Chapter 12 Chapter 12: Midnight Sun

Sgt. Long's assertion may not have been taken lightly.It is an obvious fact that people danced, but, despite the lightness of the dance, how can one conclude that only the French can dance like this? Lieutenant Jasper Hobson, however, agreed with the sergeant—an opinion that others felt less certain about. ——Everyone is sure that this is a traveling group, and at least one of them is a compatriot of the country who has stayed here recently. It was understood that this discovery would displease the Lieutenant.Jasper Hobson was probably worried that competitors would be ahead of him in developing the northwestern part of British America, although the company's plans were extremely secretive, and word might have been spread in Canada or the commercial centers of the United States.

Therefore, when he went back on the road after a while, the lieutenant looked extremely worried, but it was inconvenient to return after traveling so far. After this sudden incident, Mrs Paulina Barnett asked him a question quite naturally. "However, Mr. Jasper, we will still meet the French on the Arctic continent, will we not?" "Yes, ma'am," answered Jasper Hobson, "if not French, at least Canadians of a similar condition, descendants of the Canadian bosses when Canada was part of France,--indeed , These people are our most fearsome opponents." "I suppose, however," continued the traveler, "that the Hudson's Bay Company has no rivals on the American continent since it annexed the old Northwest Company?"

"Ma'am," answered Jasper Hobson, "if there are no major companies now engaged in the fur trade besides ours, there are some very independent individual companies. Usually, these are American corporations, they employ the French and the descendants of the French very judiciously in their services." "These people, then, are not to be ignored?" asked Lady Paulina Barnett. "Of course, ma'am, of course. During the ninety-four years of French control of Canada, these Frenchmen have often outperformed ours. Fair assessment must be done, even by opponents."

"Especially the opponent!" added Lady Paulina Barnett. "Yes...especially...at that period the French hunters, starting from their chief station at Montreal, were more daring than all others to advance northward. They lived for several years among the Indian tribes. Sometimes they intermarried They were called 'Wild Hunters' or 'Canadian Walkers', and they were brothers to the Indians. These were brave, dexterous, seafaring men, very brave, without sorrow, with the flexibility peculiar to their race, and very loyal , very happy, no matter what the situation is, I can sing and dance.”

"You suppose the caravan, whose tracks we have just identified, came this far for the purpose of hunting fur animals as well?" "There can be no other idea, ma'am," replied Lieutenant Hobson. "Of course, these people are looking for new hunting places. But since there is no way to stop them, we will try to reach our destination as soon as possible, and we will fight valiantly to the end of any competition!" Lieutenant Hobson tolerated possible competition, and besides being unable to stop it, he could only urge the squad to speed up so that they could come as quickly as possible to the north of the 70th parallel.Maybe—at least he hoped so—his opponents wouldn't always follow him there.

In the days that followed, the detachment went south for more than twenty miles to make it easier to bypass Franklin Bay.The whole area is verdant.Quadrupeds and birds have been seen in abundance everywhere, perhaps in the entire Northwest Territory of the American continent. The sea is boundless.Also, the most recent maps do not show any land in the northern part of the American coast.This is an open space, and only a large ice pack can stop the sailors in the Bering Strait from going to the poles. On the 4th of July, the detachment rounded another small, deeply indented bay, Washburn Bay, and reached the edge of a small lake of relatively small size until then little known —nearly two square miles.In fact, it's just a shallow freshwater lagoon, a big pond, not really a lake.

The sleigh proceeded calmly and briskly.The scene here is quite alluring to the builder of a new trading post.It would be possible to place the fort at one end of Bathurst Point, with the lagoon behind and the passage to the Bering Strait in front, that is to say, a sea navigable for four or five months in the warm season, so that the circumstances of the fort Excellent, not only good for transporting goods out, but also good for transporting food in. The next day, July 5th, just before three o'clock in the afternoon, the detachment stopped at the end of Bathurst Point.All that had to be done was to determine the exact position of the North Headland, and mark it on the map beyond the 70-degree line.But one cannot trust the hydrographic maps of these coasts because they are not very accurate.Jasper Hobson decided to stop here for now.

"Who is going to prevent us from settling here?" asked Corporal Jolive. "You agree, lieutenant, it's a charming place!" "Perhaps the more attractive place," replied Lieutenant Hobson, "is that you get double pay, Corporal!" "There is no doubt about it," replied Corporal Jolliff, "but it must be in accordance with the company's instructions." "Waiting patiently until tomorrow," added Jasper Hobson, "if this Bathurst Point is indeed beyond the 70th parallel, as I suspect, then we'll pitch our tent here!"

For Jianshang Station, this place is really good.The banks of the lagoon are lined with wooded hillocks, which provide a large supply of pine, birch, and other wood for building and for heating the new fort.The lieutenant and some of his companions even went as far as the headland, and they saw the west coast winding along a long arc.Several fairly high cliffs obscured the horizon for miles.As for the water in the lagoon, it was found to be fresh water, not as people expected, thinking that the water is salty near the sea, but anyway, the residential area will not lack water, even if the water is not drinkable, it does not matter, because there is a A clear, clean little river, which flows into the Arctic Ocean by a narrow mouth a few hundred paces southeast of Bathurst Point.The estuary is not protected by rocks, but by oddly shaped piles of dirt and sand.This estuary is a natural harbor, and there is no problem in mooring two or three boats to shelter from the sea wind.This estuary is of great benefit to the anchorage of large ships coming from the Bering Strait in the future.To please the lady travellers, Jasper Hobson named the river the "Bolina River," and the little harbor "Barnet Harbour," to the great delight of the travellers.

If the fort were built a little behind the head of Bathurst Point, the principal houses and storehouses should be quite sheltered from the storm.The high headland should protect the fort from the strong snow-rolling winds that can bury entire settlements under a thick layer of snow in a few hours.The area at the foot of the headland and the shore of the lagoon is quite large enough to build various buildings necessary for the operation of the merchant station.It is even possible to put up a palisade wall all around, leaning against the lowest level of the cliff slope, and build a blockhouse on the headland,-this is purely for defense, but if a competitor wants to settle here, it is possible. It works.Jasper Hobson, therefore, saw with satisfaction that the ground here was easily defensible, before he considered how to carry out his plan.

At this time, the sky is clear and the temperature is pleasant.There was not a single cloud in either the sky or the horizon.It's just that the clear skies of temperate and tropical regions are not found in these high latitudes.In summer, a thin mist hangs in the atmosphere almost all the time; but in winter, when the frozen mountains are motionless, when the howling north wind beats the cliffs, and when four months of long night hangs over the continent, Bathurst Point will be what kind?None of Jasper Hobson's companions thought about it, for the weather was wonderful, the land green, warm, and the sea shimmering. All the equipment was brought in the sleds, and a makeshift overnight camp was set up on the lagoon's shore.Until the evening, Lady Paulina Barnett, Lieutenant, Thomas Blake, and Sergeant Long surveyed the vicinity to ascertain the state of the resources.Everything here fits perfectly.Jasper Hobson was eager for early morning to determine its exact location and see if it met the conditions required by the Hudson's Bay Company. "Well, Lieutenant," said the astronomer to him when they had examined it, "this is a fascinating place. I could never believe that such a place could lie within the Arctic Circle." "Ah! Mr. Black, this is the most beautiful place in the world!" replied Jasper Hobson. "I am so impatient to wait, I want to find out the latitude and longitude of this place." "Especially latitudes!" continued the astronomer, examining only his future eclipses. "I fancy your brave companions are as anxious as you, Mr. Hobson. Double pay, if If you set it north of the 70th parallel north." "And yourself, Mr. Blake," asked Mrs. Polina Barnett, "are you not interested—a purely scientific interest—to cross this latitude?" "I'm afraid so, ma'am, yes, I am also interested in crossing this parallel, but not particularly looking forward to it," replied the astronomer. "According to the calculations of absolutely accurate ephemeris, the solar eclipse I want to observe can only be seen from a place a little north of 70 degrees. Therefore, I am as eager as the lieutenant to determine the angle of Bathurst point." Location." "However, I think, Mr. Black," said the traveller, "that the eclipse should occur on the eighteenth of July, if I am not mistaken?" "Yes, ma'am, July 18, 1860." "But now it's only July 5, 1859! Well, this phenomenon will have to wait a year later!" "Yes, ma'am," the astronomer replied. "However, if I start again next year, I run the risk of being late!" "Indeed, Mr. Black," continued Jasper Hobson, "you were right to start a year early. Then you will be sure not to miss your eclipse. For, I must confess, Our journey from Reliancesburg to Bathurst Point was very favorable and uncommonly smooth. We suffered but little fatigue, and therefore lost little time. To tell the truth, I did not expect to be able to Get to the coast by mid-August. If the eclipse was supposed to happen on July 18, 1859, that is, this year, you'll most likely miss it. Besides, we don't even bother to know right now if we're in the 70s on the latitude." "Therefore, dear Lieutenant," replied Thomas Blake, "I have no regrets traveling with you, and I will wait patiently until next year to see my eclipse. The blonde is a lady, I think, and deserves People are waiting for her arrival." The next day, July 6, near noon, Jasper Hobson and Thomas Blake made ready to rigorously determine the exact position of Bathurst Point, that is to say its longitude and latitude .On this day, the sun was high and sunny enough to rigorously map the contours of the projection.Also, at this time of year the sun rises highest on the horizon, so the position of the midheaven should facilitate the work of both observers when the sun passes the meridian.The lieutenant and the astronomer had passed different altitudes the previous morning and had determined the longitude of this place with extreme precision by calculating the hour angle.But the height of latitude is what Jasper Hobson is particularly interested in.Indeed, the meridian of Bathurst Point is not very important if it lies above 70 degrees north latitude. It was almost noon.All members of the squad gathered around the observer with the sextant.These brave individuals are understandably anxiously awaiting the test results.Indeed, for them, the question is whether they have reached the destination of their trip, or should they continue to search for another place on the coast that meets the company's requirements? However, this latter option will probably not be satisfactory.Indeed—according to the very imperfect map of the American coast—from Cape Bathurst the coastline curves westward, returning below the 70th parallel, and only resumes at Russian American territory, where the British had no right to settle. Crossed the 70 degree line.So, after conscientiously studying these maps of the arctic regions, Jasper Hobson made his way to Bathurst Point, not without reason.Indeed, this headland crosses the 70th parallel like a spire, while no other headland on the continental territory of British America enters the Arctic Circle between the 100th and 150th meridians.It was therefore to be determined whether Bathurst Point really occupied the position indicated on the latest maps. In short, this is the important question that the precise observations of Thomas Black and Jasper Hobson should resolve. At this time, the sun was close to the highest point of its orbit, so the two observers pointed the telescopes of their sextants at the still rising sun.Viewed with a tilting mirror installed on the instrument, on the surface, the sun should be close to the horizon, and when the bottom edge of the sun disk seems to touch the horizon, it should be exactly when it occupies the highest point of the semicircular arc, so it passes the meridian , that is to say, it is noon here. All the people watched and kept a deep silence. "Noon!" cried Jasper Hobson quickly. "Noon!" cried Thomas Blake at the same time. The telescope lowered immediately.The lieutenant and the astronomer read off the angle they had just acquired on the dial and immediately began calculating their observations. After a few minutes Lieutenant Hobson rose and said to his companions: "Friends, take my word for it, starting today, July 6th, Hudson's Bay Company will pay you double wages!" "Ulla! Ulla! Company Ulla!" cried Lieutenant Hobson's mates in unison. Indeed, Bathurst Point and the adjoining districts lie unquestionably north of the 70th parallel. Besides, these are the coordinates that are accurate to within a second or so.It is extremely important to the future of the new fortress in the future. Longitude: 127 degrees 36 minutes 12 seconds west of the Greenwich meridian; Latitude: 70 degrees 44 minutes 37 seconds north latitude. That night, these brave pioneers camped more than 800 miles away from Relinesburg, watching the sun pass by the western horizon, the fiery sun disc did not even obscure it. For the first time the midnight sun shone before their eyes.

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