-Olive-Percival
-/^7f
CAPTAIN HATTERAS.
JULES VERNE
JULES VERNE'S WORKS.
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^^ JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO.,
131 Franklin Street, Boston.
"The brig was tossed about like a child's toy." — Page 134.
THE
VOYAGES AND ADVENTURES
OP
CAPTAIN HATTERAS
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF
JULES VERNE.
WITH TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ILLUSTRATIONS
BY RIOU.
BOSTON:
JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY,
Late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co.
1876.
COPYIUGHT, 1874.
By JAMES R. OSGOOD & CO.
University Press : Welch, Bigelow, & Co.,
Cambridge.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
THE ENGLISH AT THE NORTH POLE.
Chapter Paoe
L The Forward 3
IL An Unexpected Letter 12
in. Dr. Clawbonny .14
IV. The Dog-Captain 22
V. At Sea . . 29
VI. The Great Polar Current 38
VII. The Entrance of Davis Strait 45
VIII. The Talk of the Crew 53
IX. Another Letter. 63
X. Dangerous Sailing 69
XL The Devil's Thumb 78
XII. Captain Hatteras 86
XIII. The Captain's Plans 95
XIV. The Expeditions in Search of Franklin . . . 10^
XV. The Forward driven Southward 109
XVI. The Magnetic Pole 116
XVII. The Fate of Sir John Franklin . . . . .124
XVIII. The Way Northward . 129
XIX. A Whale in Sight 134
XX. Beechey Island 139
XXI. The Death of Bellot 147
M723555
viii CONTENTS.
XXII. The First Signs of Mutiny 155
XXIII. Attacked by the Ice 161
XXiy. PllEPAEATIONS FOR WINTERING 169
XXV. One of James Boss's Foxes 176
XXVI. The Last Piece of Coal 185
XXVI I. The Great Cold at Christmas . . . . .191
XXVIII. Preparations for Departure 198
XXIX. Across the Ice-Fields 202
XXX. The Cairn 211
XXXI. The Death of Simpson 218
XXXII. The Return to the Forward 224
PART II.
THE DESERT OF ICE.
I. The Doctor's Inventory 235
11. Altamont's First Words 242
III. Seventeen Days of Land Journey 251
IV. The Last Charge of Powder 258
V. The Seal and the Bear . 267
VI. The Porpoise 275
VII. A Discussion about Charts 284
VIII. Excursion to the North of Victoria Bay . . 291
IX. Cold and Heat . .299
X. The Pleasure of Winter-Quarters .... 307
XI. Disquieting Traces 315
XII. The Ice Prison 324
XIII. The Mine 332
XIV. The Polar Spring 341
XV. The Northwest Passage 348
CONTENTS. ix
XVI. Northern Arcadia 357
XVII. Altamont's Revenge 366
XVII I. The Last Preparations .:.... 372
XIX. The Journey Northward 377
XX. Footprints on the Snow . . . . . . 386
XXI. The Open Sea 394
XXII. The Approach to the Pole . . . . . . 401
XXIII. The English Flag 408
XXIV. Polar Cosmography 413
XXV. Mount Hatteras 420
XXVI. Return to the South 429
XXVII. Conclusion 437
LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
Page
** Johnson knew all the sailors in Liverpool, and immediately
SET about engaging A CREW " 16
"Everything was enveloped in one of the ordinary fogs of
THAT region " 18
*' This space of six feet square contained incalculable wealth " 23
"The news spread immediately throughout the city, and a
great concourse of spectators thronged the piers " . 27
" Towards evening the brig doubled the Calf of Man " . .29
"Would one not say it was a foreign city, an Eastern city,
with minarets and mosques in the moonlight " . . .50
" Fortunately THE opening of these huts was too small, and
the enthusiastic doctor could not get through " . . 71
" A STRANGE ANIMAL WAS BOUNDING ALONG WITHIN A CABLE's LENGTH
from the ship " 85
"John Hatteras" 95
"He caught a large number of white foxes ; he had put on
their NECKS copper COLLARS " . . ... . . 106
"All these poor fellows had died of misery, suffering, and
starvation" . . 128
" The brig was tossed about like a child's toy " {Frontispiece) 134
" The whale swam away from the brig and hastened towards
THE moving icebergs " 138
" The Forward IN Wellington Channel " 148
Hatteras made use of a device which whalers employ . 153
"A crash was heard, and as jt came against the starboard
quarter, part of the rail had given way " . . . . 167
xii LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
" The moon shone with incomparable purity, glistening on the
least roughness in the ice " 180
"Almost every night the doctor could observe the magnifi-
cent AURORAS " 187
" He was armed, and he kept constant guard, without minding
the cold, the snow, or the ice " 195
"The little band made their way towards the southeast " . 202
"The doctor had energy enough to ascend an ice-mountain
while the SNOW-HUT was building" . . . . . 206
"* Fire :' SHOUTED the captain, discharging HIS pie;ce" . . 211
" They could only think of their perilous position " . . 218
" Suddenly, with a last effort, he half rose " . . . . 223
"Then a terrible explosion was heard" .... 230
"The large pieces of the engine lay here and there, twisted
OUT OF shape" 241
" They harnessed the tired DOGS " 242
Johnson's Story 243
*"Yes!' said the American " 250
"The doctor was fortunate e^'Ough to find a seal " . . 258
" At the end of two hours they fell exhausted "... 263
"He plunged his knife into the beast's throat" . . 269
" These castaways looked at themselves as colonists who had
reached their destination " 277
The fort was completed 283
" I am not aware that it bears any name on the most recent
maps" .288
" The doctor reached the summit with some little difficulty " 291
" They advanced in full illumination, and their sharply cut
shadows ran out behind them over the snow "... 299
" He DID HIS BEST TO INSTRUCT AND INTEREST HIS COMPANIONS " . 308
" HaTTERAS COULD ONLY KEEP HIS DISTANCE FROM THE ANIMALS BY
THROWING AWAY HIS CAP, HATCHET, AND EVEN HIS GUN " . 326
"The BEARS HEAPED THE ICE IN SUCH A WAY. AS TO RENDER FLIGHT
IMPOSSIBLE " 330
LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. xiii
"An enormous black body appeared rx the gloom of the room.
Altamont raised his hand to strike it " . . . . 333
"A loud explosion followed" 340
" The carpenter set to work at once " 349
" a hard struggle with the icebergs " 354
" MacClURE saw A MAN RUNNING AND GESTICULATING" . . 355
'* The DOCTOR, Johnson, and Bell intervened. It was time :
THE two enemies WERE GAZING AT ONE ANOTHER ". . . 356
"They were a curious and touching sight, flying about
WITHOUT FEAR, RESTING ON ClAWBONNY's SHOULDERS," ETC. . 364
" Gave him a terrible blow with a hatchet on the head " . 369
" Well, I 'VE BROUGHT back TWO BROTHERS " .... 371
" The seal struggled for a few seconds, and was then suffo-
cated ON the breast of his adversary " . . . . 374
" They left AT SIX o'clock IN the morning " 377
" On the 29th Bell shot a fox, and Altamont a medium-sized
musk-ox" . 383
"The masses of ice took the forms of hummocks and icebergs" 384
" On all sides resounded the cracking of the ice amid the roar
of the avalanches " 384
** We ought," ANSWERED BeLL, " TO LIGHT TORCHES, AS IS DONE AT
London AND Liverpool" 386
The hut was pitched in a ravine for shelter .... 390
"Three hours later they reached the coast. 'The sea ! the
SEA ! ' they all shouted " 392
" They climbed a hill which commanded a wide view " . . 392
"The launch was rocking gently in her little harbor " . . 393
" Aquatic BIRDS OF ALL sorts were there " .... 397
"Then the eye glancing down into the transparent water,
the sight was equally strange " 398
" * It 's A volcano ! ' he cried " 401
" The launch tossed helplessly about " 404
" The FOG without lifting WAS VERY BRIGHT " .... 405
"This drifting floe was covered with white bears, crowded
together" 406
xiv LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
** Her sail flew away like a .huge white bird ; a whirlpool, a
NEW Maelstrom, formed among the waves "... 407
" The mountain WAS IN FULL ERUPTION " 409
" They NOTICED A little FIORD " 410
" AlTAMONT SOON FOUND A grotto IN the ROCKS " .... 412
"They WERE ALL READY TO listen TO the doctor" . . . 413
"They saw the captain standing on a rock " .... 421
" Hatteras appeared to wake from his revery" . . . 421
" The doctor put UP A CAIRN " . 429
" Dead — FROZEN " 435
" But Hatteras did not look back. He had made use of his
staff as a pole on which to fasten the english flag " . 437
"Two HOURS later, after unheard-of efforts, the last MEN
OF the Forward were taken aboard the Danish whaler
Hans Christian " 438
" A STEAMBOAT carried THEM to Kiel " 438
PAET I.
THE ENGLISH AT THE NORTH POLE.
THE FORWARD.
*' To-morrow, at the turn of the tide, the brig Forward, K. Z.,
captain, Richard Shandon, mate, will clear from New Prince's
Docks ; destination unknown."
This announcement appeared in the Liverpool Herald of April
5, 1860.
The sailing of a brig is not a matter of great importance for
the chief commercial city of England. Who would take notice
of it in so great a throng of ships of all sizes and of every country,
that drj^-docks covering two leagues scarcely contain them ?
Nevertheless, from early morning on the 6th of April, a large
crowd collected on the quays of the New Prince's Docks ; all the
sailors of the place seemed to have assembled there. The work-
ingmen of the neighboring wharves had abandoned their tasks,
tradesmen had left their gloomy shops, and the merchants their
empty warehouses. The many-colored omnibuses which pass out-
side of the docks were discharging, every minute, their load of
4 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HATTER AS.
sight-seers; the whole city seemed to care for nothing except
watching the departure of the Forward.
The Forward was a vessel of one hundred and seventy tons,
rigged as a brig, and carrying a screw and a steam-engine of one
hundred and twenty horse-power. One would have very easily
confounded it with the other brigs in the harbor. But if it pre-
sented no especial difference to the eye of the public, yet those
who were familiar with ships noticed certain peculiarities which
could not escape a sailor's keen glance.
Thus, on the Nautilus, which was lying at anchor near her, a
group of sailors were trying to make out tlie probable destination
of the Forward.
" What do you say to her masts ? " said one ; " steamers don't
usually carry so much sail."
" It must be," answered a red-faced quartermaster, " that she
relies more on her sails than on her engine ; and if her topsails are
of that size, it 's probably because the lower sails are to be laid
back. So I 'm sure the Forward is going either to the Arctic or
Antarctic Ocean, where tlie icebergs stop the wind more than suits
a solid ship."
" You must be right, Mr. Comhill," said a third sailor. *' Do
you notice how straight her stem is % "
THE ENGLISH AT THE NORTH POLE. 5
" Besides," said Mr. Cornhill, " she carries a steel ram forward,
as sharp as a razor ; if the Forward, going at full speed, should
run into a three-decker, she would cut her in two."
" That 's true," answered a Mersey pilot, " for that brig can
easily run fourteen knots under steam. She was a sight to see on
her trial trip. On my word, she 's a swift boat."
" And she goes well, too, under sail," continued the quarter-
master ; " close to the wind, and she 's easily steered. Now that
ship is going to the polar seas, or my name is not Cornhill. And
then, see there ! Do you notice that large helm-port over the
head of her rudder 1 "
" That 's so," said some of the sailors ; " but what does that
prove ] "
"That proves, my men," replied the quartermaster with a
scornful smile, "that you can neither see nor think; it proves
that they wanted to leave the head of the rudder free, so that it
might be unshipped and shipped again easily. Don't you know
that 's what they have to do very often in the ice % "
" You are right," answered the sailors of the Nautilus.
" And besides," said one, *' the lading of the brig goes to prove
what Mr. Cornhill has said. I heard it from Clifton, who has
shipped on her. The Forward carries provisions for five or six
years, and coal in proportion. Coal and provisions are all she
carries, and a quantity of woollen and sealskin clothing."
" Well," said Mr. Cornhill, " there 's no doubt about it. But,
my friend, since you know Clifton, has n't he told you where
she 's bound % "
" He could n't tell me, for he did n't know ; the whole crew
was shipped in that way. Where is he going % He won't know
till he gets there."
" Nor yet if they are going to Davy Jones's locker," said one
scoffer, " as it seems to me they are."
" But then, their pay," continued the friend of Clifton enthu-
siastically, — " their pay ! it 's five times what a sailor usually
gets. If it had not been for that, Richard Shandon would not
have got a man. A strangely shaped boat, going no one knows
where, and as if it never intended coming back ! As for me, I
should not have cared to ship in her."
6 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HATTER AS.
"Whether you would or not," answered Mr. Cornhill, "you
could never have shipped in the Forward.'^
"Why notl"
" Because you would not have answered the conditions. I
heard that married men were not taken. Now you belong to
that class. So you need not say what you would or would not
do, since it 's all breath thrown away."
The sailor who was thus snubbed burst out laughing, as did
his companions, showing in this way that Mr. Cornhill's remarks
were true.
" There 's nothing but boldness
about the ship," continued Cornhill,
well pleased with himself. " The For-
ward, — forward to what *? Without
saying that nobody knows who her
captain is."
" 0, yes, they do ! " said a young
sailor, evidently a green-hand.
" What ! They do know 1 "
" Of course."
" My young friend," said Cornhill,
" do you think Shandon is the captain of the Forward ? "
" Why — " answered the boy.
" Shandon is only the mate, nothing else ; he 's a good and
brave sailor, an old whaler, a good fellow, able to take command,
but he 's not the captain ; he 's no more captain than you or I.
And who, under God, is going to have charge of the ship, he
does not know in the least. At the proper time the captain will
come aboard, I don't know how, and I don't know where ; for
Richard Shandon did n't tell me, nor has he leave to tell me in
what direction he was first to sail."
" Still, Mr. Cornhill," said the young sailor, " I can tell you
that there 's some one on board, some one who was spoken of in
the letter in which Mr. Shandon was offered the place of mate."
" What ! " answered Cornhill, " do you mean to tell me that
the Forward has a captain on board 1 "
"Yes, Mr. Cornhill."
THE ENGLISH AT THE NORTH POLE.
'' You tell me that 1 "
" Certainly, for 1 heard it from Johnson, the boatswain."
" Boatswain Johnson ] "
" Yes, he told me himself."
" Johnson told you 1 "
" Not only did he tell me, but he showed him to me."
" He showed him to you ! " answered Cornhill in amazement.
*' He showed him to me."
" And you saw himV
" I saw him with my own eyes."
"And who is it r'
" It 's a dog."
-Adogr'
8 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HATTERAS.
" A four-footed dog r'
" Yes."
The surprise of the sailors of the Nautilus was great. Under
any other circumstances they would have burst out laughing.
A dog captain of a one hundred and seventy ton brig ! It was
certainly amusing enough. But the Forward was such an extraor-
dinary ship, that one thought twice before laughing, and before
contradicting it. Besides, Quartermaster Cornhill showed no signs
of laughing.
" And Johnson showed you that new sort of captain, a dog ] "
he said to the young sailor. " And you saw himl"
" As plainly as I see you, with all respect."
" Well, what do you think of that 1 " asked the sailors, turning
to Cornhill.
" I don't think anything," he answered curtly, " except that
the Forward is a ship of the Devil, or of fools fit for Bedlam."
Without saying more, the sailors continued to gaze at the For-
ward, which was now almost ready to depart ; and there was no
one of them who presumed to say that Johnson, the boatswain,
had been making fun of the young sailor.
This story of the dog had already spread through the city, and
in the crowd of sight-seers there were many looking for the cap-
tain-dog, who were inclined to believe that he was some super-
natural animal.
Besides, for many months the Forward had been attracting
the public attention ; the singularity of its build, the mystery
which enshrouded it, the incognito maintained by the captain,
the manner in which Richard Shandon received the proposition
of superintending its outfit, the careful selection of the crew, its
unknown destination, scarcely conjectured by anj^, — all com-
bined to give this brig a reputation of something more than
strangeness.
For a thoughtful, dreamy mind, for a philosopher, there is
hardly anything more touching than the departure of a ship ; the
imagination is ready to follow her in her struggles with the
waves, her contests with the winds, in her perilous course, which
does not always end in port ; and if only there is something un-
THE ENGLISH AT THE NORTH POLE. 9
usual about her, the ship appears like something fantastic, even
to the least imaginative minds.
So it was with the Forward. And if most of the spectators
were unable to make the ingenious remarks of Quartermaster
Cornhill, the rumors which had been prevailing for three months
were enough to keep all the tongues of Liverpool busy.
The brig had been built at Birkenhead, a suburb of the city on
the left bank of the Mersey, and connected with it by numerous
ferry-boats.
The builders, Scott & Co., as skilful as any in England, had
received from Richard Shandon careful plans and drawings, in
which the tonnage, dimensions, and model of the brig were given
with the utmost exactness. They bore proof of the work of an
experienced sailor. Since Shandon had ample means at his com-
mand, the work began, and, in accordance with the orders of the
unknown owner, proceeded rapidly.
Every care was taken to have the brig made exceedingly
strong ; it was evidently intended to withstand enormous press-
ure, for its ribs of teak, an East Indian wood remarkable for its
solidity, were further strengthened by thick iron braces. The
sailors used to ask why the hull of a ship, which was intended to
be so strong, was not made of iron like other steamers. But
they were told that the mysterious designer had his own reasons
for having it built in that way.
Gradually the shape of the brig on the stocks could be clearly
made out, and the strength and beauty of her model were clear
to the eye of all competent judges. As the sailors of the Nauti-
lus had said, her stem formed a right angle with the keel, and
she carried, not a ram, but a steel cutter from the foundry of
R. Hawthorn, of Newcastle. This metallic prow, glistening in the
sun, gave a singular appearance to the brig, although there was
nothing warlike about it. However, a sixteen-pound gun was
placed on her forecastle ; its carriage was so arranged that it
could be pointed in any direction. The same thing can be said
of the cannon as of her bows, neither were positively warlike.
On the 5th of February, 1860, this strange vessel was success-
fully launched in the sight of an immense number of spectators.
1*
10 THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HATTERAS.
But if the brig was not a man-of-war, nor a merchant-vessel,
nor a pleasure-yacht, for no one takes a pleasure trip with pro-
visions for six years in the hold, what could she be ^
A ship intended for the search of the Erehus and the Terror,
and of Sir John Franklin 1 No; for in 1859, the previous year,
Captain MacClintock had returned from the Arctic Ocean, with
convincing proof of the loss of that ill-fated expedition.
Did the Forward want to try again the famous Northwest
Passage? What for] Captain MacClure had discovered it in
1853, and his lieutenant, Cresswell, had the honor of first skirt-
ing the American continent from Behring Strait to Davis Strait.
It was nevertheless absolutely certain to all competent observ-
ers that the Forward was preparing for a voyage to icy regions.
Was it going to push towards the South Pole, fixrther than the
whaler Wedell, farther thati Captain James Ross % But what was
the use, and with what intention ?
It is easy to see that, although the field for conjecture was
very limited, the imagination could easily lose itself.
The day after the launching of the brig her machinery arrived
from the foundry of R. Hawthorn at Newcastle.
The engine, of one hundred and twenty horse-power, with
oscillating cylinders, took up but little space ; its force was large
THE ENGLISH AT THE NORTH POLE. H
for a vessel of one hundred and seventy tons, which carried a
great deal of sail, and was, besides, remarkably swift. Of her
speed the trial trips left no doubt, and even the boatswain, John-
son, had seen fit to express his opinion to the friend of Clifton in
these terms, —
"When the Forward is under both steam and sail, she gets
«
the most speed from her sails."
Clifton's friend had not understood this proposition, but he con-
sidered anything possible in a ship commanded by a dog.
After the engines had been placed on board, the stowage of
provisions began ; and that was no light task, for she carried
enough for six years. They consisted of salted and dried meats,
smoked fish, biscuit, and flour ; mountains of coffee and tea were
deposited in the store-room. Richard Shandon superintended
the arrangement of this precious cargo with the air of a man
who perfectly understood his business ; everything was put in its
place, labelled, and numbered with perfect precision ; at the same
time there was stowed away a large quantity of pemmican, an
Indian preparation, which contains a great deal of nutriment in a
small compass.
This sort of suppty left no doubt as to the length of the cruise ;
but an experienced observer would have known at once that the
Forward was to sail in polar waters, from the barrels of lime-
juice, of lime lozenges, of bundles of mustard, sorrel, and of cocli-
learia, — in a word, from the abundance of powerful antiscorbutics,
which are so necessary in journeys in the regions of the far north
and south. Shandon had doubtless received word to take partic-
ular care about this part of the cargo, for he gave to it especial
attention, as well as to the ship's
sel was small enough to calm Sf^^^S^^^^Hn^li^
hand, the magazine was filled a*igS^^ 5gj |i|^^
some uneasiness. The single ■■— —
gun on the forecastle could not pretend to require so large a
12
THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HATTERAS.
supply. This excited curiosity. There were, besides, enormous
saws and strong machinery, such as levers, masses of lead, hand-
saws, huge axes, etc., without counting a respectable number
of blasting-cylinders, which might have blown up the Liverpool
custom-house. All this was strange, if not alarming, not to men-
tion the rockets, signals, lights, and lanterns of every sort.
Then, too, the numerous spectators on the quays of the New
Prince's Docks gazed with admiration at a long mahogany whale-
boat, a tin canoe covered with gutta-percha, and a number of hal-
kett-boats, which are a sort of india-rubber cloaks, which can be
inflated and thereby turned into canoes. Every one felt more
and more puzzled, and even excited, for with the turn of the tide
the Forward was to set sail for its unknown destination.
CHAPTER II.
AN UNEXPECTED LETTEH.
This is a copy of the letter received by Richard Shandon eight
months previously : — •
Aberdeen, August 2, 1859.
Mr. Richard Shandon, Liverpool.
Sir, — This letter is to advise you of a remittance of ^16,000, de-
posited with Messrs. Marcuart &
Co., bankers, at Liverpool. En-
closed you will find a series of
drafts, signed by me, which will
enable you to draw upon Messrs.
Marcuart & Co^ ta the amount
mentioned above.
You do not know me. N"o mat-
ter ; I know yo^x, and that is enough.
I offer you the position of mate on board of the brig Forward, for a