Chapter 58 Chapter 26 Returning to the South

Three hours after the sad adventure of Captain Hatteras came to an end, Crawford, Altamon, and two other sailors were assembled in a cave at the foot of the volcano. There, Crowburny was unanimously asked to give his opinion on what to do next. "Friends," he said, "we cannot extend our stay at Queen's Island, the sea is clear before us, and we have enough reserves, we must hurry back to the Citadel as soon as possible, and spend the winter there until the next summer .” "That's my opinion, too," said Altamon. "The wind is right now, and we set sail tomorrow."

The whole day was spent in deep depression.The captain's insanity was an ominous omen.As their thoughts turned to their return trip, Johnson, Bell, and Altamon were in utter terror: they were afraid of being abandoned by each other, and they were even more terrified of being separated.The fearless spirit of Hatteras was what they lacked. But they are strong men.They are ready to fight again, against all odds, against themselves, should weakness take hold of their hearts. Next Saturday, July 13th, the bivouac was loaded on board, and soon everything was ready for departure. But before this precipice from which he had departed, and never to return, the Doctor, at Hatteras' will, presided over the erection of a monument, which happened to be in the same spot where the Captain landed on the island; and the monument consisted of several large stones Formed to form a clear and easily identifiable seaside navigation aid, if the volcanic eruption can be spared.

On the side of a stone Bell chiseled this simple inscription: John Hatteras 1861 Copies of the certificates are housed in a sealed tin cylinder, which is kept together in the stone monument.This great discovery will lie forever in the cliffs of the Bad Ridge. Afterwards, the four men and the captain—a poor soulless body—and his faithful Duck, the mournful dog, boarded the ship and embarked on the journey home.Ten o'clock in the morning.The sails propped up with tent canvas have been set up, and the small boat, throwing the wind behind, sailed forward at high speed and sailed away from Queen's Island.In the evening, the doctor rose from his seat and cast a last glance at the flaming Hatteras on the sea level: Farewell!

The crossing is swift, and the sea, often unhindered, affords easy navigation, and indeed it appears that it is much easier to leave the North Pole than to approach it. And Hatteras was in such a state of mind that he couldn't comprehend what was going on around him; he lay flat on his back in the boat, his mouth shut, his eyes dimmed, his hands folded on his chest, and Dak lay at his feet.The doctor talked to him, it didn't help at all, Hatteras couldn't understand. For forty-eight hours the sea was breezy and the sea was calm, and Crowburne and his companions sailed to the northerly wind.

On July 15th they learned that Altamon Harbor was to the south, but as the Arctic Ocean was far from all coasts, they decided that instead of sledding through New America they would bypass it by sea and take Victoria Bay. The itinerary is much quicker and simpler.As a result, the traveler's fifteen-day journey by sleigh took them less than eight by boat.After traversing a tortuous terrain dotted with coasts dotted with straits, they finally reached Victoria Harbor on Monday night, July 23rd. The skiff was firmly anchored to the shore, and everyone rushed to God's fortress.But what a terrible scene of destruction!Doctors' houses, warehouses, powder magazines, and fortifications were all corroded and destroyed by the sun's radiation, and food was also destroyed by greedy animals.

What a scene of grief and disappointment! The supplies of the navigators are also coming to an end, and they were expected to replenish their supplies in the Castle of God.Obviously, the idea of ​​spending the winter here has come to naught.Those who are accustomed to quick actions made a decisive decision and immediately drove to Baffin Sea at the fastest speed. "We have no choice," said the doctor. "Baffin is six hundred miles away. Provided our boats are well supplied with fresh water, we can take the Dow Jones Strait straight to the Danish possessions." "Yes," said Altamon, "gather all our supplies and go."

After careful searching, the group found scattered boxes of dried meatloaf here and there, and two barrels of canned meat that had survived the collapse.In short, enough supplies are equipped for six weeks.Another day was devoted to caulking and refitting the boat, and the next day, the 24th of July, they set sail. The continent, at 83 degrees north latitude, appears to be tilting eastward.It is almost certain that Jones Strait stretches inland, as does the Manchester Strait. The skiff sailed unimpeded thereafter; dodging swarms of floating ice with ease.Prepared in advance for a possible delay, the doctor cut the companions' daily living quota in half; fortunately, it did not have much effect on the whole, they did not appear particularly tired, and their bodies were still in good condition.

Of course, they will hunt from time to time, they catch ducks, geese, puffins, and thus supplement themselves with fresh and healthy nutrients.As for the store of fresh water, they had no trouble dealing with the supply of it, replenishing it with fresh ice during the voyage, for they had been careful not to go too far from the shore, and besides, the boat could not stand the rough sea. In this season, the temperature has often remained below freezing point. After a period of rainy season, the sky began to snow and become dark, the sun gradually approached the horizon, and the sun's disc was sunken inward day by day.On July 30, the circumnavigators lost sight of sunlight for the first time, that is to say, they spent a few minutes at night.

But the dinghy sailed smoothly, sometimes sixty to sixty-five nautical miles in twenty-four hours; the men drove without a break; they knew very well that they must endure fatigue, and how many obstacles on land there would be in the future. Waiting to be overcome, these re-narrowing seas cannot wait without delay, and around them, new ice blocks have been formed.In high latitudes, summer follows winter; there are no spring and autumn seasons in between, and there is a lack of transitional seasons.So hurry up. On July 31st, the setting sun reflected the pure sky, and people observed the stars for the first time in the sky.Since that day, dense fog has filled the sky and navigation has been severely hampered.

The doctor grew anxious as he saw the signs of winter growing; and he understood how many trials Mr. John Ross had passed to cross the Baffin Sea after abandoning his ship!It was he, the brave sailor, who made his first attempt across the ice.Having failed, he had to return to the ship for a fourth winter; but at least, fortunately, he had enough food and fuel to back him up during the bad season. If the same disaster befell the survivors of the "Forward", if they had to stop and go back, how would they be at a loss? Head east as fast as you can. Finally, on August 15th, after 30 days of relatively rapid sailing, after 48 hours of fighting to clear the ice along the way, and after the fragile boat ran through hundreds of dangers, the navigators had to Stopped, and now it is impossible to sail forward, and at this time the sea is surrounded by ice, and the average temperature is only -9 ℃.

Apparently, throughout the north and east, the coast is still recognizable of flat and rounded small stones, which are eroded by waves and where freshwater ice is more readily available. Altamont recorded with great care the exact position of this place, latitude 77°45', longitude 85°02'. The doctor said: "That's exactly where we are, we've reached Lincoln, Cape Eden, to be exact, we're entering Jones Strait, and with luck we'll be able to get to the Baffin Sea. But don't complain. If my poor Hatteras had encountered such an easy sea earlier, he would have reached the North Pole much earlier. Then his entourage would not have turned his back on him, and his reason would not have been Extreme anxiety and mental breakdown!" "Then," said Altamon, "we have but one move to go, abandoning the boat, renewing the sled, and heading east to Lincoln." "Give up the skiff for the sledge, all right," said the doctor, "but instead of crossing the east coast of Lincoln, I suggest crossing the Jones Strait on the iceberg and returning to Demons." "Why?" Altamon asked. "Because the closer we get to the Manchester Channel, the better our chances of meeting the whalers." "You have a point, doctor, but I am afraid that the ice joints are in poor condition and we will have difficulty finding our way through them." "Let's try it out," Croubney said. The boat was dismantled quickly.Bell and Johnson reassembled the sled, all parts intact; the next day, the dogs were harnessed, and the party walked along the coast on the ice field. as described many times.The tedious and slow journey began again, and Altamon was wise to beware of the ice situation. In fact, it was impossible to cross Jones Strait, and he had to take the Lincoln coast. On August 21st, the World Expedition reached the entrance of Grice Strait in a detour; there, they ventured to slide on the ice field, and the next day, they came to Goble Island. . After that, they could walk on the ice field more conveniently, and finally, on the 24th of August, they set their feet on the land of Demon Isedangna. "Now," said the doctor, "we have only this land left to cross, and then to Cape Warland through the Manchester Channel." But the weather turned harsh and cold, with overwhelming snow and winter's whirlwinds exhausting the explorers.Supplies are running out, and now, each person should reduce their food ration by one-third and allocate a part to the hard-working animals. The terrain adds a lot of fatigue to the journey, and the ground is extremely rugged. Explorers must first pass through the insurmountable throat area before they can cross the Tort Peak and fight against the harsh nature tenaciously.In the meantime, the sleds, men and dogs remained almost forever, and more than once despair took hold of the tried and worn-out squad of arctic expeditions.These poor souls are unaware that they are mentally and physically exhausted; who can bear eighteen months of continuous fatigue and a succession of alternate stimuli of hope and despair?Of course, it needs to be clear that there is a difference between starting an expedition and returning.Exploration is accompanied by intensive training, with a clear belief in conquest, confidence.And the return journey lacks these.These unfortunate beings stiffen, and move, so to speak, by habit, driven by an animal instinct independent of their will. Until August 30th they finally walked out of the confusing mountain peak. They didn’t want to describe the topography of this area, but all the men who came out were haggard and exhausted, and they were almost fainted from the cold.Even the doctor, who had always encouraged his companions, felt that he could no longer support him. He himself was extremely weak. Tort Peak has gradually turned into a plain due to the most primitive upward frictional movement of the mountains. The explorers were now absolutely obliged to rest for a few days, they had no strength to move forward; the two sled dogs had given up and died. Everyone was panting on an ice block, and no one had the courage to set up a tent in such a cold climate of -19°. Supplies became scarcer, and in spite of the utmost prudence they could not last more than eight days; game became scarce, and they fled to escape the bitter and hateful winter.Starvation, then, was a serious threat to this depleted group of victims. With great sacrifice and true ecstasy, Artamon resolved, with the last of his strength, to hunt some food for his companions. He held a shotgun, called Duck, and entered the northern plains together; the doctor, Johnson, and Bell saw him go away, all of them seemed indifferent.An hour passed, and they didn't hear a single shot. Later, they saw him come back without firing a single shot. The Americans ran back like frightened people. "What's the matter with you?" the doctor asked him. "There! In the snow!" said Altamon, in a tone of terror, pointing to a point on the horizon ahead. "what?" "A whole team!..." "Living?" "Dead...frozen...even..." Americans dare not speak out their thoughts, but their expressions show unspeakable fear. Activated by this incident, the doctor, Johnson, and Bell tried their best to get up, and shuffled along his footprints towards the part of the plain pointed out by Altamon's finger. Soon, they came to a closed place, in a deep ravine, and showed what a tragic scene before them! The already stiff corpse, half buried in the heavy snow, the other half exposed outside the snow, an arm here, a stumped leg there, farther away, so many convulsed and wrinkled hands, from the preserved facial expressions, Carve out the pain of complete despair after being threatened! The doctor approached and backed away, his face pale and distorted, while Duck barked in a terrible whine. "Terrible! Terrible!" he shouted. "What?" asked one of the players. "Don't you recognize them?" said the doctor in a broken voice. "Do you mean?" "Look!" This ravine is almost a documentary.It truly records the last tragic and desperate battle of these people fighting against the climate, against despair, and against hunger.From the terrified faces, it is not difficult to see how the disaster has devoured them. Perhaps, there are one or two still jumping bodies mixed with the corpses. From among them, the doctor recognized Shandon, Gary, the tragic The crew of the "Forward"; for lack of perseverance these unfortunates doomed; it is probable that their boat was destroyed by a mudslide, or caught in a swirling current, and they failed to take advantage of the sea's convenience, and we It can also be assumed that they lost their way in an unfamiliar continent.Of course, it is impossible for people who walk together under the impulse of betrayal to generate a strong cohesion internally to accomplish something together.The prestige of a rebel leader is doubtful for long.There is no doubt that Shandon soon lost control of the situation. In any case, this team obviously experienced thousands of hardships and despairs, and finally, a terrible disaster destroyed them, but their tragic secret will be buried with them in the Arctic ice and snow forever. "Run away! Run away!" the doctor yelled. He led his companions out of this place of hell.Fear made them suddenly powerful.They set foot on the return journey again.