CHAPTER XV.THE FORWARD DRIVEN SOUTHWARD.
Towards evening the weather cleared up, and land was clearly to beseen between Cape Sepping and Cape Clarence, which juts out to theeast, then to the south, and is connected to the mainland on the westby a low tongue of land. There was no ice at the entrance of Regent'sSound; but it was densely massed beyond Leopold Harbor, as if to forman impassable barrier to the northward progress of the _Forward_.
Hatteras, who, although he carefully concealed his feelings, wasexceedingly annoyed, had to blow out a way with powder in order toenter Leopold Harbor; he reached it at midday, on Sunday, May 27th;the brig was securely anchored to the large icebergs, which were asfirm, solid, and hard as rock.
At once the captain, followed by the doctor, Johnson, and his dogDuke, leaped out upon the ice and soon reached the land. Duke leapedabout with joy; besides, since the captain had made himself known, hehad become very sociable and very gentle, preserving his ill-temperfor some of the crew, whom his master disliked as much as he did.
The harbor was free from the ice which is generally forced there bythe east-wind; the sharp peaks, covered with snow, looked like anumber of white waves. The house and lantern, built by James Ross,were still in a tolerable state of preservation; but the provisionsappeared to have been eaten by foxes, and even by bears, of whichfresh traces were to be seen; part of the devastation was probably dueto the hand of man, for some ruins of Esquimaux huts were to be seenon the shores of the bay.
The six tombs, enclosing six sailors of the _Enterprise_ and the_Investigator_, were recognizable by little mounds of earth; they hadbeen respected by all, by both men and beasts.
On first setting his foot on this northern earth, the doctor wasreally agitated; it would not be easy to describe the emotions onefeels at the sight of these ruined houses, tents, huts, supplies,which nature preserves so perfectly in cold countries.
"There," said he to his companions,--"there is the spot which JamesRoss himself named Camp Refuge! If Franklin's expedition had reachedthis spot, it would have been saved. Here is the engine which wastaken out and left here, and the furnace which warmed the crew of the_Prince Albert_ in 1851; everything remains as it was left, and onemight fancy that Kennedy, her captain, had sailed away from hereyesterday. This is the launch that sheltered them for some days, forKennedy was separated from his ship, and only saved by LieutenantBellot, who braved the cold of October to join him."
"A brave and excellent officer he was," said Johnson. "I knew him."
While the doctor eagerly sought for traces of previous winteringsthere, Hatteras busied himself with collecting the scanty fragments offuel and provisions which lay there. The next day was devoted tocarrying them on board ship. The doctor explored the wholeneighborhood, never going too far from the brig, and sketched the mostremarkable views. The weather gradually grew milder; the snow-driftsbegan to melt. The doctor made a tolerably large collection ofnorthern birds, such as gulls, divers, molly-nochtes, and eider-ducks,which resemble ordinary ducks, with a white back and breast, a bluebelly, the top of the head blue, the rest of the plumage white, shadedwith different tints of green; many of them had already plucked fromtheir bellies the eider-down, which both the male and the femaledevote to lining their nests. The doctor also saw great sealsbreathing at the surface of the water, but he was unable to draw one.
In his wanderings he discovered the stone on which is engraved thefollowing inscription:--
[E I] 1849,
which marks the passage of the _Enterprise_ and _Investigator_; hepushed on to Cape Clarence, to the spot where, in 1833, John and JamesRoss waited so impatiently for the ice to thaw. The earth was coveredwith the skulls and bones of animals, and traces of the dwellings ofEsquimaux were to be seen.
The doctor thought of erecting a cairn at Leopold Harbor, and ofleaving a letter there to indicate the passage of the _Forward_ andthe aim of the expedition. But Hatteras formally objected; he did notwish to leave behind him any traces which might be of use to a rival.In spite of all he could say, the doctor was obliged to yield to thecaptain's will. Shandon was ready enough to blame this obstinacy, for,in case of accident, no ship could have put out to the aid of the_Forward_.
Hatteras refused to comply. Having completed his preparations onMonday, he tried once more to go to the north through the ice, but,after dangerous efforts, he was obliged to descend again Regent'sChannel; he was utterly averse to remaining at Leopold's Harbor, whichis open one day and closed the next by the unheralded motion of theice,--a frequent phenomenon in these seas, and one against whichnavigators have to be ever on their guard.
If Hatteras kept his anxiety from the others, he was at heart veryanxious; he wanted to go northward, and he was obliged to retreat tothe south! Where would that bring him? Was he going as far back asVictoria Harbor in the Gulf of Boothia, where Sir John Ross winteredin 1833? Should he find Bellot Sound free at this time, and, by goingaround North Somerset, could he ascend through Peel Sound? Or shouldhe, like his predecessors, be caught for many winters, and be obligedto consume all his supplies and provisions?
These fears tormented him; but he had to decide; he put about andstarted for the south.
Prince Regent's Channel is of nearly uniform width from Leopold'sHarbor to Adelaide Bay. The _Forward_ went rapidly through the ice,with better fortune than many other ships, most of which required amonth to descend the channel, even in a better season; it is true thatnone of these ships, except the _Fox_, had steam at their command, andwere obliged to do their best against frequent unfavorable winds.
The crew seemed overjoyed at leaving the northern regions; they hadbut a slight desire to reach the Pole; they were alarmed at Hatteras'splans, for his reputation as a fearless man inspired them with butlittle confidence. Hatteras tried to make use of every opportunity togo forward, whatever the consequences might be. And yet in theseparts, to advance is all very well, but one must also maintain hisposition and not run the risk of losing it.
The _Forward_ went on under full steam; the black smoke whirled inspirals about the sparkling summits of the icebergs; the weather waschangeable, turning from a dry cold to a snowstorm with inconceivablerapidity. Since the brig drew but little water, Hatteras hugged thewest shore; he did not want to miss the entrance of Bellot Sound, forthe Gulf of Boothia has no other entrance towards the south than theslightly known sound of the _Fury_ and the _Hecla_; hence the gulfwould be impassable, if Bellot Sound were missed or foundimpracticable.
By evening the _Forward_ was in sight of Elwin Bay, which wasrecognized by its high, steep cliffs; Tuesday morning Batty Bay wasseen, where, on the 10th of September, 1851, the _Prince Albert_anchored for the winter. The doctor examined the coast with interestthrough his glass. From this point started the expeditions whichdetermined the shape of North Somerset. The weather was clear enoughfor them to see the deep ravines surrounding the bay.
The doctor and Johnson were probably the only ones who took anyinterest in these deserted countries. Hatteras, always studying hischarts, talked little; his silence increased as the ship drewsouthward; he often went upon the quarter-deck, and there he wouldremain for hours, with folded arms, gazing absently at the horizon.His orders, when he gave any, were short and quick. Shandon maintaineda cold silence, and drawing more and more into himself, he had nothingmore to do with Hatteras than was officially required; James Wallremained devoted to Shandon, and modelled his conduct after that ofhis friend. The rest of the crew waited for whatever might turn up,ready to make the best use of it for their own profit. On board therewas none of the unanimity which is so necessary for the accomplishmentof great things. Hatteras knew this well.
During the day two whalers were seen making toward the south; a whitebear, too, was saluted with a few rifle-shots, but apparently withoutsuccess. The captain knew the worth of an hour at that time, andrefused permission to chase the animal.
Wednesday morning the end of Regent Channel was passed; the angle ofthe west coast was followed by a
deep curve in the land. On examininghis chart, the doctor recognized Somerset-House Point, or Point Fury.
"There," he said to his usual companion,--"there is where the firstEnglish ship was lost that was sent to these seas in 1815, in Parry'sthird voyage; the _Fury_ was so much injured by the ice in her secondwinter, that the crew were obliged to abandon her and to return toEngland in her companion, the _Hecla_."
"A good reason for having another ship," answered Johnson; "that is aprecaution which polar explorers should not neglect; but CaptainHatteras was not the man to burden himself with a companion!"
"Do you consider him rash, Johnson?" asked the doctor.
"I? O, I don't say anything of the sort, Dr. Clawbonny! But see thosepiles there, with fragments of a tent hanging to them."
"Yes, Johnson, it is there Parry unloaded all his ship's supplies,and, if my memory serves me right, the roof of the hut he built wasmade out of a mainsail covered by the running-rigging of the _Fury_."
"That must have changed a good deal since 1825."
"Not so very much. In 1829, John Ross kept his crew safe and sound inthis light building. In 1851, when Prince Albert sent out anexpedition, this hut was still standing; Captain Kennedy repaired itnine years ago. It would be interesting to visit it, but Hatteras isunwilling to stop."
"And he is probably right, Dr. Clawbonny; if in England time is money,here it is safety, and for the delay of a day, of an hour even, thewhole voyage might be rendered useless. We must let him do as hepleases."
On Thursday, June 1st, the _Forward_ sailed diagonally across CreswellBay; from Point Fury the coast rises in steep rocks three hundred feethigh; towards the south, it is lower; a few snowy summits are to beseen, of a regular shape, while others, more fantastic, were hidden inthe clouds.
During that day the weather grew milder, but cloudier; they lost sightof land; the thermometer rose to 32 degrees; a few water-quail were tobe seen, and flocks of wild geese flew toward the north; the crew laidaside some of their thick clothes; they began to be aware of theapproach of summer in the arctic regions.
Toward evening the _Forward_ doubled Cape Garry, a quarter of a milefrom the shore. The lead marked ten to twelve fathoms, and they borealong the shore to Brentford Bay. In this latitude they were to findBellot Sound, a sound which entirely escaped the notice of Sir JohnRoss in his expedition of 1828; his charts indicated an unbrokencoast-line, with the least irregularities indicated with the utmostcare; hence it is to be supposed that when he passed by the entranceof the sound, it was completely closed with ice and so could not bedistinguished from the land.
This sound was really discovered by Captain Kennedy in an excursionmade in April, 1852; he named it after Lieutenant Bellot, as "a justtribute," as he said, "to the important services rendered to ourexpedition by the French officer."