Chapter 36 Chapter Thirteen Crossing the Ice Field

It wasn't until November 22 that the weather began to improve.Within hours, the storm suddenly stopped.Soon it turned into a northerly wind again, and the temperature dropped several degrees immediately.Some of the long-distance birds flew away.It seems that the temperature in the high latitudes here is about to drop to the normal temperature for this period.While the people who spent the winter here were still complaining that the weather was not as cold as last year, the mercury column on the cold and heat watch suddenly pointed to minus 72 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 55 degrees Celsius).

Jasper Hobson decided not to postpone his departure from Victoria Island. On the morning of the 22nd, the island had completely frozen together with the ice sheet and was connected to the American continent 600 miles away. The team was fully prepared to leave Fort Hope and the island. At 11:30 in the morning, under the shining of the magnificent aurora on the horizon, in a gray mist and a peaceful atmosphere, Lieutenant Hobson gave the order to start.The sled dogs are in position.Three groups of reindeer were harnessed to the large sleighs.Everyone headed in silence towards Cape Michel—it should be said that this is the place where people really left the island for the last time.

The convoy first proceeded along the edge of the wooded hills east of Barnet Lake; just as they turned the corner, everyone couldn't help but turn their heads for one last look at Bathurst Point, where the It's a place I can never go back to.In the light of the strange northern lights, one saw the snow-covered ridge, like two white lines drawn, half hiding the yard of the trading station behind.The commercial station has been covered with a hazy gray-white layer, and a wisp of smoke is still rising, which is the last gasp of the charcoal fire in the furnace... This is Fort Hope!This is the store for which they have worked so much toil and endured so much pain, and now it is useless!

"Good-bye, good-bye, our poor Arctic house!" said Mrs. Polina Barnett, shaking her hand. Everyone's mood is the same, with this last memory, sadly and quietly continue on the road. At 1:00 p.m., the team arrived at Cape Michel around the gap that was still not completely frozen.On this section of the road, because the ground on Victoria Island is relatively flat, they did not encounter much difficulty on the road.But on the ice sheet it's a completely different story.Under the huge pressure of the ice pack in the north, the ice sheet will form many icebergs, ice mounds and ice barriers. To cross such mountains and mountains, it is necessary to constantly explore the way and spend ten times or a hundred times more effort.

This evening, everyone has advanced several miles on the ice field and needs to arrange accommodation.Everyone learned the method of North American Eskimos and Indians, and lived in "snow houses" in the ice.At this time, the snow knife has become a very useful tool.At 8:00 p.m., after a dinner of mostly jerky, everyone checked into an igloo that was much warmer than one might expect. Before going to bed, Mrs. Barnet asked the Lieutenant to estimate how far it was from Fort Hope. "I don't think we've covered more than ten miles," Hobson told her. "Only 10 miles out of 600 miles!" said the traveler. "Based on this calculation, we will have to travel three months to reach America!"

"Three months and possibly more, ma'am!" replied Hobson. "We can't go any faster than we were last year on the frozen plain between Reliancesburg and Bathurst Point. Like traveling, now we are finding our way on the rugged ice field, which is not easy! We will definitely face many difficulties on the way, and we must overcome them! In short, the most important thing is not to reach the destination quickly, but to have everyone Both made it to the finish line in good health. I'll be glad if we all get back to Reliancesburg without missing a beat. God help ma'am we'll be somewhere on the coast of America in 3 months, then we'll be thanking God Already!"

The first night was uneventful, but Hobson suffered from prolonged insomnia and felt that the underside of their camp was trembling slightly, as if there were gaps between the various parts of the ice field, and it seemed that it was not frozen.Due to the existence of these huge gaps, the ice sheet has not yet joined together in many places. This is the most worrying place, because it shows that the ice sheet has not really connected with solid land to form a whole.In addition, Lieutenant Hobson had noticed before departure that neither fur-producing animals nor other carnivorous animals on Victoria Island had left the trading station.The reason why they have not gone to the more suitable South must be that their instinct tells them that there are insurmountable obstacles in the way.Jasper Hobson must be careful when leading the team across the ice and back to the mainland.

This was an attempt before the ice and snow melted. Whether it failed or had to return, Hobson was fulfilling his duty by leading everyone out of Fort Hope. The next day, November 23, the team failed to advance 10 miles east because the roads were too impassable.The ice sheet is covered with layers of folds and piles of ice blocks. It is not difficult to see how large the ice blocks are under the compression of the Arctic Ocean floes.Due to the impact of icebergs and the overlapping of ice blocks, a jagged and criss-crossed sea of ​​icebergs and snow is formed here. It is obvious that a convoy of sleds and harnesses cannot pass through these ice blocks, nor can it be possible to carve a way through such terrain with snow knives.Some icebergs showed strange shapes, as jagged and frightening as a ruined city.Some icebergs are as high as three or four hundred feet, and the top of the mountain is full of huge ice piles in a mess. As long as there is a slight impact and vibration, it will cause an avalanche.

Be extremely careful when navigating around these icebergs.The lieutenant gave orders not to speak loudly or to whip animals while crossing the iceberg.These requirements are not excessive at all, otherwise a little carelessness will lead to disaster. However, it took a long time to bypass these icebergs and find the passage.Everyone was exhausted, and it was still difficult to find the right direction. They went around 10 miles before heading east for 1 mile.Fortunately, the ground under his feet was solid. But another obstacle was encountered on the 24th, and it was just the kind of insurmountable difficulty that Lieutenant Hobson feared.

After crossing the first ice floe 20 miles from Victoria Island, the team came to a less rugged ice field, the ice on the ice field was not affected by the force of the ice pack.It appears that, due to the direction of the ocean currents, the pressure from the pack ice has not affected the ice sheet in this area.However, Hobson and his companions soon discovered that there were many wide and deep cracks that had not yet been frozen, so that they were in danger of being cut off at any time.The temperature is relatively high, with the average temperature indicated by the cold and heat table at 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1.11 degrees Celsius).And this fresh water, which is hard to freeze, will only freeze at a few degrees below zero, so the sea water here has not frozen yet.All the floes and ice sheets come from the sea at higher latitudes, and they interact with each other to make the surrounding air temperature colder; while the southern part of the Arctic Ocean is not completely frozen, but it rains, which has brought a new wave to the area. Added a few thawing factors.

On this day the party stopped before a large fissure filled with muddy water--the water was cluttered with broken ice, and though not a hundred feet wide, was many miles long. For two hours everyone walked along both sides of the crack, hoping to reach the end soon and turn east, but without success, they had to stop and prepare to camp. Sergeant Long followed Lieutenant Hobson another quarter of a mile, could not see the end of the crack, and cursed the warm winter that had given them so much trouble. "Got to go," said Sergeant Long. "We can't stay in this damn place." "Yes, we must go through," Lieutenant Hobson replied, "we must go through this crack, whether we go north or south. However, after passing this crack, there will be other cracks ahead, as long as the weather is like this." Capricious, over hundreds of miles of road, cracks like this just keep popping up!" "Well, Lieutenant, you should get your head around the ground before you go any further," said the sergeant. "Yes, that should be the case, Sergeant Long," Lieutenant Hobson replied firmly, "otherwise we'd run five or six hundred miles and never get halfway to America. Yes. ! Before moving forward, I should first understand the situation of the ice thickness, this is what I should do!" Then, without another word, Hobson undressed and jumped into the icy water.He was a good swimmer, and in a few vigorous strokes he reached the opposite bank of the crevasse and disappeared into the shadow of the mountain. Hours later Jasper Hobson returned exhausted to the bivouac where the sergeant had preceded him.He called the sergeant aside and told him and Mrs. Barnet that the icefield ahead was impenetrable. "Perhaps," he said to them, "one can pass in this way on foot, without a sled, without luggage, but not with a large party! There are many cracks to the east, and in this case a ship is more useful than a sled to get to America." !" "Then," replied Sergeant Long, "if one can get across, why not let one of us try and get help?" "I want to try..." Hobson said. "You, Mr. Jasper?" "You, my lieutenant?" Hobson's proposal caused the two to ask in unison, how surprising and inappropriate his proposal was when they expressed their opinion!He, the leader of the team, is he leaving? !He wants to leave everyone alone, even if it is to take the greatest risk, and even if it is for the benefit of everyone!no!Absolutely not.Hobson no longer insisted on his own opinion. "Well, my friends," he said, "I know you, I have thought about it, and I should not leave you all. But it will not do to let any of you go! In truth, none of you will succeed, you will only fail." Died on the road, and soon, when the ice-sheets thawed, his body would sink into the abyss of the ocean that split from our feet! And what was the use of reaching New Arcangil? He How to rescue us? Can you rent a boat to find us? But this boat can only come after the ice and snow melt! But after the ice and snow melt, who knows where Victoria Island will drift, maybe in the Arctic Ocean, maybe in Baihui And the sea!" "Yes! You are right, my lieutenant," replied Sergeant Long, "let us stay together, and if we can escape on board, Mike Knapp's ship is still there, at Bathurs. Special angle, at least we don't have to wait!" Lady Paulina Barnet listened and said nothing.She knew very well that since the ice sheet was impassable, she had to rely on boats, so she had to wait until the ice and snow melted. "Well, Mr. Jasper," he said, "what is your idea? . . . " "Return to Victoria Island." "Then we'll go back, and may God bless us!" The party was called together, and the Lieutenant shared his thoughts on his proposed return. Lieutenant Hobson's first reaction to his speech was not good.These poor people all wanted to cross the ice sheet to return to the mainland quickly, and almost all of them felt desperate when they heard the news.But they acted immediately, saying that they would obey the order. Hobson then told them what he had just explored.He said there were too many obstacles to the east for the caravan to pass, and with so much baggage which was absolutely indispensable for a six-month journey. "At present," he added, "we can't find any access to the American continent, and if we continue eastward, it will not only be extremely tiring, but also pay the price of never returning to the island." , and the island is our last refuge. If the snow melts and we stay on this ice field, we are lost. Friends, I will not hide the truth from you at all, and I will not exaggerate the seriousness of the situation. I I know you're all strong people, and you know I'm not the type to back down from adversity. I'll say it to you again: there's no way we're going to get through here!" These soldiers have absolute trust in their leader.They knew he was a brave, strong man, and if he said he couldn't pass, he couldn't. Everyone decided to return to Fort Hope the next day.The way back was also extremely difficult.The weather was bad, with strong winds blowing across the ice field and torrential rain.One can imagine how hard it is to walk through this labyrinth of icebergs in the dark! It took the team 4 days and 4 nights to return to the island.Several sleds and dogs fell into the crack.It was only because of Lieutenant Hobson's tact and conscientiousness that no companion was lost.However, in front of these sufferers, how much suffering and danger will the coming of winter bring to them!