"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 in longitude 120 15", and 83 35" lat.i.tude?"
"Yes!" said the American, as he fell fainting into the doctor"s arms.
This exertion had exhausted him.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ""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 by a terrible thought. His expression changed, and he felt himself stung by the serpent of jealousy.
Some one else, an American, had got three degrees nearer the Pole! And for what purpose?
CHAPTER III.
SEVENTEEN DAYS OF LAND JOURNEY.
This new incident, these first words which Altamont uttered, had completely altered the situation of the castaways; but just now they had been far from any possible aid, without a reasonable chance of reaching Baffin"s Bay, threatened with starvation on a journey too long for their wearied bodies, and now, within four hundred miles from their snow-house, there was a ship which offered them bounteous supplies, and perhaps the means of continuing their bold course to the Pole. Hatteras, the doctor, Johnson, and Bell, all began to take heart after having been so near despair; they were nearly wild with joy.
But Altamont"s account was still incomplete, and, after a few moments"
repose, the doctor resumed his talk with him; he framed his questions in such a way that a simple sign of the head or a motion of the eyes would suffice for an answer.
Soon he made out that the _Porpoise_ was an American bark from New York, that it had been caught in the ice with a large supply of food and fuel; and, although she lay on her beam-ends, she must have withstood the ice, and it would be possible to save her cargo.
Two months before, Altamont and the crew had abandoned her, carrying the launch upon a sledge; they wanted to get to Smith"s Sound, find a whaling-vessel, and be carried in her to America; but gradually fatigue and disease had fallen upon them, and they fell aside on the way. At last only the captain and two sailors were left of a crew of thirty men, and Altamont"s life was the result of what was really a miracle.
Hatteras wanted to find out from the American what he was doing in these high lat.i.tudes.
Altamont managed to make him understand that he had been caught in the ice and carried by it without possibility of resisting it.
Hatteras asked him anxiously for what purpose he was sailing.
Altamont gave them to understand that he had been trying the Northwest Pa.s.sage.
Hatteras did not persist, and asked no other question of the sort.
The doctor then began to speak.
"Now," he said, "all our efforts should be directed to finding the _Porpoise_; instead of struggling to Baffin"s Bay, we may, by means of a journey only two thirds as long, reach a ship which will offer us all the resources necessary for wintering."
"There"s nothing more to be done," said Bell.
"I should add," said the boatswain, "that we should not lose a moment; we should calculate the length of our journey by the amount of our supplies, instead of the other and usual way, and be off as soon as possible."
"You are right, Johnson," said the doctor; "if we leave to-morrow, Tuesday, February 26th, we ought to reach the _Porpoise_ March 15th, at the risk of starving to death. What do you think of that, Hatteras?"
"Let us make our preparations at once," said the captain, "and be off.
Perhaps we shall find the way longer than we suppose."
"Why so?" asked the doctor. "This man seemed certain of the situation of his ship."
"But," answered Hatteras, "supposing the _Porpoise_ has been drifting as the _Forward_ did?"
"True," said the doctor, "that"s not unlikely."
Johnson and Bell had nothing to urge against the possibility of a drift of which they had themselves been victims.
But Altamont, who was listening to the conversation, gave the doctor to understand that he wished to speak. After an effort of about a quarter of an hour, Clawbonny made out that the _Porpoise_ was lying on a bed of rocks, and so could not have drifted away. This information calmed the anxiety of the Englishmen; still it deprived them of their hope of returning to Europe, unless Bell should be able to build a small boat out of the timbers of the _Porpoise_. However that might be, it was now of the utmost importance that they should reach the wreck.
The doctor put one more question to the American, namely, whether he had found an open sea at lat.i.tude 83.
"No," answered Altamont.
There the conversation stopped. They began at once to prepare for departure; Bell and Johnson first began to see about the sledge, which needed complete repairing. Since they had plenty of wood, they made the uprights stronger, availing themselves of the experience of their southern trip. They had learned the dangers of this mode of transport, and since they expected to find plenty of deep snow, the runners were made higher.
On the inside Bell made a sort of bed, covered with the canvas of the tent, for the American; the provisions, which were unfortunately scanty, would not materially augment the weight of the sledge, but still they made up for that by loading it with all the wood it could carry.
The doctor, as he packed all the provisions, made out a very careful list of their amount; he calculated that each man could have three quarters of a ration for a journey of three weeks. A whole ration was set aside for the four dogs which should draw it. If Duke aided them, he was to have a whole ration.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
These preparations were interrupted by the need of sleep and rest, which they felt at seven o"clock in the evening; but before going to bed they gathered around the stove, which was well filled with fuel, and these poor men luxuriated in more warmth than they had enjoyed for a long time; some pemmican, a few biscuits, and several cups of coffee soon put them in good-humor, especially when their hopes had been so unexpectedly lighted up. At seven in the morning they resumed work, and finished it at three in the afternoon. It was already growing dark. Since January 31st the sun had appeared above the horizon, but it gave only a pale and brief light; fortunately the moon would rise at half past six, and with this clear sky it would make their path plain. The temperature, which had been growing lower for several days, fell at last to -33.
The time for leaving came. Altamont received the order with joy, although the jolting of the sledge would increase his sufferings; he told the doctor that medicine against the scurvy would be found on board of the _Porpoise_. He was carried to the sledge and placed there as comfortably as possible; the dogs, including Duke, were harnessed in; the travellers cast one last glance at the spot where the _Forward_ had lain. A glow of rage pa.s.sed over Hatteras"s face, but he controlled it at once, and the little band set out with the air very dry at first, although soon a mist came over them.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
Each one took his accustomed place, Bell ahead pointing out the way, the doctor and Johnson by the sides of the sledge, watching and lending their aid when it was necessary, and Hatteras behind, correcting the line of march.
They went along tolerably quickly; now that the temperature was so low, the ice was hard and smooth for travel; the five dogs easily drew the sledge, which weighed hardly more than nine hundred pounds. Still, men and beasts panted heavily, and often they had to stop to take breath.
Towards seven o"clock in the evening, the moon peered through mist on the horizon. Its rays threw out a light which was reflected from the ice; towards the northwest the ice-field looked like a perfectly smooth plain; not a hummock was to be seen. This part of the sea seemed to have frozen smooth like a lake.
It was an immense, monotonous desert.
Such was the impression that this spectacle made on the doctor"s mind, and he spoke of it to his companion.
"You are right, Doctor," answered Johnson; "it is a desert, but we need not fear dying of thirst."
"A decided advantage," continued the doctor; "still, this immensity proves one thing to me, and that is that we are far distant from any land; in general, the proximity of land is indicated by a number of icebergs, and not one is to be seen near us."