CHAPTER XVIII.THE WAY NORTHWARD.
The crew seemed to have returned to their habits of discipline andobedience. Their duties were slight and infrequent, so that they hadplenty of leisure. The temperature never fell below thefreezing-point, and the thaw removed the greatest obstacles from theirpath.
Duke had made friends with Dr. Clawbonny. They got on admirablytogether. But as in friendship one friend is always sacrificed to theother, it must be said that the doctor was not the other. Duke didwith him whatever he pleased. The doctor obeyed him as a dog obeys hismaster. Moreover, Duke conducted himself very amicably with most ofthe officers and sailors; only, instinctively doubtless, he avoidedShandon; he had, too, a grudge against Pen and Foker; his hatred forthem manifested itself in low growls when they came near him. They,for their part, did not dare attack the captain's dog, "his familiarspirit," as Clifton called him.
In a word, the crew had taken courage again.
"It seems to me," said James Wall one day to Richard Shandon, "thatthe men took the captain's words for earnest; they seem to be sure ofsuccess."
"They are mistaken," answered Shandon; "if they would only reflect,and consider our condition, they would see we are simply going fromone imprudence to another."
"Still," resumed Wall, "we are in a more open sea; we are going alonga well-known route; don't you exaggerate somewhat, Shandon?"
"Not a bit, Wall; the hate and jealousy, if you please, with whichHatteras inspires me, don't blind my eyes. Say, have you seen thecoal-bunkers lately?"
"No," answered Wall.
"Well! go below, and you'll see how near we are to the end of oursupply. By right, we ought to be going under sail, and only startingour engine to make headway against currents or contrary winds; ourfuel ought to be burned only with the strictest economy, for who cansay where and for how long we may be detained? But Hatteras is pushedby this mania of going forward, of reaching the inaccessible Pole, andhe doesn't care for such a detail. Whether the wind is fair or foul,he goes on under steam; and if he goes on we run a risk of being verymuch embarrassed, if not lost."
"Is that so, Shandon? That is serious!"
"You are right, Wall, it is; not only would the engine be of no use tous if we got into a tight place, but what are we to do in the winter?We ought to take some precautions against the cold in a country wherethe mercury often freezes in the thermometer."
"But if I'm not mistaken, Shandon, the captain intends getting a newsupply at Beechey Island; they say there is a great quantity there."
"Can any one choose where he'll go in these seas, Wall? Can one counton finding such or such a channel free of ice? And if he missesBeechey Island, or can't reach it, what is to become of us?"
"You are right, Shandon; Hatteras seems to me unwise; but why don'tyou say something of this sort to him?"
"No, Wall," answered Shandon, with ill-disguised bitterness, "I havemade up my mind not to say a word; I am not responsible any longer forthe ship; I shall await events; if I receive any commands, I obey, andI don't proclaim my opinions."
"Let me tell you you are wrong, Shandon; for the well-being of all isat stake, and the captain's imprudence may cost us all dear."
"And if I were to speak, Wall, would he listen to me?"
Wall did not dare say he would.
"But," he added, "he would perhaps listen to remonstrances of thecrew."
"The crew," said Shandon, shrugging his shoulders; "but, my dear Wall,haven't you noticed that they care for everything else more than fortheir safety? They know they're getting near latitude 72 degrees, andthat a thousand pounds is paid for every degree of latitude beyondwhich is reached."
"You are right, Shandon," answered Wall, "and the captain has takenthe surest means of securing his men."
"Without doubt," answered Shandon; "for the present, at least."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that all will go very well in the absence of all dangers andfatigues, in an open sea; Hatteras has caught them by his money; butwhat is done for pay is ill done. But once let hardships, dangers,discomfort, sickness, melancholy, and fierce cold stare them in theface,--and we are flying towards them now,--and you will see whetherthey remember the pay they are to get."
"So, in your opinion, Shandon, Hatteras will fail?"
"Exactly; he will fail. In such an enterprise, there should be anidentity of interests among the leaders, a sympathy which is lackinghere. Besides, Hatteras is mad; his whole past proves it! But we shallsee! Circumstances may arise in which the command of the ship willhave to be given to a less foolhardy captain--"
"Still," said Wall, shaking his head doubtfully, "Hatteras will alwayshave on his side--"
"He will have," interrupted Shandon,--"he will have that Dr.Clawbonny, who only cares to study; Johnson, who is a slave todiscipline, and who never takes the trouble to reason; perhaps one ortwo besides, like Bell, the carpenter,--four at the most, and thereare eighteen on board! No, Wall, Hatteras has not the confidence ofthe crew; he knows it well, and he tries to make up for it by bribery;he made a good use of the account of Franklin's catastrophe to createa different feeling in their excited minds; but that won't last, Itell you; and if he don't reach Beechey Island, he is lost!"
"If the crew suspected--"
"I beg of you," said Shandon, quickly, "not to say a word about thisto the crew; they'll find it out for themselves. Now, at any rate, itis well to go on towards the north. But who can say whether whatHatteras takes for a step towards the Pole may not be really retracingour steps? At the end of MacClintock Channel is Melville Bay, andthence open the straits which lead back to Baffin's Bay. Hatteras hadbetter take care! The way west is easier than the way north."
From these words Shandon's state of mind may be judged, and howjustified the captain was in suspecting a treacherous disposition inhim.
Shandon, moreover, was right when he ascribed the present satisfactionof the crew to the prospect they had of passing latitude 72 degrees.This greed of gold seized the least audacious. Clifton had made outevery one's share with great exactness. Leaving out the captain andthe doctor, who could not be admitted to the division, there weresixteen men on board the _Forward_. The amount was a thousand pounds,that was 72 pounds 10_s_. for each man, for every degree. If theyshould ever reach the Pole the eighteen degrees to be crossed wouldgive each one a sum of 1,125 pounds, a fair fortune. This whim wouldcost the captain 18,000 pounds; but he was rich enough to pay for sucha costly trip to the Pole.
These calculations aroused wonderfully the avarice of the crew, as canbe readily believed, and more than one longed to pass latitude 72degrees, who, a fortnight before, rejoiced to be sailing southward.
The _Forward_ sailed by Cape Alworth June 16th. Mount Rawlinson raisedits white peaks towards the sky; the snow and mist exaggerated itssize so that it appeared colossal; the temperature remained a fewdegrees above the freezing-point; cascades and cataracts appeared onthe sides of the mountain; avalanches kept falling with a roar likethat of artillery. The long stretches of glaciers made a loud echo.The contrast between this wintry scene and the thaw made a wonderfulsight. The brig sailed along very near the coast; they were able tosee on some sheltered rocks a few bushes bearing modest little roses,some reddish moss, and a budding dwarf willow barely rising above theground.
At last, June 19th, in latitude 72 degrees, they doubled Point Minto,which forms one of the extremities of Ommanney Bay; the brig enteredMelville Bay, called "the Sea of Money" by Bolton; this good-naturedfellow used to be always jesting on this subject, much to Clawbonny'samusement.
The obstacles to their course were but few, for June 23d, in the teethof a strong northeasterly breeze, they passed latitude 74 degrees.This was at the middle of Melville Bay, one of the largest seas ofthis region. It was first crossed by Captain Parry, in his greatexpedition of 1819, and there it was that his crew won the 5,000pounds promised by act of Parliament.
Clifton contented himself with remarking that there were two degrees
between latitude 72 degrees and latitude 74 degrees: that was 125pounds to his credit. But they told him that a fortune did not amountto much up there, and that a man could be called rich only when hecould have a chance to drink to his wealth; it seemed better to waitfor the moment when they could meet at some tavern in Liverpool beforerejoicing and rubbing their hands.