disturbed its calm splendour--nothing was heard to indicate
approaching danger.
Next morning at early dawn, Hatteras and his companions, well armed,
went out to reconnoitre the state of the snow. They found the same
identical footmarks, but somewhat nearer. Evidently the enemy was
bent on the siege of Fort Providence.
"But where can the bears be?" said Bell.
"Behind the icebergs watching us," replied the Doctor.
"Don't let us expose ourselves imprudently."
"What about going hunting, then?" asked Altamont.
"We must put it off for a day or two, I think, and rub out the
marks again, and see if they are renewed to-morrow."
The Doctor's advice was followed, and they entrenched themselves
for the present in the fort. The lighthouse was taken down, as it
was not of actual use meantime, and might help to attract the bears.
Each took it in turn to keep watch on the upper plateau.
The day passed without a sign of the enemy's existence, and next
morning, when they hurried eagerly out to examine the snow, judge
their astonishment to find it wholly untouched!
"Capital!" exclaimed Altamont. "The bears are put off the
scent; they have no perseverance, and have grown tired waiting for
us. They are off, and a good riddance. Now let us start for a
day's hunting."
"Softly, softly," said the Doctor; "I'm not so sure they
have gone. I think we had better wait one day more. It is evident
the bears have not been here last night, at least on this side; but
still--"
"Well, let us go right round the plateau, and see how things
stand," said the impatient Altamont.
"All right," said Clawbonny. "Come along."
Away they went, but it was impossible to scrutinize carefully a
track of two miles, and no trace of the enemy was discoverable.
"Now, then, can't we go hunting?" said Altamont.
"Wait till to-morrow," urged the Doctor again.
His friend was very unwilling to delay, but yielded the point at
last, and returned to the fort.
[Illustration: ]
As on the preceding night, each man took his hour's watch on the
upper plateau. When it came to Altamont's turn, and he had gone
out to relieve Bell, Hatteras called his old companions round him.
The Doctor left his desk and Johnson his cooking, and hastened to
their captain's side, supposing he wanted to talk over their
perilous situation; but Hatteras never gave it a thought.
"My friends," he said, "let us take advantage of the
American's absence to speak of business. There are things which
cannot concern him, and with which I do not choose him to meddle."
Johnson and Clawbonny looked at each other, wondering what the
captain was driving at.
"I wish," he continued, "to talk with you about our plans for
the future."
"All right! talk away while we are alone," said the Doctor.
"In a month, or six weeks at the outside, the time for making
distant excursions will come again. Have you thought of what we had
better undertake in summer?"
"Have you, captain?" asked Johnson.
"Have I? I may say that not an hour of my life passes without
revolving in my mind my one cherished purpose. I suppose not a man
among you intends to retrace his steps?"
No one replied, and Hatteras went on to say--
"For my own part, even if I must go alone, I will push on to the
North Pole. Never were men so near it before, for we are not more
than 360 miles distant at most, and I will not lose such an
opportunity without making every attempt to reach it, even though it
be an impossibility. What are your views, Doctor?"
"Your own, Hatteras."
"And yours, Johnson?"
"Like the Doctor's."
"And yours, Bell?"
"Captain," replied the carpenter, "it is true we have neither
wives nor children waiting us in England, but, after all, it is
one's country--one's native land! Have you no thoughts of
returning home?"
"We can return after we have discovered the Pole quite as well as
before, and even better. Our difficulties will not increase, for as
we near the Pole we get away from the point of greatest cold. We
have fuel and provisions enough. There is nothing to stop us, and we
should be culpable, in my opinion, if we allowed ourselves to
abandon the project."
"Very well, captain, I'll go along with you."
"That's right; I never doubted you," said Hatteras. "We
shall succeed, and England will have all the glory."
"But there is an American among us!" said Johnson.
Hatteras could not repress an impatient exclamation.
"I know it!" he said, in a stern voice.
"We cannot leave him behind," added the Doctor.
"No, we can't," repeated Hatteras, almost mechanically.
"And he will be sure to go too."
"Yes, he will go too; but who will command?"
"You, captain."
"And if you all obey my orders, will the Yankee refuse?"
"I shouldn't think so; but suppose he should, what can be
done?"
"He and I must fight it out, then."
The three Englishmen looked at Hatteras, but said nothing. Then the
Doctor asked how they were to go.
"By the coast, as far as possible," was the reply.
"But what if we find open water, as is likely enough?"
"Well, we'll go across it."
"But we have no boat."
Hatteras did not answer, and looked embarrassed.
"Perhaps," suggested Bell, "we might make a ship out of some
of the planks of the Porpoise."
"Never!" exclaimed Hatteras, vehemently.
"Never!" said Johnson.
The Doctor shook his head. He understood the feeling of the captain.
"Never!" reiterated Hatteras. "A boat made out of an American
ship would be an American!"
"But, captain----" began Johnson.
The Doctor made a sign to the old boatswain not to press the subject
further, and resolved in his own mind to reserve the question for
discussion at a more opportune moment. He managed to turn the
conversation to other matters, till it abruptly terminated by the
entrance of Altamont.
This ended the day, and the night passed quietly without the least
disturbance. The bears had evidently disappeared.
CHAPTER XII
IMPRISONED IN DOCTOR'S HOUSE
The first business next day was to arrange for a hunt. It was
settled that Altamont, Bell, and Hatteras should form the party,
while Clawbonny should go and explore as far as Isle Johnson, and
make some hydrographic notes and Johnson should remain behind to
keep house.
The three hunters soon completed their preparations. They armed
themselves each with a double barrelled revolver and a rifle, and
took plenty of powder and shot. Each man also carried in his belt
his indispensable snow knife and hatchet, and a small supply of
pemmican in case night should surprise them before their return.
Thus equipped, they could go far, and might count on a good supply
of game.
At eight o'clock they started, accompanied by Duk, who frisked and
gambolled with delight. They went up the hill to the east, across
the cone, and down into the plain below.
The Doctor next took his departure, after agreeing with Johnson on a
signal of alarm in case of danger.
The old boatswain was left alone, but he had plenty to do. He began
by unfastening the Greenland dogs, and letting them out for a run
after their long, wearisome confinement. Then he attended to divers
housekeeping matters. He had to replenish the stock of combustibles
and provisions, to arrange the store-houses, to mend several broken
utensils, to repair the rents in coverlets, and get new shoes ready
for summer excursions. There was no lack of work, and the old
sailor's nimble clever fingers could do anything.
[Illustration: ]
While his hands were busy, his mind was occupied with the
conversation of the preceding evening. He thought with regret over
the captain's obstinacy, and yet he felt that there was something
grand and even heroic in his determination that neither an American
nor an American ship should first touch the Pole.
The hunters had been gone about an hour when Johnson suddenly heard
the report of a gun.
"Capital!" he exclaimed. "They have found something, and
pretty quickly too, for me to hear their guns so distinctly. The
atmosphere must be very clear."
A second and a third shot followed.
"Bravo!" again exclaimed the boatswain; "they must have fallen
in luck's way!"
[Illustration: Hatteras could only manage to keep off his pursuers
by flinging down one article after another--P.120]
But when three more shots came in rapid succession, the old man
turned pale, and a horrible thought crossed his mind, which made him
rush out and climb hastily to the top of the cone. He shuddered at
the sight which met his eyes. The three hunters, followed by Duk,
were tearing home at full speed, followed by the five huge bears!
Their six balls had evidently taken no effect, and the terrible
monsters were close on their heels. Hatteras, who brought up the
rear, could only manage to keep off his pursuers by flinging down
one article after another--first his cap, then his hatchet, and,
finally, his gun. He knew that the inquisitive bears would stop and
examine every object, sniffing all round it, and this gave him a
little time, otherwise he could not have escaped, for these animals
outstrip the fleetest horse, and one monster was so near that
Hatteras had to brandish his knife vigorously, to ward off a
tremendous blow of his paw.
At last, though panting and out of breath, the three men reached
Johnson safely, and slid down the rock with him into the snow-house.
The bears stopped short on the upper plateau, and Hatteras and his
companions lost no time in barring and barricading them out.
"Here we are at last!" exclaimed Hatteras; "we can defend
ourselves better now. It is five against five."
"Four!" said Johnson in a frightened voice.
"How?"
"The Doctor!" replied Johnson, pointing to the empty
sitting-room.
"Well, he is in Isle Johnson."
"A bad job for him," said Bell.
"But we can't leave him to his fate, in this fashion," said
Altamont.
"No, let's be off to find him at once," replied Hatteras.
[Illustration: ]
He opened the door, but soon shut it, narrowly escaping a bear's
hug.
"They are there!" he exclaimed.
"All?" asked Bell.
"The whole pack."
Altamont rushed to the windows, and began to fill up the deep
embrasure with blocks of ice, which he broke off the walls of the
house.
His companions followed his example silently. Not a sound was heard
but the low, deep growl of Duk.
To tell the simple truth, however, it was not their own danger that
occupied their thoughts, but their absent friend, the Doctor's. It
was for him they trembled, not for themselves. Poor Clawbonny, so
good and devoted as he had been to every member of the little
colony! This was the first time they had been separated from him.
Extreme peril, and most likely a frightful death awaited him, for he
might return unsuspectingly to Fort Providence, and find himself in
the power of these ferocious animals.
[Illustration: ]
"And yet," said Johnson, "unless I am much mistaken, he must
be on guard. Your repeated shots cannot but have warned him. He must
surely be aware that something unusual has happened."
"But suppose he was too far away to hear them," replied
Altamont, "or has not understood the cause of them? It is ten
chances to one but he'll come quickly back, never imagining the
danger. The bears are screened from sight by the crag completely."
"We must get rid of them before he comes," said Hatteras.
"But how?" asked Bell.
[Illustration: ]
It was difficult to reply to this, for a sortie was out of the
question. They had taken care to barricade the entrance passage, but
the bears could easily find a way in if they chose. So it was
thought advisable to keep a close watch on their movements outside,
by listening attentively in each room, so as to be able to resist
all attempts at invasion. They could hear them distinctly prowling
about, growling and scraping the walls with their enormous paws.
However, some action must be taken speedily, for time was passing.
Altamont resolved to try a port-hole through which he might fire on
his assailants. He had soon scooped out a hole in the wall, but his
gun was hardly pushed through, when it was seized with irresistible
force, and wrested from his grasp before he could even fire.
"Confound it!" he exclaimed, "we're no match for them."
And he hastened to stop up the breach as fast as possible.
This state of things had lasted upwards of an hour, and there seemed
no prospect of a termination. The question of a sortie began now to
be seriously discussed. There was little chance of success, as the
bears could not be attacked separately, but Hatteras and his
companions had grown so impatient, and it must be confessed were
also so much ashamed of being kept in prison by beasts, that they
would even have dared the risk if the captain had not suddenly
thought of a new mode of defence.
He took Johnson's furnace-poker, and thrust it into the stove
while he made an opening in the snow wall, or rather a partial
opening, for he left a thin sheet of ice on the outer side. As soon
as the poker was red hot, he said to his comrades who stood eagerly
watching him, wondering what he was going to do--
"This red-hot bar will keep off the bears when they try to get
hold of it, and we shall be able easily to fire across it without
letting them snatch away our guns."
"A good idea," said Bell, posting himself beside Altamont.
Hatteras withdrew the poker, and instantly plunged it in the wall.
The melting snow made a loud hissing noise, and two bears ran and
made a snatch at the glowing bar; but they fell back with a terrible
howl, and at the same moment four shots resounded, one after the
other.
"Hit!" exclaimed Altamont.
"Hit!" echoed Bell.
"Let us repeat the dose," said Hatteras, carefully stopping up
the opening meantime.
The poker was again thrust into the fire, and in a few minutes was
ready for Hatteras to recommence operations.
Altamont and Bell reloaded their guns, and took their places; but
this time the poker would not pass through.
"Confound the beasts!" exclaimed the impetuous American.
"What's the matter?" asked Johnson.
"What's the matter? Why, those plaguey animals are piling up
block after block, intending to bury us alive!"
"Impossible!"
"Look for yourself; the poker can't get through. I declare it is
getting absurd now."
It was worse than absurd, it was alarming. Things grew worse. It was
evident that the bears meant to stifle their prey, for the sagacious
animals were heaping up huge masses, which would make escape
impossible.
"It is too bad," said old Johnson, with a mortified look. "One
might put up with men, but bears!"
[Illustration: ]
Two hours elapsed without bringing any relief to the prisoners; to
go out was impossible, and the thick walls excluded all sound.
Altamont walked impatiently up and down full of exasperation and
excitement at finding himself worsted for once. Hatteras could think
of nothing but the Doctor, and of the serious peril which threatened
him.
[Illustration: ]
"Oh, if Mr. Clawbonny were only here!" said Johnson.
"What could he do?" asked Altamont.
"Oh, he'd manage to get us out somehow."
"How, pray?" said the American, crossly.
"If I knew that I should not need him. However, I know what his
advice just now would be."
"What?"
"To take some food; that can't hurt us. What do you say, Mr.
Altamont?"
"Oh, let's eat, by all means, if that will please you, though
we're in a ridiculous, not to say humiliating, plight."
"I'll bet you we'll find a way out after dinner."
No one replied, but they seated themselves round the table.
[Illustration: ]
Johnson, trained in Clawbonny's school, tried to be brave and
unconcerned about the danger, but he could scarcely manage it. His
jokes stuck in his throat. Moreover, the whole party began to feel
uncomfortable. The atmosphere was getting dense, for every opening
was hermetically sealed. The stoves would hardly draw, and it was
evident would soon go out altogether for want of oxygen.
Hatteras was the first to see their fresh danger, and he made no
attempt to hide it from his companions.
"If that is the case," said Altamont, "we must get out at all
risks."
"Yes," replied Hatteras; "but let us wait till night. We will
make a hole in the roof, and let in a provision of air, and then one
of us can fire out of it on the bears."
"It is the only thing we can do, I suppose," said Altamont.
So it was agreed; but waiting was hard work, and Altamont could not
refrain from giving vent to his impatience by thundering
maledictions on the bears, and abusing the ill fate which had placed
them in such an awkward and humbling predicament. "It was beasts
versus men," he said, "and certainly the men cut a pretty
figure."
CHAPTER XIII.
THE MINE.
Night drew on, and the lamp in the sitting-room already began to
burn dim for want of oxygen.
At eight o'clock the final arrangements were completed, and all
that remained to do was to make an opening in the roof.
They had been working away at this for some minutes, and Bell was
showing himself quite an adept in the business, when Johnson, who
had been keeping watch in the sleeping room, came hurriedly in to
his companions, pulling such a long face, that the captain asked
immediately what was the matter?
"Nothing exactly," said the old sailor, "and yet--"
"Come, out with it!" exclaimed Altamont.
"Hush! don't you hear a peculiar noise?"
"Where?"
"Here, on this side, on the wall of the room."
Bell stopped working, and listened attentively like the rest.
Johnson was right; a noise there certainly was on the side wall, as
if some one were cutting the ice.
"Don't you hear it?" repeated Johnson.
"Hear it? Yes, plain enough," replied Altamont.
"Is it the bears?" asked Bell.
"Most assuredly."
"Well; they have changed their tactics," said old Johnson,
"and given up the idea of suffocating us."
"Or may be they suppose we are suffocated by now," suggested the
American, getting furious at his invisible enemies.
"They are going to attack us," said Bell.
"Well, what of it?" returned Hatteras.
"We shall have a hand-to-hand struggle, that's all."
"And so much the better," added Altamont; "that's far more
to my taste; I have had enough of invisible foes--let me see my
antagonist, and then I can fight him."
"Ay," said Johnson; "but not with guns. They would be useless
here."
"With knife and hatchet then," returned the American.
The noise increased, and it was evident that the point of attack was
the angle of the wall formed by its junction with the cliff.
"They are hardly six feet off now," said the boatswain.
"Right, Johnson!" replied Altamont; "but we have time enough
to be ready for them."
And seizing a hatchet, he placed himself in fighting attitude,
planting his right foot firmly forward and throwing himself back.
Hatteras and the others followed his example, and Johnson took care
to load a gun in case of necessity.
Every minute the sound came nearer, till at last only a thin coating
separated them from their assailants.
Presently this gave way with a loud crack, and a huge dark mass
rolled over into the room.
Altamont had already swung his hatchet to strike, when he was
arrested by a well-known voice, exclaiming--
"For Heaven's sake, stop!"
"The Doctor! the Doctor!" cried Johnson.
And the Doctor it actually was who had tumbled in among them in such
undignified fashion.
"How do ye do, good friends?" he said, picking himself smartly
up.
His companions stood stupefied for a moment, but joy soon loosened
their tongues, and each rushed eagerly forward to welcome his old
comrade with a loving embrace. Hatteras was for once fairly overcome
with emotion, and positively hugged him like a child.
"And is it really you, Mr. Clawbonny?" said Johnson.
"Myself and nobody else, my old fellow. I assure you I have been
far more uneasy about you than you could have been about me."
"But how did you know we had been attacked by a troop of bears?"
asked Altamont. "What we were most afraid of was that you would
come quickly back to Fort Providence, never dreaming of danger."
"Oh, I saw it all. Your repeated shots gave me the alarm. When you
commenced firing I was beside the wreck of the Porpoise, but I
climbed up a hummock, and discovered five bears close on your heels.
Oh, how anxious I was for you! But when I saw you disappear down the
cliff, while the bears stood hesitating on the edge, as if uncertain
what to do, I felt sure that you had managed to get safely inside
the house and barricade it. I crept cautiously nearer, sometimes
going on all-fours, sometimes slipping between great blocks of ice,
till I came at last quite close to our fort, and then I found the
bears working away like beavers. They were prowling about the snow,
and dragging enormous blocks of ice towards the house, piling them
up like a wall, evidently intending to bury you alive. It is a lucky
thing they did not take it into their heads to dash down the blocks
from the summit of the cone, for you must have been crushed
inevitably."
"But what danger you were in, Mr. Clawbonny," said Bell. "Any
moment they might have turned round and attacked you."
"They never thought of it even. Johnson's Greenland dogs came in
sight several times, but they did not take the trouble to go after
them. No, they imagined themselves sure of a more savoury supper!"
"Thanks for the compliment!" said Altamont, laughing.
"Oh, there is nothing to be proud of. When I saw what the bears
were up to, I determined to get back to you by some means or other.
I waited till night, but as soon as it got dark I glided noiselessly
along towards the powder-magazine. I had my reasons for choosing
that point from which to work my way hither, and I speedily
commenced operations with my snow-knife. A famous tool it is. For
three mortal hours I have been hacking and heaving away, but here I
am at last tired enough and starving, but still safe here."
"To share our fate!" said Altamont.
"No, to save you all; but, for any sake, give me a biscuit and a
bit of meat, for I feel sinking for want of food."
A substantial meal was soon before him, but the vivacious little man
could talk all the while he was eating, and was quite ready to
answer any questions.
"Did you say to save us?" asked Bell.
"Most assuredly!" was the reply.
"Well, certainly, if you found your way in, we can find our way
out by the same road."
"A likely story, and leave the field clear for the whole pack to
come in and find out our stores. Pretty havoc they would make!"
"No, we must stay here," said Hatteras.
"Of course we must," replied Clawbonny, "but we'll get rid
of the bears for all that."
"I told you so," said Johnson, rubbing his hands. "I knew
nothing was hopeless if Mr. Clawbonny was here; he has always some
expedient in his wise head."
"My poor head is very empty, I fear, but by dint of rummaging
perhaps I----"
"Doctor," interrupted Altamont, "I suppose there is no fear of
the bears getting in by the passage you have made?"
"No, I took care to stop up the opening thoroughly, and now we can
reach the powder-magazine without letting them see us."
"All right; and now will you let us have your plan of getting rid
of these comical assailants?"
[Illustration: ]
"My plan is quite simple, and part of the work is done already."
"What do you mean?"
"You shall see. But I am forgetting that I brought a companion
with me."
"What do you say?" said Johnson.
"I have a companion to introduce to you," replied the Doctor,
going out again into the passage, and bringing back a dead fox,
newly killed.
"I shot it this morning," he continued, "and never did fox
come more opportunely."
"What on earth do you mean?" asked Altamont.
"I mean to blow up the bears en masse with 100 lbs of powder."
"But where is the powder?" exclaimed his friend.
"In the magazine. This passage will lead to it. I made it
purposely."
"And where is the mine to be?" inquired Altamont.
"At the furthest point from the house and stores."
"And how will you manage to entice the bears there, all to one
spot?"
"I'll undertake that business; but we have talked enough, let us
set to work. We have a hundred feet more to add to our passage
to-night, and that is no easy matter, but as there are five of us,
we can take turns at it. Bell will begin, and we will lie down and
sleep meantime."
"Well, really," said Johnson, "the more I think of it, the
more feasible seems the Doctor's plan."
"It is a sure one, anyway," said Clawbonny.
"So sure that I can feel the bear's fur already on my shoulder.
Well, come, let's begin then."
Away he went into the gloomy passage, followed by Bell, and in a few
moments they had reached the powder-magazine, and stood among the
well-arranged barrels. The Doctor pointed out to his companion the
exact spot where he began excavating, and then left him to his task,
at which he laboured diligently for about an hour, when Altamont
came to relieve him. All the snow he had dug out was taken to the
kitchen and melted, to prevent its taking up room.
The captain succeeded Altamont, and was followed by Johnson. In ten
hours--that is to say, about eight in the morning--the gallery was
entirely open.
[Illustration: ]
With the first streak of day, the Doctor was up to reconnoitre the
position of the enemy. The patient animals were still occupying
their old position, prowling up and down and growling. The house had
already almost disappeared beneath the piled-up blocks of ice, but
even while he gazed a council of war seemed being held, which
evidently resulted in the determination to alter the plan of action,
for suddenly all the five bears began vigorously to pull down these
same heaped-up blocks.
"What are they about?" asked Hatteras, who was standing beside
him.
"Well, they look to me to be bent on demolishing their own work,
and getting right down to us as fast as possible; but wait a bit, my
gentlemen, we'll demolish you first. However, we have not a minute
to lose."
Hastening away to the mine, he had the chamber where the powder was
to be lodged enlarged the whole breadth and height of the sloping
rock against which the wall leaned, till the upper part was about a
foot thick, and had to be propped up to prevent its falling in. A
strong stake was fixed firmly on the granite foundation, on the top
of which the dead fox was fastened. A rope was attached to the lower
part of the stake, sufficiently long to reach the powder stores.
"This is the bait," he said, pointing to the dead fox, "and
here is the mine," he added, rolling in a keg of powder containing
about 100 lbs.
"But, Doctor," said Hatteras, "won't that blow us up too, as
well as the bears?"
"No, we shall be too far from the scene of explosion. Besides, our
house is solid, and we can soon repair the walls even if they should
get a bit shaken."
"And how do you propose to manage?" asked Altamont.
"See! By hauling in this rope we lower the post which props up the
roof, and make it give way, and bring up the dead fox to light, and
I think you will agree with me that the bears are so famished with
their long fasting, that they won't lose much time in rushing
towards their unexpected meal. Well, just at that very moment, I
shall set fire to the mine, and blow up both the guests and the
meal."
"Capital! Capital!" shouted Johnson, who had been listening with
intense interest.
[Illustration: ]
Hatteras said nothing, for he had such absolute confidence in his
friend that he wanted no further explanation. But Altamont must know
the why and wherefore of everything.
"But Doctor," he said, "can you reckon on your match so
exactly that you can be quite sure it will fire the mine at the
right moment?"
"I don't need to reckon at all; that's a difficulty easily got
over."
"Then you have a match a hundred feet long?"
"No."
"You are simply going to lay a train of powder."
"No, that might miss fire."
"Well, there is no way then but for one of us to devote his life
to the others, and go and light the powder himself."
"I'm ready," said Johnson, eagerly, "ready and willing."
"Quite useless my brave fellow," replied the Doctor, holding out
his hand. "All our lives are precious, and they will be all
spared, thank God!"
"Well, I give it up!" said the American. "I'll make no more
guesses."
"I should like to know what is the good of learning physics,"
said the Doctor, smiling, "if they can't help a man at a pinch
like this. Haven't we an electric battery, and long enough lines
attached to it to serve our purpose? We can fire our mine whenever
we please in an instant, and without the slightest danger."
"Hurrah!" exclaimed Johnson.
"Hurrah!" echoed the others, without heeding whether the enemy
heard them or not.
The Doctor's idea was immediately carried out, and the connecting
lines uncoiled and laid down from the house to the chamber of the
mine, one end of each remaining attached to the electric pile, and
the other inserted into the keg of powder.
By nine o'clock everything was ready. It was high time, for the
bears were furiously engaged in the work of demolition. Johnson was
stationed in the powder-magazine, in charge of the cord which held
the bait.
"Now," said Clawbonny to his companions, "load your guns, in
case our assailants are not killed. Stand beside Johnson, and the
moment the explosion is over rush out."
[Illustration: ]
"All right," said Altamont.
"And now we have done all we can to help ourselves. So may Heaven
help us!"
Hatteras, Altamont, and Bell repaired to the powder-magazine, while
the Doctor remained alone beside the pile.
Soon he heard Johnson's voice in the distance calling out
"Ready."
"All right," was the reply.
Johnson pulled his rope vigorously, and then rushed to the loop-hole
to see the effect. The thin shell of ice had given way, and the body
of the fox lay among the ruins. The bears were somewhat scared at
first, but the next minute had eagerly rushed to seize the booty.
"Fire!" called out Johnson, and at once the electric spark was
sent along the lines right into the keg of powder. A formidable
explosion ensued; the house was shaken as if by an earthquake, and
the walls cracked asunder. Hatteras, Altamont, and Bell hurried out
with the guns, but they might spare their shot, for four of the
bears lay dead, and the fifth, half roasted, though alive, was
scampering away in terror as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Hurrah! Three cheers for Clawbonny," they shouted and
overwhelmed the Doctor with plaudits and thanks.
CHAPTER XIV.
AN ARCTIC SPRING.
The prisoners were free, and their joy found vent in the noisiest
demonstrations. They employed the rest of the day in repairing the
house, which had suffered greatly by the explosion. They cleared
away the blocks piled up by the animals, and filled up the rents in
the walls, working with might and main, enlivened by the many songs
of old Johnson.
Next morning there was a singular rise in the temperature, the
thermometer going up to 15° above zero.
This comparative heat lasted several days. In sheltered spots the
glass rose as high as 31°, and symptoms of a thaw appeared.
The ice began to crack here and there, and jets of salt water were
thrown up, like fountains in an English park. A few days later, the
rain fell in torrents.
Thick vapour rose from the snow, giving promise of the speedy
disappearance of these immense masses. The sun's pale disc became
deeper in colour, and remained longer above the horizon. The night
was scarcely longer than three hours.
[Illustration: ]
Other tokens of spring's approach were manifest of equal
significance, the birds were returning in flocks, and the air
resounded with their deafening cries. Hares were seen on the shores
of the bay, and mice in such abundance that their burrows completely
honeycombed the ground.
[Illustration: ]
The Doctor drew the attention of his companions to the fact, that
almost all these animals were beginning to lose their white winter
dress, and would soon put on summer attire, while nature was already
providing mosses, and poppies, and saxifragas, and short grass for
their sustenance. A new world lay beneath that melting snow.
But with these inoffensive animals came back their natural enemies.
Foxes and wolves arrived in search of their prey, and dismal howls
broke the silence of the short night.
Arctic wolves closely resemble dogs, and their barking would deceive
the most practised ears; even the canine race themselves have been
deceived by it. Indeed, it seems as if the wily animals employed
this ruse to attract the dogs, and make them their prey. Several
navigators have mentioned the fact, and the Doctor's own
experience confirmed it. Johnson took care not to let his
Greenlanders loose; of Duk there was little fear; nothing could take
him in.
For about a fortnight hunting was the principal occupation. There
was an abundant supply of fresh meat to be had. They shot
partridges, ptarmigans, and snow ortolans, which are delicious
eating. The hunters never went far from Fort Providence, for game
was so plentiful that it seemed waiting their guns, and the whole
bay presented an animated appearance.
The thaw, meanwhile, was making rapid progress. The thermometer
stood steadily at 32° above zero, and the water ran down the
mountain sides in cataracts, and dashed in torrents through the
ravines.
The Doctor lost no time in clearing about an acre of ground, in
which he sowed the seeds of anti-scorbutic plants. He just had the
pleasure of seeing tiny little green leaves begin to sprout, when
the cold returned in full force.
In a single night, the thermometer lost nearly 40°; it went down to
8° below zero. Everything was frozen--birds, quadrupeds, amphibia
disappeared as if by magic; seal-holes reclosed, and the ice once
more became hard as granite.
The change was most striking; it occurred on the 18th of May, during
the night. The Doctor was rather disappointed at having all his work
to do again, but Hatteras bore the grievance most unphilosophically,
as it interfered with all his plans of speedy departure.
[Illustration: ]
"Do you think we shall have a long spell of this weather, Mr.
Clawbonny?" asked Johnson.
"No, my friend, I don't; it is a last blow from the cold. You
see these are his dominions, and he won't be driven out without
making some resistance."
"He can defend himself pretty well," said Bell, rubbing his face.
"Yes; but I ought to have waited, and not have wasted my seed like
an ignoramus; and all the more as I could, if necessary, have made
them sprout by the kitchen stoves."
"But do you mean to say," asked Altamont, "that you might have
anticipated the sudden change?"
"Of course, and without being a wizard. I ought to have put my
seed under the protection of Saint Paucratius and the other two
saints, whose fête days fall this month."
"Absurd! Pray tell me what they have to do with it? What influence
can they possibly have on the temperature?"
"An immense one, if we are to believe horticulturists, who call
them the patron saints of the frost."
"And for what reason?"
"Because generally there is a periodical frost in the month of
May, and it is coldest from the 11th to the 13th. That is the
fact."
"And how is it explained?"
"In two ways. Some say that a larger number of asteroids come
between the earth and the sun at this time of year, and others that
the mere melting of the snow necessarily absorbs a large amount of
heat, and accounts for the low temperature. Both theories are
plausible enough, but the fact remains whichever we accept, and I
ought to have remembered it."
The Doctor was right, for the cold lasted till the end of the month,
and put an end to all their hunting expeditions. The old monotonous
life in-doors recommenced, and was unmarked by any incident except a
serious illness which suddenly attacked Bell. This was violent
quinsy, but, under the Doctor's skilful treatment, it was soon
cured. Ice was the only remedy he employed, administered in small
pieces, and in twenty-four hours Bell was himself again.
[Illustration: ]
During this compulsory leisure, Clawbonny determined to have a talk
with the captain on an important subject--the building of a sloop
out of the planks of the Porpoise.
The Doctor hardly knew how to begin, as Hatteras had declared so
vehemently that he would never consent to use a morsel of American
wood; yet it was high time he were brought to reason, as June was at
hand, the only season for distant expeditions, and they could not
start without a ship.
He thought over it a long while, and at last drew the captain aside,
and said in the kindest, gentlest way--
"Hatteras, do you believe I'm your friend?"
"Most certainly I do," replied the captain, earnestly; "my
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