 CHAPTER VIII. The Great Bear Lake. This sudden increase of cold was most fortunate. Again in temperate climbs there are generally three or four bitter days in May, and they are most serviceable now in consolidating the freshly fallen snow, and making it practicable for sledges. Lieutenant Tobbson, therefore, lost no time in resuming his journey, urging on the dogs to their utmost speed. The route was, however, slightly changed. Instead of bearing due north, the expedition advanced towards the west, following so to speak the curve of the Arctic Circle. The Lieutenant was most anxious to reach Fort Confidence, built on the northern extremity of the Great Bear Lake. These few cold days were of the greatest service to him. He advanced rapidly, no obstacle was encountered, and his little troop arrived at the factory on the thirtieth of May. At this time Fort's confidence and good hope were the most advanced posts of the company in the north. Fort Confidence was the most important position. Built on the northern extremity of the lake, close to its waters, which being frozen over in winter and navigable in summer afforded easy access to Fort Franklin on the southern shores, and promoted the coming and going of the Indian hunters with their daily spoils. Many were the hunting and fishing expeditions which started from Fort's confidence and good hope, especially from the former. The Great Bear Lake is quite a Mediterranean sea, extending over several degrees of latitude and longitude. Its shape is very irregular, two promontories jut into it towards the center, and the upper portions form a triangle, its appearance as a whole much resembling the extended skin of a ruminant without the head. Fort Confidence was built at the end of the right paw, at least two hundred miles from Coronation Gulf, one of the numerous estuaries which irregularly indent the coast of North America. It was therefore situated beyond the Arctic Circle, but three degrees south of the seventieth parallel, north of which the Hudson's Bay Company proposed forming a new settlement. Fort Confidence as a whole much resembled other factories further south. It consisted of a house for the officers, barracks for the soldiers, and magazines for the furs, all of wood surrounded by palisades. The captain in command was then absent. He had gone towards the east on a hunting expedition, with a few Indians and soldiers. The last season had not been good. The furs had been scarce, but to make up for this the lake had supplied plenty of otter skins. The stock of them had, however, just been sent to the central factories in the south, so that the magazines of Fort Confidence were empty on the arrival of our party. In the absence of the captain a sergeant did the honors of the fort to Jasper Hobson and his companions. This second officer, Felton by name, was a brother-in-law of Sergeant Long. He showed the greatest readiness to assist the views of the lieutenant, who, being anxious to rest his party, decided on remaining two or three days at Fort Confidence in the absence of the little garrison, there was plenty of room, and dogs and men were soon comfortably installed. The best room in the largest house was, of course, given to Mrs. Paulina Barnett, who was delighted with the politeness of Sergeant Felton. Jasper Hobson's first care was to ask Felton if any Indians from the north were then beating the shores of the Bear Lake. The yes, lieutenant, replied the sergeant, we have just received notice of the encampment of a party of Hare Indians on the northern extremity of the lake. How far from here? inquired Hobson's. About thirty miles, replied Sergeant Felton, do you wish to enter into communication with these Indians? Yes, said Hobson, they may be able to give me some valuable information about the district's bordering on the Arctic Ocean, and bounded by Cape Bathurst. Should the site be favourable, I propose constructing our new fort somewhere about there. While, lieutenant, nothing is easier than to go to the Hare encampment. Along the shores of the lake? No, across it. It is now free from ice, and the wind is favourable. You will place a cutter and a boatman at your service, and in a few hours you will be in the Indian settlement. Thank you, Sergeant, to-morrow, then. Whenever you like, lieutenant. This start was fixed for the next morning, and when Mrs. Paulina Barnett heard of the plan she begged the lieutenant to allow her to accompany him, which of course he readily did. But now to tell how the rest of this first day was passed. Mrs. Barnett, Hobson, two or three soldiers, Maj, Mrs. McNabb, and Jolief, explored the shores of the lake under the guidance of Felton. The neighbourhood was by no means barren of vegetation. The hills, now free from snow, were crowned by resinous trees of the Scotch pine species. These trees, which attain a height of some forty feet, supply the inhabitants of the forts with plenty of fuel through the long winter. Their thick trunks and dark gloomy branches form a striking feature on the landscape, but the regular clumps of equal height, sloping down to the very edge of the water, are somewhat monotonous. Between the groups of trees the soil was clothed with a sort of whitish weed, which perfumed the air with a sweet, timey odor. Sergeant Felton informed his gas that this plant was called the Herb of Incense, on account of the fragrance it emits when burnt. Some hundred steps from the fort the party came to a little natural harbour, shut in by high granite rocks, which formed an admirable protection from the heavy surf. Here was anchored, here was anchored, the fleet of fort confidence, consisting of a single fishing-boat, the very one which was to take Mrs. Barnett and Hobson to the Indian encampment the next day. From this harbour an extensive view was obtained of the lake, its waters slightly agitated by the wind, with its irregular shores, broken by jagged capes and intersected by creeks. The wooded heights beyond, with here and there the rugged outlines of a floating iceberg, standing out against the clear blue air, formed the background on the north. Just on the south a regular sea horizon, a circular line clearly cutting sky and water, and at this moment glittering in the sunbeams bounded the site. The whole scene was rich in animal and vegetable life, the surface of the water, the shores strewn with flints and blocks of granite, the slopes with their tapestry of herbs, the tree-crowned hill-tops, were all alike, frequented by various specimens of the feathered tribe. Several varieties of ducks uttering their different cries and calls, eider ducks, whistlers, spotted red shanks, old women, those loquacious birds whose beak is never closed, skimmed the surface of the lake, hundreds of puffins and guillomots with outspread wings darted about in every direction, and beneath the trees strutted ospreys two feet high, a kind of hawk with a gray body, blue beak and claws, and orange-colored eyes, which build the huge nests of marine plants in the forked branches of trees. The hunter Sabine managed to bring down a couple of the gigantic ospreys which measured nearly six feet from tip to tip of their wings, and were therefore magnificent specimens of these migratory birds, who feed entirely on fish, and take refuge on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico when winter sets in, only visiting the higher latitudes of North America during the short summer. But the most interesting event of the day was the capture of an otter, the skin of which was worth several hundred rubles. The furs of these valuable amphibious creatures were once much sought after in China, and although the demand for them has considerably decreased in the celestial empire, they still command very high prices in the Russian market. Russian traders, ready to buy up sea otter skins, travel all along the coasts of New Cornwall, as far as the Arctic Ocean, and of course thus hunted the animal is becoming very rare. It has taken refuge further and further north, and the trackers have now to pursue it on the shores of the Kemchatka Sea, and in the islands of the Bering Archipelago. But added Sergeant Felton, after the preceding explanation, American inland otters are not to be despised, and those which frequent the Great Bear Lake are worth from fifty to sixty pounds each. The sergeant was right, magnificent otters are found in these waters, and he himself skillfully tracked and killed one in the presence of his visitors, which was scarcely inferior in value to those from Kemchatka itself. The creature measured three feet from the muzzle to the end of its tail. It had webbed feet, short legs, and its fur, darker on the upper than on the under part of its body, was long and silky. A good shot, Sergeant! said Lieutenant Hobson, who with Mrs. Barnett had been attentively examining the magnificent fur of the dead animal. Yes, Lieutenant! replied Felton, and if each day brought us such a skin as that, we should have nothing to complain of! But much time is wasted in watching these animals who swim and dive with marvellous rapidity. We generally hunt them at night, as they very seldom venture from their homes in the trunks of trees or the holes of rocks in the daytime, and even expert hunters find it very difficult to discover their retreats. And are these otters also becoming scarcer and scarcer? inquired Mrs. Barnett. Yes, Madam! replied the Sergeant, and when this species becomes extinct, the profits of the company will sensibly decline. All the hunters try to obtain its fur, and the Americans in particular are formidable rivals to us. Did you not meet any American agents on your journey up, Lieutenant? Not one, replied Hobson. Do they ever penetrate as far as this? Oh, yes! said the Sergeant, and when you hear of their approach, I advise you, be on your guard. Are these agents, then, highway robbers? asked Mrs. Paulina Barnett. No, Madam! replied the Sergeant, but they are formidable rivals, and when game is scarce hunters often come to blows about it. I daresay that if the company's attempts to establish a fort on the verge of the Arctic Ocean be successful, its example will at once be followed by these Americans, whom heaven confound. Bah! exclaimed the Lieutenant, the hunting dristics are vast, and there's room beneath the sun for everybody. As for us, let's make a start to begin with. Let us press on as long as we have firm ground beneath our feet, and God be with us. After a walk of three hours the visitors returned to Fort Confidence, where a good meal of fish and fresh venison awaited them. Sergeant Long did the honors of the table, and after a little pleasant conversation all retired to rest to forget their fatigues in a healthy and refreshing sleep. The next day, May 31st, Mrs. Barnett and Jasper Hobson were on foot at five a.m. The Lieutenant intended to devote this day to visiting the Indian Encampment, and obtaining as much useful information as possible. He asked Thomas Black to go with him, but the astronomer preferred to remain on terra firma. He wished to make a few astronomical observations and to determine exactly the latitude and longitude of Fort Confidence, so that Mrs. Barnett and Jasper Hobson had to cross the lake alone under the guidance of an old boatman named Norman, who had long been in the company's service. The two travellers were accompanied by Sergeant Long as far as the little harbour, where they found old Norman ready to embark. Their little vessel was but an open fishing-boat, six feet long, rigged like a cutter, which one man could easily manage. The weather was beautiful, and the slight breeze blowing from the northeast was favourable to the crossing. Sergeant Felton took leave of his guests with many apologies for being unable to accompany them in the absence of his chief. The boat was let loose from its moorings and tacking to starboard shot across the clear waters of the lake. The little trip passed pleasantly enough. The taciturn old sailor sat silently in the stern of the boat, with the tiller tucked under his arm. Mrs. Barnett and Lieutenant Hobson seated opposite to each other, examined with interest the scenery spread out before them. The boat skirted the northern shores of the lake at about three miles distance, following a rectilinear direction, so that the wooded heights sloping gradually to the west were distinctly visible. From this side the district north of the lake appeared perfectly flat, and the horizon receded to a considerable distance. The whole of this coast contrasted sharply with the sharp angle at the extremity of which rose fort confidence, framed in green pines. The flag of the company was still visible, floating from the tower of the fort. The oblique rays of the sun lit up the surface of the water, and striking on the floating icebergs seemed to convert them into molten silver of dazzling brightness. No trace remained of the solid ice mountains of the winter but these moving relics, which the solar rays could scarcely dissolve, and which seemed, as it were, to protest against the brilliant but not very powerful polar sun, now describing a diurnal arc of considerable length. Mrs. Barnett and the lieutenant, as was their custom, communicated to each other the thoughts suggested by the strange scenes through which they were passing. They laid up a store of pleasant recollections for the future, whilst the beat floated rapidly along upon the peaceful waves. The party started at six in the morning, and at nine they neared the point on the northern bank at which they were to land. The Indian encampment was situated at the northwest angle of the Great Bear Lake. Before ten o'clock old Norman ran the boat aground on a low bank at the foot of a cliff of moderate height. Mrs. Barnett and the lieutenant landed at once. Two or three Indians, with their chief wearing gorgeous plumes, hastened to meet them, and address them in fairly intelligible English. These Hare Indians, like the Copper and Beaver Indians, all belonged to the Chippeway race, and differ but little in customs and costumes from their fellow tribes. They are in constant communication with the factories, and have become, so to speak, Britainized, at least, as much so as is possible for savages. They bring the spoils of the chase to the forts, and there exchange them for the necessaries of life which they no longer provide for themselves. They are in the pay of the company, they live upon it, and it is not surprising that they have lost all originality. To find a native race as yet uninfluenced by contact with Europeans we must go to still higher latitudes, to the ice-bound regions frequented by the Eskimo, who, like the Greenlanders, are the true children of the Arctic lands. Mrs. Barnett and Jasper Hobson accompanied the Indians to their camp, about half a mile from the shore, and found some thirty natives there—men, women, and children—who supported themselves by hunting and fishing on the borders of the lake. These Indians had just come from the northernmost districts of the American continent, and were able to give the lieutenant some valuable, although necessarily incomplete, information on the actual state of the sea coast near the seventieth parallel. The lieutenant heard with considerable satisfaction that a party of Americans or Europeans had been seen on the confines of the polar sea, and that it was open at this time of the year. About Cape Bathurst, properly so called, the point for which he intended to make, the Hare Indians could tell him nothing. Their chief said, however, that the district between the Great Bear Lake and Cape Bathurst was very difficult to cross, being hilly and intersected by streams, at this season of the year, free from ice. He advised the lieutenant to go down the Copper Mine River from the northeast of the lake, which would take him to the coast by the shortest route. Once at the Arctic Ocean it would be easy to skirt along its shores, and to choose the best spot at which to halt. Lieutenant Hobson thanked the Indian chief, and took leave after giving him a few presents. Then, accompanied by Mrs. Barnett, he explored the neighborhood of the camp, not returning to the boat until nearly three o'clock in the afternoon. End of Chapter 8 Part 1, Chapter 9 of The Fur Country. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Fur Country by Jules Verne. Part 1, Chapter 9. A Storm on the Lake. The old sailor was impatiently awaiting the return of the travellers. For during the last hour the weather had changed, and the appearance of the sky was calculated to render any one accustomed to read the signs of the clouds uneasy. The sun was obscured by a thick mist. The wind had fallen, but an ominous moaning was heard from the south of the lake. These symptoms of an approaching change of temperature were developed with all the rapidity peculiar to these elevated latitudes. "'Let us be off, sir. Let us be off,' cried old Norman, looking anxiously at the fog above his head. Let us start, without losing an instant. There are terrible signs in the air.' "'Indeed,' exclaimed the lieutenant. The appearance of the sky is quite changed. And we never noticed it, Mrs. Barnett.' "'Are you afraid of a storm?' inquired the lady of old Norman. "'Yes, madam,' replied the old sailor, and the storms on Great Bear Lake are often terrible. The hurricane rate is as if upon the open Atlantic Ocean. This sudden fog bodes us no good. But the tempest may hold back for three or four hours, and by that time we shall be at forged confidence. Let us then start without a moment's delay, for the boat would not be safe near these rocks.' The lieutenant, feeling that the old man, accustomed as he was, to navigate these waters, was better able to judge than himself, decided to follow his advice and embarked at once with Mrs. Barnett. But just as they were pushing off, old Norman, as if possessed by some sudden presentiment, murmured, "'Perhaps it would be better to wait.' Lieutenant Hobson overheard these words, and looked inquiringly at the old boatman, already seated at the helm. Had he been alone he would not have hesitated to start. But as Mrs. Barnett was with him, caution was necessary. The lady at once saw and understood his hesitation. "'Never mind about me, Lieutenant,' she said, "'act as if I were not present. Let us start immediately, as our brave guide suggests.' "'We are off, then,' cried Norman, letting go the moorings, to the fort by the shortest route. For about an hour the bark made little head. The sail, scarcely filled by the fit-filled breeze, flapped against the mast. The fog became thicker, the waves began to rise, and the boat to rock considerably. For the approaching hurricane affected the water sooner than the atmosphere itself. The two travellers sat still and silent, whilst the old sailor peered into the darkness with bloodshot eyes. Prepared for all contingencies, he awaited the shock of the wind, ready to pay out rapidly. Should the attack be very violent? The conflict of the elements had not, however, as yet commenced. And all would have been well, if they had been able to advance. But after an hour's sail they were still only about two hours' distance from the Indian acampment. A few gusts of wind from the shore drove them out of their course, and the dense fog rendered it impossible for them to make out the coastline. Should the wind settle in the north, it would probably go hard with the light boat, which, unable to hold its own course, would be drifted out into the lake. No one knew where. We are scarcely advancing at all, said the lieutenant to Old Norman. No, sir, replied Norman. The wind is not strong enough to fill the sail, and if it were, I fear it comes from the wrong quarter. If so, he added, pointing to the south. We may see Fort Franklin before Fort Confidence. Well, said Mrs. Barnett cheerfully, our trip will have been all the more complete. This is a magnificent lake well worth exploring from north to south. I suppose, Norman, one might get back, even from Fort Franklin. Yes, madam, if we ever reach it, replied the old man. But tempests lasting fifteen days are by no means rare on this lake. And if our bad luck should drive us to the south, it may be a month before Lieutenant Hobbson again sees Fort Confidence. Let us be careful, then, said the lieutenant, for such a delay would hinder our projects very much. Do the best you can under the circumstances, and if you think it would be prudent, go back to the north. I don't suppose Mrs. Barnett would mind a walk of twenty or twenty-five miles. I should be glad enough to go back to the north, Lieutenant, replied Norman, if it were still possible. But look, the wind seems likely to settle against us. All I can attempt is to get to the cape on the northeast, and if it doesn't blow too hard, I hope to succeed. But at about half-past four, the storm broke. The shrill whistling of the wind was heard far above their heads. But the state of the atmosphere prevented it from as yet descending upon the lake. This was, however, only delayed for a brief space of time. The cries of frightened birds flying through the fog mingled with the noise of the wind. Suddenly the mist was torn open, and revealed low-jagged masses of rain-cloud chased towards the south. The fears of the old sailor were realized. The wind blew from the north, and it was not long before the travellers learned the meaning of a squall upon the lake. Look out, cried Norman, tightening sail, so as to get his boat ahead of the wind, whilst keeping her under control of the helm. The squall came. It caught the boat upon the flank, and it was turned over on its side. But recovering itself, it was flung upon the crest of a wave. The billows surged as if upon an open sea. The waters of the lake, not being very deep, struck against the bottom and rebounded to an immense height. Help, help! cried old Norman, hurriedly struggling to haul down his sail. Mrs. Barnett and Hobbson endeavored to come to his assistance, but without success, for they knew nothing of the management of a boat. Norman, unable to leave the helm, and the halards being entangled at the top of the mast, could not take in the sail. Every moment the boat threatened to capsize, and heavy seas broke over its sides. The sky became blacker and blacker. Cold rain, mingled with snow, fell in torrents, whilst the squall redoubled its fury, lashing the crests of the waves into foam. Cut it, cut it! screamed Norman, above the roaring of the storm. The lieutenant, his cap blown away, and his eyes blinded by the spray, seized Norman's knife, and cut the halard like a harp string. But the wet cordage no longer acted in the grooves of the pulleys, and the yard remained attached to the top of the mast. Norman, totally unable to make head against the wind, now resolved to tack a boat for the south, and dangerous as it would be to have the boat before the wind pursued by the waves, advancing at double its speed. Yes, to tack, although this course would probably bring them all to the southern shores of the lake, far away from their destination. The lieutenant and his brave companion were well aware of the danger which threatened them. The frail boat could not long resist the blows of the waves. It would either be crushed or capsized. The lives of those within it were in the hands of God. But neither yielded to despair, clinging to the sides of the boat, wet to the skin, chilled to the bone by the cutting blast, they strove to gaze through the thick mist and fog. All trace of the land had disappeared, and so great was the obscurity that at a cable's length from the boat, clouds and waves could not be distinguished from each other. Now and then the two travellers looked inquiringly into old Norman's face, who, with teeth set and hands clutching the tiller, tried to keep his boat as much as possible under wind. But the violence of the squall became such that the boat could not long maintain this course. The waves which struck its bow would soon have inevitably crushed it. The front planks were already beginning to separate, and when its whole weight was flung into the hollows of the waves it seemed as if it could rise no more. We must tack, we must tack whatever happens, murmured the old sailor, and pushing the tiller and paying out sail, he turned the head of the boat to the south. The sail, stretched to the utmost, brought the boat round with giddy rapidity, and the immense waves chased by the wind threatened to engulf the little bark. This was the great danger of shifting with the wind right aft. The billows hurled themselves in rapid succession upon the boat, which could not evade them. It failed rapidly, and the water had to be bailed out without a moment's pause, or it might have foundered. As they got nearer and nearer to the middle of the lake the waves became rougher. Nothing there broke the fury of the wind. No clumps of trees, no hills, checked for a moment the headlong course of the hurricane. Now and then momentary glimpses were obtained through the fog of icebergs dancing like boys upon the waves, and driven towards the south of the lake. It was half-past five. Neither Norman nor the lieutenant had any idea of where they were or whither they were going. They had lost all control over the boat, and were at the mercy of the winds and the waves. And now at about a hundred feet behind the boat a huge wave upreared its foam-crowned crest whilst in front a black whirlpool was formed by the sudden sinking of the water. All surface agitation, crushed by the wind, had disappeared around this awful gulf, which, growing deeper and blacker every moment, drew the devoted little vessel towards its fatal embrace. Ever nearer came the mighty wave, sinking into insignificance before it. It gained upon the boat another moment, and it would crush it to atoms. Norman, looking around, saw its approach, and Mrs. Barnett and the lieutenant, with eyes fixed and staring, awaited in fearful suspense the blow from which there was no escape. The wave broke over them with the noise of thunder. It enveloped the stern of the boat in foam. A fearful crash was heard, and a cry burst from the lips of the lieutenant and his companion, smothered beneath the liquid mass. They thought that all was over, and that the boat had sunk. But no, it rose once more, although more than half filled with water. The lieutenant uttered a cry of despair. Where was Norman? The poor old sailor had disappeared. Mrs. Paulina Barnett looked inquiringly at Hobson. Norman, he repeated, pointing to his empty place. Unhappy man murmured Mrs. Barnett, at the risk of being flung from the boat, rocking on the waves. The two started to their feet and looked around them. But they could see and hear nothing. No cry for help broke upon their ears. No dead body floated in the white foam. The old sailor had met his death in the element he loved so well. Mrs. Barnett and Hobson sank back upon their seats. They were alone now, and must see to their own safety. But neither of them knew anything of the management of a boat, and even an experienced hand could scarcely have controlled it now. They were at the mercy of the waves, and the bark, with distended sail, swept along in mad career. What could the lieutenant do to check or direct its course? What a terrible situation for our travellers to be thus overtaken by a tempest in a frail bark which they could not manage. We are lost, said the lieutenant. No, lieutenant, replied Mrs. Barnett. Let us make another effort. Heaven helps those who helps themselves. Lieutenant Hobson, now for the first time, realized how intrepid a woman fate had thrown him. The first thing to be done was to get rid of the water which weighed down the boat. Another wave, shipped, would have failed it in a moment, and it must have sunk it once. The vessel lightened. It would have a better chance of rising on the waves. The two set to work, to bail out the water. This was no easy task, for fresh waves constantly broke over them, and the scoop could not be laid aside for an instant. Mrs. Barnett was indefatigable, and the lieutenant, leaving the bailing to her, took the helm himself, and did the best he could to guide the boat with the wind right aft. To add to the danger, night, or rather darkness, for in these latitudes night only lasts a few hours at this time of year fell upon them. Scarce array of light penetrated through the heavy clouds and fog. They could not see two yards before them, and the boat must have been dashed to pieces had it struck a floating iceberg. This danger was indeed imminent, for the loose ice masses advance with such rapidity that it is impossible to get out of their way. You have no control over the helm? said Mrs. Barnett, in a slight lull of the storm. No, madam, he replied, and you must prepare for the worst. I am ready, replied the courageous woman simply. As she spoke, a loud rippling sound was heard. The sail, torn away by the wind, disappeared like a white cloud. The boat sped rapidly along for a few instances, and then, stopped suddenly, the waves buffeting it about like an abandoned wreck. Mrs. Barnett and Hobbson flung to the bottom of the boat, bruised, shaken, and torn, felt that all was lost. Not a shred of canvas was left to aid in navigating the craft. And what, with the spray, the snow and the rain, they could scarcely see each other, whilst the uproar drowned their voices, expecting every moment to perish. They remained for an hour in painful suspense, commending themselves to God who alone could save them. Neither of them could have said how long they waited when they were aroused by a violent shock. The boat had struck an enormous iceberg, a floating block with rugged, slippery sides, to which it would be impossible to cling. At this sudden blow, which could not have been parried, the bow of the boat was split open and the water poured into it in torrents. We are sinking, we are siking, cried Jasper Hobbson. He was right, the boat was settling down. The water had already reached the seats. Madam, madam, I am here, I will not leave you, added the Lieutenant. No, no, cried Mrs. Barnett, alone you may save yourself. Together we should perish, leave me, leave me. Never, cried Hobbson. But he had scarcely pronounced this word when the boat struck by another wave filled and sank. Both were drawn under the water by the eddy caused by the sudden settling down of the boat. But in a few instants they rose to the surface. Hobbson was a strong swimmer and struck out with one arm, supporting his companion with the other. But it was evident that he could not long sustain a conflict with the furious waves, and that he must perish with her he wished to save. At this moment a strange sound attracted his attention. It was not the cry of a frightened bird, but the shout of a human voice. By one supreme effort Hobbson raised himself above the waves and looked around him. But he could distinguish nothing in a thick fog, and yet again he heard cries. This time nearer to him some bold men were coming to a sucker. Alas, if it were so, they would arrive too late. Encumbered by his clothes the lieutenant felt himself sinking with the unfortunate lady whose head he could scarcely keep out of the water. With a last despairing effort he uttered a heart-rending cry and disappeared beneath the waves. It was, however, no mistake he had heard voices. Three men, wandering about by the lake, had seen the boat in danger and put off to its rescue. They were Eskimo, the only men who could have hoped to weather such a storm, for theirs are the only boats constructed to escape destruction in these fearful tempests. The Eskimo boat or kayak is a long pierogue raised at each end, made of a light framework of wood, covered with stretched seal-skins strongly stitched with the sinews of the walrus. In the upper part of the boat, also covered with skins, is an opening in which the Eskimo takes his place, fastening his waterproof jacket to the back of the seat, so that he is actually joined to his bark, which not a drop of water can penetrate. This light, easily managed kayak, floating as it does on the crests of the waves, can never be submerged, and if sometimes capsized, a blow of the paddle writes it again directly, so that it is able to live and make way in seas in which any other boat would certainly be dashed to pieces. The three Eskimo, guided by the lieutenant's last despairing cry, arrived at the scene of the wreck, just in time. Hobson and Mrs. Barnett, already half-drowned, felt themselves drawn up by the powerful hands, but in the darkness they were unable to discover who were the deliverers. One of the men took the lieutenant and laid him across his own boat, another did the same for Mrs. Barnett, and the three kayaks skillfully managed with the paddles, six feet long, sped rapidly over the white foam. Half an hour afterwards the shipwrecked travelers were lying on the sandy beach three miles above Fort Providence. The old sailor alone was missing. PART ONE CHAPTER X It was about ten o'clock the same night when Mrs. Barnett and Lieutenant Hobson knocked at the postern gate of the fort. Great was the joy on seeing them, for they had been given up for lost. But this joy was turned to mourning at the news of the death of Norman. The brave fellow had been beloved by all, and his loss was sincerely mourned. The intrepid and devoted Eskimo received flagmetically the earnest expressions of gratitude of those they had saved, and could not be persuaded to come to the fort. What they had done seemed to them only natural, and these were not the first persons they had rescued, so they quietly returned to their wildlife of adventure on the lake, where they hunted the otters and water-birds day and night. For the next three nights the party rested. Hobson always intended to set out on June 2nd, and on that day, all having recovered from their fatigues and the storm having abated, the order was given to start. Sergeant Felton had done all in his power to make his guests comfortable and to aid their enterprise. Some of the jaded dogs were replaced by fresh animals, and now the Lieutenant found all his sledges drawn up in good order at the door of the incant, and awaiting the travellers. The Adjia were soon over. Each one thanked Sergeant Felton for his hospitality, and Mrs. Paulina Barnett was most profuse in her expressions of gratitude. A hearty shake of the hand between the Sergeant and his brother-in-law long completed the leave-taking. Each pair got into the sledge assigned to them, but this time Mrs. Barnett and the Lieutenant shared one vehicle, Maj. and Sergeant Long following them. According to the advice of the Indian chief, Hobson determined to get to the coast by the shortest route, and to take a northeasterly direction. After consulting his map, which merely gave a rough outline of the configuration of the country, it seemed best to him to descend the valley of the copper mine, a large river which flows into coronation gulf. The distance between Fort Confidence and the mouth of this river is only a degree and a half, that is to say, about eighty-five or ninety miles. The deep hollow, formed by the gulf, is bounded on the north by Cape Christenstein, and from it the coast jets out towards the northwest, ending in Cape Bathurst, which is above the seventieth parallel. The Lieutenant therefore now changed the route he had hitherto followed, directing his course to the east so as to reach the river in a few hours. In the afternoon of the next day, June 3rd, the river was gained. It was now free from ice, and its clear and rapid waters flowed through a vast valley, intersected by numerous but easily affordable streams. The sledges advanced pretty rapidly, and as they went along, Hobbson gave his companions some account of the country through which they were passing. A sincere friendship founded on mutual esteem had sprung up between these two. Mrs. Paulina Barnett was an earnest student with a special gift for discovery, and was therefore always glad to converse with travelers and explorers. Hobbson, who knew his beloved North America by heart, was able to answer all her inquiries fully. About ninety years ago, he said, the territory through which the copper mine flows was unknown, and we are indebted for its discovery to the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company. But as always happens, in scientific matters, in seeking one thing, another was found. Columbus was trying to find Asia, and discovered America. And what were the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company seeking? The famous Northwest Passage? No, madam, replied the young lieutenant. A century ago the company had no interest in the opening of a new route, which would have been more valuable to its rifles than to it. It is even said that in 1741 a certain Christopher Middleton, sent to explore these latitudes, was publicly charged with receiving a bribe of five hundred pounds from the company to say that there was not, and could not be, a sea passage between the oceans. That was not much to the credit of the celebrated company, said Mrs. Barnett. I do not defend it in the matter, replied Hobbson, and its interference was severely censured by Parliament in 1746, when a reward of twenty thousand pounds was offered by the government for the discovery of the passage in question. In that year two intrepid explorers, William Moore and Francis Smith, penetrated as far as Repulse Bay in the hope of discovering the much-longed-four passage. But they were unsuccessful, and returned to England after an absence of a year-and-a-half. But did not other captains follow in their steps, resolve to conquer where they had failed? inquired Mrs. Barnett. No, madam, and in spite of the large reward offered by Parliament, no attempt was made to resume explorations in English America until thirty years afterwards, when some agents of the company took up the unfinished tasks of captains Moore and Smith. The company had then relinquished the narrow-minded egotistical position it had taken up. No, madam, not yet. Samuel Hearn, the agent, only went to reconnoitre the position of a copper mine which native miners had reported. On November 6, 1769, this agent left Fort Prince of Wales on the River Churchill near the western shores of Hudson's Bay. He pressed boldly on to the north-west, but the excess of cold and the exhaustion of his provisions compelled him to return without accomplishing anything. Fortunately he was not easily discouraged, and on February 23 of the next year he set out again, this time taking some indience with him. Great hardships were endured in this second journey. The fish and game on which Hearn had relied often failed him, and he had once nothing to eat for seven days but wild fruit, bits of old leather and burnt bones. He was again compelled to return to the fort a disappointed man. But he did not even yet despair, and started a third time, December 7, 1770, and after a struggle of nineteen months he discovered the Copper Mine River July 13, 1772, the course of which he followed to its mouth. According to his account he saw the open sea, and in any case he was the first to penetrate to the north coast of America. With the north-west passage, that is to say, the direct communication by sea between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was not then discovered? Oh, no, madam, replied the Lieutenant, and what countless adventurous sailors have since gone to seek it. Fipes in 1773, James Cook and Clark in 1776 to 1779, Cootsbugh in 1815 to 1818, Ross, Perry, Franklin, and others have attempted this difficult task, but it was reserved to McClure in our own day to pass from one ocean to the other across the polar sea. Well, Lieutenant, that was a geographical discovery of which we English may well be proud. But do tell me if the Hudson's Bay Company did not adopt more generous views and send out some other explorer after the return of Hearn? It did, madam, and it was thanks to it that Captain Franklin was able to accomplish his voyage of 1819 to 1822 between the river discovered by Hearn and Cape Ternigan. This expedition endured great fatigue and hardships, provisions often completely failed, and two Canadians were assassinated and eaten by their comrades. But in spite of all his sufferings, Captain Franklin explored no less than 5,550 miles of the hitherto unknown coast of North America. He was indeed a man of energy, added Mrs. Burnett, and he gave proof of his great qualities in starting on a fresh polar expedition after all he had gone through. Yes, replied the Lieutenant, and he met a terrible death in the land his own intrepidied had discovered. It has now been proved, however, that all his companions did not perish with him. Many are doubtless, still wandering about on the vast ice-fields. I cannot think of their awful condition without a shutter. One day, he added earnestly, and with strange emotion, one day I will search the unknown lands where the dreadful catastrophe took place, and— And, exclaimed Mrs. Burnett, pressing his hand, I will accompany you. Yes, this idea has occurred to me more than once, as it has to you, and my heart beats high when I think that fellow-countrymen of my own Englishmen are a waiting sucker. Which will come too late for most of them, madam, said the Lieutenant, but rest assured some will even yet be saved. God grant it, Lieutenant! replied Mrs. Burnett, and it appears to me that the agents of the company, living as they do close to the coast, are better fitted than any one else to fulfill this duty of humanity. I agree with you, madam, they are, as they have often proved, inured to the rigors of the Arctic climate. Was it not they who aided Captain Back in his voyage in 1834, when he discovered King William's land, where Franklin met his fate? Was it not two of us, Dees and Simpson, who were sent by the Governor of Hudson's Bay to explore the shores of the Polar Sea, in 1838, and whose courageous efforts first discovered Victoria land? It is my opinion that the future reserves for the Hudson's Bay Company the final conquests of the Arctic regions. Finally its factories are advancing further and further north, following the retreat of the fur-yielding animals, and one day a fort will be erected on the pole itself. That mathematical point were meet all the meridians of the globe. During this and the succeeding journeys Jasper Hobson related his own adventures since he entered the service of the company, his struggles with the agents of rival associations, and his efforts to explore the unknown districts of the North or West. Then Mrs. Barnette, on her side, told of her travels in the tropics. She spoke of all she had done, and of all she hoped to accomplish, so that the long hours, lightened by pleasant conversation, passed rapidly away. Meanwhile the dogs advanced at full gallop towards the North. The copper-mine valley widened sensibly as they neared the Arctic Ocean. The hills on either side sank lower and lower, and only scattered clumps of resinous trees broke the monotony of the landscape. A few blocks of ice, drifted down by the river, still resisted the action of the sun. But each day their numbers decreased, and a canoe, or even a good-sized boat, might easily have descended the stream, the course of which was unimpeded by any natural barrier or aggregation of rocks. The bed of the copper-mine was both deep and wide, its waters were very clear, and being fed by the melted snow, flowed on at a considerable pace, never, however, forming dangerous rapids. Its course, at first very sinuous, became gradually less and less winding, and at last stretched along in a straight line for several miles. Its banks, composed of fine firm sand, and clothed in part with short-dry herbage, were wide and level, so that the long train of sledges sped rapidly over them. The expedition travelled day and night, if we can speak of the night, when the sun, describing an almost horizontal circle, scarcely disappeared at all. The true night only lasted two hours, and the dawn succeeded the twilight almost immediately. The weather was fine, the sky clear, although somewhat misty on the horizon, and everything combined to favour the travellers. For two days they kept along the river banks, without meeting any difficulties. They saw but few fur-bearing animals, but there were plenty of birds, which might have been counted by thousands. The absence of otters, sables, beavers, air-mines, foxes, etc., did not trouble the lieutenant much, for he supposed that they had been driven further north by over-cellist tracking, and indeed the marks of encampments, extinguished fires, etc., told of the more or less recent passage of native hunters. Hobson knew that he would have to penetrate a good deal further north, and that part only of his journey would be accomplished when he got to the mouth of the Coppermine River. He was therefore most eager to reach the limit of Hearn's exploration, and pressed on as rapidly as possible. Everyone shared the lieutenants' impatience, and resolutely resisted fatigue in order to reach the Arctic Ocean, with the least possible delay. They were drawn onwards by an indefinable attraction. The glory of the unknown dazzled their sight. Probably real hardships would commence when they did arrive at the much-desired coast. But no matter, they longed to battle with the difficulties and to press straight onwards to their aim. The district they were now traversing could have no direct interest for them. The real exploration would only commence on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Each one then would gladly hail the arrival in the elevated western districts for which they were bound, cut across though they were by the seventieth parallel of north latitude. On the fifth June, four days after leaving Fort Confidence, the river widened considerably. The western banks, curving slightly, almost ran due north, whilst the eastern rounded off into the coastline, searching away as far as the eye could reach. Lieutenant Hobson paused and waving his hand to his companions, pointed to the boundless ocean. CHAPTER X Coronation Gulf, the large estuary dotted with the islands forming the Duke of York Archipelago, which the party had now reached, was a sheet of water with irregular banks. Let in, as it were, entered the North American continent. At its western angle opened the mouth of the copper mine, and on the east, a long narrow creek, called Bathurst Inlet, ran into the mainland, from which stretched the jagged broken coast with its pointed capes and rugged promontories. Ending in that confusion of straits, sounds, and channels which gives such a strange appearance to the maps of North America. On the other side the coast turned abruptly to the north beyond the mouth of the copper mine, and ended in Cape Christenstern. After consulting with Sergeant Long, Lieutenant Hobson decided to give his party a day's rest here. The exploration, properly so called, which was to enable the Lieutenant to fix upon a suitable site for the establishment of a fort, was now really about to begin. The company had advised him to keep as much as possible above the Seventieth Parallel, and on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. To obey his orders, Hobson was obliged to keep to the west, for on the east, with the exception perhaps of the land of Buthia, crossed by the Seventieth Parallel, the whole country belongs rather to the Arctic Circle, and the geographical conformation of Buthia is as yet but imperfectly known. After carefully ascertaining the latitude and longitude, and verifying his position by the map, the Lieutenant found that he was a hundred miles below the Seventieth Degree. But beyond Cape Christenstern, the coastline running in a northeasterly direction, abruptly crosses the Seventieth Parallel at a sharp angle near the one hundred and thirtieth meridian, and at about the same elevation as Cape Bathurst, the spot named as a rendezvous by Captain Creventy. He must therefore make for that point, and should the site appear suitable, the new fort would be erected there. There, said the Lieutenant, to his subordinate long, we shall be in the position ordered by the company. There the sea, open for a great part of the year, will allow the vessels from Bering Strait to come right up to the fort, bringing us fresh provisions and taking away our commodities. Not to mention, added Sergeant Long, that our men will be entitled to double-pay all the time they are beyond the Seventieth Parallel. Of course, that is understood, replied Hobson, and I dare say they will accept it without a murmur. Well, then, Lieutenant, said Long simply, we have now only to start for Cape Bathurst. But as the day of rest had been promised, the start did not actually take place until the next day, June 6. The second part of the journey would naturally be very different from the first. The rules with regard to the sledges, keeping their rank, need no longer be enforced, and each couple drove as it pleased them. Only short distances were traversed at a time, halts were made at every angle of the coast, and the party often walked. Lieutenant Hobson only urged two things upon his companions, not to go further than three miles from the coast, and to rally their forces twice a day, at twelve o'clock and in the evening. That night they all encamped in tents. The weather continued very fine and the temperature moderate, maintaining a mean height of fifty-nine degrees Fahrenheit above zero. Two or three times sudden snowstorms came on, but they did not last long, and exercised no sensible influence upon the temperature. The whole of the American coast, between Capes Christenstern and Perry, comprising an extent of more than two hundred and fifty miles, was examined with the greatest care between the sixth and twentieth of June. Geographical observations were accurately taken, and Hobson, most effectively aided by Thomas Black, was able to rectify certain errors in previous marine surveys, whilst the primary object of the expedition, the examination into the quality and quantity of the game in the surrounding districts, was not neglected. For these lands well stocked with game, could they count with certainty not only on a good supply of furs, but also of meat? Would the resources of the country provide a fort, with provisions in the summer months at least? Such were the grave questions which Lieutenant Hobson had to solve, and which called for immediate attention. We give a summary of the conclusions at which he arrived. Everything, properly so called, of the kind for which Corpo's relief, amongst others, had a special predilection, was not abundant. There were plenty of birds of the dark tribe, but only a few polar hares. Difficult of approach. Poorly represented the rodents of the north. There seemed, however, to be a good many bears about. Marbra and Sabine had come upon fresh traces of several. Some were even seen and tracked. But as a rule they kept at a respectful distance. In the winter, however, driven by famine from higher latitudes, there would probably be more than enough of these ravenous beasts prowling about the shores of the Arctic Ocean. There is certainly no denying, said Corpo's relief, that bear's flesh is very good-eating, when once it is in the larder. But there is something very problematical about it beforehand, and it's always just possible that the hunters themselves may meet the fate they intended for the bears. This was true enough. It was no use counting upon the bears to provision their fort. Fortunately traces were found of herds of a far more useful animal, the flesh of which is the principal food of the Indians and Eskimo. We allude to the reindeer and Corpo's relief, announced with the greatest satisfaction, that there were plenty of these ruminants on this coast. The ground was covered with the lichen to which they are so partial, and which they cleverly dig out from under the snow. There could be no mistake as to the footprints left by the reindeer, as, like the camel, they have a small, nail-like hoof with a convex surface. Large herds, sometimes numbering several thousand animals, are seen running wild in certain parts of America. Being easily domesticated, they are employed to draw sledges, and they also supply the factories with excellent milk, more nourishing than that of cows. Their dead bodies are not less useful, their thick skin provides clothes, their hair makes very good thread, and their flesh is palatable, so that they are really the most valuable animals to be found in these latitudes, and Hobson, being assured of their presence, was relieved from half his anxiety. As he advanced he had also reason to be satisfied with regard to the fur-bearing animals. By the little streams rose many beaver lodges and musk-rat tunnels, badgers, lynxes, air-mines, wolverines, sables, pole-cats, etc., frequented these districts, hitherto undisturbed by hunters. They had thus far come to no trace of the presence of man, and the animals had chosen their refuge well. Footprints were also found of the fine blue and silver foxes, which are becoming more and more rare, and the fur of which is worth its weight in gold. Sabine and McNabb might many a time have shot a very valuable animal on this excursion, but the lieutenant had wisely forbidden all hunting of the kind. He did not wish to alarm the animals before the approaching season, that is to say, before the winter months when the fur becomes thicker and more beautiful. It was also desirable not to overload the sledges. The hunters saw the force of his reasoning, but for all that their fingers itched when they came within shot range of a sable or some valuable fox. Their lieutenant's orders were, however, not to be disobeyed. Polar bears and birds were therefore all that the hunters had to practice upon in this second stage of their journey. The former, however, not yet rendered bold by hunger, soon scampered off, and no serious struggle with them ensued. The poor birds suffered for the enforced immunity of the quadrupeds. White-headed eagles, huge birds with a harsh, screeching cry, fishing hawks which build their nests in dead trees and migrate to the Arctic regions in the summer, snow-buntings with pure white plumage, wild geese which afford the best food of all the answers-tribe, ducks with red heads and black breasts, hash-coloured crows, a kind of mocking-jay of extreme ugliness, iderducks, scooters, or black divers, etc., etc. Whose mingled cries awake the echoes of the Arctic regions, fell victims by hundreds to the unerring aim of Marlborough and Sabine. These birds haunt the high latitudes by millions, and it would be impossible to form an accurate estimate of their number on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Their flesh formed a very pleasant addition to the daily rations of biscuit and corned beef, and we can understand that the hunters laid up a good stock of them in the fifteen days during which they were debarred from attacking more valuable game. There would be no lack of animal food, the magazines of the company would be well stocked with game, and its offices filled with furs and traders, but something more was wanted to ensure success to the undertaking. Would it be possible to obtain a sufficient supply of fuel to contend with the rigor of an Arctic winter at so elevated a latitude? Most fortunately the coast was well wooded. The hills which sloped down towards the sea were crowned with green trees, amongst which the pine predominated. Some of the woods might even be called forests, and would constitute an admirable reserve of timber for the fort. Here and there Hobbeson noticed isolated groups of willows, poplars, dwarf birch trees, and numerous thickets of arbutus. At this time of the warm season all these trees were covered with verger, and were an unexpected and refreshing sight to eyes so long accustomed to the rugged, barren, polar landscape. The ground at the foot of the hills was carpeted with a short herbage devoured with avidity by the reindeer, and forming their only sustenance in winter. On the whole then the lieutenant had reason to congratulate himself on having chosen the northwest of the American continent for the foundation of a new settlement. We have said that these territories, so rich in animals, were apparently deserted by men. The travellers saw neither Eskimo, who prefer the districts round Hudson's Bay, nor Indians who seldom venture so far beyond the Arctic Circle. And indeed in these remote latitudes hunters may be overtaken by storms, or be suddenly surprised by winter, and cut off from all communication with their fellow-creatures. We can easily imagine that Lieutenant Hobson was by no means sorry to meet any rival explorers. What he wanted was an unoccupied country, a deserted land suitable as a refuge for the fur-bearing animals. And in this matter he had the full sympathy of Mrs. Barnett, who, as the guest of the company, naturally took a great interest in the success of its schemes. Fancy then the disappointment of the lieutenant, when on the morning of the twentieth June he came to an encampment but recently abandoned. It was situated at the end of a narrow creek called Darnley Bay, of which Cape Perry is the westernmost point. There at the foot of a little hill were the stakes which had served to mark the limits of the camp, and heaps of cinders, the extinct embers of the fires. The whole party met at this encampment, and all understood how great a disappointment it involved for Lieutenant Hobson. What a pity, he exclaimed, I would rather have met a whole family of polar bears. But I daresay the men who encamped here are already far off," said Mrs. Barnett, very likely they have returned to their usual hunting grounds. "'That is, as it may be,' replied the lieutenant. "'If these be the traces of Eskimo, they are more likely to have gone on than to have turned back. And if they be those of Indians, they are probably like ourselves, seeking a new hunting district. And in either case it will be very unfortunate for us.' "'But,' said Mrs. Barnett, can we not find out to what race the travelers do belong? Can't we ascertain if they are Eskimo or Indians from the south? I should think tribes of such a different origin, and of such dissimilar customs, would not encamp in the same manner.' Mrs. Barnett was right. They might possibly solve the mystery after a thorough examination of the ground. Jasper Hobbson and others said to work, carefully examining every trace, every object left behind, every mark in the ground, but in vain there was nothing to guide them to a decided opinion. The bones of some animals scattered about told them nothing, and the lieutenant, much annoyed, was about to abandon the useless search when he heard an exclamation from Mrs. Jolief, who had wandered a little way to the left. All hurried towards the young Canadian, who remained fixed to the spot, looking attentively at the ground before her. As her companions came up, she said, "'You are looking for traces, lieutenant? Well, here are some.' Mrs. Jolief pointed to a good many footprints, clearly visible in the firm clay. These might reveal something, for the feet of the Indians in Eskimo, as well as their boots, are totally different from each other. But what chiefly struck Lieutenant Hobbson was the strange arrangement of these impressions. They were evidently made by a human foot, a shard foot, but, strange to say, the ball alone appeared to have touched the ground. The marks are very numerous, close together, often crossing one another, but confined to a very small circle. Jasper Hobbson called the attention of the rest of the party to this singular circumstance. "'These were not made by a person walking,' he said. "'Nor by a person jumping,' added Mrs. Barnett, for there is no mark of a hill. "'No,' said Mrs. Jolief, these footprints were left by a dancer.' She was right, as further examination proved. They were the marks left by a dancer, and a dancer engaged in some light and graceful exercise, for they were neither clumsy nor deep. But who could the light-hearted individual be, who had been impelled to dance in this sprightly fashion some degrees above the arctic circle?' "'It was certainly not an Eskimo,' said the Lieutenant.' "'Nor an Indian,' cried Corporal Jolief. "'No, it was a Frenchman,' said Sergeant Long quietly, and all agreed that none but a Frenchman could have been capable of dancing on such a spot.' CHAPTER XI Sergeant Long's assertion must appear to have been founded on insufficient evidence, that there had been dancing no one could deny, that the dancer was a Frenchman, however probable, could not be considered proved. However, the Lieutenant shared the opinion of his subordinate, which did not appear too positive to any of the party, who all agreed in feeling sure that some travellers, with at least one compatriot of Vestris, amongst them, had recently encamped on this spot. Of course, Lieutenant Hobson was by no means pleased at this. He was afraid of having been preceded by rivals in the north- western districts of English America, and secret as the company had kept its scheme it had doubtless been divulged in the commercial centres of Canada and the United States. The Lieutenant resumed his interrupted march, but he was full of care and anxiety, although he would not now have dreamed of retracing his steps. Frenchmen are then sometimes met with in these high latitudes, was Mrs. Barnett's natural question after this incident. Yes, madam, replied the Lieutenant, or if not exactly Frenchmen, the descendants of the Masters of Canada when it belonged to France, which comes to much the same thing. These men are, in fact, our most formidable rivals. But I thought, resumed Mrs. Barnett, that after the absorption by the Hudson's Bay Company of the Old Northwest Company that it had no longer any rivals on the American Continent. Although there is no longer any important association for trading in furs except our own, there are a good many perfectly independent private companies, mostly American, which have retained French agents or their descendants in their employ. Are these agents then held in such high esteem? asked Mrs. Barnett. Yes, madam, and with good reason, during the ninety-four years of French supremacy in Canada, French agents always proved themselves superior to ours. We must be just, even, to our rivals. Especially to our rivals, added Mrs. Barnett. Yes, especially. At that time French hunters, starting from Montreal, their headquarters, pressed on to the north with greater hardy-hood than any others. They lived for years with the Indian tribes, sometimes intermarrying with them. The natives called them, the Canadian travelers, and were on the most intimate terms with them. They were bold, clever fellows, expert at navigating streams, light-hearted and merry, adapting themselves to circumstances with the easy flexibility of their race, and always ready to sing or dance. And do you suppose that hunting is the only object of the party whose traces we have just discovered? I don't think any other hypotheses at all likely, replied Hobson. They are sure to be seeking new hunting grounds, but as we cannot possibly stop them, we must make haste to begin our own operations, and compete boldly with all rivals. Lieutenant Hobson was now prepared for the competition he could not prevent, and he urged on the march at his party as much as possible, hoping that his rivals might not follow him beyond the seventieth parallel. The expedition now descended towards the south for some twenty miles, in order the more easily to pass around Franklin Bay. The country was still covered with verger, and the quadrupeds and birds already enumerated were as plentiful as ever, so that they could reasonably hope that the whole of the northwest coast of the American continent were populated in the same manner. The ocean which bathed these shores stretched away as far as the eye could reach. Recent outlaces give no land beyond the North American coastline, and it is only the icebergs which impede the free navigation of the open sea from Bering Strait to the pole itself. On the fourth of July the travellers skirted around another deep bay called Washburn Bay, and reached the furthest point of a little lake. Until then imperfectly known, covering but a small extent of territory, scarcely two square miles, in fact it was rather a lagoon or large pond of sweet water than a lake. The sledges went on easily and rapidly, and the appearance of the country was most encouraging to the explorers. It seemed that the extremity of Cape Bathurst would be a most favourable site for the new fort, as with this lagoon behind them, and the sea open for four or five months in the warm season, and giving access to the great highway of the Bering Strait before them it would be easy for the exiles to lay in fresh provisions and to export their commodities. On fifth June about three o'clock in the afternoon the party at last halted at the extremity of Cape Bathurst. It remained to ascertain the exact position of this Cape, which the maps place above the Seventieth Parallel. It was, however, impossible to rely upon the marine surveys of the coast, as they had never yet been made with exactitude. Jasper Hobson decided to wait and ascertain the latitude and longitude. What prevents us from settling here? asked Corporal Jolif. You will own, Lieutenant, that it is a very inviting spot. It will be more inviting still if you get double pay here, my worthy Corporal, replied Hobson. No doubt, said Jolif, and the orders of the company must be obeyed. Then wait patiently till to-morrow, added Hobson, and if we find that Cape Bathurst is really beyond seventy degrees north latitude we will pitch our tent here. The site was indeed admirably suited for the foundation of a new settlement. The wooded heights surrounding the lagoon would supply plenty of pine, birch, and other woods for the construction of the fort, and for stocking it with fuel. The Lieutenant and some of his companions went to the very edge of the Cape, and found that towards the west the coastline formed a lengthened curve, beyond which icebergs of a considerable height shut out the view. The water of the lagoon, instead of being brackish as they expected, from its close vicinity to the sea, was perfectly sweet. But had it not been so, drinkable water would not have failed the little colony, as a fresh and limpid stream ran a few yards to the southeast of Cape Bathurst, and emptied itself into the Arctic Ocean through a narrow inlet which protected by a singular accumulation of sand and earth, instead of by rocks would have afforded a refuge to several vessels from the winds of the offing, and might be turned to account for the anchorage of the ships which it was hoped would come to the new settlement from bearing straight. Out of compliment to the lady of the party, and much to her delight, Lieutenant Hobson named the stream Paulina River, and the little harbour Port Barnett. By building the fort a little behind the actual Cape, the principal house and the magazines would be quite sheltered from the coldest winds. The elevation of the Cape would help to protect them from the snowdrifts, which sometimes completely bury large buildings beneath their heavy avalanches in a few hours. There was plenty of room between the foot of the promontory and the bank of the lagoon, for all the construction necessary to afford. It could even be surrounded by palisades which would break the shock of the icebergs. And the Cape itself might be surrounded with a fortified re-dupe, if the vicinity of rivals should render such a purely defensive erection necessary. And the Lieutenant, although with no idea of commencing anything of the kind as yet, naturally rejoiced at having met with an easily defensible position. The weather remained fine, and it was quite warm enough. There was not a cloud upon the sky. But of course the clear blue air of temperate and torrid zones could not be expected here, and the atmosphere was generally charged with a light mist. What would Cape Bathurst be like in the long winter nights, of four months when the ice mountains became fixed and rigid, and the hoarse north wind swept down upon the icebergs in all its fury? None of the party gave a thought to that time now. For the weather was beautiful, the verdant landscape smiled, and the waves sparkled in the sunbeams, whilst the temperature remained warm and pleasant. A provisional camp, the sledges forming its only material, was arranged for the night on the banks of the lagoon, and towards evening Mrs. Barnett, the Lieutenant, Sergeant Long and even Thomas Black, explored the surrounding district in order to ascertain its resources. It appeared to be in every respect suitable, and Hobson was eager for the next day that he might determine the exact situations and find out if it fulfilled the conditions imposed by the company. "'Well,' Lieutenant,' said the astronomer, when the examination was over, this is really a charming spot, such as I should not have imagined could have existed beyond the Arctic circle. "'Ah, Mr. Black,' cried Hobson, "'the finest countries in the world are to be found here, and I am impatient to ascertain our latitude and longitude.' "'Especially the latitude,' said the astronomer, whose eclipse was never out of his thoughts. And I expect your brave companions are as eager as yourself. Double pay beyond the Seventieth Parallel.' "'But Mr. Black,' said Mrs. Barnett, "'do you not yourself take an interest, a purely scientific interest in getting beyond that Parallel?' "'Of course, madam, of course. I am anxious to get beyond it, but not so terribly eager, according to our calculations, however, made with absolute accuracy. The solar eclipse, which I am ordered to watch, will only be total to an observer placed beyond the Seventieth Degree. And on this account I share the lieutenants and patients to determine the position of Kate Bathurst.' "'But I understand, Mr. Black,' said Mrs. Barnett, that this solar eclipse will not take place until the Eighteenth of July, 1860.' "'Yes, madam, on the Eighteenth of July, 1860.' "'And it is now only the Fifteenth of June, 1859, so that the phenomenon will not be visible for more than a year.' "'I am quite aware of it,' Mrs. Barnett,' replied the astronomer. "'But if I had not started till next year, I should have run a risk of being too late.' "'You would, Mr. Black,' said Hobbson. "'And you did well to start a year beforehand. You are now quite sure not to miss your eclipse. I own that our journey from Fort Reliance has been accomplished under exceptionally favorable circumstances. We have had little fatigue and few delays. To tell you the truth I did not expect to get to this part of the coast until middle of August. And if the eclipse had been expected this year, instead of next, you really might have been too late. Moreover, we do not yet know if we are beyond the Seventieth Parallel.' "'I do not in the least regret the journey I have taken in your company, Lieutenant, and I shall patiently wait until next year for my eclipse. The fair Phoebe, I fancy, is a sufficiently grand lady to be waited for.' "'The next day, July 6, a little afternoon, Hobbson and the astronomer made their preparations for taking the exact bearings of Kate Bathurst. The sun shone clearly enough for them to take the outlines exactly. At this season of the year too, it had reached its maximum height above the horizon, and consequently its culmination on its transit across the Meridian would facilitate the work of the two observers. Already the night before, and the same morning, by taking different altitudes and by means of a calculation of right ascensions, the Lieutenant and the astronomer had ascertained the longitude with great accuracy. But it was about the latitude that Hobbson was most anxious for what with the Meridian of Kate Bathurst mattered to him, should it not be situated beyond the Seventieth Parallel. Nune approached the man of the expedition gathered round the observers with their sextants ready in their hands. The brave fellows awaited the result of the observation, with an impatience which will be readily understood. It was now to be decided whether they had come to the end of the journey, or whether they must search still further for a spot, fulfilling the conditions imposed by the company. Probably no good result would have followed upon further explorations. According to the maps of North America, imperfect it is true, the western coast beyond Kate Bathurst slopes down below the Seventieth Parallel, not again rising above it, until it entered Russian America, where the English had yet no right to settle, so that Hobbson had shown considerable judgment in directing his course to Kate Bathurst after a thorough examination of the maps of these northern regions. This promontory is in fact the only one which shuts out beyond the Seventieth Parallel along the whole of the North American continent, properly so-called, that is to say, in English America, it remained to be proved that it really occupied the position assigned to it in maps. At this moment the sun was approaching the culmination point of its course, and the two observers pointed the telescopes of their sextants upon it. By means of inclined mirrors attached to the instruments the sun ought apparently to go back to the horizon itself, and the moment when it seemed to touch it with the lower side of its disk would be precisely that at which it would occupy the highest point of the diurnal arc, and consequently the exact moment when it would pass the meridian, in other words, it would be noon at the place where the observation was taken. All watched in anxious silence. Noon! cried Jasper Hobbson, and the astronomer at once. The telescopes were immediately lowered. The Lieutenant and Thomas Black read on the graduated limbs the value of the angles they had just obtained, and at once proceeded to note down their observations. A few minutes afterwards Lieutenant Hobbson rose and said, addressing his companions, My friends, from this date, July 6, I promise you double pay in the name of the Hudson's Bay Company. Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! for the company shouted the worthy companions of the Lieutenant with one voice. Cape Bathurst and its immediate neighbourhood were in very truth above the seventieth degree of North latitude. We give the result of these simultaneous observations which agreed to a second. Longitude 127 degrees, thirty-six minutes, twelve seconds, west of the meridian of Greenwich. Latitude 70 degrees, forty-four minutes, thirty-seven seconds, north. And that very evening these hardy pioneers, and camped so far from the inhabited world, watched the mighty luminary of day touch the edges of the western horizon without dipping beneath it. For the first time they saw the shining of the midnight sun. END OF CHAPTER 12 PART ONE CHAPTER XIII OF THE FURG COUNTRY This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. THE FURG COUNTRY by Jules Verne PART ONE CHAPTER XIII FORT HOPE The sight of the new fort was now finally determined on. It would be impossible to find a better situation than on the level ground behind Cape Bathurst. On the eastern bank of the lagoon Hobson determined to commence the construction of the principal house at once. Meanwhile all must accommodate themselves as best they could, and the sledges were ingeniously utilized to form a provisional encampment. His men, being very skillful, the lieutenant hoped to have the principal house ready in a month. It was to be large enough to accommodate for a time the nineteen persons of the party. Later, and before the excessive cold set in, if there should be time, the barracks for the soldiers and the magazines for the furs and skins were to be built. There was not much chance of getting it all done before the end of September, and after that date the winter with its first bitter frosts and long nights would arrest all further progress. Of the ten soldiers chosen by Captain Creventy, two, Marbrand Sabine, were skillful hunters. The other eight handled the hatchet with as much address as the musket. Like sailors they could turn their hands to anything, and were now to be treated more like workmen than soldiers, for they had to build a fort which there was as yet no enemy to attack. Peterson, Belche, Ray, Gary, Pond, Hope, and Calais formed the body of clever zealous carpenters under the able superintendence of Lilac Nab, a scotchman from Sterling, who had had considerable experience in the building, both of houses and boats. The men were well provided with tools, hatchets, center-bits, adzes, planes, handsaws, mallets, hammers, chisels, etc., etc. Ray was most skillful at blacksmith's work, and with the aid of a little portable forge he was able to make all the pins, tenons, bolts, nails, screws, nuts, etc., required in carpentry. They had no mason in the party, but none was wanted, as all the buildings of the factories in the north are of wood. Fortunately there were plenty of trees about Cape Bathurst, although as Hobson already remarked to Mrs. Barnette, there was not a rock, a stone, not even a flint or pebble, to be seen. The shore was strewn with innumerable quantities of bivalved shells, broken by the surf, and with seaweed or zoo-fights, mostly sea urchint and asteriodae. But the soil consisted entirely of earth and sand, without a morsel of silica or broken granite, and the Cape itself was but an accumulation of soft earth, the particles of which were scarcely held together by the vegetation, with which it was clothed. In the afternoon of the same day, July 6, Hobson and McNabb, the carpenter, went to choose the site of the principal house on the plateau at the foot of Cape Bathurst. From this point the view embraced the lagoon and the western districts to a distance of ten or twelve miles. On the right, about four miles off, towered icebergs of a considerable height, partly draped and missed, whilst on the left stretched apparently boundless plains, vast steps, which it would be impossible to distinguish from the frozen surface of the lagoon, or from the sea itself in the winter. The spot chosen, Hobson and McNabb, set out the outer walls of the house with a line. This outline formed a rectangle, measuring sixty feet on the larger side, and thirty on the smaller. The façade of the house would therefore have a length of sixty feet. It was to have a door and three windows on the side of the promontory, where the inner court was to be situated, and four windows on the side of the lagoon. The door was to open at the left corner, instead of in the middle. Of the back of the house, for the sake of warmth, this arrangement would impede the entrance of the outer air to the further rooms, and add considerably to the comfort of the inmates of the fort. According to the simple plan agreed upon by the lieutenant and his master carpenter, there would be four compartments in the house. The first to be an ante-chamber, with a double door to keep out the wind. The second to serve as a kitchen, that the cooking which would generate damp might all be done quite away from the living rooms. The third a large hall, where the daily meals were to be served in common, and the fourth to be divided into several cabins, like the state rooms on board ships. The soldiers were to occupy the dining hall provisionally, and a kind of camp-bed was arranged for them at the end of the room. The lieutenant, Mrs. Barnett, Thomas Black, Maj, Mrs. Jolif, Mrs. McNabb, and Mrs. Ray, were to lodge in the cabins of the fourth compartment. They would certainly be packed pretty closely, but it was only a temporary state of things. And when the barracks were constructed, the principal house would be reserved to the officer-in-command, his sergeant, Thomas Black, Mrs. Barnett, and her faithful mage, who never left her. Then the fourth compartment might perhaps be divided into three cabins instead of four, to avoid corners as much as possible, is a rule, which would never be forgotten by those who winter in high latitudes, nooks and corners are in fact so many receptacles of ice. The partitions impede the ventilation, and the moisture generated in the air freezes readily, and makes the atmosphere of the rooms unhealthy, causing grave maladies to those who sleep in them. On this account many navigators, who have to winter in the midst of ice, have one large room in the centre of their vessel, which is shared by officers and sailors-in-command. For obvious reasons, however, Hobbson could not adopt this plan. From the preceding description we shall have seen that the future house was to consist merely of a ground floor. The roof was to be high, and its sides to slope considerably, so the water could run easily off them. The snow-wood, however, settle upon them, and once they were covered with it, the house would be, so to speak, hermetically closed, and the inside temperature would be kept at the same mean height. Snow is in fact a very bad conductor of heat. It prevents it from entering, it is true, but what is more important in an arctic winter, it also keeps it from getting out. The carpenter was to build two chimneys, one above the kitchen, the other in connection with the stove of the large dining-room, which it was to heat, and the compartment containing the cabins. The architectural effect of the whole would certainly be poor, but the house would be as comfortable as possible, and what more could anyone desire. Certainly an artist who had once seen it would not soon forget this winter residence set down in the gloomy arctic twilight in the midst of snowdrifts, half hidden by icicles, draped in white from roof to foundation, its walls encrusted with snow, and the smoke from its fires assuming strangely contorted forms in the wind. But now, to tell of the actual construction of this house, as yet existing only in imagination, this of course was the business of McNabb and his men. And while the carpenters were at work, the foraging-party to whom the commissariat was entrusted would not be idle. There was plenty for everyone to do. The first step was to choose suitable timber, and a species of scotch fur was decided on, which grew conveniently upon the neighbouring hills, and seemed altogether well adapted to the multifarious uses to which it would be put. For in the rough and ready style of habitation, which they were planning, there could be no variety of material, and every part of the house, outside and inside walls, flooring, ceiling, partitions, rafters, ridges, framework, and tiling, would have to be contrived of planks, beams, and timbers. As may readily be supposed, finished workmanship was not necessary for such a description of building, and McNabb was able to proceed very rapidly without endangering the safety of the building. About a hundred of these furs were chosen, and felled, they were neither barked nor squared, and formed so many timbers, averaging some twenty feet in length. The ax and chisel did not touch them except at the ends, in order to form the tenons and mortises by which they were to be secured to one another. Very few days suffice to complete this part of the work, and the timbers were brought down by the dogs to the site fixed on for the principal building. To start with, the site had been carefully leveled. The soil, a mixture of fine earth and sand, had been beaten and consolidated with heavy blows. The brushwood, with which it was originally covered, was burnt, and the thick layer of ashes, thus produced, would prevent the damp from penetrating the floors. A clean and dry foundation, having been thus secured, on which to lay the first joists, upright posts were fixed at each corner of the site, and at the extremities of the inside walls, to form the skeleton of the building. The post was sunk to a depth of some feet in the ground, after their ends had been hardened in the fire, and were slightly hollowed at each side to receive the cross-beams of the outer wall, between which the openings for the doors and windows had been arranged for. These posts were held together at the top by horizontal beams well let into the mortises, and consolidating the whole building. On these horizontal beams, which represented the architraves of the first two fronts, rested the high trusses of the roof, which overhung the walls like the ease of a chalet. Above this squared architrave were laid the joists of the ceiling, and those of the floor upon the layer of ashes. The timbers, both in the inside and outside walls, were only laid side by side. To ensure they're being properly joined, Ray the blacksmith drove strong iron bolts through them at intervals. And when even this contrivance proved insufficient to close the interstices, as hermetically as was necessary, McNabb had recourse to caulking, a process which seamen find invaluable in rendering vessels watertight. Only as a substitute for towel he used a sort of dry moss, with which the eastern side of the cape was covered, driving it into the crevices with caulking irons and a hammer, filling up each hollow with layers of hot tar, obtained without difficulty from the pine trees, and thus making the walls and boarding impervious to rain and damp of the winter season. The door and windows in the two fronts were roughly but strongly built, and the small panes of the later glazed with icing-glass, which, though rough, yellow and almost opaque, was yet the best substitute for glass, which the resources of the country afforded. And its imperfections really mattered little, as the windows were sure to be always open in fine weather, while during the long night of the arctic winter they would be useless, and have to be kept closed and defended by heavy shutters with strong bolts against the violence of the gales. Meanwhile the house was being quickly fitted up inside. By means of a double door between the outer and inner halls a two-sudden change of temperature was avoided, and the wind was prevented from blowing with unbroken force into the rooms. The air-pumps brought from Fort Reliance were so fixed as to let in fresh air whenever excessive cold prevented the opening of doors or windows, one being made to eject the impure air from within, the other to renew the supply. For the lieutenant had given his whole mind to this important matter. The principal cooking utensil was a large iron furnace which had been brought piece-mill from Fort Reliance, and which the carpenter put up without any difficulty. The chimneys for the kitchen and ball, however, seemed likely to tax the ingenuity of the workmen to the utmost, as no material within their reach was strong enough for the purpose, and stone, as we have said before, was nowhere to be found in the country around Cape Bathurst. The difficulty appeared insurmountable, when the invincible lieutenant suggested that they should utilize the shells with which the shore was strewed. Make chimneys of shells? cried the carpenter. Yes, McNabb! replied Hobson. We must collect the shells, grind them, burn them, and make them into lime, then mold the lime into bricks, and use them in the same way. Let us try the shells by all means, replied the carpenter, and so the idea was put in practice at once, and many tons collected of calciferous shells identical with those found in the lowest stratum of the tertiary formations. A furnace was constructed for the decomposition of the carbonate, which is so large an ingredient of these shells, and thus the lime required was obtained in the space of a few hours. It would perhaps be too much to say that the substance thus made was as entirely satisfactory as if it had gone through all the usual processes. But it answered its purpose, and strong conical chimneys soon adorned the roof, to the great satisfaction of Mrs. Paulina Barnette, who congratulated the originator of the scheme warmly on its success, only adding laughingly that she hoped the chimneys would not smoke. Of course they will smoke, madam! replied Hobson Cooley. All chimneys do. All this was finished within a month, and on the 6th of August they were to take possession of the new house. While McNabb and his men were working so hard, the foraging party with the lieutenant at its head had been exploring the environs of Kate Bathurst, and satisfied themselves that there would be no difficulty in supplying the company's demand for fur and feathers, so soon as they could set about hunting in earnest. In the meantime they prepared the way for the future sport, contenting themselves for the present with the capture of a few couples of reindeer, which they intended to domesticate for the sake of their milk and their young. They were kept in a paddock about fifty yards from the house, and entrusted the care of McNabb's wife, an Indian woman, well qualified to take charge of them. The care of the household fell to Mrs. Paulina Barnette, and this good woman, with Madge's help, was invaluable in providing for all the small wants which would inevitably have escaped the notice of the men. After scouring the country within a radius of several miles the lieutenant notified, as the result of his observations, that the territory on which they had established themselves, and to which he gave the name of Victoria Land, was a large peninsula about one hundred and fifty square miles in extent, with very clearly defined boundaries, connected with the American continent by an isthmus extending from the lower end of Washburn Bay on the east as far as the corresponding slope on the opposite coast. The lieutenant next proceeded to ascertain what were the resources of the lake and river, and found great reason to be satisfied with the result of his examination. The shallow waters of the lake, teemed with trout, pike, and other available freshwater fish. And the Little River was a favorite resort of salmon with shoals of white bait and smelts. The supply of sea fish was not so good, and though many a grumpus and whale passed by in the offing, the latter probably flying from the harpoons of the Bering Strait fishermen, there were no means of capturing them unless one by chance happened to get stranded on the coast. Nor would Hobbson allow any of the seals which abounded on the western shore to be taken until a satisfactory conclusion should be arrived as to how to use them to the best advantage. The colonists now considered themselves fairly installed in their new abode, and after due deliberation unanimously agreed to bestow upon the settlement the name of Fort Good Hope. Alas! the auspicious title was never to be inscribed upon a map. The undertaking begun so bravely, and with such prospects of success, was destined never to be carried out, and another disaster would have to be added to the long list of failures in Arctic Enterprise. The Ferd Country by Jules Verne. Part I. XIV. Some Excursions. It did not take long to furnish the new abode. A camp-bed was set up in the hall, and the carpenter McNabb constructed a most substantial table, around which were arranged fixed benches. A few movable seats and two enormous presses completed the furniture of this apartment. The inner room, which was also ready, was divided by solid partitions into six dormitories, the two end ones alone being lighted by windows looking to the front and back. The only furniture was a bed and a table. Mrs. Paulina Barnett and Madge were installed in one which looked immediately out upon the lake. Hobson offered the other with the window in it to Thomas Black, and the astronomer took immediate possession of it. The lieutenant's own room was a dark cell adjoining the hall, with no window but a bullseye pierced through the partition. Mrs. Jolieve, Mrs. McNabb, and Mrs. Ray, with their husbands, occupied the other dormitories. These good people agreed so well together that it would have been a pity to separate them. Moreover, an addition was expected shortly to the little colony, and McNabb had already gone so far as to secure the services of Mrs. Barnett as godmother, an honour which gave the good woman much satisfaction. The sledges had been entirely unloaded, and the bedding carried into the different rooms. All utensils, stores, and provisions which were not required for immediate use were stowed away in a garret to which a ladder gave access. The winter clothing, such as boots, overcoats, and furries and skins were also taken there, and protected from the damp enlarged chests. As soon as these arrangements were completed the lieutenant began to provide for the heating of the house. Knowing that the most energetic measures were necessary to combat the severity of the Arctic winter, and that during the weeks of intense cold there would be no possibility of leaving the house to forage for supplies, he ordered a quantity of fuel to be brought from the wooded hills in the neighbourhood, and took care to obtain a plentiful store of oil from the seals which abounded on the shore. In obedience to his orders and under his directions the house was provided with a condensing apparatus which would receive the internal moisture and was so constructed that the ice which would form in it could easily be removed. The question of heating was a very serious one to the lieutenant. I am a native of the polar regions, madam, he often said to Mrs. Barnett. I have some experience in these matters, and I have read over and over again books written by those who have wintered in these latitudes. It is impossible to take too many precautions in preparing to pass a winter in the Arctic regions, and nothing must be left a chance where a single neglect may prove fatal to the enterprise. Very true, Mr. Hobson, replied Mrs. Barnett, and you have evidently made up your mind to conquer the cold, but there is the food to be thought of, too. Yes, indeed, I have been thinking of that and mean to make all possible use of the produce of the country so as to economize our stores. As soon as we can we will make some foraging expeditions. We need not think about the furs at present, for there will be plenty of time during the winter to stock the company's depots. Besides, the furred animals have not got their winter clothing on yet, and the skins would lose fifty percent of their value if taken now. Let us content ourselves for the present with provisioning fort hope. Reindeer, elk, and any wapites that may have ventured so far north are the only game worth our notice just now. It will be no small undertaking to provide food for twenty people and sixty dogs. The lieutenant loved order, and determined to do everything in the most methodical manner, feeling confident that if his companions would help him to the utmost of their power nothing need be wanting to the success of the expedition. The weather at this season was almost always fine, and might be expected to continue so for five weeks longer when the snow would begin to fall. It was very important that the carpenters should make all possible use of the interval, and as soon as the principal house was finished, Hobson sent them to work to build an enormous kennel or shed in which to keep the team of dogs. This dog-house was built at the very foot of the promontory against the hill and some forty yards to the right of the house. Barracks for the accommodation of the men were to be built opposite this kennel on the left, while the store and powder magazines which occupy the front of the enclosure. Hobson determined with almost excessive prudence to have the factory enclosed before the winter set in. A strong fence of pointed stakes planted firmly in the ground was set up as a protection against the inroads of wild animals or the hostilities of the natives. The lieutenant had not forgotten an outrage which had been committed along the coast at no great distance from Fort Hope, and he well knew how essential it was to be safe from a coup-domain. The factory was therefore entirely encircled, and at each extremity of the lagoon McNab undertook to erect a wooden sentry-box commanding the coastline from which a watch could be kept without any danger. The men worked indefatigably, and it seemed likely that everything would be finished before the cold season set in. In the meantime hunting-parties were organized, the capture of seals being put off for a more convenient season. The sportsmen prepared to supply the fort with game, which might be dried and preserved for consumption during the bad season. Accordingly Marbra and Sabine, sometimes accompanied by the lieutenant and Sergeant Long, whose experience was invaluable, scoured the country daily for miles round, and it was no uncommon sight to see Mrs. Bonnet join them and step briskly along, shouldering her gun bravely, and never allowing herself to be outstripped by her companions. Throughout the month of August these expeditions were continued with great success, and the store of provisions increased rapidly. Marbra and Sabine were skilled in all the artifices which sportsmen employ in stocking their prey, particularly the reindeer, which are exceedingly wary. How patiently they would face the wind, lest the creature's keen sense of smell should warn it of their approach, and how cunningly they lured it on to its destruction by displaying the magnificent antlers of some former victim above the birch-bushes. They found a useful ally in a certain little traitorous bird to which the Indians have given the name of Monitor. It is kind of a daylight owl, about the size of a pigeon, and has earned its name by its habit of calling the attention of hunters to their quarry, by uttering a sharp note like the cry of a child. When about fifty reindeer, or to give them their Indian name, caribou, have been brought down by the guns, the flesh was cut into long strips for food, the skin being kept to be tanned and used for shoe-leather. Besides the caribou, there were also plenty of polar hairs which formed an agreeable addition to the larder. They were much less timorous than the European species, and allowed themselves to be caught in great numbers. They belonged to the rodent family, and have long ears, brown eyes, and a soft fur resembling swans down. They weigh from ten to fifteen pounds each, and their flesh is excellent. Hundreds of them were cared for winter use, and their remainder converted into excellent pies by the skillful hands of Mrs. Jolif. While making provision for future wants, the daily supplies were not neglected. In addition to the polar hairs, which underwent every variety of culmonary treatment from Mrs. Jolif, and one for her compliments innumerable from hunters and workmen alike, many water-fowl figured in the Bill of Fair. Besides the ducks which abounded on the shores of the lagoon, large flocks of grouse congregated round the clumps of stunted willows. They belong, as their zoological name implies, to the partridge family, and might be aptly described as white partridges, with long black-spotted feathers in the tail. The Indians call them willow-fowl, but to a European sportsman they are neither more nor less than black-cock tetro tetricks. When roasted slightly before a quick clear fire they proved delicious. Then there were the supplies furnished by lake and stream. Sergeant Long was a first-rate angler, and nothing could surpass the skill and patience with which he whipped the water and cast his line. The faithful mage, another worthy disciple of Isaac Walton, was perhaps his only equal. Day after day the two salad forth together rod in hand, to spend the day in mute companionship by the riverside, whence they were sure to return and triumph laden with some splendid specimens of the Salmon Tribe. But to return to our sportsman they soon found that their hunting excursions were not to be free from peril. Hobson perceived with some alarm that bears were very numerous in the neighborhood, and that scarcely a day passed without one or more of them being sighted. Sometimes these unwelcome visitors belonged to the family of brown bears so common throughout the whole cursed land. But now and then a solitary specimen of the formidable polar bear warned the hunters what dangers they might have to encounter as soon as the first frost should drive great numbers of these fearful animals to the neighborhood of Kate Bathurst. Every book of arctic exploration is full of accounts of the frequent perils to which travelers and whalers are exposed from the ferocity of these animals. Now and then, too, a distant pack of wolves was seen, which receded like a wave at the approach of the hunters, or the sound of their bark was heard as they followed the trail of a reindeer or wapiti. These creatures were large gray wolves about three feet high, with long tails whose fur becomes white in the winter. They abounded in this part of the country where food was plentiful, and frequented wooded spots where they lived in holes like foxes. During the temperate season when they could get as much as they wanted to eat they were scarcely dangerous, and fled with the characteristic cowardice of their race at the first sign of pursuit. But when impelled by hunger their numbers rendered them very formidable, and from the fact of their lairs being so close at hand they never left the country even in the depth of winter. One day the sportsmen returned to Fort Hope, bringing with them an unpleasant-looking animal which neither Mrs. Paulina Barnette nor the astronomer Thomas Black had ever before seen. It was a carnivorous creature of the Plantagrata family, and greatly resembled the American Glutton, being strongly built with short legs, and like all animals of the feline tribe, a very supple back. Its eyes were small and horny, and it was armed with curved claws and formidable jaws. What is this horrible creature? inquired Mrs. Paulina Barnette of Sabine, who replied in his usual, sententious manner. A scotchman would call it a quick-hatch, an Indian, an acaloo-ha-goo, and a Canadian, a karakajoo. And what do you call it? A wolverine, ma'am, returns Sabine, much delighted with the elegant way in which he had rounded his sentence. The wolverine, as this strange quadruped is called by zoologists, lives in hollow trees or rocky caves, wents at issues at night, and creates great havoc among beavers, muskrat, and other rodents, sometimes fighting with a fox or a wolf for its spoils. Its chief characteristics are great cunning, immense muscular power, and an acute sense of smell. It is found in very high latitudes, and the short fur with which it is clothed becomes almost black in the winter months, and forms a large item in the company's exports. During their excursions the settler paid as much attention to the flora of the country as to its fauna. But in those regions vegetation has necessarily a hard struggle for existence, as it must brave every season of the year, whereas the animals are able to migrate to a warmer climate during the winter. The hills on the eastern side of the lake were well covered with pine and fir trees, and Jasper also noticed the Takamahak, a species of poplar which grows to a great height, and shoots forth yellowish leaves which turn green in the autumn. These trees and larches were, however, few and sickly looking, as if they found the oblique rays of the sun insufficient to make them thrive. The black fir or Norway spruce throve better, especially when situated in ravines, while sheltered from the north wind. The young shoots of this tree are very valuable, yielding a favorite beverage known in North America as spruce beer. A good crop of these branchlets was gathered in and stored in the cellar of Fort Hope. There were also the dwarf birch, a shrub about two feet high, native to very cold climates, and whole thickets of cedars which are so valuable for few. Of vegetables which could be easily grown and used for food, this barren land yielded but few, and Mrs. Jolive, who took great interest in economic botany, only met with two plants which were available in cooking. One of these, a bulb, very difficult to classify, because its leaves fall off, just at the flowering season, turned out to be wild leek, and yielded a good crop of onions, each about the size of an egg. The other plant was that, known throughout North America, as Labrador tea. It grew abundantly on the shores of the lagoon, between clumps of willow and arbutus, and formed the principal food of the polar hares. Steeped in boiling water, and flavored with a few drops of brandy or gin, it formed an excellent beverage, and served to economize the supply of China tea, which the party had brought from Fort Reliance. Knowing the scarcity of vegetables, Jasper Hobson had plenty of seeds with him, chiefly sorrel, and scurvy grass, cochlearia, the anti-scorbutic properties of which are invaluable in these latitudes. In choosing the site of the settlement, such care had been taken to find a spot sheltered from the keen blasts which shriveled vegetation like a fire, that there was every chance of these seeds yielding a good crop in the ensuing season. The dispensary of the new fort contained other anti-scorbutics in the shape of casks of lemon and lime juice, both of which are absolutely indispensable to an Arctic expedition. Still the greatest economy was necessary with regard to the stores, as a long period of bad weather might cut off the communication between Fort Hope and the southern stations.