Chapter 25 Chapter XXV An Old Fox by James Ross

On this day, the temperature dropped to -16°C.The weather was fairly calm and the cold was easily bearable without the wind.Hatteras took advantage of the clear weather to survey the surrounding plain; he climbed one of the tallest icebergs in the north, and with the help of a telescope he saw nothing but icebergs and ice fields.With no land in sight, but a confused scene, and looking utterly forlorn, he returned to the ship, and tried to calculate how long he might remain there. The hunters, among them the Doctor, James Wall, Simpson, Johnson, and Bell, wereted no time in supplying the ship with fresh meat, and the birds had disappeared to the south in search of a less severe climate.Only the rock quail, endemic to this latitude, did not shrink back when winter came.They are easy to take down, and they are plentiful, guaranteeing a good store of prey.

Hares, foxes, wolves, stoats, bears are not rare; a French, English, or Norwegian hunter has no right to complain; It's very difficult to tell them apart because, before the weather turns bitterly cold, they change color and put on winter fur.The doctor, contrary to the views of some natural scientists, believes that this change is not due to a great drop in temperature, for it occurred before October; Cope with harsh arctic winters. Manatees, whales, and animals generally grouped under the seal genus were frequently passed; hunters took particular interest in hunting them, for their hides and fat, which was especially suitable for fuel.Moreover, the livers of these animals make a good food in need; and there were hundreds of them, and the ice-fields were nearly penetrated by the burrows of these gigantic mammals two or three miles to the north of the ship; However, they have an outstanding instinct to identify hunters, and many of them were injured, and easily escaped by diving under the ice floes.

But on the 19th Simpson caught one within 400 yards of the ship; he carefully blocked the hole through which it had escaped, so that the beast was under the control of the hunters.It struggled for a long time, and after being shot several times, it was finally killed.It is nine feet long, its head resembles that of a pit bull dog, with 16 teeth in its jaws, a large fin on its chest like a shark's fin, and a small tail with another pair of fins, all of which would serve as a perfect example of a whale gate. specimen.The doctor, wishing to preserve its head as a natural history collection, and its hide for future use, had them disposed of in a quick and cheap manner.He put the animal's body at the mouth of the hole, and thousands of little shrimps devoured every bit of the meat; and half a day later, the job was done, as well as the most experienced and prestigious tanners of the Liverpool guild could not have done. .

As soon as the sun passes the autumnal equinox, which is September 23, it can be said that winter in the Arctic region begins.The benevolent planet dipped below the horizon, finally disappearing on October 23, its slanted rays grazing the snow-capped peaks.Physicians bid it their best goodbyes as scientists and travellers.He won't see it again until February. Don't think that in the long days when the sun is completely gone, there is darkness, and the moon tries to replace it every month; there is also the light of the stars, the brilliance of the planets, the common aurora at the North Pole, and the special reflection at the snowy horizon. light; moreover, the sun is at its highest southern declination at the moment, nearly 13° above the North Pole horizon on December 21; so there are several hours of twilight each day.However, fog and snow often drag these cold regions into complete darkness.

But the weather had been fair so far; only partridges and hares complained, because the hunters did not allow them a moment's rest; many traps were set for the foxes, but the suspicious animals were not fooled; The snow under the trap ate the baits with no risk; the doctor gave them to the devil, and still felt very sorry for giving him such a gift. On October 25, the thermometer indicated only -20°C.An extremely violent hurricane blew up; the sky was full of snow, and not a single light shone on the "Forward".For hours all feared for the fate of Bell and Simpson, who had gone too far hunting; The snow buried them five feet.They were so close to frostbite that doctors struggled to recirculate their blood.

The blizzard lasted eight days non-stop, people were unable to go outside, and the temperature varied by 15 to 20 degrees in one day. They had to be free and do their own things.Some slept, others smoked, some chatted in low tones, and they stopped when Johnson or the doctor approached; We pray, and we gather together when we read the Lord's Word and do the sacraments on Sundays. Clifton calculated very well that after passing the 78° north latitude, his share rose to 9,375 francs; he found that to be a round figure, and could not expect more than that.Everyone agreed with him and fantasized about enjoying their hard-earned money.

Hatteras was almost gone.He neither hunts nor walks.He was not at all interested in meteorological phenomena that amazed the doctor; he lived with one thought; and it could be summed up in three words: To the North Pole.All he could think about was the new expedition of the Forward, which was finally free. In conclusion, the general feeling of those on board was one of sadness, and nothing could be more sad than seeing the ship, like a prisoner, no longer in its natural state, changed its form beneath the thick ice; it It's like nothing; it's made to move, but it can't move; it's been turned into a log cabin, a storehouse, a dwelling where it was designed to withstand the storm.This abnormality, this unnatural condition, arouses in the minds of men an indescribable feeling of anxiety and regret.

While idle, the doctor organizes his travel journal, and this account is a faithful recreation: he never idles, his even-tempered disposition remains unchanged.It was just that he was very satisfied to see that the storm was over, and the daily hunting resumed. At six o'clock in the morning on November 3rd, the temperature was -21°C. He set off accompanied by Johnson and Bell; There was a dry and bitter chill in the air, and the moon shone with a light of unrivaled purity, which illuminated every unevenness of the ice-field with that wondrous ray; Light trails were left on the road, and their huge shadows were cast on the ice with strange clarity.

The doctor took his friend Duck; for good reason he preferred it to the Greenland breed in the hunt for game; enthusiasm.Duck sniffed the road as he ran, stopping often at the bear's fresh tracks.However, although it was very alert, the hunters walked for two hours without encountering a hare. "Has the prey already sensed the need to move south?" said the doctor, resting at the foot of the ice mound. "Perhaps so, Mr. Crawburn," answered the carpenter. "I don't think so, I see," answered Johnson, "that the hare, the fox, and the bear are made of this climate; I think they disappeared because of the last blizzard; will appear. Ah! If you mean reindeer or musk oxen, that's a different matter."

"On Melville Island, however, large groups of these animals are found," continued the doctor. "This island is more southerly, which is true, and Barrie always catches them at random when he anchors in winter. Wonderful prey." "We don't quite agree," Bell replied. "As long as we can get bear meat, we shouldn't complain." "That's precisely the difficulty," retorted the doctor. "I think bears are too rare, and wild; they're not civilized enough to come forward and get shot." "Bell was talking about bear meat," Johnson went on, "but the fat of the animal is more remembered at the moment than its flesh and fur."

"You're right, Johnson," Bell replied, "you're always thinking about fuel." "Why not? Even with the most economical use, we don't have three weeks left of what's left!" "Yes," said the doctor, "the real danger lies here, for we are only at the beginning of November, and February is the coldest month of the year in the Arctic; anyway, if we don't have bear fat, we'll have to use seal fat." Fat." "Not long, Mr. Crawburn," answered Johnson, "these animals will soon desert us; they will no longer appear on the surface of the ice pack from cold or fear." "Then," continued the doctor, "it seems to me that the bear should definitely be aimed at, which, I admit, is precisely the most useful animal in these regions, since it alone provides food, clothing, light, and fuel useful to man." .Did you hear that, Duck?" said the Doctor, stroking the dog. "We need bears, my friend; look for them! Look! Look for them!" Duck was sniffing the ice floe at the moment, he was cheered up by the doctor's words and stroking, and immediately set off like an arrow.It was barking furiously, and though it was far away, the hunters could still hear its powerful cry. The range of sound at low temperatures is astonishing, equal to the brightness of the stars in the arctic sky; light and sound waves can travel great distances, especially in the dry and cold extreme northern nights. Guided by the barking of dogs in the distance, the hunters ran along Duck's trail; they had traveled a mile and arrived out of breath, for the lungs were immediately suffocated in such a climate. .Dak stopped fifty paces away from a gigantic thing bobbing on a knoll. "Our dream has come true!" cried the doctor, readying his gun. "A bear, indeed, a beautiful bear," Bell said, and he followed the doctor's example. "A particular bear," Johnson said, waiting for his two companions to shoot before firing. Duck screamed desperately.Bell walked twenty paces forward and fired; but the beast apparently missed, for it continued to shake its head lumberingly. Johnson approached, took aim carefully, and pulled the trigger. "Good!" cried the doctor. "Still missed! Ah! Nasty refraction! We're out of range; we'll never get used to it! The bear is a thousand steps away!" "Go forward!" Bell replied. The three fellows hurried to the animal, which was not in the least frightened by the gunfire; it looked strong, and the hunters, regardless of the danger of attack, were already enjoying the joy of their conquerors.When they were at a reasonable distance, they fired; and the bear, no doubt mortally wounded, gave a sudden spring and fell at the foot of the knoll. Dak jumped on it. "This bear," said the doctor, "is not hard to beat." "Just three shots," Bell said with contempt, "and it's down!" "It's kind of weird," Johnson said. "Unless he's dying of old age when we get there," replied the doctor, laughing. "It's true, old and young," retorted Bell, "is a great gain." "Ah! look!" cried Bell, "how strong it is!" "Really!" said the doctor, "we killed a bear and a fox fell!" Johnson didn't know what to say. "Okay!" cried the doctor, and he laughed angrily. "Still refraction! Always refraction!" "What do you mean, Mr. Crawburn?" asked the carpenter. "Yes, my friend; it deceives us in size as much as in distance! It makes us see a bear under the fur of a fox! Hunters have more than once missed in similar cases! Well! That's the price we imagine paying." "Indeed," answered Johnson, "be it the bear or the fox, we'll eat it anyway. Let's take it." But just as the bosun was about to put the beast on his shoulders. "That's more useful!" he exclaimed. "What is it?" asked the doctor. "Look, Mr. Croubney, look! There's a collar on the beast's neck!" "A collar?" asked the Doctor, stooping over the beast. Indeed, a half-worn steel collar appeared among the white fur of the fox; the doctor believed that there would be found the engraved letters; and with a twirl of his hand he removed the collar from the neck, which looked as though it had been put on for a long time. up. "What does that mean?" Johnson asked. "That means," replied the doctor, "that we have just killed a fox over the age of twelve, my friends, a fox caught by James Ross in 1848." "Is it possible!" Bell exclaimed. "There is no doubt about it; I regret that we killed the poor fox! James Ross managed to trap a great number of silver foxes during the winter; brass collars were put around their necks, and Inscribed on it are the conditions of their ships, the Enterprise and the Prospector, and the stores of living supplies. These animals traversed vast areas in search of food, and James Ross hoped that some of them would end up in someone on the Franklin Expedition. hands. That's all there is to explain, the poor animal, who perhaps saved the lives of two fleets, is now lying useless at our guns." "Indeed, let's not eat it," Johnson said. "After all, it's a 12-year-old fox! Anyway, we're going to keep his skin as a witness to this adventure." Johnson put the animal on his shoulders.The hunters followed the direction the stars directed toward the ship; their expedition was not in vain; they brought down many pairs of sea-birds. An hour before reaching the Forward, a phenomenon occurred which struck the doctor as very strange.It was a real meteor shower; tens of thousands, like rockets in the last and most spectacular pyrotechnics.The moonlight dimmed.The eye cannot follow the sight for hours at will.The Morav brothers saw the same meteor over Greenland in 1799.It was almost like a real festival given to the earth in this desolate latitude.The doctor observed this phenomenon during the night, when he was back on board, and it did not end until nearly seven o'clock in the morning, when the air was very still.