The English at the North Pole

by Jules Verne

  CHAPTER XXXI

  THE DEATH OF SIMPSON

  The travellers went on their weary way, each thinking of the discoverythey had just made. Hatteras frowned with uneasiness.

  "What can the _Porpoise_ be?" he asked himself. "Is it a ship? andif so, what was it doing so near the Pole?"

  At this thought he shivered, but not from the cold. The doctor andBell only thought of the result their discovery might have for othersor for themselves. But the difficulties and obstacles in their waysoon made them oblivious to everything but their own preservation.

  Simpson's condition grew worse; the doctor saw that death was near.He could do nothing, and was suffering cruelly on his own accountfrom a painful ophthalmia which might bring on blindness if neglected.The twilight gave them enough light to hurt the eyes when reflectedby the snow; it was difficult to guard against the reflection, forthe spectacle-glasses got covered with a layer of opaque ice whichobstructed the view, and when so much care was necessary for thedangers of the route, it was important to see clearly; however, thedoctor and Bell took it in turns to cover their eyes or to guide thesledge. The soil was volcanic, and by its inequalities made it verydifficult to draw the sledge, the frame of which was getting wornout. Another difficulty was the effect of the uniform brilliancy ofthe snow; the ground seemed to fall beneath the feet of the travellers,and they experienced the same sensation as that of the rolling ofa ship; they could not get accustomed to it, and it made them sleepy,and they often walked on half in a dream. Then some unexpected shock,fall, or obstacle would wake them up from their inertia, whichafterwards took possession of them again.

  On the 25th of January they began to descend, and their dangersincreased. The least slip might send them down a precipice, and therethey would have been infallibly lost. Towards evening an extremelyviolent tempest swept the snow-clad summits; they were obliged tolie down on the ground, and the temperature was so low that they werein danger of being frozen to death. Bell, with the help of Hatteras,built a snow-house, in which the poor fellows took shelter; therethey partook of a little pemmican and warm tea; there were only afew gallons of spirits of wine left, and they were obliged to usethem to quench their thirst, as they could not take snow in its naturalstate; it must be melted. In temperate countries, where thetemperature scarcely falls below freezing point, it is not injurious;but above the Polar circle it gets so cold that it cannot be touchedmore than a red-hot iron; there is such a difference of temperaturethat its absorption produces suffocation. The Esquimaux would rathersuffer the greatest torments than slake their thirst with snow.

  The doctor took his turn to watch at three o'clock in the morning,when the tempest was at its height; he was leaning in a corner ofthe snow-house, when a lamentable groan from Simpson drew hisattention; he rose to go to him, and struck his head against the roof;without thinking of the accident he began to rub Simpson's swollenlimbs; after about a quarter of an hour he got up again, and bumpedhis head again, although he was kneeling then.

  "That's very queer," he said to himself.

  He lifted his hand above his head, and felt that the roof was lowering.

  "Good God!" he cried; "Hatteras! Bell!"

  His cries awoke his companions, who got up quickly, and bumpedthemselves too; the darkness was thick.

  "The roof is falling in!" cried the doctor.

  They all rushed out, dragging Simpson with them; they had no soonerleft their dangerous retreat, than it fell in with a great noise.The poor fellows were obliged to take refuge under the tent covering,which was soon covered with a thick layer of snow, which, as a badconductor, prevented the travellers being frozen alive. The tempestcontinued all through the night. When Bell harnessed the dogs thenext morning he found that some of them had begun to eat their leatherharness, and that two of them were very ill, and could not go muchfurther. However, the caravan set out again; there only remained sixtymiles to go. On the 26th, Bell, who went on in front, called outsuddenly to his companions. They ran up to him, and he pointed toa gun leaning against an iceberg.

  "A gun!" cried the doctor.

  Hatteras took it; it was loaded and in good condition.

  "The men from the _Porpoise_ can't be far off," said the doctor.

  Hatteras remarked that the gun was of American manufacture, and hishands crisped the frozen barrel. He gave orders to continue the march,and they kept on down the mountain slope. Simpson seemed deprivedof all feeling; he had no longer the strength to complain. The tempestkept on, and the sledge proceeded more and more slowly; they scarcelymade a few miles in twenty-four hours, and in spite of the strictesteconomy, the provisions rapidly diminished; but as long as they hadenough for the return journey, Hatteras kept on.

  On the 27th they found a sextant half-buried in the snow, then aleather bottle; the latter contained brandy, or rather a lump of ice,with a ball of snow in the middle, which represented the spirit; itcould not be used. It was evident that they were following in thesteps of some poor shipwrecked fellows who, like them, had taken theonly practicable route. The doctor looked carefully round for othercairns, but in vain. Sad thoughts came into his mind; he could nothelp thinking that it would be a good thing not to meet with theirpredecessors; what could he and his companions do for them? Theywanted help themselves; their clothes were in rags, and they had notenough to eat. If their predecessors were numerous they would alldie of hunger. Hatteras seemed to wish to avoid them, and could hebe blamed? But these men might be their fellow-countrymen, and,however slight might be the chance of saving them, ought they notto try it? He asked Bell what he thought about it, but the poor fellow'sheart was hardened by his own suffering, and he did not answer.Clawbonny dared not question Hatteras, so he left it to Providence.

  In the evening of the 27th, Simpson appeared to be at the lastextremity; his limbs were already stiff and frozen; his difficultbreathing formed a sort of mist round his head, and convulsivemovements announced that his last hour was come. The expression ofhis face was terrible, desperate, and he threw looks of powerlessanger towards the captain. He accused him silently, and Hatterasavoided him and became more taciturn and wrapped up in himself thanever. The following night was frightful; the tempest redoubled inviolence; the tent was thrown down three times, and the snowdriftsburied the poor fellows, blinded them, froze them, and wounded themwith the sharp icicles struck off the surrounding icebergs. The dogshowled lamentably. Simpson lay exposed to the cruel atmosphere. Bellsucceeded in getting up the tent again, which, though it did notprotect them from the cold, kept out the snow. But a more violentgust blew it down a fourth time, and dragged it along in its fury.

  "Oh, we can't bear it any longer!" cried Bell.

  "Courage, man, courage!" answered the doctor, clinging to him in orderto prevent themselves rolling down a ravine. Simpson's death-rattlewas heard. All at once, with a last effort, he raised himself up andshook his fist at Hatteras, who was looking at him fixedly, then gavea fearful cry, and fell back dead in the midst of his unfinishedthreat.

  "He is dead!" cried the doctor.

  "Dead!" repeated Bell.

  Hatteras advanced towards the corpse, but was driven back by a gustof wind.

  Poor Simpson was the first victim to the murderous climate, the firstto pay with his life the unreasonable obstinacy of the captain. Thedead man had called Hatteras an assassin, but he did not bend beneaththe accusation. A single tear escaped from his eyes and froze on hispale cheek. The doctor and Bell looked at him with a sort of terror.Leaning on his stick, he looked like the genius of the North, uprightin the midst of the whirlwind, and frightful in his immobility.

  He remained standing thus till the first dawn of twilight, bold,tenacious, indomitable, and seemed to defy the tempest that roaredround him.

  CHAPTER XXXII

  THE RETURN

  The wind went down about six in the morning, and turning suddenlynorth cleared the clouds from the sky; the thermometer marked 33degrees below zero. The first rays of the sun reached the horizonwhich the
y would gild a few days later. Hatteras came up to his twodejected companions, and said to them, in a low, sad voice:

  "We are still more than sixty miles from the spot indicated by SirEdward Belcher. We have just enough provisions to allow us to getback to the brig. If we go on any further we shall meet with certaindeath, and that will do good to no one. We had better retrace oursteps."

  "That is a sensible resolution, Hatteras," answered the doctor; "Iwould have followed you as far as you led us, but our health getsdaily weaker; we can scarcely put one foot before the other; we oughtto go back."

  "Is that your opinion too, Bell?" asked Hatteras.

  "Yes, captain," answered the carpenter.

  "Very well," said Hatteras; "we will take two days' rest. We wantit. The sledge wants mending. I think we had better build ourselvesa snow-house, and try to regain a little strength."

  After this was settled, our three men set to work with vigour. Belltook the necessary precautions to assure the solidity of theconstruction, and they soon had a good shelter at the bottom of theravine where the last halt had taken place. It had cost Hatteras agreat effort to interrupt his journey. All their trouble and painlost! A useless excursion, which one man had paid for with his life.What would become of the crew now that all hope of coal was over?What would Shandon think? Notwithstanding all these painful thoughts,he felt it impossible to go on any further. They began theirpreparations for the return journey at once. The sledge was mended;it had now only two hundred pounds weight to carry. They mended theirclothes, worn-out, torn, soaked with snow, and hardened by the frost;new moccasins and snow-shoes replaced those that were worn out. Thiswork took the whole day of the 29th and the morning of the 30th; thethree travellers rested and comforted themselves as well as theycould.

  During the thirty-six hours passed in the snow-house and on theicebergs of the ravine, the doctor had noticed that Dick's conductwas very strange; he crept smelling about a sort of rising in theground made by several layers of ice; he kept wagging his tail withimpatience, and trying to draw the attention of his master to thespot. The doctor thought that the dog's uneasiness might be causedby the presence of Simpson's body, which he and his companions hadnot yet had time to bury. He resolved to put it off no longer,especially as they intended starting early the next morning. Belland the doctor took their pickaxes and directed their steps towardsthe lowest part of the ravine; the mound indicated by Dick seemedto be a good spot to place the corpse in; they were obliged to buryit deep to keep it from the bears. They began by removing the layerof soft snow, and then attacked the ice. At the third blow of hispickaxe the doctor broke some hard obstacle; he took out the piecesand saw that it was a glass bottle; Bell discovered a smallbiscuit-sack with a few crumbs at the bottom.

  "Whatever does this mean?" said the doctor.

  "I can't think," answered Bell, suspending his work.

  They called Hatteras, who came immediately. Dick barked loudly, andbegan scratching at the ice.

  "Perhaps we have found a provision-store," said the doctor.

  "It is possible," said Bell.

  "Go on," said Hatteras.

  Some remains of food were drawn out, and a case a quarter full ofpemmican.

  "If it is a hiding-place," said Hatteras, "the bears have been beforeus. See, the provisions are not intact."

  "I am afraid so," answered the doctor; "for----"

  He was interrupted by a cry from Bell, who had come upon a man's leg,stiffened and frozen.

  "A corpse," cried the doctor.

  "It is a tomb," answered Hatteras.

  When the corpse was disinterred it turned out to be that of a sailor,about thirty years old, perfectly preserved. He wore the clothes ofan Arctic navigator. The doctor could not tell how long he had beendead. But after this corpse, Bell discovered a second, that of a manof fifty, bearing the mark of the suffering that had killed him onhis face.

  "These are not buried bodies," cried the doctor, "the poor fellowswere surprised by death just as we find them."

  "You are right, Mr. Clawbonny," answered Bell.

  "Go on! go on!" said Hatteras.

  Bell obeyed tremblingly; for who knew how many human bodies the moundcontained?

  "These men have been the victims of the same accident that almosthappened to us," said the doctor. "Their snow-house tumbled in. Letus see if any one of them is still alive."

  The place was soon cleared, and Bell dug out a third body, that ofa man of forty, who had not the cadaverous look of the others. Thedoctor examined him and thought he recognised some symptoms ofexistence.

  "He is alive!" he cried.

  Bell and he carried the body into the snow-house whilst Hatteras,unmoved, contemplated their late habitation. The doctor stripped theresuscitated man and found no trace of a wound on him. He and Bellrubbed him vigorously with oakum steeped in spirits of wine, and theysaw signs of returning consciousness; but the unfortunate man wasin a state of complete prostration, and could not speak a word. Histongue stuck to his palate as if frozen. The doctor searched hispockets, but they were empty. He left Bell to continue the friction,and rejoined Hatteras. The captain had been down into the depths ofthe snow-house, and had searched about carefully. He came up holdinga half-burnt fragment of a letter. These words were on it:

  ... tamont ... orpoise ... w York.

  "Altamont!" cried the doctor, of the ship _Porpoise_, of New York."

  "An American," said Hatteras.

  "I'll save him," said the doctor, "and then we shall know all aboutit."

  He went back to Altamont whilst Hatteras remained pensive. Thanksto his attentions, the doctor succeeded in recalling the unfortunateman to life, but not to feeling; he neither saw, heard, nor spoke,but he lived. The next day Hatteras said to the doctor:

  "We must start at once."

  "Yes. The sledge is not loaded; we'll put the poor fellow on it andtake him to the brig."

  "Very well; but we must bury these bodies first."

  The two unknown sailors were placed under the ruins of the snow-houseagain, and Simpson's corpse took Altamont's place. The threetravellers buried their companion, and at seven o'clock in the morningthey set out again. Two of the Greenland dogs were dead, and Dickoffered himself in their place. He pulled with energy.

  During the next twenty days the travellers experienced the sameincidents as before. But as it was in the month of February they didnot meet with the same difficulty from the ice. It was horribly cold,but there was not much wind. The sun reappeared for the first timeon the 31st of January, and every day he stopped longer above thehorizon. Bell and the doctor were almost blinded and half-lame; thecarpenter was obliged to walk upon crutches. Altamont still lived,but he was in a state of complete insensibility. The doctor took greatcare of him, although he wanted attention himself; he was gettingill with fatigue. Hatteras thought of nothing but his ship. What stateshould he find it in?

  On the 24th of February he stopped all of a sudden. A red light appearedabout 300 paces in front, and a column of black smoke went up to thesky.

  "Look at that smoke! my ship is burning," said he with a beating heart.

  "We are three miles off yet," said Bell; "it can't be the _Forward_."

  "Yes it is," said the doctor; "the mirage makes it seem nearer."

  The three men, leaving the sledge to the care of Dick, ran on, andin an hour's time were in sight of the ship. She was burning in themidst of the ice, which melted around her. A hundred steps farthera man met them, wringing his hands before the _Forward_ in flames.It was Johnson. Hatteras ran to him.

  "My ship! My ship!" cried he.

  "Is that you, captain? Oh, don't come any nearer," said Johnson.

  "What is it?" said Hatteras.

  "The wretches left forty-eight hours ago, after setting fire to theship."

  "Curse them!" cried Hatteras.

  A loud explosion was then heard; the ground trembled; the icebergsfell upon the ice-field; a column of smoke went up into the clouds,
and the _Forward_ blew up. The doctor and Bell reached Hatteras, whoout of the depths of despair cried:

  "The cowards have fled! The strong will succeed! Johnson and Bell,you are courageous. Doctor, you have science. I have faith. To theNorth Pole! To the North Pole!"

  His companions heard these energetic words, and they did them good;but it was a terrible situation for these four men, alone, under the80th degree of latitude, in the midst of the Polar Regions!

  END OF PART I OF THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HATTERAS