bury you alive. Fortunately, they did not think of hurling the blocks
down from the top of the cone, for you would have been crushed without
mercy."
"But," said Bell, "you were not safe, Doctor; couldn't they leave
their place and attack you?"
"They didn't think of it; the Greenland dogs which Johnson let loose
would sniff around at a little distance, but they didn't think of
attacking them; no, they were sure of better game."
"Thanks for the compliment," said Altamont, smiling.
"O, you needn't be vain of it! When I saw the tactics of the bears, I
resolved to join you; to be prudent, I waited till night; so at
twilight I slipped noiselessly towards the slope, on the side of the
magazine; I had my own idea in choosing this point; I wanted to make a
gallery; so I set to work; I began with my snow-knife, and a capital
tool it is! For three hours I dug and dug, and here I am, hungry and
tired, but here at last--"
"To share our fate?" asked Altamont.
"To save all of us; but give me a piece of biscuit and some meat; I'm
half starved."
Soon the doctor was burying his white teeth in a large slice of salt
beef. Although he was eating, he appeared willing to answer the
questions they put to him.
"To save us?" Bell began.
"Certainly," answered the doctor, "and to rid us of the malicious
pests who will end by finding our stores and devouring them."
"We must stay here," said Hatteras.
"Certainly," answered the doctor, "and yet rid ourselves of these
animals."
"There is then a means?" asked Bell.
"A sure means," answered the doctor.
"I said so," cried Johnson, rubbing his hands; "with Dr. Clawbonny, we
need not despair; he always has some invention handy."
"Not always handy; but after thinking for a while--"
"Doctor," interrupted Altamont, "can't the bears get through the
passage-way you cut?"
"No, I took the precaution of closing it behind me; and now we can go
from here to the powder-magazine without their suspecting it."
"Good! Will you tell us what means you intend to employ to rid us of
these unpleasant visitors?"
"Something very simple, and which is already half done."
"How so?"
"You'll see. But I forgot I didn't come alone."
"What do you mean?" asked Johnson.
"I have a companion to introduce to you."
And with these words he pulled in from the gallery the newly killed
body of a fox.
[Illustration]
"A fox!" cried Bell.
"My morning's game," answered the doctor, modestly, "and you'll see no
fox was ever wanted more than this one."
"But what is your plan, after all?" asked Altamont.
"I intend to blow the bears up with a hundred pounds of powder."
They all gazed at the doctor with amazement.
"But the powder?" they asked.
"It is in the magazine."
"And the magazine?"
"This passage-way leads to it. I had my own reason for digging this
passage sixty feet long; I might have attacked the parapet nearer to
the house, but I had my own idea."
"Well, where are you going to put the mine?" asked the American.
"On the slope, as far as possible from the house, the magazine, and
the stores."
"But how shall you get all the bears together?"
"I'll take charge of that," answered the doctor; "but we've talked
enough, now to work; we have a hundred feet to dig out to-night; it's
tiresome work, but we five can do it in relays. Bell shall begin, and
meanwhile we can take some rest."
"Really," said Johnson, "the more I think of it, the more I admire Dr.
Clawbonny's plan."
"It's sure," answered the doctor.
"O, from the moment you opened your mouth they are dead bears, and I
already feel their fur about my shoulders!"
"To work, then!"
The doctor entered the dark gallery, followed by Bell; where the
doctor had gone through, his companions were sure to find no
difficulty; two reached the magazine and entered among the barrels,
which were all arranged in good order. The doctor gave Bell the
necessary instructions; the carpenter began work on the wall towards
the slope, and his companion returned to the house.
[Illustration]
Bell worked for an hour, and dug a passage about ten feet long,
through which one might crawl. Then Altamont took his place, and did
about as much; the snow which was taken from the gallery was carried
into the kitchen, where the doctor melted it at the fire, that it
might take up less room. The captain followed the American; then came
Johnson. In ten hours, that is to say, at about eight o'clock in the
morning, the gallery was finished. At daybreak the doctor peeped at
the bears through a loop-hole in the wall of the powder-magazine.
The patient animals had not left their place; there they were, coming
and going, growling, but in general patrolling patiently; they kept
going around the house, which was gradually disappearing beneath the
snow. But at length they seemed to lose patience, for the doctor saw
them begin to tear away the ice and snow they had heaped up.
"Good!" he said to the captain, who was standing near him.
"What are they doing?" he asked.
"They seem to be trying to destroy what they have done and to get to
us! But they'll be destroyed first! At any rate, there is no time to
lose."
The doctor made his way to the place where the mine was to be laid;
then he enlarged the chamber all the height and breadth of the slope;
a layer of ice, only a foot thick at the outside, remained; it had to
be supported lest it should fall in. A stake resting on the granite
soil served as a post; the fox's body was fastened to the top, and a
long knotted cord ran the whole length of the gallery to the magazine.
The doctor's companions followed his orders without clearly
understanding his intention.
"This is the bait," he said, pointing to the fox.
At the foot of the post he placed a cask holding about a hundred
pounds of powder.
[Illustration]
"And here is the charge," he added.
"But," asked Hatteras, "sha'n't we blow ourselves up at the same
time?"
"No, we are far enough off from the explosion; besides, our house is
solid; and if it is hurt a little we can easily repair it."
"Well," continued Altamont; "but how are you going to set it off?"
"This way. By pulling this cord we pull over the post which holds up
the ice above the powder; the fox's body will suddenly be seen on the
slope, and you must confess that the starving animals will rush upon
this unexpected prey."
"Certainly."
"Well, at that moment I shall explode the mine, and blow up guest and
dinner."
"Well, well!" exclaimed Johnson, who was listening eagerly.
Hatteras had perfect confidence in his friend, and asked no question.
He waited. But Altamont wanted it made perfectly clear.
"Doctor," he began, "how can you calculate the length of the fuse so
exactly that the explosion will take place at the right moment?"
"It's very simple," answered the doctor; "I don't make any
calculation."
"But you have a fuse a hundred feet long?"
"No."
"Shall you set a train of powder simply?"
"No! that might fail."
"Will some one have to volunteer and light the powder?"
"If you want any one," said Johnson, eagerly, "I'm your man."
"It's not necessary, my friend," answered the doctor, grasping the
boatswain's hand; "our five lives are precious, and they will be
spared, thank God!"
"Then," said the American, "I can't guess."
"Well," answered the doctor, smiling, "if we couldn't get out of this
little affair, what would be the use of physics?"
"Ah!" said Johnson, brightening up, "physics!"
"Yes! Haven't we here an electric pile and wires long enough,--those,
you know, which connected with the lighthouse?"
"Well?"
"Well, we shall explode the powder when we please, instantly, and
without danger."
"Hurrah!" shouted Johnson.
"Hurrah!" repeated his companions, not caring whether the enemy heard
them or not. Soon the electric wires were run through the gallery from
the house to the chamber of the mine. One of the extremities remained
at the pile, the other was plunged into the centre of the cask, the
two ends being placed at but a little distance from one another. At
nine of the morning all was finished, and it was time; the bears were
tearing the snow away furiously. The doctor thought the proper time
had come. Johnson was sent to the magazine and charged with pulling
the cord fastened to the post. He took his place.
"Now," said the doctor to his companions, "load your guns in case they
should not be all killed at once, and take your place near Johnson; as
soon as you hear the explosion, run out."
"All right!" said the American.
"And now we have done all that men can do! We have helped ourselves;
may God help us!"
Hatteras, Altamont, and Bell went to the magazine. The doctor remained
alone at the pile. Soon he heard Johnson's voice crying,--
"Ready?"
"All right!" he answered.
Johnson gave a strong pull at the rope; it pulled over the stake; then
he ran to the loop-hole and looked out. The surface of the slope had
sunk in. The fox's body was visible upon the shattered ice. The bears,
at first surprised, crowded about this new prey.
[Illustration]
"Fire!" shouted Johnson.
The doctor at once established the electric current between the
threads; a loud explosion followed; the house shook as if in an
earthquake; the walls fell in. Hatteras, Altamont, and Bell hastened
out of the magazine, ready to fire. But their guns were not needed;
four of the five bears fell about them in fragments, while the fifth,
badly burned, ran away as fast as he could.
[Illustration: "A loud explosion followed."]
"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" shouted the doctor's companions, while they
crowded about him and embraced him.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE POLAR SPRING.
The prisoners were set free; they expressed their joy by the warmth of
their thanks to the doctor. Johnson regretted somewhat the skins,
which were burned and useless; but his regret did not sour his temper.
They spent the day in repairing the house, which was somewhat injured
by the explosion. They took away the blocks heaped up by the animals,
and the walls were made secure. They worked briskly, encouraged by the
cheery songs of the boatswain.
The next day the weather was much milder; the wind changed suddenly,
and the thermometer rose to +15°. So great a difference was soon felt
by both man and nature. The southerly wind brought with it the first
signs of the polar spring. This comparative warmth lasted for many
days; the thermometer, sheltered from the wind, even rose as high as
+31°, and there were signs of a thaw. The ice began to crack; a few
spirts of salt-water arose here and there, like jets in an English
park; a few days later it rained hard.
[Illustration]
A dense vapor arose from the snow; this was a good sign, and the
melting of the immense masses appeared to be near at hand. The pale
disk of the sun grew brighter and drew longer spirals above the
horizon; the night lasted scarcely three hours. Another similar
symptom was the reappearance of some ptarmigans, arctic geese, plover,
and flocks of quail; the air was soon filled with the deafening cries
which they remembered from the previous summer. A few hares, which
they were able to shoot, appeared on the shores of the bay, as well as
the arctic mice, the burrows of which were like a honeycomb. The
doctor called the attention of his friends to the fact that these
animals began to lose their white winter plumage, or hair, to put on
their summer dress; they were evidently getting ready for summer,
while their sustenance appeared in the form of moss, poppy, saxifrage,
and thin grass. A new life was peering through the melting snows. But
with the harmless animals returned the famished foes; foxes and wolves
arrived in search of their prey; mournful howling sounded during the
brief darkness of the nights.
[Illustration]
The wolf of these countries is near of kin to the dog; like him, it
barks, and often in such a way as to deceive the sharpest ears, those
of the dogs themselves, for instance; it is even said that they employ
this device to attract dogs, and then eat them. This has been observed
on the shores of Hudson's Bay, and the doctor could confirm it at New
America; Johnson took care not to let loose the dogs of the sledge,
who might have been destroyed in that way. As for Duke, he had seen
too many of them, and he was too wise to be caught in any such way.
During a fortnight they hunted a great deal; fresh food was abundant;
they shot partridges, ptarmigans, and snow-birds, which were delicious
eating. The hunters did not go far from Fort Providence. In fact,
small game could almost be killed with a stick; and it gave much
animation to the silent shores of Victoria Bay,--an unaccustomed sight
which delighted their eyes.
The fortnight succeeding the great defeat of the bears was taken up
with different occupations. The thaw advanced steadily; the
thermometer rose to 32°, and torrents began to roar in the ravines,
and thousands of cataracts fell down the declivities. The doctor
cleared an acre of ground and sowed in it cresses, sorrel, and
cochlearia, which are excellent remedies for the scurvy; the little
greenish leaves were peeping above the ground when, with incredible
rapidity, the cold again seized everything.
In a single night, with a violent north-wind, the thermometer fell
forty degrees, to -8°. Everything was frozen; birds, quadrupeds, and
seals disappeared as if by magic; the holes for the seals were closed,
the crevasses disappeared, the ice became as hard as granite, and the
waterfalls hung like long crystal pendants.
It was a total change to the eye; it took place in the night of May
11-12. And when Bell the next morning put his nose out of doors into
this sharp frost, he nearly left it there.
"O, this polar climate!" cried the doctor, a little disappointed;
"that's the way it goes! Well, I shall have to begin sowing again."
[Illustration]
Hatteras took things less philosophically, so eager was he to renew
his explorations. But he had to resign himself.
"Will this cold weather last long?" asked Johnson.
"No, my friend, no," answered Clawbonny; "it's the last touch of
winter we shall have! You know it's at home here, and we can't drive
it away against its will."
"It defends itself well," said Bell, rubbing his face.
"Yes, but I ought to have expected it," said the doctor; "and I should
not have thrown the seed away so stupidly, especially since I might
have started them near the kitchen stove."
"What!" asked Altamont, "could you have foreseen this change of
weather?"
"Certainly, and without resorting to magic. I ought to have put the
seed under the protection of Saints Mamert, Panera, and Servais, whose
days are the 11th, 12th, and 13th of this month."
"Well, Doctor," said Altamont, "will you tell me what influence these
three saints have on the weather?"
"A very great influence, to believe gardeners, who call them the three
saints of ice."
"And why so, pray?"
"Because generally there is a periodic frost in the month of May, and
the greatest fall of temperature takes place from the 11th to the 13th
of this month. It is a fact, that is all."
"It is curious, but what is the explanation?" asked the American.
"There are two: either by the interposition of a greater number of
asteroids between the earth and the sun at this season, or simply by
the melting of the snow, which thereby absorbs a great quantity of
heat. Both explanations are plausible; must they be received? I don't
know; but if I'm uncertain of the truth of the explanation, I ought
not to have been of the fact, and so lose my crop."
The doctor was right; for one reason or another the cold was very
intense during the rest of the month of May; their hunting was
interrupted, not so much by the severity of the weather as by the
absence of game; fortunately, the supply of fresh meat was not yet
quite exhausted. They found themselves accordingly condemned to new
inactivity; for a fortnight, from the 11th to the 25th of May, only
one incident broke the monotony of their lives; a serious illness,
diphtheria, suddenly seized the carpenter; from the swollen tonsils
and the false membrane in the throat, the doctor could not be ignorant
of the nature of the disease; but he was in his element, and he soon
drove it away, for evidently it had not counted on meeting him; his
treatment was very simple, and the medicines were not hard to get; the
doctor simply prescribed pieces of ice to be held in the mouth; in a
few hours the swelling went down and the false membrane disappeared;
twenty-four hours later Bell was up again.
When the others wondered at the doctor's prescriptions: "This is the
land of these complaints," he answered; "the cure must be near the
disease."
"The cure, and especially the doctor," added Johnson, in whose mind
the doctor was assuming colossal proportions.
During this new leisure the latter resolved to have a serious talk
with the captain; he wanted to induce Hatteras to give up his
intention of going northward without carrying some sort of a boat; a
piece of wood, something with which he could cross an arm of the sea,
if they should meet one. The captain, who was fixed in his views, had
formally vowed not to use a boat made of the fragments of the American
ship. The doctor was uncertain how to broach the subject, and yet a
speedy decision was important, for the month of June would be the time
for distant excursions. At last, after long reflection, he took
Hatteras aside one day, and with his usual air of kindness said to
him,--
"Hatteras, you know I am your friend?"
"Certainly," answered the captain, warmly, "my best friend; indeed, my
only one."
"If I give you a piece of advice," resumed the doctor, "advice which
you don't ask for, would you consider it disinterested?"
"Yes, for I know that selfish interest has never been your guide; but
what do you want to say?"
"One moment, Hatteras; I have something else to ask of you: Do you
consider me a true Englishman like yourself, and eager for the glory
of my country?"
Hatteras looked at the doctor with surprise.
"Yes," he answered, with his face expressing surprise at the question.
"You want to reach the North Pole," resumed the doctor; "I understand
your ambition, I share it, but to reach this end we need the means."
"Well, haven't I so far sacrificed everything in order to succeed?"
"No, Hatteras, you have not sacrificed your personal prejudices, and
at this moment I see that you are ready to refuse the indispensable
means of reaching the Pole."
"Ah!" answered Hatteras, "you mean the launch; this man--"
"Come, Hatteras, let us argue coolly, without passion, and look at all
sides of the question. The line of the coast on which we have wintered
may be broken; there is no proof that it runs six degrees to the
north; if the information which has brought you so far is right, we
ought to find a vast extent of open sea during the summer months. Now,
with the Arctic Ocean before us, free of ice and favorable for
navigation, what shall we do if we lack the means of crossing it?"
Hatteras made no answer.
"Do you want to be within a few miles of the Pole without being able
to reach it?"
Hatteras's head sank into his hands.
"And now," continued the doctor, "let us look at the question from a
moral point of view. I can understand that an Englishman should give
up his life and his fortune for the honor of his country. But because
a boat made of a few planks torn from a wrecked American ship first
touches the coast or crosses the unknown ocean, can that diminish the
honor of the discovery? If you found on this shore the hull of an
abandoned ship, should you hesitate to make use of it? Doesn't the
glory of success belong to the head of the expedition? And I ask you
if this launch built by four Englishmen, manned by four Englishmen,
would not be English from keel to gunwale?"
Hatteras was still silent.
"No," said Clawbonny, "let us talk frankly; it's not the boat you
mind, it's the man."
"Yes, Doctor, yes," answered the captain, "that American; I hate him
with real English hate, that man thrown in my way by chance--"
"To save you!"
"To ruin me! He seems to defy me, to act as master, to imagine he
holds my fate in his hands, and to have guessed my plans. Didn't he
show his character when we were giving names to the new lands? Has he
ever said what he was doing here? You can't free me of the idea which
is killing me, that this man is the head of an expedition sent out by
the government of the United States."
"And if he is, Hatteras, what is there to show that he is in search of
the Pole? Can't America try to discover the Northwest Passage as well
as England? At any rate, Altamont is perfectly ignorant of your plans;
for neither Johnson nor Bell nor you nor I has said a single word
about them in his presence."
"Well, I hope he'll never know them!"
"He will know them finally, of course, for we can't leave him alone
here."
"Why not?" asked the captain, with some violence; "can't he remain at
Fort Providence?"
"He would never give his consent, Hatteras; and then to leave him
here, uncertain of finding him again, would be more than imprudent, it
would be inhuman. Altamont will come with us; he must come! But since
there is no need of suggesting new ideas to him, let us say nothing,
and build a launch apparently for reconnoitring these new shores."
Hatteras could not make up his mind to accede to the demands of his
friend, who waited for an answer which did not come.
"And if he refused to let us tear his ship to pieces!" said the
captain, finally.
"In that case, you would have the right on your side; you could build
the boat in spite of him, and he could do nothing about it."
"I hope he will refuse," exclaimed Hatteras.
"Before he refuses," answered the doctor, "he must be asked. I will
undertake to do it."
In fact, that evening, before supper, Clawbonny turned the
conversation to certain proposed expeditions in the summer months for
hydrographic observations.
"I suppose, Altamont," he said, "that you will join us?"
"Certainly," was the reply; "we must know how large New America is."
Hatteras gazed earnestly at his rival while he made his answer.
"And for that," continued Altamont, "we must make the best use we can
of the fragments of the -Porpoise-; let us make a strong boat which
can carry us far."
"You hear, Bell," said the doctor, quickly; "to-morrow we shall set to
work."
CHAPTER XV.
THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE.
The next day Bell, Altamont, and the doctor went to the -Porpoise-;
they found no lack of wood; the old three-masted launch, though
injured by being wrecked, could still supply abundant material for the
new one. The carpenter set to work at once; they needed a seaworthy
boat, which should yet be light enough to carry on a sledge. Towards
the end of May the weather grew warmer; the thermometer rose above the
freezing-point; the spring came in earnest this time, and the men were
able to lay aside their winter clothing. Much rain fell, and soon the
snow began to slide and melt away. Hatteras could not hide his joy at
seeing the first signs of thaw in the ice-fields. The open sea meant
liberty for him.
[Illustration: "The carpenter set to work at once."]
[Illustration]
Whether or not his predecessors had been wrong on this great question
of an open polar sea, he hoped soon to know. All chance of success in
his undertaking depended on this. One evening, after a warm day in
which the ice had given unmistakable signs of breaking up, he turned
the conversation to the question of an open sea. He took up the
familiar arguments, and found the doctor, as ever, a warm advocate of
his doctrine. Besides, his conclusions were evidently accurate.
"It is plain," he said, "that if the ocean before Victoria Bay gets
clear of ice, its southern part will also be clear as far as New
Cornwall and Queen's Channel. Penny and Belcher saw it in that state,
and they certainly saw clearly."
"I agree with you, Hatteras," answered the doctor, "and I have no
reason for doubting the word of these sailors; a vain attempt has been
made to explain their discovery as an effect of mirage; but they were
so certain, it was impossible that they could have made such a
mistake."
"I always thought so," said Altamont; "the polar basin extends to the
east as well as to the west."
"We can suppose so, at any rate," answered Hatteras.
"We ought to suppose so," continued the American, "for this open sea
which Captains Penny and Belcher saw near the coast of Grinnell Land
was seen by Morton, Kane's lieutenant, in the straits which are named
after that bold explorer."
"We are not in Kane's sea," answered Hatteras, coldly, "and
consequently we cannot verify the fact."
"It is supposable, at least," said Altamont.
"Certainly," replied the doctor, who wished to avoid useless
discussion. "What Altamont thinks ought to be the truth; unless there
is a peculiar disposition of the surrounding land, the same effects
appear at the same latitudes. Hence I believe the sea is open in the
east as well as in the west."
"At any rate, it makes very little difference to us," said Hatteras.
"I don't agree with you, Hatteras," resumed the American, who was
beginning to be annoyed by the affected unconcern of the captain; "it
may make considerable difference to us."
"And when, if I may ask?"
"When we think of returning."
"Returning!" cried Hatteras, "and who's thinking of that?"
"No one," answered Altamont; "but we shall stop somewhere, I suppose."
"And where?" asked Hatteras.
For the first time the question was fairly put to Altamont. The doctor
would have given one of his arms to have put a stop to the discussion.
Since Altamont made no answer, the captain repeated his question.
"And where?"
"Where we are going," answered the American, quietly.
"And who knows where that is?" said the peace-loving doctor.
"I say, then," Altamont went on, "that if we want to make use of the
polar basin in returning, we can try to gain Kane's sea; it will lead
us more directly to Baffin's Bay."
"So that is your idea?" asked the captain, ironically.
"Yes, that is my idea, as it is that if these seas ever become
practicable, they will be reached by the straightest way. O, that was
a great discovery of Captain Kane's!"
"Indeed!" said Hatteras, biting his lips till they bled.
"Yes," said the doctor, "that cannot be denied; every one should have
the praise he deserves."
"Without considering," went on the obstinate American, "that no one
had ever before gone so far to the north."
"I like to think," said Hatteras, "that now the English have got ahead
of him."
"And the Americans!" said Altamont.
"Americans!" repeated Hatteras.
"What am I, then?" asked Altamont, proudly.
"You are," answered Hatteras, who could hardly control his
voice,--"you are a man who presumes to accord equal glory to science
and to chance! Your American captain went far to the north, but as
chance alone--"
"Chance!" shouted Altamont; "do you dare to say that this great
discovery is not due to Kane's energy and knowledge?"
"I say," answered Hatteras, "that Kane's name is not fit to be
pronounced in a country made famous by Parry, Franklin, Ross, Belcher,
and Penny in these seas which opened the Northwest Passage to
MacClure--"
"MacClure!" interrupted the American; "you mention that man, and yet
you complain of the work of chance? Wasn't it chance alone that
favored him?"
"No," answered Hatteras, warmly,--"no! It was his courage, his
perseverance in spending four winters in the ice--"
"I should think so!" retorted the American; "he got caught in the ice
and couldn't get out, and he had to abandon the -Investigator- at last
to go back to England."
"My friends--" said the doctor.
"Besides," Altamont went on, "let us consider the result. You speak of
the Northwest Passage; well, it has yet to be discovered!"
Hatteras started at these words; no more vexatious question could have
arisen between two rival nationalities. The doctor again tried to
intervene.
"You are mistaken, Altamont," he said.
"No, I persist in my opinions," he said obstinately; "the Northwest
Passage is yet to be found, to be sailed through, if you like that any
better! MacClure never penetrated it, and to this day no ship that has
sailed from Behring Strait has reached Baffin's Bay!"
That was true, speaking exactly. What answer could be made?
Nevertheless, Hatteras rose to his feet and said,--
"I shall not permit the good name of an English captain to be attacked
any further in my presence."
"You will not permit it?" answered the American, who also rose to his
feet; "but these are the facts, and it is beyond your power to destroy
them."
"Sir!" said Hatteras, pale with anger.
"My friends," said the doctor, "don't get excited! We are discussing a
scientific subject."
Clawbonny looked with horror at a scientific discussion into which the
hate of an American and an Englishman could enter.
"I am going to give you the facts," began Hatteras, threateningly.
"But I'm speaking now!" retorted the American.
Johnson and Bell became very uneasy.
"Gentlemen," said the doctor, severely, "let me say a word! I insist
upon it, I know the facts as well, better than you do, and I can speak
of them impartially."
"Yes, yes," said Bell and Johnson, who were distressed at the turn the
discussion had taken, and who formed a majority favorable to the
doctor.
"Go on, Doctor," said Johnson, "these gentlemen will listen, and you
cannot fail to give us some information."
"Go on, Doctor," said the American.
Hatteras resumed his place with a sign of acquiescence, and folded his
arms.
"I will tell the simple truth about the facts," said the doctor, "and
you must correct me if I omit or alter any detail."
"We know you, Doctor," said Bell, "and you can speak without fear of
interruption."
"Here is the chart of the Polar Seas," resumed the doctor, who had
brought it to the table; "it will be easy to trace MacClure's course,
and you will be able to make up your minds for yourselves."
Thereupon he unrolled one of the excellent maps published by order of
the Admiralty, containing the latest discoveries in arctic regions;
then he went on:--
"You know, in 1848, two ships, the -Herald-, Captain Kellet, and the
-Plover-, Commander Moore, were sent to Behring Strait in search of
traces of Franklin; their search was vain; in 1850 they were joined by
MacClure, who commanded the -Investigator-, a ship in which he had
sailed, in 1849, under James Ross's orders. He was followed by Captain
Collinson, his chief, who sailed in the -Enterprise-; but he arrived
before him. At Behring Strait he declared he would wait no longer, and
that he would go alone, on his own responsibility, and--you hear me,
Altamont--that he would find either Franklin or the passage."
Altamont showed neither approbation nor the contrary.
"August 5, 1850," continued the doctor, "after a final communication
with the -Plover-, MacClure sailed eastward by an almost unknown
route; see how little land is marked upon the chart. August 30th he
rounded Cape Bathurst; September 6th he discovered Baring Land, which
he afterwards discovered to form part of Banks Land, then Prince
Albert's Land. Then he resolved to enter the long straits between
these two large islands, and he called it Prince of Wales Strait. You
can follow his plan. He hoped to come out in Melville Sound, which we
have just crossed, and with reason; but the ice at the end of the
strait formed an impassable barrier. There MacClure wintered in
1850-51, and meanwhile he pushed on over the ice, to make sure that
the strait connected with the sound."
"Yes," said Altamont, "but he didn't succeed."
"One moment," said the doctor. "While wintering there, MacClure's
officers explored all the neighboring coasts: Creswell, Baring's Land;
Haswell, Prince Albert's Land, to the south; and Wynniat, Cape Walker,
to the north. In July, at the beginning of the thaw, MacClure tried a
second time to carry the -Investigator- to Melville Sound; he got
within twenty miles of it, twenty miles only, but the winds carried
him with irresistible force to the south, before he could get through
the obstacle. Then he determined to go back through Prince of Wales
Strait, and go around Banks Land, to try at the west what he could not
do in the east; he put about; the 18th he rounded Cape Kellet; the
19th, Cape Prince Alfred, two degrees higher; then, after a hard
struggle with the icebergs, he was caught in Banks Strait, in the
series of straits leading to Baffin's Bay."
[Illustration: "A hard struggle with the icebergs."]
"But he couldn't get through them," said Altamont.
"Wait a moment, and be as patient as MacClure was. September 26th, he
took his station for the winter in Mercy Bay, and stayed there till
1852. April came; MacClure had supplies for only eighteen months.
Nevertheless, he was unwilling to return; he started, crossing Banks
Strait by sledge, and reached Melville Island. Let us follow him. He
hoped to find here Commander Austin's ships, which were sent to meet
him by Baffin's Bay and Lancaster Sound; April 28th he arrived at
Winter Harbor, at the place where Parry had wintered thirty-three
years previously, but no trace of the ships; only he found in a cairn
a paper, telling him that MacClintock, Austin's lieutenant, had been
there the year before, and gone away. Any one else would have been in
despair, but MacClure was not. He put in the cairn another paper, in
which he announced his intention of returning to England by the
Northwest Passage, which he had discovered by reaching Baffin's Bay
and Lancaster Sound. If he is not heard from again, it will be because
he will have been to the north or west of Melville Island; then he
returned, not discouraged, to Mercy Bay for the third winter,
1852-53."
"I have never doubted his courage," said Altamont, "but his success."
"Let us follow him again," resumed the doctor. "In the month of March,
being on two-thirds rations, at the end of a very severe winter, when
no game was to be had, MacClure determined to send back half of his
crew to England, either by Baffin's Bay, or by Mackenzie River and
Hudson's Bay; the other half was to bring the -Investigator- back. He
chose the weakest men, who could not stand a fourth winter; everything
was ready, and their departure settled for April 15th, when on the
6th, MacClure, who was walking on the ice with his lieutenant,
Creswell, saw a man running northward and gesticulating; it was
Lieutenant Pim of the -Herald-, lieutenant of the same Captain Kellet
whom two years before he had left at Behring Strait, as I said when I
began. Kellet, having reached Winter Harbor, found the paper left
there by MacClure; having heard in that way of his position in Mercy
Bay, he sent Lieutenant Pim to meet the captain. He was followed by a
detachment of the men of the -Herald-, among whom was a midshipman of
a French ship, M. de Bray, who was a volunteer aid of Captain Kellet.
You don't doubt this meeting?"
[Illustration: MacClure saw a man running and gesticulating.]
"Not at all," answered Altamont.
"Well, see what followed, and whether the Northwest Passage was really
made. If you join Parry's discoveries to those of MacClure, you will
see the northern coast of America was rounded."
"But not by a single ship," said Altamont.
"No, but by a single man. Let us go on. MacClure went to see Captain
Kellet at Melville Island; in twelve days he made the one hundred and
seventy miles between Winter Harbor and the island; he agreed with the
commander of the -Herald- to send him his sick, and returned; many
others would have thought, had they been in MacClure's place, that
they had done enough, but this bold young man determined to try his
fortune again. Then, and please observe this, Lieutenant Creswell,
with the sick and disabled men of the -Investigator-, left Mercy Bay,
reached Winter Harbor, and from there, after a journey of four hundred
and seventy miles on the ice, reached Beechey Island, June 2d, and a
few days later, with twelve of his men, he took passage on board of
the -Phoenix-."
"In which I was at the time," said Johnson, "with Captain Inglefield,
and we returned to England."
"And October 7, 1853," continued the doctor, "Creswell arrived at
London, after having crossed over the whole distance between Behring
Strait and Cape Farewell."
"Well," said Hatteras, "to enter at one end and go out by the other,
isn't that going through?"
"Yes," answered Altamont, "but by going four hundred and seventy miles
over the ice."
"Well, what difference does that make?"
"The whole," answered the American. "Did MacClure's ship make the
passage?"
"No," answered the doctor, "for after a fourth winter, MacClure was
obliged to leave it in the ice."
"Well, in a sea-voyage it's important to have the ship reach her
destination. If the Northwest Passage ever becomes practicable, it
must be for ships and not for sledges. The ship must accomplish the
voyage, or if not the ship, the launch."
"The launch!" shouted Hatteras, who detected the hidden meaning in the
American's words.
"Altamont," said the doctor, hurriedly, "you make a puerile
distinction, and we all consider you wrong."
"That is easy, gentlemen," answered the American; "you are four to
one. But that won't keep me from holding my own opinion."
"Keep it," said Hatteras, "and so closely that we need hear nothing
about it."
"And what right have you to speak to me in that way?" asked the
American in a rage.
"My right as captain," answered Hatteras.
"Am I under your commands?" retorted Altamont.
"Without doubt, and look out for yourself, if--"
The doctor, Johnson, and Bell intervened. It was time; the two enemies
were gazing at one another. The doctor was very anxious. Still, after
a few gentler words, Altamont went off to bed whistling "Yankee
Doodle," and, whether he slept or not, he did not speak. Hatteras went
out and paced up and down for an hour, and then he turned in without
saying a word.
[Illustration: "The doctor, Johnson, and Bell intervened. It was time;
the two enemies were gazing at one another."]
CHAPTER XVI.
NORTHERN ARCADIA.
On May 29th, for the first time, the sun did not set; it merely
touched the horizon and then rose at once; the day was twenty-four
hours long. The next day it was surrounded by a magnificent halo, a
bright circle with all the colors of the prism; this apparition, which
was by no means rare, always attracted the doctor's attention; he
never failed to note the date and appearance of the phenomenon; the
one he saw on that day was of an elliptic shape, which he had seldom
seen before.
Soon the noisy flocks of birds appeared; bustards and wild geese came
from Florida or Arkansas, flying northward with inconceivable rapidity
and bringing the spring with them. The doctor shot a few, as well as
three or four cranes and a single stork. However, the snow was melting
everywhere beneath the sun; the salt-water, which overran the
ice-field through the crevasses and the seal-holes, hastened the
melting; the ice which was mingled with salt-water formed a soft
slush. Large pools appeared on the land near the bay, and the exposed
soil seemed to be a production of the arctic spring.
[Illustration]
The doctor then resumed his planting; he had plenty of seed; besides,
he was surprised to see a sort of sorrel growing naturally between the
dried rocks, and he wondered at the force of nature which demanded so
little in order to manifest itself. He sowed some cresses, of which
the young sprouts, three weeks later, were already an inch long.
The heath began to show timidly its little pale, rosy flowers. In
fact, the flora of New America is very defective; still, this rare
vegetation was agreeable to their eyes; it was all the feeble rays of
the sun could nourish, a trace of the Providence which had not
completely forgotten these distant countries. At last it became really
warm; June 15th the thermometer stood at 57°; the doctor could hardly
believe his eyes; the country changed its appearance; numerous noisy
cascades fell from the sunny summits of the hills; the ice loosened,
and the great question of an open sea would soon be decided. The air
was full of the noise of avalanches falling from the hills to the
bottom of the ravines, and the cracking of the ice-field produced a
deafening sound.
A trip was made to Johnson Island; it was merely an unimportant, arid,
barren island; but the old boatswain was no less proud of giving his
name to a few desolate rocks. He even wanted to carve it on a high
peak. During this excursion, Hatteras had carefully explored these
lands, even beyond Cape Washington; the melting of the snow sensibly
changed the country; ravines and hillocks appeared here and there,
where the snow indicated nothing but monotonous stretches. The house
and magazines threatened to melt away, and they had frequently to be
repaired; fortunately, a temperature of 57° is rare in these
latitudes, and the mean is hardly above the freezing-point.
By the middle of June the launch was far advanced and getting into
shape. While Bell and Johnson were working at it, the others had a few
successful hunts. Reindeer were shot, although they are hard to
approach; but Altamont put in practice a device employed by the
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