"'A. B.
"'P. S. Can you not substitute brandy for beer?'"
"Bravo!" shouted Altamont. "I suppose they had ladies'-maids to lace you by the capstan. Well, they were jolly fellows!"
"Like all who do what they set out to do," remarked Hatteras.
Hatteras uttered these words, and then he relapsed into his usual silence. The doctor, unwilling to dwell on that subject, hastened to resume his reading.
"See here," he said, "here is a picture of arctic sufferings; it may be varied infinitely; but a few of the observations are wise enough; for instance:—
"'To go out in the morning to take the air, and on setting foot off the ship, to take a cold bath in the cook's trough.
"'To go on a hunting-party, get near a fine reindeer, take aim, try to fire, and miss the shot on account of a damp cap.
"'To start out with a piece of fresh bread in the pocket, and when one gets hungry to find it frozen hard enough to break one's teeth.
"'To leave the table suddenly on hearing a wolf is in sight of the ship, and to come back and find one's dinner eaten by the cat.
"'To return from a walk rapt in thought, and to be awakened suddenly by the embrace of a bear.'
"You see, my friends," said the doctor, "we should not find it hard to imagine other polar troubles; but from the moment it becomes necessary to endure these miseries, it would be a pleasure to narrate them."
"Upon my word," said Altamont, "that's an amusing paper, and it's a pity we can't subscribe to it."
"Suppose we should start one," suggested Johnson.
"We five!" answered Clawbonny; "we should all be editors, and there would be no readers."
"Nor audience either, if we should act a play," said Altamont.
"Tell us, Doctor," said Johnson, "something about Captain Parry's theatre; did they act new plays there?"
"Of course; at first they made use of two volumes which were put on board of theHector, and they had plays every fortnight; but soon they had acted all; then they resorted to original authors, and Parry himself wrote a suitable play for the Christmas holidays; it was very successful, and was called 'The Northwest Passage, or the End of the Voyage.'"
"A capital title," answered Altamont; "but I confess, if I had to write on that subject, I should be puzzled about the end."
"You are right," said Bell; "who can say how it will end?"
"True," answered the doctor; "but why bother about the end, since the beginning is so favorable? Let us trust in Providence, my friends; let us act our part well, and since the end depends on the Author of all things, let us have confidence in him; he will know what to do with us."
"Let us sleep on it," answered Johnson; "it is late, and since bedtime has come, let us turn in."
"You are in a great hurry, my old friend," said the doctor.
"Naturally enough, Doctor, I am so comfortable in bed! And then my dreams are pleasant. I dream of warm countries; or that, to tell the truth, half of my life is spent at the equator and half at the Pole!"
"The deuce," said Altamont, "you have a happy temperament."
"True," answered the boatswain.
"Well, it would be cruel to detain Johnson any longer. His tropical sun is waiting for him. Let us go to bed."
In the night of April 26-27, the weather changed; the thermometer fell many degrees, and the inhabitants of Doctor's House perceived it from the cold which made its way beneath their coverings; Altamont, who was watching the stove, took care not to let the fire get low, and he was kept busy putting on enough coal to keep the temperature at 50°. This cold weather announced the end of the storm, and the doctor was glad of it, for now they could resume their usual occupations, their hunting, excursions, and explorations; this would put an end to the apathy of their loneliness, which in time sours even the finest characters.
The next morning the doctor rose early, and made his way over the drifts to the lighthouse. The wind was from the north; the air was clear, the snow was hard under his feet. Soon his five companions had left Doctor's House; their first care was to dig away the drifted snow, which now disguised the plateau; it would have been impossible to discover any traces of life upon it, for the tempest had buried all inequalities beneath fifteen feet of snow.
After the snow was cleared away from the house, it was necessary to restore its architectural outline. This was very easy, and after the ice was removed a few blows with the snow-knife gave it its normal thickness. After two hours' work the granite appeared, and access to the stores and the powder-house was free. But since, in these uncertain climates, such things can happen every day, a new supply of food was carried to the kitchen. They were all wearied of salt food and yearned for fresh meat, and so the hunters were charged with changing the bill of fare, and they prepared to set out.
Still the end of April did not bring with it the polar spring, which was yet six weeks off; the sun's rays were still too feeble to melt the snow or to nourish the few plants of these regions. They feared lest animals should be scarce, both birds and quadrupeds. But a hare, a few ptarmigans, even a young fox, would have been welcome to the table of Doctor's House, and the hunters resolved to shoot whatever should come within range.
The doctor, Altamont, and Bell determined to explore the country. Altamont, they felt sure from his habits, was a bold and skilful hunter, and, with all his bragging, a capital shot. So he went with the hunters, as did Duke, who was equally skilful and less prone to boasting.
The three companions ascended the east cone and set out towards the large white plains; but they had gone no farther than two or three miles before they saw numerous tracks; from that point, they ran down to the shore of Victoria Bay, and appeared to surround Fort Providence with a series of concentric circles.
After they had followed these footprints for a short time, the doctor said,—
"Well, that is clear enough."
"Too clear," said Bell; "they are bear tracks."
"Good game," continued Altamont, "and there is only one fault in it to-day."
"What's that?" asked the doctor.
"The abundance," answered the American.
"What do you mean?" asked Bell.
"I mean that there are distinct tracks of five bears; and five bears are a good many for five men."
"Are you sure of what you say?" asked the doctor.
"Judge for yourself; this mark is different from any other; the claws on this one are farther apart than those. Here is the print of a smaller bear. If you compare them together, you'll find traces of five animals."
"You are right," said Bell, after a careful examination.
"Then," said the doctor, "there is no need of useless bravado, but rather of caution; these animals are famished at the end of a severe winter, and they may be very dangerous; and since there is no doubt of their number—"
"Nor of their intentions," interrupted the American.
"Do you suppose," he asked, "that they have discovered our presence here?"
"Without a doubt, unless we've fallen on a whole band of bears; but in that case, why do their prints go about in a circle, instead of running out of sight? See, they came from the southwest and stopped here, and began to explore the country."
"You are right," said the doctor, "and it's certain they came last night."
"And the other nights too," answered Altamont; "only the snow has covered their tracks."
"No," said the doctor; "it's more likely that they waited for the end of the storm; they went to the bay to catch some seals, and then they scented us."
"True," said Altamont; "so it is easy to know whether they will return to-night."
"How so?" asked Bell.
"By rubbing out some of their tracks; and if we find new ones to-morrow, we can be sure that they are trying to get into Fort Providence."
"Well," said the doctor, "we shall at least know what to expect."
The three then set to work, and soon effaced all the tracks over a space of about six hundred feet.
"It's strange, however," said Bell, "that they could scent us at so great a distance; we didn't burn anything greasy which could attract them."
"O," answered the doctor, "they have very fine sight, and delicate sense of smell! Besides, they are very intelligent, perhaps the most intelligent of animals, and they have found out something strange here."
"Perhaps," continued Bell, "during the storm, they came up as far as the plateau."
"Then," said the American, "why should they have stopped there?"
"True, there is no answer to that," answered the doctor; "and we ought to believe that they are shortening the circle about Fort Providence."
"We shall see," answered Altamont.
"Now, let us go on," said the doctor; "but we'll keep our eyes open."
They kept careful watch, through fear lest some bear should be hidden behind the masses of ice; often they took the blocks for animals, from their shape and whiteness, but soon they discovered their mistake.
They returned at last to the shore beneath the cone, and from there their eyes swept in vain from Cape Washington to Johnson Island. They saw nothing; everything was white and motionless; not a sound was to be heard. They entered the snow-house.
Hatteras and Johnson were informed of the condition of affairs, and they resolved to keep a strict watch. Night came; nothing occurred to alarm them, or to mar its beauty. At dawn the next morning, Hatteras and his companions, fully armed, went out to examine the condition of the snow; they found the same tracks as on the previous day, only nearer. Evidently the enemy was preparing to lay siege to Fort Providence.
"They have opened their second parallel," said the doctor.
"They have made a point in advance," answered Altamont; "see those footprints coming nearer the plateau; they are those of some strong animal."
"Yes, they are gaining ground gradually," said Johnson; "it is evident that they are going to attack us."
"There's no doubt of that," said the doctor; "let us avoid showing ourselves. We are not strong enough to fight successfully."
"But where do these devilish bears come from?" asked Bell.
"From behind those pieces of ice to the east, where they are spying us; don't let us get too near them."
"And our hunt?" asked Altamont.
"Let us put it off for a few days," answered the doctor; "let us again rub out these nearest marks, and to-morrow we shall see if they are renewed. In this way we can see the manoeuvres of our enemies."
The doctor's advice was taken, and they returned to the fort; the presence of these terrible beasts forbade any excursion. Strict watch was kept over the neighborhood of Victoria Bay. The lighthouse was dismantled; it was of no real use, and might attract the attention of the animals; the lantern and the electric threads were carried to the house; then they took turns in watching the upper plateau.
Again they had to endure the monotony of loneliness, but what else was to be done? They dared not risk a contest at so fearful odds; no one's life could be risked imprudently. Perhaps the bears, if they caught sight of nothing, might be thrown off the track; or, if they were met singly, they might be attacked successfully. However, this inaction was relieved by a new interest; they had to keep watch, and no one regretted it.
April 28th passed by without any sign of the existence of the enemy. The next morning their curiosity as to the existence of new tracks was succeeded by astonishment. Not a trace was to be seen; the snow was intact.
"Good," shouted Altamont, "the bears are thrown off the track! They have no perseverance! They are tired of waiting, and have gone! Good by, and now off to the hunt!"
"Eh!" answered the doctor, "who can say? For greater safety, my friends, I beg one more day of watching; it is certain the enemy did not approach last night, at least from this side—"
"Let us make a circuit of the plateau," said Altamont, "and then we shall make sure."
"Willingly," said the doctor.
But with all their care in exploration, not the slightest trace could be found.
"Well, shall we start on our hunt?" asked Altamont, impatiently.
"Let us wait till to-morrow," urged the doctor.
"All right," answered Altamont, who had some reluctance, however, about conceding.
They returned to the fort. Each one had to watch for an hour, as on the previous evening. When Altamont's turn came, he went to relieve Bell. As soon as he was gone, Hatteras called his companions together. The doctor left his notes, and Johnson his furnaces. It might have been supposed that Hatteras was going to discuss the dangers of the situation; he did not even think of them.
"My friends," he said, "let us take advantage of the absence of this American, to talk over our affairs; some things don't concern him at all, and I don't care to have him meddling with them."
The others looked at one another, uncertain of his meaning.
"I want to speak with you," he said, "about our future plans."
"Well," answered the doctor, "let us talk now we are alone."
"In a month, or six weeks at the latest," Hatteras began, "we shall be able to make distant excursions. Had you thought of what might be done in the summer?"
"Had you, Captain?" asked Johnson.
"I? I can say that not an hour passes without my mind's recurring to my plan. I suppose no one of you has any thought of returning—"
There was no immediate answer to this insinuation.
"As for me," continued Hatteras, "if I have to go alone, I shall go to the North Pole; we are only three hundred and sixty miles from it at the outside. No men have ever been so near it, and I shall not let such a chance go by without the attempt, even if it be impossible. What are your views in the matter?"
"Your own," answered the doctor.
"And yours, Johnson?"
"The same as the doctor's," answered the boatswain.
"It is your turn to speak, Bell," said Hatteras.
"Captain," answered the carpenter, "it is true we have no family awaiting us in England, but our country is our country: don't you think of going back?"
"We shall go back easily as soon as we shall have discovered the Pole. In fact, more easily. The difficulties will not increase, for, on our way thither, we leave behind us the coldest spots on the globe. We have supplies of all sorts for a long time. There is nothing to hinder us, and we should be to blame if we did not push on to the end."
"Well," answered Bell, "we are all of your opinion, Captain."
"Good!" replied Hatteras. "I have never doubted of you. We shall succeed, my friends, and England shall have all the glory of our success."
"But there is an American with us," said Johnson.
Hatteras could not restrain a wrathful gesture at this remark.
"I know it," he said in a deep voice.
"We can't leave him here," continued the doctor.
"No, we cannot," answered Hatteras, coldly.
"And he will certainly come."
"Yes, he will come, but who will command?"
"You, Captain."
"And if you obey me, will this Yankee refuse to obey?"
"I don't think so," answered Johnson; "but if he is unwilling to obey your orders—"
"It would have to be settled between him and me."
The three Englishmen looked at Hatteras without a word. The doctor broke the silence.
"How shall we travel?" he asked.
"By keeping along the coast as much as possible," answered Hatteras.
"But if we find the sea open, as is likely?"
"Well, we shall cross it."
"How? We have no boat."
Hatteras did not answer; he was evidently embarrassed.
"Perhaps," suggested Bell, "we might build a launch out of the timbers of thePorpoise."
"Never!" shouted Hatteras, warmly.
"Never?" exclaimed Johnson.
The doctor shook his head; he understood the captain's unwillingness.
"Never!" the latter answered. "A launch made out of the wood of an American ship would be an American launch—"
"But, Captain—" interposed Johnson.
The doctor made a sign to the old boatswain to keep silent. A more suitable time was required for that question. The doctor, although he understood Hatteras's repugnance, did not sympathize with it, and he determined to make his friend abandon this hasty decision. Hence he spoke of something else, of the possibility of going along the coast to the north, and that unknown point, the North Pole. In a word, he avoided all dangerous subjects of conversation up to the moment when it was suddenly ended by the entrance of Altamont. He had nothing new to report. The day ended in this way, and the night was quiet. The bears had evidently disappeared.
The next day they determined to arrange the hunt, in which Hatteras, Altamont, and the carpenter were to take part; no more tracks were to be seen; the bears had decidedly given up their plan of attack, either from fear of their unknown enemies, or because there had been no sign of living beings beneath the mass of snow. During the absence of the three hunters, the doctor was to push on to Johnson Island to examine the condition of the ice, and to make some hydrographic investigations. The cold was sharp, but they supported it well, having become accustomed to it by this time. The boatswain was to remain at Doctor's House; in a word, to guard the house.
The three hunters made their preparations; each one took a double-barrelled rifled gun, with conical balls; they carried a small quantity of pemmican, in case night should fall before their return; they also were provided with the snow-knife, which is so indispensable in these regions, and a hatchet which they wore in their belts. Thus armed and equipped they could go far; and since they were both skilled and bold, they could count on bringing back a good supply.
At eight in the morning they set out. Duke sprang about ahead of them; they ascended the hill to the east, went about the lighthouse, and disappeared in the plains to the south, which were bounded by Mount Bell. The doctor, having agreed on a danger-signal with Johnson, descended towards the shore so as to reach the ice in Victoria Bay.
The boatswain remained at Fort Providence alone, but not idle. He first set free the Greenland dogs, which were playing about the Dog Palace; they in their joy rolled about in the snow. Johnson then gave his attentions to the cares of housekeeping. He had to renew the fuel and provisions, to set the stores in order, to mend many broken utensils, to patch the coverings, to work over the shoes for the long excursions of the summer. There was no lack of things to do, but the boatswain worked with the ease of a sailor, who has generally a smattering of all trades. While thus employed he began to think of the talk of the evening before; he thought of the captain, and especially of his obstinacy, which, after all, had something very heroic and very honorable about it, in his unwillingness that any American man or boat should reach the Pole before him, or even with him.
"Still, it seems to me," he said to himself, "no easy task to cross the ocean without a boat; and if we have the open sea before us, we should need one. The strongest Englishman in the world couldn't swim three hundred miles. Patriotism has its limits. Well, we shall see. We have still time before us; Dr. Clawbonny has not yet said his last word in the matter; he is wise, and he may persuade the captain to change his mind. I'll bet that in going towards the island he'll glance at the fragments of thePorpoise, and will know exactly what can be made out of them."
Johnson had reached this point in his reflections, and the hunters had been gone an hour, when a loud report was heard two or three miles to windward.
"Good!" said the sailor; "they have come across something, and without going very far, for I heard them distinctly. After all, the air is so clear."
A second and then a third report was heard.
"Hulloa!" continued Johnson, "they've got into a good place."
Three other reports, in quicker succession, were heard.
"Six shots!" said Johnson; "now they've fired off everything. It was a hot time! Is it possible—"
At the thought, Johnson grew pale; he quickly left the snow-house, and in a few moments he had run up to the top of the cone. He saw a sight that made him tremble.
"The bears!" he shouted.
The three hunters, followed by Duke, were running rapidly, followed by five enormous animals; their six bullets had not disabled them; the bears were gaining on them; Hatteras, behind the others, could only keep his distance from the animals by throwing away his cap, hatchet, and even his gun. The bears stopped, according to their habit, to sniff at the different objects, and lost a little on this ground on which they would have outstripped the swiftest horse. It was thus that Hatteras, Altamont, and Bell, all out of breath, came up to Johnson, and they all slid down the slope to the snow-house. The five bears were close behind, and the captain was obliged to ward off the blow of a paw with his knife. In a moment Hatteras and his companions were locked in the house. The animals stopped on the upper plateau of the truncated cone.
"Well," said Hatteras, "we can now defend ourselves better, five to five!"
"Four to five!" shouted Johnson in a terrified voice.
"What?" asked Hatteras.
"The doctor!" answered Johnson, pointing to the empty room.
"Well?"
"He is on the shore of the island!"
"Poor man!" cried Bell.
"We can't abandon him in this way," said Altamont.
"Let us run!" said Hatteras.
He opened the door quickly, but he had hardly time to shut it; a bear nearly crushed his skull with his claw.
"They are there," he cried.
"All?" asked Bell.
"All!" answered Hatteras.
Altamont hastened to the windows, heaping up the bays with pieces of ice torn from the walls of the house. His companions did the same without speaking. Duke's dull snarls alone broke the silence.
But it must be said these men had only a single thought; they forgot their own danger, and only considered the doctor. Poor Clawbonny! so kind, so devoted! the soul of the little colony! for the first time he was missing; extreme peril, a terrible death, awaited him; for when his excursion was over he would return quietly to Fort Providence, and would find these ferocious animals. And there was no way of warning him.
"If I'm not mistaken, he will be on his guard; your shots must have warned him, and he must know something has happened."
"But if he were far off," answered Altamont, "and did not understand? There are eight chances out of ten that he'll come back without suspicion of danger! The bears are hiding behind the scarp of the fort, and he can't see them."
"We shall have to get rid of these dangerous beasts before his return," answered Hatteras.
"But how?" asked Bell.
To answer this question was not easy. A sortie seemed impossible. They took the precaution to barricade the entrance, but the bears could easily have overcome the obstacles if the idea had occurred to them; they knew the number and strength of their adversaries, and they could easily have reached them. The prisoners were posted in each one of the chambers of Doctor's House to watch for every attempt at entrance; when they listened, they heard the bears coming and going, growling, and tearing at the walls with their huge paws. But some action was necessary; time was pressing. Altamont resolved to make a loop-hole to shoot the assailants; in a few minutes he had made a little hole in the ice-wall; he pushed his gun through it; but it had scarcely reached the other side before it was torn from his hands with irresistible force before he could fire.
"The devil!" he cried, "we are too weak."
And he hastened to close the loop-hole. Thus matters went for an hour, without any end appearing probable. The chances of a sortie were discussed; they seemed slight, for the bears could not be fought singly. Nevertheless, Hatteras and his companions, being anxious to finish it, and, it must be said, very much confused at being thus imprisoned by the beasts, were about to try a direct attack, when the captain thought of a new means of defence.
He took the poker and plunged it into the stove; then he made an opening in the wall, but so as to keep a thin coating of ice outside. His companions watched him. When the poker was white hot, Hatteras said,—
"This bar will drive away the bears, for they won't be able to seize it, and through the loop-hole we will be able to fire at them, without their taking our guns away from us."
"A good idea!" cried Bell, going towards Altamont.
Then Hatteras, withdrawing the poker from the stove, pushed it through the wall. The snow, steaming at its touch, hissed sharply. Two bears ran to seize the bar, but they roared fearfully when four shots were fired at once.
"Hit!" shouted the American.
"Hit!" repeated Bell.
"Let us try again," said Hatteras, closing the opening for a moment.
The poker was put again into the fire; in a few minutes it was red hot.
Altamont and Bell returned to their place after loading their guns; Hatteras again pushed the poker through the loop-hole. But this time an impenetrable substance stopped it.
"Curse it!" cried the American.
"What's the matter?" asked Johnson.
"The matter! These cursed animals are heaping up the ice and snow so as to bury us alive!"
"Impossible!"
"See, the poker can't go through! Really, this is absurd!"
It was more than absurd, it was alarming. Matters looked worse. The bears, which are very intelligent beasts, employed this method of suffocating their prey. They heaped the ice in such a way as to render flight impossible.
"This is hard," said Johnson, with a very mortified air. "It's well enough to have men treat you in this way, but bears!"
After this reflection two hours passed by without any material change in their situation; a sortie became impossible; the thickened walls deadened all sound without. Altamont walked to and fro like a bold man in face of a danger greater than his courage. Hatteras thought anxiously of the doctor, and of the great danger awaiting him when he should return.
"Ah," shouted Johnson, "if Dr. Clawbonny were only here!"
"Well, what would he do?" asked Altamont.
"O, he would be able to help us!"
"How?" asked the American, with some asperity.
"If I knew," answered Johnson, "I shouldn't want him here. Still, I can think of a piece of advice he would give us at this moment."
"What is that?"
"To take some food. It can't hurt us. What do you think, Mr. Altamont?"
"Let us eat if you care to," was the answer; "although our condition is stupid, not to say disgraceful."
"I'll bet," said Johnson, "that we'll find some way of driving them off after dinner."
They made no reply, but sat down to dinner. Johnson, as a pupil of the doctor, tried to be a philosopher in the face of danger, but he succeeded ill; his jokes stuck in his throat. Besides, they began to feel uncomfortable; the air was growing bad in this hermetically sealed prison; the stove-pipe drew insufficiently, and it was easy to see that in a short time the fire would go out; the oxygen, consumed by their lungs and the fire, would be replaced by carbonic acid, which would be fatal to them, as they all knew. Hatteras was the first to detect this new danger; he was unwilling to hide it from the others.
"So, at any risk we must get out!" said Altamont.
"Yes," answered Hatteras; "but let us wait till night; we will make a hole in the snow that we may get fresh air; then one shall take his place here and fire at the bears."
"It's the only thing we can do," said the American.
Having agreed on this, they waited for the time of action; and during the following hours, Altamont did not spare imprecations against a state of things in which, as he put it, "there being men and bears concerned, the men were getting the worst of it."
Night came, and the lamp began to burn dimly in the close air of the room. At eight o'clock they made their final preparations. The guns were carefully loaded, and an opening was begun in the roof of the snow-house. Bell worked cleverly at this for a few minutes, when Johnson, who had left the bedroom, where he was on guard, for a few minutes, returned rapidly to his companions. He seemed disturbed.
"What is the matter?" the captain asked.
"The matter? nothing!" answered the old sailor, hesitatingly, "yet—"
"What is it?" asked Altamont.
"Hush! Don't you hear a strange sound?"
"On which side?"
"There! There is something happening to the wall of that room."
Bell stopped his work; each one listened. A distant noise could be heard, apparently in the side wall; some one was evidently making a passage-way through the ice.
"It's a tearing sound!" said Johnson.
"Without a doubt," answered Altamont.
"The bears?" asked Bell.
"Yes, the bears," said Altamont.
"They have changed their plan," continued the sailor; "they've given up trying to suffocate us."
"Or else they think they've done it," added the American, who was getting very angry.
"We shall be attacked," said Bell.
"Well," remarked Hatteras, "we shall fight against them."
"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 space."
"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.
"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 thePorpoise;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, reassured 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 passage-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.
"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.
"It is in the magazine."
"And the magazine?"
"This passage-way leads to it. I had my own reason for digging this passage sixty feet long; I might have attacked the parapet nearer to the house, but I had my own idea."
"Well, where are you going to put the mine?" asked the American.
"On the slope, as far as possible from the house, the magazine, and the stores."
"But how shall you get all the bears together?"
"I'll take charge of that," answered the doctor; "but we've talked enough, now to work; we have a hundred feet to dig out to-night; it's tiresome work, but we five can do it in relays. Bell shall begin, and meanwhile we can take some rest."
"Really," said Johnson, "the more I think of it, the more I admire Dr. Clawbonny's plan."
"It's sure," answered the doctor.
"O, from the moment you opened your mouth they are dead bears, and I already feel their fur about my shoulders!"
"To work, then!"
The doctor entered the dark gallery, followed by Bell; where the doctor had gone through, his companions were sure to find no difficulty; two reached the magazine and entered among the barrels, which were all arranged in good order. The doctor gave Bell the necessary instructions; the carpenter began work on the wall towards the slope, and his companion returned to the house.
Bell worked for an hour, and dug a passage about ten feet long, through which one might crawl. Then Altamont took his place, and did about as much; the snow which was taken from the gallery was carried into the kitchen, where the doctor melted it at the fire, that it might take up less room. The captain followed the American; then came Johnson. In ten hours, that is to say, at about eight o'clock in the morning, the gallery was finished. At daybreak the doctor peeped at the bears through a loop-hole in the wall of the powder-magazine.
The patient animals had not left their place; there they were, coming and going, growling, but in general patrolling patiently; they kept going around the house, which was gradually disappearing beneath the snow. But at length they seemed to lose patience, for the doctor saw them begin to tear away the ice and snow they had heaped up.
"Good!" he said to the captain, who was standing near him.
"What are they doing?" he asked.
"They seem to be trying to destroy what they have done and to get to us! But they'll be destroyed first! At any rate, there is no time to lose."
The doctor made his way to the place where the mine was to be laid; then he enlarged the chamber all the height and breadth of the slope; a layer of ice, only a foot thick at the outside, remained; it had to be supported lest it should fall in. A stake resting on the granite soil served as a post; the fox's body was fastened to the top, and a long knotted cord ran the whole length of the gallery to the magazine. The doctor's companions followed his orders without clearly understanding his intention.
"This is the bait," he said, pointing to the fox.
At the foot of the post he placed a cask holding about a hundred pounds of powder.
"And here is the charge," he added.
"But," asked Hatteras, "sha'n't we blow ourselves up at the same time?"
"No, we are far enough off from the explosion; besides, our house is solid; and if it is hurt a little we can easily repair it."
"Well," continued Altamont; "but how are you going to set it off?"
"This way. By pulling this cord we pull over the post which holds up the ice above the powder; the fox's body will suddenly be seen on the slope, and you must confess that the starving animals will rush upon this unexpected prey."
"Certainly."
"Well, at that moment I shall explode the mine, and blow up guest and dinner."
"Well, well!" exclaimed Johnson, who was listening eagerly.
Hatteras had perfect confidence in his friend, and asked no question. He waited. But Altamont wanted it made perfectly clear.
"Doctor," he began, "how can you calculate the length of the fuse so exactly that the explosion will take place at the right moment?"
"It's very simple," answered the doctor; "I don't make any calculation."
"But you have a fuse a hundred feet long?"
"No."
"Shall you set a train of powder simply?"
"No! that might fail."
"Will some one have to volunteer and light the powder?"
"If you want any one," said Johnson, eagerly, "I'm your man."
"It's not necessary, my friend," answered the doctor, grasping the boatswain's hand; "our five lives are precious, and they will be spared, thank God!"
"Then," said the American, "I can't guess."
"Well," answered the doctor, smiling, "if we couldn't get out of this little affair, what would be the use of physics?"
"Ah!" said Johnson, brightening up, "physics!"
"Yes! Haven't we here an electric pile and wires long enough,—those, you know, which connected with the lighthouse?"
"Well?"
"Well, we shall explode the powder when we please, instantly, and without danger."
"Hurrah!" shouted Johnson.
"Hurrah!" repeated his companions, not caring whether the enemy heard them or not. Soon the electric wires were run through the gallery from the house to the chamber of the mine. One of the extremities remained at the pile, the other was plunged into the centre of the cask, the two ends being placed at but a little distance from one another. At nine of the morning all was finished, and it was time; the bears were tearing the snow away furiously. The doctor thought the proper time had come. Johnson was sent to the magazine and charged with pulling the cord fastened to the post. He took his place.
"Now," said the doctor to his companions, "load your guns in case they should not be all killed at once, and take your place near Johnson; as soon as you hear the explosion, run out."
"All right!" said the American.
"And now we have done all that men can do! We have helped ourselves; may God help us!"
Hatteras, Altamont, and Bell went to the magazine. The doctor remained alone at the pile. Soon he heard Johnson's voice crying,—
"Ready?"
"All right!" he answered.
Johnson gave a strong pull at the rope; it pulled over the stake; then he ran to the loop-hole and looked out. The surface of the slope had sunk in. The fox's body was visible upon the shattered ice. The bears, at first surprised, crowded about this new prey.
"Fire!" shouted Johnson.
The doctor at once established the electric current between the threads; a loud explosion followed; the house shook as if in an earthquake; the walls fell in. Hatteras, Altamont, and Bell hastened out of the magazine, ready to fire. But their guns were not needed; four of the five bears fell about them in fragments, while the fifth, badly burned, ran away as fast as he could.