by Jules Verne
CHAPTER XVIII
THE NORTHERN ROUTE
The crew seemed to have returned to its habits of discipline andobedience. There was little fatiguing work to do, and they had a gooddeal of leisure. The temperature kept above freezing point, and itseemed as if the thaw had removed the great obstacles to navigation.
Dick, now sociable and familiar, had made great friends with Dr.Clawbonny. But as in most friendships one friend has to give way tothe other, it must be acknowledged it was not the dog. Dick did whathe liked with the doctor, who obeyed him as if he were the dog. Hewas amiable with most of the sailors and officers on board, only byinstinct, doubtless, he shunned Shandon's society; he also kept upa grudge against Pen and Foker; he vented his hatred of them bygrowling at their approach. But they dare not now attack the captain'sdog--his "familiar," as Clifton called him. On the whole the crewhad plucked up courage again and worked well.
"It seems to me," said James Wall one day to Richard Shandon, "thatour men took the captain's speech seriously; they no longer seem tobe doubtful of success."
"The more fools they!" answered Shandon. "If they reflected, if theyexamined the situation, they would see that we are going out of oneimprudence into another."
"But," continued Wall, "the sea is open now, and we are getting backinto well-known tracks; aren't you exaggerating a bit, Shandon?"
"No, I am not exaggerating; the dislike I feel to Hatteras is notblinding me. Have you seen the coal-holes lately?"
"No," answered Wall.
"Well, then, go and examine them: you will see how much there's left.He ought to have navigated under sail, and have kept the engine forcurrents and contrary winds; he ought only to have used his coal wherehe was obliged; who can tell where we shall be kept, and for how manyyears? But Hatteras only thinks about getting north. Whether the windis contrary or not, he goes along at full steam, and if things goon as they are doing now, we shall soon be in a pretty pickle."
"If what you say is true, it is very serious."
"Yes, it is, because of the wintering. What shall we do without coalin a country where even the thermometer freezes?"
"But, if I am not mistaken, the captain counts upon renewing his stockof coal at Beechey Island. It appears there is a large provisionthere."
"And suppose we can't reach Beechey Island, what will become of usthen?"
"You are right, Shandon; Hatteras seems to me very imprudent; butwhy don't you expostulate with him on the subject?"
"No," said Shandon, with ill-concealed bitterness, "I won't say aword. It is nothing to do with me now. I shall wait to see what turnsup; I shall obey orders, and not give my opinion where it isn'twanted."
"Allow me to tell you that you are in the wrong, Shandon; you haveas much interest in setting yourself against the captain's imprudenceas we have."
"He wouldn't listen to me if I were to speak; do you think he would?"
Wall dared not answer in the affirmative, and he added--
"But perhaps he would listen to the crew."
"The crew!" answered Shandon, shrugging his shoulders; "you don'tknow the crew. The men know they are nearing the 72nd parallel, andthat they will earn a thousand pounds for every degree above that."
"The captain knew what he was doing when he offered them that."
"Of course he did, and for the present he can do what he likes withthem."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that while they have nothing to do, and there is an open sea,they will go on right enough; but wait till difficulty and dangercome, and you will see how much they'll think about the money!"
"Then you don't think Hatteras will succeed?"
"No, he will not; to succeed in such an enterprise there must be agood understanding between him and his officers, and that does notexist. Hatteras is a madman; all his past career proves it. Well,we shall see; perhaps circumstances will force them to give thecommand to a less adventurous captain."
"Still," said Wall, shaking his head, "he will always have on hisside----"
"Dr. Clawbonny, a man who only cares for science, and Johnson, a sailorwho only cares to obey, and perhaps two more men like Bell, thecarpenter; four at the most, and we are eighteen on board! No, Wall,Hatteras has not got the confidence of his men, and he knows it, sohe bribes them; he profited cleverly by the Franklin affair, but thatwon't last, I tell you, and if he doesn't reach Beechey Island he'sa lost man!"
"Suppose the crew should take it into its head----"
"Don't tell the crew what I think," answered Shandon quickly; "themen will soon see for themselves. Besides, just now we must go north.Who knows if Hatteras won't find that way will bring us back sooner?At the end of McClintock Channel lies Melville Bay, and from thencego the straits that lead to Baffin's Bay. Hatteras must take care!The way to the east is easier than the road to the north!"
Hatteras was not mistaken in his opinion that Shandon would betrayhim if he could. Besides, Shandon was right in attributing thecontentment of the men to the hope of gain. Clifton had counted exactlyhow much each man would have. Without reckoning the captain and thedoctor, who would not expect a share in the bounty-money, thereremained sixteen men to divide it amongst. If ever they succeededin reaching the Pole, each man would have 1,125 pounds--that is tosay, a fortune. It would cost the captain 18,000 pounds, but he couldafford it. The thoughts of the money inflamed the minds of the crew,and they were now as anxious to go north as before they had been eagerto turn south. The _Forward_ during the day of June 16th passed CapeAworth. Mount Rawlinson raised its white peaks towards the sky; thesnow and fog made it appear colossal, as they exaggerated itsdistance; the temperature still kept some degrees above freezingpoint; improvised cascades and cataracts showed themselves on thesides of the mountains, and avalanches roared down with the noiseof artillery discharges. The glaciers, spread out in long white sheets,projected an immense reverberation into space. Boreal nature, in itsstruggle with the frost, presented a splendid spectacle. The brigwent very near the coast; on some sheltered rocks rare heaths wereto be seen, the pink flowers lifting their heads timidly out of thesnows, and some meagre lichens of a reddish colour and the shootsof a dwarf willow.
At last, on the 19th of June, at the famous seventy-third parallel,they doubled Cape Minto, which forms one of the extremities of OmmaneyBay; the brig entered Melville Bay, surnamed by Bolton Money Bay;the merry sailors joked about the name, and made Dr. Clawbonny laughheartily. Notwithstanding a strong breeze from the northeast, the_Forward_ made considerable progress, and on the 23rd of June shepassed the 74th degree of latitude. She was in the midst of MelvilleBay, one of the most considerable seas in these regions. This seawas crossed for the first time by Captain Parry in his great expeditionof 1819, and it was then that his crew earned the prize of 5,000 poundspromised by Act of Parliament. Clifton remarked that there were twodegrees from the 72nd to the 74th; that already placed 125 poundsto his credit. But they told him that a fortune was not worth muchthere, and that it was of no use being rich if he could not drinkhis riches, and he had better wait till he could roll under a Liverpooltable before he rejoiced and rubbed his hands.
