CHAPTER XI.DISQUIETING TRACES.
In the night of April 26-27, the weather changed; the thermometer fellmany degrees, and the inhabitants of Doctor's House perceived it fromthe cold which made its way beneath their coverings; Altamont, who waswatching the stove, took care not to let the fire get low, and he waskept busy putting on enough coal to keep the temperature at 50degrees. This cold weather announced the end of the storm, and thedoctor was glad of it, for now they could resume their usualoccupations, their hunting, excursions, and explorations; this wouldput an end to the apathy of their loneliness, which in time sours eventhe finest characters.
The next morning the doctor rose early, and made his way over thedrifts to the lighthouse. The wind was from the north; the air wasclear, the snow was hard under his feet. Soon his five companions hadleft Doctor's House; their first care was to dig away the driftedsnow, which now disguised the plateau; it would have been impossibleto discover any traces of life upon it, for the tempest had buried allinequalities beneath fifteen feet of snow.
After the snow was cleared away from the house, it was necessary torestore its architectural outline. This was very easy, and after theice was removed a few blows with the snow-knife gave it its normalthickness. After two hours' work the granite appeared, and access tothe stores and the powder-house was free. But since, in theseuncertain climates, such things can happen every day, a new supply offood was carried to the kitchen. They were all wearied of salt foodand yearned for fresh meat, and so the hunters were charged withchanging the bill of fare, and they prepared to set out.
Still the end of April did not bring with it the polar spring, whichwas yet six weeks off; the sun's rays were still too feeble to meltthe snow or to nourish the few plants of these regions. They fearedlest animals should be scarce, both birds and quadrupeds. But a hare,a few ptarmigans, even a young fox, would have been welcome to thetable of Doctor's House, and the hunters resolved to shoot whatevershould come within range.
The doctor, Altamont, and Bell determined to explore the country.Altamont, they felt sure from his habits, was a bold and skilfulhunter, and, with all his bragging, a capital shot. So he went withthe hunters, as did Duke, who was equally skilful and less prone toboasting.
The three companions ascended the east cone and set out towards thelarge white plains; but they had gone no farther than two or threemiles before they saw numerous tracks; from that point, they ran downto the shore of Victoria Bay, and appeared to surround Fort Providencewith a series of concentric circles.
After they had followed these footprints for a short time, the doctorsaid,--
"Well, that is clear enough."
"Too clear," said Bell; "they are bear tracks."
"Good game," continued Altamont, "and there is only one fault in itto-day."
"What's that?" asked the doctor.
"The abundance," answered the American.
"What do you mean?" asked Bell.
"I mean that there are distinct tracks of five bears; and five bearsare a good many for five men."
"Are you sure of what you say?" asked the doctor.
"Judge for yourself; this mark is different from any other; the clawson this one are farther apart than those. Here is the print of asmaller bear. If you compare them together, you'll find traces of fiveanimals."
"You are right," said Bell, after a careful examination.
"Then," said the doctor, "there is no need of useless bravado, butrather of caution; these animals are famished at the end of a severewinter, and they may be very dangerous; and since there is no doubt oftheir number--"
"Nor of their intentions," interrupted the American.
"Do you suppose," he asked, "that they have discovered our presencehere?"
"Without a doubt, unless we've fallen on a whole band of bears; but inthat case, why do their prints go about in a circle, instead ofrunning out of sight? See, they came from the southwest and stoppedhere, and began to explore the country."
"You are right," said the doctor, "and it's certain they came lastnight."
"And the other nights too," answered Altamont; "only the snow hascovered their tracks."
"No," said the doctor; "it's more likely that they waited for the endof the storm; they went to the bay to catch some seals, and then theyscented us."
"True," said Altamont; "so it is easy to know whether they will returnto-night."
"How so?" asked Bell.
"By rubbing out some of their tracks; and if we find new onesto-morrow, we can be sure that they are trying to get into FortProvidence."
"Well," said the doctor, "we shall at least know what to expect."
The three then set to work, and soon effaced all the tracks over aspace of about six hundred feet.
"It's strange, however," said Bell, "that they could scent us at sogreat a distance; we didn't burn anything greasy which could attractthem."
"O," answered the doctor, "they have very fine sight, and delicatesense of smell! Besides, they are very intelligent, perhaps the mostintelligent of animals, and they have found out something strangehere."
"Perhaps," continued Bell, "during the storm, they came up as far asthe plateau."
"Then," said the American, "why should they have stopped there?"
"True, there is no answer to that," answered the doctor; "and we oughtto believe that they are shortening the circle about Fort Providence."
"We shall see," answered Altamont.
"Now, let us go on," said the doctor; "but we'll keep our eyes open."
They kept careful watch, through fear lest some bear should be hiddenbehind the masses of ice; often they took the blocks for animals, fromtheir shape and whiteness, but soon they discovered their mistake.
They returned at last to the shore beneath the cone, and from theretheir eyes swept in vain from Cape Washington to Johnson Island. Theysaw nothing; everything was white and motionless; not a sound was tobe heard. They entered the snow-house.
Hatteras and Johnson were informed of the condition of affairs, andthey resolved to keep a strict watch. Night came; nothing occurred toalarm them, or to mar its beauty. At dawn the next morning, Hatterasand his companions, fully armed, went out to examine the condition ofthe snow; they found the same tracks as on the previous day, onlynearer. Evidently the enemy was preparing to lay siege to FortProvidence.
"They have opened their second parallel," said the doctor.
"They have made a point in advance," answered Altamont; "see thosefootprints coming nearer the plateau; they are those of some stronganimal."
"Yes, they are gaining ground gradually," said Johnson; "it is evidentthat they are going to attack us."
"There's no doubt of that," said the doctor; "let us avoid showingourselves. We are not strong enough to fight successfully."
"But where do these devilish bears come from?" asked Bell.
"From behind those pieces of ice to the east, where they are spyingus; don't let us get too near them."
"And our hunt?" asked Altamont.
"Let us put it off for a few days," answered the doctor; "let us againrub out these nearest marks, and to-morrow we shall see if they arerenewed. In this way we can see the manoeuvres of our enemies."
The doctor's advice was taken, and they returned to the fort; thepresence of these terrible beasts forbade any excursion. Strict watchwas kept over the neighborhood of Victoria Bay. The lighthouse wasdismantled; it was of no real use, and might attract the attention ofthe animals; the lantern and the electric threads were carried to thehouse; then they took turns in watching the upper plateau.
Again they had to endure the monotony of loneliness, but what else wasto be done? They dared not risk a contest at so fearful odds; no one'slife could be risked imprudently. Perhaps the bears, if they caughtsight of nothing, might be thrown off the track; or, if they were metsingly, they might be attacked successfully. However, this inactionwas relieved by a new interest; they had to keep watch, and no oneregretted it.
April 28th passe
d by without any sign of the existence of the enemy.The next morning their curiosity as to the existence of new tracks wassucceeded by astonishment. Not a trace was to be seen; the snow wasintact.
"Good," shouted Altamont, "the bears are thrown off the track! Theyhave no perseverance! They are tired of waiting, and have gone! Goodby, and now off to the hunt!"
"Eh!" answered the doctor, "who can say? For greater safety, myfriends, I beg one more day of watching; it is certain the enemy didnot approach last night, at least from this side--"
"Let us make a circuit of the plateau," said Altamont, "and then weshall make sure."
"Willingly," said the doctor.
But with all their care in exploration, not the slightest trace couldbe found.
"Well, shall we start on our hunt?" asked Altamont, impatiently.
"Let us wait till to-morrow," urged the doctor.
"All right," answered Altamont, who had some reluctance, however,about conceding.
They returned to the fort. Each one had to watch for an hour, as onthe previous evening. When Altamont's turn came, he went to relieveBell. As soon as he was gone, Hatteras called his companions together.The doctor left his notes, and Johnson his furnaces. It might havebeen supposed that Hatteras was going to discuss the dangers of thesituation; he did not even think of them.
"My friends," he said, "let us take advantage of the absence of thisAmerican, to talk over our affairs; some things don't concern him atall, and I don't care to have him meddling with them."
The others looked at one another, uncertain of his meaning.
"I want to speak with you," he said, "about our future plans."
"Well," answered the doctor, "let us talk now we are alone."
"In a month, or six weeks at the latest," Hatteras began, "we shall beable to make distant excursions. Had you thought of what might be donein the summer?"
"Had you, Captain?" asked Johnson.
"I? I can say that not an hour passes without my mind's recurring tomy plan. I suppose no one of you has any thought of returning--"
There was no immediate answer to this insinuation.
"As for me," continued Hatteras, "if I have to go alone, I shall go tothe North Pole; we are only three hundred and sixty miles from it atthe outside. No men have ever been so near it, and I shall not letsuch a chance go by without the attempt, even if it be impossible.What are your views in the matter?"
"Your own," answered the doctor.
"And yours, Johnson?"
"The same as the doctor's," answered the boatswain.
"It is your turn to speak, Bell," said Hatteras.
"Captain," answered the carpenter, "it is true we have no familyawaiting us in England, but our country is our country: don't youthink of going back?"
"We shall go back easily as soon as we shall have discovered the Pole.In fact, more easily. The difficulties will not increase, for, on ourway thither, we leave behind us the coldest spots on the globe. Wehave supplies of all sorts for a long time. There is nothing to hinderus, and we should be to blame if we did not push on to the end."
"Well," answered Bell, "we are all of your opinion, Captain."
"Good!" replied Hatteras. "I have never doubted of you. We shallsucceed, my friends, and England shall have all the glory of oursuccess."
"But there is an American with us," said Johnson.
Hatteras could not restrain a wrathful gesture at this remark.
"I know it," he said in a deep voice.
"We can't leave him here," continued the doctor.
"No, we cannot," answered Hatteras, coldly.
"And he will certainly come."
"Yes, he will come, but who will command?"
"You, Captain."
"And if you obey me, will this Yankee refuse to obey?"
"I don't think so," answered Johnson; "but if he is unwilling to obeyyour orders--"
"It would have to be settled between him and me."
The three Englishmen looked at Hatteras without a word. The doctorbroke the silence.
"How shall we travel?" he asked.
"By keeping along the coast as much as possible," answered Hatteras.
"But if we find the sea open, as is likely?"
"Well, we shall cross it."
"How? We have no boat."
Hatteras did not answer; he was evidently embarrassed.
"Perhaps," suggested Bell, "we might build a launch out of the timbersof the _Porpoise_."
"Never!" shouted Hatteras, warmly.
"Never?" exclaimed Johnson.
The doctor shook his head; he understood the captain's unwillingness.
"Never!" the latter answered. "A launch made out of the wood of anAmerican ship would be an American launch--"
"But, Captain--" interposed Johnson.
The doctor made a sign to the old boatswain to keep silent. A moresuitable time was required for that question. The doctor, although heunderstood Hatteras's repugnance, did not sympathize with it, and hedetermined to make his friend abandon this hasty decision. Hence hespoke of something else, of the possibility of going along the coastto the north, and that unknown point, the North Pole. In a word, heavoided all dangerous subjects of conversation up to the moment whenit was suddenly ended by the entrance of Altamont. He had nothing newto report. The day ended in this way, and the night was quiet. Thebears had evidently disappeared.