From that day, July 18th, it was decided1 that the bearings should be taken as on board a vessel2 whenever the state of the atmosphere rendered the operation possible. Was not the island, in fact, a disabled ship, tossed about without sails or helm.
The next day after taking the bearings, Hobson announced that without change of latitude3 the island had advanced several miles farther west. Mac-Nab was ordered to commence the construction of a huge boat, Hobson telling him, in explanation, that he proposed making a reconnaissance of the coast as far as Russian America next summer. The carpenter asked no further questions, but proceeded to choose his wood, and fixed4 upon the beach at the foot of Cape5 Bathurst as his dockyard, so that he might easily be able to launch his vessel.
Hobson intended to set out the same day on his excursion round the island in which he and his comrades were imprisoned6. Many changes might take place in the configuration7 of this sheet of ice, subject as it was to the influence of the variable temperature of the waves, and it was important to determine its actual form at the present time, its area, and its thickness in different parts. The point of rupture8, which was most likely at the isthmus9 itself, ought to be examined with special care; the fracture being still fresh, it might be possible to ascertain10 the exact arrangement of the stratified layers of ice and earth of which the soil of the island was composed.
But in the afternoon the sky clouded over suddenly, and a violent squall, accompanied with thick mists, swept down upon the fort. Presently torrents11 of rain fell, and large hailstones rattled12 on the roof, whilst a few distant claps of thunder were heard, a phenomenon of exceedingly rare occurrence in such elevated latitudes13.
Hobson was obliged to put off his trip, and wait until the fury of the elements abated14, but during the 20th, 2lst, and 22d July, no change occurred. The storm raged, the floods of heaven were let loose, and the waves broke upon the beach with a deafening15 roar. Liquid avalanches16 were flung with such force upon Cape Bathurst, that there was reason to dread17 that it might give way; its stability was, in fact, somewhat problematical, as it consisted merely of an aggregation18 of sand and earth, without any firm foundation. Vessels19 at sea might well be pitied in this fearful gale20, but the floating island was of too vast a bulk to be affected21 by the agitation22 of the waves, and remained indifferent to their fury.
During the night of the 22d July the tempest suddenly ceased. A strong breeze from the north-east dispelled23 the last mists upon the horizon. The barometer24 rose a few degrees, and the weather appeared likely to favour Hobson’s expedition.
He was to be accompanied by Mrs Barnett and Sergeant25 Long, and expected to be absent a day or two. The little party took some salt meat, biscuits, and a few flasks26 of rum with them, and there was nothing in their excursion to surprise the rest of the colonists27. The days were just then very long, the sun only disappearing below the horizon for a few hours.
There were no wild animals to be feared now. The bears seemed to have fled by instinct from the peninsula whilst it was still connected with the mainland, but to neglect no precaution each of the three explorers was provided with a gun. The Lieutenant28 and his subordinate also carried hatchets29 and ice-chisels, which a traveller in the Polar regions should never be without.
During the absence of the Lieutenant and the Sergeant, the command of the fort fell to Corporal Joliffe, or rather to his little wife, and Hobson knew that he could trust her. Thomas Black could not be depended on; he would not even join the exploring party; he promised, however, to watch the northern latitudes very carefully, and to note any change which should take place in the sea or the position of the cape during the absence of the Lieutenant.
Mrs Barnett had endeavoured to reason with the unfortunate astronomer30, but he would listen to nothing. He felt that Nature had deceived him, and that he could never forgive her.
After many a hearty31 farewell, the Lieutenant and his two companions left the fort by the postern gate, and, turning to the west, followed the lengthened32 curve of the coast between Capes33 Bathurst and Esquimaux.
It was eight o’clock in the morning; the oblique34 rays of the sun struck upon the beach, and touched it with many a brilliant tint35, the angry billows of the sea were sinking to rest, and the birds, ptarmigans, guillemots, puffins, and petrels, driven away by the storm, were returning by thousands. Troops of ducks were hastening back to Lake Barnett, flying close, although they knew it not, to Mrs Joliffe’s saucepan. Polar hares, martens, musk36 rats, and ermines rose before the travellers and fled at their approach, but not with any great appearance of haste or terror. The animals evidently felt drawn37 towards their old enemies by a common danger.
“They know well enough that they are hemmed38 in by the sea and cannot quit the island,” observed Hobson.
“They are all in the habit of seeking warmer climates in the south in the winter, are they not?” inquired Mrs Barnett.
“Yes, madam, but unless they are presently able to cross the ice-field, they will have to remain prisoners like ourselves, and I am afraid the greater number will die of cold or hunger.
“I hope they will be good enough to supply us with food for a long time,” observed the Sergeant,” and I think it is very fortunate that they had not the sense to run away before the rupture of the isthmus.”
“The birds will, however, leave us?” added Mrs Barnett.
“Oh yes, madam, everything with wings will go, they can traverse long distances without fatigue39, and, more fortunate than ourselves, they will regain40 terra firma.”
“Could we not use them as messengers?” asked Mrs Barnett.
“A good idea, madam, a capital idea,” said Hobson. “We might easily catch some hundreds of these birds, and tie a paper round their necks with our exact situation written upon it. John Ross in 1848 tried similar means to acquaint the survivors41 of the Franklin expedition with the presence of his ships, the Enterprise and the Investigator42 in the Polar seas. He caught some hundreds of white foxes in traps, rivetted a copper43 collar round the neck of each with all the necessary information engraved44 upon it, and then set them free in every direction.”
“Perhaps some of the messengers may have fallen into the hands of the shipwrecked wanderers.”
“Perhaps so,” replied Hobson; “I know that an old fox was taken by Captain Hatteras during his voyage of discovery, wearing a collar half worn away and hidden beneath his thick white fur. What we cannot do with the quadrupeds, we will do with the birds.”
Chatting thus and laying plans for the future, the three explorers continued to follow the coast. They noticed no change; the abrupt45 cliffs covered with earth and sand showed no signs of a recent alteration46 in the extent of the island. It was, however, to be feared that the vast sheet of ice would be worn away at the base by the action of the warm currents, and on this point Hobson was naturally anxious.
By eleven o’clock in the morning the eight miles between Capes Bathurst and Esquimaux had been traversed. A few traces of the encampment of Kalumah’s party still remained; of course the snow huts had entirely47 disappeared, but some cinders48 and walrus49 bones marked the spot.
The three explorers halted here for a short time, they intended to pass the few short hours of the night at Walruses’ Bay, which they hoped to reach In a few hours. They breakfasted seated on a slightly rising ground covered with a scanty50 and stunted51 herbage. Before their eyes lay the ocean bounded by a clearly-defined sea-horizon, without a sail or an iceberg52 to break the monotony of the vast expanse of water.
“Should you be very much surprised if some vessel came In sight now, Lieutenant?” inquired Mrs Barnett.
“I should be very agreeably surprised, madam,” replied Hobson. “It is not at all uncommon53 for whalers to come as far north as this, especially now that the Arctic Ocean is frequented by whales and chacholots, but you must remember that it is the 23rd July, and the summer is far advanced. The whole fleet of whaling vessels is probably now in Gulf54 Kotzebue, at the entrance to the strait. Whalers shun55 the sudden changes in the Arctic Ocean, and with good reason. They dread being shut in the ice; and the icebergs56, avalanches, and, ice-fields they avoid, are the very things for which we earnestly pray.”
“They will come, Lieutenant,” said Long; “have patience, in another two months the waves will no longer break upon the shores of Cape Esquimaux.”
“Cape Esquimaux!” observed Mrs Barnett with a smile. “That name, like those we gave to the other parts of the peninsula, may turn out unfortunate too. We have lost Port Barnett and Paulina River; who can tell whether Cape Esquimaux and Walruses’ Bay may not also disappear in time?”
“They too will disappear, madam,” replied Hobson, “and after them the whole of Victoria Island, for nothing now connects it with a continent, and it is doomed57 to destruction. This result is inevitable58, and our choice of geographical59 names will be thrown away; but fortunately the Royal Society has not yet adopted them, and Sir Roderick Murchison will have nothing to efface60 on his maps.”
“One name he will,” exclaimed the Sergeant.
“Which?” inquired Hobson.
“Cape Bathurst,” replied Long.
“Ah, yes, you are right. Cape Bathurst must now be removed from maps of the Polar regions.”
Two hours’ rest were all the explorers cared for, and at one o’clock they prepared to resume their journey.
Before starting Hobson once more looked round him from the summit of Cape Esquimaux; but seeing nothing worthy61 of notice, he rejoined Mrs Barnett and Sergeant Long.
“Madam,” he said, addressing the lady, “you have not forgotten the family of natives we met here last winter?”
“Oh no, I have always held dear little Kalumah in friendly remembrance. She promised to come and see us again at Fort Hope, but she will not be able to do so. But why do you ask me about the natives now?”
“Because I remember something to which, much to my regret, I did not at the time attach sufficient importance.”
“What was that?”
“You remember the uneasy surprise the men manifested at finding a big a factory at the foot of Cape Bathurst.”
“You remember that I tried to make out what the natives meant, and that I could not do so?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Well,” added Hobsou, “I know now why they shook their heads. From tradition, experience, or something, the Esquimaux knew what the peninsula really was, they knew we had not built on firm ground. But as things had probably remained as they were for centuries, they thought there was no immediate63 danger, and that it was not worth while to explain themselves.”
“Very likely you are right,” replied Mrs Barnett; “but I feel sure that Kalumah had no suspicion of her companion’s fears, or she would have warned us.”
Hobson quite agreed with Mrs Barnett, and Sergeant Long observed —
“It really seems to have been by a kind of fatality64 that we settled ourselves upon this peninsula just before it was torn away from the mainland. I suppose, Lieutenant, that it had been connected for a very long time, perhaps for centuries.”
“You might say for thousands and thousands of years, Sergeant,” replied Hobson. “Remember that the soil on which we are treading has been brought here by the wind, little by little, that the sand has accumulated grain by grain! Think of the time it must have taken for the seeds of firs, willows65, and arbutus to become shrubs67 and trees! Perhaps the sheet of ice on which we float was welded to the continent before the creation of man!”
“Well,” cried Long, “it really might have waited a few centuries longer before it drifted. How much anxiety and how many dangers we might then have been spared!”
Sergeant Long’s most sensible remark closed the conversation, and the journey was resumed.
From Cape Esquimaux to Walruses’ Bay the coast ran almost due south, following the one hundred and twenty-seventh meridian68. Looking behind them they could see one corner of the lagoon69, its waters sparkling in the sunbeams, and a little beyond the wooded heights in which it was framed. Large eagles soared above their heads, their cries and the loud flapping of their wings breaking the stillness, and furred animals of many kinds, martens, polecats, ermines, &c., crouching70 behind some rising ground, or hiding amongst the stunted bushes and willows, gazed inquiringly at the intruders. They seemed to understand that they had nothing to fear. Hobson caught a glimpse of a few beavers71 wandering about, evidently ill at ease, and puzzled at the disappearance72 of the little river. With no ledges73 to shelter them, and no stream by which to build a new home, they were doomed to die of cold when the severe frost set in. Sergeant Long also saw a troop of wolves crossing the plain.
It was evident that specimens74 of the whole Arctic Fauna75 were imprisoned on the island, and there was every reason to fear that, when famished76 with hunger, all the carnivorous beasts would be formidable enemies to the occupants of Fort Hope.
Fortunately, however, one race of animals appeared to be quite unrepresented. Not a single white bear was seen! Once the Sergeant thought he saw an enormous white mass moving about on the other side of a clump77 of willows, but on close examination decided that he was mistaken.
The coast near Walruses’ Bay was, on the whole, only slightly elevated above the sea-level, and in the distance the waves broke into running foam78 as they do upon a sloping beach. It was to be feared that the soil had little stability, but there was no means of judging of the modifications79 which had taken place since their last visit, and Hobson much regretted that he had not made bench marks about Cape Bathurst before he left, that he might judge of the amount of sinking or depression which took place. He determined80, however, to take this precaution on his return.
It will be understood that, under the circumstances, the party did not advance very rapidly. A pause was often made to examine the soil, or to see if there were any sign of an approaching fracture on the coast, and sometimes the explorers wandered inland for half a mile. Here and there the Sergeant planted branches of willow66 or birch to serve as landmarks81 for the future, especially wherever undermining seemed to be going on rapidly and the solidity of the ground was doubtful. By this means it would be easy to ascertain the changes which might take place.
They did advance, however, and at three o’clock in the afternoon they were only three miles from Walruses’ Bay, and Hobson called Mrs Barnett’s attention to the important changes which had been effected by the rupture of the isthmus.
Formerly82 the south-western horizon was shut in by a long slightly curved coast-line, formed by the shores of Liverpool Bay. Now a sea-line bounded the view, the continent having disappeared. Victoria Island ended in an abrupt angle where it had broken off, and all felt sure that on turning round that angle the ocean would be spread out before them, and that its waves would bathe the whole of the southern side of the island, which was once the connecting-link between Walruses’ Bay and Washburn Bay.
Mrs Barnett could not look at the changed aspect of the scene without emotion. She had expected it, and yet her heart beat almost audibly. She gazed across the sea for the missing continent, which was now left several hundred miles behind, and it rushed upon her mind with a fresh shock that she would never set foot on America again. Her agitation was indeed excusable, and it was shared by the Lieutenant and the Sergeant.
All quickened their steps, eager to reach the abrupt angle in the south. The ground rose slightly as they advanced, and the layers of earth and sand became thicker; this of course was explained by the former proximity83 of this part of the coast to the true continent. The thickness of the crust of ice and of the layer of earth at the point of junction84 increasing, as it probably did, every century, explained the long resistance of the isthmus, which nothing but some extraordinary convulsion could have overcome. Such a convulsion was the earthquake of the 8th January, which, although it had only affected the continent of North America, had sufficed to break the connecting-link, and to launch Victoria Island upon the wide ocean.
At four o’clock P.M., the angle was reached. Walruses’ Bay, formed by an indentation of the firm ground, had disappeared! It had remained behind with the continent
“By my faith, madam!” exclaimed the Sergeant, “it’s lucky for you we didn’t call it Paulina Barnett Bay!”
“Yes,” replied the lady, “I begin to think I am an unlucky godmother for newly-discovered places.”
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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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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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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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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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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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configuration
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| n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置 | |
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rupture
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| n.破裂；(关系的)决裂；v.(使)破裂 | |
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isthmus
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| n.地峡 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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latitudes
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| 纬度 | |
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abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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avalanches
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| n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 ) | |
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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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aggregation
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| n.聚合，组合；凝聚 | |
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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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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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dispelled
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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barometer
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| n.气压表，睛雨表，反应指标 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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flasks
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| n.瓶，长颈瓶， 烧瓶( flask的名词复数 ) | |
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colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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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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hatchets
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| n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 )；恶毒攻击；诽谤；休战 | |
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astronomer
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| n.天文学家 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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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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capes
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| 碎谷； 斗篷( cape的名词复数 )； 披肩； 海角； 岬 | |
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oblique
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| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
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tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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musk
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| n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫 | |
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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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hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor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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copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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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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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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walrus
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| n.海象 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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iceberg
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| n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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icebergs
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| n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 ) | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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efface
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| v.擦掉，抹去 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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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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fatality
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| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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willow
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| n.柳树 | |
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shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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meridian
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| adj.子午线的；全盛期的 | |
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69
lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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70
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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71
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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72
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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73
ledges
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| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
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74
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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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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76
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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77
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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modifications
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| n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变 | |
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80
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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81
landmarks
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| n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址） | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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83
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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84
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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