Coronation Gulf1, the large estuary2 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, into the North American continent. At its western angle opened the mouth of the Coppermine; and on the east a long narrow creek3 called Bathurst Inlet ran into the mainland, from which stretched the jagged broken coast with its pointed4 capes5 and rugged7 promontories8, 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 abruptly9 to the north beyond the mouth of the Coppermine River, and ended in Cape6 Krusenstern.
After consulting with Sergeant10 Long, Lieutenant11 Hobson decided12 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 Boothia, crossed by the seventieth parallel — the whole country belongs rather to the Arctic Circle, and the geographical13 conformation of Boothia is as yet but imperfectly known.
After carefully ascertaining15 the latitude16 and longitude17, and verifying his position by the map, the Lieutenant found that he was a hundred miles below the seventieth degree. But beyond Cape Krusenstern, the coast-line, running in a north-easterly direction, abruptly crosses the seventieth parallel at a sharp angle near the one hundred and thirtieth meridian18, and at about the same elevation19 as Cape Bathurst, the spot named as a rendezvous20 by Captain Craventy. He must therefore make for that point, and should the site appear suitable the new fort would be erected21 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 vessels22 from Behring 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 daresay they will accept it without a murmur23.”
“Well then, Lieutenant,” said Long simply, “we have now only to start for Cape Bathurst.”
But as a day of rest had been promised, the start did not actually take place until the next day, June 6th.
The second part of the journey would naturally be very different from the first. The rules with regard to the sledges24 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. At night they all encamped in tents.
The weather continued very fine and the temperature moderate, maintaining a mean height of 59° Fahrenheit25 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 Krusenstern and Parry, comprising an extent of more than two hundred and fifty miles, was examined with the greatest care between the 6th and 20th of June. Geographical observations were accurately26 taken, and Hobson, most effectively aided by Thomas Black, was able to rectify27 certain errors in previous marine28 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.
Were 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 immediate29 attention. We give a summary of the conclusions at which he arrived.
Game, properly so called, of the kind for which Corporal Joliffe amongst others had a special predilection30, was not abundant. There were plenty of birds of the duck tribe; but only a few Polar hares, difficult of approach, poorly represented the rodents31 of the north. There seemed, however, to be a good many bears about. Marbre and Sabine had come upon the 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 latitudes32, there would probably be more than enough of these ravenous33 beasts prowling about the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
“There is certainly no denying,” said Corporal Joliffe, “that bear’s flesh is very good eating when once it’s in the larder34; 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 presently found of herds35 of a far more useful animal, the flesh of which is the principal food of the Indians and Esquimaux. We allude36 to the reindeer37; and Corporal Joliffe announced with the greatest satisfaction that there were plenty of these ruminants on this coast. The ground was covered with the lichen38 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 hoof39 with a convex surface. Large herds, sometimes numbering several thousand animals, are seen running wild in certain parts of America. Being easily domesticated40, 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 palatable41; 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 beaver42 lodges43 and musk-rat tunnels. Badgers44, lynxes, ermines, wolverenes, sables46, polecats, &c., 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 Mac-Nab 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 their furs become thicker and more beautiful. It was also desirable not to overload47 the sledges. The hunters saw the force of his reasoning; but for all that, their fingers itched48 when they came within shot-range of a sable45 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 practise upon in this second stage of their journey. The former, however, not yet rendered bold by hunger, soon scampered49 off, and no serious struggle with them ensued.
The poor birds suffered for the enforced immunity50 of the quadrupeds. White-headed eagles, huge birds with a harsh screeching51 cry; fishing hawks52, 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 Anseres tribe; ducks with red heads and black breasts; ash-coloured crows, a kind of mocking jay of extreme ugliness; eider ducks; scoters or black divers53, &c. &c., whose mingled54 cries awake the echoes of the Arctic regions, fell victims by hundreds to the unerring aim of Marbre 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 rations55 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 then 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 insure success to the undertaking56. Would it be possible to obtain a sufficient supply of fuel to contend with the rigour 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 Hobson noticed isolated57 groups of willows58, poplars, dwarf59 birch-trees, and numerous thickets60 of arbutus. At this time of the warm season all these trees were covered with verdure, and were an unexpected and refreshing61 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 devoured62 with avidity by the reindeer, and forming their only sustenance63 in winter. On the whole, then, the Lieutenant had reason to congratulate himself on having chosen the north-west of the American continent for the foundation of a new settlement.
We have said that these territories, so rich in animals, were apparently64 deserted65 by men. The travellers saw neither Esquimaux, 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 not 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 20th June he came to an encampment but recently abandoned.
It was situated66 at the end of a narrow creek called Darnley Bay, of which Cape Parry 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 cinders67, 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 Esquimaux, 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, “cannot we find out to what race the travellers do belong? Can’t we ascertain14 if they be Esquimaux 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.
Jaspar Hobson and others set to work, carefully examining every trace, every object left behind, every mark on the ground; but in vain, there was nothing to guide them to a decided opinion. The bones of some animals scattered68 about told them nothing, and the Lieutenant, much annoyed, was about to abandon the useless search, when he heard an exclamation69 from Mrs Joliffe, who had wandered a little way to the left.
All hurried towards the young Canadian, who remained fixed70 to the spot, looking attentively71 at the ground before her.
As her companions came up she said —
“You are looking for traces, Lieutenant; well, here are some.”
And Mrs Joliffe pointed to a good many footprints clearly visible in the firm clay.
These might reveal something; for the feet of the Indians and Esquimaux, as well as their boots, are totally different from each other.
But what chiefly struck Lieutenant Hobson was the strange arrangement of these impressions. They were evidently made by a human foot, a shod foot; but, strange to say, the ball alone appeared to have touched the ground! The marks were very numerous, close together, often crossing one another, but confined to a very small circle.
Jaspar Hobson 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 heel.”
“No,” said Mrs Joliffe; “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 graceful72 exercise, for they were neither clumsy nor deep.
But who could the light-hearted individual be who had been impelled73 to dance in this sprightly74 fashion some degrees above the Arctic Circle?
“It was certainly not an Esquimaux,” said the Lieutenant.
“Nor an Indian,” cried Corporal Joliffe.
“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.
收听单词发音 |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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estuary
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| n.河口，江口 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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capes
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| 碎谷； 斗篷( cape的名词复数 )； 披肩； 海角； 岬 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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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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promontories
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| n.岬，隆起，海角( promontory的名词复数 ) | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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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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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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meridian
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| adj.子午线的；全盛期的 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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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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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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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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Fahrenheit
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| n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的) | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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rectify
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| v.订正，矫正，改正 | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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rodents
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| n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 ) | |
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latitudes
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| 纬度 | |
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ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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allude
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| v.提及，暗指 | |
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reindeer
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| n.驯鹿 | |
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lichen
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| n.地衣, 青苔 | |
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hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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domesticated
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| adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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palatable
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| adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的 | |
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beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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lodges
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| v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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badgers
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| n.獾( badger的名词复数 )；獾皮；（大写）獾州人（美国威斯康星州人的别称）；毛鼻袋熊 | |
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sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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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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overload
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| vt.使超载；n.超载 | |
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48
itched
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| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
immunity
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| n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权 | |
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51
screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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52
hawks
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| 鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物 | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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54
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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57
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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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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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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cinders
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| n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sprightly
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| adj.愉快的，活泼的 | |
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