Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Dr. Crawburn

Richard Sandon was a fine sailor; he had long commanded whalers in the polar seas, and had a long reputation throughout Lancaster.Such a letter had reason to astonish him; he was amazed, but he had the calmness of a man of experience. He himself met the requirements: no wife, no children, no parents.He is a free man.Since there was no one to ask, he went straight to the bankers, M.M. Macouart and C0. "As long as there's money there," he said, "there's nothing else." He received at the bank the courtesy due to a man with 400,000 francs quietly waiting in the cash-box; and having verified this, Sandon had a blank sheet of paper taken, and wrote in his thick fountain pen the address indicated. Receipt sent.

On this day he got in touch with the shipbuilder in Birkenhead, and 24 hours later, the keel of the "Advance" was lying on the keel block of the workshop. Richard Sandon is a man in his forties, strong, resolute, and courageous, three qualities that sailors must have, because they represent trust, vitality, and calm.One could see in him a jealous, difficult disposition, which his sailors feared rather than loved.This reputation did not actually make his crew industrious, and he was known to deftly get out of trouble. Sandon worried that the arcane nature of the move would fundamentally hamper his actions.

"Besides," he thought to himself, "it's better not to publish anything. There are always nasty people asking this and that, and I don't know anything, and I don't know how to answer them. This Mr. KZ must be a special one." but, at any rate, he knew me, and he trusted me, and that was enough. As for his ship, it must have been well built, or I should not be called Richard Sandon, if it If you can't sail in the polar seas. But as long as I and my people know." After thinking about it, Shan Dun began to recruit crew members, and complied with the family and health conditions required by the captain.

He knew a straight, loyal boy, a fine sailor, by the name of James Wall.This Wall is about 30 years old, and has been to the northern seas more than once.Shandon made him second officer.James Wall took it easily; he only wanted to sail, and he would have loved to do it.Sandon related the details to him, and to a man named Johnson, whom he made bosun. "Try your luck," replied James Wall, "whether it's this thing or something else. If it's looking for a course to the northwest, someone's already there." "It won't be," Mr Johnson replied, "but that's no reason not to go."

"What's more, if our conjecture is correct," Sandon went on, "it should be said that the voyage was carried out under good conditions. The 'Forward' is a good boat with a good engine, and it should be able to go well. Far. 18 crew, that's all we need." "Eighteen people?" asked Mr. Johnson, "the same number as American Kane's famous trip to the North Pole." "It's always a little strange," Wall went on, "that a man wants to cross the Bering Strait from the Davis Strait, and the search for Vice Admiral Franklin's fleet has cost Britain 19 million francs. Wasting money on something like that?"

"First, James," Shandon replied, "let's just assume briefly. Are we really going to the northern or southern seas? I don't know. Maybe to discover something new. Besides, someday there will be a The doctor, Crawford, no doubt knows better, and is in charge of giving us orders. We'll know all about it." "Wait a minute," said Mr. Johnson, "for my part, I'll choose strong men, Captain; and as to the thermal principle of animals, as the Captain said, I assure you beforehand, and you will be at ease." This Johnson was a rare man: he was a connoisseur of high-latitude sailing.He was a corporal on the Phoenix, one of the ships that searched for Captain Franklin in 1853, the honest sailor who was also a witness to the death of the French lieutenant Bolau, who was with him on a glacier-covered Having sailed the seas, Johnson got to know Liverpool's crew and immediately began a recruiting campaign.

Sandon, Wall, and he had done well, and by the beginning of December they were well manned; but not without difficulty, and many were coveted by the high wages, but terrified by the uncertain future of the voyage, and more than one resolutely joined He quit the fleet, then backed out and returned part of his payment, and their friends advised them not to do such a thing.Everyone wanted to know the secret and asked Captain Richard endlessly.He sent them all to Johnson. "What do you want me to tell you, my friend?" replied the latter invariably. "I know no more than you. In short, you are with educated people, a group of carefree people without fault. people; this is important, this! So stop thinking about it: do it or don't do it!"

Most people do. "You know very well," the bosun would sometimes add, "that I was having a hard time choosing men. The wages were so high that I had never seen them since I was a seaman, and I could find them when I got back. An interesting captain. Kind of attractive." "The truth is," replied the sailors, "that's very tempting! Rich enough to die!" "I will not lie to you at all," continued Johnson, "that the journey will be long, hard, and dangerous; it is formally stated in our notice; and it is likewise to know what work people do: It is quite possible to do all that is possible, and that may not be enough! So, if you do not feel that you have the boldness and temperament to stand any Above, a sentence that if you insist on throwing your bones in one place and not another, which is said here, go away and give your place to a braver man."

"But at least, Mr. Johnson," went on the cornered sailor, "at least you know the captain, don't you?" "Captain, that's Richard Sandon, my friend, until another comes along." However, it should be said that this is exactly what he thought as a commander, and he could easily have such thoughts. At the last moment, he received clear instructions about the purpose of this voyage. Commander's position.He was even willing to spread the opinion, or talk to his men, or oversee the progress of the shipbuilding, the rudiments of which were already piled up in Birkenhead's workshop like the ribs of an overturned whale.

Sandon and Johnson strictly followed the regulations concerning the health of the crew: those men had a reassuring face, and they had the heat to heat the engines of the "Forward"; Move freely.It was a group of confident, resolute, resolute, strong-bodied people; all of them were not of the same vigor, and Sandon even hesitated to select a few of them, such as Sailor Gripper and Garry and Whale Gunner Simpson seemed a little thin to him, but after all, they were strong and generous, and he took them in. All the crew belonged to the same Protestant denomination, and during the long voyage prayers were communal; and the reading of the Bible often brought together people of different tempers.Encourage them in times of discouragement and most importantly not create division.Sandon knew firsthand the benefits of these practices for unity and the effect it had on the morals of the crew; ships wintering in polar seas often resort to such practices.

After the crew had been chosen, Sandon and his two men busied themselves with the preparation of food, strictly following the captain's instructions, which were clear, definite, and detailed, and the least insignificant item was regulated both in quality and quantity.Thanks to those money orders that the person in charge had on hand, each item was paid for in cash with an 8% rebate, which Richard carefully deposited onto KZ's monies. Crew, food, cargo, everything was ready in January 1860; the "Forward" had begun to take shape.Sandon went to Birkenhead every day. On the morning of the 23rd of January he was in the habit of coming aboard a large steamer, with a rudder at each end to avoid turning, which was constantly going up and down the banks of the Mersey; Sailors had to use a compass to get their bearings, even though the voyage only took about 10 minutes. But no matter how thick the fog was, it did not prevent Sandon from seeing a man, small, rather stout, with a fine, lively face, and kind eyes, coming towards him, taking his hands, and eagerly, sharply, with a The informality of a "pure southerner", as the French would surely say, was shaken. But if the man was not a Southerner, he got away with it; he spoke and behaved sharply; his ideas had to be made public at all costs, or the engine might blow up.His eyes were small, like those of men of great brilliance, and his mouth was large and varied, and these were the valves of self-confidence that helped him to pour out his irrepressible ego; and he said, so much said, So brisk, it must be admitted, that Sandon hadn't caught any of it. However, the first mate on the "Forward" soon realized that he had never seen this little man before, and a thought flashed through his mind, and when the other began to pant, Sandon quickly blurted out: "Are you Dr. Crawford?" "It's the man, Commander! I've been looking for you for almost a quarter of an hour, asking people everywhere! You see I can't wait? I'm going to lose my head in five minutes! You're Richard Commander De? Are you really a person? You are not a mythical figure at all? Your hand, your hand! Let me hold mine tighter! Yes, this is Richard Sandon's Hands! Since there is a Commander Richard, there is a Forward under his command, and if he commands the Forward, he will set sail; if he sets sail, he will take Dr. to the boat." "Oh, yes, doctor, I'm Richard, and there's a ship called the 'Forward', and it's leaving soon!" "That's all right," replied the doctor, first with a long breath, "that's all right. You can see how happy I am, I've got my wish! I've been waiting for such an opportunity for a long time, and I I am eager to take such a trip. Since I am with you, Commander..." "Permit..." Sandon said. "Together with you," went on Crowburni, who did not hear him, "we must go so far that we shall not take a step back." "But," Sandon went on. "Because you have proven yourself, Captain, and I know your service. Ah, you are a great sailor!" "If you wish..." "No, I would not allow your boldness, your bravery, or your wit to be doubted for a moment, or even if you were! The captain who chose you as mate has a sense, and I will tell you so!" "But that's not what I'm talking about," said Sandon impatiently. "Then what do you want to say? Don't make me sad anymore." "You won't let me talk, hell, please tell me, doctor, how you got to join the expedition on the 'Forward'?" "By a letter, here is a venerable letter, from a righteous captain, very terse, but it will suffice!" As he spoke, the doctor sent a letter to Sandon, which read as follows: Inverness, January 22, 1860 Dr Crowburny Liverpool If Dr. Croubney wishes to join the expedition aboard the 'Forward', he may report to Commander Richard Sandon, who has been instructed. Captain of the 'Forward' K． Z "The letter was received this morning, and I immediately ran to prepare to board the 'Forward'." "But at least," went on Sandon, "Do you know, Doctor, the purpose of this voyage?" "I don't know a thing, but that doesn't matter, as long as I can go anywhere! People say I'm a learned man; they're wrong, Commander: I don't know anything. Books, which sold well, I was wrong; people bought them with good intentions! I don't know anything, I tell you, or I'm an ignorant person. Since I was given the opportunity to perfect, or better To be precise, to reconstruct my knowledge in medicine, surgery, history, geography, botany, mineralogy, conchology, geodesy, chemistry, physics, mechanical hydraulics; then, I accept Well, I assure you, I haven't had anyone win it for me." "Then," continued Sandon, disappointed, "do you not know where the Forward is going?" "Of course I know, Commander, it wants to go to a place where it can learn something, discover something, benefit from it, and compare it. Research by exercising it; in a word, it goes where I haven't been." "But more specifically?" Sandon called. "More specifically," retorted the doctor, "I've heard it's going to the northern seas. Oh yes, to the north!" "At least," asked Sandon, "you know the captain?" "I don't know him at all! But he's an honest man, trust me!" The commander and the doctor disembarked at Birkenhead, the former telling the latter what had happened.This sense of mystery fired the doctor's imagination.He was ecstatic to see the boat.From that day on, he was inseparable from Shandon, and came up on the "Forward" every morning. After all, he was responsible for the loading of medicines on board. Because this is a doctor, even a pretty good one, this Crowburne, but he doesn't follow the rules very much.He became a doctor at twenty-five, like all men, and at forty he was a veritable scholar; he had a great reputation in the town, and was a respected member of the Liverpool Literary and Philosophical Society.He had a small fortune, so that he could prescribe a few prescriptions, almost at no cost; he was well liked as a man of extraordinary kindness deserved, and he had no malice towards anyone, including himself; If there is one thing to say about him, it is that he is lively and talkative, but he is generous and honest with everyone. When the news of his aboard the "Forward" spread through the town, his friends did everything possible to keep him, and this made him still more determined.Now that the doctor has insisted on doing something, what kind of talent is needed to persuade him to quit! From this date, rumors, speculation, and fears grew; this did not prevent the "Forward" from being launched on February 5, 1860.After two months, it was ready to sail. On February 15th, as announced by the captain's letter, a Dane was sent by rail from Edinburgh to Liverpool at the address of Richard Sandon.The animal looked grumpy, evasive, even scary, with a strange look in its eyes. The name of the "Forward" is engraved on its brass collar.The commander placed it on board the same day, and wrote a receipt to Livorno with the designated initials. Therefore, except for the captain, the crew of the "Forward" is all together, and the members are as follows: 1. KZ, captain; 2.Richard Sandon, commander; 3.James Wall, Second Officer; 4.Dr. Crawford; 5.Johnson, boatswain; 6.Simpson, Whale Gunner; 7.Bell, carpenter; 8.Brenton, First Mechanic; 9.Provo, second mechanic; 10.Strong (black), cook; 11.Foucault, pilot; 12.12. Walson, the weapon maker;Bourton, sailor; 14.Gary, sailor; 15.Clifton, sailor; 16.Gripper, sailor; 17.Payne, sailor; 18.Warren, the fireman.