Chapter 38 Chapter VI "Perboise"

March 24th is a great festival called "Lamore's Sunday". On this day, the streets of European villages and cities are filled with flowers and green leaves, and the bells ring in the air full of refreshing floral fragrance. up. But here, in this dreary place, how sad!How still!Only the sharp and biting cold wind, not a dead leaf, not a grass stalk! But this Sunday is also a joyous day for the travellers, for they are going to find the food, without which they will soon die. They quickened their pace, the dog pulled more vigorously, Duck barked with satisfaction, and the team quickly arrived at the American ship.

The "Perboise" was completely covered in snow, she had no mast, no yard, no rigging, all her sails and rigging had been broken in the wreck, and the ship was stuck in one moment. In an invisible bedrock. The "Perboise" rolled over due to the strong impact, and its water entry part was half open, and it seemed uninhabitable. That's what the captain, the doctor, and Johnson confirmed after struggling to get into the cabin.It was necessary to clear more than 15 feet of ice to reach the big hatch; however, they were delighted to see that the animals that left many tracks on the ice sheet preserved a valuable food resource.

"If we do have it here," said Johnson, "fuel and food, I don't think the hull will last." "Well, an igloo should be built," Hatteras answered, "and we shall settle as well as we can on land." "Undoubtedly," continued the doctor, "but let's take our time and do good things. If we have to, we can temporarily live in the boat, and during this time we build a strong snow house, which will protect us from the cold and the cold." Invasion of wild beasts. I will be the architect, you see how I do it!" "I don't doubt your talent, Mr. Crawburn!" replied Johnson. "We shall try to settle down here, and then take an inventory of the contents of this boat. Unfortunately, I saw neither the boat nor the boat. Seeing the boat, the debris was so bad we couldn't build a boat."

"Who knows?" replied the doctor, "given time and thought, we can get things done. Now, the problem is not sailing, but building a settled dwelling. I suggest no other plans, everything. It has to be done in due time.” "That makes sense," replied Hatteras. "We begin with the most urgent." The three companions left the boat, returned to the sled, and told Bell and the American what they thought.Bell announced that he was ready for work; the American shook his head and said that there was nothing to do on board his ship; but, as such discussions were useless at the moment, they decided to take refuge in the "Porpoise" first, and to be on the coast. Build a spacious dwelling.

At four o'clock in the evening, the five travelers settled down at least on the lower deck, and Bell built a roughly level floor out of the spar's logs and broken masts, on which they put their ice-hard bedding, The heat of the fire soon brought them back to normal.With the help of the doctor, Altamon reached the corner reserved for him without much effort.No sooner had his foot set foot in the boat than he let out a sigh of satisfaction, which was not a very good omen in the bosun's opinion. "He feels at home," thought the old sailor, "as if he had invited us!"

The rest of the day was spent resting, with the westerly wind changing the weather; a thermometer placed outside indicated -32°C. In short, the Palboise was located beyond the frigid poles, at a latitude that was less frigid, though closer to the north. They ate what was left of the bear's meat for the day, with biscuits and a few cups of tea they found in the cabin; then weariness took hold, and everyone fell into a deep sleep. Hatteras and his companions woke up late in the morning, their minds running along new lines, the uncertainty of tomorrow no longer occupying their minds; they thought only of settling down comfortably.These victims saw themselves as migrants arriving at their destination, forgetting the hardships of the journey and thinking only about building a decent future.

"Oh!" cried the doctor, stretching out his arms, "this is equivalent to not knowing where to sleep at night and what to eat tomorrow." "Let's start taking stock of the ship," Johnson replied. The "Perboise" was well equipped and well-fed for the voyage. The quantities of supplies counted are as follows: 6,150 pounds of flour, fat, and raisins for making cloth; 2,900 pounds of beef and bacon, 1,500 pounds of meatloaf, 700 pounds of sugar and the same amount of chocolate; a box and a half of tea, weighing 96 pounds , 500 pounds of rice; many barrels of canned fruit and vegetables; copious amounts of lime juice, horseradish, sour buns, and watercress seeds; 300 gallons of rum and brandy.The stores are rich in gunpowder, bullets, and buckshot; coal and wood are abundant.The doctor carefully took over the physical and nautical instruments, and there was even a Bunsen strong battery, which was used for electrical experiments.

In short, all kinds of materials are enough for five people to use for more than two years.Any worries of starving or freezing to death vanished. "In this way, our lives are secured," said the doctor to the captain, "and nothing can prevent us from going to the pole." "To the extreme!" replied Hatteras, trembling. "No doubt," continued the doctor; "who can prevent us from going to the Pole by land in summer?" "By land, yes! But by sea?" "Isn't it possible to build a boat out of the planks of the Perle Boise?"

"An American boat, isn't it?" Hatteras replied contemptuously, "and commanded by this American!" The doctor understood the captain's disgust and felt that it was unnecessary to go any further.He changed the subject. "Now that we know what to do with our supplies," he went on, "should build warehouses for them, and a house for us. There will be no shortage of materials, and we can live very comfortably. I hope, Bell," The doctor turned to the carpenter and added, "Go ahead, my friend, and I can give you some good advice." "I'm ready, Mr. Crawford," Bell replied, "I'll use these blocks of ice, if necessary, to build a whole city with its houses and streets. . . . "

"Oh! We don't need that much, let us follow the example of the sergeants in Hudson's Bay, who built castles to protect them from wild beasts and Indians; that's all we need, and we do what we can Fortify us, a dwelling on the one hand, and a store on the other, like a parapet and two fortresses, to secure us. In this case I try to recall my knowledge of the ancient art of encampment. " "Without a doubt! Mr. Crawburn," said Johnson, "I have no doubt that we are doing something great under your command." "Well, my friends, the first thing is to choose our address;" A good engineer should first determine his site. "Are you coming, Hatteras?"

"I entrust this matter to you, doctor," replied the captain; "go ahead, I will go to the coast." Altamon, still too weak to labor, was left in his ship while the English went to land. The sky was dark and overcast, and the thermometer at noon indicated -23°C; but with no wind, the temperature was tolerable. From the shore, a broad sea, completely frozen over, stretches westward as far as the eye can see; to the east it borders a circular shore, separated from the deep triangular harbour, which plunges abruptly two hundred yards from the beach. , which formed a wide bay, and here and there stood dangerous stones, from which the "Perboise" was wrecked; about.To the north, a cape drops into the sea, covering part of the bay.An island of moderate size, or rather a small island, emerged on the ice field three miles from the shore, so that, apart from the difficulty of accessing this anchorage, it was a sure and safe anchorage.In a half-moon-shaped indentation on the shore there is a small harbor that ships could easily enter, should this part of the Arctic Ocean thaw out.However, according to Bilcher and Benny, the whole sea is open in summer. Halfway up the mountain, the doctor noticed a circular plateau about 200 feet in diameter; it faced the bay on three sides, and was closed off on the fourth side by a sheer wall up to 40 meters high; it could be reached only by steps dug in the ice.This place is suitable for the foundation of a solid building, which is easy to hold, and naturally provides the preliminary conditions; it is enough to make use of the terrain. The doctor, Bell, and Johnson reached this plateau by cutting through the ice with an axe, and the plateaus are joined together.Having ascertained this excellent site, the doctor decided that the ten feet of hard snow which covered it should be removed, and that the dwelling and storehouse should be built on firm foundations. For three days in succession, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, they worked incessantly, until at last the ground appeared, consisting of hard, compact marble with edges as sharp as glass; It was a large crystal of stone, which sparked when the pickaxe struck it. The doctor gave the size and drawing of the igloo; the length of the igloo should be 40 feet, the width 20 feet, and the height 10 feet; it is divided into three rooms, a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen; more No more.On the left is the kitchen; on the right is the bedroom, and in the middle is the living room. During these five days, the work was very hard.There is no lack of material; the ice walls should be thick enough to resist thawing, for one cannot risk having no shelter, even in summer. As the snow house is increasingly being built it shows good construction with four windows on the surface, two for the living room, one for the kitchen and one for the bedroom, the glass is made of beautiful slabs of ice , in the style of the Eskimos, let a soft light shine through like frosted glass. Between the two windows at the front of the drawing-room, a corridor resembling a concealed passage extends to the house; it is mysteriously closed by a solid door taken from the "Perboise" .When the house was completed, the doctor was very pleased with his result; it is very difficult to say what style the building belonged to, although the architect will admit that he preferred the Saxon Gothic, which is widespread in England; But the first thing to consider is solidity. The doctor felt that adding solid wall stacks on the surface, thick and low like Roman columns, above, the steeply sloped roof leaned against the granite walls.The latter is also used to support the chimney and vent the smoke to the outside. When the big project was finished, they got busy with interior decoration.They brought into the room the berths of the Perle Boise, which were arranged around a large stove.Upholstered benches, chairs, armchairs, tables, cupboards were also placed in the parlour, which served as a dining room, and finally the galley received the ship's stove with all its utensils.The sails laid on the ground served as carpets and also as curtains for inner doors that had no other means of closing. The walls of the houses are uniformly five feet thick, and the windows run like blastholes. All of this is exceptionally strong, what more could they ask for?ah?What can't be done with ice and snow, as the doctor said?How easy it is to combine them into any configuration!All day long he conjures up countless beautiful schemes, which he does not even think about, but provides some diversion to the common labor from the wellspring of his spirit. In addition, as a collector of rare books, he has read an extremely rare book by M. Kraft entitled "Details of the Construction and Furnishings of the Igloo in St. Petersburg, January 1740".This memory fueled his creative spirit.He even told his companions one evening about the beauty and charm of the ice palace. "It was done in St. Petersburg," he said to them. "Can't we do it here? What do we lack? The United Nations has no shortage of imagination!" "Is it really magnificent?" Johnson asked. "It's like a fairyland, my friend! The wedding of one of the clowns was held in 1740 in the palace built by the order of Queen Anna, which is about the same size as ours. But in front of the front of the palace, six ice and snow towers The cannons resting on the carriages; they fired bullets and powder many times, and these cannons did not explode; and the chiseled mortars were used to fire the 60-pound shells, and we could build a great cannon if need be ; the copper is not far away, it fell from the sky. But what is interesting and artistic is the triangular charm of the palace, decorated with very beautiful ice statues; the steps look like vases made of the same material and orange trees; to the right stands a gigantic elephant that sprays water by day and burning naphtha by night. Hmm! How perfect our setup would be, if we would!" "In terms of beasts," retorted Johnson, "we have no lack, I suppose, of them not being made of ice, nor of interest!" "Well," answered the pugnacious doctor, "we have means of dealing with their attacks, but let me go back to my St. , beds, sheets, pillows, curtains, clocks, chairs, playing cards, well-fitted cupboards, everything is cut, carved, and carved from ice, in short, a complete set of furniture that lacks nothing.” "Is this a real palace?" Bell said. "A magnificent palace, befitting a queen! Ah! Ice! It is a good thing that God has invented it, for it produces so many wonderful things, and does good to those who die!" The igloo was furnished until March 31: this day was Easter, and this day was used for rest; they spent the day in the drawing room, reading the scriptures, and everyone could admire the perfect structure of the igloo. The next day they were busy building the warehouses and powder magazines, which took about a week or more, including the unloading of the Perleboise, which was not without difficulty, because The temperature does not allow long hours of work.Finally, on April 8, food, fuel, and equipment were placed on solid ground and fully sheltered, with the storehouses on the north side of the plateau and the powder magazines on the south side of the plateau, about 60 feet from each side of the house, near the storehouses A dog den was built to house the Greenland breeds, and doctors named it "Dog Palace".Duck also lives with the pack of dogs. Next, the doctor set about Xuegong's defensive measures.Under his command, the plateau was surrounded by a veritable fortress of ice, protecting it from all encroachments, its height itself a natural danger, for it had neither concave nor convex corners, and it was very solid on all planes. .In organizing his defenses the Doctor could not help thinking of the style of the venerable Uncle Toby de Steiner, who also had a good heart and a good temper.It should be up to him to calculate the slope of the inner slope, the slope of the base road and the width of the berm, but with such high quality snow, the job is so easy to do it is a real pleasure and a well-meaning engineer can teach him The ice wall was seven feet thick, and, moreover, the plateau was near the sea, and he needed no barriers, no outer slopes, or open fields; The two ends of the igloo are connected.These emplacement works were completed towards the 15th of April.The fort is complete, and the doctor looks very proud of his work. Indeed, such a fortress would have long held off the Eskimo tribes, had a similar foe been encountered at such latitudes, but there was no trace of man on this shore, and Hatteras, as he surveyed the contours of the bay, did not Seeing a igloo so common in areas frequented by Greenlandic tribes, the victims of the March and Perboise appeared to be the first to set foot in this unfamiliar territory. But even if man is nothing to fear, animals are very suspect, and a fortress so defended is supposed to protect its small army from them.