CHAPTER XIII
THE PROJECTS OF HATTERAS
The appearance of this bold personage was appreciated in differentways by the crew; part of them completely rallied round him, eitherfrom love of money or daring; others submitted because they couldnot help themselves, reserving their right to protest later on;besides, resistance to such a man seemed, for the present, difficult.Each man went back to his post. The 20th of May fell on a Sunday,and was consequently a day of rest for the crew. A council was heldby the captain, composed of the officers, Shandon, Wall, Johnson,and the doctor.
"Gentlemen," said the captain in that voice at the same time softand imperious which characterised him, "you are aware that I intendto go as far as the Pole. I wish to know your opinion about thisenterprise. Shandon, what do you think about it?"
"It is not for me to think, captain," coldly replied Shandon; "I haveonly to obey."
Hatteras was not surprised at the answer.
"Richard Shandon," continued he, not less coldly, "I beg you willsay what you think about our chance of success."
"Very well, captain," answered Shandon, "facts are there, and answerfor me; attempts of the same kind up till now have always failed;I hope we shall be more fortunate."
"We shall be. What do you think, gentlemen?"
"As far as I am concerned," replied the doctor, "I consider your planpracticable, as it is certain that some day navigators will attainthe boreal Pole. I don't see why the honour should not fall to ourlot."
"There are many things in our favour," answered Hatteras; "ourmeasures are taken in consequence, and we shall profit by theexperience of those who have gone before us. And thereupon, Shandon,accept my thanks for the care you have taken in fitting out this ship;there are a few evil-disposed fellows amongst the crew that I shallhave to bring to reason, but on the whole I have only praises to giveyou."
Shandon bowed coldly. His position on the _Forward_, which he thoughtto command, was a false one. Hatteras understood this, and did notinsist further.
"As to you, gentlemen," he continued, turning to Wall and Johnson,"I could not have secured officers more distinguished for courageand experience."
"Well, captain, I'm your man," answered Johnson, "and although yourenterprise seems to me rather daring, you may rely upon me till theend."
"And on me too," said James Wall.
"As to you, doctor, I know what you are worth."
"You know more than I do, then," quickly replied the doctor.
"Now, gentlemen," continued Hatteras, "it is well you should learnupon what undeniable facts my pretension to arrive at the Pole isfounded. In 1817 the _Neptune_ got up to the north of Spitzbergen,as far as the eighty-second degree. In 1826 the celebrated Parry,after his third voyage to the Polar Seas, started also fromSpitzbergen Point, and by the aid of sledge-boats went a hundred andfifty miles northward. In 1852 Captain Inglefield penetrated intoSmith's Inlet as far as seventy-eight degrees thirty-five minuteslatitude. All these vessels were English, and Englishmen, ourcountrymen, commanded them." Here Hatteras paused. "I ought to add,"he continued, with a constrained look, and as though the words wereunable to leave his lips--"I must add that, in 1854, Kane, the American,commanding the brig _Advance_, went still higher, and that hislieutenant, Morton, going across the ice-fields, hoisted the UnitedStates standard on the other side of the eighty-second degree. Thissaid, I shall not return to the subject. Now what remains to be knownis this, that the captains of the _Neptune_, the _Enterprise_, the_Isabel_, and the _Advance_ ascertained that proceeding from thehighest latitudes there existed a Polar basin entirely free from ice."
"Free from ice!" exclaimed Shandon, interrupting the captain, "thatis impossible!"
"You will notice, Shandon," quietly replied Hatteras, whose eye shonefor an instant, "that I quote names and facts as a proof. I may evenadd that during Captain Parry's station on the border of WellingtonChannel, in 1851, his lieutenant, Stewart, also found himself in thepresence of open sea, and this peculiarity was confirmed during SirEdward Beecher's wintering in 1853, in Northumberland Bay, in 76degrees 52 minutes N. latitude, and 99 degrees 20 minutes longitude.The reports are incontestable, and it would be most unjust not toadmit them."
"However, captain," continued Shandon, "those reports are socontradictory."
"You are mistaken, Shandon," cried Dr. Clawbonny. "These reports donot contradict any scientific assertion, the captain will allow meto tell you."
"Go on, doctor," answered Hatteras.
"Well, listen, Shandon; it evidently follows from geographical facts,and from the study of isotherm lines, that the coldest point of theglobe is not at the Pole itself; like the magnetic point, it deviatesseveral degrees from the Pole. The calculations of Brewster, Bergham,and several other natural philosophers show us that in our hemispherethere are two cold Poles; one is situated in Asia at 79 degrees 30minutes N. latitude, and by 120 degrees E. longitude, and the otherin America at 78 degrees N. latitude, and 97 degrees W. longitude.It is with the latter that we have to do, and you see, Shandon, wehave met with it at more than twelve degrees below the Pole. Well,why should not the Polar Sea be as equally disengaged from ice asthe sixty-sixth parallel is in summer--that is to say, the south ofBaffin's Bay?"
"That's what I call well pleaded," replied Johnson. "Mr. Clawbonnyspeaks upon these matters like a professional man."
"It appears very probable," chimed in James Wall.
"All guess-work," answered Shandon obstinately.
"Well, Shandon," said Hatteras, "let us take into considerationeither case; either the sea is free from ice or it is not so, andneither of these suppositions can hinder us from attaining the Pole.If the sea is free the _Forward_ will take us there without trouble;if it is frozen we will attempt the adventure upon our sledges. This,you will allow, is not impracticable. When once our brig has attainedthe eighty-third degree we shall only have six hundred miles totraverse before reaching the Pole."
"And what are six hundred miles?" quickly answered the doctor, "whenit is known that a Cossack, Alexis Markoff, went over the ice seaalong the northern coast of the Russian Empire, in sledges drawn bydogs, for the space of eight hundred miles in twenty-four days?"
"Do you hear that, Shandon?" said Hatteras; "can't Englishmen do asmuch as a Cossack?"
"Of course they can," cried the impetuous doctor.
"Of course," added the boatswain.
"Well, Shandon?" said the captain.
"I can only repeat what I said before, captain," said Shandon--"Iwill obey."
"Very good. And now," continued Hatteras, "let us consider our presentsituation. We are caught by the ice, and it seems to me impossible,for this year at least, to get into Smith's Strait. Well, here, then,this is what I propose."
Hatteras laid open upon the table one of the excellent maps publishedin 1859 by the order of the Admiralty.
"Be kind enough to follow me. If Smith's Strait is closed up fromus, Lancaster Strait, on the west coast of Baffin's Sea, is not. Ithink we ought to ascend that strait as far as Barrow Strait, andfrom there sail to Beechey Island; the same track has been gone overa hundred times by sailing vessels; consequently with a screw we cando it easily. Once at Beechey Island we will go north as far as possible,by Wellington Channel, up to the outlet of the creek which joinsWellington's and Queen's Channels, at the very point where the opensea was perceived. It is now only the 20th of May; in a month, ifcircumstances favour us, we shall have attained that point, and fromthere we'll drive forward towards the Pole. What do you think aboutit, gentlemen?"
"It is evidently the only track to follow," replied Johnson.
"Very well, we will take it from to-morrow. I shall let them restto-day as it is Sunday. Shandon, you will take care that religiousservice be attended to; it has a beneficial effect on the minds ofmen, and a sailor above all needs to place confidence in the Almighty."
"It shall be attended to, captain," answered Shandon, who went outwith the lieutenant and the boatswain.
> "Doctor!" said Hatteras, pointing towards Shandon, "there's a manwhose pride is wounded; I can no longer rely upon him."
Early the following day the captain caused the pirogue to be loweredin order to reconnoitre the icebergs in the vicinity, the breadthof which did not exceed 200 yards. He remarked that through a slowpressure of the ice the basin threatened to become narrower. It becameurgent, therefore, to make an aperture to prevent the ship beingcrushed in a vice of the mountains. By the means employed by JohnHatteras, it is easy to observe that he was an energetic man.
He first had steps cut out in the walls of ice, and by their meansclimbed to the summit of an iceberg. From that point he saw that itwas easy for him to cut out a road towards the south-west. By hisorders a blasting furnace was hollowed nearly in the heart of themountain. This work, rapidly put into execution, was terminated bynoon on Monday. Hatteras could not rely on his eight or ten poundblasting cylinders, which would have had no effect on such massesas those. They were only sufficient to shatter ice-fields. Hetherefore had a thousand pounds of powder placed in the blastingfurnace, of which the diffusive direction was carefully calculated.This mine was provided with a long wick, bound in gutta-percha, theend of which was outside. The gallery conducting to the mine was filledup with snow and lumps of ice, which the cold of the following nightmade as hard as granite. The temperature, under the influence of aneasterly wind, came down to twelve degrees.
At seven the next morning the _Forward_ was held under steam, readyto profit by the smallest issue. Johnson was charged with settingfire to the wick, which, according to calculation, would burn forhalf an hour before setting fire to the mine. Johnson had, therefore,plenty of time to regain the brig; ten minutes after having executedHatteras's order he was again at his post. The crew remained on deck,for the weather was dry and bright; it had left off snowing.
Hatteras was on the poop, chronometer in hand, counting the minutes;Shandon and the doctor were with him. At eight thirty-five a dullexplosion was heard, much less loud than any one would have supposed.The outline of the mountains was changed all at once as if by anearthquake; thick white smoke rose up to a considerable height inthe sky, leaving long crevices in the iceberg, the top part of whichfell in pieces all round the _Forward_. But the path was not yet free;large blocks of ice remained suspended above the pass on the adjacentmountains, and there was every reason to fear that they would falland close up the passage. Hatteras took in the situation at one glance.
"Wolsten!" cried he.
The gunsmith hastened up.
"Yes, captain?" cried he.
"Load the gun in the bow with a triple charge," said Hatteras, "andwad it as hard as possible."
"Are we going to attack the mountain with cannon-balls?" asked thedoctor.
"No," answered Hatteras, "that would be useless. No bullet, Wolsten,but a triple charge of powder. Look sharp!"
A few minutes after the gun was loaded.
"What does he mean to do without a bullet?" muttered Shandon betweenhis teeth.
"We shall soon see," answered the doctor.
"Ready, captain!" called out Wolsten.
"All right!" replied Hatteras.
"Brunton!" he called out to the engineer, "a few turns ahead."
Brunton opened the sliders, and the screw being put in movement, the_Forward_ neared the mined mountain.
"Aim at the pass!" cried the captain to the gunsmith. The latter obeyed,and when the brig was only half a cable's length from it, Hatterascalled out:
"Fire!"
A formidable report followed his order, and the blocks, shaken bythe atmospheric commotion, were suddenly precipitated into the sea;the disturbance amongst the strata of the air had been sufficientto accomplish this.
"All steam on, Brunton! Straight for the pass, Johnson!"
The latter was at the helm; the brig, driven along by her screw, whichturned in the foaming waves, dashed into the middle of the then openedpass; it was time, for scarcely had the _Forward_ cleared the openingthan her prison closed up again behind her. It was a thrilling moment,and on board there was only one stout and undisturbed heart--thatof the captain. The crew, astonished at the manoeuvre, cried out:
"Hurrah for the captain!"