[Ill.u.s.tration]
"Hurrah! hurrah!" cried Johnson, who could hardly trust his eyes. "O Doctor, Doctor!"
The old sailor could not restrain his joy; he was coming and going like a madman. The doctor had returned to the house; a few minutes later the stove was roaring, and soon a delicious odor of cooking aroused Bell from his torpor. It may be easily imagined how the feast was enjoyed; still the doctor advised his friends to partake in moderation; he set an example, and while eating he again began to talk.
"To-day is a lucky day," he said; "we have food enough for our journey. But we mustn"t fall asleep in the delights of Capua, and we"d better start out again."
"We can"t be more than forty-eight hours from the _Porpoise_," said Altamont, who could now begin to speak once more.
"I hope," said the doctor, smiling, "that we shall find material for a fire there."
"Yes," said the American.
"For, if my ice lens is good," continued the doctor, "there would still be something desired on cloudy days, and there are many of them less than four degrees from the Pole."
"True!" said Altamont with a sigh, "less than four degrees! My ship has gone nearer than any yet has been!"
"Forward!" said Hatteras, quickly.
"Forward!" repeated the doctor, gazing uneasily at the two captains.
The strength of the travellers soon returned; the dogs had eaten freely of the bear"s flesh, and they continued their journey northward. During their walk the doctor tried to draw from Altamont the object of his expedition, but the American gave only evasive answers.
"There are two men to be watched," he whispered to the boatswain.
"Yes," answered Johnson.
"Hatteras never says a word to the American, and the American seems to show very little grat.i.tude. Fortunately I am here."
"Dr. Clawbonny," answered Johnson, "since this Yankee has returned to life, I don"t like his face much."
"Either I"m mistaken," answered the doctor, "or he suspects Hatteras"s plans."
"Do you think that the stranger has the same plans?"
"Who can tell? The Americans are bold; an American may well try what an Englishman tries!"
"You think that Altamont--"
"I don"t think anything about it," answered the doctor; "but the situation of this ship on the way to the Pole gives one material for thought."
"But Altamont said he had drifted there."
"He said so! Yes, but he was smiling in a very strange way."
"The devil, Dr. Clawbonny; it would be unfortunate if there should be any rivalry between two such men."
"Heaven grant that I may be mistaken, Johnson, for this misfortune might produce serious complications, if not some catastrophe."
"I hope Altamont will not forget that we saved his life."
"But isn"t he going to save us? I confess that without us he would not be alive; but what would become of us without him, without his ship, without its resources?"
"Well, Doctor, you are here, and I hope with your aid all will go well."
"I hope so, Johnson."
The voyage went on without incident; there was no lack of bear"s flesh, and they made copious meals of it; there was a certain good-humor in the little band, thanks to the jests of the doctor and his pleasant philosophy; this worthy man always had some sc.r.a.p of information to give to his companions. His health continued good; he had not grown very thin, in spite of his fatigues and privations; his friends at Liverpool would have recognized him without difficulty; especially would they have recognized his unaltered good-humor.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
During the morning of Sat.u.r.day the appearance of the plain of ice changed materially; the perturbed fragments, the frequent packs, the hummocks, showed that the ice-field was enduring some severe pressure; evidently some unknown continent, some new island, might have caused this by narrowing the pa.s.ses. Blocks of fresh water, more frequent and larger, indicated the coast to be near. Hence, there was near them a new land, and the doctor yearned with a desire to add to the charts of the northern regions. Great is the pleasure of ascertaining the line of these unknown coasts, and of tracing it with a pencil; that was the doctor"s aim, while that of Hatteras was merely to place his foot upon the Pole, and he took pleasure in advance in thinking of the names he was going to give to the seas, straits, bays, and slightest promontories in these new continents; certainly he would not forget the names of his companions, his friends, nor her Gracious Majesty, nor the royal family; and he foresaw a certain "Cape Clawbonny" with great satisfaction.
These thoughts kept him busy all day; that evening they encamped as usual, and each one took his turn at watching near these unknown lands. The next day, Sunday, after a heavy breakfast of bear"s paws, which were very good, the travellers pushed on to the north, inclining a little to the west; the road grew difficult, but yet they advanced rapidly. Altamont, from the top of the sledge, scanned the horizon with feverish attention; his companions were the victims of involuntary uneasiness. The last solar observations gave them lat.i.tude 83 35", and longitude 120 15"; that was the place where the American ship was said to be lying; the question of life and death was to be solved that day. At last, at about half past two in the afternoon, Altamont stood straight, stopped the little band by a loud cry, and, pointing with his hand to a white ma.s.s, which all the rest had taken for an iceberg, he cried with a loud voice,--
"The _Porpoise_!"
CHAPTER VI.
THE PORPOISE.
March 24th was Palm Sunday,--that day when the streets of the towns and villages of Europe are filled with flowers and leaves; bells are ringing, and the air is filled with rich perfumes. But here, in this desolate country, what sadness and silence! The wind was keen and bitter; not a leaf of foliage was to be seen! But still, this Sunday was a day of rejoicing for our travellers, for at last they were about to find supplies which would save them from certain death. They hastened their steps; the dogs drew the sledge briskly, Duke barked joyously, and they all soon reached the American ship. The _Porpoise_ was wholly buried beneath the snow; there was no sign of mast, yard, or rigging; all had been lost at the time of the shipwreck; the ship lay on a bed of rocks now completely hidden. The _Porpoise_ was careened to one side by the violence of the shock, her bottom was torn open, so that the ship seemed uninhabitable. This was soon seen by the captain, the doctor, and Johnson, after they had entered the vessel; they had to cut away fifteen feet of ice to get to the hatchway; but to their great joy they saw that the animals, many traces of which were to be seen, had spared the supplies.
"If we have here," said Johnson, "plenty of food and fuel, this hull does not seem inhabitable."
"Well, we must build a snow-house," answered Hatteras, "and make ourselves as comfortable as possible on the mainland."
"Without doubt," continued the doctor; "but don"t let us hurry; let us do things carefully; if need be we can fit out some quarters in the ship; meanwhile we can build a strong house, capable of protecting us against the cold and wild beasts. I am willing to be the architect, and you"ll see what I can do."
"I don"t doubt your skill, Doctor," answered Johnson; "we"ll make ourselves as comfortable as possible here, and we"ll make an inventory of all that the ship contains; unfortunately, I don"t see any launch, or boat, and these ruins are in too bad a state to permit of our making a small boat."
"Who can say?" answered the doctor. "With time and thought a great deal can be done; now we have not to trouble ourselves about navigation, but about a house to live in; I propose not to form any other plans, and to let everything have its turn."
"That is wise," answered Hatteras; "let us begin with the beginning."
The three companions left the ship, returned to the sledge, and announced their determination to Bell and the American; Bell said he was ready to work; the American shook his head, on learning that nothing could be done with his ship; but since all discussion would have been idle, they determined at first to take refuge in the _Porpoise_, and to build a large building on the sh.o.r.e.
At four o"clock in the afternoon the five travellers were installed as comfortably as possible between decks; by means of spars and fragments of masts, Bell had made a nearly level floor; there they placed coverings stiffened by the frost, which the heat of the stove soon brought back to their natural state; Altamont, leaning on the doctor, was able to make his way to the corner which had been set aside for him; on setting foot on his ship, he had sighed with a feeling of relief, which did not encourage the boatswain.
"He feels at home," the old sailor thought, "and one would say that he had invited us here."
The rest of the day was devoted to repose; the weather threatened to change under the influence of the westerly winds; the thermometer outside stood at -26. In fact, the _Porpoise_ lay beyond the pole of cold, at a lat.i.tude relatively less severe, though farther to the north. On that day they finished the bear, with some biscuits they found on the ship, and a few cups of tea; then fatigue overcame them, and each one sank into a sound sleep.
The next morning they all awoke rather late; they soon recalled the difference in their situation; they were no longer perplexed with uncertainty about the morrow; they only thought of establishing themselves comfortably. These castaways looked at themselves as colonists who had reached their destination, and, forgetting the sufferings of their long march, they had no other thought than that of securing a comfortable future.