Part 19 (1/2)
Chapter XXII
In Ca ithin a mile of the land
After their dinner, the crew climbed up to the topmost block, on which Dirk Peters was stationed On our approach the half-breed descended the opposite slope and when I reached the top he was no longer to be seen
The land on the north evidently formed a continent or island of considerable extent On the west there was a sharply projecting cape, surht which resembled an enormous seal's head on the side view; then beyond that was a wide stretch of sea On the east the land was prolonged out of sight
Each one of us took in the position It depended on the current-whether it would carry the iceberg into an eddy which ht drive it on the coast, or continue to drift it towards the north
Which was the more aduerly, and I talked over thethereed that the current tended rather to carry the iceberg towards the northern point of land
”After all,” said Captain Len Guy, ”if it is habitable during theinhabited, since we cannot descry a hu on the shore”
”Let us bear inis not calculated to attract attention as the Halbrane would have done”
”Evidently, Mr Jeorling; and the natives, if there were any, would have been collected on the beach to see the Halbrane already”
”We must not conclude, captain, because we do not see any natives--”
”Certainly not, Mr Jeorling; but you will agree with me that the aspect of this land is very unlike that of Tsalal Island when the fane reached it; there is nothing here but desolation and barrenness”
”I acknowledge that--barrenness and desolation, that is all Nevertheless, I want to ask you whether it is your intention to go ashore, captain?”
”With the boat?”
”With the boat, should the current carry cur iceberg away fro, and the delay of a few hours ht condemn us to a cruel winter stay, if we arrived too late at the iceberg barrier”
”And, considering the distance, we are not too soon,” observed West
”I grant it,” I replied, still persisting ”But, to leave this land behind us without ever having set foot on it, without having made sure that it does not preserve the traces of an encampment, if your brother, captain--his companions--”
Captain Len Guy shook his head How could the castaways have supported life in this desolate region for severalwas hoisted on the sunized it and co
No one No one
At thiscertain points of approach, said,-- ”Let us wait a little before we come to a decision In less than an hour we shall be able to decide Our speed is slackening, it see us back obliquely to the coast”
”That ismachine is not stationary, it is nearly so It seeuerly were notout of tile course which it had followed continuously A giratoryto the action of an eddy which set towards the coast
Besides, several ice-e of the shore It was, then, useless to discuss whether we should take to the boat or not According as we approached, the desolation of the land beca sixthere would have appalled the stoutest hearts
At five in the afternoon, the iceberg plunged into a deep rift in the coast ending in a long point on the right, and there stuck fast
”On shore! On shore!” burst frole excla down the slope of the iceberg, when West commanded: ”Wait for orders!”
Some hesitation was shown--especially on the part of Hearne and several of his comrades Then the instinct of discipline prevailed, and finally the whole crew ranged themselves around Captain Len Guy It was not necessary to lower the boat, the iceberg being in contact with the point
The captain, the boatswain, andthe others, were the first to quit the cain and volcanic soil
We walked for twenty in, solidified lava, dusty slag, and grey ashes, but without enough clay to grow even thc hardiest plants
With some risk and difficulty, Captain Len Guy, the boatswain, and I succeeded in clih evening had now coht no darkness in its train From the top of the hill we could see over an extent of from thirty to forty miles, and this e saw
Behind us lay the open sea, laden with floating reat nuainst the beach and rendered it almost inaccessible
On the as a strip of hilly land, which extended beyond our sight, and ashed on its east side by a boundless sea It was evident that we had been carried by the drift through a strait
Ah! if we had only had our Halbrane! But our sole possession was a frail craft barely capable of containing a dozenfor it but to go down to the shore again, to carry the tents to the beach, and take measures in view of a winter sojourn under the terrible conditions imposed upon us by circumstances
On our return to the coast the boatswain discovered several caverns in the granitic cliffs, sufficiently spacious to house us all and afford storage for the cargo of the Halbrane Whatever ht be our ultimate decision, we could not do better than place our material and instal ourselves in this opportune shelter
After we had reascended the slopes of the iceberg and reached our ca man was Dirk Peters, who had decidedly isolated hi to fear froainst the ht count upon him When the circle had been forn of discouragement to appear, and explained the position with the ut in the first place that it was absolutely necessary to lower the cargo to the coast and stow it away in one of the caverns Concerning the vital question of food, he stated that the supply of flour, preserved etables would suffice for the winter, however prolonged, and on that of fuel he was satisfied that we should not want for coal, provided it was not wasted; and it would be possible to econoht brave the cold of the polar zone under a covering of snow and a roof of ice
Was the captain's tone of security feigned? I did not think so, especially as West approved of what he said
A third question raised by Hearne reer a the crew It was the question of the use to be ht the boat to be kept for the needs of our hibernation, or used to enable us to return to the iceberg barrier?
Captain Len Guy would not pronounce upon this; he desired to postpone the decision for twenty-four or forty-eight hours The boat, carrying the provisions necessary for such a voyage, could not accommodate more than eleven or, at the outside, twelve reed to, then its passengers must be selected by lot The captain proceeded to state that neither West, the boatswain, I, nor he would claie, but would submit to the fortune of the lot with all the others Both Martin Holt and Hardy were perfectly capable of taking the boat to the fishi+ng-grounds, where the whalers would still be found
Then, those to whoet their cohty-sixth parallel, and were to send a shi+p to take them off at the return of summer
All this was said in a tone as calm as it was firm I must do Captain Len Guy the justice to say that he rose to the occasion
When he had concluded--without any interruption even from Hearne--no one made a reiven case, lots were to be drawn under conditions of perfect equality
The hour of rest having arrived, each man entered the camp, partook of the supper prepared by Endicott, and went to sleep for the last time under the tents
Dirk Peters had not reappeared, and I sought for hi day, the 7th of February, everybody set to work early with a will The boat was let doith all due precaution to the base of the iceberg, and drawn up by the men on a little sandy beach out of reach of the water It was in perfectly good condition, and thoroughly serviceable