"Confound it!" shouted Altamont; "I prefer that decidedly! I"ve had enough working in the dark! Now we shall see one another and fight!"
"Yes," answered Johnson; "but with our guns it is impossible in so small a s.p.a.ce."
"Well, with a hatchet or a knife!"
The noise increased; the scratching of claws could be heard; the bears had attacked the wall at the angle where it joined the snow fastened to the rock."
"Evidently," said Johnson, "the animal is within six feet of us."
"You are right, Johnson," answered the American, "but we have time to prepare ourselves to receive it!"
The American took the axe in one hand, his knife in the other; resting on his right foot, his body thrown back, he stood ready to attack.
Hatteras and Bell did the same. Johnson prepared his gun in case fire-arms should be necessary. The noise grew louder and louder; the ice kept cracking beneath the repeated blows. At last only a thin crust separated the adversaries; suddenly this crust tore asunder like paper through which a clown leaps, and an enormous black body appeared in the gloom of the room. Altamont raised his hand to strike it.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "An enormous black body appeared in the gloom of the room. Altamont raised his hand to strike it."]
"Stop! for heaven"s sake, stop!" said a well-known voice.
"The doctor, the doctor!" shouted Johnson.
It was indeed the doctor, who, carried by the impetus, rolled into the room.
"Good evening, my friends," he said, springing to his feet.
His companions remained stupefied; but joy succeeded their stupefaction; each one wished to embrace the worthy man; Hatteras, who was much moved, clasped him for a long time to his breast. The doctor answered by a warm clasp of the hand.
"What! you, Dr. Clawbonny!" said the boatswain.
"Why, Johnson, I was much more anxious about your fate than you about mine."
"But how did you know that we were attacked by bears?" asked Altamont; "our greatest fear was to see you returning quietly to Fort Providence without thought of danger."
"O, I saw everything!" answered the doctor; "your shots warned me; I happened to be near the fragments of the _Porpoise_; I climbed up a hummock; I saw five bears chasing you; ah, I feared the worst for you!
But the way you slid down the hill, and the hesitation of the animals, rea.s.sured me for a time; I knew you"d had time to lock yourselves in.
Then I approached gradually, climbing and creeping between cakes of ice; I arrived near the fort, and I saw the huge beasts working like beavers; they were tossing the snow about, heaping up the ice so as to bury you alive. Fortunately, they did not think of hurling the blocks down from the top of the cone, for you would have been crushed without mercy."
"But," said Bell, "you were not safe, Doctor; couldn"t they leave their place and attack you?"
"They didn"t think of it; the Greenland dogs which Johnson let loose would sniff around at a little distance, but they didn"t think of attacking them; no, they were sure of better game."
"Thanks for the compliment," said Altamont, smiling.
"O, you needn"t be vain of it! When I saw the tactics of the bears, I resolved to join you; to be prudent, I waited till night; so at twilight I slipped noiselessly towards the slope, on the side of the magazine; I had my own idea in choosing this point; I wanted to make a gallery; so I set to work; I began with my snow-knife, and a capital tool it is! For three hours I dug and dug, and here I am, hungry and tired, but here at last--"
"To share our fate?" asked Altamont.
"To save all of us; but give me a piece of biscuit and some meat; I"m half starved."
Soon the doctor was burying his white teeth in a large slice of salt beef. Although he was eating, he appeared willing to answer the questions they put to him.
"To save us?" Bell began.
"Certainly," answered the doctor, "and to rid us of the malicious pests who will end by finding our stores and devouring them."
"We must stay here," said Hatteras.
"Certainly," answered the doctor, "and yet rid ourselves of these animals."
"There is then a means?" asked Bell.
"A sure means," answered the doctor.
"I said so," cried Johnson, rubbing his hands; "with Dr. Clawbonny, we need not despair; he always has some invention handy."
"Not always handy; but after thinking for a while--"
"Doctor," interrupted Altamont, "can"t the bears get through the pa.s.sage-way you cut?"
"No, I took the precaution of closing it behind me; and now we can go from here to the powder-magazine without their suspecting it."
"Good! Will you tell us what means you intend to employ to rid us of these unpleasant visitors?"
"Something very simple, and which is already half done."
"How so?"
"You"ll see. But I forgot I didn"t come alone."
"What do you mean?" asked Johnson.
"I have a companion to introduce to you."
And with these words he pulled in from the gallery the newly killed body of a fox.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
"A fox!" cried Bell.
"My morning"s game," answered the doctor, modestly, "and you"ll see no fox was ever wanted more than this one."
"But what is your plan, after all?" asked Altamont.
"I intend to blow the bears up with a hundred pounds of powder."
They all gazed at the doctor with amazement.
"But the powder?" they asked.