Nevertheless he made his preparations for departure; the news spread
immediately throughout the city, and, as we have seen, a great
concourse of spectators thronged the piers of the New Prince's Docks.
[Illustration: "The news spread immediately throughout the city, and a
great concourse of spectators thronged the piers."]
A great many people came on board the brig,--some to bid a friend good
by, or to urge him to leave the ship, or to gaze at this strange
vessel; others to ascertain the object of the voyage; and there were
many murmurs at the unusual silence of the commander.
For that he had his reasons.
Ten o'clock struck. Eleven. The tide was to turn at half past twelve.
Shandon, from the upper deck, gazed with anxious eyes at the crowd,
trying in vain to read on some one's face the secret of his fate. But
in vain. The sailors of the -Forward- obeyed his orders in silence,
keeping their eyes fixed upon him, ever awaiting some information
which he did not give.
Johnson was finishing the preparations for setting sail. The day was
overcast, and the sea, outside of the docks, rather high; a stiff
southwest breeze was blowing, but they could easily leave the Mersey.
At twelve o'clock still nothing. Dr. Clawbonny walked up and down
uneasily, looking about, gesticulating, and "impatient for the sea,"
as he said. In spite of all he could do, he felt excited. Shandon bit
his lips till the blood came.
At this moment Johnson came up to him and said,--
"Commander, if we are going to take this tide, we must lose no time;
it will be a good hour before we can get off from the docks."
Shandon cast one last glance about him, and looked at his watch. It
was after the time of the midday distribution of letters.
"Cast off!" he said to his boatswain.
"All ashore who are going!" cried the latter, ordering the spectators
to leave the deck of the -Forward-.
Thereupon the crowd, began to move toward the gangway and make its way
on to the quay, while the crew began to cast off the last moorings.
At once the inevitable confusion of the crowd, which was pushed about
without much ceremony by the sailors, was increased by the barking of
the dog. He suddenly sprang from the forecastle right through the mass
of visitors, barking sullenly.
All made way for him. He sprang on the poop-deck, and, incredible as
it may seem, yet, as a thousand witnesses can testify, this
dog-captain carried a letter in his mouth.
[Illustration]
"A letter!" cried Shandon; "but is -he- on board?"
"-He- was, without doubt, but he's not now," answered Johnson, showing
the deck cleared of the crowd.
"Here, Captain! Captain!" shouted the doctor, trying to take the
letter from the dog, who kept springing away from him. He seemed to
want to give the letter to Shandon himself.
"Here, Captain!" he said.
The dog went up to him; Shandon took the letter without difficulty,
and then Captain barked sharply three times, amid the profound silence
which prevailed on board the ship and along the quay.
Shandon held the letter in his hand, without opening it.
"Read it, read it!" cried the doctor. Shandon looked at it. The
address, without date or place, ran simply,--"Commander Richard
Shandon, on board the brig -Forward-."
Shandon opened the letter and read:--
You will sail towards Cape Farewell. You will reach it April 20. If
the captain does not appear on board, you will pass through Davis
Strait and go up Baffin's Bay as far as Melville Sound.
K. Z.,
-Captain of the Forward-.
Shandon folded carefully this brief letter, put it in his pocket, and
gave the order to cast off. His voice, which arose alone above the
roaring of the wind, sounded very solemn.
Soon the -Forward- had left the docks, and under the care of a pilot,
whose boat followed at a distance, put out into the stream. The crowd
hastened to the outer quay by the Victoria Docks to get a last look at
the strange vessel. The two topsails, the foresail, and staysail were
soon set, and under this canvas the -Forward-, which well deserved its
name, after rounding Birkenhead Point, sailed away into the Irish Sea.
CHAPTER V.
AT SEA.
The wind, which was uncertain, although in general favorable, was
blowing in genuine April squalls. The -Forward- sailed rapidly, and
its screw, as yet unused, did not delay its progress. Towards three
o'clock they met the steamer which plies between Liverpool and the
Isle of Man, and which carries the three legs of Sicily on its
paddle-boxes. Her captain hailed them, and this was the last good-by
to the crew of the -Forward-.
At five o'clock the pilot resigned the charge of the ship to Richard
Shandon, and sailed away in his boat, which soon disappeared from
sight in the southwest.
Towards evening the brig doubled the Calf of Man, at the southern
extremity of the island of that name. During the night the sea was
very high; the -Forward- rode the waves very well, however, and
leaving the Point of Ayr on the northwest, she ran towards the North
Channel.
[Illustration: "Towards evening the brig doubled the Calf of Man."]
Johnson was right; once at sea the sailors readily adapted themselves
instinctively to the situation. They saw the excellence of their
vessel and forgot the strangeness of their situation. The ship's
routine was soon regularly established.
The doctor inhaled with pleasure the sea-air; he paced up and down the
deck in spite of the fresh wind, and showed that for a student he had
very good sea-legs.
[Illustration]
"The sea is a fine thing," he said to Johnson, as he went upon the
bridge after breakfast; "I am a little late in making its
acquaintance, but I shall make up for my delay."
"You are right, Dr. Clawbonny; I would give all the land in the world
for a bit of ocean. People say that sailors soon get tired of their
business; but I've been sailing for forty years, and I like it as well
as I did the first day."
"What a pleasure it is to feel a stanch ship under one's feet! and, if
I'm not mistaken, the -Forward- is a capital sea-boat."
"You are right, Doctor," answered Shandon, who had joined the two
speakers; "she's a good ship, and I must say that there was never a
ship so well equipped for a voyage in the polar regions. That reminds
me that, thirty years ago, Captain James Ross, going to seek the
Northwest Passage--"
"Commanded the -Victory-," said the doctor, quickly, "a brig of about
the tonnage of this one, and also carrying machinery."
"What! did you know that?"
"Say for yourself," retorted the doctor. "Steamers were then new
inventions, and the machinery of the -Victory- was continually
delaying him. Captain Ross, after in vain trying to patch up every
piece, at last took it all out and left it at the first place he
wintered at."
"The deuce!" said Shandon. "You know all about it, I see."
"More or less," answered the doctor. "In my reading I have come across
the works of Parry, Ross, Franklin; the reports of MacClure, Kennedy,
Kane, MacClintock; and some of it has stuck in my memory. I might add
that MacClintock, on board of the -Fox-, a propeller like ours,
succeeded in making his way more easily and more directly than all his
successors."
"That's perfectly true," answered Shandon; "that MacClintock is a good
sailor; I have seen him at sea. You might also say that we shall be,
like him, in Davis Strait in the month of April; and if we can get
through the ice our voyage will be very much advanced."
"Unless," said the doctor, "we should be as unlucky as the -Fox- in
1857, and should be caught the first year by the ice in the north of
Baffin's Bay, and we should have to winter among the icebergs."
"We must hope to be luckier, Mr. Shandon," said Johnson; "and if, with
a ship like the -Forward-, we can't go where we please, the attempt
must be given up forever."
"Besides," continued the doctor, "if the captain is on board he will
know better than we what is to be done, and so much the better because
we are perfectly ignorant; for his singularly brief letter gives us no
clew to the probable aim of the voyage."
"It's a great deal," answered Shandon, with some warmth, "to know what
route we have to take; and now for a good month, I fancy, we shall be
able to get along without his supernatural intervention and orders.
Besides, you know what I think about him."
"Ha, ha!" laughed the doctor; "I used to think as you did, that he was
going to leave the command of the ship in your hands, and that he
would never come on board; but--"
"But what?" asked Shandon, with some ill-humor.
"But since the arrival of the second letter, I have altered my views
somewhat."
"And why so, doctor?"
"Because, although this letter does tell you in which direction to go,
it still does not inform you of the final aim of the voyage; and we
have yet to know whither we are to go. I ask you how can a third
letter reach us now that we are on the open sea. The postal service on
the shore of Greenland is very defective. You see, Shandon, I fancy
that he is waiting for us at some Danish settlement up there,--at
Holsteinborg or Upernavik. We shall find that he has been completing
the supply of seal-skins, buying sledges and dogs,--in a word,
providing all the equipment for a journey in the arctic seas. So I
shall not be in the least surprised to see him coming out of his cabin
some fine morning and taking command in the least supernatural way in
the world."
"Possibly," answered Shandon, dryly; "but meanwhile the wind's
freshening, and there's no use risking our topsails in such weather."
Shandon left the doctor, and ordered the topsails furled.
"He still clings to that idea," said the doctor to the boatswain.
"Yes," was the answer, "and it's a pity; for you may very well be
right, Dr. Clawbonny."
Towards the evening of Saturday the -Forward- rounded the Mull of
Galloway, on which the light could be seen in the northeast. During
the night they left the Mull of Cantire to the north, and on the east
Fair Head, on the Irish coast. Towards three o'clock in the morning,
the brig, passing Rathlin Island on its starboard quarter, came out
from the North Channel into the ocean.
That was Sunday, April 8. The English, and especially sailors, are
very observant of that day; hence the reading of the Bible, of which
the doctor gladly took charge, occupied a good part of the morning.
[Illustration]
The wind rose to a gale, and threatened to drive the ship back upon
the Irish coast. The waves ran very high; the vessel rolled a great
deal. If the doctor was not sea-sick, it was because he was determined
not to be, for nothing would have been easier. At midday Malin Head
disappeared from their view in the south; it was the last sight these
bold sailors were to have of Europe, and more than one gazed at it for
a long time who was doubtless fated never to set eyes on it again.
[Illustration]
By observation the latitude then was 55° 57', and the longitude,
according to the chronometer, 7° 40'.[1]
[Footnote 1: Meridian of Greenwich.]
The gale abated towards nine o'clock of the evening; the -Forward-, a
good sailer, kept on its route to the northwest. That day gave them
all a good opportunity to judge of her sea-going qualities; as good
judges had already said at Liverpool, she was well adapted for
carrying sail.
During the following days, the -Forward- made very good progress; the
wind veered to the south, and the sea ran high. The brig set every
sail. A few petrels and puffins flew about the poop-deck; the doctor
succeeded in shooting one of the latter, which fortunately fell on
board.
[Illustration]
Simpson, the harpooner, seized it and carried it to the doctor.
"It's an ugly bird, Dr. Clawbonny," he said.
"But then it will make a good meal, my friend."
"What, are you going to eat it?"
"And you shall have a taste of it," said the doctor, laughing.
"Never!" answered Simpson; "it's strong and oily, like all sea-birds."
[Illustration]
"True," said the doctor; "but I have a way of dressing such game, and
if you recognize it to be a sea-bird, I'll promise never to kill
another in all my life."
"So you are a cook, too, Dr. Clawbonny?" asked Johnson.
"A learned man ought to know a little of everything."
"Then take care, Simpson," said the boatswain; "the doctor is a clever
man, and he'll make us take this puffin for a delicious grouse."
In fact, the doctor was in the right about this bird; he removed
skilfully the fat which lies beneath the whole surface of the skin,
principally on its thighs, and with it disappeared all the rancid,
fishy odor with which this bird can be justly charged. Thus prepared,
the bird was called delicious, even by Simpson.
During the recent storm, Richard Shandon had made up his mind about
the qualities of his crew; he had tested his men one by one, as every
officer should do who wishes to be prepared for future dangers; he
knew on whom he could rely.
James Wall, who was warmly attached to Richard, was intelligent and
efficient, but he had very little originality; as second officer he
was exactly in his place.
Johnson, who was accustomed to the dangers of the sea, and an old
sailor in arctic regions, lacked neither coolness nor courage.
Simpson, the harpooner, and Bell, the carpenter, were steady men,
obedient and well disciplined. The ice-master, Foker, an experienced
sailor, who had sailed in northern waters, promised to be of the
greatest service.
Of the other men, Garry and Bolton seemed to be the best; Bolton was a
jolly fellow, always laughing and joking; Garry, a man about
thirty-five years old, had an energetic, but rather pale and sad face.
[Illustration]
The three sailors, Clifton, Gripper, and Pen, seemed to be the least
enthusiastic and determined; they were inclined to grumbling. Gripper
had even wished to break his engagement when the time came for
sailing, and only a feeling of shame prevented him. If things went
well, if they encountered no excessive dangers, and their toil was not
too severe, these three men could be counted on; but they were hard to
please with their food, for they were inclined to gluttony. In spite
of their having been forewarned, they were by no means pleased with
being teetotalers, and at their meals they used to miss their brandy
or gin; but they made up for it with the tea and coffee which were
distributed with a lavish hand.
As for the two engineers, Brunton and Plover, and the stoker, Warren,
they had been so far well satisfied with having nothing to do.
Shandon knew therefore what to expect from each man.
On the 14th of April, the -Forward- crossed the Gulf Stream, which,
after following the eastern coast of America as far as Newfoundland,
turns to the northeast and moves towards the shore of Norway. They
were then in latitude 51° 37', and longitude 22° 37', two hundred
miles from the end of Greenland. The weather grew colder; the
thermometer fell to 32°, the freezing-point.
The doctor, without yet putting on his arctic winter dress, was
wearing a suit of sea-clothes, like all the officers and sailors; he
was an amusing sight in his high boots, in which he could not bend his
legs, his huge tarpaulin hat, his trousers and coat of the same
material; in heavy rain, or when the brig was shipping seas, the
doctor used to look like a sort of sea-monster, a comparison which
always flattered him.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
For two days the sea was very rough; the wind veered to the northwest,
and delayed the -Forward-. From the 14th to the 16th of April there
was still a high sea running; but on Monday there fell a heavy shower
which almost immediately had the effect of calming the sea. Shandon
called the doctor's attention to it.
"Well," said the doctor, "that confirms the curious observations of
the whaler Scoresby, who was a member of the Royal Society of
Edinburgh, of which I have the honor to be a corresponding member. You
see that while the rain is falling the waves are hardly to be noticed,
even when the wind is strong. On the other hand, in dry weather the
sea would be rougher even with a gentler wind."
"But what is the explanation of it, Doctor?"
"It's very simple; there is no explanation."
At that moment the ice-master, who was on watch in the topmast
cross-trees, cried out that there was a floating mass on the starboard
quarter, about fifteen miles to windward.
[Illustration]
"An iceberg in these latitudes!" cried the doctor.
Shandon turned his glass in that direction, and corroborated the
lookout's words.
"That's strange," said the doctor.
"Are you surprised?" asked the commander, laughing. "What! are we
lucky enough to find anything that will surprise you?"
"I am surprised without being surprised," answered the doctor,
smiling, "since the brig -Ann Poole-, of Greenspond, was caught in the
ice in the year 1813, in the forty-fourth degree of north latitude,
and Dayement, her captain, saw hundreds of icebergs."
"Good," said Shandon; "you can still teach us a great deal about
them."
"O, not so very much!" answered Clawbonny, modestly, "except that ice
has been seen in very much lower latitudes."
"That I know, my dear Doctor, for when I was a cabin-boy on the
sloop-of-war, -Fly---"
"In 1818," continued the doctor, "at the end of March, or it might
have been the beginning of April, you passed between two large fields
of floating ice, in latitude forty-two."
"That is too much!" exclaimed Shandon.
"But it's true; so I have no need to be surprised, now that we are two
degrees farther north, at our sighting an iceberg."
"You are bottled full of information, Doctor," answered the commander;
"one needs only draw the cork."
"Very well, I shall be exhausted sooner than you think; and now,
Shandon, if we can get a nearer view of this phenomenon, I should be
the gladdest of doctors."
"Exactly, Johnson," said Shandon, summoning the boatswain; "I think
the wind is freshening."
"Yes, Commander," answered Johnson, "we are making very little
headway, and soon we shall feel the currents from Davis Strait."
"You are right, Johnson, and if we mean to make Cape Farewell by the
20th of April, we must go under steam, or we shall be cast on the
coast of Labrador.--Mr. Wall, give the order to light the fires."
The mate's orders were obeyed; an hour later the engines were in
motion; the sails were furled; and the screw, turning through the
waves, was driving the -Forward- rapidly in the teeth of the northwest
wind.
CHAPTER VI.
THE GREAT POLAR CURRENT.
Soon more numerous flocks of birds, petrels, puffins, and others which
inhabit those barren shores, gave token of their approach to
Greenland. The -Forward- was moving rapidly northward, leaving behind
her a long line of dark smoke.
Tuesday, the 17th of April, the ice-master caught the first sight of
the -blink-[1] of the ice. It was visible at least twenty miles off to
the north-northwest. In spite of some tolerably thick clouds it
lighted up brilliantly all the air near the horizon. No one of those
on board who had ever seen this phenomenon before could fail to
recognize it, and they felt assured from its whiteness that this blink
was due to a vast field of ice lying about thirty miles farther than
they could see, and that it came from the reflection of its luminous
rays.
[Footnote 1: A peculiar and brilliant color of the air above a large
expanse of ice.]
Towards evening the wind shifted to the south, and became favorable;
Shandon was able to carry sail, and as a measure of economy they
extinguished the furnace fires. The -Forward- under her topsails, jib,
and foresail, sailed on towards Cape Farewell.
At three o'clock on the 18th they made out an ice-stream, which, like
a narrow but brilliant band, divided the lines of the water and sky.
It was evidently descending rather from the coast of Greenland than
from Davis Strait, for the ice tended to keep on the western side of
Baffin's Bay. An hour later, and the -Forward- was passing through the
detached fragments of the ice-stream, and in the thickest part the
pieces of ice, although closely welded together, were rising and
falling with the waves.
At daybreak the next morning the watch saw a sail; it was the
-Valkyria-, a Danish corvette, sailing towards the -Forward-, bound to
Newfoundland. The current from the strait became perceptible, and
Shandon had to set more sail to overcome it.
At that moment the commander, the doctor, James Wall, and Johnson were
all together on the poop-deck, observing the force and direction of
the current. The doctor asked if it were proved that this current was
felt throughout Baffin's Bay.
"There's no doubt of it," answered Shandon; "and sailing-vessels have
hard work in making headway against it."
"And it's so much the harder," added James Wall, "because it's met on
the eastern coast of America, as well as on the western coast of
Greenland."
"Well," said the doctor, "that serves to confirm those who seek a
Northwest Passage. The current moves at the rate of about five miles
an hour, and it is hard to imagine that it rises at the bottom of a
gulf."
"That is very likely, Doctor," answered Shandon, "because, while this
current flows from north to south, there is a contrary current in
Behring Strait, which flows from south to north, and which must be the
cause of this one."
"Hence," said the doctor, "you must admit that America is completely
separated from the polar regions, and that the water from the Pacific
skirts its whole northern coast, until it reaches the Atlantic.
Besides, the greater elevation of the water of the Pacific is another
reason for its flowing towards the European seas."
"But," said Shandon, "there must be some facts which support this
theory; and if there are," he added with gentle irony, "our learned
friend must be familiar with them."
"Well," answered the latter, complacently, "if it interests you at all
I can tell you that whales, wounded in Davis Strait, have been found
afterwards on the coast of Tartary, still carrying a European harpoon
in their side."
"And unless they doubled Cape Horn, or the Cape of Good Hope,"
answered Shandon, "they must have gone around the northern coast of
America. There can be no doubt of that, Doctor."
"And if you were not convinced, my dear Shandon," said the doctor,
smiling, "I could produce still other evidence, such as the floating
wood with which Davis Strait is filled, larch, aspen, and other
southern kinds. Now we know that the Gulf Stream could not carry them
into the strait; and if they come out from it they must have got in
through Behring Strait."
"I am perfectly convinced, Doctor, and I must say it would be hard to
maintain the other side against you."
"See there," said Johnson, "there's something that will throw light on
this discussion. It's a large piece of wood floating on the water; if
the commander will give us leave, we can put a rope about it, hoist it
on board, and ask it the name of its country."
"That's the way!" said the doctor; "after the rule we have the
example."
Shandon gave the necessary orders; the brig was turned towards the
piece of wood, and soon the crew were hoisting it aboard, although not
without considerable trouble.
[Illustration]
It was the trunk of a mahogany-tree, eaten to its centre by worms,
which fact alone made it light enough to float.
"This is a real triumph," exclaimed the doctor, enthusiastically,
"for, since the Atlantic currents could not have brought it into Davis
Strait, since it could not have reached the polar waters from the
rivers of North America, as the tree grows under the equator, it is
evident that it must have come direct from Behring Strait. And
besides, see those sea-worms which have eaten it; they belong to warm
latitudes."
"It certainly gives the lie to those who deny the existence of a
Northwest Passage."
"It fairly kills them," answered the doctor. "See here, I'll give you
the route of this mahogany-tree: it was carried to the Pacific Ocean
by some river of the Isthmus of Panama or of Guatemala; thence the
current carried it along the coast of America as far as Behring
Strait, and so it was forced into the polar waters; it is neither so
old nor so completely water-logged that we cannot set its departure at
some recent date; it escaped all the obstacles of the many straits
coming into Baffin's Bay, and being quickly seized by the arctic
current it came through Davis Strait to be hoisted on board the
-Forward- for the great joy of Dr. Clawbonny, who asks the commander's
permission to keep a piece as a memorial."
"Of course," answered Shandon; "but let me tell you in my turn that
you will not be the only possessor of such a waif. The Danish governor
of the island of Disco--"
"On the coast of Greenland," continued the doctor, "has a mahogany
table, made from a tree found in the same way; I know it, my dear
Shandon. Very well; I don't grudge him his table, for if there were
room enough on board, I could easily make a sleeping-room out of
this."
On the night of Wednesday the wind blew with extreme violence;
drift-wood was frequently seen; the approach to the coast became more
dangerous at a time when icebergs are numerous; hence the commander
ordered sail to be shortened, and the -Forward- went on under merely
her foresail and forestay-sail.
The thermometer fell below the freezing-point. Shandon distributed
among the crew suitable clothing, woollen trousers and jackets,
flannel shirts, and thick woollen stockings, such as are worn by
Norwegian peasants. Every man received in addition a pair of
water-proof boots.
As for Captain, he seemed contented with his fur; he appeared
indifferent to the changes of temperature, as if he were thoroughly
accustomed to such a life; and besides, a Danish dog was unlikely to
be very tender. The men seldom laid eyes on him, for he generally kept
himself concealed in the darkest parts of the vessel.
Towards evening, through a rift in the fog, the coast of Greenland
could be seen in longitude 37° 2' 7". Through his glass the doctor was
able to distinguish mountains separated by huge glaciers; but the fog
soon cut out this view, like the curtain of a theatre falling at the
most interesting part of a play.
[Illustration]
On the morning of the 20th of April, the -Forward- found itself in
sight of an iceberg one hundred and fifty feet high, aground in this
place from time immemorial; the thaws have had no effect upon it, and
leave its strange shape unaltered. Snow saw it; in 1829 James Ross
took an exact drawing of it; and in 1851 the French lieutenant,
Bellot, on board of the -Prince Albert-, observed it. Naturally the
doctor wanted to preserve a memorial of the famous mountain, and he
made a very successful sketch of it.
It is not strange that such masses should run aground, and in
consequence become immovably fixed to the spot; as for every foot
above the surface of the water they have nearly two beneath, which
would give to this one a total height of about four hundred feet.
At last with a temperature at noon as low as 12°, under a snowy, misty
sky, they sighted Cape Farewell. The -Forward- arrived at the
appointed day; the unknown captain, if he cared to assume his place in
such gloomy weather, would have no need to complain.
"Then," said the doctor to himself, "there is this famous cape, with
its appropriate name! Many have passed it, as we do, who were destined
never to see it again! Is it an eternal farewell to one's friends in
Europe? You have all passed it, Frobisher, Knight, Barlow, Vaughan,
Scroggs, Barentz, Hudson, Blosseville, Franklin, Crozier, Bellot,
destined never to return home; and for you this cape was well named
Cape Farewell!"
It was towards the year 970 that voyagers, setting out from Iceland,
discovered Greenland. Sebastian Cabot, in 1498, went as high as
latitude 56°; Gaspard and Michel Cotréal, from 1500 to 1502, reached
latitude 60°; and in 1576 Martin Frobisher reached the inlet which
bears his name.
To John Davis belongs the honor of having discovered the strait, in
1585; and two years later in a third voyage this hardy sailor, this
great whaler, reached the sixty-third parallel, twenty-seven degrees
from the Pole.
Barentz in 1596, Weymouth in 1602, James Hall in 1605 and 1607,
Hudson, whose name was given to the large bay which runs so far back
into the continent of America, James Poole in 1611, went more or less
far into the straits, seeking the Northwest Passage, the discovery of
which would have greatly shortened the route between the two worlds.
Baffin, in 1616, found in the bay of that name Lancaster Sound; he was
followed in 1619 by James Monk, and in 1719 by Knight, Barlow,
Vaughan, and Scroggs, who were never heard of again.
In 1776, Lieutenant Pickersgill, sent to meet Captain Cook, who tried
to make his way through Behring Strait, reached latitude 68°; the next
year, Young, on the same errand, went as far as Woman's Island.
Then came James Ross, who in 1818 sailed all around the shores of
Baffin's Bay, and corrected the errors on the charts of his
predecessors.
Finally, in 1819 and 1820, the famous Parry made his way into
Lancaster Sound. In spite of numberless difficulties he reached
Melville Island, and won the prize of five thousand pounds offered by
act of Parliament to the English sailors who should cross the meridian
at a latitude higher than the seventy-seventh parallel.
In 1826, Beechey touched at Chamisso Island; James Ross wintered, from
1829 to 1833, in Prince Regent's Inlet, and, among other important
services, discovered the magnetic pole.
During this time Franklin, by a land-journey, defined the northern
coast of America, from Mackenzie River to Turnagain Point; Captain
Back followed the same route from 1823 to 1835; and these explorations
were completed in 1839 by Dease, Simpson, and Dr. Rae.
At last, Sir John Franklin, anxious to discover the Northwest Passage,
left England in 1845, with the -Erebus- and the -Terror-; he entered
Baffin's Bay, and since his leaving Disco Island there has been no
news of his expedition.
His disappearance started numerous search-expeditions, which have
effected the discovery of the passage, and given the world definite
information about the rugged coasts of the polar lands. The boldest
sailors of England, France, and the United States hastened to these
terrible latitudes; and, thanks to their exertions, the tortuous,
complicated map of these regions has at last been placed in the
archives of the Royal Geographical Society of London.
The strange history of these lands crowded on the imagination of the
doctor, as he stood leaning on the rail, and gazing on the long track
of the brig. The names of those bold sailors thronged into his memory,
and it seemed to him that beneath the frozen arches of the ice he
could see the pale ghosts of those who never returned.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER VII.
THE ENTRANCE OF DAVIS STRAIT.
During that day the -Forward- made easy progress through the loose
ice; the breeze was in a good quarter, but the temperature was very
low; the wind coming across the ice-fields was thoroughly chilled.
At night the strictest care was necessary; the icebergs crowded
together in this narrow passage; often they could be counted by the
hundred on the horizon; they had been loosened from the lofty coasts
by the incessant beating of the waves and the warmth of the spring
month, and they were floating down to melt away in the depths of the
ocean. Often, too, they came across large masses of floating wood,
which they were obliged to avoid, so that the crow's-nest was placed
in position on the top of the foremast; it consisted of a sort of tub,
in which the ice-master, partly sheltered from the wind, scanned the
sea, giving notice of the ice in sight, and even, if necessary,
directing the ship's course.
[Illustration]
The nights were short; since the 31st of January the sun had
reappeared in refraction, and was every day rising higher and higher
above the horizon. But it was hid by the snow, which, if it did not
produce utter darkness, rendered navigation difficult.
April 21st, Cape Desolation appeared through the mist; hard work was
wearying the crew; since the brig had entered the ice, the sailors had
had no rest; it was now necessary to have recourse to steam to force a
way through the accumulated masses.
The doctor and Johnson were talking together on the after-deck, while
Shandon was snatching a few hours of sleep in his cabin. Clawbonny was
very fond of talking with the old sailor, whose numerous voyages had
given him a valuable education. The two had made great friends of one
another.
"You see, Dr. Clawbonny," said Johnson, "this country is not like any
other; its name is Greenland, but there are very few weeks of the year
in which it deserves this name."
"But, Johnson," answered the doctor, "who can say whether in the tenth
century this name did not suit it? More than one change of this sort
has taken place on the globe, and I should astonish you much more by
saying that, according to Icelandic chroniclers, two hundred villages
flourished on this continent eight or nine hundred years ago."
"You astonish me so much, Dr. Clawbonny, that I can't believe you; for
it's a sterile country."
"Well, sterile as it is, it supports a good many inhabitants, and
among them are some civilized Europeans."
"Without doubt; at Disco and at Upernavik we shall find men who are
willing to live in such a climate; but I always supposed they stayed
there from necessity, and not because they liked it."
"I think you are right; still, men get accustomed to everything, and
these Greenlanders appear to me better off than the workingmen of our
large cities; they may be unfortunate, but they are not miserable. I
say unfortunate, but that is not exactly what I mean; in fact, if they
are not quite as comfortable as those who live in temperate regions,
they, nevertheless, are accustomed to the severity of the climate, and
find in it an enjoyment which we should never imagine."
"We have to think so, Dr. Clawbonny, because Heaven is just; but I
have often visited these coasts, and I am always saddened at the sight
of its gloomy loneliness; the capes, promontories, and bays ought to
have more attractive names, for Cape Farewell and Cape Desolation are
not of a sort to cheer sailors."
"I have often made the same remark," answered the doctor; "but these
names have a geographical value which is not to be forgotten; they
describe the adventures of those who gave them; along with the names
of Davis, Baffin, Hudson, Ross, Parry, Franklin, Bellot, if I find
Cape Desolation, I also find soon Mercy Bay; Cape Providence makes up
for Port Anxiety, Repulse Bay brings me to Cape Eden, and after
leaving Point Turnagain I rest in Refuge Bay; in that way I have under
my eyes the whole succession of dangers, checks, obstacles, successes,
despairs, and victories connected with the great names of my country;
and, like a series of antique medals, this nomenclature gives me the
whole history of these seas."
"Well reasoned, Doctor; and may we find more bays of Success in our
journey than capes of Despair!"
"I hope so, Johnson; but, tell me, have the crew got over their
fears?"
"Somewhat, sir; and yet, to tell the truth, since we entered these
straits, they have begun to be very uneasy about the unknown captain;
more than one expected to see him appear at the end of Greenland; and
so far no news of him. Between ourselves, Doctor, don't you think that
is a little strange!"
"Yes, Johnson, I do."
"Do you believe the captain exists?"
"Without any doubt."
"But what reason can he have had for acting in this way?"
"To speak frankly, Johnson, I imagine that he wants to get the crew so
far away that it will be impossible for them to turn back. Now, if he
had appeared on board when we set sail, and every one had known where
we were going, he might have been embarrassed."
"How so?"
"Why, if he wants to try any superhuman enterprise, if he wants to go
where so many have failed, do you think he would have succeeded in
shipping a crew? But, once on the way, it is easy to go so far that to
go farther becomes an absolute necessity."
"Possibly, Doctor; I have known more than one bold explorer, whose
name alone would have frightened every one, and who would have found
no one to accompany him on his perilous expeditions--"
"Except me," said the doctor.
"And me," continued Johnson. "I tell you our captain is probably one
of those men. At any rate, we shall know sooner or later; I suppose
that at Upernavik or Melville Bay he will come quietly on board, and
let us know whither he intends to take the ship."
"Very likely, Johnson; but the difficulty will be to get to Melville
Bay; see how thick the ice is about us! The -Forward- can hardly make
her way through it. See there, that huge expanse!"
[Illustration]
"We whalers call that an ice-field, that is to say, an unbroken
surface of ice, the limits of which cannot be seen."
"And what do you call this broken field of long pieces more or less
closely connected?"
"That is a pack; if it's round we call it a patch, and a stream if it
is long."
"And that floating ice?"
"That is drift-ice; if a little higher it would be icebergs; they are
very dangerous to ships, and they have to be carefully avoided. See,
down there on the ice-field, that protuberance caused by the pressure
of the ice; we call that a hummock; if the base were under water, we
should call it a cake; we have to give names to them all to
distinguish them."
[Illustration]
"Ah, it is a strange sight," exclaimed the doctor, as he gazed at the
wonders of the northern seas; "one's imagination is touched by all
these different shapes!"
"True," answered Johnson, "the ice takes sometimes such curious
shapes; and we men never fail to explain them in our own way."
"See there, Johnson; see that singular collection of blocks of ice!
Would one not say it was a foreign city, an Eastern city, with
minarets and mosques in the moonlight? Farther off is a long row of
Gothic arches, which remind us of the chapel of Henry VII., or the
Houses of Parliament."
[Illustration: "Would one not say it was a foreign city, an Eastern
city, with minarets and mosques in the moonlight?"]
"Everything can be found there; but those cities or churches are very
dangerous, and we must not go too near them. Some of those minarets
are tottering, and the smallest of them would crush a ship like the
-Forward-."
"And yet men have dared to come into these seas under sail alone! How
could a ship be trusted in such perils without the aid of steam?"
"Still it has been done; when the wind is unfavorable, and I have
known that happen more than once, it is usual to anchor to one of
these blocks of ice; we should float more or less around with them,
but we would wait for a fair wind; it is true that, travelling in that
way, months would be sometimes wasted where we shall need only a few
days."
[Illustration]
"It seems to me," said the doctor, "that the temperature is falling."
"That would be a pity," answered Johnson, "for there will have to be a
thaw before these masses separate, and float away into the Atlantic;
besides, they are more numerous in Davis Strait, because the two
stretches of land approach one another between Cape Walsingham and
Holsteinborg; but above latitude 67° we shall find in May and June
more navigable seas."
"Yes; but we must get through this first."
"We must get through, Doctor; in June and July we should have found
the passage free, as do the whalers; but our orders were strict; we
had to be here in April. If I'm not very much mistaken, our captain is
a sound fellow with an idea firm in his head; his only reason for
leaving so early was to go far. Whoever survives will see."
The doctor was right about the falling of the temperature; at noon the
thermometer stood at 6°, and a breeze was blowing from the northwest,
which, while it cleared the sky, aided the current in accumulating the
floating ice in the path of the -Forward-. It did not all follow the
same course; often some pieces, and very high ones, too, floated in
the opposite direction under the influence of a submarine current.
The difficulties of this navigation may be readily understood; the
engineers had no repose; the engines were controlled from the bridge
by means of levers, which started, stopped, and reversed them
instantly, at the orders of the officer in command. Sometimes it was
necessary to hasten forward to enter an opening in the ice, again to
race with a mass of ice which threatened to block up their only
egress, or some piece, suddenly upsetting, obliged the brig to back
quickly, in order to escape destruction. This mass of ice, carried and
accumulated by the great polar current, was hurried through the
strait, and if the frost should unite it, it would present an
impassable barrier to the -Forward-.
[Illustration]
In these latitudes numberless birds were to be found; petrels and
contremaitres were flying here and there, with deafening cries; there
were also many gulls, with their large heads, short necks, and small
beaks, which were extending their long wings and braving the snow
which the storm was whirling about. This profusion of winged beings
enlivened the scene.
Numerous pieces of wood were drifting along, clashing continually into
one another; a few whales with large heads approached the ship; but
they could not think of chasing them, although Simpson, the harpooner,
earnestly desired it. Towards evening several seals were seen, which,
with their noses just above the water, were swimming among the great
pieces of ice.
On the 22d the temperature was still falling; the -Forward- carried a
great deal of steam to reach an easier sailing-place; the wind blew
steadily from the northwest; the sails were furled.
During Sunday the sailors had little to do. After divine service,
which was read by Shandon, the crew betook themselves to chasing wild
birds, of which they caught a great many. These birds, prepared
according to Dr. Clawbonny's method, were an agreeable addition to the
messes of the officers and crew.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the -Forward- sighted the Kin of
Sael, which lay east one quarter northeast, and the Mount Sukkertop,
southeast one quarter east half-east; the sea was very high; from time
to time a dense fog descended suddenly from the gray sky.
Notwithstanding, at noon they were able to take an observation. The
ship was found to be in latitude 65° 20' and longitude 54° 22'. They
would have to go two degrees farther north before they would find
clearer sailing.
During the three following days, the 24th, 25th, and 26th of April,
they had uninterruptedly to fight with the ice; the management of the
engines became very tedious; every minute steam was shut off or
reversed, and escaped from the safety-valve.
In the dense mist their approach to the icebergs could be known only
by the dull roar of the avalanches; then the vessel would shift its
course at once; then there was the danger of running into the masses
of frozen fresh water, which were as clear as crystal and as hard as
stone. Richard Shandon used to take aboard a quantity of this ice
every day to supply the ship with fresh water.
The doctor could not accustom himself to the optical illusions
produced by refraction; indeed, an iceberg ten or twelve miles distant
used to seem to him to be a small piece of ice close by; he tried to
get used to this strange phenomenon, in order to be able by and by to
overcome the mistakes of his eyesight.
At last, both by towing the brig along the fields of ice and by
pushing off threatening blocks with poles, the crew was thoroughly
exhausted; and yet, on the 27th of April, the -Forward- was still
detained on the impassable Polar Circle.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER VIII.
THE TALK OF THE CREW.
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497
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