The first fine days came at last. The green carpet of the hills began to appear here and there where the snow had melted. A few migratory1 birds from the south-such as swans, bald-headed eagles, &c.— passed through the warmer air. The poplars, birches, and willows2 began to bud, and the redheaded ducks, of which there are so many species in North America, to skim the surface of the numerous pools formed by the melted snow. Guillemots, puffins, and eider ducks sought colder latitudes3; and little shrews no bigger than a hazel-nut ventured from their holes, tracing strange figures on the ground with their tiny-pointed tails. It was intoxicating4 once more to breathe the fresh air of spring, and to bask5 in the sunbeams. Nature awoke once more from her heavy sleep in the long winter night, and smiled as she opened her eyes.
The renovation6 of creation in spring is perhaps more impressive in the Arctic regions than in any other portion of the globe, on account of the greater contrast with what has gone before.
The thaw7 was not, however, complete. The thermometer, it is true, marked 41° Fahrenheit8 above zero; but the mean temperature of the nights kept the surface of the snowy plains solid — a good thing for the passage of sledges9, of which Jaspar Hobson meant to avail himself before the thaw became complete.
The ice of the lake was still unbroken. During the last month several successful hunting expeditions had been made across the vast smooth plains, which were already frequented by game. Mrs Barnett was astonished at the skill with which the men used their snow-shoes, scudding11 along at the pace of a horse in full gallop12. Following Captain Craventy’s advice, the lady herself practised walking in these contrivances, and she soon became very expert in sliding over the snow.
During the last few days several bands of Indians had arrived at the fort to exchange the spoils of the winter chase for manufactured goods. The season had been bad. There were a good many polecats and sables13; but the furs of beavers14, otters15, lynxes, ermines, and foxes were scarce. It was therefore a wise step for the Company to endeavour to explore a new country, where the wild animals had hitherto escaped the rapacity17 of man.
On the morning of the 16th April Lieutenant18 Jaspar Hobson and his party were ready to start. The route across the known districts, between the Slave Lake and that of the Great Bear beyond the Arctic Circle, was already determined19. Jaspar Hobson was to make for Fort Confidence, on the northern extremity20 of the latter lake; and he was to revictual at Fort Enterprise, a station two hundred miles further to the north-west, on the shores of the Snare21 Lake, By travelling at the rate of fifteen miles a day the Lieutenant hoped to halt there about the beginning of May.
From this point the expedition was to take the shortest route to Cape16 Bathurst, on the North American coast. It was agreed that in a year Captain Craventy should send a convoy22 with provisions to Cape Bathurst, and that a detachment of the Lieutenant’s men was to go to meet this convoy, to guide it to the spot where the new fort was to be erected23. This plan was a guarantee against any adverse24 circumstances, and left a means of communication with their fellow-creatures open to the Lieutenant and his voluntary companions in exile.
On the 16th April dogs and sledges were awaiting the travellers at the postern gate. Captain Craventy called the men of the party together and said a few kind words to them. He urged them above all things to stand by one another in the perils25 they might be called upon to meet; reminded them that the enterprise upon which they were about to enter required self-denial and devotion, and that submission26 to their officers was an indispensable condition of success. Cheers greeted the Captain’s speech, the adieux were quickly made, and each one took his place in the sledge10 assigned to him. Jaspar Hobson and Sergeant27 Long went first; then Mrs Paulina Barnett and Madge, the latter dexterously28 wielding30 the long Esquimaux whip, terminating in a stiff thong31. Thomas Black and one of the soldiers, the Canadian, Petersen, occupied the third sledge;and the others followed, Corporal and Mrs Joliffe bringing up the rear. According to the orders of Lieutenant Hobson, each driver kept as nearly as possible at the same distance from the preceding sledge, so as to avoid all confusion — a necessary precaution, as a collision between two sledges going at full speed, might have had disastrous32 results.
On leaving Fort Reliance, Jaspar Hobson at once directed his course towards the north-west. The first thing to be done was to cross the large river connecting Lakes Slave and Wolmsley, which was, however, still frozen so hard as to be undistinguishable from the vast white plains around. A uniform carpet of snow covered the whole country, and the sledges, drawn33 by their swift teams, sped rapidly over the firm smooth surface.
The weather was fine, but still very cold. The sun, scarce above the horizon, described a lengthened34 curve; and its rays, reflected on the snow, gave more light than heat. Fortunately not a breath of air stirred, and this lessened35 the severity of the cold, although the rapid pace of the sledges through the keen atmosphere must have been trying to any one not inured36 to the rigour of a Polar climate.
“A good beginning,” said Jaspar Hobson to the Sergeant, who sat motionless beside him as if rooted to his seat; “the journey has commenced favourably37. The sky is cloudless; the temperature propitious38, our equipages shoot along like express trains, and as long as this fine weather lasts we shall get on capitally. What do you think, Sergeant Long?”
“I agree with you, Lieutenant,” replied the Sergeant, who never differed from his chief.
“Like myself, Sergeant, you are determined to push on as far north as possible — are you not?” resumed Lieutenant Hobson.
“You have but to command to be obeyed, Lieutenant.”
“I know it, Sergeant; I know that with you to bear is to obey. Would that all our men understood as you do the importance of our mission, and would devote themselves body and soul to the interests of the Company! Ah, Sergeant Long, I know if I gave you an impossible order — “
“Lieutenant, there is no such thing as an impossible order.”
“What? Suppose now I ordered you to go to the North Pole?”
“Lieutenant, I should go!”
“And to comeback!” added Jaspar Hobson with a smile.
“I should come back,” replied Sergeant Long simply.
During this colloquy39 between Lieutenant Hobson and his Sergeant a slight ascent40 compelled the sledges to slacken speed, and Mrs Barnett and Madge also exchanged a few sentences. These two intrepid41 women, in their otter-skin caps and white bear-skin mantles42, gazed in astonishment43 upon the rugged44 scenery around them, and at the white outlines of the huge glaciers45 standing46 out against the horizon. They had already left behind them the hills of the northern banks of the Slave Lake, with their summits crowned with the gaunt skeletons of trees. The vast plains stretched before them in apparently47 endless succession. The rapid flight and cries of a few birds of passage alone broke the monotony of the scene. Now and then a troop of swans, with plumage so white that the keenest sight could not distinguish them from the snow when they settled on the ground, rose into view in the clear blue atmosphere and pursued their journey to the north.
“What an extraordinary country!” exclaimed Mrs Paulina Barnett. “What a difference between these Polar regions and the green prairies of Australia! You remember, Madge, how we suffered from the heat on the shores of the Gulf48 of Carpentaria — you remember the cloudless sky and the parching49 sunbeams?”
My dear,” replied Madge, “I have not the gift of remembering like you. You retain your impressions, I forget mine.”
“What, Madge!” cried Mrs Barnett, “you have forgotten the tropical heat of India arid50 Australia? You have no recollection of our agonies when water failed us in the desert, when the pitiless sun scorched52 us to the bone, when even the night brought us no relief from our sufferings!”
“No, Paulina,” replied Madge, wrapping her furs more closely round her, “no, I remember nothing. How could I now recollect51 the sufferings to which you allude53 — the heat, the agonies of thirst — when we are surrounded on every side by ice, and I have but to stretch my arm out of this sledge to pick up a handful of snow? You talk to me of heat, when we are freezing beneath our bearskins; you recall the broiling54 rays of the sun when its April beams cannot melt the icicles on our lips! No, child, no, don’t try to persuade me it’s hot anywhere else; don’t tell me I ever complained of being too warm, for I sha’n’t believe you!”
Mrs Paulina Barnett could not help smiling.
“So, poor Madge,” she said, “you are very cold!”
“Yes, child, I am cold; but I rather like this climate. I’ve no doubt it’s very healthy, and I think North America will agree with me. It’s really a very fine country!”
“Yes, Madge; it is a fine country, and we have as yet seen none of the wonders it contains. But wait until we reach the Arctic Ocean; wait until the winter shuts us in with its gigantic icebergs55 and thick covering of snow; wait till the northern storms break over us, and the glories of the Aurora56 Borealis and of the splendid constellations57 of the Polar skies are spread out above our heads; wait till we have lived through the strange long six months’ night, and then indeed you will understand the infinite variety, the infinite beauty, of our Creator’s handiwork!”
Thus spoke58 Mrs Paulina Barnett, carried away by her vivid imagination. She could see nothing but beauty in these deserted59 regions, with their rigorous climate. Her enthusiasm got the better for the time of her judgment60. Her sympathy with nature enabled her to read the touching61 poetry of the ice-bound north-the poetry embodied62 in the Sagas63, and sung by the bards64 of the time of Ossian. But Madge, more matter of fact than her mistress, disguised from herself neither the dangers of an expedition to the Arctic Ocean, nor the sufferings involved in wintering only thirty degrees at the most from the North Pole.
And indeed the most robust65 had sometimes succumbed66 to the fatigues67, privations, and mental and bodily agonies endured in this severe climate. Jaspar Hobson had not, it is true, to press on to the very highest latitudes of the globe,; he had not to reach the pole itself, or to follow in the steps of Parry, Ross, Mc’Clure, Kean, Morton, and others. But after once crossing the Arctic Circle, there is little variation in the temperature; it does not increase in coldness in proportion to the elevation68 reached. Granted that Jaspar Hobson did not think of going beyond the seventieth parallel, we must still remember that Franklin and his unfortunate companions died of cold and hunger before they had penetrated69 beyond 68° N. lat.
Very different was the talk in the sledge occupied by Mr and Mrs Joliffe. Perhaps the gallant70 Corporal had too often drunk to the success of the expedition on starting; for, strange to say, he was disputing with his little wife. Yes, he was actually contradicting her, which never happened except under extraordinary circumstances!
“No, Mrs Joliffe,” he was saying, “no, you have nothing to fear. A sledge is not more difficult to guide than a pony-carriage, and the devil take me if I can’t manage a team of dogs!”
“I don’t question your skill,” replied Mrs Joliffe; “I only ask you not to go so fast. You are in front of the whole caravan71 now, and I hear Lieutenant Hobson calling out to you to resume your proper place behind.”
“Let him call, Mrs Joliffe, let him call.”
And the Corporal, urging on his dogs with a fresh cut of the whip, dashed along at still greater speed.
“Take care, Joliffe,” repeated his little wife; “not so fast, we are going down hill.”
“Down hill, Mrs Joliffe; you call that down hill? why, it’s up hill!”
“I tell you we are going down!” repeated poor Mrs Joliffe.
“And I tell you we are going up; look how the dogs pull!”
Whoever was right, the dogs became uneasy. The ascent was, in fact, pretty steep; the sledge dashed along at a reckless pace, and was already considerably72 in advance of the rest of the party. Mr and Mrs Joliffe bumped up and down every instant, the surface of the snow became more and more uneven73, and the pair, flung first to one side and then to the other, knocked against each other and the sledge, and were horribly bruised74 and shaken. But the Corporal would listen neither to the advice of his wife nor to the shouts of Lieutenant Hobson. The latter, seeing the danger of this reckless course, urged on his own animals, and the rest of the caravan followed at a rapid pace.
But the Corporal became more and more excited-the speed of his equipage delighted him. He shouted, he gesticulated, and flourished his long whip like an accomplished75 sportsman.
“Wonderful things these whips!” he cried; “the Esquimaux wield29 them with unrivalled skill!”
“But you are not an Esquimaux!” cried Mrs Joliffe, trying in vain to arrest the arm of her imprudent husband.
“I have heard tell,” resumed the Corporal —” I’ve heard tell that the Esquimaux can touch any dog they like in any part, that they can even cut out a bit of one of their ears with the stiff thong at the end of the whip. I am going to try.”
“Don’t try, don’t try, Joliffe!” screamed the poor little woman, frightened out of her wits.
“Don’t be afraid, Mrs Joliffe, don’t be afraid; I know what I can do. The fifth dog on the right is misbehaving himself;. I will correct him a little!”
But Corporal Joliffe was evidently not yet enough of an Esquimaux to be able to manage the whip with its thong four feet longer than the sledge; for it unrolled with an ominous76 hiss77, and rebounding78, twisted itself round Corporal Joliffe’s own neck, sending his fur cap into the air, perhaps with one of his ears in it.
At this moment the dogs flung themselves on one side, the sledge was overturned, and the pair were flung into the snow. Fortunately it was thick and soft, so that they escaped unhurt. But what a disgrace for the Corporal! how reproachfully his little wife looked at him, and how stern was the reprimand of Lieutenant Hobson!
The sledge was picked up, but it was decided79 that henceforth the reins80 of the dogs, like those of the household, were to be in the hands of Mrs Joliffe. The crest-fallen Corporal was obliged to submit, and the interrupted journey was resumed.
No incident worth mentioning occurred during the next fifteen days. The weather continued favourable81, the cold was not too severe, and on the 1st May the expedition arrived at Fort Enterprise.
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migratory
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| n.候鸟，迁移 | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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latitudes
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| 纬度 | |
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intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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bask
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| vt.取暖，晒太阳，沐浴于 | |
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renovation
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| n.革新，整修 | |
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thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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Fahrenheit
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| n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的) | |
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sledges
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| n.雪橇，雪车( sledge的名词复数 )v.乘雪橇( sledge的第三人称单数 )；用雪橇运载 | |
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sledge
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| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
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scudding
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| n.刮面v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的现在分词 ) | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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sables
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| n.紫貂( sable的名词复数 )；紫貂皮；阴暗的；暗夜 | |
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beavers
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| 海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人 | |
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otters
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| n.（水）獭( otter的名词复数 )；獭皮 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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rapacity
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| n.贪婪，贪心，劫掠的欲望 | |
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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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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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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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adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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dexterously
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| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
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wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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thong
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| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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inured
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| adj.坚强的，习惯的 | |
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favourably
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| adv. 善意地，赞成地 =favorably | |
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propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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colloquy
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| n.谈话，自由讨论 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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intrepid
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| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
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mantles
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| vt.&vi.覆盖（mantle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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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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glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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parching
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| adj.烘烤似的，焦干似的v.（使）焦干， （使）干透( parch的现在分词 )；使（某人）极口渴 | |
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arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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allude
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| v.提及，暗指 | |
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broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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icebergs
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| n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
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aurora
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| n.极光 | |
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constellations
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| n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人） | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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sagas
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| n.萨迦（尤指古代挪威或冰岛讲述冒险经历和英雄业绩的长篇故事）( saga的名词复数 )；（讲述许多年间发生的事情的）长篇故事；一连串的事件（或经历）；一连串经历的讲述（或记述） | |
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bards
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| n.诗人( bard的名词复数 ) | |
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robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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68
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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69
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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70
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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71
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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72
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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73
uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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74
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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75
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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76
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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77
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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78
rebounding
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| 蹦跳运动 | |
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79
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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80
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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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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