, and everything
in the house to feed our stoves for a few days longer. A desperate
alternative, for the cold may last for some time yet; there is no sign
of a change in the weather.”
“Let us risk our lives to get fuel !” said Sergeant Long.
All agreed that it would be the best course, and without another word
each one set to work to prepare for the emergency.
The following were the precautions taken to save the lives of those who
were about to risk themselves for the sake of the general good :--
The shed in which the wood was stored was about fifty steps on the left,
behind, the principal house. It was decided that one of the men should
try and run to the shed. He was to take one rope wound round his body,
and to carry another in his hand, one end of which was to be held by
one of his comrades. Once at the shed, he was to load one of the sledges
there with fuel, and tie one rope to the front, and the other to the
back of the vehicle, so that it could be dragged backwards and forwards
between the house and the shed without much danger. A tug violently
shaking one or the other cord would be the signal that the sledge was
filled with fuel at the shed, or unloaded at the house.
A very clever plan, certainly; but two things might defeat it. The
door of the shed might be so blocked up with ice that it would be very
difficult to open it, or the bears might come down from the roof and
prowl about the court. Two risks to be run !
Long, Mac-Nab, and Rae, all three volunteered for the perilous service;
but the Sergeant reminded the other two that they were married, and
insisted upon being the first to venture.
When the Lieutenant expressed a wish to go himself, Mrs Barnett said
earnestly, “You are our chief; you have no right to expose yourself.
Let Sergeant Long go.”
Hobson could not but realise that his office imposed caution, and being
called upon to decide which of his companions should go, be chose the
Sergeant. Mrs Barnett pressed the brave man’s hand with ill-concealed
emotion; and the rest of the colonists, asleep or stupefied, knew
nothing of the attempt about to be made to save their lives.
Two long ropes were got ready. The Sergeant wound one round his body
above the warm furs, worth some thousand pounds sterling, in which
he was encased, and tied the other to his belt, on which he hung a
tinder-box and a loaded revolver. Just before starting he swallowed down
half a glass of rum, as he said, “to insure a good load of wood.”
Hobson, Rae, and Mac-Nab accompanied the brave fellow through the
kitchen, where the fire had just gone out, and into the passage. Rae
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