Chapter 5 Chapter Five From Reliancesburg to Enterprisesburg

The fine weather in early spring is here.Green had appeared on the hills where the snow hadn't covered them.Birds, swans, grouse, bald eagles, and other migratory birds returned from the south and flew across the warming sky.Young shoots of poplars, birches and willows were thriving.Here and there, large ponds formed by snowmelt attract the rugular duck, which is abundant in North America.Puffins, fulmars, and eiders also fly north in search of colder waters.Small shrews the size of hazelnuts ventured out of their holes and drew all sorts of random patterns on the ground with the tips of their tails.Spring makes the sunshine so refreshing, breathing and smelling the breath of spring is really intoxicating!Nature is waking up from this long, dark hibernation with a reassuring smile.The effect of this rejuvenation is probably more pronounced in the far north than anywhere else on Earth.

However, it hasn't completely thawed yet.It was still 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius).However, the low temperature at night kept the snow-covered plains frozen: this was a favorable condition for sledding, and Jasper Hobson wanted to take advantage of this freezing season before all the snow melted. The ice of the lake has not yet broken completely.The hunters in the fort had been hunting for a month now, with lucky travels, across the vast plains, where game was plentiful.Lady Polina Barnet marveled at the deft use of these men's ski boots.Putting on these "snowshoes", their speed is comparable to that of galloping horses.According to Captain Claventi's advice, the female traveler also tried to put on the snowshoes to practice walking, and soon, she glides extremely dexterously on the snow.

For several days the Indians came to the fort in groups, exchanging their winter trophies for handicrafts.This winter is not a good season.The furs are not abundant enough; sable and mink are abundant, but beaver, otter, lynx, ermine, and fox are scarce.So it is indeed wise for the company to develop new areas of the north that have not yet been ravaged by human greed. On the morning of April 16, Lieutenant Jasper Hobson and his squad were ready for departure.Routes were pre-mapped from Lake Esclough to Big Bear Lake, located beyond the Arctic Circle.Jasper Hobson was supposed to reach Fort Confield, built on the north end of the lake.The detachment's designated ration station was Fort Enterprise, which was built on Snoor Lake, 200 miles to the northwest.At a rate of 15 miles a day, Jasper Hobson intends to arrive there to rest in early May.

From here the detachment was to take the shortest distance to the coast of America and then advance towards Cape Bathurst.A year after it had been agreed that Captain Claventi would send a supply convoy to Bathurst Point, and the Lieutenant sent several men to meet the convoy and lead them to the place where the new fort was to be erected.In this way the future of the foreign house was secured against all kinds of misfortune, and the voluntary exiles, the lieutenant and his companions, were kept in touch with their fellows. On the morning of April 16, when the sledges were waiting for the travelers at the side door, Captain Claventi assembled the detachment and addressed them with some warm words.He charged them that the most important thing was to always be united in the perils they faced.Obedience to leadership is a necessary condition for success in this selfless and loyal enterprise.A hurrah of cheers indicated the captain's speech.After a farewell, everyone got into the sleigh assigned in advance.Jasper Hobson and Sergeant Long lead the way.Paulina Barnett and March followed closely behind.March deftly wields an Eskimo whip with a stiffened strap at the end.Thomas Blake and another soldier, the Canadian Peterson, formed the third platoon of the convoy, followed by other sledges driven by soldiers and their wives.Corporal Jolliff and his wife are dead.As per Jasper Hobson's orders, every motorist was to keep his position as far as possible and keep a distance so as not to cause confusion.Indeed, the collision of these full-throttle sleds could cause a nasty accident.

Leaving Reliancesburg, Jasper Hobson took the road heading northwest.He should first pass a broad river that joins the Eskrough and Wormsley lakes.But the still-frozen river was indistinguishable from the white plain.A blanket of snow covered the whole area, and the sleds were galloping over the hard snow, drawn by the driving dogs. The weather is nice but cold.The sun had just crossed the horizon and was slowly rising, drawing a long curve across the sky.The sunlight was reflected by the snow, very bright but not warm enough.Fortunately, there was no wind and the still air made the cold bearable.However, the cold wind brought by the fast-moving sleds made the faces of Lieutenant Hobson's companions more or less cold, and they were not used to the severe cold of the Arctic climate.

"It's all going well," he said to the sergeant who stood motionless beside him as if holding a pistol. "The journey started off well. The sky is fine, the temperature is nice, the sled is like an express train, and as long as the weather doesn't stop, our journey will be smooth." It will go very well. What do you think, Sergeant Long?" "Exactly your opinion, Lieutenant Hobson," replied the sergeant, who would not have thought otherwise than his superior. "And you, like me," continued Jasper Hobson, "decided to get as far north as possible?"

"All you need is your order, my lieutenant, and I obey." "I know, Sergeant," Jasper Hobson replied, "I know you just have to give the order and you'll get it done. May our men understand the importance of our mission as you do, and dedicate themselves to Loyal to the interests of the company! Ah! Sergeant Long, I am sure that if I give you an order that cannot be done..." "There is no impossible order, my lieutenant." "What! If I order you to go to the North Pole!" "I'll go, Lieutenant." "Come back from there! . . . " added Jasper Hobson, smiling.

"I'll be back," Sergeant Long replied briefly. While Lieutenant Hobson was talking to his sergeant, and Paulina Barnett and March were talking, a steep slope slowed the sledge.Wearing otter fur bonnets and thick white bear fur, these two brave women gazed at the rough road and the tall snow-capped mountains silhouetted against the horizon.The squad had crossed the hills topped with weird dead trees on the northern shore of Lake Eskrough.The endless plain unfolds flatly in front of you.The chirping and flying of some birds enlivened the deep silence a little.Among them are swans migrating to the north in groups. The white swans are mixed with the white snow, which can only be seen clearly when the white swans are flying in the light gray sky. They are of the same color, and the keenest eyes cannot recognize them.

"What an astonishing place!" Lady Paulina Barnett used to say, "how different these arctic regions are from our green plains of Australia! Do you remember, my dear March, in the Carpenta We were sweltering on the coast of Leah Bay, do you remember the scorching heat when there was no cloud and no wind!" "My girl," March answered, "I don't have the gift of memory like you. You remember your impressions. I always forget my feelings." "Why, Madge!" cried Lady Polina Barnett, "you have forgotten the equatorial heat of India and Australia? You have no memory in your mind of our suffering, when, in the desert, we lacked water and the sun It made us burn so hot that our bones hurt, and we were not even allowed to catch our breath at night!"

"No, Paulina, no," March replied, wrapping her leather coat tightly, "no, I don't remember at all! How can I remember the pain you speak of, the heat and thirst, and Now I can grab a handful of snow just by sticking my hand out of the sledge? You tell me about the heat, and we're frozen in bearskins now! You recall the scorching sun, And this April sunshine can't even melt the icy edge that hangs on our lips! No, my girl, don't remind me of the heat somewhere, don't repeat to me that I complained that the heat was unbearable, I I won't believe you!"

Paulina Barnett could not help laughing. "So," she added, "are you cold, my good March?" "Of course it's cold, my girl, and I'm cold, but the temperature doesn't make me unhappy. Quite the contrary. This climate should be very wholesome, and I'm sure I'll be in good health at the end of America! What a beautiful place!" " "Yes, Madge, a marvelous place. But until now we have seen none of the wonders it holds! Let us travel to the edge of the Arctic Ocean, and let winter with its great ice, its snowy fur coat , its arctic storm, its northern lights, its dazzling stars, and its six-month-long polar night, come together, and then you will realize that the creation of the Creator is always so new!" Paulina Barnett has a rich imagination and she speaks loud and clear.In this remote area, in this unforgiving climate, all she wanted was to see nature at its most beautiful.Her traveler's instincts trumped her own sanity.From this remote Arctic region, she wanted only the most moving poems described in the immortal legends of the Nordic saga and sung by lyric poets in the ages.But Madge is more realistic. She not only sees the danger of this expedition to the Arctic continent, but also does not ignore the difficulty of wintering in minus 30 degrees. Indeed, in this inclement climate, many able-bodied souls have fallen from fatigue, poverty, and mental and physical torments.Lieutenant Jasper Hobson's mission should not have taken him to the highest latitudes on earth.Presumably they didn't have to reach the North Pole, and they didn't follow in the footsteps of Parry, Ross, Marc Kluer, Kahn, and Mordon.Once beyond the Arctic Circle, however, the test is nearly the same and does not increase with latitude.It never occurred to Jasper Hobson to cross the 70th parallel.also good.But let's not forget that Franklin and his unfortunate companions died before they even crossed the 68th parallel, struck down by cold and hunger! In the Jolives' sleigh they were talking about other things.Perhaps the corporal drank too much at the farewell party, for he contradicted his young wife in an unusual way.Yes, he contradicted her, which really only happened in exceptional circumstances. "No, ma'am," said the corporal, "no! Don't be afraid of anything. Driving a sled is no harder than driving a donkey cart, and if I can't handle a dog sled, let me go to hell!" "I do not deny your dexterity," replied Madame Jollive. "I'm just urging you to slow down a bit. You're at the head of the line now, and I hear Lieutenant Hobson telling you to return to your rear guard." "Let him bark, ma'am, let him bark! . . . " The corporal whipped his harness again, and the sled picked up speed. "Be careful, Joliver," cried his little wife, "don't go so fast! We're going downhill!" "Downhill!" said the corporal. "You call that downhill, ma'am! But, on the contrary, it's uphill!" "I'm telling you again it's downhill!" "I promise you it's uphill! Look how hard the dog is pulling!" Despite the obstinate insistence, the dog didn't pull the cart at all.On the contrary, the slope of the ground is extremely sharp.The sled flew at blinding speed and was now well ahead of the squad.The Jolliffs jumped back and forth in shock.Collisions due to uneven snow are getting worse.The couple sometimes fell to the right, and sometimes flashed to the left. You squeezed and bumped into each other, shaking violently.But the corporal listened to nothing, neither his wife's advice nor Lieutenant Hobson's shouts.Lieutenant Hobson, aware of the dangers of this frenzied gallop, tightened his harness to chase the Daredevil, and the whole convoy followed him swiftly. But the corporal keeps accelerating!The speed of the set car made him intoxicated!He gesticulates, he yells, he yells, he swings his whip like a great athlete. "What an excellent whip!" he exclaimed. "The Eskimo's dexterity with a whip is unmatched!" "But you're not an Eskimo!" exclaimed Madame Jolliffe, trying in vain to seize the imprudent rider's arm! "I mean," said the corporal, "I mean, these Eskimos can draw any dog ​​in the harness to any suitable place. They can even hit a dog's ear with this whip, if If they think it's appropriate, I'll give it a try..." "Don't try, Joliv, don't try!" cried his little wife, terrified. "Don't be afraid, my lady, don't be afraid! I know myself! Just now the fifth dog on our right is doing his old trick again! I'll teach him a lesson! . . . " However, the corporal is probably not "Eskimoized" enough, and he is not good enough to use the whip with a long belt that can go four feet in front of the harness, because the whistling whip flew out, and he didn't grasp it well when he came back. It rolled around Joliv's own neck, and the bonnet flew into the sky.No doubt the corporal would have ripped his ears out without the thick hat. At this moment, the dog ran away, the sled overturned, and both husband and wife fell into the snow.Fortunately, the snow was very thick, and the two couples were not injured.But what an embarrassment the corporal was!How his little wife looked at him!How Lieutenant Hobson reproached him! As the sled was picked up, it was decided that from now on the reeling of the cart would belong to Madame Jolliff just like a housework, and the embarrassed corporal had no choice but to obey.So the small team stopped temporarily and continued to move forward. In the next fortnight, without any accident, the weather was always clear and the temperature was bearable. On May 3, the team arrived at Fort Enterprise.

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