The expedition continued to advance towards the north-west; but the great inequalities of the ground made it hard work for the dogs to get along, and the poor creatures, who could hardly be held in when they started, were now quiet enough. Eight or ten miles a day were as much as they could accomplish, although Lieutenant1 Hobson urged them on to the utmost.
He was anxious to get to Fort Confidence, on the further side of the Great Bear Lake, where he hoped to obtain some useful information. Had the Indians frequenting the northern banks of the lake been able to cross the districts on the shores of the sea? was the Arctic Ocean open at this time of year? These were grave questions, the reply to which would decide the fate of the new factory.
The country through which the little troop was now passing was intersected by numerous streams, mostly tributaries2 of the two large rivers, the Mackenzie and Coppermine, which flow from the south to the north, and empty themselves into the Arctic Ocean. Lakes, lagoons3, and numerous pools are formed between these two principal arteries4; and as they were no longer frozen over, the sledges5 could not venture upon them, and were compelled to go around them, which caused considerable delay. Lieutenant Hobson was certainly right in saying that winter is the time to visit the hyperborean regions, for they are then far easier to traverse. Mrs Paulina Barnett had reason to own the justice of this assertion than once.
This region, included in the “Cursed Land,” was, besides, completely deserted7, as are the greater portion of the districts of the extreme north of America. It has been estimated that there is but one inhabitant to every ten square miles. Besides the scattered8 natives, there are some few thousand agents or soldiers of the different fur-trading companies; but they mostly congregate9 in the southern districts and about the various factories. No human footprints gladdened the eyes of the travellers, the only traces on the sandy soil were those of ruminants and rodents10. Now and then a fierce polar bear was seen, and Mrs Paulina Barnett expressed her surprise at not meeting more of these terrible carnivorous beasts, of whose daily attacks on whalers and persons shipwrecked in Baffin’s Bay and on the coasts of Greenland and Spitzbergen she had read in the accounts of those who had wintered in the Arctic regions.
“Wait for the winter, madam,” replied the Lieutenant; “wait till the cold makes them hungry, and then you will perhaps see as many as you care about!”
On the 23d May, after a long and fatiguing11 journey, the expedition at last reached the Arctic Circle. We know that this latitude12 23° 27’ 57” from the North Pole, forms the mathematical limit beyond which the rays of the sun do not penetrate13 in the winter, when the northern districts of the globe are turned away from the orb14 of day. Here, then, the travellers entered the true Arctic region, the northern Frigid15 Zone.
The latitude had been very carefully obtained by means of most accurate instruments, which were handled with equal skill by the astronomer16 and by Lieutenant Hobson. Mrs Barnett was present at the operation, and had the satisfaction of hearing that she was at last about to cross the Arctic Circle. It was with a feeling of just pride that she received the intelligence.
“You have already passed through the two Torrid Zones in your previous journeys,” said the Lieutenant, “and now you are on the verge17 of the Arctic Circle. Few explorers have ventured into such totally different regions. Some, so to speak, have a specialty18 for hot countries, and choose Africa or Australia as the field for their investigations19. Such were Barth, Burton, Livingstone Speke, Douglas, Stuart, &c. Others, on the contrary, have a passion for the Arctic regions, still so little known. Mackenzie, Franklin, Penny, Kane, Parry, Rae, &c., preceded us on our present journey; but we must congratulate you, Mrs Barnett, on being a more cosmopolitan20 traveller than all of them.”
“I must see everything or at least try to see everything, Lieutenant,” replied. Mrs Paulina; “and I think the dangers and difficulties are about equal everywhere. Although we have not to dread21 the fevers of the unhealthy torrid regions, or the attacks of the fierce black races, in this Frigid Zone, the cold is a no less formidable enemy; and I suspect that the white bears we are liable to meet with here will give us quite as warm a reception as would the tiers of Thibet or the lions of Africa. In Torrid and Frigid Zones alike there are vast unexplored tracts22 which will long defy the efforts of the boldest adventurers.”
“Yes, madam,” replied Jaspar Hobson; “but I think the hyperborean regions will longer resist thorough exploration. The natives are the chief obstacle in tropical regions, and I am well aware how many travellers have fallen victims to savages23. But civilisation24 will necessarily subdue25 the wild races sooner or later; whereas in the Arctic and Antarctic Zones it is not the inhabitants who arrest the progress of the explorer, but Nature herself who repels26 those who approach her, and paralyses their energies with the bitter cold!”
“You think, then, that the secrets of the most remote districts of Africa and Australia will have been fathomed27 before the Frigid Zone has been entirely28 examined?”
“Yes, madam,” replied the Lieutenant; “and I think my opinion is founded on facts. The most intrepid29 discoverers of the Arctic regions - Parry, Penny, Franklin, M’Clure, Dane, and Morton — did not get beyond 83° north latitude, seven degrees from the pole — whereas Australia has several times been crossed from south to north by the bold Stuart; and even Africa, with all its terrors, was traversed by Livingstone from the Bay of Loanga to the mouth of the Zambesi. We are, therefore, nearer to geographical30 knowledge of the equatorial countries than of the Polar districts.”
“Do you think that the Pole itself will ever be reached by man?” inquired Mrs Paulina Barnett.
“Certainly,” replied Hobson, adding with a smile, “by man or woman. But I think other means must be tried of reaching this point, where all the meridians31 of the globe cross each other, than those hitherto adopted by travellers. We hear of the open sea, of which certain explorers are said to have caught a glimpse. But if such a sea, free from ice, really exist, it is very difficult to get at, and no one can say positively32 whether it extends to the North Pole. For my part, I think an open sea would increase rather than lessen33 the difficulties of explorers. As for me, I would rather count upon firm footing, whether on ice or rock, all the way. Then I would organise34 successive expeditions, establishing dep?ts of provisions and fuel nearer and nearer to the Pole; and so, with plenty of time, plenty of money, and perhaps the sacrifice of a good many lives, I should in the end solve the great scientific problem. I should, I think, at last reach the hitherto inaccessible35 goal!”
“I think you are right, Lieutenant,” said Mrs Barnett; “and if ever you try the experiment, I should not be afraid to join you, and would gladly go to set up the Union Jack36 at the North Pole. But that is not our present object.”
“Not our immediate37 object, madam,” replied Hobson; “but when once the projects of the Company are realised, when the new fort has been erected38 on the confines of the American continent, it may become the natural starting-point of all expeditions to the north. Besides, should the fur-yielding animals, too zealously40 hunted, take refuge at the Pole, we should have to follow them.”
“Unless costly41 furs should go out of fashion,” replied Mrs Barnett.
“O madam,” cried the Lieutenant, “there will always be some pretty woman whose wish for a sable42 muff or an ermine tippet must be gratified!”
“I am afraid so,” said Mrs Barnett, laughing; “and probably the first discoverer of the Pole will have been led thither43 in pursuit of a sable or a silver fox.”
“That is my conviction,” replied Hobson. “ Such is human nature, and greed of gain will always carry a man further than zeal39 for science.”
“What! do you utter such sentiments?” exclaimed Mrs Barnett.
“Well, madam, what am I but an employé of the Hudson’s Bay Company? and does the Company risk its capital and agents with any other hope than an increase of profits?”
“Lieutenant Hobson,” said Mrs Barnett, “I think I know you well enough to assert that on occasion you would be ready to devote body and soul to science. If a purely44 geographical question called you to the Pole, I feel sure you would not hesitate to go. But,” she added, with a smile, “the solution of this great problem is still far distant. We have but just reached the verge of the Arctic Circle, but I hope we may cross it without any very great difficulty.”
“That I fear is doubtful,” said the Lieutenant, who had been attentively45 examining the sky during their conversation. “The weather has looked threatening for the last few days. Look at the uniformly grey hue46 of the heavens. That mist will presently resolve itself into snow; and if the wind should rise ever so little, we shall have to battle with a fearful storm. I wish we were at the Great Bear Lake!”
“Do not let us lose any time, then,” said Mrs Barnett, rising; “give the signal to start at once.”
The Lieutenant needed no urging. Had he been alone, or accompanied by a few men as energetic as himself, he would have pressed on day and night; but he was obliged to make allowance for the fatigue47 of others, although he never spared himself. He therefore granted a few hours of rest to his little party, and it was not until three in the afternoon that they again set out.
Jaspar Hobson was not mistaken in prophesying48 a change in the weather. It came very soon. During the afternoon of the same day the mist became thicker, and assumed a yellowish and threatening hue. The Lieutenant, although very uneasy, allowed none of his anxiety to appear, but had a long consultation49 with Sergeant50 Long whilst the dogs of his sledge6 were laboriously51 preparing to start.
Unfortunately, the district now to be traversed was very unsuitable for sledges. The ground was very uneven52; ravines were of frequent occurrence; and masses of granite53 or half-thawed icebergs54 blocked up the road, causing constant delay. The poor dogs did their best, but the drivers’ whips no longer produced any effect upon them.
And so the Lieutenant and his men were often obliged to walk to rest the exhausted55 animals, to push the sledges, or even sometimes to lift them when the roughness of the ground threatened to upset them. The incessant56 fatigue was, however, borne by all without a murmur57. Thomas Black alone, absorbed in his one idea, never got out of his sledge, and indeed be was so corpulent that all exertion58 was disagreeable to him.
The nature of the soil changed from the moment of entering the Arctic Circle. Some geological convulsion had evidently upheaved the enormous blocks strewn upon the surface. The vegetation, too, was of a more distinctive59 character. Wherever they were sheltered from the keen north winds, the flanks of the hills were clothed not only with shrubs60, but with large trees, all of the same species — pines, willows61, and firs — proving by their presence that a certain amount of vegetative force is retained even in the Frigid Zone. Jaspar Hobson hoped to find such specimens62 of the Arctic Flora63 even on the verge of the Polar Sea; for these trees would supply him with wood to build his fort, and fuel to warm its inhabitants. The same thought passed through the minds of his companions, and they could not help wondering at the contrast between this comparatively fertile region, and the long white plains stretching between the Great Slave Lake and Fort Enterprise.
At night the yellow mist became more opaque64; the wind rose, the snow began to fall in large flakes65, and the ground was soon covered with a thick white carpet. In less than an hour the snow was a foot deep, and as it did not freeze but remained in a liquid state, the sledges could only advance with extreme difficulty; the curved fronts stuck in the soft substance, and the dogs were obliged to stop again and again.
Towards eight o’clock in the evening the wind became very boisterous66. The snow, driven before it, was flung upon the ground or whirled in the air, forming one huge whirlpool. The dogs, beaten back by the squall and blinded with snow, could advance no further. The party was then in a narrow gorge67 between huge icebergs, over which the storm raged with fearful fury. Pieces of ice, broken off by the hurricane, were hurled68 into the pass; partial avalanches69, any one of which could have crushed the sledges and their inmates70, added to its dangers, and to press on became impossible. The Lieutenant no longer insisted, and after consulting with Sergeant Long, gave the order to halt. It was now necessary to find a shelter from the snow-drift; but this was no difficult matter to men accustomed to Polar expeditions. Jaspar Hobson and his men knew well what they had to do under the circumstances. It was not the first time they had been surprised by a tempest some hundred miles from the forts of the Company, without so much as an Esquimaux hut or Indian hovel in which to lay their heads.
“To the icebergs! to the icebergs!” cried Jaspar Hobson.
Every one understood what he meant. Snow houses were to be hollowed out of the frozen masses, or rather holes were to be dug, in which each person could cower71 until the storm was over. Knives and hatchets72 were soon at work on the brittle73 masses of ice, and in three-quarters of an hour some ten dens74 had been scooped75 out large enough to contain two or three persons each. The dogs were left to themselves, their own instinct leading them to find sufficient shelter under the snow.
Before ten o’clock all the travellers were crouching76 in the snow houses, in groups of two or three, each choosing congenial companions. Mrs Barnett, Madge, and Lieutenant Hobson occupied one hut, Thomas Black and Sergeant Long another, and so on. These retreats were warm, if not comfortable; and the Esquimaux and Indians have no other refuge even in the bitterest cold. The adventurers could therefore fearlessly await the end of the storm as long as they took care not to let the openings of their holes become blocked up with the snow, which they had to shovel77 away every half hour. So violent was the storm that even the Lieutenant and his soldiers could scarcely set foot outside. Fortunately, all were provided with sufficient food, and were able to endure their beaver-like existence without suffering from cold or hunger
For forty-eight hours the fury of the tempest continued to increase. The wind roared in the narrow pass, and tore off the tops of the icebergs. Loud reports, repeated twenty times by the echoes, gave notice of the fall of avalanches, and Jaspar Hobson began to fear that his further progress would be barred by the masses of debris78 accumulated between the mountains. Other sounds mingled79 with these reports, which Lieutenant Hobson knew too well, and he did not disguise from Mrs Barnett that bears were prowling about the pass. But fortunately these terrible animals were too much occupied with their own concerns to discover the retreat of the travellers; neither the dogs nor the sledges, buried in the snow, attracted their attention, and they passed on without doing any harm.
The last night, that of the 25th or 26th May, was even more terrible. So great was the fury of the hurricane that a general overthrow80 of icebergs appeared imminent81. A fearful death would then have awaited the unfortunate travellers beneath the ruins of the broken masses. The blocks of ice cracked with an awful noise, and certain oscillations gave warning that breaches82 had been made threatening their solidity. However, no great crash occurred, the huge mountains remained intact, and towards the end of the night one of those sudden changes so frequent in the Arctic regions took place; the tempest ceased suddenly beneath the influence of intense cold, and with the first dawn of day peace was restored.
收听单词发音 |
1
lieutenant
|
|
| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
tributaries
|
|
| n. 支流 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
lagoons
|
|
| n.污水池( lagoon的名词复数 )；潟湖；（大湖或江河附近的）小而浅的淡水湖；温泉形成的池塘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
arteries
|
|
| n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
sledges
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
sledge
|
|
| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
congregate
|
|
| v.(使)集合，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
rodents
|
|
| n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
fatiguing
|
|
| a.使人劳累的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
latitude
|
|
| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
penetrate
|
|
| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
orb
|
|
| n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
frigid
|
|
| adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
astronomer
|
|
| n.天文学家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
verge
|
|
| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
specialty
|
|
| n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
investigations
|
|
| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
cosmopolitan
|
|
| adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
dread
|
|
| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
tracts
|
|
| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
savages
|
|
| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
civilisation
|
|
| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
subdue
|
|
| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
repels
|
|
| v.击退( repel的第三人称单数 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
fathomed
|
|
| 理解…的真意( fathom的过去式和过去分词 )； 彻底了解； 弄清真相 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
intrepid
|
|
| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
geographical
|
|
| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
meridians
|
|
| n.子午圈( meridian的名词复数 )；子午线；顶点；（权力，成就等的）全盛时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
positively
|
|
| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
lessen
|
|
| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
organise
|
|
| vt.组织，安排，筹办 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
inaccessible
|
|
| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
jack
|
|
| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
ERECTED
|
|
| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
zeal
|
|
| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
zealously
|
|
| adv.热心地；热情地；积极地；狂热地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
costly
|
|
| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
sable
|
|
| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
thither
|
|
| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
purely
|
|
| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
attentively
|
|
| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
hue
|
|
| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
fatigue
|
|
| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
prophesying
|
|
| v.预告，预言( prophesy的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
consultation
|
|
| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
sergeant
|
|
| n.警官，中士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
laboriously
|
|
| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
uneven
|
|
| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
granite
|
|
| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
icebergs
|
|
| n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
incessant
|
|
| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
exertion
|
|
| n.尽力，努力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
distinctive
|
|
| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
shrubs
|
|
| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
willows
|
|
| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
specimens
|
|
| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
flora
|
|
| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
opaque
|
|
| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
flakes
|
|
| 小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
boisterous
|
|
| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
gorge
|
|
| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
avalanches
|
|
| n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
inmates
|
|
| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
cower
|
|
| v.畏缩，退缩，抖缩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
hatchets
|
|
| n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 )；恶毒攻击；诽谤；休战 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
brittle
|
|
| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
dens
|
|
| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
scooped
|
|
| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
crouching
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
shovel
|
|
| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
debris
|
|
| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
mingled
|
|
| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
overthrow
|
|
| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
imminent
|
|
| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
breaches
|
|
| 破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |