"That is not far," answered Altamont, "and we can consider ourselves
motionless."
"Yes," continued the doctor, "while those living at the equator move
at the rate of three hundred and ninety-six leagues an hour."
"And without getting tired!" said Bell.
"Exactly!" answered the doctor.
"But," continued Johnson, "besides this movement of rotation, doesn't
the earth also move about the sun?"
"Yes, and this takes a year."
"Is it swifter than the other?"
"Infinitely so; and I ought to say that, although we are at the Pole,
it takes us with it as well as all the people in the world. So our
pretended immobility is a chimera: we are motionless with regard to
the other points of the globe, but not so with regard to the sun."
"Good!" said Bell, with an accent of comic regret; "so I, who thought
I was still, was mistaken! This illusion has to be given up! One can't
have a moment's peace in this world."
"You are right, Bell," answered Johnson; "and will you tell us,
Doctor, how fast this motion is?"
"It is very fast," answered the doctor; "the earth moves around the
sun seventy-six times faster than a twenty-four-pound cannon-ball
flies, which goes one hundred and ninety-five fathoms a second. It
moves, then, seven leagues and six tenths per second; you see it is
very different from the diurnal movement of the equator."
"The deuce!" said Bell; "that is incredible, Doctor! More than seven
leagues a second, and that when it would have been so easy to be
motionless, if God had wished it!"
"Good!" said Altamont; "do you think so, Bell? In that case no more
night, nor spring, nor autumn, nor winter!"
"Without considering a still more terrible result," continued the
doctor.
"What is that?" asked Johnson.
"We should all fall into the sun!"
"Fall into the sun!" repeated Bell with surprise.
"Yes. If this motion were to stop, the earth would fall into the sun
in sixty-four days and a half."
"A fall of sixty-four days!" said Johnson.
"No more nor less," answered the doctor; "for it would have to fall a
distance of thirty-eight millions of leagues."
"What is the weight of the earth?" asked Altamont.
"It is five thousand eight hundred and ninety-one quadrillions of
tons."
"Good!" said Johnson; "those numbers have no meaning."
"For that reason, Johnson, I was going to give you two comparisons
which you could remember. Don't forget that it would take seventy-five
moons to make the sun, and three hundred and fifty thousand earths to
make up the weight of the sun."
"That is tremendous!" said Altamont.
"Tremendous is the word," answered the doctor; "but, to return to the
Pole, no lesson on cosmography on this part of the globe could be more
opportune, if it doesn't weary you."
"Go on, Doctor, go on!"
"I told you," resumed the doctor, who took as much pleasure in giving
as the others did in receiving instruction,--"I told you that the Pole
was motionless in comparison with the rest of the globe. Well, that is
not quite true!"
"What!" said Bell, "has that got to be taken back?"
"Yes, Bell, the Pole is not always exactly in the same place; formerly
the North Star was farther from the celestial pole than it is now. So
our Pole has a certain motion; it describes a circle in about
twenty-six years. That comes from the precession of the equinoxes, of
which I shall speak soon."
"But," asked Altamont, "might it not happen that some day the Pole
should get farther from its place?"
"Ah, my dear Altamont," answered the doctor, "you bring up there a
great question, which scientific men investigated for a long time in
consequence of a singular discovery."
"What was that?"
"This is it. In 1771 the body of a rhinoceros was found on the shore
of the Arctic Sea, and in 1799 that of an elephant on the coast of
Siberia. How did the animals of warm countries happen to be found in
these latitudes? Thereupon there was much commotion among geologists,
who were not so wise as a Frenchman, M. Elie de Beaumont, has been
since. He showed that these animals used to live in rather high
latitudes, and that the streams and rivers simply carried their bodies
to the places where they were found. But do you know the explanation
which scientific men gave before this one?"
"Scientific men are capable of anything," said Altamont.
"Yes, in explanation of a fact; well, they imagined that the Pole used
to be at the equator and the equator at the Pole."
"Bah!"
"It was exactly what I tell you. Now, if it had been so, since the
earth is flattened more than five leagues at the pole, the seas,
carried to the equator by centrifugal force, would have covered
mountains twice as high as the Himalayas; all the countries near the
polar circle, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Siberia, Greenland, and New
Britain, would have been buried in five leagues of water, while the
regions at the equator, having become the pole, would have formed
plateaus fifteen leagues high!"
"What a change!" said Johnson.
"O, that made no difference to scientific men!"
"And how did they explain the alteration?" asked Altamont.
"They said it was due to the shock of collision with a comet. The
comet is the -deus ex machina-; whenever one comes to a difficult
question in cosmography, a comet is lugged in. It is the most obliging
of the heavenly bodies, and at the least sign from a scientific man it
disarranges itself to arrange everything."
"Then," said Johnson, "according to you, Doctor, this change is
impossible?"
"Impossible!"
"And if it should take place?"
"If it did, the equator would be frozen in twenty-four hours!"
"Good! if it were to take place now," said Bell, "people would as
likely as not say we had never gone to the Pole."
"Calm yourself, Bell. To return to the immobility of the terrestrial
axis, the following is the result: if we were to spend a winter here,
we should see the stars describing a circle about us. As for the sun,
the day of the vernal equinox, March 23d, it would appear to us (I
take no account of refraction) exactly cut in two by the horizon, and
would rise gradually in longer and longer curves; but here it is
remarkable that when it has once risen it sets no more; it is visible
for six months. Then its disk touches the horizon again at the
autumnal equinox, September 22d, and as soon as it is set, it is seen
no more again all winter."
"You were speaking just now of the flattening of the earth at the
poles," said Johnson; "be good enough to explain that, Doctor."
"I will. Since the earth was fluid when first created, you understand
that its rotary movement would try to drive part of the mobile mass to
the equator, where the centrifugal force was greater. If the earth had
been motionless, it would have remained a perfect sphere; but in
consequence of the phenomenon I have just described, it has an
ellipsoidal form, and points at the pole are nearer the centre of the
earth than points at the equator by about five leagues."
"So," said Johnson, "if our captain wanted to take us to the centre of
the earth, we should have five leagues less to go?"
"Exactly, my friend."
"Well, Captain, it's so much gained! We ought to avail ourselves of
it."
But Hatteras did not answer. Evidently he had lost all interest in the
conversation, or perhaps he was listening without hearing.
"Well," answered the doctor, "according to certain scientific men, it
would be worth while to try this expedition."
"What! really?" exclaimed Johnson.
"But let me finish," answered the doctor. "I will tell you. I must
first tell you this flattening of the poles is the cause of the
precession of the equinoxes; that is to say, why every year the vernal
equinox comes a day sooner than it would if the earth were perfectly
round. This comes from the attraction of the sun operating in a
different way on the heaped-up land of the equator, which then
experiences a retrograde movement. Subsequently it displaces this Pole
a little, as I just said. But, independently of this effect, this
flattening ought to have a more curious and more personal effect,
which we should perceive if we had mathematical sensibility."
"What do you mean?" asked Bell.
"I mean that we are heavier here than at Liverpool."
"Heavier?"
"Yes; ourselves, the dogs, our guns, and instruments!"
"Is it possible?"
"Certainly, and for two reasons: the first is, that we are nearer the
centre of the globe, which consequently attracts us more strongly, and
this force of gravitation is nothing but weight; the second is, the
rotary force, which is nothing at the pole, is very marked at the
equator, and objects there have a tendency to fly from the earth: they
are less heavy."
"What!" exclaimed Johnson, seriously; "have we not the same weight
everywhere?"
"No, Johnson; according to Newton's law, bodies attract one another
directly as their masses, and inversely to the square of their
distances. Here I weigh more, because I am nearer the centre of
attraction; and on another planet I should weigh more or less
according to the mass of the planet."
"What!" said Bell, "in the moon--"
"In the moon my weight, which is two hundred pounds at Liverpool,
would be only thirty-two pounds."
"And in the sun?"
"O, in the sun I should weigh more than five thousand pounds!"
"Heavens!" said Bell; "you'd need a derrick to move your legs."
"Probably," answered the doctor, laughing at Bell's amazement; "but
here the difference is imperceptible, and by an equal effort of the
muscles Bell would leap as high as on the docks at Liverpool."
"Yes, but in the sun?" urged Bell.
"My friend," answered the doctor, "the upshot of it all is that we are
well off where we are, and need not want to go elsewhere."
"You said just now," resumed Altamont, "that perhaps it would be worth
while to make a journey to the centre of the world; has such an
undertaking ever been thought of?"
"Yes, and this is all I'm going to say about the Pole. There is no
point in the world which has given rise to more chimeras and
hypotheses. The ancients, in their ignorance, placed the garden of the
Hesperides there. In the Middle Ages it was supposed that the earth
was upheld on axles placed at the poles, on which it revolved; but
when comets were seen moving freely, that idea had to be given up.
Later, there was a French astronomer, Bailly, who said that the lost
people mentioned by Plato, the Atlantides, lived here. Finally, it has
been asserted in our own time that there was an immense opening at the
poles, from which came the Northern Lights, and through which one
could reach the inside of the earth; since in the hollow sphere two
planets, Pluto and Proserpine, were said to move, and the air was
luminous in consequence of the strong pressure it felt."
"That has been maintained?" asked Altamont.
"Yes, it has been written about seriously. Captain Symmes, a
countryman of ours, proposed to Sir Humphry Davy, Humboldt, and Arago,
to undertake the voyage! But they declined."
"And they did well."
"I think so. Whatever it may be, you see, my friends, that the
imagination has busied itself about the Pole, and that sooner or later
we must come to the reality."
"At any rate, we shall see for ourselves," said Johnson, who clung to
his idea.
"Then, to-morrow we'll start," said the doctor, smiling at seeing the
old sailor but half convinced; "and if there is any opening to the
centre of the earth, we shall go there together."
CHAPTER XXV.
MOUNT HATTERAS.
After this solid conversation every one made himself as comfortable as
possible in the cavern, and soon fell asleep. Every one, that is,
except Hatteras. Why did not this strange man sleep?
Was not the object of his life attained? Had he not accomplished the
bold projects which lay so near his heart? Why did not calmness
succeed the agitation in his ardent mind? Would not one suppose that,
when he had accomplished this end, Hatteras would fall into a sort of
dejection, and that his over-stretched nerves would seek repose? After
succeeding, it would seem natural that he should be seized with the
feeling of sadness, which always follows satisfied desires.
But no. He was only more excited. It was not, however, the thought of
returning which agitated him so. Did he wish to go farther? Was there
no limit to his ambition, and did he find the world too small, because
he had been around it? However this may have been, he could not sleep.
And yet this first night spent at the pole of the world was pleasant
and quiet. The island was absolutely uninhabited. There was not a bird
in its fire-impregnated atmosphere, not an animal on the soil of
cinders, not a fish in its boiling waters. Only afar off the dull
murmur of the mountain, from the summit of which arose puffs of hot
smoke.
When Bell, Johnson, Altamont, and the doctor awoke, Hatteras was not
to be seen near them. Being anxious, they left the cave, and saw the
captain standing on a rock. His eyes were fixed on the top of the
volcano. He held his instruments in his hands, having evidently been
calculating the exact height of the mountain. The doctor went up to
him and spoke to him several times before he could rouse him from his
revery. At last the captain seemed to understand him.
[Illustration: "They saw the captain standing on a rock."]
"Forward!" said the doctor, who was examining him
attentively,--"forward! let us explore our island; we are all ready
for our last excursion."
"Our last," said Hatteras, with the intonation of people who are
dreaming aloud; "yes, the last, indeed. But also," he continued with
great animation, "the most wonderful!"
He spoke in this way, rubbing his hands over his brow as if to allay
its throbbing. At that moment, Altamont, Johnson, and Bell joined him;
Hatteras appeared to awaken from his revery.
[Illustration: "Hatteras appeared to wake from his revery."]
"My friends," he said with emotion, "thanks for your courage, thanks
for your perseverance, thanks for your superhuman efforts, which have
allowed us to set foot on this land!"
"Captain!" said Johnson, "we have only obeyed; all the honor is due to
you alone!"
"No, no!" resumed Hatteras with emotion; "to you as much as to me! to
Altamont as well as to all of us! as to the doctor himself-- O, let my
heart well over in your hands! It can no longer restrain its joy and
gratitude!"
Hatteras clasped the hands of his companions. He walked to and fro, no
longer master of himself.
"We have only done our duty as Englishmen," said Bell.
"Our duty as friends," continued the doctor.
"Yes," said Hatteras, "but all have not performed this duty. Some have
given way! Still, they must be pardoned, both who were treacherous,
and those who were led away to it! Poor men! I forgive them. You
understand me, Doctor?"
"Yes," answered the doctor, who was very uneasy at Hatteras's
excitement.
"So," went on the captain, "I don't want them to lose the money they
came so far to seek. No, I shall not alter my plan; they shall be
rich,--if they ever see England again!"
Few could have withstood the tenderness with which Hatteras spoke
these last words.
"But, Captain," said Johnson, with an effort at pleasantry, "one would
say you were making your will."
"Perhaps I am," answered Hatteras, seriously.
"Still you have before you a long and glorious life," continued the
old sailor.
"Who can say?" said Hatteras.
A long silence followed these words. The doctor did not dare to try to
interpret the last remark. But Hatteras soon expressed his meaning,
for in a hasty, hardly restrained voice, he went on:--
"My friends, listen to me. We have done a good deal so far, and yet
there is a good deal to do."
His companions gazed at him in astonishment.
"Yes, we are on the land of the Pole, but we are not on the Pole
itself!"
"How so?" asked Altamont.
"You don't mean it!" cried the doctor, anxiously.
"Yes!" resumed Hatteras, earnestly, "I said that an Englishman should
set foot on the Pole; I said it, and an Englishman shall do it."
"What!" ejaculated the doctor.
"We are now forty-five seconds from the unknown point," Hatteras went
on, with increasing animation; "where it is, I am going!"
"But that is the top of the volcano!" said the doctor.
"I'm going!"
"It's an inaccessible spot!"
"I'm going!"
"It's a fiery crater!"
"I'm going!"
The firmness with which Hatteras uttered these words cannot be given.
His friends were stupefied; they gazed with horror at the volcano
tipped with flame. Then the doctor began; he urged and besought
Hatteras to give up his design; he said everything he could imagine,
from entreaty to well-meant threats; but he obtained no concession
from the nervous captain, who was possessed with a sort of madness
which may be called polar madness. Only violent means could stop him,
rushing to his ruin. But seeing that thereby they would produce
serious results, the doctor wished to keep them for a last resource.
He hoped, too, that some physical impossibility, some unsurmountable
difficulty, would compel him to give up his plan.
"Since it is so," he said, "we shall follow you."
"Yes," answered the captain, "half-way up the mountain! No farther!
Haven't you got to carry back to England the copy of the document
which proves our discovery, in case--"
"Still--"
"It is settled," said Hatteras, in a tone of command; "and since my
entreaties as a friend are not enough, I order it as captain."
The doctor was unwilling to urge him any further, and a few moments
later the little band, equipped for a hard climb, and preceded by
Duke, set out. The sky was perfectly clear. The thermometer stood at
52°. The air had all the brilliancy which is so marked at this high
latitude. It was eight o'clock in the morning. Hatteras went ahead
with his dog, the others followed close behind.
"I'm anxious," said Johnson.
"No, no, there's nothing to fear," answered the doctor; "we are here."
It was a strange island, in appearance so new and singular! The
volcano did not seem old, and geologists would have ascribed a recent
date to its formation.
The rocks were heaped upon one another, and only kept in place by
almost miraculous balancing. The mountain, in fact, was composed of
nothing but stones that had fallen from above. There was no soil, no
moss, no lichen, no trace of vegetation. The carbonic acid from the
crater had not yet had time to unite with the hydrogen of the water;
nor the ammonia of the clouds, to form under the action of the light,
organized matter. This island had arisen from successive volcanic
eruptions, like many other mountains; what they have hurled forth has
built them up. For instance, Etna has poured forth a volume of lava
larger than itself; and the Monte Nuovo, near Naples, was formed by
ashes in the short space of forty-eight hours. The heap of rocks
composing Queen's Island had evidently come from the bowels of the
earth. Formerly the sea covered it all; it had been formed long since
by the condensation of the vapor on the cooling globe; but in
proportion as the volcanoes of the Old and New World disappeared, they
were replaced by new craters.
In fact, the earth can be compared to a vast spheroidal boiler. Under
the influence of the central fire an immense quantity of vapor is
generated, which is exposed to a pressure of thousands of atmospheres,
and which would blow up the globe, were it not for the safety-valves
opening on the outside.
These safety-valves are the volcanoes; when one closes, another opens;
and at the poles, where, doubtless in consequence of the flattening of
the earth's surface, the crust is thinner, it is not strange that a
volcano should be suddenly formed by the upheaval of the bottom of the
waves. The doctor noticed all this as he followed Hatteras; his foot
sank into a volcanic tufa, and the deposits of ashes, volcanic stones,
etc., like the syenite and granite of Iceland. But he attributed a
comparatively recent origin to the island, on account of the fact that
no sedimentary soil had yet formed upon it. Water, too, was lacking.
If Queen's Island had existed for several years, there would have been
springs upon it, as there are in the neighborhood of volcanoes. Now,
not only was there no drop of water there, but the vapors which arose
from the stream of lava seemed absolutely anhydrous.
This island, then, was of recent formation; and since it appeared in
one day, it might disappear in another and sink beneath the ocean.
The ascent grew more difficult the higher they went; the sides of the
mountain became nearly perpendicular, and they had to be very careful
to avoid accident. Often columns of cinders were blown about them and
threatened to choke them, or torrents of lava barred their path. On
some such places these streams were hard on top, but the molten stream
flowed beneath. Each one had to test it first to escape sinking into
the glowing mass. From time to time the crater vomited forth huge
red-hot rocks amid burning gases; some of these bodies burst in the
air like shells, and the fragments were hurled far off in all
directions. The innumerable dangers of this ascent may be readily
perceived, as well as the foolhardiness of the attempt.
Still, Hatteras climbed with wonderful agility, and while spurning the
use of his iron-tipped staff, he ascended the steepest slopes. He soon
reached a circular rock, which formed a sort of plateau about ten feet
broad; a glowing stream surrounded it, which was divided at the corner
by a higher rock, and left only a narrow passage through which
Hatteras slipped boldly. There he stopped, and his companions were
able to join him. Then he seemed to estimate the distance yet
remaining; horizontally there were only about six hundred feet of the
crater remaining, that is to say, from the mathematical point of the
Pole; but vertically they had fifteen hundred feet yet to climb. The
ascent had already taken three hours; Hatteras did not seem tired; his
companions were exhausted.
The top of the volcano seemed inaccessible. The doctor wished at any
risk to keep Hatteras from going higher. At first he tried gentle
means, but the captain's excitement amounted to delirium; on the way
he had exhibited all the signs of growing madness, and whoever has
known him in the different scenes of his life cannot be surprised. In
proportion as Hatteras rose above the ocean his excitement increased;
he lived no longer with men; he thought he was growing larger with the
mountain itself.
"Hatteras," said the doctor, "this is far enough! we can't go any
farther!"
"Stay where you are, then," answered the captain in a strange voice;
"I shall go higher!"
"No! that's useless! you are at the Pole here!"
"No, no, higher!"
"My friend, it's I who am speaking to you, Dr. Clawbonny! Don't you
know me?"
"Higher! higher!" repeated the madman.
"Well, no, we sha'n't let--"
The doctor had not finished the sentence before Hatteras, by a violent
effort, sprang over the stream of lava and was out of their reach.
They uttered a cry, thinking Hatteras was lost in the fiery abyss; but
he had reached the other side, followed by Duke, who was unwilling to
abandon him.
He disappeared behind a puff of smoke, and his voice was heard growing
fainter and fainter in the distance.
"To the north!" he was shouting, "to the top of Mount Hatteras! Do you
remember Mount Hatteras?"
They could not think of getting up to him; there were twenty chances
to one against their being able to cross the stream he had leaped over
with the skill and luck of madmen. Nor could they get around it.
Altamont in vain tried to pass; he was nearly lost in trying to cross
the stream of lava; his companions were obliged to hold him by force.
[Illustration]
"Hatteras, Hatteras!" shouted the doctor.
But the captain did not answer; Duke's barking alone was heard upon
the mountain.
Still, Hatteras could be seen at intervals through the column of smoke
and the showers of cinders. Sometimes his arm or head would emerge
from the whirlwind. Then he would disappear and be seen again higher
up in the rocks. His height diminished with the fantastic swiftness of
objects rising in the air. Half an hour later he seemed but a fraction
of his usual size.
The air was filled with the dull noises of the volcano; the mountain
was roaring like a boiler, its sides were quivering. Hatteras kept on,
and Duke followed. From time to time some enormous rock would give way
beneath them and go crashing down to the sea. But Hatteras did not
look back. He had made use of his staff as a pole on which to fasten
the English flag. His companions observed every one of his movements.
His dimensions became gradually smaller, and Duke seemed no larger
than a rat. One moment the wind seemed to drive down upon them a great
wave of flame. The doctor uttered a cry of anguish, but Hatteras
reappeared, standing and brandishing the flag.
[Illustration: "But Hatteras did not look back. He had made use of his
staff as a pole on which to fasten the English flag."]
This sight lasted for more than an hour,--an hour of struggle with the
trembling rocks, with the beds of ashes into which this madman would
sink up to the waist. Now he would be climbing on his knees and making
use of every inequality in the mountain, and now he would hang by his
hands at some sharp corner, swinging in the wind like a dry leaf.
At last he reached the top, the yawning mouth of the crater. The
doctor then hoped that the wretched man, having attained his object,
would perhaps return and have only those dangers before him.
He gave a last shout.
"Hatteras, Hatteras!"
The doctor's cry moved the American's heart so that he cried out,--
"I will save him!"
Then with one leap crossing the fiery torrent at the risk of falling
in, he disappeared among the rocks. Clawbonny did not have time to
stop him. Still, Hatteras, having reached the top, was climbing on top
of a rock which overhung the abyss. The stones were raining about him.
Duke was still following him. The poor beast seemed already dizzy at
the sight beneath him. Hatteras was whirling about his head the flag,
which was lighted with the brilliant reflection, and the red bunting
could be seen above the crater. With one hand Hatteras was holding it;
with the other he was pointing to the zenith, the celestial pole.
Still he seemed to hesitate. He was seeking the mathematical point
where all the meridians meet, and on which in his sublime obstinacy he
wanted to set his foot.
Suddenly the rock gave way beneath him. He disappeared. A terrible cry
from his companions rose even to the summit of the mountain. A
second--a century--passed! Clawbonny considered his friend lost and
buried forever in the depths of the volcano. But Altamont was there,
and Duke too. The man and the dog had seized him just when he was
disappearing in the abyss. Hatteras was saved, saved in spite of
himself, and half an hour later the captain of the -Forward- lay
unconscious in the arms of his despairing friends.
When he came to himself, the doctor gave him a questioning glance in
mute agony. But his vague look, like that of a blind man, made no
reply.
"Heavens!" said Johnson, "he is blind!"
"No," answered Clawbonny,--"no! My poor friends, we have saved
Hatteras's body! His mind is at the top of the volcano! He has lost
his reason!"
"Mad?" cried Johnson and Altamont in deep distress.
"Mad!" answered the doctor.
And he wept bitterly.
CHAPTER XXVI.
RETURN TO THE SOUTH.
Three hours after this sad conclusion to the adventures of Captain
Hatteras, Clawbonny, Altamont, and the two sailors were assembled in
the cavern at the foot of the volcano. Then Clawbonny was asked to
give his opinion on what was to be done.
"My friends," he said, "we cannot prolong our stay at Queen's Island;
the sea is open before us; our provisions are sufficient; we must set
out and reach Fort Providence as soon as possible, and we can go into
winter-quarters till next summer."
"That is my opinion," said Altamont; "the wind is fair, and to-morrow
we shall set sail."
The day passed in great gloom. The captain's madness was a sad
foreboding, and when Johnson, Bell, and Altamont thought of their
return, they were afraid of their loneliness and remoteness. They felt
the need of Hatteras's bold soul. Still, like energetic men they made
ready for a new struggle with the elements, and with themselves, in
case they should feel themselves growing faint-hearted.
The next day, Saturday, July 13th, the camping materials were put on
the boat, and soon everything was ready for their departure. But
before leaving this rock forever, the doctor, following Hatteras's
intentions, put up a cairn at the place where the captain reached the
island; this cairn was built of large rocks laid on one another, so as
to form a perfectly visible landmark, if it were not destroyed by the
eruption.
[Illustration: "The doctor put up a cairn."]
On one of the lateral stones Bell carved with a chisel this simple
inscription:--
JOHN HATTERAS
1861.
A copy of the document was placed inside of the cairn in an
hermetically sealed tin cylinder, and the proof of this great
discovery was left here on these lonely rocks.
Then the four men and the captain,--a poor body without a mind,--and
his faithful Duke, sad and melancholy, got into the boat for the
return voyage. It was ten o'clock in the morning. A new sail was set
up with the canvas of the tent. The launch, sailing before the wind,
left Queen's Island, and that evening the doctor, standing on his
bench, waved a last farewell to Mount Hatteras, which was lighting up
the horizon.
Their voyage was very quick; the sea, which was always open, was easy
sailing, and it seemed really easier to go away from the Pole than to
approach it. But Hatteras was in no state to understand what was going
on about him; he lay at full length in the launch, his mouth closed,
his expression dull, and his arms folded. Duke lay at his feet. It was
in vain that the doctor questioned him. Hatteras did not hear him.
For forty-eight hours the breeze was fair and the sea smooth.
Clawbonny and his companions rejoiced in the north-wind. July 15th,
they made Altamont Harbor in the south; but since the Polar Ocean was
open all along the coast, instead of crossing New America by sledge,
they resolved to sail around it, and reach Victoria Bay by sea. This
voyage was quicker and easier. In fact, the space which had taken them
a fortnight on sledges took them hardly a week by sail; and after
following the rugged outline of the coast, which was fringed with
numerous fiords, and determining its shape, they reached Victoria Bay,
Monday evening, July 23d.
The launch was firmly anchored to the shore, and each one ran to Fort
Providence. The Doctor's House, the stores, the magazine, the
fortifications, all had melted in the sun, and the supplies had been
devoured by hungry beasts.
It was a sad sight.
They were nearly at the end of their supplies, and they had intended
to renew them at Fort Providence. The impossibility of passing the
winter there was evident. Like people accustomed to decide rapidly,
they determined to reach Baffin's Bay as soon as possible.
"We have nothing else to do," said the doctor; "Baffin's Bay is not
six hundred miles from here; we might sail as far as our launch would
carry us, reach Jones's Sound, and from there the Danish settlements."
"Yes," answered Altamont; "let us collect all the provisions we can,
and leave."
By strict search they found a few chests of pemmican here and there,
and two barrels of preserved meat, which had escaped destruction. In
short, they had a supply for six weeks, and powder enough. This was
promptly collected. The day was devoted to calking the launch,
repairing it, and the next day, July 24th, they put out to sea again.
The continent towards latitude 83° inclined towards the east. It was
possible that it joined the countries known under the name of Grinnell
Land, Ellesmere, and North Lincoln, which form the coast-line of
Baffin's Bay. They could then hold it for certain that Jones's Sound
opened in the inner seas, like Lancaster Sound. The launch then sailed
without much difficulty, easily avoiding the floating ice. The doctor,
by way of precaution against possible delay, put them all on
half-rations; but this did not trouble them much, and their health was
unimpaired.
Besides, they were able to shoot occasionally; they killed ducks,
geese, and other game, which gave them fresh and wholesome food. As
for their drink, they had a full supply from the floating ice, which
they met on the way, for they took care not to go far from the coast,
the launch being too small for the open sea.
At this period of the year the thermometer was already, for the
greater part of time, beneath the freezing-point; after a certain
amount of rainy weather snow began to fall, with other signs of the
end of summer; the sun sank nearer the horizon, and more and more of
its disk sank beneath it every day. July 30th they saw it disappear
for the first time, that is to say, they had a few minutes of night.
Still, the launch sailed well, sometimes making from sixty to
seventy-five miles a day; they did not stop a moment; they knew what
fatigues to endure, what obstacles to surmount; the way by land was
before them, if they had to take it, and these confined seas must soon
be closed; indeed, the young ice was already forming here and there.
Winter suddenly succeeds summer in these latitudes; there are no
intermediate seasons; no spring, no autumn. So they had to hurry. July
31st, the sky being clear at sunset, the first stars were seen in the
constellations overhead. From this day on there was perpetual mist,
which interfered very much with their sailing. The doctor, when he saw
all the signs of winter's approach, became very uneasy; he knew the
difficulties Sir John Ross had found in getting to Baffin's Bay, after
leaving his ship; and indeed, having once tried to pass the ice, he
was obliged to return to his ship, and go into winter-quarters for the
fourth year; but he had at least a shelter against the weather, food,
and fuel. If such a misfortune were to befall the survivors of the
-Forward-, if they had to stop or put back, they were lost; the doctor
did not express his uneasiness to his companions; but he urged them to
get as far eastward as possible.
[Illustration]
Finally, August 15th, after thirty days of rather good sailing, after
struggling for forty-eight hours against the ice, which was
accumulating, after having imperilled their little launch a hundred
times, they saw themselves absolutely stopped, unable to go farther;
the sea was all frozen, and the thermometer marked on an average +15°.
Moreover, in all the north and east it was easy to detect the nearness
of land, by the presence of pebbles; frozen fresh water was found more
frequently. Altamont made an observation with great exactness, and
found they were in latitude 77° 15', and longitude 85° 2'.
"So, then," said the doctor, "this is our exact position; we have
reached North Lincoln, exactly at Cape Eden; we are entering Jones's
Sound; if we had been a little luckier, we should have found the sea
open to Baffin's Bay. But we need not complain. If my poor Hatteras
had at first found so open a sea, he would have soon reached the Pole,
his companions would not have deserted him, and he would not have lost
his reason under his terrible sufferings!"
"Then," said Altamont, "we have only one course to follow; to abandon
the launch, and get to the east coast of Lincoln by sledge."
"Abandon the launch and take the sledge? Well," answered the doctor;
"but instead of crossing Lincoln, I propose going through Jones's
Sound on the ice, and reaching North Devon."
"And why?" asked Altamont.
"Because we should get nearer to Lancaster Sound, and have more chance
of meeting whalers."
"You are right, Doctor, but I am afraid the ice is not yet hard
enough."
"We can try," said Clawbonny.
The launch was unloaded; Bell and Johnson put the sledge together; all
its parts were in good condition. The next day the dogs were harnessed
in, and they went along the coast to reach the ice-field.
Then they began again the journey which has been so often described;
it was tiresome and slow; Altamont was right in doubting the strength
of the ice; they could not go through Jones's Sound, and they had to
follow the coast of Lincoln.
August 21st they turned to one side and reached the entrance of
Glacier Sound; then they ventured upon the ice-field, and the next day
they reached Cobourg Island, which they crossed in less than two days
amid snow-squalls. They could advance more easily on the ice-fields,
and at last, August 24th, they set foot on North Devon.
"Now," said the doctor, "we have only to cross this, and reach Cape
Warender, at the entrance of Lancaster Sound."
But the weather became very cold and unpleasant; the snow-squalls
became as violent as in winter; they all found themselves nearly
exhausted. Their provisions were giving out, and each man had but a
third of a ration, in order to allow to the dogs enough food in
proportion to their work.
The nature of the ground added much to the fatigue of the journey;
North Devon was far from level; they had to cross the Trauter
Mountains by almost impassable ravines, struggling against all the
fury of the elements. The sledge, men, and dogs had to rest, and more
than once despair seized the little band, hardened as it was to the
fatigues of a polar journey. But, without their noticing it, these
poor men were nearly worn out, physically and morally; they could not
support such incessant fatigue for eighteen months with impunity, nor
such a succession of hopes and despairs. Besides, it should be borne
in mind that they went forward with enthusiasm and conviction, which
they lacked when returning. So they with difficulty dragged on; they
walked almost from habit, with the animal energy left almost
independent of their will.
It was not until August 30th that they at last left the chaos of
mountains, of which one can form no idea from the mountains of lower
zones, but they left it half dead. The doctor could no longer cheer up
his companions, and he felt himself breaking down. The Trauter
Mountains ended in a sort of rugged plain, heaped up at the time of
the formation of the mountains. There they were compelled to take a
few days of rest; the men could not set one foot before another; two
of the dogs had died of exhaustion. They sheltered themselves behind a
piece of ice, at a temperature of -2°; no one dared put up the tent.
Their food had become very scanty, and, in spite of their extreme
economy with their rations, they had a supply for but a week more;
game became rarer, having left for a milder climate. Starvation
threatened these exhausted men.
[Illustration]
Altamont, who all along had shown great devotion and unselfishness,
took advantage of the strength he had left, and resolved to procure by
hunting some food for his companions. He took his gun, called Duke,
and strode off for the plains to the north; the doctor, Johnson, and
Bell saw him go away without much interest. For an hour they did not
once hear his gun, and they saw him returning without firing a single
shot; but he was running as if in great alarm.
"What is the matter?" asked the doctor.
"There! under the snow!" answered Altamont in great alarm, indicating
a point in the horizon.
"What?"
"A whole band of men--"
"Alive?"
"Dead,--frozen,--and even--"
[Illustration: "Dead--frozen."]
The American durst not finish his sentence, but his face expressed
clearly his horror. The doctor, Johnson, Bell, aroused by this
incident, were able to rise, and drag themselves along in Altamont's
footprints to the part of the plain to which he had pointed. They soon
reached a narrow space, at the bottom of a deep ravine, and there a
terrible sight met their eyes.
Bodies were lying half buried beneath the snow; here an arm, there a
leg, or clinched hands, and faces still preserving an expression of
despair.
The doctor drew near; then he stepped back, pale and agitated, while
Duke barked mournfully.
"Horror!" he said.
"Well?" asked the boatswain.
"Didn't you recognize them?" said the doctor in a strange voice.
"What do you mean?"
"Look!"
This ravine had been the scene of the last struggle between the men
and the climate, despair, and hunger, for from some horrible signs it
was easy to see that they had been obliged to eat human flesh. Among
them the doctor had recognized Shandon, Pen, and the wretched crew of
the -Forward-; their strength and food had failed them; their launch
had probably been crushed by an avalanche, or carried into some
ravine, and they could not take to the open sea; probably they were
lost among these unknown continents. Besides, men who had left in
mutiny could not long be united with the closeness which is necessary
for the accomplishment of great things. A ringleader of a revolt has
never more than a doubtful authority in his hands. And, without doubt,
Shandon was promptly deposed.
However that may have been, the crew had evidently undergone a
thousand tortures, a thousand despairs, to end with this terrible
catastrophe; but the secret of their sufferings is forever buried
beneath the arctic snows.
"Let us flee!" cried the doctor.
And he dragged his companions far from the scene of the disaster.
Horror lent them momentary strength. They set out again.
CHAPTER XXVII.
CONCLUSION.
Why linger over the perpetual sufferings of the survivors? They
themselves could never recall to their memory a clear vision of what
had happened in the week after their horrible discovery of the remains
of the crew. However, September 9th, by a miracle of energy, they
reached Cape Horsburgh, at the end of North Devon.
They were dying of hunger; they had not eaten for forty-eight hours,
and their last meal had been the flesh of their last Esquimaux dog.
Bell could go no farther, and old Johnson felt ready to die. They were
on the shore of Baffin's Bay, on the way to Europe. Three miles from
land the waves were breaking on the edges of the ice-field. They had
to await the uncertain passage of a whaler, and how many days yet?
But Heaven took pity on them, for the next day Altamont clearly saw a
sail. The anguish which follows such an appearance of a sail, the
tortures of disappointment, are well known. The ship seemed to
approach and then to recede. Terrible are the alternations of hope and
despair, and too often at the moment the castaways consider themselves
saved the sail sinks beneath the horizon.
[Illustration]
The doctor and his companions went through all these emotions; they
had reached the western limit of the ice-field, and yet they saw the
ship disappear, taking no note of their presence. They shouted, but in
vain.
Then the doctor had a last inspiration of that busy mind which had
served him in such good stead.
A floe had drifted against the ice-field.
"That floe!" he said, pointing to it.
They did not catch his meaning.
"Let us get on it!" he cried.
They saw his plan at once.
"Ah, Clawbonny, Dr. Clawbonny!" cried Johnson, kissing the doctor's
hands.
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