On the 25th of June the Forward arrived in sight of Cape1 Dundas at the north-western extremity2 of Prince of Wales’s Land. There the difficulty of navigating3 amongst the ice grew greater. The sea is narrower there, and the line made by Crozier, Young, Day, Lowther, and Garret Islands, like a chain of forts before a roadstead, forced the ice-streams to accumulate in this strait. The brig took from the 25th to the 30th of June to make as much way as she would have done in one day under any other circumstances; she stopped, retraced4 her steps, waiting for a favourable5 occasion so as not to miss Beechey Island, using a great deal of coal, as the fires were only moderated when she had to halt, but were never put out, so that she might be under pressure day and night. Hatteras knew the extent of his coal provision as well as Shandon, but as he was certain of getting his provision renewed at Beechey Island he would not lose a minute for the sake of economy; he had been much delayed by his forced march southward, and although he had taken the precaution of leaving England before the month of April, he did not find himself more advanced than preceding expeditions had been at the same epoch6. On the 30th they sighted Cape Walker at the north-eastern extremity of Prince of Wales’s Land; it was the extreme point that Kennedy and Bellot perceived on the 3rd of May, 1852, after an excursion across the whole of North Somerset. Before that, in 1851, Captain Ommaney, of the Austin expedition, had the good luck to revictual his detachments there. This cape is very high, and remarkable7 for its reddish-brown colour; from there, when the weather is clear, the view stretches as far as the entrance to Wellington Channel. Towards evening they saw Cape Bellot, separated from Cape Walker by McLeon Bay. Cape Bellot was so named in the presence of the young French officer, for whom the English expedition gave three cheers. At this spot the coast is made of yellowish limestone8, presenting a very rugged9 outline; it is defended by enormous icebergs10 which the north winds pile up there in a most imposing11 way. It was soon lost to sight by the Forward as she opened a passage amongst the ice to get to Beechey Island through Barrow Strait. Hatteras resolved to go straight on, and, so as not to be drifted further than the island, scarcely quitted his post during the following days; he often went to the masthead to look out for the most advantageous12 channels. All that pluck, skill, and genius could do he did while they were crossing the strait. Fortune did not favour him, for the sea is generally more open at this epoch. But at last, by dint13 of sparing neither his steam, his crew, nor himself, he attained14 his end.
On the 3rd of July, at 11 o’clock in the morning, the ice-master signalled land to the north. After taking an observation Hatteras recognised Beechey Island, that general meeting-place of Arctic navigators. Almost all ships that adventure in these seas stop there. Franklin wintered there for the first time before getting into Wellington Strait, and Creswell, with Lieutenant16 McClure, after having cleared 170 miles on the ice, rejoined the Phoenix17 and returned to England. The last ship which anchored at Beechey Island before the Forward was the Fox; McClintock revictualled there the 11th of August, 1858, and repaired the habitations and magazines; only two years had elapsed since then, and Hatteras knew all these details. The boatswain’s heart beat with emotion at the sight of this island; when he had visited it he was quartermaster on board the Phoenix; Hatteras questioned him about the coast line, the facilities for anchoring, how far they could go inland, &c.; the weather was magnificent, and the temperature kept at 57 degrees.
“Well, Johnson,” said the captain, “do you know where you are?”
“Yes, sir, that is Beechey Island; only you must let us get further north — the coast is more easy of access.”
“But where are the habitations and the magazines?” said Hatteras.
“Oh, you can’t see them till you land; they are sheltered behind those little hills you see yonder.”
“And is that where you transported a considerable quantity of provisions?”
“Yes, sir; the Admiralty sent us here in 1853, under the command of Captain Inglefield, with the steamer Phoenix and a transport ship, the Breadalbane, loaded with provisions; we brought enough with us to revictual a whole expedition.”
“But the commander of the Fox took a lot of them in 1858,” said Hatteras.
“That doesn’t matter, sir; there’ll be plenty left for you; the cold preserves them wonderfully, and we shall find them as fresh and in as good a state of preservation18 as the first day.”
“What I want is coal,” said Hatteras; “I have enough provisions for several years.”
“We left more than a thousand tons there, so you can make your mind easy.”
“Are we getting near?” said Hatteras, who, telescope in hand, was watching the coast.
“You see that point?” continued Johnson. “When we have doubled it we shall be very near where we drop anchor. It was from that place that we started for England with Lieutenant Creswell and the twelve invalids19 from the Investigator20. We were fortunate enough to bring back McClure’s lieutenant, but the officer Bellot, who accompanied us on board the Phoenix, never saw his country again! It is a painful thing to think about. But, captain, I think we ought to drop anchor here.”
“Very well,” answered Hatteras, and he gave his orders in consequence. The Forward was in a little bay naturally sheltered on the north, east, and south, and at about a cable’s length from the coast.
“Mr. Wall,” said Hatteras, “have the long boat got ready to transport the coal on board. I shall land in the pirogue with the doctor and the boatswain. Will you accompany us, Mr. Shandon?”
“As you please,” answered Shandon.
A few minutes later the doctor, armed as a sportsman and a savant, took his place in the pirogue along with his companions; in ten minutes they landed on a low and rocky coast.
“Lead the way, Johnson,” said Hatteras. “You know it, I suppose?”
“Perfectly, sir; only there’s a monument here that I did not expect to find!”
“That!” cried the doctor; “I know what it is; let us go up to it; the stone itself will tell us.”
The four men advanced, and the doctor said, after taking off his hat —
“This, my friends, is a monument in memory of Franklin and his companions.”
Lady Franklin had, in 1855, confided21 a black marble tablet to Doctor Kane, and in 1858 she gave a second to McClintock to be raised on Beechey Island. McClintock accomplished22 this duty religiously, and placed the stone near a funeral monument erected23 to the memory of Bellot by Sir John Barrow.
The tablet bore the following inscription24:
“TO THE MEMORY OF
FRANKLIN, CROZIER, FITZ-JAMES,
AND ALL THEIR VALIANT25 BRETHREN
OFFICERS AND FAITHFUL COMPANIONS
who suffered for the cause of science and for their country’s glory.
“This stone is erected near the place where they passed their first Arctic winter, and from whence they departed to conquer obstacles or to die.
“It perpetuates26 the regret of their countrymen and friends who admire them, and the anguish27, conquered by Faith, of her who lost in the chief of the expedition the most devoted28 and most affectionate of husbands.
“It is thus that He led them to the supreme29 haven30 where all men take their rest.
“1855.”
This stone, on a forlorn coast of these far-off regions, appealed mournfully to the heart; the doctor, in presence of these touching31 regrets, felt his eyes fill with tears. At the very same place which Franklin and his companions passed full of energy and hope, there only remained a block of marble in remembrance! And notwithstanding this sombre warning of destiny, the Forward was going to follow in the track of the Erebus and the Terror. Hatteras was the first to rouse himself from the perilous32 contemplation, and quickly climbed a rather steep hill, almost entirely33 bare of snow.
“Captain,” said Johnson, following him, “we shall see the magazines from here.”
Shandon and the doctor joined them on the summit. But from there the eye contemplated34 the vast plains, on which there remained no vestige35 of a habitation.
“That is singular!” cried the boatswain.
“Well, and where are the magazines?” said Hatteras quickly.
“I don’t know — I don’t see ——” stammered36 Johnson.
“You have mistaken the way,” said the doctor.
“It seemed to me that this was the very place,” continued Johnson.
“Well,” said Hatteras, impatiently “where are we to go now?”
“We had better go down, for I may be mistaken. I may have forgotten the exact locality in seven years!”
“Especially when the country is so uniformly monotonous37!” added the doctor.
“And yet ——” murmured Johnson.
Shandon had not spoken a word. After walking for a few minutes, Johnson stopped.
“But no,” he cried, “I am not mistaken!”
“Well?” said Hatteras, looking round him.
“Do you see that swell15 of the ground?” asked the boatswain, pointing to a sort of mound38 with three distinct swells39 on it.
“What do you conclude from that?” asked the doctor.
“Those are the three graves of Franklin’s sailors. I am sure now that I am not mistaken; the habitations ought to be about a hundred feet from here, and if they are not, they ——”
He dared not finish his sentence; Hatteras had rushed forward, a prey40 to violent despair. There, where the wished-for stores on which he had counted ought to have been, there ruin, pillage41 and destruction had been before him. Who had done it? Animals would only have attacked the provisions, and there did not remain a single rag from the tent, a piece of wood or iron, and, more terrible still, not a fragment of coal! It was evident that the Esquimaux had learnt the value of these objects from their frequent relations with Europeans; since the departure of the Fox they had fetched everything away, and had not left a trace even of their passage. A slight coating of snow covered the ground. Hatteras was confounded. The doctor looked and shook his head. Shandon still said nothing, but an attentive42 observer would have noticed his lips curl with a cruel smile. At this moment the men sent by Lieutenant Wall came up; they soon saw the state of affairs. Shandon advanced towards the captain, and said:
“Mr. Hatteras, we need not despair; happily we are near the entrance to Barrow Strait, which will take us back to Baffin’s Sea!”
“Mr. Shandon,” answered Hatteras, “happily we are near the entrance to Wellington Strait, and that will take us north!”
“But how shall we get along, captain?”
“With the sails, sir. We have two months’ firing left, and that is enough for our wintering.”
“But allow me to tell you ——” added Shandon.
“I will allow you to follow me on board my ship, sir,” answered Hatteras, and turning his back on his second, he returned to the brig and shut himself up in his cabin. For the next two days the wind was contrary, and the captain did not show up on deck. The doctor profited by the forced sojourn43 to go over Beechey Island; he gathered some plants, which the temperature, relatively44 high, allowed to grow here and there on the rocks that the snow had left, some heaths, a few lichens45, a sort of yellow ranunculus, a sort of plant something like sorrel, with wider leaves and more veins46, and some pretty vigorous saxifrages. He found the fauna47 of this country much richer than the flora48; he perceived long flocks of geese and cranes going northward49, partridges, eider ducks of a bluish black, sandpipers, a sort of wading50 bird of the scolopax class, northern divers51, plungers with very long bodies, numerous ptarmites, a sort of bird very good to eat, dovekies with black bodies, wings spotted52 with white, feet and beak53 red as coral; noisy bands of kittywakes and fat loons with white breasts, represented the ornithology54 of the island. The doctor was fortunate enough to kill a few grey hares, which had not yet put on their white winter fur, and a blue fox which Dick ran down skilfully55. Some bears, evidently accustomed to dread56 the presence of men, would not allow themselves to be got at, and the seals were extremely timid, doubtless for the same reason as their enemies the bears. The class of articulated animals was represented by a single mosquito, which the doctor caught to his great delight, though not till it had stung him. As a conchologist he was less favoured, and only found a sort of mussel and some bivalve shells.
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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limestone
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| n.石灰石 | |
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rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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icebergs
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| n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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phoenix
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| n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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invalids
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| 病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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investigator
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| n.研究者，调查者，审查者 | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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26
perpetuates
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| n.使永存，使人记住不忘( perpetuate的名词复数 )；使永久化，使持久化，使持续 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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35
vestige
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| n.痕迹，遗迹，残余 | |
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36
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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pillage
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| v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物 | |
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42
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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lichens
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| n.地衣( lichen的名词复数 ) | |
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46
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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47
fauna
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| n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系 | |
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flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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ornithology
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| n.鸟类学 | |
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skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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