CHAPTER II.ALTAMONT'S FIRST WORDS.
Towards eight o'clock in the evening the snow-clouds cleared away fora few minutes; the constellations shone brilliantly in the clear air.Hatteras made use of this change to get the altitude of some stars; hewent out without saying a word, carrying his instruments with him. Hewished to ascertain his position and see if the ice-field had not beendrifting again. After an absence of half an hour he came back, laydown in a corner, and remained perfectly still, although not asleep.
The next day snow began to fall heavily; the doctor could not helpbeing glad that he had made his examination the day before, for awhite curtain soon covered the whole expanse, and every trace of theexplosion was hidden under three feet of snow.
On that day they could not set foot outside; fortunately theirquarters were comfortable, or at least seemed so to the exhaustedtravellers. The little stove worked well, except occasionally whenviolent gusts drove the smoke into the room; with its heat they couldmake coffee and tea, which are both so serviceable beverages when thetemperature is low.
The castaways, for they deserve the name, found themselves morecomfortable than they had been for a long time; hence they onlythought of the present, of the agreeable warmth, of the brief rest,forgetting, or even indifferent to the future, which threatened withspeedy death.
The American suffered less, and gradually returned to life; he openedhis eyes, but he did not say anything; his lips bore traces of thescurvy, and could not utter a sound; he could hear, and was told wherehe was and how he got there. He moved his head as a sign of gratitude;he saw that he had been saved from burial beneath the snow; the doctorforbore telling him how very short a time his death had been delayed,for, in a fortnight or three weeks at the most, their supply of foodwould be exhausted.
Towards midday Hatteras arose and went up to the doctor, Johnson, andBell.
"My friends," he said to them, "we are going to take a finalresolution as to the course we must follow. In the first place, I mustask Johnson to tell me under what circumstances this act of treacherycame to pass."
"Why should we know?" said the doctor; "the fact is certain, we needgive it no more thought."
"I am thinking of it, all the same," answered Hatteras. "But afterI've heard what Johnson has to say, I shall not think of it again."
Johnson's Story.]
"This is the way it happened," went on the boatswain; "I did all Icould to prevent the crime--"
"I am sure of that, Johnson, and I will add that the leaders had beenplotting it for some time."
"So I thought," said the doctor.
"And I too," continued Johnson; "for very soon after your departure,Captain, on the very next day, Shandon, who was angry with you and wasegged on by the others, took command of the ship; I tried to resist,but in vain. After that, every one acted as he saw fit; Shandon didnot try to control them; he wanted to let the crew see that the timeof suffering and privation had gone by. Hence there was no economy; ahuge fire was lighted in the stove; they began to burn the brig. Themen had the provisions given them freely, and the spirits too, and youcan easily imagine the abuse they made of them after their longabstinence. Things went on in this way from the 7th to the 15th ofJanuary."
"So," said Hatteras, in a grave voice, "it was Shandon who incited themen to revolt?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Say nothing more about him. Go on, Johnson."
"It was towards January 24th or 25th, that the plan of leaving theship was formed. They determined to reach the western coast ofBaffin's Bay; from there, in the launch, they could meet whalers, or,perhaps, the settlements on the eastern side. Their supplies wereabundant; the sick grew better with the hope of reaching home. So theymade their plans for leaving; they built a sledge for the transport oftheir food, fuel, and the launch; the men were to drag it themselves.This occupied them until February 15th. I kept anxiously awaiting yourreturn, Captain, and yet I feared having you present; you would havehad no influence over the crew, who would rather have killed you thanhave remained on board. They were wild with the hope of escape. I tookall my companions aside and spoke to them, I besought them to stay; Ipointed out all the dangers of such a journey, as well as thecowardliness of abandoning you. I could get nothing, even from thebest. They chose February 22d for leaving. Shandon was impatient. Theyheaped upon the sledge all the food and liquor it could hold; theytook a great deal of wood; the whole larboard side had been cut awayto the water-line. The last day they passed carousing; they ravagedand stole everything, and it was during this drunkenness that Pen andtwo or three others set fire to the ship. I resisted, and struggledagainst them; they threw me down and struck me; at last, thesevillains, with Shandon at their head, fled to the east, anddisappeared from my sight. I remained alone; what could I do againstthis fire which was seizing the whole ship? The water-hole was frozenover; I hadn't a drop of water. For two days the _Forward_ was wrappedin flames, and you know the rest."
Having finished this account, a long silence prevailed in thisice-house; the gloomy tale of the burning of the ship, the loss oftheir precious brig, appeared so vividly before the minds of thecastaways; they found themselves before an impossibility, and that wasa return to England. They did not dare to look at one another, forfear of seeing on each other's faces blank despair. There was nothingto be heard save the hasty breathing of the American.
At last Hatteras spoke.
"Johnson," said he, "I thank you; you have done all you could to savemy ship. But you could not do anything alone. Again I thank you, andnow don't let us speak again of this misfortune. Let us unite ourefforts for the common safety. There are four of us here, fourfriends, and the life of one is of no more worth than the life ofanother. Let each one give his opinion on what should be done."
"Ask us, Hatteras," answered the doctor; "we are all devoted to you,our answers shall be sincere. And, in the first place, have you anyplan?"
"I can't have any alone," said Hatteras, sadly. "My opinion might seeminterested; I want to hear your opinion first."
"Captain," said Johnson, "before speaking on such weighty matters, Ihave an important question to ask you."
"What is it?"
"You ascertained our position yesterday; well, has the ice-fielddrifted any more, or are we in just the same place?"
"It has not stirred," answered Hatteras. "The latitude before we leftwas 80 degrees 15 minutes, and longitude 97 degrees 35 minutes."
"And," said Johnson, "how far are we from the nearest sea to thewest?"
"About six hundred miles," answered Hatteras.
"And this water is--"
"Smith's Sound."
"The same which we could not cross last April?"
"The same."
"Well, Captain, now we know where we are, and we can make up our mindsaccordingly."
"Speak, then," said Hatteras, letting his head sink into his hands.
In that way he could hear his friends without looking at them.
"Well, Bell," said the doctor, "what do you think is the best courseto follow?"
"It isn't necessary to reflect a long time," answered the carpenter;"we ought to return, without wasting a day or an hour, either to thesouth or the west, and reach the nearest coast, even if it took us twomonths!"
"We have supplies for only three weeks," answered Hatteras, withoutraising his head.
"Well," continued Johnson, "we must make that distance in three weeks,since it's our only chance of safety; if we have to crawl on our kneesat the end, we must leave, and arrive in twenty-five days."
"This part of the northern continent is not known," answered Hatteras."We may meet obstacles, such as mountains and glaciers, which willcompletely bar our progress."
"I don't consider that," answered the doctor, "a sufficient reason fornot attempting the journey; evidently, we shall suffer a great deal;we ought to reduce our daily supply to the minimum, unless luck inhunting--"
"There's only half a pound of powder left," answered Hatteras.
"Come, Hatteras," resumed the doctor, "I know the weight of all yourobjections, and I don't nourish any vain hopes. But I think I can readyour thoughts; have you any practicable plan?"
"No," answered the captain, after a few moments' hesitation.
"You do not doubt our courage," continued the doctor; "we are willingto follow you to the last, you know very well; but should we not nowabandon all hope of reaching the Pole? Mutiny has overthrown yourplans; you fought successfully against natural obstacles, but notagainst the weakness and perfidy of men; you have done all that washumanly possible, and I am sure you would have succeeded; but, in thepresent condition of affairs, are you not compelled to give up yourproject, and in order to take it up again, should you not try to reachEngland without delay?"
"Well, Captain?" asked Johnson, when Hatteras had remained a long timesilent.
At last the captain raised his head, and said in a constrained tone,--
"Do you think you are sure of reaching the shore of the sound, tiredas you are, and almost without food?"
"No," answered the doctor; "but it's sure the shore won't come to us;we must go to it. Perhaps we shall find to the south tribes ofEsquimaux who may aid us."
"Besides," added Johnson, "may we not find in the sound some ship thathas been forced to winter there."
"And if need be," continued the doctor, "when we've reached the sound,may we not cross it, and reach the west coast of Greenland, and then,either by Prudhoe's Land, or Cape York, get to some Danish settlement?Nothing of that sort is to be found on the ice-field. The way toEngland is down there to the south, and not here to the north!"
"Yes," said Bell, "Dr. Clawbonny is right; we must go, and go at once.Hitherto we have forgotten home too much, and those who are dear tous."
"Do you agree, Johnson?" Hatteras asked again.
"Yes, Captain."
"And you, Doctor?"
"Yes, Hatteras."
Hatteras still remained silent; in spite of all he could do, his faceexpressed his agitation. His whole life depended on the decision heshould take; if he should return, it was all over with his bold plans;he could not hope to make the attempt a fourth time.
The doctor, seeing the captain was silent, again spoke.
"I ought to add, Hatteras," he said, "that we ought not to lose aninstant; we ought to load the sledge with all our provisions, and takeas much wood as possible. A journey of six hundred miles under suchcircumstances is long, I confess, but not insuperable; we can, orrather we ought, to make twenty miles a day, which would bring us tothe coast in a month, that is to say, towards March 26th."
"But," said Hatteras, "can't we wait a few days?"
"What do you hope for?" answered Johnson.
"I don't know. Who can foretell the future? Only a few days yet! It'shardly enough to rest your wearied bodies. We couldn't go two stageswithout dropping from weariness, without any snow-house to shelterus!"
"But a terrible death certainly awaits us here!" cried Bell.
"My friends," continued Hatteras in a tone almost of entreaty, "youare despairing too soon! I should propose to seek safety to the north,were it not that you would refuse to follow me. And yet are there notEsquimaux near the Pole, as well as at Smith's Sound? That open sea,of which the existence is uncertain, ought to surround a continent.Nature is logical in everything it does. Well, we ought to believethat vegetation appears when the greatest cold ceases. Is there not apromised land awaiting us at the north, and which you want to fly fromwithout hope of return?"
Hatteras warmed as he spoke; his heated imagination called upenchanting visions of these countries, whose existence was still soproblematical.
"One more day," he repeated, "a single hour!"
Dr. Clawbonny, with his adventurous character and his glowingimagination, felt himself gradually aroused; he was about to yield;but Johnson, wiser and colder, recalled him to reason and duty.
"Come, Bell," he said, "to the sledge!"
"Come along!" answered Bell.
The two sailors turned towards the door of the snow-house.
"O Johnson! you! you!" shouted Hatteras. "Well, go! I shall stay!"
"Captain!" said Johnson, stopping in spite of himself.
"I shall stay, I say! Go! leave me like the rest! Go!--Come, Duke, wetwo shall stay!"
The brave dog joined his master, barking. Johnson looked at thedoctor. He did not know what to do; the best plan was to calmHatteras, and to sacrifice a day to his fancies. The doctor was aboutmaking up his mind to this effect, when he felt some one touch hisarm.
He turned round. The American had just left the place where he hadbeen lying; he was crawling on the floor; at last he rose to hisknees, and from his swollen lips a few inarticulate sounds issued.
The doctor, astonished, almost frightened, gazed at him silently.Hatteras approached the American, and examined him closely. He triedto make out the words which the poor fellow could not pronounce. Atlast, after trying for five minutes, he managed to utter this word:--
"_Porpoise_."
"The _Porpoise_?" asked the captain.
The American bowed affirmatively.
"In these seas?" asked Hatteras with beating heart.
The same sign from the sick man.
"To the north?"
"Yes."
"And you know where it lies?"
"Yes."
"Exactly?"
There was a moment's silence. The bystanders were all excited.
"Now, listen carefully," said Hatteras to the sick man; "we must knowwhere this ship lies. I am going to count the degrees aloud; you willstop me by a sign."
The American bowed his head to show that he understood.
"Come," said Hatteras, "we'll begin with the longitude. One hundredand five? No.--Hundred and six? Hundred and seven? Hundred and eight?Far to the west?"
"Yes," said the American.
"Let us go on. Hundred and nine? Ten? Eleven? Twelve? Fourteen?Sixteen? Eighteen? Nineteen? Twenty?"
"Yes," answered Altamont.
"Longitude one hundred and twenty?" said Hatteras. "And how manyminutes? I shall count."
Hatteras began at number one. At fifteen Altamont made a sign for himto stop.
"All right!" said Hatteras. "Now for the latitude. You understand?Eighty? Eighty-one? Eighty-two? Eighty-three?"
The American stopped him with a gesture.
"Well! And the minutes? Five? Ten? Fifteen? Twenty? Twenty-five?Thirty? Thirty-five?"
Another sign from Altamont, who smiled slightly.
"So," continued Hatteras, in a deep voice, "the _Porpoise_ lies inlongitude 120 degrees 15 minutes, and 83 degrees 35 minutes latitude?"
"Yes!" said the American, as he fell fainting into the doctor's arms.This exertion had exhausted him.
"'Yes!' said the American."]
"My friends," cried Hatteras, "you see that safety lies to the north,always to the north! We shall be saved!"
But after these first words of joy, Hatteras seemed suddenly struck bya terrible thought. His expression changed, and he felt himself stungby the serpent of jealousy.
Some one else, an American, had got three degrees nearer the Pole! Andfor what purpose?