Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven Along the Coast

After a six-week journey, the team had just reached the wide, trumpet-shaped estuary, which presented a trapezoidal gap clearly delineating the American continent.On the western corner is the wide mouth of the Copperman River.On the eastern corner, on the contrary, is a long and narrow waterway called the Bathurst Inlet.On this side of the river, the festoons seem to be randomly covered, and the bays are carved out, and the sharp and steep headlands stand among the intricate straits, ravines and waterways, which make the scenery of the Arctic continent extremely strange.On the other side of the river bank, to the left of the estuary, from the mouth of the Copperman, the coast gradually rises to the north and ends at Cape Krusenstern.

This trumpet-shaped estuary is called Courormount Bay, and the water is dotted with islands, which is the Duke of York Islands. After discussing with Sergeant Long, Jasper Hobson decided to let his companions rest here for the day. The reconnaissance was about to actually begin, and this reconnaissance should lead Lieutenant Hobson to find a suitable place for a trading post.The company had asked its employees to go as far as possible to the Arctic Ocean north of the 70th parallel.However, in order to complete the mission, the lieutenant could only look for a place in the west that has the same latitude and belongs to the American continent.Indeed, with the possible exception of Portia, those scattered places to the east lie in the Arctic zone, exactly on the 70th line, but their geological formation is very unclear.

After measuring the latitude and longitude and marking the position on the map, Jasper Hobson saw that his current position was more than a hundred miles away from the 70th parallel.But after Cape Crusensh's Knee, the coast along the northeast line crosses the 70th parallel at an abrupt angle, about the 130th meridian, at Cape Bathurst, the agreed meeting point of Captain Claventi. same latitude.Therefore, this is the place he should go to, and if that place can provide a source of goods for the business station, the business station should also be built there. "There, Sergeant Long," said the lieutenant, pointing out the Arctic map to the sergeant, "the place we are going to meets the company's requirements. In this place, the sea is navigable most of the year. So that ships in the Bering Strait can only reach the fort, bring in supplies, and take away goods."

"Besides," Sergeant Long added, "since our men are settling north of the 70th parallel, everyone is entitled to double wages!" "Of course," replied the lieutenant, "I'm sure everyone will accept that without complaint." "Then, Lieutenant, let us set off for Bathurst Point," said the sergeant curtly. But I have already said to rest for a day, so let's start again on the next day, June 6th. The second stage of the journey should be, and is, very different from the first.The order of travel of the sleds that has been maintained until now cannot be maintained.Each set of cars does its own thing.I don't drive much every day, and I have to stop at every corner of the coast, and I often have to walk.Lieutenant Hobson's only warning to his companions was to keep no more than three miles from the coast, and that the detachment assembled twice a day, at noon and at night.Set up a tent to rest when it gets dark.The weather at the moment has been sunny and relatively warm, with an average of 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius).Two or three blizzards blew up, but neither lasted long, nor did the temperature change appreciably.

From June 6th to 20th, a stretch of more than two hundred and fifty miles of the American coastline between Cape Krusenstern and Cape Parry was surveyed with great care.The survey of the geography of the area was carried out so flawlessly that Jasper Hobson - fortunately aided in this work by the astronomer Thomas Blake - even corrected several errors in the hydrographic maps, Moreover, it also specifically inspected the surrounding areas that are directly related to the Hudson's Bay Company. In fact, is there a lot of prey in these areas?Is it certain that there are as many wild game as fur animals?Can the fur resources in this place supply a trade station, at least satisfy Xia Tian's purchase?These were serious questions that Lieutenant Hobson raised and worried him.Here's what he observed.

The game itself - which Corporal Jolliffe was clearly partial to - was not plentiful in this area.There may be many species of ducks among birds, but the prey of rodents consists only of the hard-to-hunt arctic hare.In contrast, bears are not uncommon in this part of the American continent.Sabine and Mike Knapp often find footprints left by these carnivores.A few even made an appearance, but they always kept a decent distance to watch.In any case, it is certain that during the severe cold season these hungry animals come out from the high latitudes and frequent the coasts of the Arctic Ocean.

"However," said Corporal Jolliff, who was always preoccupied with the food supply, "the bear meat in the storage room is a game meat that cannot be ignored, and it is indeed good. But what has not been in the storage room is completely unreliable. Whatever How to put it, it depends on the fate you hunters leave for the bears!" This makes sense.The stock of bear meat in the fort storeroom is not guaranteed.Happily, the region is visited by large herds of animals, which are more useful than bears, and whose meat is so delicious that, among some tribes, it was the chief diet of the Eskimos and Indians.The animal was a reindeer, and Corporal Jollife noted with evident satisfaction that this ruminant was abundant along this coast.Indeed, in order to attract them, nature has done her best, and on the ground grows a plant which the reindeer are extremely fond of, and which they deftly find under the snow when it snows, and which is their only food in winter .

Jasper Hobson was as satisfied as the corporal, who saw in many places the tracks left by this ruminant, easily recognizable because the deer's hooves were not flat like their inner faces, but were convex— - Similar to a camel's hoof.One has even seen sizable herds of deer roaming in certain parts of the Americas, often in thousands.Live wild deer can be domesticated, and they are very useful for merchants. They either provide deer milk that is more nutritious than milk for merchants, or they are used to pull sleds.Dead wild deer are also useful, for the hide is thick and specially used for clothing; deer hair is spun into fine wool, and venison is delicious, and no animal is more valuable in such latitudes than wild deer.Therefore, the presence of wild deer should have greatly encouraged Jasper Hobson's plans to build a station on the site.

There are also reasons to be satisfied with the number of fur animals.Beaver and muskrat huts were built along the creek.Badgers, lynxes, ferrets, wolverines, sables, and minks often visit this sea area. There are no hunters here, so it is relatively quiet.There is no sign that humans have ever visited here, and the animals know it is a safe haven.People have also noticed the footprints of the gorgeous blue and silver foxes, which are becoming less and less. It can be said that 1 catty of fox fur is worth 1 catty of gold.Sabine and Mike Knapp had had many opportunities to shoot the prized beast during their expedition, but the wise lieutenant had long since banned the hunting of the animal.He didn't want to frighten the animals until hunting season came, that is to say, before winter, when the animals were furry and beautiful.In addition, the weight of the sled should not be added to the stroke.Sabine and Mike Knapp knew the truth, but their hands still itch when they saw a sable or a prized fox within gun range.However, Jasper Hobson's orders are clear, and the Lieutenant will not allow people to disobey them.

Therefore, during this second leg of the journey, the hunters only targeted a few polar bears that sometimes appeared on both sides of the small group.But these arriving predators were not hungry, so they fled quickly, and their presence did not cause serious pursuit.However, if the arrival of the squad did not do much damage to the quadrupeds of the region, the fate of the birds was different, and they suffered for all animals.They killed bald eagles, which are large, shrill birds, and fish falcons, which usually nest in dead tree trunks and fly to the arctic regions in summer; and the pure white snow geese. Branta, the tastiest of all geese, black-breasted red-headed ducks, ugly gray-and-white crows, eiders, muscovy, and many other birds, whose loud calls make the seaside cliffs of the Arctic There was an echo, deafening.This coastal region is home to millions of bird species, far exceeding estimates for the Arctic Ocean area.

Hunters, understandably forbidden to kill quadrupeds, shot birds with gusto.In the first half month, hundreds of birds were shot, most of which were edible, and corned beef and biscuits were very popular. Therefore, there is no shortage of animals in this area.Companies can easily fill their warehouses, and Bastion personnel won't leave their pantry empty.But these two conditions are not enough to guarantee the future of the business station.Indeed, settlement at such high latitudes would not be possible without copious amounts of fuel to counteract the extreme cold of the Arctic. Fortunately, the area is lush with woods.The hills along the coast are layer upon layer, with verdant green trees, the most important of which are pine trees.This is a dense area of ​​tallow trees, some of which can be called forests.Sometimes Jasper Hobson saw clumps of willows, aspens, dwarf birches, and many bushes of wild strawberries.At this stage of the warm season, all the trees are extraordinarily green, surprising eyes accustomed to the desolate and bare polar landscape.The land at the foot of the hill is covered with a layer of grass, which the reindeer eat greedily. In winter, this grass is still their food.The lieutenant was extremely grateful to see that a new operating area had been found in the northwestern part of the American continent. If there is no lack of animals in this place, on the contrary, there are no people.Neither the Eskimos, who were happy to move around Hudson Bay, nor the Indians, who usually did not venture beyond the Arctic Circle.Indeed, in such a remote place a hunter might be caught by successive bad weathers, or struck by a winter's snap and cut off from all communication.It is reasonable to suppose that Lieutenant Hobson would not have complained in the slightest about the lack of human beings.I am afraid that what he can see must be competitors.It was a no-man's land he was looking for, a desert where furry beasts would come to live, and Jasper Hobson had wise words to Mrs Pauline Barnett about it. The success of the company is extremely concerned.The traveler did not forget that she was a guest of the Hudson's Bay Company, and naturally she wished the lieutenant's plans success. Consider Jasper Hobson's dismay when, on the morning of June 20, he discovered a campsite that had recently been abandoned. The bivouac was set in the depths of a long narrow bay called Dallie Bay, of which Parry Point formed the most prominent point to the west.At the foot of a small hill, one could see small wooden posts that had been used as blockades, and piles of cold ashes under cool stoves. The whole team gathered at the edge of the camp.It was understood that this discovery might displease Lieutenant Hobson. "It's a bad situation," he did say, "and I'd rather have a litter of polar bears, no doubt!" "However, the campers here, whoever they are," replied Mrs. Pauline Barnett, "perhaps have gone away, and I fear they have returned to their usual hunting grounds in the South." "Not necessarily, ma'am," replied the Lieutenant. "If the footprints we see here were of the Eskimos, they would probably have continued north. On the contrary, if they were of the Indians, they might, like us, be surveying new lands." Hunting ground, I repeat, this is indeed a disadvantageous situation for us." "But," asked Mrs. Polina Barnett, "can you tell what race these people belonged to? Can you tell whether they are Eskimos of the North or Indians of the South? I think the customs of these tribes So different from Origin, camping won't be the same way." Mrs. Pauline Barnett was right in saying that a full survey of the camp would make it possible to settle this important question. Jasper Hobson made the expedition with several companions.Carefully study traces on the road, a forgotten object, or even a footprint.But neither the earth nor the cold ash left enough traces.Animal bones littered here and there said nothing.The disappointed lieutenant was about to give up his useless observations when he heard Madame Jolliff calling to him a hundred paces to his left. Immediately Jasper Hobson, Mrs. Paulina Barnett, the sergeant, the corporal, and several others approached the young Canadian woman, who was scrutinizing the grounds without moving. When they reached her, Mrs Jolliff said to Hobson, "You're looking for footprints, aren't you? Well, here they are!" Madame Jolliff pointed out that there were quite a few footprints preserved very clearly in the clay. This may be a special print, because the feet of the Indians are completely different from the feet of the Eskimos, and the shoes they wear are completely different. First, Jasper Hobson marveled at the strange arrangement of the footprints.It is indeed made by human feet, even wearing shoes, but strangely, the footprints seem to be made by the soles of the feet.Missing heels.Also, the footprints were oddly numerous, close together, intersecting, but all in a very small circle anyway. Jasper Hobson called his companions to observe this property. "It's not a walker's footsteps," he said. "It's not the footprint of a person jumping either, because the heel is missing," adds Paulina Barnett. "No," replied Madame Jolliff, "a one-man dance!" Madame Jolliffe was certainly right.A careful examination of these footprints reveals that there is no doubt that they are the footprints of a man dancing--not a heavy, rigid, exhausting dance, but rather a light, cheerful, and joyful dance.This observation cannot be disputed.But who could this person be?His character was so jovial that it gave him the idea or the need to dance so briskly over the borders of the American continent, at a few degrees from the Arctic Circle? "This is by no means an Eskimo," said the lieutenant. "Not an Indian either!" exclaimed Corporal Jolliff. "No! It's a Frenchman!" Sergeant Long said quietly. And so it was unanimously agreed that only the French could dance in this part of the world!