A^ ^> -'^^^- mr^W' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // i^ t^.^ if •« 1.0 i.l i.25 jria Ilia Hi Ki III 2.2 S lis ■■ £: i« 12.0 U 14 III; 1.6 p;^ *» /. 3f m °v o- °W w Photographic Sdencec Corporation id.™ # ^v \\ ^^ % V cS^ Am. •^ ^<.^^,L\^crvU2 t NOT E. The illustrations are rcjproduced M'ith the kind permission of the Proprietor of Old and Yomifjf (formerly Yonnff Foils' Paper), in which the story appeared in serial form. J.lV«v-J A 237 XXIV. A CIRCUMPOLAR CEREMONY 248 XXV. THE WRATH OF THE FIRE-SPIRIT 259 XXVL OUR DASH FOR LIRERTY 273 XXVIL SIR PHILIP STAFFORD 287 XXVIII. CONCLUSION 297 im -^ THE PARADISE OF THE NORTH. CHAPTER I. THE LAST REQUEST OP RANDOLPH TOItllBNS. HE solicitor cleared his throat. * The will I am about to road,' he began, * was drawn up in Juno last. Mr Torrcns had just been informed by his doctor that ho might bo carried oil' at any moment by the disease of the heart from which he eventually died. Accordingly, ^^ he called upon me and gave me instructions to prepare this will, which was signed next day. With your permission, Miss Torrens, I shall now proceed to read it.' There were not many present, this gloomy February morning, to listen to the reading of the last will and testa- ment of Randolph Torrens of the Grange : his only child and heiress, Edith Torrens; her aunt; I, Godfrey Oliphant, of Dreghorn Towers, the manor-liouse of the next parish ; my younger brother Cecil, who had a place as by right at Edith's side ; one or two neighbours ; a few of the servants, there on their mistress's invitation ; and Mr Smiles, the family lawyer. The funeral was just over, and the great crowd which had assembled in the little country churchyard to do honour to the dead had melted quietly away. JN'ow only the memory of a good and upright man was left. For more Ill li!- 8 THE LAST nKQUKST OP HANDOLPil T0RUKN8. years tlmii I could remoinbcr, llanJolph Torruns had been my best and truest friend ; and as I sat in his libniry, listening to his last commands, I could scarcely realise that I should never again hear his cheery greeting. The friendship between the two liouses had ilways been close, and the bond had been strengthened by my brother's engagement, a f'rw months before, to Miss Torrens. Even then, incongruous as the thought apparently was, I could not help thinking how lucky Cecil had been to win the love of such a girl as Edith. Sitting there together, they seemed * made each for the other, in the good Providence of life,' as the old chronicler (juaintly has it. Cecil — clean-limbed and handsome (I don't mind confessing that the traditionary good looks of the family have somehow missed its present head), in a word, as good a specimen of young English manhood as one could wish to meet; and Edith, a perfect match — her beauty enhanced by the look of pathos in her dark eyes, and the expression eloquent of her grief. She looked up as the lawyer 8i)oke. * Pray go on, Mr Smiles,' she said. The will began in the usual way ; bequests of small sums were made to the servants and others, and a larger amount to Mr Smiles ; an annuity of seven hundred and fifty pounds was left to his sister, and five thousand pounds each bequeathed to my brother and me, *as a slight mark of appreciation of the coming connection between the Oliphants of Dreghorn Towers and my family, and of personal friend- ship towards the said Godfrey Oliphant, Esq., and Cecil Oliphant, Esq.' Then the residue of the estate, consisting of landed property in various counties, articles of value, &c., and the sum of one hundred and ten thousand pounds invested in the Three per Cents., were left unreservedly to his daughter, Edith Belhaven Torrens, Mr Smiles and myself being named as executors. At the same time a sealed packet was to be handed to Miss Torrens ; and, the will went on, it was the wish of the testator that his \ THE LAST IlKQURST OF RANDOLIMI TOURBNS. 9 tlauglitcr shoiiltl exorciso hur own jiulgmoiit whother tlie directions therein convoyoil shoulil be carried out. 'And this packet/ concluded Mr Smiles, 'it is now my duty to hand to you, Miss Torrens. It was given tc me, I may say, at the time the will was signed.' The servants and strangers hero retired, and Edith, who had abstained from examining it while they were present, now took it up with some curiosity. On the covr was the following inscription : To MY Daughter, Edith Touubns— To bo opened alter my death, and read in the presence of my executors and Mr Cecil Oliphunt, and sucli other persons as she may desire to be present. •All those mentioned being here,* said Edith, 'I suppose there is no reason why this should not bo opened now V 'None whatever,' said the lawyer; and so the seals of the packet were broken, and its contents found to bo several manuscripts in the handwriting of Eandolph Torrens, of which the principal was evidently one headed in the same manner as the envelope. 'May I ask you to read this, Mr Smiles?' inquired Edith, after glancing over it ; and the lawyer, who was apparently as anxious as any of us to know what it sp^"-^, answered in the affirmative, and forthwith commenced : To MY Daughter — It is my earnest deoire that you carry out the directions contained in this note, and it is only in case it seems to you and to those whose advice you take that to do so would be madness, that I leave the matter to your discretion. It is because I am conlident that my last wish will be sacred to you, that I do not take other means of ensuring that the hope of my life shall at length be converted into a certainty. 1 have left you a sum of money amounting to one hundred and ten thousand pounds, invested in the Three per Cents. — the result of fortunate speculation, animated by one aim. My wish is that this money, or as much of it as may be necessary, should be used for the special purpose of an Arctic expedition. To this ,!W 10 THE LAST !IEQUEST OP RANDOLPU TORRENS. :!1! Iff end my instructions are : Accompanying this you will find details (drawn up by one of the greatest living authorities on polar exploration) to guide whoever may undertake the enterprise, as to the buying or building of a suitable steam-vessel, and its equip- ment in the most thorough manner with every Arctic necessary. The captain appointed must have experience, and the ciew be well cliosen and amenable to discipline. Let the vessel be provisioned for three years. It ic my wish that your future husband should accompany the expedition as your representative ; and I hope his brother Godfrey may also go. The vessel will sail in the course of the July following its preparation to the Nova Zembla Sea ; and, if the season be a good one (if bad, the expedition to be postponed uncil the following year), penetrate north-east to latitude 83° 25', and longitude 48° 5' E. At this point, if the party should be fortunate enough to reac'i it, will be found a land-locked bay, on a mountainous coast which has never been visited but once, but which I now anticipate to be either a part of Gillis Land, or of the land lately discovered by Lieutenant Payer and the Austrian expedition, and called by them Kaiser Franz-Joscf Land. It was here that I and others wintered thirty years ago ; and although, for many reasons into which I cannot enter, no account of this voyage was published, it is a fact that our party penetrated farther north tlian any other has yet done. Here, as thore are extensive coal- liehls. the expedition may winter in comfo»'t. Then a thorough search will he made within a radius of twenty miles of the bay, and especially in a NE. direction, toivards the mountains ivh'ch will be seen in tlie dislance. This is to be the principal motive of the expedition : To examine the ground carefully for traces of white men, and to follow up any such traces to an end. My reason for this step I am precluded from giving, but I hope it will be enough that I i;onsider it of such importance that I should not care to die without taking means to have it carried through. The search over, those engaged in it are at liberty to undertake any other project they may have in their minds. It is to be remembered that this point, if they gain it, is nearer the North Pole than has up to the present time been reached. I have every reason for believing that this rout-^ is much more practicable than that generally advocated — namely, vid Smith's Sound and Robeson i THM LAST REQUEST OP RANDOLPH TORRENS. 11 Channel ; and so, if that be an inducement, those who go will have a better chance of uttainin*; the goal, which so many have Btri"en to reach in vain, i-iian has yet fallen to the lot of any other jiarty ! I have only to request, further, that the strictest secrecy be kept regarding these proceedings. This is more necessary than may be thought. You have now my directions before yon, Edith, and it remains for you to say whether this expedition shall or shall not be despatched ; whether the hope I have long cherished is to come to ijaught or is to be carried out ; and whether a mystery which I have never been able to solve myself is to be solved alter my death through the agency of my daughter. The choice is before you, and it may not be long befoie you will have to decide, for I have just heard IroiU the doctor that I may die at any moment. Randolph Touuens. June 14, 188—. As the lawyer finished reading this extraordinary docnmont, the live of us simultaneously gave a gasp of astonishment. Had liandolph Torrens really meant wliat ho had written? or had he been acting mider a temporary aberration of the mind 1 But the instructions were plain enough, and all doubts as to how they would be received by the one princi- pally concerned were put to an end by Editii. 'I don't know what you think of pupa's directions,' she said^ in a tone of determination, as if she expected opposition, 'but I meai'. to carry them out, if it costs every penny of the hundred and ten thousand pounds and everything else I have ! I know now what he meant just before ho died,* she went on, her eyes tilling with tears at the recollection, ' when he said, *' Edith, be sure and obey me, '^ven after my death." And I will, as far as I can !' 'But, Edith,' interrupted her aunt, 'think of wasting such an amount of money as that — a hundred thousand pounds !' She stopped as if otupelied by the mere thought, and the lawyer chimed in. 12 THE LAST REQUEST OP RANDOLPH T0RRBN8. J ' Consider, my dear Miss Torrens ! Don't rush i^to a decision all at once !' She turned to him. 'Then what do you think of it, Mr Smiles?' she asked. * What d3 you advise V 'My hands are tied, so to speak,' lie answered. 'Some time before your father's death, ho called upon me and took me in a manner into his confidence. He strictly enjoined me not to influence your decision in any way, nor, particularly, to do or say anything against tka project, but merely to acquiesce in the decision you arrive at. But I could see that his mind was thoroughly bent on this work being under- taken after his death — v.hy, I cannot even suspect.' 'I am equally in the dark,' said Edith. 'All I know is that before his marriage he had been several voyages to the Arctic Seas. Of this one he never said a word to me; but I remember his excitement when, ii\ 1874, he heard of the discovery of Franz-Josef Land, and of his disappointment that the explorers had not penetrated farther north. And often while he has been asleep after dinner I've heard him mutter about "ice" and "open water" and "treachery." " Treachery " was a word he often used. Perhaps it had some connection with the mystery he speaks of.' ' That we must discover,' said Cecil. ' We must reach the place mentioned by some means or other ; your father's directions leave us no other alternative. If we didn't, it would be like a breach of trust. We must go ! ' Edith gave him a glance of gratitude, and then asked what my opinion was. 'That we should first take technical advice — consult somebody who has been to the Arctic. Then we may know our ground. And, fortunately,' I cried, ' we 've got the authority ready to our hand.' For a sudden thought had struck me. On the shore, half-way betweeii the Grange and Dreghorn, stood a house known all ovei' the Riding as Karwhal Cottage. It was THE TxAST REQUEST OF RANDOLPH TORRENS. 13 "it occupied by a retired seaman, who had been for tliirty years the commander of Greenland or Spitzbergen whalers (alternated, in the earlier part of his career, with occasional voyages as ice-pilot to Franklin search and other Arctic expeditions), before, in his own words, saving enough to como to an anchor on land. Captain Sneddon he was called ; and many were the stories he had told me of his adventures in the frozen sea, with v/hich lie was perhaps as well acquainted as any nan alive. We could hardly, indeed, have found ono better suited for our purpose if we had searched all England. 'Just the man!' declared Cecil, when I had mentioned his name. 'Then let us see hfra at once!' said Edith; and by her tone I knew that she reckoned on the worthy captain as a recruit. 1! CHAPTER II. f- ~. i THE OPINION OP CAPTAIN SNEDDON. APTAIN SNEDDON, however, was not con- sulted just at the moment. Edith in her impul- siveness wished to see him without loss of time ; jW but the lawyer had one or two remarks to make before the meeting broke up. 'Your suggestion is a very sensible one, Mr Oliphant,' he said, approvingly, *and I am only sorry that I cannot accompany you on your visit to this gentleman. I am compelled to return to London by the first train, but I shall await your decision with the greatest interest. Whatever it may be, I have full confidence in your wisdom and discretion. As to the details Mr Torrens has referred to, I have been looking over them, and I find that, as far as I am a judge, they are very comprehensive and complete. But I presume their discussion may be postponed until you finally decide.* And, after some further talk, he took his departure for London, while Cecil and I looked over the details of which he had spoken. They covered nearly a hundred pages of closely-written manuscript, and embraced, as the lawyer had indicated, every imaginable point connected with an Arctic expedition. Meanwhile Edith and her aunt had been whispering together. ' Now that Mr Smiles has gone,' said the former, * I don't see why we shouldn't get this decided as quickly as possible. And there is only one decision we can come to. Of course 1 THE OPINION OP CAPTAIN SNEDDON. 15 can't go out to-day, but if you wouldn't mind, Godfrey, you and Cecil might see Captain Sneddon, and tell me what he thinks.' 'Certainly we will,' I replied. 'And at once, please. Somehow, I feel that the longer we wait the more I am disobeying papa's last wish. I'm sure I shall never be easy in my mind until this expedition has started. For it must go; if I didn't obey that letter, I 'd feel like a criminal all the rest of my life ! ' 'But a hundred thousand pounds to be spent ir that way ! ' reiterated Miss Torrens the elder, as if the fact were still beyond her. * Yes,' answered Edith, a little fiercely ; ' two hundred thousand, if I had it!' Then, more gently, 'What does it matter, aunt ? Haven't I, without this, more than enough already? Anyhow, rich or poor, the expedition starts. As to that there can be no other thought ! ' 'Then what was the use of this show of deliberation?' I asked myself. But I saw that the events of the day had put Edith into a state of nervous excitement, and so, as the best means of calming her, Cecil and I resolved to pay our visit to the captain at the moment. Besides, we were burning with curiosity to have a chance of talking over the matter with one who had experience at his back. So in a short time we took our leave, and as may be supposed, our conversation between the Grange and Narwhal Cottage was of nothing save the dying request — command, one might say — of Randolph Torrens. "We discussed it from every point of view, and with more or less enthusiasm, and I was not surprised to find that Cecil was quite determined to go. As for myself, I succeeded better in concealing my real feelings. Narwhal Cottage stood a little back from the road, sheltered by a cliff from the sea winds, and within a hundred yards of a tiny cove that harboured the captain's boat. Upon the cliff stood a mast bearing a genuine 'crow's-nest,' one used 16 THE OPINION OF CAPTAIN SNEDDON. t i by its owTifir during many a liazardous voyage in the frozen seas. Above this tapered tlio flagstaff, the Union Jack this (lay at lialf-mast. The cottage itself was a small but cosy house, * for,' as the captain was wont to say, ' it 's like killing more whales than you can carry to have a bigger dwelling than you need.' Ilis maiden sister, and only relative, was his housekeeper, and, iu sight and earshot of the sea as he was, ho was as thoroughly happy as he could be while not upon tliat element. He was in the crow's-nest — in which he spent most of the day, and, it was rumoured in the district, niost of the night also — as we came up; and, seeing ns, he descended with the agility of a sailor, and advanced to meet us. He was a man of between fifty and sixty, tall, strong, and unmis- takably a seaman ; his face baked brick-colour by thirty or forty years' exposure to sea-breeze and sun ; his eyes shrewd, intelligent, and those of a man who is conscious of having done his duty, and of being capable of doing it again ; and his voice loud, hearty, and as free of affectation as lifelong shouting of orders could make it. 'Glad to see you, Mr Oliphant, and you, Mr Cecil,' he said, *and sorry, too, in those clothes. You will come in and sit down a minute? Thank ye. Mr Torrens's death was as sudden as the fall of an iceberg. I saw him that morning, looking as healthy as you or me. Poor Miss Edith ! How does she take it, Mr Cecil? Maybe I shouldn't mention it, and you '11 excuse me doing it in my rough way, but it 's your duty now to look after her as if she was a vessel on her return voyage, with every barrel full. And,' he went on, with a kindly glance at Cecil, 'you'll do it, I'm sure of that.' 'Please Heaven, I will,' answered Cecil, sincerely, giving the old sailor a cordial hand-shake. By this time we had entered the cottage, and passed into the captain's cabin, as he called it — a small, circular room, fitted up as nearly as possible like a ship's cabin. It was full of curiosities : harpoons and firearms of every description. 'M The captain was in tlic crow's-nest as wo canio n\). irr -i 1 >5 THR OPINION OP CAPTAIN SNEDDON. 19 models of thu Viirious vessels he had cominanded, Esquimaux spears, walrus tusks, relics of Arctic (jxpeditions, and so on. Here, as soon as we were seated, he produced a bottle of Highliuul whisky and some biscuits from a locker. * Now, captain,' began Cecil, when we had gratified him by drinking his health, * wo 'vo come down to c(msult you about a very inii)ortant matter, o\w that you can advise us abiiut as nobody else that Miss Torrens knows can.' ' Heave ahead, my boy ! You shall have my advice, so far as it is w d\i anything, with the greatest of ph^isure.' Thus encouraged, Cecil went on to relate the events of the morning, read the manuscript of the dead man, and linally repeated the substance of the conversation which had ensuccl. While ho was doing so I watched his auditor closely to see what effect it had upon him; but all I saw was that he followed it with the deepest interest, occasionally nodding to himself as if in satisfaction. 'Well, what is your candid opinion. Captain Sneddon?' I inipiired, when my brother had finished. ' With your permission, I will tell you,' he replied, after a minute or two's thought. ' First, that in my opinion Miss Edith is bound to carry out her father's instructions. Dead men must bo obeyed ; in honour they 've a sort of right to it, over and above the usual parental right in this case. Then as to the possibility of success : 83° 25' is a pretty stiff latitude, especially up Spitzbergen way. Parry's farthest, the highest in those seas, falls fa:* short of it — 82° 45' it was, I think — and it was across nearly two hundred miles of ice. But I don't say it 's impossible ; the unexpected always turns up in the Arctic, as the saying goes. Sometimes myself I 've seen a season commence without any prospect of the ice breaking up, and yet come home full up to the brim. It's chance, and nothing else. This year may be bad, and it may be good; and even if it's good, you'll be lucky to get .farther north than 80°.' •Have you been often in the Nova Zembla Sea?' Cecil ) t i i i i 1 ! J ! p\*j -4 20 THE OPINION OP CAPTAIN SNEDDON. to ask while tlie captiviu was rcfillin*^ his at least one The vessels took occasion glass. 'Above u dozen times to tlio west of Spitzbergon, but only twice to the east, between it and Zenibla. The first time I was stopped by the ice-barrier in latitude 74*^ and came home empty ; that, to be sure, was an exceptional year. The other time was in the Moray Firth of Peterhead in 71, when I had tlio record cargo of the season. AVn went round the top of Spitzbergen, saw in the distance this Gillis or Giles' Land you spoke of, touched at Nova Zenibla, and found no ice to the north of it up to latitude 78°. I 've heard it said that you might almost have sailed to tlio Polo that year; anyway, if I had been my own master, I believe / might have discovered the Nortli-east Passage, instead of this Swedish fellow that has done it since.' * Then ' interposed Cecil, eagerly, • we 'v chance in two of reaching this point?' * By no meaiis ! ' was the emphatic reply that usually go to the Arctic — such as whalers, and those foreign scicntilic turns-out that are pleased with anything — these may have an equal chance. Ihit a vessel with a special purpose like yours — no ! One chance in lifty, I should say ; perhaps one in a hundred when the purpose is the Farthest North. But for all that I don't say stay ashore ; if you do go, you may manage to catch that very chance. And if this paper of Mr Torrens's is correct — I don't say it isn't — he, reached that point, and why shouldn't another?' 'No reason at all,' said Cecil, who seemed determined to perceive no obstacles in our way. ' No,' continued the captain. * As for the paper, it seems to me bony and fidy, as the lawyers say ; and if it isn't, the squire knew what he was talking about at anyrate. Point one — he has struck the right season. August and September are the only open months in those seas. Point two — he 's right about the Pole ; if you do reach 83° 25', and find land to the northward, you're bound to succeed. THR OPINION OP CAPTAIN SNEDDON. 21 Of cour-HO I don't know tinythin;; of this louk-, 1>ut I've seoti sonitithinj; of the Smith's Sound ono, and it 's iinpmcticablo. I knew I)r Kane, one of whoso party said ho saw tho open PohirSea; and I've met Cai)tain Hall of tho Pularis, who diod up tliorc ; .ind yet, if you ask any whalor wlio knows anytliin;^' about it, you'll hoar that an open basin's rank nonsonsc* At this i)()int Wv. liandcd him tho detailed lists which hiid been alHxed to tho document, and rc(iuostod him to state what he thought of them, lie examined them caruiully before answering. 'AH I have to say is,' he said at length, * tliat if you carry out theao orders, as 1 should in your place, your expedition will be tho best and completest that ever sailed to the Arctic seas ! And wliat 's more,' ho went on, ' 1 '11 take it as tho kindest thing you ever did if you '11 accept my services in whatever way you please, so that, when you sail, you cany James Sneddon with you. It doesn't matter what as — captain, mate, or seaman — but I mean to go, if you '11 have m(! !' 'Then your opinion is,' I summed up, catching some of his excitement, ' that we should carry out the squire's request so far as in us lies, and trust to Providence for success?' 'It is. If you don't go, I've mistaken both ^liss Edith and yourselves, and you'll regret it all your lives.' 'You are right, captain,* I said. 'We shall go to tho North Pole if possible, and you and Cecil and I shall bo of tho party.' In this way was our decision arrived at, as it was evident from the beginning would bo the case — arrived at honestly, but perhaps with only a vague sense of the responsibility of that decision, tho consequences of which none of us foresaw or could even imagine. Then we went over the principal details with the captain, whoso jiractical knowledge we found to be of innnenso value. Till then I had had no idea how thoroughly he was master of his profession ; but, 22 tHB OPINION OV CAriAlN HNEDUON. \ A. ? : \ now that I (liR FKIilX LORIMER JOINS THE EXPEI'ITION. or, daring icc-iuivigator and successful ^dialer tliat nobody was surprised thereby. This was as well, seein.L; that unchu- our orders wo could not divulge our real mission ; and for the same reason Sneddon, in engaging the hands, had to be somewhat indefinite in his statements. He had no ditficulty, however, in getting together a good crew. Besides the general readiness to shi .) under him, the oifered j)ay (double the ordinary wages, and a bonus of one hundred pounds to each man if wo succeeded in our object) was such that wo could have quadrupled our number of thirty-eight if we had wished. ' You may depend upon it,' said the captain, ' that you '11 get men to .ship with you on the i los^ risky voyages if only you ofier enough.' Although we Avere not to sail until -Tuly, all the men were engaged during April, for the reason that if we had not chosen them then they would have gone to the IJatfin l>ay whaling at the beginning of May. They were the pick of the lleet, and many were the lamentations ot (ireen- land skippers that year that the best men were not available. Each hand was well known to the captain, and was willing to spend one winter or more in the ice ; ' for,' as ho said to them, ' I may tell you at once, though in a manner under sealed orders at present, that our voyage won't bo an ordinary one.' The mystery which otherwise might have surrounded the vessel and its destination was thus partly averted by the captain's adroitness, and parti} by tho coniidence of his men in him. In other ways I found Captain Sneddon invaluable. There was not a jwint connected with tho vessel to which he did not personally attend, aiid so thoroughly Avas ho acquainted with all matters pertaining to circumpolar navigation that I felt sure that if wo did not succeed it wouM bo through no fault of his. His discretion, as I have indicated, was beyond reproach ; and so sure was 1 that the squire's injunc- h ! ! ! 1 26 DR PELIX LORIMER JOINS THE EXPEDITION. tion as to secrecy Imd been carried out, that I was more than sur[)rised when, one morning at breakfast, I saw in a well-known society paper the following paragraph : It is v/hispered that the late Mr Eamiolph Torrens of the Granite, Yorkshire, whose death we announced a few weeks a.L,'o, has Icll the large sum of one hundred thousand pounds for the purpose of equipping an expedition to the North Pole. We under- stand that it is now in preparation^ and will shortly start. It will be under the conrmand of Messrs Godfrey and Cecil Oliphant of Dreghorn, the latter of whom is engaged to Miss Torrens. The result of this eiiterini^e will be awaited with much interest. 'Look at that !' I said, throwing the paper over to Cec'l. * The deuce ! ' he ejaculated, as he read it. ' How on earth, I wonder, have they found out?' 'Goodness knows!' I replied; 'but it's confoundedly awkward, for now we'll have no peace until we sail. I wish 1 knew.' I was not long in discovering the culprit. Having occasion to be over at the Grange that morning, I read the paragraph to Edith and her aunt, and asked if they knew of its author. * I don't, for one,' said Edith ; * and I don't suppose aunt has mentioned the subject to any one — have you, aunl / She said this quite unsuspiciously, but I saw at once she had struck the mark. And, knowing well the elder Miss Torrens's nature and love of gossip, I was not surprised when she replied, somewhat guiltily : * I 'm afraid I haven't been so reticent. Indeed, I saw no reason for it. I was so much against this mad scheme of throwing away your fortune — a hundred thousand pounds, too ! — that I mentioned it the other day when writing to Lady Wyllard. And that's all I know about it.' It was quite clear now, for I knew that Sir Thomas Wyllard, besides being proprietor of the paper in question, was supposed to take also a considerable interest in the i editing of it. Dtl FELIX LORIMER JOINS TilE BXtEDItlON. 27 th( Luckily fur us, ii rival jourual had a statement on its own responsibility the following day to the eifect that 'it had the best authority for announcing that there was no truth in the story,' and, as proof, pointing to the will, in which the Pole was not even mentioned. What its authority was, I neither know nor care ; but, at anyrate, the rumour was clFectually stopped, for a confidential letter to Sir Thomas Wyllard prevented its recurrence in his paper. Even as it was, wo received above a score of offers of service during that one day alone — a warning of what might have been ! One effect it had, however, for which we had reason to bless it. Two days after its appearance, Cecil and I were looking over several reports we had received from Captain Sneddon in reference to the vessel and men, when a servant brought us a card inscriljcd : ^r Jjclix IJorimcr. EOINBURQH. I recognised the name as that of one of the foremost savants of the day, a man who had a world-wide reputation, and was member of most of the learned societies of Europe. Better still, Cecil, who had studied medicine at a northern university for some time before our father's death, kaew him personally as one of the lecturers at Edinburgh. 'Dr Lorimerl' ho exclaimed. MVhat ca.i have brought him here? I saw the other day that he was in for one of the scientific professorships at Edinburgh, and was sure to get it. But show him up, John.' 1 28 t)R FELIX LORlMER JOINS TIlE EXPEDITION. i I 111 a minute Dr Felix Lorimer entered. He was a man of forty or so, tall and extremely thin, but with a countenance suggestive of much thought and learning, and an equal amount of sagacity not unmixed with enthusiasm. He wore eye-glasses, behind which his eyes twinkled in an extra- ordinarily animated manner. *Mr Godfrey Oliphant?' he inqu'.cd, advancing into the room, and shaking hands cordially ; and when I had replied in the affirmative, he went on : ' Your brother I have the pleasure of knowing. He would have made a good physician some day, if he hadn't been spoiled by fortune.* 'Take a chair, doctor,' said Cecil, with r laugh, 'and tell us if we are to congratulate you as Professor Lorimer.' 'Congratulate me!' he burst out. 'Why, haven't you heard that Hamilton Nelson has got it? — he who knows no more of science than a street newsboy. Eeat rao by one vote and by superior influence ! And that 's wh}' I 'm here.' l)r Hamilton Kelson is, as all the world is aware, Dr Lorimer's great rival ; but what connection that had with us we could not divine. ' Yes,' he resumed, 'just after I got the news that the Scnatus in their wisdom had nominat(Ml Nelson, I saw that paragraph in the 6'ww' — throwing down the obnoxious society paper — ' and came off at once to offer my servicer:. I shall go with you to the Korth Pole, and, when I return with my theories verified, I shall annihilate him — rout him bag and ])a<''"'a"'e ! ' ' But doctor,' I interposed, ' haven't you seen this contra- dicted in yesterday's Merciiri/ V He looked as if stupefied for a moment, and then, glancing from one to the other, he continued, quickly and with many gesticulations : 'Isn't it true, then? ]f it is, as it should be, I offer my services as medical officer free, subject, of course, to you, Mr Cecil. I shall coiuluct all the scientific observations at my own expense, and I shall subscribe five thousand pounds DR FEUX LORIMER JOINS THE EXPEDITION. 29 towar('i3 the expenses of the expedition. If that doesn't suit you, I promise to agree to whatever terms you please ; for, if an expedition starts, go with it I must !' He paused as if waiting for us to spciiic, and his enthusiasm was so catching that I felt inclined to accept him there and then. But I restrained myself, and instead asked him why he was so anxious to go to the Pole. 'I vill tell you. In the first jilace, as I have remarked, I mean to controvert Dr Hamilton Nelson. His theories and mine regarding the Arctic regions are diametrically opposed. He holds, for instance, that there is an open polar sea, and this ?lth- now, since the voyage of tlie Alert^ there isn't a prominent geographer, except an American or two — oerhaps not even them — who agrees with him. And what are his reasons ? His first and greatest is the migration of such birds as the knot, which goes north every spring, is found still going north by the inhabitants of Greenland and Siberia, and comes south in autumn in increased numbers. It is admitted by every natviralist that they must breed somewhere around the Pole — in a land at least temporarily milder as regards climate than the known Arctic regions. Ikit that land isn't necessarily washed by an open polar sea, as he contends, and as I deny. In the second place, he says that as the point of greatest cold is several degrees from the Pole, so the Pole is as likely to have an open sea ns any given point south of that point of greatest cold. Now, what / contend, and mean to prove, is that the ice-cap extends over the whole circumpolar region. Open lanes may, I admit, bo met with octdsionally ; winds and currents may produce that temporary effect ; but that a permanent open and navigable basin exists is to the highest degree improbable. ]\Iore : it is absolutely impossible, owing amongst other causes to the configuration of the Arctic Ocean, and to the nature and insufficiency of the channels by which the congestion of the accumulated ice might bo relieved. In fact, the whole theory is as plainly a chimera as Raleigh's El Dorado. Then, Hamilton Nelson and ethnology asido,^ 30 nn FEUX I ORTMER JOINS THE EXPEDITION. look at what rosults onn may attain, what discovories one may make in geography, in hydrography, in meteorology, in geology, in zoology, in botany, in geodesy, and in miiny kindred sciences ! And I have no hesitation in saying that an expedition which starts without some one trained to take these valuable observations carefully and exactly, deserves the severest reprobation of the civilised world.' This very matter of a scientific observer havl troubled me not a little ; and now that it had been brought home to me in such a, forcible manner, I could not but see that our visitor was ri'^ht. 'There would be little use, doctor,' I said, 'in denying to you that an expedition of the character stated in this paper is on foot' — he s^. nied as if preparing to give a shout of joy, but sobered down as I went on — ' but as to your oiler, I am afraid I cannot accept it oil-hand. But if you care to stay with us over night, we '11 consult the lady we 're responsible to, and let you have an answer by to-morrow morning at the latest.' 'Agreed!' he cried, and there the matter ended for the moment, the doctor immediately changing the subject, and going on to speak of the topics of the day, proving himself a thoroughly agreeable and genial fellow. Cecil, in ths mean- time, rode over to the Grange to lay his proposal before Edith. *I see no reason for refusing it,* she replied, promptly. ' But we mustn't accept the man's money. Surely we 've enough of our own ; and perhaps he hasn't too much ' Cecil hastened to assure her that he was known to have a large private fortune. 'Then it will be the better fun,' she said gleefully, 'to engage him as the ship's doctor at the usual salary, and thus bring him under discipline. And, mind, give him no conces- sion whatever except the choice of a cabin and the liberty to fit it up as he likes.' After dinner that evening, therefore, I made the doctor DR FELIX LORIMER JOINS THE KXPEPITION. 31 the offer suggested by Edith, and after considerable demur ho accepted it, though it was with rehictance that he relin- quished the idea of contributiiig towards the expenses. * But it 's all as it should be,' he said, in the end. ' No doubt I '11 do my duty better when I know that instead of a proprietor, as it were, I'm only a hired servant. And you may be sure, ^Ir Dliphant, tliat the scientific fittings of this cabin I m to get will be no disgrace either to the expedition or to the cause iii which we shall i)e engaged.' 'Nor,' interposed Cecil, *to the reputation of D? Felix Lorimer.' The doctor bowed ; and, now that he was in reality a member of our party, I told him the whole story from begin- ning to end (impressing upon him, of course, the necessity of secrecy), and how far our arrangements were comyjleted. 'Admirable!' was his comment, when I had concluded. * Randolph Torrens is a benefactor of the human race, and his daughter worthy of him. Henceforth, if Mr Cecil will allow it, she has a fervent admirer in Felix Lorimer. My friends, I have a belief that we shall fathom both this mystery and the great and hitherto uncon(|uered mystery of the Pole ; and I only ivish we were on board the Aurora, and on our way to Fran;;- Josef Land.' ' You may see her to-morrow, if you please,' said I. * I have just had a letter from Captain Sneddon saying that the alterations are now made, and that she is ready for sea. So we go to Dundee to inspect her before bringing her round to London to lit her up and provision her, and if you care to accompany us you can enter into possession of your cabin at once.' *But why don't you provision her in Dundee V he asked. * Partly because we don't want to cause more remark there than we 'vo already done, and partly to keep the men better in hand than we could at home.' So on the following day we journeyed to Dundee in conipan;i^, and found that everything necessary to equip the ^ il 32 DR FFAAX LORIMETl JOINS THE EXPRPITION. i iSl i ' n Aurora for her i\lv "Wemyss,' put in Clements, the second engineer, ' that we 're sure to succeed ; and, furth(!r, that with a vessel and ( rew like this it would be almost a crime not to go on ami do our best.' 'These men we can depend on,' whispered the captain to me. ' 1 '11 be surprised if they don't turn out to be of the very stuff that Arctic explorers are made of.' Norris and Green also signified their approval of our plans, and their willingness to go on with us, though it was more soberly and vith less ostentatious enthusias'.ji than their juniors. 'Then, that being settled,' said Dr Felix Lorimer, 'let us joi.i in a bumper to our captain and the owner's representatives, Messrs Godfrey and Cecil Oliphant ; good- luck to our voyage and the accomplishment of its purpose ; and, lastly, to the conijuest for the lirst time, and by English- men, of the North Pole !' Glasses having been emptied to this toast, we went on a 10 ■ir let 's ' I 'vc ii letter here from my agent in Dundee, ;uul liis news strikes me as rather queer, not to say aUxrming.' •11 r M I Mi if '* fit •r ' 111 THE 'aurora' starts. 39 deck, glad tliat we had come to an understanding which promised so well for the future. On the evening of the 14th the Aurora stcain'^d into the harbour of Peterhead, having made an exceptionally quick passage, and proved her sci qualities to bo of the highest order. Most of the hands went on shore at once, but were ordered to return the first thing in the morning, that we might Lake advantage of the forenoon tide. Several letters that had arrived for us were brought on board, and one received by the captain appeared to contain unpleasant or unwelcome news. After reading it several times, and scratch- ing his head as if deeply perplexed, he signed to Cecil and me and Dr Lorimer to follow him into his cabin. 'I've a letter here from my agent in Dundee,' he began, when wo were seated, ' and his news strikes me as rather (jueer, not to say alarming. From what ho writes I gather there's a rival in the field — that ours isn't the only vessel that sails this year to the Arctic !' *A rival!' exclaimed Cecil, sceiitically. 'Do you mean that there's to bo an exciting race to ilie Pole, to end up with a sanguinary encounter in latitude 90'^?' 'Joking aside, this is serious news,' I said. 'What does the agent say, captain?' 'Read the letter,' suggested the doctor. 'Just what I was going to do,' said Sneddon, and then went on : Dundee, Uth July 188—. My dear Sir — As it may have some bearing on your enter- prise, I have thought it my duty to inform you of a curious i'act I (liscovered yesterday by the merest cliance. For some tiim; ]iast a whaling- vessel called the Noiihcrn Pharos — no doubt you know lier — that was built at tha same time as the Aurorn, but which, for some reason, did not go to the fishery this season, has been fitting out at the docks. It never transpired, nowever, f(ir what purpose she \v'a3 intended, nor where she was bound for, and a few days ago she steamed away without any one being any th-i winer. Yesterday, as it happened, I tell into conversation with the late ^^1 40 tflB ' AURORA * STARTS. I'll owner of the Northern Pharos, and luy surprise may be imai^inetl when I learned the following facts. Early in Mr.v a stran<,'er had b()uj,'ht the vessel, and ordered her to be fitted up according to instructions he furnished. The strictest secrecy was observed, and so well that nobody suspected that the Pharos was getting ready for a voyage to the Arctic regions. But this is the case, for the man who bought her (whose name I couldn't learn) inadvertently divulged to my informer the information that she was going up 'Spitzbergen way.' Knowing that you would be interested, I ascertained further (for my friend was ready enough to sp-^ak now that the vessel had gone) that she v/as manned by officers and sailors from some English port, and provisioned for three years. This is all that is known here about the matter, but perhaps you may fall in with her yourself and find out her purpose. Yours truly, G. 'T Thompson. A minute's silcneo followed the reading of this letter. Nobody seemed to know what to think of the thunderbolt that had thns fallen amongst us ; and while we were trying to make up our minds Sneddon continued : ' That 's the letter, and it strikes mo there 's something in it that 's worth con- sidering. AVilh your permission I '11 state the various points I see. In the first place, is this Northern Pharos (I know the vessel w^ll enough — she 's smaller than ours, but perhaps quite as well suited for her purpose) — I say, is she going north merely by chance, or in rivalry, as Mr Cecil hinted, to some other vessel ? If the former, why has there ^ . . i so much quietness about it? It looks queer, to say the *• :• )f it, that even the owner's name has never leaked out. . •(!• , as to her sailing date — and it is this point that concerns ih. more than any other — is it only accidentally, so to speak, that she sails almost on the same day as ourselves ? These are three points, gentlemen, that seem to me worth looking into.' * Then your opinion is that, after all, and speaking seriously, we have a rival in the field, or, rather, on the seu?' asked Cecil, in his usual impetuous way. THE 'aurora starts. 41 '•J go g 'Begging your pardon, Mr Cecil,' replied the captain. 'I gave no such opinion, nor meant to ; what I did was only to point out what I thought suggestive facts — nothing else.' 'And your facts are suggestive, captain,' I said — 'in fact, rather too suggestive to be pleasant. Your agent, I know, is to be trusted, and so we may put every conhdenco in his information, I suppose. We know, then, that the Northern Pliaros has been bought by some one unknown and fitted up for Arctic work ; that her destination, like ours, is the Spitz- liergen seas ; and that she has already started. What we have to consider is if it concerns us — if, in fact, it is by chance, or in opposition to us.' 'AH that I have to cay is,' said Cecil, 'that it's morally impossible that this expedition is a chance one ; the whole circumstances, as we know them, are utterly against the theory. Nothing is more plain than that this mysterious owner, like ourselves, had some definite plan which he wished to keep secret from the world.' 'Then, gentlemen,' interposed the captain, 'it must have been rivalry, according to your own suggestion, Mr Godfrey.' * And that brings us to the question,' I replied, ' as to any one fitting out an expedition in pure opposition — even saying nothing as to how he discovered our purpose.' Hitherto the doctor ^""vd remained silent, but had apparently followed the discussion with interest. Now, however, he spoke. ' It was, I think,' he asked, * during the first week of May that the paragraph about the expedition appeared in the San?' * You are right,' I answered. ' It was on the 4th.' 'Then,' he went on, *I consider that wc have a satisfactory explanation of the mystery at hf nd. Some Arctic enthusiast — I am frlad to say there are still a few such — has seen that paragraph, and either disbelieving or having reason to dis- believe the denial that appeared, ho has become fired by an ambitior to forestall you in reaching the Pole. If he has li !l 42 THE * AURORA ' STARTS. any knowledge at all of what I may call Arcticology, he would naturally turn first to Dundee for a vessel. While there, he may have learned enough of the Aurora and her destination to serve his purpose. This done, there is no difficulty iu imagining the rest.' 'I SG3, doctor,' said the captain. 'You may be right; so far as we have the facts, you seem to be. Eut if you arc, what 's to be done now V ' We can do nothing but go on with the expedition accord- ing to our plans. But if we should happen to meet our rival, as is probable enough, let us go on board and frankly tell him our mission. If he is agreeable, and circumstances permit, we may join parties ; if not, let us go our respective ways — within the Arctic circle there is surely room for two ship's crews ! Our life, after all, isn't so long that we need allow any such miserable jealousies to disturb us and injure the cause of science.' This, in the end, was agreed upon as our plan of campaign if we met the Northern Pharos; but, notwithstanding the doctor's theories, there was not one of us who did not retire that night with the feeling that a strange and indefircvble air of mystery was hanging over our future movements. Next morning we left Peterhead, and finally steaming away from the coast of Britain, headed the Aurora for northern Norway. It was our intention to call in at Tromso in Lapland, to obtain dogs, sledges, and other necessaries not to be had elsewhere, and also to get, if possible, information as to the state of the ira that year from the whalers who frequent the quiet little to'.vn. It would doubtless be as tedious to reader as to author to describe in detail the voyage across the North Sea. From a narrative point of view it was absolutely uninteresting ; we had not even a storm worthy of the name to break the monotony; and if the doctor and Cecil and I never tired of standing on deck and watching the sea, it was probably owing more to the novelty of it than to any other reason. THE * aurora' starts. 43 In magnificont wcatnor we crossed the Arctic Circle, and a fow days '"'--" were among the Lofoden Islands. Here occurred an ircidcnt — almost tbc only one of the passage — that caused some excitement to sucli of us as knew of the letter the captain had received at I'eterhead. We had been steaming lazily northward under the lee of a high, rocky ishmd. Suddenly, while wc were below at breakfast, we heard the cry : ' A large steamer in sight !' Going on deck, we found that we had passed the island, and that, not a mile and a half ol\\ close into another island, was the steamer in question, which had hitherto been hidden from US by the land we had left behind. In a minute the captain had brought his glass to bear upon her. After a long and steady look he significantly motioned us aside. * It 's the Northern Pharos /' he said. * I 'm as sure of it as if she bf longed to myself. She 's the only one of the Dundee flee' besides the Aurora that can be in these waters just now ; and if that isn't a Dundee-built whaling-steamer I '11 acknowledge I never saw one ! ' This latter fact being confirmed by Norris, the first mate, and several of the men, our excitement began to rise. ' What 's to ))e done ?' I asked. * Make sure,' replied the captain ; ' and then, as the doctor advises, signal her and /.nd out her destination.' So saying, he gave orders to get up full steam, which was done ; and for above five minutes we approached nearer and nearer the strange steamer. But then those on board seemed to become aware of our rapid approach, and long before we were near enough to distinguish her name, she had also increased her speed and disappeared behind one of the many small islands that are studded about those seas. 'Shan't we have a ser.rch for her?' inquired Cecil. ' Ko use,' said Sneddon. ' We should only lose time, and perhaps find a mare's-nest after all. Best get to Tromsci as quickly as we can.' Next afternoon we reached the rocky island of Fuglo, i I 44 THE 'aurora' starts. i without havinf;; again sighted the other steamer; and, taking on board a pilot, were guided through a perfect labyrinth of sounds and fiords to the anchorage of Tromso. The British consul immediately placed his services at our disposal, and through him we were not long in purchasing two dozen dogs and three sledges, such as are used by the Lapjis, with sufficient meat for tlio animals, I>etter still, he recommended to us a Norwr^ian harpooner and pilot who wished an engagement. This was Nils Jansen, a man who had been an ice-pilot, and as such had accompanied Arctic expeditions ever since his early youth. Needless to say, wo secured him at once, and a thoroughly valuable acquisition he was to prove in the days to come. Late that evening, as the doctor, Cecil, and I were return- ing from dining with the consul, wo were surprised to sec through the fog — of darkness there was none, for we were now in the land of the midnight sun — the lights of a largo vessel, apparently anchored at the entrance to the harbour. She had assuredly not been there earlier in the evening ; and, actuated by a suspicion we could not put to rest, we ordered the boatmen to row down to her. And there, sure enough, when we arrived under her stern, we saw on a rail under the light of a lamp the name Nortlieru riuuum / 'Wo have her now,' chuckled the doctor as we returned to our ship, on which only one light was shown. 'The morning will v(n'ify or disprove my theory, and supply some solution of this perplexing mystery.' But, unfortunately for Lorimer's reputation as a prophet, the morning did no such thing. These -were the words, shouted into my ears by the excited savant^ which awakened me seven hours later : * The Northern Pharos is gone ! ' I jumped up. ' Impossible !' I cried. ' Come and see ! ' Throwing on some clothes, I rushed on deck and turned to the entrance of the harbour. One glance showed me that THE * AURORA ' STARTS. 45 he was right ; neither at the entrance nor within was she to ho seen ; slie liad disappeared as completely as if she had vanished into thin air. •Where can she have gone to?' I asked, in hewilder- ment. 'Goodness knows !' was the doctor's rueful reply. 'I am half inclined to believe that this Pharos is only a phantom sent to plague ns — a sort of Arctic Flying Dutchman.' At this moment our new pilot, Nils Jansen, came on board, and I took occasion to ask him for an explanation. 'The vessel yon name left t' iS morning as soon as the commander rose,' he said, speaking in almost perfect English. *My brother Karl, who is her pilot, brought her up last night late ; but this morning when the commander woke he at once said to go down again. I was on board at the time, and he looked over to yon with not a pleased face. He is a tall man, with much beard.' This was practically all the information we could get of the Pharos, of the mysterious movements of which the four of ns in the secret were never tired of spealdng ; and we could only hope that the next time we saw her we should be more fortunate in discovering something tangible. Until then it was of no nse sjieculating on what were or might be her aims and reasons. In the meantime it was agreed that neither the officers nor crow should bo told of the vessel ; for, as Captain Sneddon said, it was difficult to know how they might receive it. In all likelihood the seamen would find in it some evidence of the supernatural, and their superstitious dreads were capable of leading them into any kind of mis- chief. Having received all our jturchasos on board, and fdled up with as much coal as we could carry, we left TromsiJ with the good wishes of the kindly inhabitants, and piloted by Nils, passed through the intricate sounds to the open sea. Off Kysii we hailed a whaler going up to the town, and ^i ll 46 TTTE 'aurora' STAnTH. instructed tlio pilot to inquirtj if slie had seen a steamer bearing northward. 'No steamer,' was the reply given through Nils; 'only a few Avhalers and sealing-boats.' "We had l-.ardly expected any other answer ; but wo wore more grateful for the information that the wholes of the Barents Sen, from Roar Island to Nova Z(!nihla, was jiarticularly free from ice that year. 'Good news!' said Ca])tain Sneddon, gleefully. 'We'll run over to Zembla in four or five days at the most, leave a record there, and then ])en('trate as far to the north as the ice allows us. AVith good-luck we may reach our destination before the autumn has (piito bcjgun.' The captain was right, for on the fourth day out from Tromso we caught sight of Pervoussmotrennaja (iora, a mountain on tht; Avest coast of Nova Zembla, nearly three thousand feet liigli, wli; h for centuries has been the land- mark of every voyager and adventurer in thosi; lonely seas. Ice now becauK! plentiful, and the temperature fell much lielow i'reezing-])oiut. But where there was ice there was game in abundance ; and seals and auks, with an occasional bear, whom we never got near, ailorded fair sport to those who were 'r dined that way. We came at lengtli to a spot where Ave found it almost im])Ossible to proceed, but as the ice-free coast water Avas visible beyond, steam was got up, and the Aurora charged th(i barrier again and again, until she had forced her way through. Once Avithin tlie icedagoon, avo steamed quickly nortliAvard along the coast, our object being to make Admir- alty Peninsula, one of the points at Avhich it had been agreed Ave should leave a record. Much ice was met with opposite Matochkin Strait, which divides Zembla into tAVo, and leads into the Kara Sea ; but, on the Avhole, the sea was much freer than Nils dansen had ever seen it at the same period of tl le year. On the 1st of August Ave anchored in a little bay on the THE 'aurora* starts. 47 west side of Admiralty Peninsula, just above latitude 75°. To the west and south there was a water-sky beyond the small amount of ice visible ; but to the north-east the pack stretched up to Capo Nassau, and even farther north, while the ice-blink * was particularly well defined. *No farther in this direction, at anyrate,' said the captain, * Better land our depot and record, and j^'et off to the west and tluni north as lonj; as we have a chance. iJealiiiL,' with ice, the man that hesitates is lost.' The prosjpect on land was not of an inviting description. It rose in a succession of terraces from the coast to a ranfje of low hills, and the ice and snow still lay on many parts of it : where the thaw had taken ellect, the grayish-brown earth was seen, covered here and there with clumps of dark-green moss or saxifrage; ; and over tluj whole surface were studded isolated masses of rock of all sizes and sliapcs. Here, in a cleft between two rocks that could easily be rendered bear- and W(;ather-proof, we chose a ])lace for the depot of provisions we had decided to make in order to secure our retreat in the event of the loss of the vessel. It consistiul of lifte(!n hundred rations, chiefly of pemmican, and some ammunition. Finally, two records in tin cases were left in a prominent position, with a notice to the first vessel that touched there to forward one of them to the address given, and leave the other where it was. * The ice-blink is a ppculiar briglitiipss in tho sky caused l)y the reflection of large masses of ice on tlie air ahove them. It ajipoars just above tlie horizon. A tvater-sky indicates open wnter in that direction. ill I CHAPTER V. WB REACH THE ICH-BARRIER. N tlio 3(1 of August tho Aurora loft Nova Zombla, nnd steaming without difliculty through tho ico tliat hiy at a distanco of twonty-livo miles from the coast, re" died open water. She was at ouc(; headed northward, her Ih'os put out, and tlie sails hoisted, and henceforth for the next week or so, until the ice-harrier was reached, her cruise was more like a pleasure trip than a hard-working (expedition with a definite aim. Tho following extracts from my journal may be of some interest, as giving a glimpse of tho monotony and uneventful character of this part of tho voyage : Augiist 4. — Compelled to lie-to nearly all day, on account of a dense fog. Notliiiig is more remarkable in those seas than the sudden changes of weather. In the forenoon it may be the brightest sunshine ; by afternoon we may be having a typical Arctic snow-storm ; and in the evening we may bo enveloped in a fog worthy of Newfoundland. August 5. — On the rising of the fog this morning, Norris, from the crow's-nest, repoited a brig to the southward. We at once hailed her, and on finding her to be a Norwegian whaler almost full, sent on board a packet of letters to be posted when she reached Hammerl'est, and also a present of tobacco and spirits for the c'lptain. Shortly afterwards that officer returned the visit, bringing with him some dried fish and seal's fiesli for the dogs ; and we were much amused by his curiosity and persistent efforts to discover our purpose. We parted at noon, after saluting each otlier by dipping the Norwegian and British flags. No ice in sight. The whaler reported the year a reniarkal)ly favourable one. WR RRAcii THK icR-nAnnim. 40 Augtist 7. — Seii culm, iiml still no ieo visible. VVeathor f^ood, with the tciiipcriitnro li^" Fahri'iilieit in the sun. With a slight breeze from the SVV. we inuilo fair iuoj^toss to the north. Aiigiid 8.— To-dny crossed the (eveiily-ei^hth i)arallt'l, without 80 fur having,' observed any 8ij,'iis of the ice barrier, which, nccordinji to all accounts, should have been foun I n)uch farther south. Not unnaturally, we are elated by our excei.tioually i^ood- fortuno. Anyust 10. — Owing to a stiff wind, the Aurora made cjood ])roj;ress ycstcrilay and to-day. For the first time since leavinj,' Nova Zembia we have passed several detached pieces of salt-svatcr ice. Cecil and Nils killed two seals. Wemyss reported a ali<^ht ice-blink to the N\V., but a water-sky to the north. Owinj,' to the foL; that came down at nii^dit, and the probable vicinity of ice, si I am was _i;ot up to be ready for any emerj,'ency. Ai((iHst 11. — Passed through large masses of field-ice in latitude 79° G'. Tem])erature so much lower that winter dress was dis- tributed to the men. We are evidently near the dreaded ice- barrier, and our real work is now about to commence. During the wholo of that clay (tho 11th) wo, tlireadetl our way through tlic loose ico which, under tho combined influences of wind and waves, liad been detached from tho pack. Towards evening it became more and more plentiful and difficult to navigate ; and by midnight there could not be the least doubt that wo liad reached tho illimitable icc-lield that so many of our predecessors had found barring their way to the Pole. On every side of us stretched the M'hite, level surface, only diversified here and there by ridges and hummocks which marked tho scenes of violent concussions between opposing floes. But, to our immense gratification, the pack was intersected in every direction by open lanes of water that promised at least a chance of reacliing still farther north. For the picsent, however, we sailed cast- wards along the edge of the barrier, there being in that direction less of an ice-blink tlian in any other. •"We've had good-luck so far,* said tho captain, next morning, 'and if we can only escape being beset — and we D no WE hea(;h the inR-MArmiRR. 11 .shoulil, will) so in.'uiy udviinta^'ns tliat tlioacs bcforo n.s niiver oven (Iroaint of — we crvii surely liiul hsiula, j)ass')H, and ico-ho'es poiiuiwhoro to allow us nortljwarJ. It's a well known fact l.liat the ice is brokcLi up at this time of tlio year by lanes and ice-holes ' * I'(»lynias, the liussians call them,' the doctor inttM-poaed, ' heijif,' sometimes of imnnniso extent.' 'Yes; and Avith discretion and continued good-lu(dc, there is no reason why wo shouldn't find thein serve our purpose up to latitude 83".' At that monnmt one of th(; seamen reported that Mr Wemyss from tin; crow's-nest had seen open water directly north-east, sejjarated from us by a broad tongue of compact ice. We rushed on dcick immediately, and in a few minutes the water beyond the barrier was plainly visible i'rom where v/e stood. Not the smallest opiaiin,!,', bowever, was to be seen, and tluj weather was too S(!tlle(l to admit of any hope of a chanr^e takin*,' place sulhcicint to bius*^ \o ice. 'We must eharifo it!' said Captain ddon, when he bad examined it from the mast-head. ' That open water extends as far north as I can see, and we have only to reach it to have a \)\iiln course before us again.' *Ts it (piite safe, ca])tain?' I askcnl, looking doubtfully at th(^ innnense mass. 'Under ordinary circumstances it might be risky charg- ing such a lloo ; but situated as we are just now, with every moment precious, I think we ^nm^t risk it. And I wouldn't say so unless I was certain the Aurora could stand it.' Everybody was on deck to see the result of our first confli(!t with the ice, and as the orders were given to get up full steam and go ahead, I think the heart of each was in his mouth. The captain himself took the wheel. •Where does the ice seem weakest T he asked. ''J\) starboard a little !' answered Wemyss from above. • WF RFArn TIIK HEBAnRIER. ftl •Will tliatdu?' • That will do, Hir. Goon!' AVith a shock that shook hnr from stem to stem, and tlirew down awvy one on dock who had not held on like ^lim death, the Aurora struck fidl against the ice; and, rising to it six (n* seven feet, crashed down upon it with the tr«Mnendous power of her iron stem. A second time she rose !ind came down witli crusliing force. Then, her impetus exhausted, she .settled down amongst the fragments into which she had pounded tlui hrittlo ice. In spite of the enormous resistance;, the vessel had escap(Ml the least injury, and was as sound as hefore her attack upon the frozen liank. liut as yet that attnck was not entirely success- ful ; for, although much had beiui done, llio way into the open water was .still blockcnl. 'Another charge will do it!' cried Wemyas, who had remained t his perilous post throughout the whole struggle. 'Steam astern !' ordered the captain. It was done; and, when wo had got a little way on, M'e returned to tin; attack at a speed of iifteen knots an hour. Gallantly the Aurora daslied into tlu; passage shc^ had alrc^ady made, struck the floe with her whole weight, and, amid the ringing ch(;ers of the crew, split it completely in twain, thus gaining the open water she so much coveted after a struggle as sharj) as it was short. 'Hurrah I' we shouted in unison. But our cheering was premature, for the appearance of the ice-hole we had entered proved to be of the most deceptive character. Before we had gone far it began to close in on both sides, until the passage was no more than a thousand yards broad; and by evening we had reached a point where minor leads branched off in every direction. No open water was visible beyond any of them ; and, as it is one of the tenets of ice-navigation never to enter even the most promis- ing lane unless one sees where it is to end, the captain was in the deepest perplexity. t j i 52 WE REACH THE ICE HAIIRIER. 'What's to be done?' lio asked. 'Take tlie one nearest our course,' suggo;sted Ct'cil. 'That won't do- -we cannot aflord to trust to cliance here,' said the doctor. ' Very likely one out of every two of those leads is a cul-de-sac ; and if you take the wrong one, it nioy end in the Aurora being beset. I suppose that 's your idea, captain V 'That's jiist it, dvoctor,' ho answered. ' It '.^ only a ])ity the ice is so le^^el here ; if wo had a decent berg to get to the top of, as yo\i may have at any time in Baffin Bay, we shouldn't be long in settling our co.irso. There 's an ice-sky, but with some trace ot vapour above the blink. If we could only get a larger range ! ' 'The balloon!' I exclaimed, suddenly remembering that this was one of the purposes for wliich it had been bought. ' The A'ery thing ! ' shouted the doctor ; and the next minute he was energetically directing some of the men to raise from the hold tl.c cases containing the balloon and the machinery for manufacturing the gas. Under his personal superintendence the engineers and (Jates were not long in fixing the latter; and by next morning we had a supi)ly of gas sufhcient for our purpose, though it wofuUy dimin- ished our coal. There was much interest on board as the immense bag wns gradually inflated, and when everything was at last ready for the ascent, the seamen could hardly restrain themselves from thronging aft to ex;imine it more closely. When the doctor and I had taken our seats in the car (which could hold four at a stretch) the captain followed, with the half-apologetic remark tiiat he wasn't altogether sure about it, but as some i)eople had eyes in their heads and didn't know a ' pass ' from a cul-de-sac^ he thought he might as well go aloft with us. Then the word was given to pay out the captive rope, which, having been made for the purpose, was of unusual strength and practically unbreakable. Slowly we rose, and WK REACH THE ICE-BARRItR. 63 as we did so the vessel below us giiulually lessened in size, while our horizon widened with every foot we ascended. The rope being six hundred feet long, wo could got no higher. It was a beautifully clear day, and we saw in every direction the bluish-white icc-lields, intersected by the dark lanes of water, that lookcjd like ndc-lines on a sheet of white paper. Through our glasses we closely scanned the view to the north ; but none of us could niake anything of it but the ca])tain, who, alter an exhaustive examination, pointed out as our course a lane we should never have thought of taking. Not only did it seem to lead in a wrong direction, but at the entrauce there was scarcely room for the })assage of a vessel ; Init it broadened as it advanced, and led to the only open water that was visible. 'That's our course,' said the captain, 'and I'm bound to say that but for this craft I should no more ha' thought of taking it than of cutting through the ice with a pickaxe.' Ly the aid of the windlass we descended without waste of gas, and then the inflated balloon was allixed top and bottom to a part of the poop where it would be out of the way, and be ready for further ascents. This was rendered necessary by the value of our coals, of which no more could be si)ared for the manufacture of gas. This done, the Aurora entered the narrow channel we had chosen, and was soon again winding her way through the ice to the north. Hitherto the weather had been calm, but now a breeze from the south-west rose, and a fear was expressed that if it continued it might set the pack in motion. That thie fear was only too well founded we 'vcre soon to discover ; for, just as we had reached the ice-hole we had seen from the balloon, it began to narrow more and more under our eyes. Here, too, the nature of the ice changed, and instead of the comparatively level pat k we had met so far it was now raised and hilly, as if from the effect of some convulsion. Bergs, mostly of a small size, also became more numerous as we darhed across the polynia at full speed in the hope • i: \i -f.. k u ' I 54 WE REACH THE ICE-BARRIER. of finding a road to the north before tl>e ice closed in. But before long we were again among extensive ice-fields, and althougli at first wc; found a broad opening, the lookout from the crow's-nest soon reported that farther progress that way was blocked. With the Ancient Mariner wo might have said : The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice wm,s all arountl : It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound ! . . . . And through the drifts the snowy clifts Did .send a dismal sheen : Nor shapes of men nor heasts we ken — The ice was all hetween. Hither and thither amongst it the Aurora darted in the hope of finding another pass, l)ut always without success ; and as the movoujent of the Hoes still continued, and a heavy fall of snow had begun, Captain Sneddon decided to anchor her to a berg we noticed in open water, and await the cessation of the ice movements. ' By to-morrow morning, I expect,' he said, ' wo '11 be able to go on, and althougli this may have closed the old leads, it must have opened new ones. Anyhow, it '11 take some- thing to beat us now thai we 've got so far.' But by the next morning, in spite of our skipper's sanguine prophecy, we were enveloped in a dense fog that limited the horizon to twenty yards ; and, worse still, the commotion amongst nly as it had fallen, and then we saw the extent of our misfortune. The Aurora was, as we had imagined, in the centre of a large and level floe, wliich, surrounded on every side as it was by icobergs, had the appearance of a plateau in the midst of a range of »►) BESET IN THE FUOZEN OCEAN. 59 mountains. Of the horgs we counted eleven from the deck, and ))eynnd them the ice resembled nothing more than a hilly country looked at from some high i)eak. Xo open water except a few detached pools wa visible anywhere, even from the top of the highest berg, some ninety feet alxn'e the sea level. Captain Sneddon looked at this scene long and earnestly, while wo awaited his report with an iinxiety wo could hardly conceal. * Beset ! ' was all he said when he did speak ; but the tone of his voice toKl us more than the one word conveyed. 'Without hope?' I inquired. ' So long as the vessel 's safe there 's hope,' he replied, ' and the ice may break at any niomisnt ; but when I 'vo said that, I can't say any more. It 's that ring of bergs more than anything else that's dis|)iriting. The chances are, sir — and it's no use shirking it — that we 'ro beset for the winter.' 'Just as the Austrian exi)edition's vessel Tcgctthoff was, in 1872,' interposed the doctor. ^ i:iJie never got free again.* We went off to do our duties more discouraged than wo had been since starting, for the thought of wintering where we wore was absolutely intolerable. A balloon ascent did not raise our spirits appreciably, as the open lanes we did see were all too distant, and seemed, besides, to lead to nowhere in particular. Daily ascents thereafter were made whenever the weather permitted, and the amusement — for it was little else — helped to keep the men in good s})irits. At dinner that day, however, hope resumed her sway. Dr Felix Lorimer rushed in from his laboratory in a state of the greatest excitement. *Good news!' he shouted. 'We're drifting fast to the north — have gone ten miles since morning. We may reach our destination after all !' 'Ten miles!' repeated the captain. * Are you sure, doctor?' ' Certain ! ' he replied. ' There 's no room for mistake, .f; 1141 60 BESET IN THE FROZEN OCEAN. '■ I and, what's ])ettor, it's almost as due north as it can be — just the direction we wisli to ^'o.' * What are our hearings V I asked. *We crossed the cighty-lirst jaraHel — I had no idea we had penetrated so far — about niid-d;iy ; the longitude is 47" 30', or a minute or two less; and if we go on in this way there 's no reason why wo sliuuldn't reach the winter quarters before October.' *It all depends on the wind,' said the captain. 'It's from the south just now, and i'rom the surface the bergs offer to it we naturally go fast. But what about a changed ' Wo '11 wait till it liapi)ens, my friend,' said the doctor, wlio was too delighted by his discovery to take heed of contrary probabilities. The wind did not change, nor the drifting cease, as the observations taken by Lorimer whenever there was an opportunity i)roved. Steadily, if slowly, were we carried as passengers towards the north. We had occasional fogs, but otherwise our life on board was pleasant and happy, in spite of the extreme cold. The sun set for the first time during the last week of August, and thenceforth the nights became gradually longer, and the darkness more intense. But atmospheric phcnomona, such as the luminous arcs of parhelia or mock suns, were of almost daily occurrence ; and they were invariably followed by snow-storms, some of them of considerable duration. During all the time the doctor, sometimes assisted by Cecil (but oftener not), was absorbed in his scientitic labours. There being little work for the men, amusements were at once devised. Our first step was to make the iloe — Oliphant Floe, they christened it — as level as artificial means could. At the southern end, upon some young ice that had formed over an ice-pool, a skating-rink was made, and the rest of it converted into a field for various sports, of which football was the men's favourite. It did not matter that, notwithstanding our efforts, it was ratlter rough — BRSET IN TIIR FROZEN OCEAN. 61 that only adilod to tlio ciijoyinnnt. This dune, an icn-honse was built for thn accommodation of the do,i,'s, whom wo found to be decidedly inconvenient on deck. It was a ^reat success, the only drawback being that the hardy Laplanders pre- ferred to sleep on the top of it instead of inside ! Then a road was made for the daily exercise of the animals, and the training,' of them to draw the sledges. After crossing the floe, this road wound round the largest of the l)ergs, ascended a pretty stoop hill, descended on the other side to the back of another berg, and finally re-entered the floe at the western end. Sometimes, under the tuition of Nils Jansen, we dashed round this 'drive' in the Lapp sledge drawn by four tlogs ; at other times wo trained the whole pack to draw on(i of the heavy M'Clintock sledges loaded as for an expedition. The dogs themselves, which had been half-wild at first, soon became (piite tame and civilised under the petting of the sailors. Konig (the king-dog of the pack) was the favourite aft, on account of his intelligence and pluck ; but the men had taken an especial fancy to two brothers, to whom they gave the names of Paradise Lost and Paradise Found, the former having lost his tail in some youthful scrimmage, while the latter had a particularly bushy one. Two other animals, the ugliest but perhaps the hardest- working ones W(! had, clung atiectionately to Cecil, who suggestively named them Cleopatra and Antony. The frozen ocean was not so destitute of animal life as one might imagine. Birds passed over us almost continu- ally; seals frequented every open pool of water near us, and afforded good sport j and hardly a day passed without a visit from one bear or another, probably attracted by the smell of our cooking. Now and again we returned their courtesy by shooting them ; more often they succeeded in making their escape. On one occasion a somewhat ludicrous adventure was the result of one of these visits. About twenty of the men were engaged on the floe at ■ i I i 'I • I !:M » 62 HEHET IN THE FROZEN OCEAN. tlioir favourito gainn of football, Avliicli, be it uiKb^rstootl, tlmy playod with considoraLly less science than j^'usto. lii iact, as lon;^' as they {^ot a kick at all, it diil not matter where the ball went to ; if it were only kicked tlu^y win'e quite well pl(was(Ml ! This time Gates, our stoker and blacksmith, the talhist and stronf,'('st man on board, saw the ball coming towards him, and taking a run, he gave it such a tremendous kick that it passed over the heads of some ol" the players, and went merrily along the llo(! until it was stojiped by an icciberg. 'Well done, Oates!' shouted the others; and a rush was being made for the spot, when, to everybody's suri)rise, a she-bear coolly appeared frctni b(!hind a point of th(i berg, and began to snill' at the ball. Not one of the sailors was armed, but several of tliem immediately rushed (F to the vessel for rillos ; while the others, seeing that the bear made no attempt to attack them, remained at a safe distance watching her as she played with the football as a kitten plays with a spool. While she was thus enjoying herself, apparently oblivious of the men's l)resence, Nils dansen and I, on a sledge drawn by four dogs, dashed round the berg upon the scene. The dogs, the moment tlu^y saw the animal, swerved off the path to attack her ; and as both of us were also unarmed, I did not feel exactly confident of the result of thtir hotheaded- ness. Kils, however, seemed to know what he was about. * It 's ijuite right,' he said ; and, when we were near enough, he slipped the knot that held together the traces. The sledge came to a standstill, and the freed dogs, with Konig at their head, boldly rushed upon Madame Bruin. She, on her part, left the ball to itself and prepared to receive them. Separating as they ajiproached, they attacked her on each side in sucli a manner that the frantic animal was unable to reach tliem. In this way was the quarry held until the firearms were brought, when a couple of explosive bullets put an end to her (jxistence. II wmm i ■I? ^^'t,V' •,^.,.>^' ft- "kW" ''^':ff'''- .■^-v^«' The l)onr playod witli the foothiill as n kitten I'liiy^ with a sjjool. i ■' f I vP isW^^X C II ATTER VI I. LATITUDE 8.r 25'. ^::2f^ir () ilin wa was so severely nipped that, in anticipation of her break-up, we were ready to abandon her. Ono awful night — I think it was the 10th of September — those who passed through it will never forget. The shocks commenced early in the evening, while there was still enough light to make out through the fog objects at no great distance ; and the first indication we had of our imminent peril was the upheaval of ])art of Oliphaut Floe. The dogs were at once brought on board, and jireparations made for w 1, n ii ■ ll 1 ii < • 1 66 LATITUDE 83° 25'. S ^ 11 our safety in ca^o of tlie loss of the vessel. All night wo could hear the dull, deep sound of the nioving ice, alternated now and again with long-drawn moans as it" fiom distressed spirits in purgatory ; level iloes were in one moment broken up and converted into chaotic masses, and uii every side appeared lissures and abysses through which the dark water could l)e seen. Just before midnight the agitation seemed to culminate, and then we heard several terrible crashes, while the Aurora was tossed about as if in a storm. 'Some big change,' said the captain, grindy, 'that'll be a surprise to us when we discover what it is.' So violent were the shocks, and so severe was the pressure the vessel had to withstand, that it is a marvel she escaped being smashed into matchwood. Every moment, indeed, we exi)ected her to go ; and that she did not, says much for the system on which she was built, and also for the way in which she was stvengthfuicd and packed. At last the motion ceased, and we could again brtsatho freely. When the fog lightened, as it generally did for an hour or two in tlie middle of the day, we saw the cause of the crashes we had heard at midnight. Of the eleven icebergs that had surrounded us, four b.ad succumbed to the attacks made upon them, and not a trace of them was to be seen. In their place, and all around the ship except lor a few yards on one side, was a chaos of thrown-up ice of every shape ; and in the midst of it was the Aurora, with her chances of ultimate escape plainly lesseneil by the work of that one night. in this way sped the days and the weeks ; and we were all becoming a little tired of tlu; monotony of the fog and the danger of the ice-i)ressures, when we were lifted into the seventh heaven of dcdight by a clear day. It was not the sight of the sun that delighted us, nor the liberty of wander- ing about without the fear of being lost ; but the mere fact that the doctor was enabled to take a meridian observation which lixed our exact position. For the result of it was that we found that we had reached a higher latitude f LATITUDE ST 25'. 67 than any former nnvicjator in those seas, if we except the voyaj^'c of wliich iason why the N(»rtn Pole itself shouldn't succuml) to our prowess ! To the conquest of the North Pole!' * Ice permitting,' interposed the (japtain, somewhat grimly. 'Don't forget, doctor, tliat we're in the power of what j/ou once called the most merciless enemy of man.' 'I'ah, captain!' replied the doctor, scornfully. 'Fortune has favoured us so far, and I thank Heaven I aiu sanguine enough to trust that she won't desert us now that we 're within a degree of our first destination, and only seven from the Pole!' ' After this, what mattered it to us that the fog settled down as dcmsely as ever — if ])ossil)lo, more so ? We were content to wait ; hope ami the certainty of ultimate success made everything 1)right and rosy to our eyes ; and even tlie know- ledge of the j)light of oar vessel could not appreciably damp our spirits. Py some means or other, surely, we shoidd get her free when tiie time came. Quite sudd(Mily, on September 14th, the ice-pressures stopped, and tliat afternoon wo were electrified by the doctor's information that, as far as he could ascertain, we had ceased drifting. 'Ceased drifting!' wo repeated, mechanically, when ho told us, for tlu^ fact was difficult to realise. 'I'm certain of it,' he answered, 'and from that I conclude we're in the vicinity of laud. J>y an ajiproximato calculation 'fi ' ' 1 « 1 t 1 1 ' 1 1 i ' 1 1 68 LATITUDE 83" 25'. it= . In {1 1 1^' 1 1 s 'IV: we ought to be about liititiule S3' 20' — in a word, abiiost at our destination ! If it weren't lor this conl'ounded io>^ wo should be sure in a coujde of minutes; as it is" — witli a groan — 'I suppose we must exercise patience, a quality in which I was always singularly deficient !' * Couldn't wo find out where we are liy any means at all V I asked. ' Fogs are things that can't bo managed like a ship,' replied the captain. * Then^ they are, and there they remain as long's they like. And all you can do is ti> lie-to and swear, if inclined that way, and, when they do go oil", make up for lost time. And in this case we must do the same ! ' 'And what if we drift out of our course?' asked tho doctor. ' In your own words, w(! '11 wait till that happens,' replied the ca])tain, quietly. * A good retort ! But I don't think we need do that either. Why not make use of the balloon again V 'In this fog!' I said. 'Surely, doctor, you must be crazy !' 'Wait a minute. It's a well-known fact that these Arctic fogs cling closely to the ice, and men ascending a few hundred feet have found the air quite clear. Thus an ascent at the present time is not only an interesting scientific experiment, but may also show us where wo really are.' 'Then by ail means let us make it !' I cried. And so tho preparations were at once made. It was found that owing to the damp the balloon was so much heavier that it would only rise with three persons ; and accordingly Dr Lorimer, the captain, and I were the aerial passengers on this occasion. And a thoroughly dis- agreeable experience it was, too, as we rose slowly through the moist air. But the doctor was right. When we had ascended about two hundred feet the fog began to lighten, and at five hundred there was scarcely any humidity in the air. The i Latitude 83° 26'. 69 sun was obscured by black clouds ; below us was the uniform surface of the fog, resembling an immense level plain of snow, unbroken by a single excrescence. But before the balloon had reached its greatest altitude we were startled by an exclaiuation from tlie captain. •Look there!' he cried, 'Towards the east. Laml mid a muuntaiiiom coad /^ From our positions in the car the doctor and I had been naturally looking towards the north, where there was a huge bank of fug. Now, as the captain spoke, we turned our eyes to the east, and this is what we saw : There was no fog, and not more than four miles oJf was a coast-lino lying north- west and south-east, broken up by many inlets, and backed by mountains of a great height, the dark sides of which seemed to be entirely free from snow. And close in by the shore was a broad belt uf open tcalar, extending north as far as we could see. 'The land mentioned by Randolph Torrens!' said the doctor, after we had looked at it for many minutes. *It must be ! Captain Sneddon ! Oliphant ! our expedition has succeeded ! ' Lut the captain liad been paying less attention to the land than to what was to be seen on this side of it. Between our position and the open coast-water the fog hid everything except a narrow stretch of ice bordering the water , but this, we saw, was broken up by many leads. * We can do nothing until the fog lifts,' he said in reply to the doctor, 'and then we'll see if we have succeeded. Let us get down,' We gave the signal, and in five minutes were telling our story to the others. I need say nothing of the excitement caused on board by our announcement, nor of the impatience with which we awaited the lifting of the fog : these may be imagined by all who have had an object within sight, and yet for a time out of reach. Preparations for an aLtenipt to free the Aurora were made at once ; ami when, next day, the fog (|l 70 Latitude 83" 25\ ''.' was reported to be considerably ligliter, everything was ready for the venture. Before mid-day a 8lif:jht breeze from the land, aided by a strong sun, had effectively cleared the air ; and then we beheld, not three hundred yards from us, a broad and open pass apparently connnunicating with the coast-water. 'Wo shall do it!' cried the doctor, after one glance. 'If we aren't in that opening before evening, 1 '11 forfeit my reputation for veracity ! * ' Then I '11 leave it to you,' replied Cai)tain Sneddon, ' for I confess I don't see how it is to be done.' The doctor only smiled, and immediately set to work, aided by many willing volunteers. First, he carefully surveyed and examined the ice between tlie vessel and the lead ; and, at a point which he indicated after much measur- ing and calculation, the men bored a hole into the heart of an ice-hillock. Then, when that was ready, a specially prepared dynamite cartridge of more than ordinary explosive power was placed within it, afiixcd to which Avas a slender wire communicating with a powerful electric battery on deck. 'You don't mean to say, doctor, you intend to free us through that?' asked the captain, a little scornfully. ' Unless the Aurora is more firmly lixed than I imagine, I '11 bo surprised if she isn't freed through that,' was his answer. The captain shrugged his shoulders ; while Loiimer, after making sure that all were on boanl, and that steam had been got up and everything prepared, deftly attached the coil to the machine. 'Keady ?' he asked. The reply was aflirmative. 'Then look out, and don't lose your heads at the moment you naed them most,' In said, giving the handle a sharp turn. Before we h;ui time to be prepared, so to speak, the mine had exploded with tremendous effect. Hardly had the doctor spoken before we heard a deep, dull sound as of distant ' : lii^ LATITUDE 83° 25'. 71 thunder, and at tlio aanio moment the ico-surfaco seemod to ho heaved up, throwing out a vohime of dense white smoke. Through this we caught a ghmpse of masses of ice in the process of being hurled through the air. Ahnost simultane- ously we experienced a shock that v/ent through every timber in the vessel ; and, as if in irresolution, she swayed to and fro for a little before she finally subsitleil. In a second it was all over; fore and aft of the Aurora we saw open water, and she herself was again in her element. The doctor had calculated so truly, that the ice had split directly under the sliip, and now our course was open to us if we could oidy use it. ' Forward at full-speed !' shouted the doctor. The chief engineer obeyed, and the Aurord dashed forward as if for her life. In a moment she had passed thrcjugh the newly-formed lead, and just in time ; for hardly had she done so than it was seen to l)c closing in, * Hurrah ! We have done it, thanks to dynamite and electricity !' cried L)r Felix Lorimer, enthusiastically. ' And thanks to you, too, doctor,' said the captain, in a tone of genuine admiration ; and at his call we gave a round of cheers, again and again repeated, in honour of our i)lucky liberator. Ten minutes tlieroaftcr the Aurora was cleaving the open coast-water of Torrens Land (as with one consent we chris- tened the new territory, pre-supposing it to have no name), and with mixed feelings wo gazed at its mountains and valleys, its ice-covered shores and its glaciers. x\.t noon the doctor succeeded in getting an observation tliat placed us some thirty-one miles north of the position of the 'land-locked bay ' as given by Randolph Torrens. We headed for it, of course, steaming close in to the coast ; and late in the after- noon we reached an inlet corresponding to the description, though there was half a minute or so of variance as regards longitude— explaina1)le, no vloubt, by the- difference in the instruments of that day and this. Those who were in the secret could hardly restrain them- f' I ^ . ^^^3t i i i 1 1 . } 1 1 1 1 1 tJ |v 1 5. * 1 1 •k 72 LATITUDE 83° 25'. selves as we steamed into this bay, which, except at the narrow entrance, was completely encircled by land and free from ice. Even the crew, who could not but suspect that something was in the wind, were all on the tiptoes of expectation. Cecil was the iirst to make a discovery. On the starboard side there were high, black cliffs standing back from the shore, and there he pointed out something — we could not distinguish what — rising out of the snow or ice. 'Seems to me like a llagstaii',' said Captain 8neddon. By this time a boat had been lowered to convey us ashore, and in five minutos we had landed in this new country — a feira incognita so far as the civilised world was concerned. In another we had found that, as the c(i[)tain had supi»(>sed, it was indeed a flagstaff' we had seen from the dock. Pick- axes and shovels had been brought with ns, and eagerly we dug away the accumulated snow of years until at last we had laid bar(! a cairn of stones surrounded by detached i)ieces of wood and other debris. And there, when with difficulty we had broken up the frozen mass, we discovered a Ijottle con- taining a paper — the solution, we hoped, of the mystery surrounding Randolph Torrcns's voyage to this spot. ■ i 3 h-9 CHArTEli VIII. THE ERECTION OF FORT LORIMER. 'T was Nils Jjinscn, it s1k»u1(1 l»e nieiitionod, who iincartlied tlic Ituitluand luuidcd it to tlio captain. Ho, after a glaiico at it, transferred it to me. AVitli a stroke; of my shovel 1 knocked oil" the head, and out droi)i)ed a i)a[)er yi-llow with ago, hut otherwise in a good state of preservation. After run- ning my eyes over it, and seeing that it Avas ini.serahly short and contained nothing to 1)0 kept secret, I read it aloud to those around me, whose suspense was naturally great. It was as follows : In til is buy, called Weynioulh Harbour (H.i^ 25' N. lat., and 48° 6' E. long.), the crew of the steam-brig JFcynumth wintered 1855-r)(), alter having discovered this continent, and exjjlored it Kcventy miles to the norUi and also inland. Eight of the .ship'.s conijtany have died, and, short-handed as we are, there is liltle ])rosi)ect of arriving safely in England, for wdnch we sail to-day. We leave this in attestation of our claims as discoverers of the land, and of having penetrated farther to the north than any previous navigators. Signed in the name of Messrs Randolph Torrens and P. E. IStallord, owners, Thomas Thomson, Captain. Awjtist 17, 185G. This was all : and as I finished reading the document that for thirty years had remained buried under that cairn, and that told us so little, I seemed to see the whole scene — the vessel ready to sail, the boat lying off shore, and the daring adventurers placing their record wdiere we were to find it so many years afterwards. But 1 was recalled to the :| 74 THE EIIECTION OF FORT LORIMER. i I present by my companions' oxpret'sions of tlisappointniont that, whatever other merits the paper mi;,fht have, it gave no key to Randolph Torrens'a rco^ons for despatching this expedition to the hind ho had discovcrGd. 'There's nothing new in it except the name of tlio vessel,' said the doctor ; * and if wo over do solve this mystery — if mystery it is — it strikes mo it must bo by tiio merest chance. The question is, what are we to do now ]' 'Follow out our instructions by searching to the north- east,' was my prompt reply. 'Then, if that is thoroughly done by next summer, push on as far north ay we can get — if possible, to the North Pole.' ' And winter here, I suppose,' put in Cecil. ' By the way, where aro "the extensive coalfields" Torrens spoko of.' To settle this, and to become somewhat acquainted with the topography of Weymoutli Harbour, a survey party was immediately organised. Several men were left at the cairn to remove the ice and snow around, in tho forlorn hope of finding more relics ; but it may be as well to say at once that they only succeeded in laying bare tho remains of a boat and several pieces of i u tal. Tho rest of tho company separated to explore the bay, which was about two miles long and a little above one mile at its broadest part. Why it was not perpetually frozen, as from its situation one would expect, wo soon discovered, for at its upper end it received tho waters of a considerable stream. Except here, whore a valley appeared to strike oif in a north-easterly directiori, it was completely surrounded by mountains of a great height. One peak wo saw in the distance could not have Deen less than eight thousand feet high. But before wo had observed all this, the doctor had fixed the position of the 'coalfields.' lie had gone forward to examine tlio black cliffs that stood a little behind the cairn, and had hardly reached their base wlion a shout from him brought us to his side. ' The coal ! ' he cried. * These clifls are of coal, equal by its THE BUECTION oP KOUT LOHIMER. 75 l(j()k to the best tScokli. Enough hero abovu-giouiul to lust us a thousand years, and no douht as much more under ! By the aid of a dynamite cartridge wo shall got enough to servo us all winter, and make us as happy as if this land were still as bountiful and warm as it must have been luuulreds of centuries ago, Ijcfore this coal could have been formed.' A few hours later, when the bay had been comi)letely surveyed, we held a council in the mess-ruom ; and then I formally assumed command instead of Captain Sneddon, who would on no account act as leader unless when afloat. * Now, gentlemen,' I said, when wo had gone through this formality, 'here wo are at our destination, in a latitude higher than has ever been reached, save by our predecessors in exploring this land.* Hero wo shall remain until next year, using this spot ;i.s our base of operations for the various excursions we shall njake. As our stay may bo of seven or eight months, it is our duty to make the men as comfortable as we can. It is generally admitted, I believe — tho doctor will correct me if I am wrong — that the Arctic winter may be more healthily spent on shore than within the narrow dimen- sions of a ship, if it is at all ])0s.sible.* 'Quito right,' assented J)r Lorimer. ' And so,' I continued, ' I think it would be a good plan to construct during the next month a Ijuilding capable of accom- modating us all, and in it to spend tho winter. I think it can bo done. What do you say to the idea V The captain was the first to answer. 'I '11 admit a vessel's not exactly the place to spend four or five idle months on end in,' he said ; 'but it's a question if wo could build a house which would. And, after all, others have managed with ships — in fact, most Arctic exi)lorers — and why shouldn't we V * At tliat time, of course, we did not know tliat Lieutenant Lockwood, of the United States expedition under Greely, had reached hititude 83° 24' on the Greenland coast (1882), thus havin^j; ga'* )d, next to us, the most northerly point. n 1 1 , i 76 THt! ERECTION OF POUT LOftlMfiR. 11 ■ f; \r •But if sucli a houso could be built, captain,' I replied, 'it would be better to do so?' 'Like enough,' he buid, but in a tone that told me he did not altogether like the project. Probably his professional vanity was touched. 'But how are we to build the place?' asked Cecil. 'Where is the material, Sic, to come from V ' It's ready to hand,' answered the doctor. ' You remember that in 1869 the crew of the I/aitxa, oil" East (Jreenland, built a house of coal. We can do tlie same on a larger scale, for we have an inexhaustiljle su]»i)ly of material. With your permission 1 will draw out a plan for the building, and under- take the supcsrintendence of it ; and 1 'm certain we can raise a Winter Palace that will be a credit to us and to our northern position !' This, in the end, as was usually the ca.se with the doctor's projects, was unai'-nously agreed to; and after we had discussed the detaii.s with the proverbial enthusiasm of amateurs, it was left to Lorimer, with full powers to do as he liked. He was not long in making a beginning. In the first place, a mine was expliKled in one of the dill's, and a few hundred tons of coal got ready for the building. Then a level spot was selected, well sheltered on all sides, the snow removed, and the foundations laid in the solid rock. Cement was easily obtained by filling np the joints between the pieces of coal with dry snow, and then pouring water over it ; and in live minutes we had a solid mass, in which nothing less than superhuman efforts could have driven a hole. In a few days the walls began to rise, and we saw that the building was to be of goodly dimensions. The floor was composed of the uniform-sized coal bricks used on board, over which was laid a covering of felt, that did duty f'^: a carpet. The insilonionts. Boyond, tho coast extended in nn unbroken lino lo tlio horizon; l)ut as the youn^' ico was already bej^inniiij,' to form, it vvoidd not have; been safe to penetrate farther, and so the launch's prow was turned homewards. In three days we reached the harbour, but found tho entrance blocked l)y younf,' ice, tlirough which it was with dillieulty wo could force our way. When at len,c,'th wo wcsre inside, tho hccik! that niet our eyes made us open these organs very wide indeed. The Anvfrra lay completely dismantled in the niiddh^ of tho bay, looking as forlorn and desolate as if sho had been deserted for good. On shore a village api)earod to have arisen as if by magic. In the centr(! of a wide enclosure marked out by a snow stockade stood Fort Lorimer, tho Union Jack flying from its tower, and snioko ih.^'.o'ng from eaeh of its eight chimneys. On one side of it, connecte(i by a covered-in passage, was an ol)servatory and another hut (tho magazine, as we afterwards found) ; and on the opposite, several storehouses and the quarters of th(> dogs. Against tho outer walls of all tho buildings snow and ice had been pih^l up for tlio sake of warmth ; and tho whole place, looking at it from tho harljour, had a strange and yet home-like appearance. 'Dr Felix Lorimer has eclipsed himself !' exclaimed Cecil. * If it is only as cosy inside as it appears from here, we shall 1)0 in clover all winter, and no mistake.' Just as he s})ok(', those on shore .seemed to become aware of our arrival, and ]>y the time wo landed they wore thronging down to meet u.s, the doctor foremost amongst them. 'Isn't my fort a credit to me?' ho asked, when tho greetings wore over, 'Hero it is, all ready for our four months and a half of winter, occupied by tho crew of the Aurora, and only awaiting the formal blessing of the com- mander to complete the business.* ' It is indeed, doctor,' I answered. * But do the honours at once, if you love us, for we are dying to see the interior.' He led the way up a broad path made of beaten snow •s V -^ to rt *:! C 2 c3 j a 3 ^ -tJ O CJ r- 6C be O •-; ill 'Ij J ! I I' . ,1 H 1 1 1 r 1; THE EREOTFON OF FORT LORIMER. 81 covered with sand to tlio (Mitranco porch, the (h)or of which had hcon transferred from the vessel. Entering, we found that W(! were in a eorridor running tlie whole length of the building. From Mis all the rooms were reached. The centre was occupied by the men's (piarters- — two largo apart- ments (,'ach fifty feet by twenty, divided by a curtain, and jjeated by two stoves apiece. Ronnd them were placed the (hiul)ie slceping-l)unks. As we entered wo were conscious of a gen(!ral feeling of warmth that I knew could not come from the stoves alone. I turned to the doctor for an expla;'.iLion. 'A well-perfected system of hot-air Hues is res]ionsible for this,' ho said; 'and it is of snch use that the temperature in any part of the honse need never fall below freezing- j)("int, even in i\w most severe weather. 1 inteiul iilso to introduce! gas for lighting purposes, which will add further to the heat, but as yet I have had no time.' Adjoining the men's rooms on one side were the cook's galh^y, the room for washing and drying cloth(!s, and the bath-tubs — the latter so situated that this indispensable aid to health could be taken advantage of at any time with comfort. Then, at the end of the fort, canu; the ollicers' living-room, out of which opened six small (iabins, occupied by the captain, Cecil, the two mates, the first engineer, and myself. In mine I found all my [losscssions arranged just as they had been on board ship, the walls hung with my jiictures and j)liotographs, and alongside my buidc the safe containing the oilicial Ixtoks and iiai)ers of the expedition. On the other side were the doctor's laboratory and work shop, his and Clements' cabins, the condensing- room, and tin; library. As I have mentioned, a covered way led Irom this part to the observatory ontside. Plac(i tables, chairs, benches, stools, cupboards, bearskin ruga, and other articles of fnrniture in their j)laces ; ornamen the walls with pictures, models, and arms ; and you may imagine that we were not altogether to be pitied in the F U, 11 I 82 TIIK ERECTION OF FORT LORIMER. :i I J ; I' li t prospect that lay before us. Comfort and lioaKli, at any- rate, had been insured for us by tlio doctor's elibrts ; and altogether we had every reason to be highly delighted with his work. That evening we celebrated our occupancy of Fort Lorimcr by a grand entertainment in the * foc's'le,' as the men called their (p'artors. The two rooms were converted into one by the withdrawal of tlie curtain, a temporary platform wns erected at one end, and our ])iano (with Cecil as performer) placed upon it. Song and recitation followed each other fast and furiously; the doctor played operatic selections m his violin, and Cecil poi)ular airs on the piano ; and o >• M> pleasant recreation, but tho liaidest wf. 85 huiulred yaids of thcni, and wore rapidly dccieasinj:; Uio distance when the attitude of the oxen told us that they suspected something'. But even when they saw us tliey appeared to have no fear, and allowed us to get within easy range, while they stood gazing, in surprised stupidity, at the strange figures api)roaching them. ' Doesn't it seem a pity, Godfrey, to shoot them when they show no fight 1' said Cecil. 'But I suppose there's no alternative.' At that moment, liowever, they seemed to take alarm ; and as they turned to tlee in the opposite direction we forgot our scruples and simultaneously fired. Although a cow and a calf fell, the others, instead of continuing their flight, drew up together in constcrnatiim, and stayed so long that we might easily have picked them off one by one. But as we should only have had to abandon the flesh, wo refrained from killing for killing's sake alone ; and after a minute's hesitation they scampered off at a speed that one could never have imagined possible from their unwieldy appear- ance. The animals shot having been cut uj) and their titbits stowed away on the sledge, we continued our laborious journey until the darkn(;ss compelled us to camp. So far we had trav(.'lled in a north-easterly direction, but now, on the third day, our farther progress that way was stopped. For a time the ground had been steadily rising, and our labours in dragging the sledge were simply herculean, the more so that they were accomplished in the teeth of a blinding snow-storm. In the end we were obliged to stop ; and, when th^ snow had ceased falling, Cecil and I in the dog-sledge pushed on to find out Low far the ascent con- tinued. In the course of an hour or so w(> arrivetl at the summit ; and, the air by this time having cleared, we saw before us a view that more than compensated us for all our trouble. In a inonien*), as it wore, we had been transported into the midst J.i I ; :-i ■ l5 li r 86 THE SLEDGl KXCURSION. of an ulpine couuiry. In front of us stretched range upon range of snovv-covcrod peaks, rising higher and higher, until in the distaneo their summits were invisible ; and between were the long streak-like glaciers, so numerous that of the largest alone there must have been hundreds. Between us and the mountains was a jumble of low hills, obviously imi)assable for a sledge ; while the average height of tlu; mountains themselves could not have been less than ten thousand feet. Many of the peaks, indeed, must have been more than half as high again. * Isn't it glorious ? ' I asked. ' An Arctic 8witzerland on a large scale, only waiting to be explored ! ' But Cecil did not seem to hear me. He was looking intently tiirough the glass towards the north, and after a long scrutiny ho handed it to me, saying, in a tone of suppressed excitement : ' Look there ! Tliat high, isolated peak rising above the rest. Tell me what you see.' I did as he told me, adjusted the glass, and looked at the point he indicated, which might have been anywhere from ten to fifty miles distant ; for the eifects of refraction were such that no computation as to distance could be relied upon. At first I CO dd see nothing peculiar, but in a little I made oat wtiat appeared to be a small black cloud resting on the aummit. This was not, of course, in any way out of thv conimoii ; and I was about to turn away, when I saw the dark cloud lit up j'or an instant as by a gleam uj fin: In my surprise I nearly drojjped the glab.^ ; and then, not knowing exactly what to make of the phenomenon, 1 looked to Cecil. * It must bo a volcano,' he said. ' A volcano !' I echoed. ' Yes,' he replied, ' and I can toll you one or two things that support the idea. Where we camped last night there were rocks of several entirely different formations, and the soil was distinctly volcanic. And look down there ' — pointing to \ I THE liEDGE EXCURSION. 87 the tract 1)otwcen us and the moujituins— '//m^ can he the result of nothing except a big convulsion of nature. Depend upon it, we're in a volcanic district !* And just then, as if to confirm his words, the cloud on the distant peak was again lit up, and from the phenomena I could no longer have any douht that Mount Cecil Oliphant — as I named it at once — was indeed a volcano. While wo were still gazing at it we heard loud shouts, and, looking behind, saw the rest of the party painfully dragging the sledge u[) the hill. Descending, wc gave them what help we could, and after two hours' severe work we managed to gain the summit. ]>y this time it was nearly dark and the snow-storm had recommenced ; and so our friends could only hope that it would be clear enough on the following day for them to see that of which we had told them. Luckily they were not disappointed. In the early forenoon, however, another discovery was made by Gates that somewhat spoiled the effect of the first. He hail climbed a steep pinnacle on our right to get a l)etter view, but had not been there Ion;, before we saw him excitedly gesticulating to us to follow lii'ja. Doing ao, we made out as soon as we got within earshot that : 'There's a water-sky to the soutto, sir, as plain as the Aurora'^ funnel !* The stoker wa« quite right. Kunning almost, directly south by the compass was a valley, tnclosed on both sides by mountains, and on the horizon we saw an unmistakable water-sky. 'That's the direction wo must ^ !' I said, decidedly. ' If, as I inuigini', we come to tke sea m a day or two, it will prove that the coast runs s(«Eie distance .south-east from Weymouth Harbour before trending to the east. We will thus settle an important })oint, and perhaps also discover what becomes of all those glaciers, which certainly don't reach the sea on the western coast line.' 'But the volcano?' asked Cecil. h 88 TIIK SLUDGE liXUUKSlOX. ' Won't run iiway ; and perhaps \v(! may be ablo to visit it in tlio yjtring. At prcsont H's clearly inii)o.;aiMo.' Before starting, a depot of provisions was formed, consisting of one Imndrcd and liity pounds of poniniican and bacon, a Iittl(! alcohol for fuel, and part of the meat of the musk-oxen we had shot. This, of course, lightened the sledge consider- ably, and when the dogs were harnessed they went off with it ([uite briskly. But when rougher ground was reached we had all to put our shoulders to the wheel — or rather the puUing- straps over our shoulders — and give way with a will. The two days that it took us to descend the fifteen miles of this valley were, I think, the most exhausting I have ever spent. ( )wing to the state of the ground our progress was miseraldy slow; snow fell so thickly that we could see nothing beyond a radius of ten yards, and the intensity of the colli may bo imagined when I say that the thermometer during all that time never rose above zero. Each night we had three or four cases of frost-bite, none of them, fortunately, very severe. On our sixth day out we found ourselves quite unexpectedly upon a broad stretch of new ice, which we knew must be that cither of an inland lake or of the sea. As nothing could be done until the snow ceased, we returned to land and camped there ; and when daylight appeared next forenoon about (devcn, we discovered that we wer*' on an arm nf Die sea about a mile broad ! Away to the south the illimitable Frozen Ocean was visible, broken up as usual by ice-holes and lanes, the cause doubtless of the water-sky wo had seen. And, certain eX])lanation of the destination of the many inland glaciers, it was studded over with innumerable ice- bergs, large and small. That day there was no slow travelling. To us, so long accustomed to rough ground, the ice seemed absolutely level, tlu)ugh in fact it was far from being so ; and we accom- plished the eleven miles to the mouth of Jansen Fjord before three in the afternoon. Then, in the dim twilight, we ^ I THE 8LED0K EXCURSION. 80 saw tlio coast strctcliinj,' away eastward and \v(!stward ; and to tho south of us was the cvor-silcnt, ever-mystical Arctic Ocean, lying calmly us if in the consciousness that in her power still, ill spite of the numhcrless bravo Britons, Americans, iJutcli, Kussians, Scandinavians, and Austrians who had striven to wrest it from her, lay tho secret of the North. 'What is to be our course nowT I asked that evening;; ' whether are we to return or to follow the coast westwanl and northward to tho harbour?' ' I say go on,' answered Cecil. 'And so do I,' said Weuiyss, 'for anything' is preferal)le to a return over such j^round' *I3ut isn't it better to face the dangers we know than those we know not of?' I retorted, lauglihigly. 'However, if we 've provisions enough ' ' Wo 'vo ♦.Miougli for twelve days yet,' interrupted Wemyss, who was cateiiir. 'Tliat's all right, then; and if the men are agreeable, on we shall go !' The men, having a lively recollection of what they had undergone, took Wemyss's view, and voted unanimously for an advance ; and so, next morning — the morning of a day destined to be an eventful and exciting one — we turned to the west, and continued our journey along the ' ico-foot.' This, it may be as well to explain, is a belt of sea-ice which is formed again.'^t the land, and clings to it in s})ite of wind and tides, being, as a rule, separated by a 'tidal crack* fioni the movaljle ocean-ice. As it usually forms a secure track ibr travelling purposes, it is invariably taken advantage of by sledgers within the Arctic circle. It was along this, then, that we slowly picssed our way, deserting it whenever it ran inland to follow the course of some bay or inlet, and again using it whenever it suited our purposes. It was towards mid-day, when the light was strongest, that the cause of the excitement I have referred to was first seen by Cecil, who was in advance. At this point tho ice-loot was much broken. !i 00 fur; HliK^GE RXcuhsiuN, and tliuro wcro several o[)cii lanes in the pack, tolling of a strong tidal current. \Vo noticed Cecil draw uj) and look in- tently bel'oro him for a moment. Then, with a shout, he ran on at full-speed. Following, wo obscn-vcd him l»ending over what ai)i)eared to he a mass of driftwood; and, as we joinod him, wo saw that it lay in considcrablo (quantities all around. What can this bo ?' I asked. * iJoat- wreckage, sir,' replied (Jates. * See the nails in the planks, and the grooves, and — look, sir — there's ropes and parts of an oar !* ' J )oat- wreckage !' 1 was rei)eaiiiig, when 1 heard a cry from I'cnnell, who immediidely came running towards me. He carried a plank, on which were painted several letters; and taking it from him, I made them out to be : ' ''/•;/. PJiaros /' CHAPTER X. THE SLEDCIK EXCUHSION — PEIJM-H AND TUIVATIONS. \'J^lt^\ 1I1''.HE could 1)0 no doul)t that it was the Norlht'ni PharoSj tho vessel that had balllcd all our con- jectures so far, and now scorned as if destined to lialllt! them for ever, to which this hoard had beloiiffcd, and of whoso fate it was a somewhat inister indication. Of thos* present, only Cecil and ^i^ T knew anything of her previous connection with us ; and when I had pronounced tho words I significantly motioned to him to say nothing. TTo understood the signal, and kept silent. "Womyss was tho lirst to speak. 'Pharofif ho repeated, musingly. ' I wonder what we're to gather from this — whether the vessel has reached this coast and gone down hero, or the wood has drifted from tho far south V Neither Cecil nor I thought it worth while to point out that, ;is all the wood was of the same material, and theie was no trace of drift of any other kind, the evidence was convincingly strong in favour of tho former conjecture. * I5ogging your pardon, sir,' said the sailor Pcnni-Il at this point, * there 's a Dundee whaler they calls tho Northern Pharos — mayhe it 's her that this belonged to.' *A Greenland one?' I asked. ' Yes, sir ; this is only her second year, but they say she 's a nice vessel.' 'A Dundee whaler!' said Wemyss. 'Can this have drifted all the way from the Greenland seas ? Why, it 's a problem after the doctor's own heart, and one that'll lead i {1 i I ^%i .%. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. if %• -^o- I 5 # ^ c^ y. C/u -^ i 1.0 I.I 1.25 Li IIIZJ ^, us. 12.0 1.4 ii 1.6 -J 5^ Photogjaphic Sciences Corporation ^ '(\ \\ ... * <"[? V'. ^ ^1? 33 WEST MA!" STREET WEBSTER, N.Y 14S80 (716) 872-4503 %"■ I :v t/. n Q, ^ > Kll ^.. il ! 1 1' i 02 THIi Bl-KI)GE liXOURSlON — PEUlLS A^fn PRIVATIONS. to Huliic iiitcn-osting statistics on oceivn-currcnts and the law of circulation.' Meanwhile, the driftwood had been tlioroncjhiy searched without result lor lurther traces of the mysterious ship ; and, in the absence of any, the general idea was that the debris must have drifted from some distant S[)ot. l>y t^c time the search was over it was dark, and so I decided to camp there /'or the night. Another reason was that by means of the wood we might liave th(i unwonted luxury of a fire — a comfort to v.'hich we ha-.l been strangers since leaving the fort. While the supper was being prepared, we took Wemyss aside and told him all we knew of the Pharos, for in the circumstances it would hardly have been fair not to let him into the secret. 'Ir.'s a strange story,' ho said, when I had concluded, *and it 's scarcely within the bounds of possibility, I think, that if the vessel did reach this coast she should have done so by chance, as the doctor supposes. Tln-re 's little doubt she 's gone down here ; but what her purposes were, and what connection tlioy had with thn A/ovra, we'll probably never know now.' ' Unless,' put in Cecil, * some of her crew have escaped.' 'Hardly likely,' I said; 'at least, they can't have done so in this direction. :lse there would assuredly have been some trace of them. As you sny, Wemyss, there 's little doubt that she has foundered in these seas. Her purpose, alter all, is a secondary matter, which Ave may ferret out when we return to England, but certainly not here.' As tliere was evidently rio solution of the mystery to be found at I'haros Point, as we named the place, the board was packed upon the sledge, and the journey resumed at dawn next forenoon. The day was uneventful ; but at night we had the most magnificent disiday of the Aurora Borealis we had yet seen. Just before midnight the pitchy darkness was relieved by a gleam of light that disappeared as suddeidy as it rose, only to be followed in a moment by < hi !l:; I At niglit we liiul llio 'uost inagnificcnt iKspluy of tlio Aurora Uorcalis we had yet seen. 'fT ■|:, THE SLKDGE EXCUIiSION — PERILS AM) I'PIVATIONS. 95 others that became more and more numerous, until the wliole southern horizon was lit u[) Ijy a brilliant arc of light. Within the are tin dark sky remained as dark ; but all around this spot of Ijlackness, like the ever-moving ocean around a desolate island, the coruscation gleamed and l)rightencd, now resembling the reflection of a vast con- flagration, and again waxing softer and more mellow, as if ashaminl of its former intensity. Slowly the zone spread over the sky, shooting out rays of red, and emerald, and violet ; and Avhen at length the lioavenly dome was com- pletely lit up with the radiance, the scone was one of indescribable grandeur. A marvellous effect was produced by the play of the Xorthcrn Lights upon tlie hummocks and bergs of the ice-bound ocean ; and as the streamers gleamed over the frozen waters, and flashed meteor-like along tlie summits of the icebergs, we could imagine ourselves in a more enchanting fairyland than ever a childish fancy con- ceived. But after a time the light grew fainter and fainter, and finally died away so gradually that wo were left standing in the awful silence of the Arctic night before we knew it had finally disappeared. On the following day we turned the south-westerly point of Torrens Land — Cape Wemyss, we called it — within, we calculated, forty miles of Weymouth Harbour. Here the difficulties of our return j'-irney practically began. So far the ice-foot had served us well, but within a mile of the turn of the coast to the north-west it disapi)ointed us altogether. For some unaccountable reason it had either failed to form, or was so much cut up and broken as to be impassable ; and the consequence was that we had to choose between finding a path on land or on the sea-ice. It wa-i a case of Scylla and Charybdis : the land was so mountainous that it was scarcely to be thought of, while the ice was nearly as bad, and might also be treacherous. However, Charybdis was chosen, and our journey resumed upon the ice, under the ady an effort almost superhuman we- succeeded in g'^i/ting the nose of the sledge upon firm ice, and tliereafter ten or fifteen minutes' steady tugging sufficed to clear it. But by tliis tinui we were ail so exhausted that we could scarcely drag it to land, a few hundred yards distant, whore, on a prominent headland — afterwards named Cape Misfortune — we resolved to camp for the night. An ex- amination of our effects showed us the extent of our loss. One bag of [.rovisiona, containing seven days' rations, was THE SLEDGE EXCURSFON PERII^ AND PRIVATIONS. gone, leaving barely snffioiont for two days (and oven that was thoroughly saturated with salt water) ; tlic tent and sleeping-bafjs on b(nng exposed to the air froze as hard as boards, and the only thing that had escaped uninjured was the box containing the instruments and amniunitiou. But even worse; than this, Pennell and Janseii were found to be severely frost-bitten on both feet, the eilect of their immersion. Although we managed to restore the circulation before mortitication set in, ihey were too lame to be of use for further dragging. * We 're certainly in a hole, and a pretty steep one, too,' I said to Womysr. and Cecil; 'but, after all, wo can't be above thirty miles from the fort, and we must reaoli it in the two days. Fifteen miles a day doesn't seem much.' ' liut we haven't three liours a day,' said AVcmyss, despond- ingly, 'and in that we shall never do it.' ' \V(^ must, and that's all about it,' replied Cecil. 'If we don't we are dead men, and, speaking personally, I should prefer to reach Weymouth Harbour, even if we should have to tramp to it without stojjpiiig, in the dark or not.' Next morning, accordingly, after a futile attempt to proceed on land, wc- again took to the ict;, feeling (jur way with as much caution us was possible in the circumstances. It was a terrible day's work. The coast being hidden by the falling snow, we had to steer by compass ; and as we wound our way between the hummocks and ice-hills, wo became more and more disheartened by the dilliculties of the route and by the successive misfortunes that overtook us. The llrst of these was the maiming of Gat(^s, our strongest man, by a fail into a hidden lissure, I'rom which we extricated him at some pains, to find that he was so much injuretl that he had to be laid upon the sledge. Then Wemyss and (Jrindlay broke through the ice and were disalded by frost-])ite, reducing the auxiliary dragging strength to three — Cecil, myself, and Forbes. I Jut notwithstanding all these mishaps we made good progress for a time, the dogs acting as if they knew our u [■(> 98 TIIR SLEDGE EXCURSION — PERILS AND PRIVATIONS. 'V lives depended on it. If our strengtli had held out, 1 have: no doubt wo should have done Letter still. Dut (uirly in the afternoon we hecanie aware that our eiuirgy was failing us; the dogs hecaine listless and moved only at the word of coni- luand ; and the invalids declared tluiir 'a1)ility to ])roc('ed much farther. Thus wc; had no altcirnative ..'it to pitch our tent, which we did under the lee of another cape, anned me, and then I found that we were at a standstill. In vain I urged the dogs onward : they were evidently doni; up, and refused to move another inch. 'Notiiing for it,' I said to myself, 'but to get out and walk.' lUit even tlas was no easy matter. I was almost frozen, and my lind)s were so stilf that it was a great effort to move them. And no wonder; for, on consulting my watch, 1 discovered that it was seven hours since I had left the camp, and of three of them I knew nothing. t TUB «iiKr)ai': exuuuhion — i-kuils and piuvationh. 101 liuiilisiii^' ihiit 1 imiHt Wiilk to live, 1 iJiishcd on throiif,'h the 8uft, yielding' snow, the doj^s following alongside willingly enough now thiit they hud no weight to pull. I was in a strange kind of stupor which I cannot desciihe, but still instinctively I glanced now and then at the compass to see that 1 was right. As to the rest I can say little. I r(!nicniher, as in a dream, seeing through the snow some huge animal walking alongside na; but I took no notice until 1 was in a manner roused by several howls of anger or anguish from the dogs. Then, still sleepily, I lifted my loaded rille from the sledge, and fired both barrels at the strange animal. I had no curiosity ; I only knew that it followetl us no longer, and then on again I went. But my strength was steadily failing. For pcrliaps live minutes I reeled onwards, and then I fell. I could neither rise nor resist the over})owering in- clination I felt to sleep. Before I gave way, however, I had the presence of mind to slip the traces of the ilogs, so as to allow them freedom ; and then, with a confused feeling that I had failed and must now die, I became unconscious. !| 1 I i In half a minute, as it seemed, I recovered my senses, to find myself surrounded by a multitude of men bearing torches and lamps. ' (^uick ! more brandy !' one bending over me was shouting in a voice I recognised as Dr Lorimer's. 'lie's recovering, captain ; anotlicr second will do it.' I tried to articulate, but for a moment or two failed. * The rest are under a headland to the south,' at last I managed to say. * All disabled except Cecil. No meat. Be quick if you mean to save them.' *As bad as that?' he asked. * We must lose no time. To the south, did you say? How far?' 'About twenty miles, I think, but I can't be sure. If you follow the coast you can't miss it.' ' Kight ! We '11 find it somehow ; and for assurance I '11 take Konig. — Norris, I trust to you to see Mr Oliphant M*-' 102 THK HLKIXiF, KX(JIJK>SI()N — I'KUir.S AND I'KI VATIONS. i;oinf()rtiil)lu ; jthiiily of lioat ami nibliiii;^', and lluiiu's no four. — Now, (.iiptaiii, lob's yut tlio relict' sludges ready.' And at this point, just as I was bcinj,' raised, I relai)sed. II . \' i It was far on in the next day lieforo I was sulliciently recovert'd to hear the story of the relief. Around nie lay my eonnades, all eoniphstely out of danjj;er o.Kee[)t iVnnell, who was in a hij^li fever. Two or three of them, however, had to sacrilic;)! their ]n'^ toes to tlio am[)Uti.Ling-knifo ; and it was lueky, the doetor said, that the frost-bite had f^ono no farther. It seems that when a fortni-^dit had passed and wo Iwul not returned, the inmates of Fort Lorinier ])egan to grow anxious. Daily Journeys were made to the n(jrth-east valley; lor, t)f cour.se, they never ex[)eeted us to appear from any other dircetion ; hut when the sun had departed and there were still no signs of us, they feared the worst. Their spare time they oecupied in carrying out, so far as they could, Randolph Torrens's instructions to 'search within a radius of twenty miles;' but, like us, they had discovered not tlio least trace of * white men.' On the eventful evening of the rescue tlie doctor was in his observatory, when he heard a couple of shots — those I had lired in blissful ignorance of my proximity to the bay. Hushing into the house, he cjuiekly got ready several neces- saries, anil in company with the whole garrison sallied in search of me. Fortunately, lie was guided by the howls of the doi;s, whom he found, on coming up, standing over my lifeless body and using their lungs with all their might. Not fifty yards ofi' was a dead bear, and near him poor Cleopatra, whom he must have killed just before my chance shots (lesi)atched him. The faithful animal, after her splendid services, certainly deserved a better fate, and it is little wonder that for some time Antony was inconsolable. The instant I was safe, and the sledges ready, the doctor set off soutli ; and when the probable vicinity of the camp was reached, rifles were lired every minute or two. But there I \ CN6rth \r- Arctic AlfJi, M- Tor r ens -. tiVCeciiOhpharit Arctic Alps i' :o„ ^ 'cadamised road. It was part of the exercise to keep it clear of newly-fallen snow, a duty during the eaiiier part of winter sullicient for three hours' daily exercise for all hands. There was plenty of recreation, tobogganing after the Canadian fashion being perhaps (now that football was impossible) the favourite amusement, but work was not altogether neglected. Both, indeed, were made to serve the same purpose — the prevention of brooding ove. the situation, and the relief of that indefinable feeling of oppres- sion caused by the unwonted absence of lighL Each man had a certain duty, connected either with the manufacture of gas, the condensation of snow and ice in^o water, the iileaning and repair of the buildings, or with scientific investigations. i^ i 11 1 i k ' ; 1 I if I Ml i 106 THE WINTER PASSES AWAY. Of the latter the doctor had, of course, sui)remo command, and it was not h)ng before he had the most viJling of the officers and the most intolligeut of the men foinied into an efficient staiF to help him. Tlie observations were taken at all hours of the day and night, and were in every respect as complete and perfect as patience and perseverance could make them. Notwithstanding all his work (and, as on board the Aurura, he was the busiest man amongst us), the doctot found time to conjecture on the fate of the Northern l\iaros, in wliich he took much interL'sl. * If you believe nic,* he often said, as we sat round our parlour stove when the day's work was done and there was no entertainiHent in progress, ' I 'd give a thousand pounds to find out wliat and how much that vessel knew of us — for she must have known something, or how could she have reached this land?' * Done as easily as speaking,' the captain interposed : ' been caught in the ice like ourselves and drifted north. What was to hinder her V ' Nothing ; but until the opposite is proved I prefer to b> lievc that it was design, and not chance, that brought her here. For one thing, and I know it, it isn't likely to be proved ; and yet the condition of perpetual wonder in which it keeps me will hurry mo to an untimely grave one of these days.' Another subject of deep interest, and one often discussed, was the extent of Torrens Land and its physical features, especially the supposed volcano v/e had seen during our excursion. * There 's no reason,' the doctor argued, ' why the land shouldn't be volcanic ; we 've got burning mountains in Iceland and Alaska, and even the frost of this high latitude is powerless against the earth's mighty interior heat. My opinion, t king account of the altitude of the mountain-ranges and the general configuration of the country, is that Torrens Land is of immense extent. So there 's still some glory to bo \ THE WINTKR PASSES AWAY. 107 achieved in exploring it — more, I tiiink, than we imagine, if not more tlian wo have dreamt of in our own minds.' Little (lid I)r Lorimcr realise how prophetical his words were, or how truly, in the days to come, his half-serious prognostic was to ho fnllillcd ! * What wo have to do now,' I said, * is to make another thorough search in accordance with our instructions ; and if that is fruitless of result, we can then carry out the doctor's dream of glory. AVe 've a few problems to solve ; among others, the ciuso of th(} current in Oliphant Inlet, tlie exist- ence of ]\Iount Cecil Oliphant as a volcano, and tho extent of land towards tlio pole. Indeed, our work for next year is cut out for us.' ' I should think it is,' replied Cecil, emphatically ; ' and it wouldn't surprise mo if we had to spend another winter here.' 'Not if wo can avoid it,' answered the doctor. * It would hardly be fair to tho men ; worse still, it might bo dangerous to their luvaltli. If at all poscible, wo must do all we have to do between April and August next year. I'll vouch for this winter with an easy conscience, for it is a novelty to us all; but certainly not for the next!' Well might he vouch for that winter ; for, thanks chiefly to him, the days passed quickly away without tho least trace of illness except an occasional superficial frost-bite. Pennell, our only invalid, recovered slowly but surely, and before tho end of the year was quite .himself again. It is far from my purpose to inflict on my readers a detailed account of our long Arctic night. If they wish it, they may have it in tho narrative of every explorer from Barents to Nansen ; and for my own part, there is still so much to tell of our subsequent adventures that to narrate everything would bo to place a severe tax on the patience of all con- cerned. Only the more important incidents and adv^ontures can be touched upon. For tho rest, suffice it lo say that wo never wearied ; throughout, the day we had our work ; every alternate night wo had a dramatic entertainment, a lecture, or LUI; II li Hi 108 THE WINTER PA'iSES AWAY. a concert j and on tin others a school was conducted — 'for the teaching of the liiglier branches of education,' as the doctor grandih)(j[uently put it. Game, I may only mention in a word, was sufficiently })lentil'ul to supply us witli fresh meat now and then. During the winter we shot altogether nine bears, a few foxes, two Avolves, and fifteen or sixteen musk-oxen. The whole of the latter were killed in the course of two days, the herds being surrounded each time and annihilated. The Aurura was a favourite meeting-j)liice for the bears, and on that account it had to be bojirded up on every part, to prevent them doing damage ; but, notwithstanding this, scarcely a day passed without a bear-hunt, with the vessel as base. Generally, however, the bears escaped. November in due time gave place to December, and as December in turn began to draw to a close, indications were not wanting of the approach of Christinas stout, The hearty, the true, and the bold. The day was eagerly looked forw%ard to by all, not only on account of its associations, but also because it marked the turning-point of the winter, as after the 21st the sun was again coming nearer and nearer to us. On the morning of the eventful day — as it was to prove — we were roused by the singing of the beautiful Christmas carols by a party of waits ; and when breakfast was over we were invited to pay a formal visit of inspection to the men's (lunrtcrs. The two rooms were tastefully decorated with lla^s, imitation holly, and designs of coloured paper. Here divine service was conducted, and thereafter the men dis- persed to do the necessary work. At noon advantage was taken of the faint light to carry through an open-air programme that had been drawn up. There wore tobogganing races, in which the luckiest won ; there was a keenly contested tug-of-war; and finally there TIIK WINTKU PASSES AWAY. 109 were several exciting two-dug sludge rnccs along the prom- enade, ill wliicli, to the men's immense gratification, the two Paradises were invariably successful. A honlinj and display of fireworks ended the proceinlings, and it did not detvact from their effect that they took place early in the afternoon. Of cour.<5e the great event of the day was the dinner at Ibnr o'clock. That the cook and his assistants had excelled them- selves war the nnaniinons opinion as the tahles, loaded wifli good things, were scanned — hear steaks, roast musk-oxen, frozen mutton, hams, salt Junk, tinned meats of every description, mince-pies, preserved fruits, and the inevitable plum pudding ! An extra allowanc(! of si)irits was dispensed to tile men, and at our mess we had, in addition to the above, several bottles of wine that had been kept specially for the occasion. After dinner Edith Torrens's Christmas box was opened by her repn^sentative, and found to contain pa(-kages addre-^sed by name to every officer and man in the crew, each containing a present more or less uselul. You may ]h\ sure that three ringing cheers were given for the fair donor, and that her hap[)iness was pledged with the utmost (mthusiasm ; for there is nothing that goes more directly to tin; heart of a wanderer in a far country than an attention such as this. Perhaps it brought liome to us morii l'or(;i])ly than anything else the thought of how the day was being sjient in every household in England, oi" those we had left Ixihind ther(\ and of what //ni/ were thinking of the sojourners in this lonely Arctic land. In the evening Box and Cox was played by the Cii'cum- polar Comedy Company before a fashionable audience, the; proceedings beir.g varied by divers songs and readings. Thereafter dancing was commenced — without 'diat it would hardly have seemed a festival to the men — ami (.'ecil at the piano had no rest unless when the doctor took pity on him for a f(!W minutes now and again. It was while Captain Sneddon, the doctor, and I were standing watching the fun, and comparing notes about former I; t ^r^; no THE WINTER PASSES AWAY. mill If I' ;l t!! I \ III 1 1^ i I Cliristmases, tliat tlic ^'reatcst .surprise of the day liappened — a surprise with wliich wo had notliing to do, and which startled us about as much as anything could have done. A little before midnight tho doctor drew our attention to a faint rumbling sound as of very distant thunder, so low that it was scarcely audible. * I'less my soul ! what's that?' aslcod tho captain. * Tho ico must be breaking \}\) somewhere,' tlu; doctor replied ; 'and yot, at this time of the year, it's curious.' Even while ho was speaking the sound was repeated, and at the same time we felt a slight shock, such as might be caused by an exi)losion at some distance. The dancing stopped ; the dancers began to throng around us. A dozen questions were addressed to the doctor, who was regarded by all as an encyclopaedic wonder; but he was ol)viously as j)uzzled as any of us. ' I don't know what it is,' he said ; ' I can't even imagine ; but, of course, we must find out.' So saying he led the way outside, just as we felt a second distinct shock. There was a faint luminous haze in the r,tmos])here, through which, however, we could distinctly see the other side of the bay, with the dismantled Aurora in the middle of it. At first tho only matter for surprise was the eccentric and, to most of us, inexplicable conduct of some of tho stars, wliich appeared to be bobbing up and down in a manner highly erratic, not to say alarming. The phenomenon, as the doctor promptly explained, was an optical illusion duo to the fall of imperceptible frozen particles ; but the whole thing was so unlike an illusion that some of the men llatly refused to believe that the heavenly bodies weren't acting in a most improper way ! Our attention was again turned to the affairs of this world by hearing for the third time the sound that had puzzled us ; but, as before, we could form no idea as to its cause. ' I 'm utterly at a loss ' T)v Lorimer began. He was interrupted by several shouts : I THE WINTKPv PASSES AWAY. Ill *Look at thfi ico ! Look at tho ice !' We did so, and saw that close into the shore it was l•i3ill.^' and falling like viohnitly a<;itatcd water. This went on for a minute or two, then the llrndy frozen mass broke up, and instantly it was pilcil into hummocks !ind ice-hill.-^, or ci-ushed hv collisions with othiu" pieces. "While we were intently watchini,' this scene, we wev, alarmed by feeling the ground under our fec^t in motion ; and our alarm was not d(>creas(Ml, wh(!n, by the violence of the shock, part (jf the snow stockade surrounding Fort Lorimer was thrown to the ground. Thrn, instantaneously, w(^ realised what was happening. 'It's an eartlupiake !' cried the doctor. An eai quake ! liut there could be no doubt of it, though such a thing was so unexp(!cted and out of place, ai it were, in that quart(;r of the world, that wc had never even, thought of connecting the previous shocks with it. Meanwhile, the effect of the third tremor upon the ice was tremendous. While it was not sufficiently strong to do much damage on land, it disturbed the waters of the bay to such an extent that the ice was smashed and thrown up with as much ease as if it were only two inchc.'^ thick instead of nine or ten feet. As we saw it crashing hither and thither, we grew anxious concerning the vessel in its midst. At first the Au7'o7'a had remained immovable, owing to the strength of tho frozen mass around her; but as this became diminished by conflicts with other masses, she was S(M^n to sway a little. The crisis came when the water was again agitated, and the vessel, as if impelliMl from below, broke loose from the ice and swung round with her stern towards us. 'There's no chance for her !' said Wemyss, M'ith a groan that was echoed by every one there. ' To think of foundering in harbour after getting through the pack and reaching this latitude ! ' mutt(;red the captain ; and even at that critical moment one could not help being sorry for the old man. I3ut the Aurora had not foundered yet. For a few minutes n ii jay was still heaving up and down, the worst was over. And the Aumra, the only link that connected us with the world, so to speak, had been jammed between two huge masses of ice, and was again motionless — ■whether damaged S(!verely or not we neither knew nor at tlu; time could find out. 'Thank Heaven she's still above water, at anyrate!' cried Cajjtain Sneddon, fervently. Ten minutes passed without further disturbance, and we begau to feel a little oasi{>r in our minds. Our steps, now that we had no immediate anxiety about the Aurora, were turned towards the i'ovt, Avhieh, in fear of what might meet our eyes, we had neglected since the crash. Our joy, then, may be imagined when we found that the main building, even including the towcn-, had been uninjured, and was apparently as firm as on the day of its completion. J Jut one of the storehouses had succumbed, and tlu^ observatory was in a dangerous state, while the whole of the snow stockade had been thrown down by the destructive underground force. The interior of the fort was a scciue of chaos. Tables, chairs, and everything else had been overturned, the cook's crockery was smashed to atoms, and several of the lamps were broken. Only the stoves and the bunks had remained unshaken. Things, however, were soon i)ut to rights, and, as may be sup- l»4_-. BgWWPWw I f THE WINTER PASSES AWAY. 113 posed, that Christmas ni»,'ht was spent, not in the deepest sleep, hut in animated talk over the strange events of the evening. *I admit,' the doctor said, 'that it takes away one's hreath at first, hut on consideration what is there extraordinarily wonderful in it? We had already come to the conclusion that the country was volcanic, and if a country is volcanic, earthquakes are as natural as oranges to Seville. But then, you say, there were no signs of previous upheavals about here. Quite so ; and that bringc. me to the theory that to-night's commotion is the tag-end, so to speak — I might call it the spent force — of some earthquake that is going on in the interior. Probably it is never felt more severely at this point ; but I must say I shouldn't like to bo within the inlluence of its full force. ' That may bo so,' Captain Sneddon put in, * and to you scientific fellows' — with a world of scorn in his tones — 'everything may be as simple as the A 1* C; but fur my part, this is the first time I 've been in an earth({uake, and my opinion is we're better without 'em !' * Granted,' replied the doctor ; * but you 'U admit that after the thing 's over an explanation is satisfactory, and you '11 admit, too, that they're highly interesting?' ' So 's a murder to some people,' dryly retorted the captain. ' And what use are they 1 ' 'Like murders — none,' I said. 'And if we have a few more, and the fort falls in, or the Aurora is crushed by the ice, we may find ourselves in a fix. As it is, we sliould be thankful we 've escaped so easily.' The full extent of the damage was apparent when we made a systematic examination next day. Perhaps the most serious loss of all was caused by the overturn and breakage of some of the valuable instruments in the observatory : the building itself was repaired without much difficulty. The storehouse that had fallen was also gradually rebuilt ; and as for the stockade, its re-erection only gave us all some exercise for the next few days. It was to the Aurora, of course, II fi i I ! t - I H n* 1 i! . 1 : j i m\ nil ■■'i 114 THE WINTRR PASSES AWAY. that WO turned witli tho greatest eaf,'ernesa. The ice in the bay was again one firm mass, tho open spaces of tho previous night being covered with it to tho thickness of seven or eight inches, and its whole appearance contrasted sliarply Tvith its former smoothness and regularity of surface. A thorough inspection of thi3 vessel only added, if that wore possible, to our admiration of her resisting powers ; for the only injury we could discover was, as on another occasion, the starting of one or two planks — a matter that the carpenter put right in an hour or two. It may be as well to interpolate hero that the only otlier evidence of subterranean agitation we had during the winter was a single shock in March, but it was so slight that it passed aAvay almost before we were aware of it. The new year was inaugurated at Fort Lorimer with great ceremony and much rejoicing, for in it we expected to make wonderful discoveries, and prove ourselves worthy of our trust. In January, i)erhaps the only event deserving of mention was a terrific storm that rose on the 14th and continued for three days. In F( bruary, towards the end of the month, we had our period of greatest cold. During the last fortnight the temperature was seldoi.n above — 50^" Fahr. (82° below the freezing-point) ; and on tlie 27th we recorded our lowest, —81°, or 113° below the freezing-point. By that time, in anticipation of the sun's return, our preparations for the spring's campaign were well advanced. Plans for a systematic survey were drawn out, sledges and provisions were chosen and got ready, and the dogs were exercised and put into good condition for dragging. It was arranged that there were to be three parties- -one under the command of myself and Clements, to the north-east, as before ; another, under Cecil and Norris, to the south ; and the third, under the doctor and Wemyss, to tho north of the bay, all three parties to converge on a stated point. While we were away, those at the fort were to get the Aurora ready for a cruise along the coast as soon as the water became open ; ^m 4 1 Hi I 4 I >- CS o 04 -a ,\, •« 2 it) a 1 1 !jt «! • \k Ill Ir- THE WINTER PASSES AWAY. 117 I: or, if that woro not possi])lo, to prepare the launch for u second trip to 01ii)hant Inlet. Daily the period of light lengthened, and daily our spirits rose at the pro.spect of some hard work at last. The sun was duo on tho 1st of March, hut for a day or two previously wo saw at noon evidence of his coming in a rosy glow on tho southern horizon, and fleeting gleams of fire that, like tho first rays of tho Aurora Boroalis, were visihlu only for a moment. Ono living in a country wlicro tho 3un is never nhsont (if seldom visible) can have no conception of tho excitement caused by tho mere idea of his reappearance to those who have lived in total darkness for four or live months. In our case it was intense ; and when a proposal was made that wo should go to tho summit of a hill to get a better view of his arrival, nobody raised any objections. Just before noon on the auspicious day, then, nearly three- fouitlis of tho ship's company found themselves assom])led on the summit of Mount Sunrise, as wo named the hill. Already there was a fiery glow to tho south. Suddenly a bright ray ehot up from the still invisible luminary, and for a moment rested on tho hill-tops ; and then slowly and gradually, as if reluctant to shine upon our desolate world, tho sun itself appeared. What though barely half its disc was visible, and even that only for a few minutes : was it not enough that in that time we had seen the bleak wastes of snow and ico sufl'iised with a rosy glow that to us was tho harbinger of a new existence ? Tho cheers with which we greeted tho King of Day were long and hearty ; and our ecstasy was so great, indeed, that wo might have remained there long after hia disappearance, haci wo not been suddenly reminded by the temperature of — 53'' that motion was imperative. ' But no matter,' said the doctor, as wo descended tho hill ; *it was a glorious sight, and one that almost recompensea ono for tho winter's dreariness. And to us it means that a new year is born — let us hope a year of glory and honour to the Randolph Torrens expedition ! ' I I ; I'! ; ! iii n\ If I \i lilt iMl CHAPTER XII. A STARTLING DISCOVERY. JN" the 5th of April, exactly five weeks after the reappearance of the sun, v^e started in the steam- launch to explore Oliphant Inlet. By this time the three sledge expeditions had done their work and returned We had left as soon S.S the state of the ground permitted, and had carefully searched every likely spot within the twenty miles' radius of Weymouth Harbour without finding the least trace of inhabitants, present or past. The party under my command worked its way through North-east Valley to the point from which, in the preceding year, we had seen the volcano ; and on this occasion, as before, we found ail our attempts to penetrate in the direction of the mountains quite unavailing, the route being absolutely impassable. Owing to the density of the air, we never even caught a glimpse of Mount Cecil Oliphant ; and after survey- ing every inch of the surface aroundj and remaining at the spot for two days, we had to leave, to keep our rendezvous with the other sbdges. Their success having been no greater than our own, we decided to give up the search, and return at once to Eort Lorimer. When we arrived there, the Aurora was still firmly fixed in the ice, which in the bay showed no signs of motion as yet. But, early as it was, a lane of open water that broadened daily was visible off the coast, through what agency we could not imagine, as, according to the doctor, * the heat of the sun is hardly strong enough to melt it, there have been no gales A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 119 of wind to break it up, and the openinf? isn't in the least like a temporary one.' However inexplicable it might be, wo made immediate preparations to take advantage of it by loading the launch and one of the boats with provisions and ammunition for six months, for there was no saying how far our voyage might extend. *If we can find our way to the Pole,' Cecil said, 'it's not to be supposed we '11 turn back wichout reaching it ; and so it's best to be on the safe side when there's no reason for not being.' Besides the necessary scientific instruments, we also took with us the balloon, the doctor suggesting that we niij.ht i'md some use for it. l^ov did we forget a stock of aynamite cartridges and the electric battery ; while two light sledges and the best dogs formed an indispensable part of our equip- ment. i^fter much consideration, the party was n ade up as follows : myself, Cecil, Dr Lorimer, second mate Weniyss, second engineer Clements, Gates the stoker, and Nils Jansen. The ship was left in command of Captain Sneddon, with written instructions to use every means of getting her free ; and if that were done before our return, to take her as far north as the open water extended, leaving a par jy at the fort to await us. He was to be back at Weymouth Harbour by August at the latest, and if by that time we had not arrived, to use his own discretion about wintering or making his way to Europe. I have gone into this matter in detail because of the importance the excursion about to begin was to assume, not only with regard to the length of time we were to be absent, but also (and more jvarticularly) with regard to the character of the discoveries we were to make. I do not think I am anticipating much wh?n T gravely and emphatically say that in my opinion (and I am sure it will be thot of my readers also, if they will accompany me a little farther) these dis- coveries are amongst the most important of the ueutury. »r -11 jl It i 1 b. ' 1 ' t 1 1 ! J! Iv i 1 'il Li] J^ 120 A STARTLING DISCOVERY. But little idea had any of the seven of us of all this as we completed our preparations, and got ready for our eventful journey into the unknown regions of the Arctic world. At last everything was completed, the two vessels dragged ovar the ice and launched in the open water beyond, both of them packed and put to trial, and our personal effects placed on board. Then we said farewell to our comrades, the captain heartily wishing us the fullest measure of luck, and finally steamed off with the beat in tow, amid the cheering of those we had left behind. We saw the last ot them — not knowing that it was the last for many months to come — as we turned a headland ; but I lemember wondering if it was an omen that Konig raised a dismal howl as we disappeared, or if he was merely bewailing the subjects he had been obliged to desert. The open water seemed to broaden towards the north ; and, indeedj opposite the mouth of Oliphant Inlet, where we arrived in the course of the afternoon, there was no ice to be seen except on land. The current, also, was so strong that our progress was slower than we liked, and the doctor was as puzzled as wo had been to give a reason for it. *As you say, Cecil, my boy,' he observed, 'there's some- thing to be investigated here. Ordinarily, all this should still be ice-bound, and though the current may account for the open water, how are we to account for the current? And have ;y ou never observed,' he went on, * that our present route up this fjord or estuary is strangely in accordance witli Randolph Torrens's direction — to the north-east, towards the high mountains in the distance ? Perhaps, owing to some ambiguity in his paper, we may have been mistaken so far, and it was towards this point he meant us to search.' 'But it's beyond the radius of twenty miles,* I pointed out. * Perhaps, though not much ; but there 's some room for doubt, I think, if he really intended that to apply to the command to search "especially in a NE. direction," &c. * A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 121 At anyrate, if we do find any traces, we '11 follow them up willingly enough, I suppose.' We camped that night on a small islet about eight miles up ; and on the next forenoon reached our farthest point of the preceding year, from which the Arctic Alps and Mounts Stafford and Torrens were visible. Hitherto the inlet had wound between huge cliffs, but now these gave way to gently sloping banks. At this time, too, the doctor made a discovery that astonished him and the rest of us not a little. He was leaning over the side of the launch, when his hat fell into the water, and he made a quick grab to secure it before it floated away. He succeeded ; but he immediately threw it down, and dashed into the small cabin for one of his thermometers. 'What's upl' I inquired, as he placed it in the water, withdrew it after a little, and made some hasty calculations. *Just this,* he said, excitedly: 'the temperature of that water 's a little above 43° Fahrenheit, and that 's the reason why the weather's so mild;' for we had been obliged that morning, on account of the heat, to take off some of our furs. * And,' he continued, ' that explains also the phenomenon of the ice disappearing so early, and a few other things. But the question is, where does this comparatively hot water come from in this latitude, and at this time of the year? It ] its me altogether; but I shall be surprised if we're not on the scent of a discovery that'll amaze Hamilton Kelson, along with the rest of the scientific world !' The worthy doctor's excitement was shared by every one on board the launch, even including the phlegmatic Nils Jansen ; and for the rest of the day we never tired of testing the temperature of the water, always finding it nearly ^ihe same. Lorimer's zeal having been roused, he could not rest until he had analysed it and subjected it to various chemical experiments, the only practical result of which was that he found it to be several degrees less salt than the ocean — ■ strong evidence, if not proof positive, that the inlet was the t ' i , I' ifi ii i r- r ' ♦^ 122 A 8TARTI-1NQ DISCOVERY. H '■; estuary of a considera1)le river. Our observations also showed the existence and extent of tidal influenca Early in the afternoon, as we were coming nearer and nearer the twin-mountains that rose up in front of us, we put into a little cove on the port side at the request o^ Lorimer, who wished to collect some specimens of flora (moss and saxifrage) he saw growing on the bank. While he was doing so, the rest of us also took the opportunity of stretching our legs on terra firma ; and Cecil managed to improve the occasion by bagging a few brace of birds of the skua speci'^.s, which were plentiful around. Gates, however, outdid this by bringing to us two pairs of reindeer horns in a good state of preservation, and apparently recently shed. He had come across them a few yards from the shore, but in a position precluding the supposition that they had been deposited there by the current. ' Strange ! ' the doctor commented, when he had examined thorn. 'Reindeer have never been heard of within SGveral degrees south of this, and here we have indisputable evidence of their existence. Gentlemen, this is another proof that we're approaching either a mystery or the solution of one. Let us go on as fast as we can ! ' This was done, and before it became dark we had made such good progress that we wore under the shadow of the two high mountains of which I have already spoken. Then we saw that, to all appearance, Oliphant Inlet ran between them, and that they were connected by lower ranges of hills with high mountains that stretched on each side — Mount Torrens with the Arctic Alps, and its neighbour with a range nearly as high. The inlet narrowed as we advanced between the bases of the mounts, the altitude of which seemed to be at least three thousand feet ; and as a consequence the current increased in strength — so much so, that aft(3r a time we made little headway. As darkness was beginning to fall, and the sides rose up so precipitously that to land was impossible, we had to consider the aiivisability of turning back to a safe I I (» A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 123 "^' camping-place. Eut> fortunately, we were saved the necep^aity of this by the fjord presently widening out on the rigl it-hand (Mount Stafford) side in the foriu of a bay, in which the current was not nearly "O strong. For some distance from the water's edge the shore was comparatively level, and then it rose gently ; and not five hundred yards up this slope we saw what appeared to be steam or smoke ascending from the hillside. 'This is our place,' I said. *Run her straight in, Clements.' The engineer obeyed, and we landed and made fast the boats to a jutting rock. Then, while the rest of us set about raising the tent and preparing supper, the doctor went off to examine the spring on the hillside. He had scarcely reached it, however, when we saw him gesticulating with might and main, and heard him shouting to us to follow him. Hurrying up to where he stood, we found him gazing as if fascinated at some object that lay at his feet, half-hidden by the snow, and within a yard of the little spring, which was of hot water. ' Oliphant ! Cecil ! ' he said, in a voice tliat did not sound like his own, * tell me, wliat 's that V "We looked, and for an instant discredited the evidence of our eyes, for that which lay there seemed to us the old ami rusty^ hut yet recognisable barrel of a gun/ Still doubting, we looked a second time, and then glanced at each other as if to discover if what one saw was visible to the rest. 'Can it be?' asked the doctor, interpreting the thought of each. * That is easily settled,' I said, realising that the proof or disproof lay ready to my hand ; and, bending down, I endeav- oured to loosen the object from the snow. But it was firmly frozen, and it was not until Gates had brought a hatchet from the launch and broken up the mass that we got it free. Even then a coating of ice clung so firmly to it that we had to place it over the boiling spring for a few minutes before m :l] W I t ' ( . : 1 J : i 124 A STARTLING DISCOVERY. ! : i \ If ill IK ' i ?r ' , ' » ' 1 1 J, , ! ; 1 ; i«S( If ij lii b i|ii^.,,l» it had thoroughly iiiv.iieJ. This accomplished, we saw that our first conjecture was right — that our find was in reality a gun, one of the old muzzle-loading firearms so common before the perfection of the rifle. It was passed from hand to hand and closely inspected by all, as if in it were hidden the secret of its discovery ; but it could tell no story beyond the mute yet pregnant one that the foot of the white man had once before pressed this spot, and at a time not far distant. The whole incident, in its aspect of wonder, as in its startling suddenness, was to us as the footprint in the sand to < '"usoe, and none of us spoke until the silence was broken by Cecil. 'I have it!' he exclaimed, in excitement. 'The traces of white men we were to search for and follow up — this is a trace if ever there was one ! ' * You are right, Cecil ! ' cried the doctor ; • and I 'm a fool not to have thought of that before. We 're on the right track at last, as I 've been trying to convince you — and myself — all day ; and the fortunate discovery of this gun gives us a base for further search ' * Which must be postponed until to-morrow,' I interrupted, noticing for the first time that it was so dark that the camp was barely to be seen, and moving off in that direction. Of the discussions and conjectures to which the evening talk gave rise, I intend to say nothing, nor of our terrible suspense during the following hours of darkness. With the earliest gleam of dawn we were "on our ; feet, eager to begin the work of searching, and by the time the sun had appeared on the summits of the encircling hills we had covered a considerable portion of the ground around the si)ring, without, however, meeting with any further success. The slope, it may be as well to mention, rose gently for some distance above this point, and then it gradually became more and more steep. unt;l it merged in the precipitous sides of Mount Stafford. Only at one part was there a break — a little to the right, where there was a huge cleft in the rock, in M A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 125 as if it had been split by some convulsion. A large amount of snow and ice still lay everywlioro, and though it was evidently decreasing daily, there was more than sullioient to interfere materially with our work. After breakfast we commenced a systematic survey, each of us taking a different route and examining as thoroughly as was possible. But for a time our efforts met with no result whatever, and this, added to the monotony of the work, began to tell upon our spirits. At mid-day discour- agement had usurped the place of enthusiasm, and it was even hinted that there was little use in spending our time in such a wild-goose chase as this appeared to be. * I must say,' confessed the doctor himself, ' that though I don't advise giving it up just yet, I'm a little disappointed. But what are we to do now?' ' Begging your pardon, sir,' put in Gates, ' but might I say what I'd do V Gates, I should have said before, seemed to take an interest in our projects greater than any of the other men. He was a canny, intelligent, ingenious Scot, able to turn his hand to almost anything ; and if he had lost most of his JJoric in wandering over the world, he hod also managed to keep his eyes and ears open to some purpose. As wo had more than once already benefited by his advice, we told him to speak on. "Well, sirs,' he said, 'you'll notice that there's hills on every side here, except at that bit pass up there ' — pointing to the cleft I have mentioned — * and so I think thera 's little use in searching up and down. If they came by a boat, likely they wen^. away in a boat ; and if they didn't, it's likeliest they came by that pass. Anyway, we might search there before we leave.' *A sensible suggestion!* exclaimed the doctor; and so we immediately set about putting it into effect. From the spring we worked steadily up towards the cleft, prodding in every likely spot with our pointed spears, and carefully 4 I . ! 126 A STARTLING DISCOVERT. IMM IfP i t m \ rl ') -'11 I i 1i i ! v::i scrutinising every incl »f the ground; and it was not long before Gates had the satisfaction of recing his theory trium- phantly verified. A little to the right of the direct line, Clements drove his spear quite unsuspiciously into a natural- looking mound, but the next moment ho was energetically breaking up the mass of snow and simultaneously shouting to us. Even before we came up he had half-uncovered what wo made out to be a sledge, by the side of which was a clasp-knife, such as is used by sailors. ' We 're on the right track ! ' I cried. ' Don't waste time here — let us get onward !' With our feelings of excitement and anticipation at their utmost stretch, we pressed on, and within ten minutes dis- covered other two evidences of our predecessors — a compass and a second gun. By this time we were at the mouth of the cleft, which was about a hundred feet across, and seemed to cut right through the mountain. We had not gone much farther, when we were pulled up short by an exclamation from Gates, whom we saw pointing to something that only became visible at that moment. * Look there ! ' he cried. We did so, and saw on an elevation close into the left side of the cleft what seemed only a mound of snow, but sur- mounting it was a pole, to which still clung a few shreds of what had doubtless once been a flag. We rushed forward with the eagerness of men whose long-deferred hopes were at length to be fulfilled, but the next moment fell back in horror — some with cries of dismay. For there, in a kind of natural cave formed between the rock and the hillock on which the cairn stood, we distinctly saw the remains of several men, covered but not hidden by a thin shroud of snow. CHAPTER XIII. r:i m WHAT WE SAW FROM MOUNT STAFFORD. HAT we had seen in that single glance — the scattered bones of one man, and tlio outlines of the forms of others — had so shattered our nerves that for a moment we held back from a further examinatic!!. Then another feeling supervened. 'f^i'^ *We must get to the bottom of this,' 1 said, and !|i^» moved towards the cave. Followed by Cecil and the doctor, I entered, llie rest watched us from without. From the situation of the place in the corner of the cleft, it had evidently been protected from the weather, and the small amount of snow in it wi^^^ apparently of that year. Across the open side of it were the remains of a wall, composed of small pieces of rock, that had long since fallen to pieces. Just within this lay the ghnstly relics — a skull to which was still attached a few pieces of skin, and below it the skeleton of a powerful man. Farther back, at the upper end of the cave, were the bones of two others, covered by waterproof cloaks which had retained to that day the impression of the bodies that had long crumbled to dust beneath them. Round abf^ut were many articles that for us had a sad and painful interest — arms, a bag of ammu- nition, empty pemmican cans, instruments, a spirit-lamp, and several other things. But L)r Lorimer, whik Cecil and I inspected these, heeded none of them, being engaged in minutely examining the floor of the cave. Suddenly he pounced upon something that lay beside the dead man at the threshold. 1 [I r h I U I : ;i ■ HI 128 WHAT WE SAW PROM MOUNT STAFFORD. 'What is it, doctor?' I asked. For answer ho held up a small notebook. At tho same spot we afterwards discovered a pen and an empty ink-hottlo. * This,' he said, * contains tho secret ; you won't iind it, Oliphant, by further groping in there. Let ns leave these ' — ■ indicating all that was left of the tenants of the spot — ■' where they are a little longer until we know their story ; it doesn't matter to them now what we do or how we treat them. Poor fellows !' Half-sickened as we were by the scene, and almost over- powered by tho thought of these men — countrymen of our own, it might be — and the death they must have died, we willingly followed the doctor into the open air. He handed me the notebook, which with scrupulous delicacy he had refrained from opening. I did so, and glanced over the contents. There were only a few short pages, but the first words that met my gaze told me that we had accomplished the primary object of the expedition. Without reading further, I looked up to address the doctor, and found the eyes of every member of the party fixed upon me with such extreme srspense that it would have been the most refined cruelty not to read it aloud. I give it verbatim : August 7, 1856. — This day a party of six men belonging to the steamer Weymouth, at present lying in Weymouth Harbour, reached this spot by sledge, having crossed the land in a NE. and thei N. direction, Messrs Torrens and Stafford, owners, in com- mand. It being certain that the water-way was an inlet, the coia- manders resolved to return by it to the ship in our india-rubber Hulkett canoe. As it only holds four persons, they chose Jolin Pearson and Benjamin Rodgers, seamen, to accompany them. The rest — self, Alexander Collins, mate, in command ; Thomas Butler and John Reas, seamen ; and James Parr, cook — were left behind with the following verbal instructions : (1) To return by the same route that we came by to the harbour, and a party would be sent to meet us if the others reached it before us ; or (2) if that were found impracticable, to remain where WHAT WB SAW FROM MOUNT STAFFOUD. 129 we were, and a second iniity would, at the same titne as the otlier, bo sent for us. A record in tho former case to be left here for the guidance of the latter. At mid-day Messrs Torrens and Stafford started, and were soon out of sif^ht. They took with them provisions for twelve days, and their personal effects. Tlie remainder of the food, supposed to be rations for a month, was left for our use, along with the eight dogs, the sledge, and everything else. On examination, however, I found to my horror that most of the pemmican was uneatable, and that in reality we had scarcely enough for a week. We must push on quickly to the harbour, but, renunnbering the stupendous ditU- culties, I have little hope. We start to-morrow morning. Atigust 8. — To-day, two terrible catastrophes have happened. I dare not think of the consequences. In the morning I discovered that the dogs had devoured most of the good meat during the night. Thereafter, when they had been harnessed, they bolted, Reas being on tho sledge. Becoming nervous, and thinking they would be sure to return to us, he madly cut the traces. They bolted, and have never been seen since. This knocks our idea of returning overland on the head, and if we have not help within the we'^k, which short of Providence we cannot e.xpect, God help us ! I cannot write more fully. August 9. — Calm and mild day. Explored round about, but could come to no decision but to remain where we were, August 10. — Our food being almost at an end, to-day we ate Bome of the bad pemmican. Mine came up ; the others now very ill. I cannot bring myself even to hope. August 11. — Butler died this morning, quite suddenly. Buried him on the other side of the hillock. Others no better. We must Boon share his fate unless we are relieved. August 12. — Being a little stronger this morning, I climbed the high mountain behind this in the expectation of getting a good view. Though the ascent was easy, took seven hours. Saw to the east a green country, with plenty of game. Many volcanoes. If we can only reach it, we have still a chance. Felt \ ?ry weak while descending, but shot two small birds. On arriving at the cave, I found both Reas and Parr in delirium — they had eaten more of the poisoned meat. Evidently they cannot survive the night. August 13. — Reas died early this morning, and Parr an hour at. if \ ^'J ir ■' t\\ 130 WHAT WK PAW FROM MOUNT STAFFOnn. Inter. I am ro weak that I cannot Ura^ them outside. No food left. Ood help me ! August 14. — Am unable to move. August If). — And thorn tho journal onded. The last words woro a nioro pcrawl, harely legible, and had doubtless been written whilo tho unfortunate Collins M'as at his last f^asp. I do not think there was a dry eye in tho company when I had linished the pathetic record of how these men had lived and died at this spot. 'Poor fellows!' said the doctor, softly, for tho s^^^ond time. 'Their end was a sad one, and yet they are as truly martyrs to the cause of Arctic discovery a? Franklin and Crozier. Peaco he to their souls !* With one consent consideration of the startling information contained in the document was postponed nntil wo had paid the last rites of religion to the men who had awaited them for thirty years. TIk; remains were reverently carried outside and buried beside those of Ihitlcr, which we found at the spot indicated ; and as I read the service I wondered what those to whom we were doing this last duty would have thought if they had known that more than a quarter of a century was to elapse before it was done. Then the more valuable of the relics were removed to the launch ; and l)efore I go farther I may mention that a monument of wood was prepared that evening by Gates, and p^ ccd next morning upon the hillock behind which was the gi'a put aside as improbable. 'Maybe,' said Cecil; *but what is really wanted is the motive of Randolph Torrens in despatching the expedition. If wo get tliat, it seems to me that we get the key to the whole ailair.' 'And,' conoludod the doctor, 'nothing is more unlikely than that we shall get that key.' This being the general opinion, discussion on what had been so often debated before died out after some further unimportant remarks. But our interest in the diary was immediately raised to a higher point than ever by the doctor. 'That being disposed of,' he Avent on, 'I want to call your attention to something that is far more important to us than what we have just been speaking of ; ' and he read out tlio passage under date August 12* * Smo to the east a green eountn/, with plenty of game. Many volcanoes. If we can only reach it, we have still a chance.* This, of course, had attracted our notice on being read the first time, but had been banished from our minds by subse- quent events. JSTow, on being quoted with significpnce by Lorimer, wo saw at once the full importance of the few words. < • .' .' 'That can mean nothing but what iu says,' he continued — 'that on the other side of the mountains is a country better than this. There 's no ambiguity about it ; "a green country, with plenty of game," is plain enough. But' — seeing the excitement into which we had been thrown by the possibilities conjured up by the words — -we mustn't forget that the man was at death's door when he wrote it, and, like his comrades, may have been a little out of his mind.' *I don't believe it!' cried Cecil, emphatically. 'There's not the least sign of insanity in the whole journal, and I shall trust in it till the opposite is proved ! ' 1 ' • m WHAT WE SAW FROM MOUNT STAFFORD. 133 ' Certainly,' said the doctor, quietly ; ' but what I mean to point out is that we mustn't be tuo sanguine, else we may bo disappointed. For there 's only one tlung to be done, aud that is to verify Collins's statement by ascending the mountain to-morrow morning. Till then — till we see what lies beyond — we mustn't give '^ur imaginations too much rope.' * So be it,' I said ; and, shortly afterwards, the only sound to be heard in our little camp was the musical murmur of the water, interrupted now and again by a less musical snore. We started next morning with the advent of daylight, Clenicnts and Jansen being left behind to take care of the boats. The ascent, as the diary had informed us, was for the most part easy enough. Mount Stafford swelling gently up until within a thousand feet of the summit, when it became more precipitous. As all of us wore snowshoes, in the use of which we had become proficient during the winter, the snow offered no serious impediment to our progress — indeed, it is a question if it did not facilitate it. In some places it had drifted avv^ay altogether, and there avo invariably found beds of lava, sometimes composed of large lumps, but cftcner of surfaces of "mooth clinker. 'Another evidence of volcanic origin,' the doctor said. * Indeed, i shouldn't be surprised to find that those two peaks, without doubt extinct volcanoe«5, have been active at no distant date — probably within fifteen hundred or two thousand years,' I happened to be walking with Gates as he said this, and could not help smiling at the stoker's amazement at the ideas held by our savant regarding the calculation of time. * Curious man, the doctor,' ho remarked to me, aside ; * for me, fifteen hundred years would begin to look rayfher far away. But it's not easy to account for other folk's tastes.' It was not until we had reached a height of nearly four thousand feet that our real difficulties began. Hitherto, owing to the great slope of the mountain, all had been as easy as walking on lev(u ground ; but now we had to i^ f^W T I i ^ i |i l\ 134 WHAT WE SAW FROM MOUNT STAFFORD. experience some genuine alpine climbing, that put to a severe test both our muscles and our wind. Crevices, hidden or visible, had to be jumped or avoided ; in some parts the ascent was as nearly perpendicular as it could well be ; and in others it was so rough that to advance was almost an impossibility. When the time came for the mid-day meal, of which we partook under the shadow of a gigantic pyramidal mass of rock, we were in such a condition that we regarded with some dismay the work still before us. * It strikes me,' said Cecil, between two bites at an enormous sandwich, * that tliis mountain must have changed considerably since 1856, for I'm dead-beat to know where the easy ascent comes in 7ioiv, or how a dying man li'ie Collins could have gained the top alone in seven hours.' ' He must have mounted by some other route,' I replied ; * and I 'm half inclined to think that he skirted it lower doAvn than this> and got round to the other side without ascending to the summit. He doesn't say he was there, you know ; and if he was, I can't imagine how he did it any more than you, Cecil.' ' Couldn't we do the same 1 ' inquired Weroyss. *We might try, at least. Anything is better than a continuation of this work.' So, after the doctor liad completed some observations in which he was engaged, we made our way round the mountain instead of towards its highest point ; and that the suggestion was a good one we found as we went along, for the exercise was much less exhausting, and the obstacles hardly so numerous. In the end, to cut a long story short, we effected the purpose that had brought us there. For a few minutes previous to the successful moment we had been scrambling over a small plateau, on which sharp pieces of rock protruded above the snow, and had been too intent upon our next step to mind our iurroundings. Suddenly Konig, who was with us, darted forward with a sharp bark, and wc glanced up just in time to see his tail disappear over the edge of the V WHAT WE SAW FROM MOUNT STAFFORD. 135 plateau. Not an instant later a tlock of birds rose into the air with a whirr (too quickly, as it happened, for our sur- prised si)ortsmen), and then Gates, who had hurried after the dog, uttered an exclamation. ' Mr Oliphant ! doctor ! look down hero ! ' he cried, speak- ing in a tone of excitement. He was standing on the extreme edge, with the returned Konig by his side ; and when we had joined him, this is the scene that we saw spread before us like a map. Eelow, Mount Stafford sloped down even more gently than on the other side, and the lower slopes were not only almost free from snow, but were covered by a dark gieen growth of vegetation. Before us stretched a narrow but level valley, in which ])atclies of snow alternated with green, tlie latter being principally by the side of the water that flowed through it. We could just distinguish here and there moving specks that by the aid of our glasses we made out to bo game of some kind. The valley was bounded by low hills, but further back we saw noble peaks of a much greater altitude than that on which wo were standing, and on the summits of many of them was the peculiar cloud of smoke that told us they were volcanoes. Through a gap at the upper end. of the glen we caught a glimpse of another and apparently larger valley, with the sheen of water and in some parts a mist as of rising steam. At this scene we gazed as if wo feared that, if wo removed our eyes from it, it might disappear altogether; and at length the doctor spoke. * From whatever point Collins saw this,' he said, ' ho has certainly described it well. "A green country, with plenty of game." Yes, wherever there 's vegetation tiiero 's game ; and wherever there are both of them we may find — something else. And our luck hasn't deserted us. Don't you see Oliphant Inlet rurning right up the valley and out of sight at the other end?' and he pointed to the dark streak of water that cut the glen in two. ' How far it 'a navigable wo llll I!! 11 ' i] I it I i 136 WHAT WE SAW FROM MOUNT STAFFORD. '11 wager that wo shall at least get up as rfT !tt , ■ don't know, but I far as we can see.' Presently Cecil called our attention to a distant volcano on our right, on an almost direct line with Mount Stafford. It seemed to be in full eruption, the smoke on its top being illuminated by gleams of light every few minutes. 'Allowing for the difference in distance,' he said, 'that resembles tlie modus operandi of the volcano we saw from North-east Valley last autumn, doesn't it?' ' It does, indeed,' I replied ; * and from its position I shouldn't wonder if it really were Mount Cecil Oliphant' — a supposition tliat was converted into practical certainty by a careful calculation and comparison of different observations. We should have liked nothing better than to descend at once into the valley that lay before us. But the afternoon was wearing on, and, after taking another long look at the fascinating picture, we were comjielled to turn our reluctant steps launchwards. The descent was speedily accomplished, and before long we were telling our comrades what we had seen, and preparing the boats for the attempt to be made on the morrow to penetrate into this oasis in the heart of the Arctic desert. It- - CHAPTER XIV. SUCCESSES AND SURPRISES. OW,' said Dr Lorimer on the following morning, as we cast off from the bank and headed the launch up stream, ' an hour or two at the most will carry us into the Happy Valley, " where," in the words of the ancient chronicle, "game abounds, and everything points to a bountiful nature." ' But, alas for the doctors reputation as a prophet, our difficulties commenced simidtaneously with the voyage. Tlie current was so strong that at full pressure we barely lield our own against it, and when two hours had passed, instead of being within the glen, we had not made half a mile from the camp. Worse than this, the inlet narrowed as we advanced, and as a natural conset^uence the current increased in strength. On either side the walls of rock rose up perpendicularly to an immense height, in some places overhanging the inlet so that only a small patch of sky was to be seen. 'What's to be done, Clements?' I asked, when I saw that we were making practically no progress. *I don't know, sir,' he answered ; *I 've full steam on, and I can do no more with safety. Lven as it is, the pressure 's as much as she '11 stand, though she 's as stout a boat as ever I managed.' We were at that time in the middle of the stream, and the doctor suggested that we might do better if we ran in cldse to the shore, though the danger of being dashed against the bank was certainly greater. Accordingly we made for the left or 1 I I fit:- 138 SUCCESSES AND SURPRISES. ''i 'l ■' ir I Mount Torrens side, on which, as wo came nearer, wo noticed that there was a broad ledf^o just above the water-line. Clements looked critically at this. ' Couldn't you help her forward a little by towing or warp- ing?' he inquired. ' It's hardly feasible, I think,' I said ; * but we may as well try it.' We did so, and the result far exceeded our expectations. The landing was effected with difficulty, ropes warped to a point of rock some distance in front, and then all hands, except Clements and Wemyss, who were required on board, pulled as if their lives depended upon it. Whether it was that the current was much less fierce inshore, or that our efforts really went for something, I cannot pretend to say ; but, at anyrate, tho two boats assuredly gained several hundred feet with comparative ease. In this way, taking advantage of one fixed point after another, we continued for some time, and although our progress was nothing to boast of, still we had no reason to be discouraged. A little farther up the inlet broadened out once more, and to our relief we were able to got on without extraneous aid. Here it was seen to take a sudden bend, and as we approached the turn we hoard a distant sound as of a fall. * If it is a fall, we 're done for !' I said. * We shall have to turn back at once.' *NU desperandumP responded the doctor, cheerfully. 'The water is not so agitated as it should be if there 's a fall near. But patience ! a couple of minutes will put us out of suspense' The bend being somewhat difficult to navigate, and the sound momentarily becoming louder, we were quite excited by the time we had taken the turn. And then we saw the cause of the noise. A body of water issued from a cleft at least five hundred ^eet up the side of Mount Torrens, and fell into Oliphant Inlet with a din that seemed scarcely propor- tionate to its siza ¥rom where we were it looked like \y If < SUCCESSES AND SURPRISES. 139 nA ■ T a ribbon of wbite mist on tbe mountain-side, but as wo camo nearer it assumed a more formidable appearance. * There must be a strong eddy there,' said the doctor, * and I 'm afraid it won't be altogether easy to pass it without being sucked in. — Clements, you 'd better keep her as much to star- board as you can with safety.' Fortunately, the current was comparatively weak at that side, and Clements was thus enabled to get up way for a rush when we reached the critical poin^ The moment we came abreast the eddying and foam-crested water, we dashed forward at full speed. For an instant it seemed as if it would be of no avail. The launch's head spun round towards the left and vacillated; but finally she righted herself »iid, after a shock that reminded us of the old ice- pressures, gained the calm water beyond. In the face of our success, we did not heed the fact that we were all drenched by the falling spray. That, as it happened, was the last of our troubles, and thereafter we advanced slowly but surety, and without meeting any further obstacle, until the mountains on each side began gradually to recede. Within an hour of sunset we had reached the valley, and the occasion was signalised by the shooting of a brace of eider-ducks by Cecil. Larger game we saw also, but it was too dark to make out of what kind. At the first patch of green by the river-side (for the term inlet must now give way to river), which we found to be of coarse grass interspersed with moss, we made our camp, and had a royal supper in celebration of our arrival in Dreghom Valley. Some time during the night I was awakened by a sound outside the tent; and, stepping out of the sleeping-bag without rousing the rest, I took my gun and proceeded to investigate. For a little I could see nothing, so intense was the darkness, and then I distinguished a dark mass by the water-side. The animals — whatever they were — must have scented nie at the same time, for immediately thereafter they 'M m ' i \ 140 SUCCESSES AND SURPRISES. ; > I ' 1 ■■ 1* •■ ■< scampered off in the opposite direction. 1 fired at random, with what result I could not guess. After reassuring my comrades, who had been brought out in a state of great alarm by the sound of my shot, we all turned in, and slept soundly till dawn. That I had done some execution, after all, was evident next morning from the track of blood that was visible for some distance. Before breakfast Cecil, with the help of Konig, had made a welcome addition to that meal by again bagging a few birds. * AVe 're in a perfect paradise of game, apparently,' ho said, * and I think we should have a regular hunt as soon as we can. I should like to find out what kind of herd it was that disturbed us last night.' * Let us get farther up the valley first,' I answered ; 'there appears to be more game there, and it would be a pity to waste our time here.' To this he assented, and shortly afterwards we resumed our voyage. That day the tempc ature was higher than it had been since the preceding year, and as we steamed gently up the glen, with the green banks on each side and many signs of animal life all around, we could almost imagine ourselves on an autumn tour in ISorway or some other European country. We noticed numerous seals basking on the rocks as we passed, and hares appeared to be plentiful enough on land ; but the only kind of big game we saw during the forenoon was a herd of musk-oxen. Cecil wished to go ashore, and was only kept on board by the promise that we should stop the next time. By noon we were near a peculiarly shaped flat-topped rock about ten miles up, and when we were within a few hundred yards of it Cecil pointed out an object under its western side that had hitherto escaped our attention. It was circular in form, and half hidden by some masses of rock ; in front of it was a little stream that ran into the I! .: \ I SUCCESSES AND SURPRISES. 141 river ; but even with our glasses wo could not make out what it was. * I 'ro at an utter loss,' said the doctor j * but, of course, it 'a unrecognisable at this distance. Is it worth while to run mV ' Certainly it is,' I replied, and gave orders to that effect. As wo came nearer, the object assumed a more definite shape, but still we could form no conjecture. At length the doctor, after a long scrutiny of it through the best telescope, hazarded an opinion. ' It seems to me,* he said, hesitatingly, as if afraid of his own thought, * that it 's a ruined stone hut, or at least an old habitation of some kind.' Every one on board was startled by the suggestion, and at first seemed half-inclined to scoff at it ; but then, on looking again at the mysterious object, we were forced to confess that its appearance certainly corresponded with that of a hut. But all doubts were soon put to rest by the launch touching land. The doctor was the first to jump ashore and rush towards the spot, which he reached while the rest of us were still some distance off. * It is a hut ! ' he shouted a moment later. The news caused us to make for him at an increased speed. "When we came up, we saw that there could not be the least doubt of the matter. The building was of large and small pieces of rock placed together in the same way as a dry-stone wall, and covered on the outside with moss and lichen. The roof had fallen in ; otherwise, the hut was quite entire. It was about thirty feet in circum- ference, and eight or nine in height; there was a pretty large doorway, and two openings as if for windows; and inside there were the marks of a fireplace in the centre, along with some bones and other refuse. * I may be mistaken,' observed Dr Lorimer, after a careful inspection of the whole place, ' but I 'm of the strong opinion that this wasn't built by Esquimaux. The plan of the building no doubt resembles their snow-houses, but it is BO well built and proportioned that I cannot credit them !i ' ; . i ;■, '\ 4 .■; ■ ■ ■ J 1 ' r f i ■ 1 ' n \ .^ 1 \ , |i P 'i '.. ' ^ m V V a I k If -n •] 1 1 f ;-a.'i m I r, 142 SUCCESSES AND SURPRISES. ,:. ; J: with it. If it is thoir work, all I can say is that thoy are more hiLjhly ondowed than wo liave hitliorto imacjinod.' 'But if it wasn't Esquimaux,' I said, 'whom could it have heen?' 'That I don't know,' ho replied, 'and thoro is really nothing to indicate.' ' Has it heen long huilt V Cecil asked. ' I cannot answer that either, but I should say at no distant date.' I saw Gates smile at this, and remembered that Lorinior had used the same words on the prccv^ding day. Presently the stoker quietly inquired of me : ' Is that fifteen hundred or two thousand years, Mr Oliphant ?' ' No, my boy,' answered the doctor, who heard him ; * it means in this case — volcanoes and huts being different things — within a decade or so.' ' Within a decade or so !' I repeated ; ' then the chances are that this land is inhabited V ' Indubitably ; but perhaps like Greenland, merely by a few wandering tribes that are as few and far between as frivolous Scotsmen ' — at which Gates grinned, as an honest compliment to himself and his compatriots. * However, we must now keep a keen lookout for natives or further signs of them ; and in the meantime I propose, as there is no more to be done here, that we resume our journey.' This incident, naturally, added a still further excitement to our voyage, and many were the inferences and anticipations founded upon it for the next hour or two. They did not end, in fact, until C<.Ji\ (who had been keeping his eyes open extraordinarily wide for reasons of his own) sighted some game in the distance, and claimed the fulfilment of my promise. His hunting instinct had been steadily rising all day, and now he would take no refusal, the rather that the game did not appear to be musk-oxen or any other K:pecies we had met so far. I had to give in; and after issuing orders for the launch to go no farther than SUCCESSES AND 8URPU18ES. 143 conld bo seen from that point, a distftnce of perhaps three miles, he and I took our guns and two of th(! dogs, and set off to commence our stalking. Ahout half a mile from the river the valley began to rise, and the ground became very broken; and as it was in this part that the game had been seen, wo made for it lower down than the exact spot. Owing to the conformation of the surface, they were invisible to us for the greater distance, and it was not until wo were within some seven hundred yards that we caught sight of them again. Then, to our amazement, we saw that they were deer — animals that we no more expected to find there than we did hippopotami. *Do you see that?' whispered Cecil, excitedly. * If we can only manage to get within range, what a feast of venison we shall have to-night, and what a trophy that stag's head will be for the doctor !' The herd, consisting of nine animals, mostly young, were peacefully browsing on a green patch of vegetation around a spring from which steam was rising. So graceful did they look with their long, branching horns and beautiful skins, and so oblivious of danger did they seem, that I felt a pang of compunction at the idea of shooting them. As Cecil, however, did not share my scruples, we proceeded to creep from rock to rock with the wariness of redskins, doing our utmost to make no noise and at the samt time to keep the dogs in hand. But all our precautions were of no avail. While we were still about six hundred yards from them they appeared to scent their imminent danger, and without a warning dashed off to the east. 'Fire!' cried my brother, jumping up and letting fly at them. I followed his example ; but, as may be supposed, we might as well have kept our shot for a better opportunity. Half-inclined to curse our luck, we hurried forward to the oasis, the vegetation of which we found to l)e a finer grass than we had yet come across. The spring was, as we had i ut only Fairhair's opponent did so ; and Fairhair himself, quickly recovering when he saw his foeman's back, lifted one of the short throwing-spears that lay on the ground, and with unerring aim hurled it at him. He fell, and when we got forward to him he was quite dead, with the point of the javelin sticking out a full inch in front. The launch, meanwhile, had been run inshore, and those on board seemed to be in a state of great excitement, probably having witnessed the final act of the Homeric struggle. Turning to Fairhair, we observed him alternately scrutinising :l !' v.. 'i 1 It M o o 03 rt '^ d nS .a >. a M o o a ■^ 5X3 a o o I- o o -4J d t-i o "3 -a in c3 -a f U! n,. It «!l '. ''f ■r'^ I EYVIND. 163 us and our vessel with a look in wlii(;h wonder was blended with fear,, and wo were afraid (and, as ho afterwards confessed, we were right) ho was thinking of showing us a clean pair of heels. But, doubtless remembering the help wo had ren- dered him, and that he had no cause to fear us, ho advanced slowly and hesitatingly, as if his mind still wavered. Seeing this, and noticing also tliat ho cast furtive glances at our fire- arms, I passed mine to Cecil, and went to meet him with out- stretched hand. At this his fear seemed to vanish ; ho sheathed his sword, and with a look of frank confidence took my hand and shook it heartily. Xotwithstanding the rifles, he wont through the same ceremony with Cecil, and then addressed us both in some language we did not understand. AVhile we were thus becoming friendly the doctor came up, followed by all the others except Gates, and in a few words we made him acquainted with what had passed. * It 's obvious enough that he 's no more of Esquimaux breed than wo arc,' he said, when he had recovered sutti- ciently from his surprise to allow him to speak ; * and what he is, and where he belongs to, we must got out of him some- how or other.' After a minute's thought : * Leave him to me, Oliphant, and I '11 do my best. I think I shall manage. Perhaps, in the meantime, you and Cecil may find that some of these men are not quite dead.' After this gentle hint he turned to Fairhair, who had been regarding him (and especially his eye-glasses) with an expres- sion of unadulterated wonder ; while we, quite content to leave matters of this kind in his hands, proceeded to examine the stranger's victims — and our own. All were dead except two, and one of these expired in the course of a few minutes. As for the other — the one who had received Fairhair's stroke on his shoulder — he also succumbed after lingering little more than an hour, though Cecil did everything in his power to save him. Leaving my brother to attend to this, and perceiving that Lorimer was still engaged with our native, I turned to our i :;i ■ tn --14 T^ 154 EYVIND. II three coimades, who looked jis if they thought they were dreaming. * AVhat does it all mean V iiKiuired Wemyss, with a liewildcrcd glance, lirst at the bodies, and then at the gesticu- lating doctor and his listener. * That 's more than I can tell, Wemyss,* I replied ; ' all that I know is that we came up in time to take ])art in a fight between our friend there and several otlu'rs whom you now see on the ground. Who they are, the doctor is trying to find out.' 'Old sea-Xorthmon,' suggested Nils Jansen, looking approv- ingly at Fairhair's goodly proportions, and apparently (^uito roused out of his usual lethargic state. The same idea had occurred to mo, and certainly our new friend came very near one's mental picture of a viking. Lut Ijefore I had time to pursue the conjecture further, he moved towards us witli the doctor. 'Can't altogether classify him yet, Oliphant,' said the latter, * but I don't despair. If I could only get him to speak slower I might succeed better. But by his signs I make out that he wishes us to accompany him to his hut.' This, it may be remembered, was situated farther down the valley, and thither we went at once at Fairhair's heels. When wo reached it, wo found that it was considerably larger than the one in Dreghorn Valley — cai)able, indeed, of accommodating the seven of us without the least incon- venience. It had curtains of sealskin for both door and windows, those for the latter being held back by loops of skin fastened to points in the wall. In the centre was the tirejjlace, and around the wall a raised platform of beaten earth, part of it covered with furs as for a bed. Here and there were spears, knives, and freshly-stripped skins of various animals. The purpose of the building was evident* ' A hunting-hut 1 ' exclaimed the doctor. ' It 's easily enough seen that it isn't a permanent residence — only S''me- thing, I presume, equivalent to a shuoting-box.' m EYVIND. 155 I Meanwhile its owner liiid motioned us to be seated, after which lie had gone outside, returning immediately with several pieces of venison, wliich there and then ho proceeded to cook over the fire. When they were done, ho brtjught from a corner four platters ingeniously formed of stone, and four metal drinking-vessels. These he haniled to the doctor, Cecil, Wemyss, and me, at the same time saying something Avhich was doubtless meant as an apology for not being able to supply us altogether. The cups he lilled from a largo jar, also of metal, produced from the same corner ; and with the venison we each received a piece of some dark substance which on examination we discovered to bo rye-hrcad ! •Rye-bread hero!' ejaculated Lorimer, in a tone, not of surprise — for wo wero past that — but of wondering per- plexity. ^ And ah:^ supplemented Cecil. And on tasting the liquor we found that it was certainly ale, though neither in taste nor appearance did it resemble the English drink. Hardly knowing what to make of the discoveries, we ate on in silence, but I saw that the doctor was deep in medita- tion. When our repast was finished, Clements and Jansen were entertained likewise, and then Fairliair himself, after having drunk a cupful of the beer to us, again shook us all cordially by the hand. * I see it now,' said Cecil. ' 'l.'his has been a sort of eating of salt, you know, and after it we are to be friends ever- lasting ! ' * Then, to ratify the treaty, we niusi get him down to the launch,' I said. By means of signs we succeeded, with some difficulty, in making him understand what was wanted. He seemed quite willing, having by this time, no doubt, conquered his reason- able tears ; but while we were on our way he turned aside into a little valley that struck off parallel with the river. Here, in a minute or two, we came upon the bodies of two If \ \W h ! i , I 156 EYVIND. 1 ' . ( ! ' ' ■ ' M IM I And satis- nicii pierced })y javelins, and, seeing Fairhair's grief, wo concluded that they had been his followers, and probably killed by his own assailants. Having lielped him to bury thorn, we were led down to a little cove, in which lay two boats, one about twelve feet long and the other above six- teen, made of lir — and exceedingly well made they were, too. The sterns were considerably higher than the prows, and the latter tapered almost to a point, ' Wood also,' I heard tlie doctor mutter to himself, where on earth have I seen l)oats like these before?' Before he had answered the question to his own faction, apparently, we were on Ijoard the launch, and of Fairhair's wonder at everything he saw 1 need say no more than that it was, judging from the expresbion on his face and in his eyes, and from his incessant remarks, l^oundless. Hitherto, I think, he had regarded us as superhuman, but now ho appeared to Ije convinced of our mundane origin by the ii\vd\)G of the whale-boat and by the goods it contained, and perhaps also by the excellent biscuits, hot coffee, and other delicacies with which we regaled him. And yet, on looking at the vessel, that went without any visible clJbrt on our part, and remembering how strangely and mysteriously we had killed his enemies, his mind could not help vacil- lating a little. While we were thus doing the honours of our boats to the best of our ability, the doctor was unusually preoccupied. The only things he seemed to pay any attention to were the frequent exclamations of our visitor, and for the rest he was completely lost in thought. At length, quite suddenly, I saw his face lighten up as it always did when he had come to any conclusion or decision, and then I knew he had struck upon a plan of some kind. 'I have it!' he exclaimed, so energetically that Fairhair's hand involuntarily wandered to his sword. Without condescending to explain any further, he slowly and distinctly said something to the stranger in a language EYVIND. 157 with which we were unat^iiuinted, Fairhair pricked up his oars, looked puzzled, and then said a f(!W words, hut whether in the same Iaiiguaj,'o or not wo could not make out. The doctor answered, and so it went on for a long time witliout any of us becoming the wiser. 'I have succeeded!' cried Lorinier at last, breaking off his conversation for a few minutes to inform us of the result. ' "With difficulty we can understand (?ach other. Those boats put the idea into my head, for I remembered to have seen somewhat similar ones dug up in Norway about twenty years ago. Tlien I recognised in his exclamations one or two words of Icelandic, and all at once it flashed on mo that it might be of Norse origin. So I tvml liim with lei^landic, and though it took him some time to comprehend it, he eventually did so in a way. Now I 've found out wlu;rein the difference lies, and before to-morrow I'll undertake to master his dialect;* and liere he went into details into which it is needless to enter in this place, the more so that the subject will be exhaustively treated in a scientific work which Dr Lorimer has in preparation. The gist of them was that the original tongue had. become corrupted somehow or other, and that now it was so changed that almost all the terminals wore different from those of the Icelandic. * But even that, I understand,' he continuijd, * isn't the common language — it was certainly not the one in wliich he spoke to us first. I lis own name, ho tells me, is Eyvind. I 've had no time yet to ferret out anything more, but we 're on the brink of great discoveries, 01i[)haiit — discoveries, unless I'm mistaken, tliat'll surprise the world !' Here an idea struck me. 'Nils is a Norwegian,' I said. 'Are the languages near enough foi' them to understand each other, do you think?' *I fear not,' he answered, *l)ut we might try.' Nils Janseii, who was below, was called up and told to speak to Eyvind — to call him now by his proper name — in Norwegian, but the experiment was unsuccessful. There I ' ■ I I 158 KTVIND. were iutlueil words common to both, hut thcso woro so few, and th(! structuro and ])ronunciation liad bocorao so ditl'oront, that tli(5 two wero unintenigihlo to each otlier. 'Just as I thought,' observed Lorimer ; adding: 'And now, if you'll leave; us to ourselves for an hour or two, I don't doul)t I shall be able to give you some information at tlie end ol" tin; time.' And, turning to Eyviiid, ho resumed his conversation with iiim, while, the rest of us, tliinkiug ovcsr the wonderful occur- rences and revelations of the day, conjectured if v/o were in rtiality about to discover, in tliis far-oU' Arctic land, a race kindred to our own. pit h I liiifili*-'! -'I iilti'iiMi'iiiaiti"ili)flflHlli'l1llti mMiU ■ . . ''Mt i>a !} CHAPTER XVI. THE LAND OP TSLoKRN. pi«p4 ITE conversation betwoen ])r Loiiiunrand Eyvind, "^iS> in s})ito of tlio dillicultioa of carrying' it on, con- tinued for tho hcst part of two hours; and then lh3 hitter, after a general sahitation to the com- pany, heaped on slioro and made hia way up tho valley towards hia hut. 'He's oil',' explained the d( etop, 'to make thinga ready for accompanying ua to-morrow morning. Till then we're to remain here. And, really, we have something to see, if we 're to helieve what In; saya — a country inhahited by thousanda of people, many hundreda of miles in extent, and capable, as we already know, of producing corn and wood ! That 'a what I gather from what he saya, for he was much more eager to ask mo questions than to answtn- them. He wished to know everything aljout us — where we came from, what our purpose waa, how I liad learned his language, and so on — and I had to gratify him. He is a savage, in many resp(!cts, hiit assuredly an intelligent one. In the end he agreed to guide us into this land, from the people of which, he saya, we are sure of a hospitable reception.' *So far, so good,' I said; 'but how did he explain hia little quarrel with his countrymen, as I suppose they wero.V *ln this way. It seems he is now the head of a family which has long been at feud — like the old Highland chiefs, I suppose — with a neighbouring one. A few years ago he :it ■ 160 THE LAND OP ISLOKEN. M n : i p H I 1 i: ■ IT' happened to kill a member of the opposite family, and since that time there has been war to the knife between them. Eyvind's side has had the best of it, and to such an extent that of a numerous sept of foes there ultimately rei'iained o:ily one, who took to flight. A few days ago our friend camo down here Avith two attendants to hunt the seal ' — wliich, we were subsequently told, frequented only this and a few other estuaries — * and, unsuspicious of danger, kept no particular watch. But his enemy, who was named Thostar, had been following him, and the first warning Eyvind had of his approach was the death of his men, which he saw from a distance. He was chased and hemmed in at the point at which you found him, and there he held his own against the in all until you came up and effectually aided him in o,x I "I I r " . i I I I il 1 I ' t'- I, & 4% 1 ! II THE LAND OP ISLOKEN. 165 I land many days' journey, to the f:frcat mountains which no nian has yet crossed. 2% re, in lljidnord, sit tlic king and chief council of the nation.' 'And,' added the doctor to us, *Avhatever its present name, it should be called tlie I'aradise of the North;' and thence- forward, amongst ourselves, the land of Isloken — as it appears was the proper designation of the whole country — bore no other name than that thus bestowed upon it. As we approached the first house, which was a one-storyed building of stone, not unlike the rude erections of Iceland, we porceiviMl that there was a goolly number of peopl*^- stand- ing in front of it, and none of them, by tiieir furtive glances, at their case. As we came near enough to make out that they resembled the spearmen of whom Eyvind had disposed, and that there were two or three herds of tame reindeer and cattle grazing around the place, a loud, clanging bell began to toll, no doubt to warn others of our arrival. Our savage, obviously not too well pleased by this mark of attention, angrily addressed those on shore as we passed, and the sound immediately ceased. But the natives, men, women, and children alike, after their first feeling of consternation was over, swarmed along on both banks, easily keeping abreast of the boats ; and as they were momentarily joined by others from every point of the compass, we seemed likely to have soon a considerable escort. ' How is it, I wonder,' I asked, ' that those people diifer so much in every way from Eyvind ? They appear to bo of another race altogether.' 'Thou art right,' answered Eyvind, when the doctor had put the question to him. ' It is said that ages ago a people came over the sea from the land to which the sun goes when ic is always dark, from the far south, and found in Isloken another jieople whom they concpierod and made their slaves. Of th(! slaves these ' — with a contemptuous gesture towards the shore — * are the descendants, and of their masters I and the other chiefs of the land ! But the language of the people M ( 1 i * I !l >, , : i l< ' I IV i ,^l nil il||i ^^jllli 166 THK LAND OP ISLOKEN. is still the l;in;,ai;igo of the slaves, and it is only the chiefs who arc taught this, the tongue of our lirst fathers.' The doctor mused for a n?inute or two. estrange!' ho said; 'but it is strong confirmation of my Norwegian theory, and I must investigate it further.' Before we had reached the lake there must have been at least a hundred and lifty people on each bank, among them several fair-skinned persons to whom extraordinary respect was shown, and with whom Eyvind exchanged salutations. All of th(!m had eitlier two or three feathers in their caps, and wore bear-skins. The common people, both men and women, were (dad in somi; coarse woollen stuil', made (we afterwards discovereil) from the wool of the musk-ox. The women, as far as we could see, were neither beautiful nor graceful, but we were quite prepared to accept our guest's statement that the females of the ' upper classes,' of whom we saw none, were b ♦ih. The river being rather rapid on issuing from the lake, we had some difHculty in forcing our way into the latter ; but when we succeeded in doing so, we found the water so calm that we were able to proceed at a much accelerated speed. Those on shore were left behind ; and we, under Eyvind's guidance, headed directly for a cluster of houses that was visible on the left side of the lake, about two miles distant. 'That is Orn, at wdiicli the justice-council of lieydvera sits,' said the chief. In crossing the lake, we saw on shore in several places tracks of ground that, in strong contrast to the surrounding fertility, lay bare and desolate, as if they had been the scene of some terrible convulsion of nature, as wo suspected had been the case. And we were right ; for, according to Eyvind in his somewhat figurative language, the wicked gods imprisoned beneath the earth had made one of many unsuccessful efforts to escape, and this was one of the con- secjuences. ' When did this happen 1 ' Cecil inquired. THE LAND OP ISLOKBN. 167 ' Four moons ago, when the darkness was at its greatest,' was the reply. * It must have hcen the same, then, as the one we felt — or whose tail we felt — at Weymouth Harbour on Christmas night. Ask him, doctor, if it was a very severe one.' Eyvind coolly answered that only a score or two of his countrymen had been killed, and one or two houses swallowed up ; from which it may l)e inferred that earth- quakes are of pretty frequent occurrence in Isloken. The whole country, indeed, is the scene of violent volcanic action ; everywhere, in the days that I'ollowed, we noticed evidences of past and present activity ; and it may be (iuestioned if anywhere else on the face of the globe, even in Iceland, the underground forces are so strong and so destructive. No wonder they are attril)uted by the super- stitious inhabitants to wicked gods imprisoned for their sins ! By this time Ave were nearing the town of Orn, which, we saw as we approached it, was situated between two streams that here fell into the lake. Several boats were lying in the larger of the two, tliat to the right, and on its right bank there were a few houses more pretentious than those on the opposite side, in the town proper, which were small and by no means handsome. There was not the least attempt at regularity, and scattered here and there on both banks were curious-looking knolls or hillocks. We were soon observed, and, long before wo were within hailing distance, the various boats — there were six of them altogether, each about the size of the larger we had in tow — had been manned and were advancing to meet us. In each were eight rowers and a chief with three feathers as commander, all fully armed. 'These are the principal chiefs or council of Reydvera,' observed Eyvind, ' and they draw near to demand of ye who ye are and whence ye come.' At first the boats came on with much vigour and dash, but as they got nearer, and their occupants had a better oppor- I I ' i lit ■ < I THE LAND OP ISLOKBN. tiinity of scrutinising our strange and wonderful ;i})poarance, they sliowed less eagerness in approaching us. Fi?ially, five of them stopped altogether ahout thirty or forty yards oil', row- ing hack as we advanced ; hut the sixth, the chief of which was a l)old-looking man of middle age — Orna, the head-man or ruler of Reydveru, Eyvind told us — came mucli nea)er, though it also drew up within ten yards or so. That being done, Orna hailed Eyvind, and said something to him in the common language. 'No doubt he 's demanding "who we are, and whence we come," ' said Cecil. Eyvind, standing in the bows of the launch, answered him at some length, in all likelihood detailing everything he knew of us. At first the chief looked as if a little displeased, and then wc saw his expression of surprise deepen into one of the most absolute amazement ; and at every sentence he and the others — who had ventured to draw nearer to hear what was being said — gave vent to sundry exclamations of wonder. But the conference came to an abrupt end while our guest was still in the middle of his 'nrangue. Suddenly, during the narration of some incident more than usually interesting, Clements happened to open the escape-valve (whether inadvertently or not I should not like to say), and the silence was broken by the sharp, hissing, unpleasant sound made by the escaping steam. The effect was instantaneous. The moment the sound was heard, and without waiting to discover the cause, the six boats were simultaneously turned and headed for the shore with all the strength the rowers could put into their strokes. Chiefs and men seemed alike in consternation ; and I can only account for their flight by the supposition that they had been so upset by our mysterious and — to them — marvellous appearance that only such a slight thing as this was needed to cause them to lose their heads. At anyrate we did not for a moment put it down to want of courage ; though, as it was, they never Stopped until they had reached the inlet. THE LAND OP ISLOKIIN. 160 Even our friend Eyvind had been somcwliat alfected by the unlouked-for interruption to his si)ce(;h ; and now, a little paler than usual, he was standing:; on guard, with his hand on his sword. While I gave the engineer a gentle reprimand, the doctor hastened to explain to the chief tliat the sound was merely caused by the escape of some of the power that drove the vessel. 'Devils?' ho inquired inquisitively, and a little anxiously; but being assured that we had no connection with such, ho seemed quite at his ease at once, and even laughed at the recollection of the fleeing boats. Evidently, if ho had not sufficient understanding, he had faith. By his advice wo ran straight in instead of waiting until the people got over their fright and made another move. As we came nearer, however, we saw that th*; shore was lined by a great crowd that showed no signs of fear, and in front of them, wo could see, were large numbers of armed men hold- ing their spears and sliields as if in readiness for us. * It looks as if we were to have a warm reception, after all,' said the doctor, gravely. Agreeing with him, I thought it as well to have our rifles ready also, in case they might be needed. Ill i I i i i * ■ i 1 r^f^ CIIAPTKK XV I r. CONCERNING THE PARADISE OF THE NORTH. UK fears, liuwover, jirovctl to bo iiiifoiinded. As wo cntorod the cstimry of the little river we remarked that the six ehiefs were standiii",', not amongst the crowd on tlio left bank, luit by theniscilves in front of a large building on the opposite side of the water. Near them was u company of ilieir armed followins ; but now that their feet were, so to speak, on their nati heath, they seemed to have quite recovered their lost courage. ' I suppose we shall land there?* I said. •Yes,' answered Kyvind, through Lorimer. 'That is the council-hous(i of Keydvera before which the chiefs are standing. There, 1 doubt not, they will welcome ye to the land of Isloken.' The [)eoplo in the town, meanwhile, appeared to be somewhat disappointed that we had not landed on their side ; and as we turned in towards the council-house, we noticed that thoy were making a rush towards a narrow part of the stream a little farther ui), across which a rude bridge had been thrown. A moment later we had touched the bank. Eyvind was the hrst to leap ashore, followed by Cecil with a ro])e to affix to an iron pole Avhich stood there, presumably for that [)urpose. Then the rest of us, except Gates and Jansen, wh? ..ere left on the launch with strict orders to allow nobody on board, also landed and advanced towards the assembled chiefs. As may be supposed, wo did nof forget to take our loaded CONCKUNING THK PAKADIHK Of THE NORTH. 171 firearms witli iis. Tliny, on tlicir part, looked at uh a littlb a.Hkiiucu, and l\yvind was addn sscd liy Orna in what Kcemod to nio rjitluir a porcmiitory tunc Ho replied, no doubt explaininj^ the opisoilo on tlu' lake, and (hen turnud to u.s. 'Strangers,' ho said, * tho justice-council of Koydvera demand your business in this land, and whether you cijiuo as friends or as foes?' 'Tell the council,' the doctor responded, 'that we come from a country to the far south, and have no other purpose in visiting thy land than to see its wonders and Ijo friends with its people, whoso hospitality wo now claim.' Of the etfect of this i)olitic answer we could n(^ judge ; but, at anyrate, it led to an aniniatcil conversation of several minutes' duration, in which Eyvind took a pronniujut i)art. In the end the latttir re([uested us to accompany the chiefs int(j the couneil-h(mse. But before wo did so, we pointed out to him that the mob was now thronging dangerously near the boats, and that, if the restraining presence of the chiefs was removed, it might not be easy to prevent them boarding them. Ho agreed with us, spoke to Orna, and then issued a command to the soldiers, the consecjuence of which was that a cordon was drawn around the spot, and the people thus eliectually kept oil". This done, wo accompanied him towards the house, which was considerably the largest to b(^ seen, and fairly regularly, if plainly built. It was, like all the others, of one story only. Passing through an open doorway intt) a passage ornamented with trophies of the chase, we reached a large room; and into this, the council-hall of the district, we were nshered by our friend Eyvind. The floor was covered with handsome furs, and the walls embellished in the same way as the lobby ; and in the middle of the chamber was a rough table of tir-wood, with a dozen chairs, also pretty rough, around it. And, most home-like of all, at the head of the room was a fireplace, not unlike our own, and in it was a fire, in which was being burned coal. That fuel, it seems, is to be i< : 172 CONCEUNINO THE PARADISE OF THE NORTH. ' found in ivbundunci; ull ovot Isliikon, in most phicea almost at the surface, and so it is in universal use. Wo were immediately invited to sit down, vvliidi wo did, and found the seats by no means soft. Then Ornn commenced a catechism, whicli, haviniL; evidently decided at length that wo were really men like himself, he strove to make as searching as possible. In this ho wfis materially aided ])y his brother chiefs. The doctor answered to the best of his ability ; ami at the close the ruler of Reydvcra was pleased to deliver himself sijnicwhat as follows : 'Ye say ye are strangers from a far country, wlumce nn strangers have ever, within the memory of man, reached the land of Islfiken, and that ye come to visit this land without evil in yew hearts. If that be so, yo have nothing to fear from the people; of Reydvera, who are ever ready to welcome others. IWit if ye are enemies with the faces of friends, come to spy out the land, beware ! for ye shall be found out and killed as surely as the snow comes and melts again !' Ho paused, and we saw a faint smile hovering round Eyvind's mouth. Doubtless he was thinking that Ornii and his other countrymen had not yet had cxi)erience of our various magical secrets, and of his own su[>eriority in that respect. ' But now, strangers, ye are welcome to Reydvera,' resumed Orna, * and yo have freedom to go where ye will and see what ye will within its bounds so long as ye deal fairly with us. And that ye have comfort until Aleif the king and the great council that sits at Hjainord know of your coming, ye shall have the house that stands next to this for your own, and the men of Orn are your servants, to do with them what ye will.' So far wo had no reason to feel dissatisfied with our reception, and in a word or two the doctor thanked Orna and tlie council for it. The former acknowledged the compliment by a nod, and tlien he turned from us to Eyvind, to whom he spoke, not in the semi-Icelandic dialect, but in the native language. Wo saw Eyvind's eyebrows draw together, as CONCF.RNINO THE I'AIIADISK OP TIIK NdllTII. 173 if in perplexity, hut witliout liositatloii ho phinj:,'oil into tho naiTivtivo of somo pjiisodo or other. tSoon, hy his ^^esturos, wo made, out that iu; wan descril)in<^ tlic- coinhat hetwecn himself and Thostar'.s party; and wo could observe also that Orna'rt hrow grew l)lacker and blacker .i.s hr> went on. Evidently, lio was not ])loased with tlio njcital. When Kyvind had finished, a livcdy conversation took place between the ciiiefa, still in tlict native ton,L,'ue, and linally our friend said something with what was obviously a considerable amount of heat. Orna as warmly n^plied, an I then addressed tho doctor. ' It seems,' ho s;nd, sternly, 'thatyo strangers liave aithid in killing a chief of this land and his men. It must bo looked into ; meanwhile tho promi.se 1 have given yo holds good. As your hunger must l)e great, a repast has been prei)ared for yo in your house, and when ye are again required, the cc uncil shall scuid for ye.' Tho doctor was about to reply, i)ef()re ac([nies(;ing i!i this polite dismissal ; but Kyvind, with a look that plaiidy indicated that it was his aifair and that of nobody else, forestalled him. 'I have already told thee, Orna,' ho cried in Norse, 'thai the combat was a fair one, and that what(!ver blamo there is falls on me alone ! And I am ready to answer for it, man to man, or before the great council at lljalnord. I'tit as to these strangers, they a'-e mij guests ; and ()i iia shoulil know l)y this time that Eyvind of Hjetla can dtiferid that which is his !' This was apparoitly an allusion the head-man did not relish (it had reference, we were subsequently told, to an attempt he and some others had made on Eyvind's property, in which they had been badly routed), for he turned rather red, and answered in a sharp tone. But Eyvind merely smiled disdainfully, and thereafter, with a somewhat ironical bow to the company, asked us to proceed with him Ui our new residence. I \-: ' i 'T\ 174 CONCERNING TITR TARADTSE OF THE NORTH. 11 n :■ I t ■ (JutsiJe, tho crowd was densoly packed around the soldiers, but there was no rusliinf^ or rou,f,di play. The building to which we wore led was smaller than the council-house, consisting only of two largo rooms (one of them a kitchen) and three smaller ones containing bods and leaden baths. The largo c-handier was furnished much in the same way as the one in which wo had been examined, save that tho table was of slate instead of wood. At tho back of the liouse, at some distance from it, were sciveral of the curious rocky knolls I have already mentioned. As soon as we were within the room the doctor lost no time in asking Eyvind the rn.U£o of the change in Orna's bearing. *J.t is thus,' he responded. 'Thostar, whom 1 slew — he was tho last of his race — was married to the sister of Orni', and they were great friends. Ormi has ever hated me. So when I told him that I had vanquished him and those with him, and with little wisdom mentioned the part which Godfrei and Cecil' — pronouncing our names almost perfectly — * to(»k in it, he waxed wroth, and fain would kill us all. Besides, by this I become a more powerful man than he ; fur to my own slaves are now added those of Thustur and his family.* His heart, therefore, is full of evil against us all, and it behoves us to keep a watch upon him, for if he can do me or ye a hurt he will hesitate not to do it.' The doctor gave us an expressive glance after translating this. * Is tho danger great V he asked our host. * Perhaps ; but 1 think not,' re])lied Eyvind. * Openly he dare not attack me, and now that ye are under my protection he will think twice beft)re attacking ye.' Aft(n' his previous information this was consolatory in a negative sort of way, and he had a few more; grains of comfort in store for us. * A curious custom, liy which, in laloken, the victors in a keud, if tlie defeatt'tl party is aimihiiated, become possessors of tlieir eneunes' terntory antl property. CONCERNINQ THE PARADISE OF THE liTORTn. 175 'But,' he continued, *he may do liarni undi!!- the pretence of friendship, and so ' — witli a significant look at our ritles — 'it may be well to liavo tliy ma-iic ready. And to make sure, I will send at once a ti'usty messenger to my own valley for a body of men, and when they come, in ft)nr or five days' time, yo can either remain in this place under their care, or go with me to Hjetla — as ye will.' And after another warning to be on our guard, ho went off to carry out his purpose, while we sat down to a substantial moal ihat was brought in from the kitclion. Of the delicacies peculiar to Islok(!n it would bo more difficult to say what wo had than what we liad not, so many and varied W(u'e tlu^ dishes ; but the principal appeared to be venison, beef, stivoral varieties of fowl, fish, eggs, hot rye-cakes, and a strange, com- l)ound of the curds of milk, covcsred with cream, and divers other substances of which we were ignorant. It was not unpleasant in taste, and seems to be the national dish of the peoi)le ; and the moment the doctor heard its name — ahjr — he identified it with a favourite of the ancient Norsemen, and frecpiently mentioned in the Sagas. For drink we had water, milk, and ale titl Uhituut, and vevy good indeed the latter two were. 'Well, what do you tliiiiiv of our position now?' asked I, when we had done full justice to Ornd's hospitality, and "Wemyss and Clements had relieved Gates antl Janstsn on the launch. 'Think of it?' repeated the doctor, and then vent on enthusiastically, ' Why, Oliphant, I have never felt so happy as I do now ! We have reached the Fartliest N(;rth ; we have discovered this land, with its wonderful conliguration and phenomena and its mysterious people ; we are, 1 hope, on the road to further discovcri(»s : what more is wanted?' 'You're right so far, doctor,* said Cecil, a little (piizzingly, ' but what about our friend ( )rna and his ways ? It seems to me that if we 're sent to join the late Thostar, our successes are and will be of very little use to us.' I ill V i i m 176 CONCERNINQ THE PARADISE OP THE NORTH, <■ ! ! ! till I ' And that 's true enough also,' replied the doctor, * though we '11 wait until the massacre comes off before giving up hope. Perhaps, you know, we shall have a word to say on the subject too.' But the next few days passed away quite peacefully, and in spite of our watchfulness we saw no reason for doul^ting our perfect safety. Orna, it is true, kept out of sight, but this did not prevent us taking advantage of his permission to do what and go where we liked. Under Kyvind's guidance we made, ourselves thoroughly acquainted with the natural features of the district and with the social life of the people, and investigated almost everything, I believe, into which inquiry was possibh;. Their political sy.stem may l)e explained in a few words. The whole land is divided into some sixty districts governed by chiefs who really witild independent power. They are nominally subject to King Aleif aiul the National Assembly or Council of Hjalnord, composed of representatives from each district; but that body exists merely for settling dis- putes between chJefs at the last extremity, and its authority is never otherwise i^xerciscl. In each district is a justico- council of the mino^' chiefs. The common people without exception hold their farms in vassalage from the chiefs, and are slaves in name ; but slavery as wo understand it has practically ro existence in Ldiiken. Between .he masses and the rulers is a middle clr.ss composed of descendants of former chiefs, and, in fact, all of the race of the original conquerors, wlio fill thj offices above the capacity of the commonalty and beJow the notice of the rulers. These gentlemen are distinguished by two feathers in their caps ; the badge of the chiefs, as you know, is three. Tlie religion, if it may so be called, is a question too complicated to be entered into here. There is no regular profession of priesthood, but at certain perioils festivals are held, at which the gods are worshipped with much religious zeal and bacchanalian fervour. The fact that the dominant ii I wj ■iijip^v.i ,ywipni or tlir(^e rooms, and in their way comfortable; art4. mr* roiimlod hy their fields of rye and pasture, and sometinU'j^ ^/f their t,'roups cf dwarf birches, present a fairly h(r¥\c,-\\\(H appearance. Rye and barley, the only cereals raised, «r« sown in April and ready by August ; and the latter is uKed solely for the purposes of brewinji^ — the quantity of ale con- sumed by all elasHes being considerable. I have spoken of dwarf birches, and tlieso may bo said to be the only trees in the country. Only in one part do firs flourish (but, as wo never visited it, no reason can be given ibr this, nor an explanation of how they survive the winter), and so scarce are they that the l)oats made from them do not number altogether more than twenty, and belong exclusively to chiefs. For most of the purposes for Avhich wood is used at home, metal has, if possil>le, to be utilised. The dwarf birches, thougli numerous, are never more than three inches in thickness, and the tallest I ever saw was fourteen feet, the average being about ten. The minerals worked aro coal, iron, tin, copper, and lead, all of which are found in groat abundance. Iron-refininjr is well understood and carried on everywhere, being, in fact, the only industry save that of agriculture in the country. In R(!ydvera alone there are immense flocks of tame musk- oxen and reindeer. Curiously enough, we found several varieties of the former hitherto unknown, some of them like sheep, and others resembling cattle, but all obviously of the same species. Both are used for draught purposes, the oxen on the farm and the reindeer for longer distances ; as also, during the winter, are dogs of a breed resembling the Esquimaux. With regard to tlio dogs, Eyvind told us a curious story, TJ.utiJ within a generation or so, he said, there had been no such animals in Isloken. Suddenly, one auturjH, eight of them appeared from somewliore unknown, and turned up at the door of a respectable peasant, who at first thought tliey were wolves, but then, se'-m^- t; ^^ 'ley 1 1 CONCERNING TFTR PARADISE OF THE NORTH. 179 I woro tariK^, took thorn in and put them to nso. They had nmltipliod fast, and now tlioro was hardly a family in tho district without one or more of thoni. ' Why,' said (Jocil, when ho hoard tliis, * thoy must ho tho animals that holted from Collins on tho other side of Mount Stafford thirty yoars a<,'o ! Ask him, doctor, how long it is since their first appearance.' Dr Lorimor did so. ' From his calculation,' ho answered, after receiving Eyvind's reply, 'there can be no doubt of it. Only another instance of the wonderful !' Our own dogs, I may add, did not agree well with tho native animals for some time, and many W(!re the fights that Konig and Antony had until their canine adversaries became reconciled to their invasion. The country literally swarmed with game. Tt seemed to be, and probably was, tho breeding-place of every kind of bird native to the Arctic regions ; and l)r Lorimer had not the least doubt that ho had solved that vexed ([uestion for ever. Deer, foxes, hares, ermine, and lemmings wore plenti- ful, and the mountains wevi; infested by bears and m-oIvcs. In tho rivers and streams, too, there wore salmon, trout, and other fish in abundance, more so, we were told, than in any other district ; and in this fact the doctor had a clue to the etymologj'' of tho name 'Iveydvera,' which he made out to mean 'trout (or salmon) refuge.' And now to the r(?markable natural features of tlie country. I have mentioned the great number of geysers everywhere to bo seen, there being, in fact, one to every field or two ; but I do not think I have touched upon a very peculiar feature in connection with these. From the springs there was not, as one would expect, any great overflow ; Ijut where they were- near streams, we noticed that there was a continual oozing of water into the latter. From this the doctor drew the deduc- tion that the water, flowing underground and keeping tho surface moist, was one cause of tho fertility of the land. I I'S 1 ! 1 1 « i i I'i lit il 80 CONCERNING THE PARADISE OF THE ORTH. could give a score of startling observations we made, but as this is more purely a narrative of our personal experience, and as Dr Lorimer is about to produce an elaborate scientific work in which all such matters will be thoroughly discussed, I do not feel at liberty to enter into detailed and perhaps tedious particulars. In a word, however, I may say ♦^^hat within three miles of Orn (itself a town of about five thousrnd inhabitants, and with no features worthy of special mention) there are at least two lakes of a considerable size, in which tile water is alimi/s boiling — a phenomenon peculiar to IsliJken, I suppose, but certainly common enough there. The climate of the Paradise of the jSTorth was worthy of the name all the time we were in it — ever mild, and occasion- ally even hot. But the winters, wo gathered, were little less severe than anywhere around, though some of the rivers, on account of their high temperature, were never frozen over. The long months were spent iji hospitality and festivity, varied by bear-hunts when the moon was sufficiently bright. With the return of the spring the ice and snow soon melted, furs and -wTaps were thrown aside, and the natives worked hard, as hang as the sun was with them, to prepare for the sTicoeedirer winter. Musk Ox. \i CHAPTER XVIII. il THE BREAKING OF THE STOBM. UT our period of quietude soon came to an end. At first, as we went amonj^^ the people, we found theni respectful and kindly, if rather curious ; Lut ^^^^^^ on the third day we noticed that an entire change had taken place, and that, in contrast to their former hospitality, they now avoided us as much as possible. While we were speculating on the cause of the difference, Eyvind arrived with the advice to keep within doors for a day or two. 'Why?' asked the doctor, with soran curiosity. 'What has happened, Eyvin 1?' ' I know not as y«!t,' replied the chief. ' I only know that Orna has been putting the slaves' — slaves, be it understood, was used by Eyvind in the sense that we use ' peasantry ' — 'against ye, and that it may be well to have your eyes wide open when the time conies. And." lie (!ontiiuied, * be sure that ye furget not to have the wnaderful magic ready.' We promised him that we should not ; aad, as the advice was good, at once brought up our guns and a large amount of ammunition from the launch, that we might be prepared for any contingency. In connection with the launch, a somewhat ludicrous incident occurred that evening, bo far, owing to a pro- clamation by Orna that any one mioiesting us would be severely punished, no attempt had been made to approach nearer to it than the bank. Now, however, the decree i f. 1 il 13 : ] ( ' 182 THE BUEAKINQ OP THE STOUM. II 111! seemed to be reversed. That night, as it was becoming dark, and whilo Gates was on board alone, engaged bcIow in cleaning, he saw through a small porthole in the side of the launch two boats coming cautiously down the river towards our vessel. There could be no doubt of the purpose in view, for they were full of armed men, and their caution spoke for itself ; and the stoker immediately realised that a surprise was to be attempted. His first impulse was to fire his rifle to warn us ; but remembering the way in which the natives had fled under the alarm caused by Clements' joke, he thought that the aitair might be disposed of without the least fuss. Being a man of ready resource, he instantly invented a plan. The boiler was nearly full of water, nut exactly boiling, but hot enough to frighten people receiving some of it upon them ; and, with the lielii of the hose, Gates was ready for the enemy. But, in case of need, he did not forget to have his loaded firearms by his side. On the boats came until they were within twenty yards of the launch. Seeing nobody on deck (for Gates, of course, kept well out of sight), the men of Keydvera evidently thought tney would have an easy task. But they were mistaken ; and the stoker, when they were near enough, turned on the water, and .simultaneously a well-directed stream issued from the i)orthole, fallin^^; full and fairly upon the occupants of the first boat. Ti^ere was a horrid yell, followed by another as the second boat was served in the same way ; and, seized by panic as they saw the water pro- ceeding from the side of the launch apparently of its own volition, the enemy turned and made for the opposite shore as fast as they could row. Startled by the cry, we came out only in time to see the fleeing boats. We could not understand it until Gates, with many bursts of laughter, had explained ; and then we joined heartily in the merriment, the doctor remarking that after that nobody could say that a Scot had no sense of humour. But the (tpisode had also a serious side, as showing thy ML THE liUEAKINO OP THB STOllM. 183 I' I dovelopment of Ornd's hostility ; and so, in addition to suj)plomonting the watch by Clements and Jansen, wo though*; it as well to keep the vess'il's lamps lit all night. {Shortly afterwards we had a visit from Eyvind, who was in a state of great excitement. 'The town is full of the magic!' he exclaimed, *Two boats with a score of men, they say, were drawing nigh to the iron magic boat to see it, when it became jealous, and of itself threw out a jet of hot water that scalded them. It is wonderful ! No one dares to go near it again, not even at the command of the chief !' We told him how it had happen d, and he was vastly amused when at length he com])reheuded. But, as he said, the deception must be kept up, for as long as the people thought the vessel enchanted they would steer wide of it. AV^e were not disturbed until the afternoon of the next day, and then we were summoned to appear before Ornii in the council-house. The doctor, Cecil, and I went, accompanied by ]'^yvind, leaving Wemyss and Jansen to watch the house, and the other two on the launch. We observed larLre numbers of people standing here and there, doing nothing, and were half-inclined to expect treachery ; but as each of us had a rifle and a couple of revolvers, and knew the natives' nervousness, we felt not in the least alarmed. In the councii-chamber the whole of the council was assembled, with Orna at their head. As soon as we were seated that chief addressed us. ' Is it well,' he began, * that ye strangers should receive the people of this country, who have treated ye kindly and acted hospitably towards ye, as ye did last night ? I said that as long as ye were true to us, no harm should Ijcfall ye, but now it is plain it is otherwise. Ye have aided in 'ailing a chief of the land ; ye have shown yourselves our enemies ; and now I ask ye, that ye may have fairness at our hands, if ye submit to the justice-council of Jteydvera, that ye may be tried for that with wiiich ye are chaigedT m T ^ 1 ■ f II ill .1 1 i i 184 THE nUKAKING OF THE STORM. r m ! I w i Before the doctor had time to translate this, Eyvind leaped to his feet und angrily replied. *No, Oriui,' he cried, 'they shall 7iof submit themselves to the justice-council of Reydvcu'i'i, that thou niayst do ns thou likest with them ! They are my guests, and the guests of Eyvind are as a part of himself. And as for thy charge, canst thou tell the purpose of those for wliom thou corn- plainest, and for whom they acted?' Ornii changed colour, and Eyvind went on : 'Thou knowest ; and yet thou bringest such a charge against the strang(M's, for thine own [)urp().si;s ! Do thy worst, Ornii, and remember the fate of thy kinsman Thostar and his family !' The other chiefs lookc'd apprehensive, but whether (»ii account of Eyvind's words or in fear of Onii'i's passion we did not know. Tlie latter, on his part, took no notice of his opponent, but merely said to the doctor, rather too quietly for comfort : ' Is that the will of the strangers V We consulted together, and decided that we had no alter- native. ' It is,' answered the doctor. 'Then ye must bear the consequences,' retorted the chief, menacingly ; and, with a wave of his hand, he intimated that the interview was at an end. 'It seems to me that it's becoming serious,' said I, as soon as Ave were again in our own quarters. 'Ask Eyvind, doctor, what ho thinks of it.' ' Oriui has some plan in his head of which we know nothing,' replied our friend. ' Not against me, perhaps ; I do not think he will try that. But if he can strike me through you, so as to be in the right, he will not hesitate ; for there is no love between us. But if he only lingers long enough to allow my men to arrive, we may then bid delianco to him, anil, if need be, burn Orn to the ground before ho can sound the alarm-bell.' 'Rather bloodthirsty, I'm afraid,' was Cecil's comment. 'But when are those warriors due ?' 'lljetla is two days' journey by water,' said Eyvind, 'and THE hrkakino of the HTOUM. 185 a littlo moi'i by land, but as I ordereil them to mako all haslo, wo may expect them tu-night.' ^ By wafer 1^ I rejMiated, as au idea struck me. * Ask him, please, if avo can go .n the launch to this place of his.' He considered a moment, and then waid that it was <]uito possi1>le. * Then why can't wo ^^o olf just now,' 1 resumed, * without asking Ovuas permission or tvouMing him further, and thus save all the unnecessary slaying and so forth that seems inevitable V To the others, as to me, tliis seemed a sensible way out of the difliculty, l)ut the chicjf at once vetoed it. * It cannot be!' he exclaimed, decisively. ' If we go, and my men, whom I have told to march straight here without entering tho town, arrive like oxen without a !• uler, Orna may kill or capture them all as invaders of his district. Under nie, they are equal to all Rcydvera, AVo must stay ; and surely, with tho aid of tho magic tubes, wo shall keep Orna and his men at bay until mine come !' The matter being put in this light, of course wo could not refuse; and, after all, I don't think we had much fear of the result. Our only doubt had been for the launch, but now, according to Eyvind, it was, owing to the natives' fears, as safe as if it were a hundred miles distant. 'And I have a plan of more use than our magic tubes!' sudilenly exclaimed tho doctor. ' If the beggars tlo turn up, I '11 frighten them out of their wits, so that they '11 never come near us again !' !So, while Eyvind went into the town to do a littlo reconnoitring antl news-collecting, Lorinier took temporary command and let us all to work. From the launch were transferred tho electric battery and several dynamite cartridges Avitli detonators; and then, under his direction, we (hilled holes in three of the peculiar-shaped mounds of rock behind the house, of which I have already spoken. In these the doctor placed the cartridges with the wires alhxed, and then ill t <*. # ^ :^\ ^^ ^> ^' .0^. ^\t: IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) V T f// ^ . {/ ^ v^ #? ^ A y. f/. <' ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 '-Ha car-' 131 11^ |40 25 |M i.8 14 IIIIII.6 .^. <9^ "/a %. /, % VJ o^ ^^^^v^''' ^^ /A i^ PhotogiBphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSdO (716) 372-4503 d froo access into the room. il- i % CHAPTER XIX. fhom reydvera to hjetla. ifFTP^R an interval of a minute there was another (liscliargG of javelins, several of wlu'ch crashed tlirongh the trellis-work, fortunately without doing any damage ; and at the same time the attacks upon the door were renewed with ^f^^k* great energy. The fastenings began to give way. 'Ready, now!' I cried, as this hecame apparent ^^ t^ * Keep in shelter, and fire low.' As I spoke, the shutters on each window were cautiously opened. The doctor and I were at one, Cecil and Wemyss at the other — Jansen being at the back, where as yet the enemy had not appeared. We glanced quickly at the crowd, saw that our rilles were ready, and then I gave the word. Crack ! crack ! and simultaneously with the report there was a yell from our assailants, and an instant cessation of the assault upon the door. Again and again, as quickly as the spent cartridge-shells were jerked out and others brought into their places, we fired amongst the amazed multitude, until at length, when we thought they had had enough, the shutters were closed, and we awaited the result of our experiment. For a little there was silence, and we half hoped that our volleys had rendered us the same service as the afternoon's explosion. But, whether it was that the Dutch courage of the men of Reydvera was impervious to fear, or that they had managed to conquer it, certain it is that they were soon again battering at the door with their old vigour. Shoot as we might, we seemed to make no further impression. And I . « r i I 192 FROM REYDVKRA TO HJETLA. by Eyvind's attitude, and the manner in which lio held his sword, it was evident that lie was in expectation of a hand-to hand fi^ht. 'Look out, there!' suddenly shouted the doctor, who comniandc' the l)est view. Before the s. ords were well out of his mouth, the door fell inwards with a crash, and through the opening we Si w the now iufuriated crowd, eager to be at our throats, and yet hesitating to come to close quarters. Perhaps they did not altogether care to face Eyvind and his followers; who, half- sheltered by a partition of stone which had been erected earlier in the day, held this point. There was a momentary inactivity ; then a quick rush and a clash of steel ; but what the result was we could only guess, for the windows were likewise assailed by the adventurous natives. "With a few shots we beat them off, however ; and when we had time to look it was seen that the enemy had withdrawn farther back, and that before Eyvind, above the fallen door, lay several bodies. *It is well!' said the chief, pointing grimly to his and his companions' victims. As if in answer, the men of Reydvera sent a flight of javelins through the open doorway, and we dropped down behind the partition only in time. But this, apparently, was their last spasmodic etibrt. They made no further attack, and though they still shouted and flourished their spears and torches somewhat demonstratively, one could see that their taste for the work was gone. It was during this lull in the storm that we were startled by an unexpected 'Hist!' from Eyvind, who was listening intently, as if to some distant sound. I followed his example, and for a moment could distinguish nothing above the din made by our assailants ; but then I thought I made out the steady tramp, tramp, of a large body of men coming nearer and nearer. 'It is my men: we are saved!' excitedly whispered the FROM RKYDVERA TO nJETLA. 193 chief at last. * We must reach thoiii, Loraniar * — liis name for the doctor — *wo must reach them in some manner or other before the men of Orn hear them.' > But, as was evident from the quietness that all at once fell upon the enemy, they also had heard the sound. If anything was to be done, it must be done without loss of time. Kyvind soon made up his mind. After issuing a rapid order to his native followers (doubtless to hold the house against all comers), he motioned to us to follow him, and quietly opened one of the back windows. A cautious look round revealin'' nothing suspicious, he jumped out. Cecil did likewis.;, and I followed. ViUt in doing so I miscalculated the distance, and fell rather heavily to the ground ; and before I could gather myself together I saw the gleam of torches, and heard the hoarse cries of many people all around me. Then 'Godfrey! Doctor! Hun-y up this way!' came to my ears in my brother's voice ; and I rushed forward towards a confused mass struggling at some little distance. Almost before I was aware of it, I was in the midst of a general mel/'e, thrusting hither anil thither at mere random, but refraining from using my revolver in case the bullets might reach wrong destinations. What followed I scarcely know. I remember something of a sharp tussle between me and some one unknown ; and then, by the light of a torch suddenly flashed upon the scene, I saw Eyvind and Cecil fighting against big odds. A moment thereafter I reached the side of the former just as a soldier was about to stab him ; and when I had disposed of that man, my brother and I used our revolvers to such good purpose that we soon cleared off the most energetic of the enemy. Guided by the flashes, the doctor, Wemyss, and Jansen jduckily cut their way through until they had joined us ; and after that we could do our best, standing back to back, without fear of wounding a friend. Ijut in spite of our good foitune in escaping uidiurt, our situation was decidedly critical, surrounded as we were by M m m ■ ■ bi H I I !i 1 'P .t« ■!-# fm fm~- 104 FROM nEYDVERA TO HJETLA. onomics, and liaUo nt any moment to be killed by a clianco thrust. This vitiW Kooined to strike Eyvind. *Movc towards the sound,' he said to the doctor, referring to the tramping' wo had heard within, and which now appeared to be quite close. It was easier said than done. As if to frustrate the plan, there was just then a rush from that very direction. We were even borne back a yard or two. Those around, also, ])egan to press npon us with more determination, and with the utmost exertions we could make we barely held our own. Had it not been for the intense darkness, which was more against our op})onents than against our compact little corps, we should never have borne up so long. As it was, thrust after thrust, and blow after blow, we delivered in every direction ; more by chance than by good guidance we managed to parry the dangerously long s])ears of our foes ; but still they swarmed around us Avithout showing the least sign of breaking up or going oif. While afi'airs were in this critical state, and we were l)eginning to think we had had enough of it, Eyvind abruptly shouted something in a loud voice. It was distinctly heard above the general din. Immediately there was a continued rush against us from all sides; and, while we were doing our best to repel it, we were conscious, more through the " shouts and counter-shouts that rose on every side than through actual experience, that a new factor had entered into the situation. Then our assailants began to break and run in the most inexplicable fashion ; we ourselves were caught np in the panic, as it were, and swept forward ; and in a word, in the darkness and confusion, we lost our heads altogether. This went on for a few minutes, and at the end of the time Cecil, Jansen, and I found ourselves together close to the house, breathless and exhausted, but unhurt. AVhere our friends were, we knew not ; but in the distance we could still hear the occasional clang of steel, telling us that the battle was not completely over. :•, , FROM RRYDVERA TO HJETr.A. 105 'Did you sco any of the others go down?' I inquired, anticipatiiiL,' tlw^ worst. But before I could ^ot an answer we heard from our immediate viciuity shouts for uw ; and, goiu^' t'orwiu-d, wo wore in a second or two amongst our comitanions again. And around them, we couUl just make out, was a hirgo l)ody of armed mtm, to whom our delivery was ol)viously (hie. 'These are the men of lljetla,' said Kyvind, with a little ])ar(h)nalile pride, 'and to them we owe, at this moment, our safety, and perhaps our lives.' After the doctor liad acknowledged the (h-ht, Unt lust thing we did was to march round to tlie front of the house, putting to flight on our way a small party of the enemy. From the movement of the torches, we could see that the men of ( )rn were reassembling in large numbers at a safe distance, doubtless to defend the town if we should decide to avenge ourselves by attacking it. Kyvind's men, as they stood before the liouso in the faint light issuing from it, looked decidedly well. In all, they numbered al)out a hundred and iifty, and secsmed as well armed and much better disciplined than Orna's, who had, in fact, no discipline at all. Within the house we were duly presented to our friend's brother, the commander of the men — a youth who had a strong family resemblance to Eyvind. He spoke the old' Norse language well ; and, according to him, he had realised at once, on hearing the noise of the fighting, that his brother was in danger. fUit, owing to the darkness, he was afraid of making a mistake, and until he heard Eyvind's shout (which that chief had made in the hope that it might reach his men) he had been in rather a dilemma. After that, however, he and his followers had simply dashed forward and swept the others before them. 'And now,' said Dr Lorinier, when he had concluded, ' what are we to do ? ' '1 have IX word to speak,' replied Eyvind. 'There is now III. : I fa lili H i I l.-it \ i t F M ■' 196 FROM REYDVERA TO HJETf.A. 110 uso in staying in this placo, and it seems to mo beat that yo all j,'o upon tlus iron magic boat, taking with yo my brotlier Hreidmar, wlio shall guide you to an appointed spot. Thither I shall conduct my men by land, chastising Orna if ho dares to stop me. And after that wo may continue our journey in peace to the vale of lljetla.' To this sensible proposal there was, of course, no objection; and while Eyvind gave his brother his instructions (no doubt letting him know what to expect, and warning him not to be frightened at the wonders he would see), the signal agreed upon between Clements and me was given, and the launch put in. The engineer, it appears, had been in the greatest suspense as long as the lighting lasted, and had even made up his nund for the worst. Asked what ho would have done if we had been exterminated, he promptly answered that he would have made a rush for the lake, and was certain that he could have got down the river and inlet, and so to the open sea without much difhculty. Everything belonging to us having been transported to the boats, we said au revoir to Eyvind, and with Hreidmar got on board. As we steamed out of the little inlet, towing the three boats, we added the finishing touch to the ])robable amazement and bewilderment of the natives by letting off some rockets and other fireworks. *My brother says tliat ye are not gods, but only men from a far country,' said Hreidmar, when he had Avitnessed with surprise our pyrotechnic display, ' but it seems to me that ye must be. During the fight I saw the flashes by which 'tis said ye kill, and now this : if ye are not gods of fire, then what is the power ye possess V Evidently a gentleman of an inquiring mind, I thought. The doctor explained to him as well as he could, and really he seemed to understand the substance of much he was told. Under his directions we stea:ned cautiously on until day- light returned, and then wo saw that we were approaching the mountainous country which X have mentioned as being !!.; rnOM REYDVERA TO IIJETLA. 19/ sitimtft'l at tlio hoad of the lako. But before wo V'ero iv illy within it, wo put into a small bay into which ji stream ran, on which stood a hamlet of three or four houses. *TIcre,' said Ilreidmar, 'wo shall bo joined in time by Eyvind and our men.' And, sure enough, they appeared in the course of the forenoon, very tired and worn out by their loni,' march. Fortunately for himself, Orna had thought it be; t not to molest them further. In the afternoon wo started again, thvT launch going slowly to keep time with those on shore. All ilay wo wound through mountain scenery of the most magnificent descrii)tion, the snow-covered peaks contrasting strangely with the fertile vallevs at their feet, and with the dark water over which they cast their shadows. Tho journey of the day following was up a long and tortious fjord to which, by all appearances, there was no outlet ; but on arriving at tho head of it we remarked that it was only separated by a neck of rock a few hundred yarda broad from another inlet or lake. And through this isthmu.s, to our great surprise, we obsovyed that a narrow channel had been cut, connecting the two. 'Was this done by man's hand, Eyvind?' asked the doctor, after carefully inspecting it on both sides. 'It was,' answered the chief; 'and 'tis said that though two tribes, by order of the king, were employed at it, it took three generations to cut through the rock. That was ages ago, and at first only very small boats could pass through. But since then it has been widened, though even yet I doubt if there be room fur tlio "magic boat" to pass.' But, luckily, we had no insurmountable difficulty. Tho three boats were first rowed through, and the launch followed ; and, although at one place there was hardly an inch to spare, and Gates declared that she touched the bottom, she finally reached the other inlet in safety, amid tho gleeful shouts of '\'\\l\l 1 '1 Hi s: I 198 FROM REYDVEUA TO HJETLA. EyvincVs men, who ajipeared to take quite a family interest in the boat. We were now in our friend's territory. Everywliero as we continued on our way wo were received with marks of con- sideration and hospitality. From the curiosity, in distinction to tlie amazement of the people, we deduced that the news of our coming had preceded us. The country itself resem- bled Reydvera in some degree, sa"''3 that the scenery was grander and the soil hardly so fruitful. It was late that evening before we reached our destination and blew off steam in front of the house of Eyvind, the hofudr (chief) of Hjetla. The place was situated in the midst of a broad valley entirely surrounded by mountains, and had the same cliaracceristics as the rest of the country — the innumerable geysers, the curious phenomc?^on of the oozing water, and the fields of pasture, rye, and barley. The '.justice-towr. ' of Eyvind's territory was at the extreme end of the loch on which we had been steaming : and quite near to it, probably at about tlie same distance as Vesuvius from Napless, was an active volcano at that nument in a state of chronic eruption. On our arrival, to quote the stereotyped phrase of the n< wspapers, we get quite an enthusiastic reception. The warriors, having gone by some short cut, were before- us; and, as they had in all probability had time to spread our fame, there was a big crowd of all sorts and conditions of peoplo awaiting us. Nearest the landing-place stood a group of two- featnered chieftains, all of them, we were told, unclos or cousins of Eyvind. This was, as vvj rightly suspected, the justice-council of Hjetla. Farther back were the armed men, and behind them the general populace. As we stepped ashore there was loud shouting, renewed as we were presented in turn to each of the councillors. Then, after Eyvind had spoken to the people in the common tongue, a very pretty ceremony took place. The ranks of the soldiers suddenly opened up, and half a dozen girls, dressed in white a^iy.k^i»>alj-A-j,.j-L.;': . : The ranks of tlic soldiers suddenly opened up, and lialf a dozen girls, dressed in wliite and wearing' the two f.^athers that denoted their rai;k, caim; forw'vd bearing little baskets of cakes and other delicueies. ijH ■A I !H '' I . A ■i\\\W I 1 1 MiH ib 1 FROM REYDVERA TO ITJETT.A. 201 and wearing thn two feathers that rlonotod their rank, came forward bcarincr little haskets of cakes and other deJicacies. These they presented to Cecil, "VVemyss, and mo in succession; but when it came to the turn of the doctor, who stood next, we noticed that those around were indulging in sundry meaning looks and quiet winks, and that a general feeling of oxpoctation seemed to prevail. The reason was soon apparent. Instead of the usual fare, we saw to our great amusement that our learned physician's basket was filled with small stones, pieces of rock and lava, and various roots ! 'Jupiter Tonans !' cried Lorimor in amazement, peering at the specimens through his eye-glasses, and glancing alter- nately at thoni and at the contents of our baskets, 'I'm surely dreaming ! Wliat does all this mean?' We laughed outright at his look of blank consternation, and our hilarity was echoed by our hosts, though in their faces eager anticipation was also marked. 'Don't you see it?' asked Cecil. 'Why, man, they be- lieve that you live on stones and roots instead of ordinary food ; and as it would be a shame to disappoint them, you must live up to their expectations ! There 's no help for it, doctor.' The doctor didn't seem to relish the idea. 'I'll see them in Jericho first!' he said, emphatically. Then, turning to I'^yvind, he asked for an explanation of the curious ceremony, and if it meant anything specially complimentary to himself. The chief, who was at first no wiser than ourselves, made inquiries, and replied at some length. 'It's easily accounted for,' the doctor continued, with a twinkle in his eye. 'The warriors have seen me collecting specimens of the geology and flora of the country whenever I have had a chance ; and they have come to the conclusion that, like Nebuchadnezzar, I have a stomach adapted for the most extraordinary food. They meant it as a compliment, it appears. And that is all !' 1 ■'i il 1 M '■■ ( ; 11 , N-i 1 : i ) 202 mOM REYDVERA TO HJETLA. >'4 ; '•'P. But when it was seen that Lorimer did not rise to the occasion, the people looked somewhat disappointed. 'Can't you manage to swallow just a little?' said Cecil persuasively. * Tliey expect it, and it would add greatly to your reputation.' ' Then I 'm afraid,' retorted the doctor, gently, * that I shall have to suffer — unless Mr Cecil cares to act in my stead.' Mr Cecil declined ; but, all the same, it was a long time before Lorimer heard the last of the basketful of rocks and roots. This episode over, and the rest of our party having been (like us) gracefully treated, we continued on our way to the house. It was by far the largest we had yet seen in Islciken. In fact, it was more like a castle tlian an ordinary house, being built in the form of a quadrangle, with battlementcd walls, a spacious interior court, and spacious rooms everywhere. The first impression of it, indeed, was one of spaciousness ; the next, I think, of comfort. 'Welcome to Hjetla!' said Eyvind, as we entered a large hall, warmed by a huge fire rouring in a chimney that some- how reminded one of old English rooms at Christmas time, as seen in ancient pictures. 'Welcome to Hjetla as my guests and my brothers ! ' and with that he shook hands all round. Needless to say, with such a reception, wo were before long (^uite at home. .1 i l-e-t r 'H4E'*'i ^ t !- m ' CHAPTER XX. A SUMMONS FROM THE KING. 4 YVIXD, in the pleasant days which followed, showed lis that there was more than one side to his nature. Though naturally and usually of a ^^ kindly temper, I have seen him lly into the greatest passions on the least provocation, and ^c^J while under their influence be nothing less than an ^•-^ unreasoning tyrant. And yet he was positively adored by his people, more especially by his armed tribesmen. Nor was he merely a good soldier and local administrator; he revealed to us on more than one occasion that he had schemes in his brain that would doubtless have startled Orna had he known of them. ' Look yonder,' he said, one time when we had climbed to the summit (or as near to it as we could get) of the active volcano, and inspected its lava-beds and other phenomena — * look yonder, and tell me if ye see two burning mountains close together.' He pointed over the hills to the east, and, true enough, we caught a glimpse of the peaks he referred to, some twenty miles distant. 'Around yon mountains,' he continued, *is the district that once belonged to Thostar, whom I killed, and which is now mine. Yesterday, Hreidmar, my brother, with fifty chosen men, started, as you know, to govern it in my name ; and before the next winter cometh I shall have five hundred sp'^ars more, trained as mine own, ready to fight for mo and my cause.' . ^" "^ -^"A."' ■»" yr-^yr^.r :ll I;: I 204- A SUMMONS FROM THE KTNO. Ho pansorl, as if in contomplation of tho pleasant prospect, and then went on : * Yo may not know that mine are the only men in Isloken trained to act together, instead of man to man as our fathers did ; and with them ' — proudly — * I can defy any other tribe in all the land ! Think ye,' he continued, 'that I have done this for nothing, or only that I ir.ight please myself? Think (yo that it was merely for the love of slaughter that I slew Thostar and rJl his family?' * I don't suppose so,' said the doctor ; * but if it was not, what was the reason ?' ' Listen, and I shall tell thee,' he replied. * Thou knowest, Loramar, that the king of the land is Aleif of Iljalnord. Aleif, as it happens, has no sons, but he has one daughter they call Sigrida, who is as yet unmarried, and who is as beautiful in my eyes as the sun when it reappears after the winter days are past;' and there and then he indulged in some strong language concerning Sigrida's charms, which the doctor did not think it necessary to translate. * I know not if Sigrida is willing, but when the time comes for the great council to choose for her a husband, I shall be ready with men and arms to make good my claim. And when Aleif dies, as die ho must sometime, then I, Eyvind of Hjetla, shall reign in his stead — and reign, too, as he hath never reigned, so that I shall be master from Iljalnord to the great mountains of the south ! ' From this it was to be gathered that with Eyvind's dream of love was mingled another of ambition ; and that, like a wise man, he was taking time by the forelock in preparing for the struggle. •And what will the other chiefs say to this?' inquired the doctor. * I know not — nor care,' responded Eyvind. ' Long ago, 'tis said, my fathers for many years were kings, and were dispossessed by usurpers. But again, if I have my way, my race shall reign at Hjalnord, and let those who oppose it have care ! 3>ut,' ho continued after a little, in an altered A SUMMONS FROM THE KING. 205 tone, 'this matters not to ye as strangers; and yet it may bo of use to all of us in the days to come, for I have sent to tell the king that ye are here, so that sometime we shall have to travel towards the north. There, be sure, ye shall be well received, for I am in good favour with Aleif, and my influence in the council is already great.' Shortly afterwards, in descending the hill to where the escort accompanying us had been left, Eyvind recurred to the subject of his soldiers. ' Yes,' he said, in the tone that at once lets one know that the speaker has been pursuing the same train of thought in his mind for some time, ' it may not be long before my men shall have an opportunity of showing their worth, and that, too, in defence o* their chief and his guests.' The doctor looked surprised. 'What!' he ejaculated. 'Is our presence here a matter of danger, Eyvind?' 'I intended not to have spoken of it,' replied the chief, 'but mayhap it is as well that ye should know. A day ago I had word from Key d vera tliat Orna is gathering men and asking help from other chitjfs, that ho may come hither witli an overwhelming force and demand ye to be given up. But ' — with a smile — ' we shall see, not which is master of the most followers, but which of us knoweth best the use of his sword and his spear.' Tliis was serious news, and as soon as we could have a word in private that evening we proceeded to talk it over. ' I don't know,' I said, ' the reason of Orna's unconquerable malignity towards us, but it appears to me that we 're bound to be in perpetual hot water as long as wo remain here. And not only that — we 're also involving our friends in the same risks. Now what 's to be done V 'I can't make out what you're driving at, Godfrey, said Cecil ; ' but if you mean that we 're to give ourselves up to Orna, I for one decidedly object to it. It may be seltish, ^iiJ I ir* M i|. i d I it [, . ' ^ 206 A SUMMONS FROM THE KING. t" but I 've no particuliir wish to be javolined just yet, merely because a queer old sava,t,'e who doesn't know that you should love your enemies, takes it into his head to dislike us !' I)r Lorimer nodded in approval. *For my part,' said he, 'I have some cases o'f valuable specimens that I should like to carry to England in safety. Besides, Hamilton Nelson is still to be annihilated. So, if Eyvind wishes to tight, let him do it, and we shall help him to the best of our power to " smash up " Orna and the rest of them.' Apparently the doctor, in spite of his learning, had not altogether conquered his inherited instincts. * But, notwithstanding,' he went on, ' I certainly hope that we shall start for this place called Hjahiord before Orna turns up, I wish to see as much of the country as possible, to complete my observations. And we must remember, too, that we have only a month or two at the most, for we mnst reach the Aurora again by the beginning of August.' At this time it was well into May, and we had already been a fortnight in Hjetla. The time passed quickly. Everywhere we found every facility for inquiry or obser- vation. And now and again we had royal bear or wolf hunts amongst th6 mountains, and other forms of amusement and recreation to make our stay in the vale a pleasant one. But the end of it was near. One evening, while Eyvind and his guests were at supper, we had the lirst intiii^ation of the breaking of th(i storm. They were celebrating, I think, some festival connected with one of the gods, and the largest hall in the building was crowded with Eyvind's kinsmen and their families, met together as his guests. The scene was a remarkable one. At the head of the table, which was laden with substantial joints and dishes, sat the chief himself in full bear-skins ; we were next to him, on either side ; and then came his relatives in their order of precedence, with their wives, and sous, and daughters. Each man was fully armed, his shield and heavier weapons being placed by the V A SUMMONS FROM THE KINO. 207 side of his seat ; and at his hack was a personal attendant, also arniod to the teetli. TJie doctor asked Eyvind the reason of this, but the only reply ho got was that *it was a custom ;' and in Isliikcn customs are stuck to as pertinaciously as in the niost conservative country in the old world. Supper was in progress, the ale-flagons were going round as merrily as they might (the ijuantity of drink consumed being surprising) ; it was then that wo observed some commotion amongst the serving-men at the foot of the liall, and a tall man, haggard and dusty, as if he had travelled far, advanced lip the room towards Eyvind. 'What is if?* demanded the chief, in the common tongue, of which by "this time 1 knew a little — enough to make myself understood, and follow a slow speaker. The guests laid down tlunr knives and leaned eagerly forward as the man began his recital in a rapid tone, and with much gesticulation. As he went on, their excitement visibly increased, nntil, when he had reached what was evidently the culminating point of his narrative, all of them were on their feet, only awaiting the end to give utterance to their thoughts and feelings. For ourselves, we could merely guess his meaning by recognising such words as * Orna ' and • Eeydvera ' here and there. 'Good!' was Eyvind's only comment when at last he had concluded ; and then he gave the traveller into the hands of one of his servants, doubtless with orders to see him well treated. Then, turning to his excited kinsmen, he said a few words to them, the effect of which was that they shouted again and yet again, until it seemed as if they had all gone mad. Swords were waved; the ladies joined in the enthusiasm'; and linally the whole company broke into a song which was obviously one uf war. While the tumult continued, we, knowing nothing of its cause, could only sit still and watch. At length Eyvind seemed to remember us. 1 ! V i 1 1 1 H 1 ! 1 ' H I 1 !|.| if m rf 11 .M m 1 .^ii A l,rV»^ r II 208 A 3UM.MON8 FROM THE KINO. 'Strangers !' lie said, *I ha\e just received the tidings tliafc Orni'i, with u gruat army, has seized the little channel between the two lakes, and is advancing upon Iljotla. As yet I know not his errand, but ho is welcome, for we are ready ! ' — a statement that evoked a loud shout. * In a few hours my men shall be assembled to sweep him and those with him into the water!' — another and louder shout. 'Strangers! will ye liglit with us and aid us to compier — will ye lend us your help as if of our own race and blood?' The enthusiasm must have been catching, for the doctor promptly responded in our names that we were with him to the death, at which the loudest shout of all rose from the chieftains present. 'It is well !' replied Eyvind. He began his preparations with solditu'-liko alacrity. There was not a minute's delay. At once the loud alarm-bell began to clang, and before long wo heard through the open windows answering peals froui distant hamlets or farms. Messengers were despatched in all directions to rouse the tribesmen, and spies to watch the movements of the enemy. Henceforth all was bustle ; tlie ladies retired to their rooms, or to chambers provided for them, while their husbands or brothers hastened away to bring up their own men, or to aid in the general mobilisation. All night the warriors trooped in from every point of the compass, and before morning seven hundred were sleeping on their shields around the house. While we were at breakfast a spy came in with the intelli- gence that Orna had camped the previous evening at the canal, but that he would doubtless move at daybreak, in the hope of taking Eyvind by surprise. This determined our chief to march at once ; and so, by mid-day, we were en- cam])cd in a favourable position, directly in the path of the invading force. We were upon the summit of a low hill ; on one side we had the lake, and on the other some broken and impassable ground, so that, at least, all the advantages of position were with us. t^- ' A SUAfMONR FROM TTTR KTNO. 209 As the afternoon wore on, mes.son<^or after messenger arrived witli news of the approach of Orna and liis men ; and at last, about three o'clock, the van<,'uard camo in sight half a mile distant. Before long the whohi army was visible, and then we saw that in numbers it was greatly superior to ours, there being in it perhaps twice as many men. • xiiat is so,' said Eyvind, when some one pointed out the fact to him ; * and so the defeat will be the worse for (Jrmi, and the more honourable the victory to us;' a remark that his followers enthusiastically cheered. The enemy came on — I can't say steadily, for there was little regularity in their advance — until they were barely a quarter of a mile from the foot of our hill, and there they halted. Evidently they were ill pleased with the position wo had taken up. If they had reckoneil on a surprise, Eyvind's readiness must have been very galling to them ; and through our glasses we could see Ornii and the other leaders in earnest consultation, no doubt as to what should now bo done. * Shouldn't we have a few shots at them V inquired Cecil, anxiously. 'Even if we did no damage, it might be good practice.' But, on the ground that hostilities hadn't yet commenced, I vetoed his half-serious suggestion ; and shortly afterwards one of the two-feathered gentlemen with whom Orna had been consulting was seen to be advancing towards us, unarmed and unattended. *He is a herald,' explained Eyvind. In a few minutes the herald had entered our lines, and having stated his business and demanded to see our chief, ho was broiight towards the spot at which, with his principal officers and us, Eyvind was standing. *Onia of Keydvera to Eyvind of Hjetla,' he began, in the old Norse, as the official language of the country. * Thou hast with thee seven strangers from the Utgard,* who have * Literally ' out-yard,' the name given to the land around Isloken uninhabitable on account of the cold. N t\. Nt ^ hi if M ' J I I i| 210 A 8UMM()NS FROM TIIK KlXn. entorod this country only to do, with thoir mapjic horn of Djki, hurt to its people, who have destroyed the sacred knolls of Oiliu and the coimcil-houso of Orn, and who have killed the son of Orna the chief. With tJicso crimes thev are charged, and that they may snilrr the penalty of them (^rna now deniandeth of thee that they bo given up to him forthwith. Then Oina shall depart out of lljetla in ]ieae(? ; hut if not, then he shall d(!stroy thee, Eyvind, and all thy ]>eople, and make thy territory as liis own. Thou liast his message !' Having thus spoken, the herald was about to depart, but by a gesture Kyvind stopped him. •And thou hast my answer, to carry with theo to thy master!' he said. 'Tell Orna that hero I scorn his threats even as I scorned them at Orn. Tell him that ho who enters Hjetla with armed men, whatever be his errand, is at war with its chief. Tell him that ho knowetli on whose slujuldcrs rests the blame of the crimes with which ho has charged my guests. And tell him, iinally, that if he wishes the strangers, to take them — for Eyvind of lljetla is ready !' And with that he turned away, while from his followers arose a cheer so loud and hearty that it must have been heard by the enemy. The messenger, after ratlier an appre- hensive glance around, went — somewhat quickly. ' Now we have the reason of Ornd's deadly hostility towards us,* said the doctor ; ' the death of this son of his, probably in the fight around the house. Is that not so, Eyvind V ' Without doubt,' answered the chief. ' He was his only son, and bo sure that if by any means he can accomplish it, lie will rest not until he has avenged him. The more reason,' he added, 'why we should defeat him now, at once and completely. Only let him attack, and ' The rest was left to com'ecture. But Orna was too old a bird, and could see too well the strength of his opponent's position, to fall in with his arrangements so nicely. As the herald delivered his message. A SUMMONS FROM THE KTNa 211 wn ohsfirvcd him throngh our fjlasaoa stamp up nnd down na if onragfd, nnd thereafter consult again with his councillors. In the end, in obedience to his command, his men retreated a few yards to the slielter mad») hy a thin group of dwaif hirches. This chafed the spirit of the impatient Eyvind. 'Orna was ev(!r a coward !' he cried, nnd proposed to rush down and attack him on his own ground. But ho was dissuaded, and instead sent a message to the efTect tliat if * Onia was a/raid to give liim hattle with doiiblo his forces, he (Eyvind) was willing to tiglit him anywhere with an equal number of men on c^ither side.' To tliis challenge, at the moment, no unswer was returned. Thus, for th(! next hour or so, wo sat watcliii.g encli other, and just as we were beginning to become tired of the inaction the enemy was seen to be in motion. Evidently Orna liad made up his mind to attack us. Slowly and cautiously his men advanced until they had covered half the distance between them and us, and then, halting for a moment, tliey divided into two parties, the larger of which held back as a reserve, whilst the smaller but picked division camo towards us at a run. Eyvind, meanwliile, had given a few rapid orders, and was ready. As the leading party charged up the hill, shoutiiig some hoarse battle-cry, he lifted his sword, and, he leading, his whole force dashed downwards on the assailants. There was a shock, an instant of resistance and no more, before discipline and superior skill prevailed ; and then, broken and demoralised, Orna's vanguard was fleeing towards his reserve. Now we saw his scheme. He had drawn up the larger division in square, meaning thus to receive the men of Hjetla as thej charged down, on ground more favourable to himself. But he had reckoned without his host. The moment the vanguard was scattered Eyvind perceived the trap laid for him and ordered a stoppage ; and, thanks to his discipline, on which Orna had failed to count, his force immediately i! 1 ' i f 1 : i : ! i 'm ^ i i ' • u li r ' » 14 il , L t !l H 1 1 1 !{ ^. p I I 212 A SUMMONS FROM THE KINO. drew up and returned to its old station, within the shelter of tlie birch-wood. * It is not/ he explained, * that I fear to meet him, but I see not of what use it would bo to throw away the lives of my men, when I shall gain the same result by waiting liera' It was now that an interruption to the hostilities took place. Wcmyss pointed out to us that two peculiar-looking carriages drawn by reindeer (of which more again) were rapidly approaching Orna from the opposite direction, and us they came nearer we saw that they contained several persons in red robes, and fully armed. On caching the birch-wood the machhies were drawn up, and a man bearing a weapon not unlike a lialbord, and with a curious headpiece resembling a jester's cap, leaped out of the first "Tis a herald from the king!' cried Eyvind; but what his errand can be, save * He stopped in perplexity ; but he and we were not kept long in suspense. The herald for a little spoke to Orna, and then a message came inviting Ey vind and ' the strangers ' to a consultation, to be held midway between the two forces. *'Tis in reference,' added the messenger, 'to a summons from King Aleif to give up to him the strangers from the Utgard, that he may himself speak with them and examine them before the great council that sits at Hjalnovd.* T: ^srr^xss M)au!;iiiJBLii;"''';fii "BB" — ^Iter CHAPTER XXI. OUR APrROACH TO THE POLE. ^tX^ ONE of us objected to the course proposed, and 5|^/lj on descending to the spot indicated we were M immedii tel" joined by Orna and the royal herald. ,'^ The formbi greeted our friend stiffly, but took no notice of us. ' This, Eyvind, is Egil, the herald of Aleif, the king,' he commenced, without preliminary, * and he bears a command from t'le king that the strangers be delivered forthwith into his hand.' Eyvind, with half-concealed contempt, turned from him to the herald. * Thou art welcome, Egil,' he said ; * but before thou givest thy message I must ask thee if thou art here as an herald to Orna alone, or to me?' 'My message is this, Eyvind,' he returned. '"The com- mand of Aleif, the king, to Orna of lieydvera, or to whoever may have the custody of the strangers from the Utgard : that these strangers be delivered into the hand of Egil, my herald, to bo brought to Hjalnord that I may have converse with them ; that they be delivered forthwith, as I now command ; and that to the chiefs through whose countries the strangers may pass on their way to Hjalnord my command be also given to treat them as chiefs, that they may not grumble in good faith c?!' the people of Isloken.'" 'Good,' said Eyvind, as if pleased. 'And as it is I avIio have the custody of the strangers, it is to me that the rt i s i 1 1 i . i r n I Mi.r P ' ^1 214 OUR APPROACH TO THE POLE. command ir addressed, and Orna, without doubt, will now give up his claim and retire to his own district.' Orna smiled in a vindictive and most unpleasant way, and we saw that he did not altogether relish this method of disposing of him. ' It is to me ' he began. But Eyvind interrupted him. 'The message is plain, and allows of no argument,' he said ; ' and even if it did, I would argue not with thee. The strangers are, and always were, my gucj^ts ; thou knov/est that thou canst never take th' m j and so it becomes thee not, Orna, to demand them. But a weak cause needs big words. My case rests witli thee, Egil.' 'And thou art right,' quickly responded the herald. 'The command lies — " to whoever may hfive the custody of the strangers." ' The facts were so indisputable that Orna could not but see that his game, for the present, was up. ' So be it,' he cried, but with an ugly look in his eyes. ' As it is the king's request, I go ; but remember, Eyvind — and ye, strangers — that I shall never forget the harm ye have done me !' And without another word he turned on his heel and Avalked off. Eive minutes later, his army was on its home- ward way. ' Ye have heard,' said Eyvind, as, along with the hei Id and his retinue, which had by this time come up, we returned to the camp — 'ye have heard the words that have been spoken' — which the doctor had translated to us as they were uttered — 'and ye must know that the time has come for ye to start for Hjalnord. But for the sake of safety I shall go with ye, and take with me a strong guard. Besides,' he added, ingenuously, ' I wish again to visit the king, with whom, as I have told ye already, I am in great favour. And it is as well to have a friend beside Aleif, lest Orna may find means to poison his mind against ye.* 11 .^ OUR APPROACH TO THE POLS. 215 To most of us the announcement ■was highly satisfactory ; and to Dr Lorimer, in particular, it was a matter of peculiar gratitication. *Just what 1 wished!' he cried, 'that I might get all my observations completed. And the sooner we start the better!' The chief, seemingly, was of the same opinion. Part of the warriors having been detached to watch Orna's with- drawal from Hjetla and see that he did no miscliief, tlie rest of us returned at once to the capital. There preparations for the long journey were begun with Eyvind's characteristic energy. His brother was sum- moned home to rule in his absence ; a hundred of the best men were picked to act as an escort ; and the swiftest reindeer and all the chariots available in the district were got ready. The latter merit a word of description. Thoy are large, roomy njachines, holding six jjcrsons and the driver, and constructed on the same principles as the earliest stage-coaches, with the exception that they are open. As the roads are smooth and well kept, being laid only over ground suitable for the purpose, although the longest detours may have to be made to gain this end, the want of springs is not so much felt as it might otherwise be. Each chariot is drawn by four reindeer, and sometimes by six, these animals in Isloken being specially trained to draw wheeled vehicles during the summer. Two days later we started. With Eyvind in the leading chariot were the herald, Dr Lorimer, Cecil, and myself ; in the next were Werayss and Clements, along with one or two of the chief's councillors; and Gates and Jansen had charge of a special machine in which were the instruments, arms, and, in fact, all our luggage. Gates, by the way, had managed — how, even he could never explain — to pick up enough of both languages used in Isloken to make himself understood. 'It's just this.' he would say in answer to any inquiry on if u i, !;■ "I" i m III i ^ ( 1 , i \ gli . I i , \ li i: 216 OUR APPROACH TO THK POLR. the subject. * You 've only to get a sort o' grip of the common folk's lingo to get into the way o't, like ; and as for what the doctor "calls the Icelandic, it looks to mo like Shetland — and every whaler kens it.' The route, instead of being vid Reydvera, was to the oast of Hjetla, at first rif 'it into the heart of the mountains in the midst of whicli Eyvind's valley lay. But soon we emerged upon a plain resembling that of Reydvera, and only separated from it by a low range of hills. Across this we struck as nearly as possible in a bee-line. In this place, for the reasons I have already given, I do not intend to go into the par- ticulars of the journey. It was interesting enough without being absolutely stirring. The principal excitement in it, indeed, was that of the chiefs and people through whose country we passed. Suffice it to mention, then, that we crossed by fords several considerable rivers flowing west, which must empty themselves into the sea on the coast of Torrens Land ; and these, by means of their currents and comparatively high temperature, are doubtless the cause of the open water. Everywhere we found the same phenomena ; and everywhere game was so plentiful that we kept the whole company supplied with fresh meat with the greatest ease. As the sun now shone without intermission throughout the twenty-four hours, usually we began our day's progress quite early. One morning the doctor was strangely preoccupied, and I noticed that he seldom took his eyes off his compass except to make an occasional calculation. When we halted for the mid-day meal, I took occasion to rally him on his abstraction. 'What's the matter, doctor?' I asked. 'You, who are ordinarily the cheeriest and most talkative of mortals, seem to have some tcrible secret on your mind. Nothing wrong, is there?' * Nothing — in fact, far from it,' he replied ; but still in an absent manner, as if his thoughts were in the clouds. ' But 1 OUR APPROACH TO THE POLE. 217 I wish Gates would come up with the instrnmonts. I can't do anything till I get them. As it is, I'm almost certain of it — but I shall have to make sure.' Sure — of what? ]>ut as nothing was to be got out of him just then, I wandered off with my gun, thinking so much of Lorimer that I scarcely heeded the paradise of wild-fowl all around me, and missed more than one good chance. When I returned I found a group of excited persons around the doctor, who himself appeared the most excited of them all. Gates, who was beside him, and had obviously been aiding him in his observations, was the only calm one present ; but I knew tliat it would have taken nothing less than an earthquake or an explosion "o excite him. * Well, doctor,' I said, ' are you sure ? — though of what, I 'm yet ignorant.' Lorimer didn't answer for a moment, and when he did, it was with a gravity that only emphasised, so to speak, the excitement in his eyes and on every line of his countenance. ' Yes, Oliphant,' said he, * I 'm sure of what I should have known before, but never suspected until to-day. For the last day or two I. 've had an idea of it, indeed ; but it was only this mo "ning that I found out that, whatever the roundabout way, we were going steadily north. I have just taken an observation, and checked it, which gives us our exact position. In a word ' — speaking slowly and impressively — *at this moment weWe only eigJity-one geographical miles from the North Pole!' We gasped in astonishment ; the Pole had been so far from our thoughts of late that we could scarcely reahse the fact. 'And that's not all,' the doctor went on, more in his usual enthusiastic manner. * There 's every reason to believe that the Pole itself is in Isloken, and not far from this Hjalnord to which we're going. According to Eyvind, we're still four days' journey from it, in the same direction. Now, we make about thirty miles a day ; four days give us a hundred and twenty miles; and, allowing for detours, that brings I 218 OUR APrROACII TO THE POLE. IS us very near it. And yet I can hardly believe it — that we shall discover the North Pole, that point which has been the central idea of every Arctic explorer for centuries !' And the thought was certainly one tliat almost lay too deep for words. Again the doctor went into a brown study. As for the rest of us, no doubt we should have done the same had not some one happened to announce that dinner was ready ; and dinner, as wo know, is as a rule an excellent antidote to reflection and sentiment. With Gates, at anyrate, it was so. 'Well, well,' said that astute Scot, as he carefully packed up the instruments, ' the doctor is a queer man in some ways, ..it I cannot say I quite comprehend what ho thinks he'll find at the North Pole. Prom what I 've heard tell, it 's only what they speak o' as a geographical expression. If ye was to get something substantial now — like the gold they used to get in Californy, for instance — I might see through it. Put only a sort o' equator without a Neptune — ugh !' with which expressive comment he went off to his meal. Eyvind, also, seemed to have much the same idea. He found it hard to understand our sudden excitement for no apparent reason ; and as for the doctor's explanations, how- ever learned they might be, they were of course utterly incomprehensible to him. 'You tell me that for ages your fathers have striven to reach this " Nord-Pole,'" he would say, in perplexity; 'but if it is in Isloken, and they never heard of Islbken, how could they have done so 1 Surely it must be a wonder, to bring ye so far ; and yet I know it not, nor where it is, Clates says it is nothing; but' — expressively — 'ye are nob mad, and Loramar is not mad ! It is strange !' And in his perplexity, in spite of all our efforts, he persisted in remaining. It was not long, however, before the thought of it was driven from his head — and for the time being, from our own — by a more startling event. We were again amongst moun- ^ns OUR APPROACH TO THE POLE. 219 tainous scenery, and that evening, on approaching a defile in the midst of it, Eyvind sent forward half of his men as an advanced guard, on the ground, as he said, that it was a favourable meeting-place for a turbulent tribe that was little better than one of robbers. It was as well that ho did so. The pass was a narrow one between two walls of rock, with barely room in some parts to allow the chariots to pass. Scarcely had we entered it than we heard a loud shout, and, looking up, saw the sides of the defiles dotted with armed men, the figures of some of them siliiouetted against the sky, and others lower down. If their purpose was to surprise us they had chosen their moment well, the first i)art of our escort being considerably in advance, while the rest had not as yet entered the pass. 'Enemies?' asked the doctor. Eyvind nodded ; he was too busy watching their move- ments to speak. Suddenly he uttered a sharp cry, as if of warning. * Look out ! ' shouted Cecil at the same time. We were conscious of a whistling sound about our ears, and several javelins and arrows rattled into the chariot, the driver and two of the reindeer falling under the former. It was by a miracle that those inside it escaped unscathed. If it had been the intention of the assailants to kill tis (as seemed evident from the fact that none of the other chariots •were attacked), they had lost their last chance. At a run the rearguard entered the pass, and those in advance, turning, began to scale the rocks in pursuit. We, on our part, opened a fusilade with our firearms that brought down more than one. Doubtless they had expected to be successful at the first, or had never imagined that we should make such a prompt resistance, and after keeping their places for a second they began to scramble away as fast as they couM climb. Away on either side went the men of Hjetla in pursuit. The latter were good mountaineers, and, notwithstanding the start gained by the brigands, five or six of them were over- ii I 15 I !! ' h 1 ill I i I I I I I r t* l!=i 220 OUR APPROACH TO THE POLE. taken, and with scant ceremony tumbled down the hill to where the chief was standing. Most, however, got clear off, but they left behind them three killed and two wounded, besides those captured. On our side the injury to the driver was very slight. * Now we shall see how Ey vind dispenses justice,' said the doctor, with some curiosity. The inquiry was of course conducted in the vernacular, the herald taking a prominent part in it ; but we could only stand by and try to guess from a recognisable word here and there what was going on. At last the chief turned to us, * It is as I thought,' he said. * This is Orna's doing. By the promise of much reward he has induced the tribe to attack us, not saying that we should have with us the royal herald. Well, it is done ; the tribe must bear the penalty ; and with Ornd I shall deal when the time comes.' 'And these men?' the doctor ventured to inquire, noticing that they were being removed by the escort. 'Shall reap what they have sown !' replied Ey vind, with an angry gleam in his eyes, and a gesture that plainly told their fate. Into the matter we thought it as well not to inquire further, but a little later we heard a cry or two that were only too suggestive. The men, without doubt, richly deserved their doom. But for a vexatious delay we should have reached Hjalnord well within the time specified by Eyvind. On the day previous to that on which we should have arrived, we were met by couriers with the intelligence that part of the road had been destroyed by the descent of lava streams I'rom a volcano in eruption, and that we should either have to wait until a new path was made, or make a circuit of fifty miles. The latter alternative was chosen ; but the delay was the more tantalising from the fact that, by the doctor's calcula- tions, we were within twenty-five miles of the Pole ! ' However,' said Lorimer, cheerfully, ' it 's some consolation the B s 1 *» , '3 «^ £3 **N J 0) W ^ .22 is d -3J o ^ m 'a a a> 3 ^ O +-» a •S 'T? ■v' u «v 0) Ij a js o o >i a Ml ♦J .^ 0) V .:4 U :o tu m 0) 1— t o a> t/1 a> to CO _H 12 >> 5> ^ "2 -*-* C4-I o o >-. 0) -»J -3 rt O) r»^ ■M 0) c^ ^ -tJ ■ *< •* o r^ 'H< .s o > P-A >-> w — 1— -*-» <5 O !U «2 ■« > y^ a ^ o • > S "(. 3 •^ w: -« •^ ' ►^M ^i • X« " ■" i. -fj 0) o = a I-) H . ^ -^ « o 3 ^ - a ' rt <^i il ■ufipill «l.|l!J!»|*"lf,_l^,«f)| OUR APPROACH TO THR POLE. 223 that it can't disappear like tlio Northern Pharos, and, after •11, when we take into account the Imndrods of years dnriiif; which it has been the <,'oal of every civilised nation, surely one day sooner or later doesn't matter !' Notwithstanding', nobody was more impatient than ho to reach ITjaluord ; and when, a day or two afterwards, we came in sight of the city as we surmounted a range of hills, nobody w.as more eager to get a better view of it. It lay right below us, in a valley surely the most beautiful in tlie whole Paradise of the North, by far the largest town we had yet seen in tlu! land, regularly and systematically laid out and surrounded by walls. \Vhi>t struck us most was that all the streets con- verged upon a low, flat- topped hill, like the spokes of a wheel upon the liub. Around the town were fields and gardens highly cultivated ; everywhere the geysers and hot-water springs, to the sight of which we had become so accustomed that we should have thought it strange if there had not been any ; and here and there a stream or small lake. In the dis- tance was a range of snow-eovered mountains rising to an immense height, beyond which, we were told, no man had ever penetrated. * Yes,' said Eyvind with some pride, as he noticed our admiration, 'that is Hjalnord, the seat of the kings of Isloken ; yonder in the middle is the hill from which the law is given to the people ; and beyond, ye see the great snow-clad mountains on which neither animal nor plant can live.' * It is magnificent ! ' cried the doctor, forgetting for a moment his one idea; but it was only for a moment, and then he added : ' But let us get down to it as quickly as we can. There are many things to be done, my friends.' The descent was not so easy as it appeared, however, and it was late in the evening before we approached the gate (there was only one) of the city of Hjalnord. We were evidently expected, for the gate was openetl as we came near, and two heralds, followed by a large company of soldiers, came forth 't ii . ;' n ^ I iiti i I ; 224 OUR APPROACH TO TUB POLE. to meet H8. To them wo were presented by Ej^'il, anrl in the name of Kin.L,' Alnif thoy welcomed us to Hjahiord and assured us of a hospitable reception. * This being the birthday of the king,' supplemented one, *ho holds to-ni^'ht his great feast; and it is his command that if the strangers arrive they and the chiefG and councillors with them attend him at once in his palace.* Altliough wo wore tired and sleepy, tliere was no gainsa}'- ing this. * Wo must obey,' said Kyvind ; and so, descend- ing from our chariots and falling into line behind the luiralds, wo passed through the gateway and along a broad street, leaving our luggage in charge of the escort. The houses, wo saw, were as a ride large and roomy, built much in the same style as Eyvind's chateau, and the palace itself, which was situated under the shadow of the 'Law Kock,' opposite another large edifice, was merely on a bigger scale. There were few people about, except one or two grou])S of armed men around the palace. From this, as wo neared it, we heard sounds of mirth and revelry which told us that the birthday feast of King iVleif was at its height, and told us also, only too plainly, of the nature of the festival. CHAPTER XXII. DR LORIMEUS OIIEAT DiaCV- K?Y. ASSINCr alone; several corridors wo readied a doorway Iiidden by a thiek curtain, and on drawing it aside and entering, we found our- C/i^>^Jcs) s(dves in a largo room, heated by two fires. On each side of a long table running right down the apartment, and covered with viands of every kind, tliere nnist liave been at least thirty men. ^lost of these — all, in fact, except the few who had drunk not wisely, but too well, of the king's ale — leaped up as wo entered, and when they saw who we were, there Avere loud cries of * Eyvind I Eyvind !* Evidently our friend was popular. Without taking much notice of the demonstration, the heralds led us towards tlie head of the table, at wliich stood a man just past the meridian of life, with a certain look on his thin face as if of weakness. His hair, too, was white, although his movements were still those of physical strength and vigour. And his eyes, as wo were conscious by his scrutiny as we advanced, were bright' and keen. It hardly needed Eyviud's whispered intimation to tell us that this was Aleif, the king : his very dress and arms were sufficient to point hira out amongst the rest as the chief of all. * Then ye are the strangers of whom I have heard?' he said, as we came to a stop opposite him. The fact was indisputable ; and, after another close scrutiny, ho continued : ' It is good ! Ye are welcome to Hjalnord, in my own name and in the name of my great council.' And, turning, ho gave an order to those standing beside O t ■ ( ; f ■-^■■': ,'!^~'-yiv,' &A I :( ' ' ■ f r ''Li % m s 1 , ;j: Pm i^w .. ^..^' 226 DR LORIMERS GREAT DISCOVERY. him. Immediately four or five chiefs on each side of the table vacated their places, which he motioned to us to take. We did so ; he and the company seated themselves ; and then we seated ourselves in this order — to his right Cecil, Wemyss, Clements, and Jansen, and to his left the doctor, myself, Eyviiid, and Gates respectively. 'Seems to me,' whispered Lorimer in my ear, after a glance around, * that we 're in for a regular " wassail-bout " — a survival from the tenth century. Doesn't the scene remind you of itr As I surveyed it, I had to admit that it certainly did. The thr(;e-score men, oil of the dominant race, and bearing on their faces the proofs of their kinship to our Viking fore- fathers ; the large metal ilagons full to the brim of the national beverage ; the hall itself, with the weapons and shields upon its walls reflecting the gleam of fire or midnight sun : all these tended to create an illusion that we were in reality attending a * wassail-bout ' in the days of Harold Haarfager. Food meanwhile was placed before us, ar.d until we had satisfied ourselves the king would listen to no conversation. Eut during the interval, we noticed, he paid much attention to his ale-cup, as indeed did every one of his guests. Then the doctor had to tell our story (or as much of it as Aloif was likely to understand), to explain whence we came, our purposes in coming, and generally to make his majesty acquainted with our history. By his look he was much interested ; and when the narrative came to an end, he filled up his liagon and pledged us. 'I would hear more of ye and the land from which ye come,' he said, ' and of the wisdom and power which doubt- less are yours. '"Tis our own fault," as the proverb says, " if from a stranger we learn nothing new." But it must be another time, for now the feast must go on. Ye are my guests, however, and shall be as long as ye care to remain hero.' I DR LORIMERS GREAT DISCOVERY. 227 The And he shook hands all round, with a warmth that might have gratilied us had we kno.n how much of it was heart- felt, anH how much the effect of the ale. The flagons were refilled and emptied time after time, and at a signal from the king several men carrying instruments not unlike harps advanced to the head of the room, where one of them immediately commenced a recital in a sing-song, monotonous voice, accompanying hims<^lf on his harp — as by its sound it was. Occasionally his companions joined in, when the effect was not unmusical. Every one listened with the greatest attention to the skald, who, we were told by Eyvind, was narrating an entirely new ballad in reference to the feats of some former king. No doubt it was very interesting, but we were not sorry when it was finished amid a round of applause. Then one of the others struck up a song. For a moment or two he had it all to himself, but as soon as the company could pick up the tune they joined in with heart and soul. The noise made was terrific ; certainly it could not have been worse if a congregation of a thousand persons had been singing in a room a hundred feet by thirty. An interval followed, during which more ale was con- sumed — so much, indeed, that we could not comprehend how the drinkers disposed of it. I don't know if we were expected to do in Rome as the Romans did ; but if we had tried we could never have succeeded, even though our lives had depended on it. Eyvind, I am bcund to say, showed no backwardness; and as for the rest, they were all much too busily engaged to watch our capabilities in the way of imbibing. Cecil, however, was in a more awkward position, being directly under the eyes of Aleif, who had seemed to take a liking to him at first sight. Observing that his majesty himsel* never passed the huge flagon from which thy cups were filled, and that he looked with displeasure on any one who did, my brother was in a fix. He did not wish to it r i >i ^^WR T n ' 1 ' H " V ■ IH lilN 228 DR LORTMERS GREAT DISCOVERY, displease our royal host ; he knew that to keep pace with the natives was beyond his powers. But ho soon struck upon an expedient. On the table between him and the king was a huge haunch of venison, and behind this he sheltered his cup, drinking just a little each time, and filling up as the flagon came round. In this way ho managed to keep himself sober, and at the same time — as was afterwards to be proved — to rise in the king's estimation with every cupful ho was supposed to have drunk. So, for five long hours after our arrival, the bout went on. We could not leave the feast, of cour.se ; sleepy as we were, wo had to sit and listen to song, ballad, and story that were as ilottentot to us, and to w( ><'h the steady drinking and the gradual capitulation of th ■ tV?- ,.^rs. 'When will this end?' I inquired of Eyvind, who was still pegging away at it as if it were enjoyable, as perhaps it was to him. * Not until the king chooses to stop,' he replied ; and as Aleif appeared to be the hardiest of all, I leaned back in my seat with little hope of a speedy release. But it came sooner tlian I expected. The king appeared suddenly to realise that the flagon was circulating much more quickly, and that most of his supporters had given it up ; and with the knowledge came the reflection, I su)""H)3e, that he also had had enough of it. Accordingly, h i snod an order; the minstrels sang a last song and *h. is appeared, and all was over. ' Strangers,' he said, * the feast is now ended. I have given my orders that rooni nuirvellous powers of which Orna has sent to tell me, and Egil, my herald, has reported.' More by force of habit tlian by design Cecil had brought his Winchester repeater with him, and lie was the only one of us who had his rille. On him, therefore, must devolve the temporary role of Merliu. 'Ah! tlioii art a man !' repeated Aleif, turniug :'.pprovingly to Cecil, wh(>u 1 told him that my In-other would favour him with an exhibition of our magic. And from that moment, 1 b(dieve, he had the iixed and uiu^hangeable o[)inion that Cecil ahme possessetl tlu; startling and occult powers of which he had heard so much. We were then at the foot of the park. On the other side of a narrow and sedgy stream was a. stretch of rocky surface;, over which myriads of ducks and similar birds were hovering, and to our right was a i)iece of waste ground litinally swarm- ing with hares. Curiously enough, these little animals seemed perfectly oblivious of our presence at not more than lH'ty yards' distance, and not in the least frigiitened. Theri! was thus a splendid liekl for tlu; (ixerciso of Cecil'.s talents. i . . ft i .1 ii( It 242 STGRIDA. ,', ! diiessini,' that somotliin^ iiimsual was in tho wind, tlio whole conipiiiiy, uristijciats and soldiers, had chisLered closely heliind the king, and were now standing at attention. Cecil, pointing to a rocky bluff on which was a cluster of bird3 all uncon- scious of the fate in store for some of them, asked me to toll Aleif to keep his eyes on it. I did so. Then, taking a stciady aim, my Inother lired. Wheeling (piickly round without waiting to see what damage he had done, he covered an audacious-looking hare on the right just as it turned to llee ; and over it went, as dead as one of the ducks at which he had lired a moment before. As the double report was heard and its consequences seen, there arose a prolonged howl, and one or two nervous indi- viduals (!ven lost their heads and bolted. 'J'he king hini- i^lf rolled his eyes uneasily, and gave a little shriek. As for his daughter, she uttered a louder one, and in her conster- nation would have fallen if she had not been supported by the strong arms of Ey"\ind, who thereafter completely foigot that she was in that position, and forgot also all his jealous and uncharitable feelings ! And at the same time there was a horrid discord as the air was filled with thousands of screaming birds. ' Sliall I do it once more?' Cecil inquired, through me, as he saw that the blulf was again occupied by a Hock of birds, heedless of their comrade's untimely end. Aleif nodded ; his courtiers looked a littU; apprehensive. Another bird fell, but this time every one stood firm, though Eyvind slyly took advantage of the alarm to clasp Sigrida yet more firmly round the waist. And iSigrida, strangely enough, did not appear to object. 'More ! morol' shouted the king, who, having got over his fears, was now eager for furtluu' indulgences. Cecil, looking up and seeing that the air was still filled with the wheeling and bewildered birds, complied by firing at random into the midst of them until his magazine was empty. The result was beyond all expectation. Down fell ii* fcJ ^ SIGRIDA, 243 clasp jiida. thf slau<^litered victims in .such multitudes tliat the ground was nearly cov(!rcd v/ith them, and in awod whispers the onlookers assured each other that it must l)e the work of ci god. In his ecstasy Aleif danced about and cried ' More ! more !' until he was pulled uj) short by a slight misadventure. As he was eagerly gazing at the falling birds, a heavy brent- goose that had been winged descended on his uptuincd face, and with such force that it brought him shar[)ly to the earth. 'Another victim!' cried the doctor, as we ran forward to his assistaiice. But immediately he was on his feet again, and now we had an example of his headstrong tem[)er. Taking the goose l)y the neck (it was still alive), he dashed it amongst the soldiers ; then, stoojiing down, did the same with a few more; and having thus relieved his feelings, and laughed heartily at his well-directed aims, he was himself again ! ' It is good ! ' ho said, though his warriors had no reason to think so. 'Thou hast indeed wondrous powers, Cecil!' — with a glance, half of admiration and half of awe, at the Winchester — 'and Orna and Egil have but spoken the truth of thee ! Never did I think mine old eyes should see such a slaying of the birds of the air within so short a time ! To-night wo shall feast upon them, in honour of tlnu and thy comrades !' And with that, after giving orders to his men to gather tlie dead and put the wounded out of their pain, ho led the way towards the palace ; and on the journey, Avith many looks in the direction of Cecil, he said something to the members of the great council which seemed to meet with general approval. It was not long before the incidents and impressions of this day began to bear their fruit. As time wore on, the unbounded admiration and liking of Aleif for Cecil increased ; a)id it was evident to the rest of us that we were only looked at in a sort of light reflected from my brother. Fortunately, K:'\ l!!lt! lit gf till It V „..i ... ... . . ,1. 4i - ^1 1 : ii 244 SIGRIDA. we were all [jrctty thick-skinned. The king, too, besides practically monopolising Cecil himself, took every opportunity of throwing him into the company of feigrida; and I am hound to say that he resigned himself to the situation with much grace and meekness, and even pretended (so success- fully, indeed, that the pretence was barely to be seen) to like it ! And it was Avondcrfnl how, under the tuition of the princess, he improved in his knowledge of the language. As may be imagined, our iriend Eyvind was not blind to all this, and the sight of any one other than himself with Sigrida was apparently as gall , id wormwood to him. I have a suspicion that he upbraided Sigrida, and very prop(;rly received a rebull'. At anyrato, he gradually became moody and silent, and altogether unlike himself, and many a time wandered oil' alone and was missing for hours. On one occasion I came upon him in this state, and could not resist asking what ailed him. He turned on me quite fiercely. ^ Thou askest me that !' he exclaimed, 'when it is to thee and thy brother that all my misery ie due 1' Ai'Ltir a pause, more gently : ' But it is not thy blame, Godfrei ; forgive me my foolish words.' He looked so woe-begone and pathetic that, although I was almost laughing, I could not help feeling for him. Perhaps both of us felt a touch of the nature that makes the whole world kin. 'Thou needst not fear my brother, Eyvind, as a rival,' said I; 'nothing, I know, is further from his thoughts.' 'It is not that !' he cried. 'But if Sigriila's love is gone, dost thou think it matters to me whether or not thy brother loves ]ie7' ?' And without giving me time to reply, he shook me olT and wont on his way. A few days thereafter, or about a fortnight from the date of our arrival at Hjalnord, I hai)pened to be with Sigrida alone in tiie room in which I bad first seen her, which was HIGH I DA. 245 occiipi('i him to me. And that, believe me, is his intention.' She paused, and I was so absolutely thunderstruck by this announcement that 1 could not open my mouth. ' It is so,' she earnestly continued, doubtless observing the incredulity expressed in my countenance. 'And I dare not disobey my father, for his mind is set on this as it has seldom been on anything. But yet I cannot do it !' she exclaimed, her voice breaking and her eyes filling with tears ; and I think I understood what she meant. By her tone alone she revealed more of her womanly sweetness than she could have done by volumes of words. ' Godfiei,' she went on, ' I have told thee so much, and now I tell thee more, for I see that thou art my friend. I love Eyvind, and I think he once loved me ; but now, since ye strangers came ' — again with a catch in her voice — * it has I i| ( ■ «ll 1 \\ 24G SIGRIDA. ill II II ! i > ' I :!h been difiereiit. Now he looks not at me. Canst tlioii find no means of telling him what I have said ? — but no ! thou must not — perhaps it is b(>tter thus !' At this, somehow, I felt a little queer myself, and I don't think I was ever more f,dad of anything than that it was within my power to reassure 8igrida. ' If it be as thou sayest ' I began. But she interrupted. * I have said it is !' she cried ; ' would it were not so !' *Then fear not,' I said, and went on to tell her of the betrothed whom Cecil had left behind him in England, and that he, at least, would never be a party to the king's plans. She began to brighten, and listened eagerly to the interesting particulars I gave her. ' Be assured,' I said, ' that when the time comes the king will find out that he cannot shake our purpose. As for Eyvind, thou needst not be afraid of his constancy, for I know well in whose keeping his heart still is. Only allow me, and I shall soon prove to thee that it is so.' No more was required ; and I had the pleasure of knowing that at one stroke I had made two persons happy, or at least insured that eventually they should be happy. And yet — so inexplicable are the- workings of that phenomenon we call human nature — I myself felt far from happy. *I thank thee, Godfrei,' said Sigrida with a smile more eloquent than her words ; ' I am glad I spoke t( > thee, for thou hast been a good friend to me. Never shall I forget thee, nor what thou hast done ;' and she ofiered me her hand, which I respectfully kissed. Then she rose, as if to leave. * Speak not to Eyvind,' she commanded, laughingly, as the coquetry once more showed itsel*^, 'for he deserves a [lunish- ment for his want of faith.' Next moment she was gone. And just then, had it not been for a memory of Eyvind's woe-begone face, I should have fallen in love with her myself ; and as it was — well, 1 called SIGIUDA. 247 myself a sentimental fool, and went off for an afternoon's shooting. In the meantime, Dr Felix Lorimer and his assistants, in the persons of Clements, Weniyss, and Gates, had been industriously engaged in observations, investigations, and inquiries concerning the Pole and everything connected therewith. Naturally, the iirst thing to which they directed their attention was the tidal water below it, and many weary hours did they spend in the Law Rock observing its rise and fall. Perhaps the only practical discovery made was that the centre of the well was directly beneath the Pole, and that there might therefore be some connection between the two. But as there were no reliable data as to cause and eilcct, we had to content ourselves with conjecture ; and the doctor got more satisfaction from his inquiries among the people in reference to climate, storms, and displays of the aurora borealis around the Pole. The results of these investigations, the value of which to science can scarcely be overestimated, will in time be given to the world by my learned friend in person. f m mm M fii CHAPTER XXIV. A CIRCUMPOLAR CEREMONY. Ii > 1.1 'i II \^:'f^iS' 10 1 il DA'S startling revelation of the dosi.crns of Aleif had the effect of making me keep my eyes open ; and looked at in this new light, many things that I should have passed over before, now assumed some importance as going to con- firm her story. One, for instance, could not help remarking the manner in which the king habitually threw his daughter and Cecil together. The members of the council, all of whom were obviously under his influence, also took their cue from him, and favoured Eyvind with few of the warm and friendly glances of former days. To us, on the contrary, they showed every favour. To our friend it must have been very suggestive, A month passed, however, without any proposal from Aleif. J)uring that time we did as we liked; and our fame having been spread abroad, we were everywhere treated with the greatest consideration. Cecil danced attendance on his majesty ; Jansen and I hunted and fished to our hearts' content ; and so did the others when they were not pursuing their scientitic labours. In a word, we lived a sort of holiday existence. But at last this came to an end. One July afternoon, as I was sitting in the quadrangle, in company with Wemyss, Egil aj)peared and summoned us to a meeting of the great council. T/te?i I knew that the critical moment for which I had been waiting was at hand. ' Are the rest there V I asked. A CinCUMrOLAtl UEIIRMONY. 240 ■3 H i 'Only tliy brother, Nils, and Eyvind. I liavo yot to suniraon tlui others.' A8 ho mentioned Eyvind's name, I involuntarily whistled — the scone was little likely to bo a peaceful ono. After the doctor and his companions, who were, as usual, on the top of the Pole (as in jest we always desif,'nated the Law Rock), had been signalled to descend, we repaired across the way to the council-house. Around a table, in a room somewhat more elal)orately got up than the ordinary, were gathered the councillors, each of whom sat looking as if to smile were impossible, so solenni and important was the occasion. At the head was the king ; and near the foot, seats for Eyvind and for us. When we were all present, Aloif commenced without the least preliminary : • ^lore tlian a moon has passed since the strangers from beyond tlie Utgard — from a wonderful land many days' journey across the great ice — arrived in Hjalnord, and yo have all seen the manner of men they are, and the marvellous povvers that arc theirs. And especially have ye seen he whom they call Cecil, who is as truly a man as over I saw ! I have bethought myself that if ever Hjalnord bo threatened by enemies — as it has been before, and as it may l)e again, so long as there are unscruimlous chiefs in Islokon — the help that could be rendered unto me by the strangers is great, greater than any force we have. But as it may bo that th(jy care not to remain hero as mere guests, I have my pro])osal to make, and it is this. My daughter, Sigrida, is now of an ago to marry, and I ask ye if ye can find any bar to her union with the stranger they call Cecil V As he said this I heard a muttered exclamation from my side, and an instant later Eyvind jumped up, his face livid. Then, recollecting himself, he gave one look round, and hurried from the room. * Ye have hoard,' resumed Aleif, without taking the least notice of the interrui)tion, 'the words 1 have spoken, and ye know my will. Now, as bound by the law, I leave the I il< I' ( I li' 1 I I 250 A CIROUM POLAR CEREMONY. proposal in your hands, for your sanction or for your con- demnation.' No doubt the councillors had been carefully ])ropared beforehand, lor at once a loud shout arose and was repeated. It showed that whatciver opposition there mijj;ht be, it would not come from the j^'reat council. * It is well,' said the king, as if highly pl(;ased. lUit I was not so «ure of that. For one thing, as soon as Cecil caught the drift of the si)eech, h(^ wished to refuse on the spot, and in as strong words as could be used ; ami it was with the greatest dilliculty that we induced him to keep his seat, for to cross Aleif in his present mood would have been simple madness. * Ye also have heard the proposal, and it is now before ye,* then said the king, turning to us, *and on the morrow at this hour we shall meet here to receive the answer of Cecil.' Taking this as a notice of dismissal, we bowed ourselves out, and right glad were we — or at least I was — to get into the open air again. *What does it all meani' asked Cecil, as we crossed to the palace. *Just this,' said the doctor, quietly, 'that you're to marry your friend Sigrida on the shortest notice, and that unless you do so — well, we 're in a hole ! ' Cecil brought down his hand upon Loriraer's shoulder with such emphasis that for some time thereafter our learned physician took care to preserve a goodly distance between them. 'Look hen;, you fellows,' he said, with the utmost deter- mination, expressed in both words and action ; ' marry her who likes, I swear that Cecil Oliphant never shall ' It is not that I dislike her — for she 's really a charming girl in every way — but most of you know, I 3up[)ose, that I'm otherwise engaged.' Further discussion was stopped by a message from Eyvind, jvi:: Ijji A CIUCUMPOLAU CEREMONY. 261 coii- (leliverod by one of his soldiors, to the oU'oct that ho deaired to speak with us. Guossint,' his purpose, it may bo supposed that our minds were not alto^'othor easy as wo followed the man into the (luadrangle, in tlid middli! of wliicli his master was standing. *I am glad ye have come, lor now i can talk plainly,' he began ; and though he spoke calmly, wo (U)uld see that he was boiling with rage. *0n your arrival in this land I bofrifuided ye; and now, as ye have just heard, one of ye requites me by robbing mo of my bride ! I know not if that bo the custom in the land from whicii ye come, but it is not the custom in Isliiken ; and if it were not for the memory of our friendship, then we should see which of us was the better man. But ye have done; your worst,' he concluded, grimly, ' and now ye can go on your way, and I shall go jnine with the iK^pe that we shall never meet again ! I have spoken.' And he turned to walk away. But, in spite of his words, I could not let him go in tliat spirit. Laying my hand on his arm, I stopped him. * I shall not remind thee of the services we have done thee,' I said, ' but I shall of what I have already told thee — that Cecil never was, nor ever shall be, thy rival Until within this hour he knew no more of Aleif's purpose than thou, and now he refuses even to consider his ])roposal. I leave it to thee, then, how far either of us has been unfaithful to our friendship. And now, Eyvind, / have spoken, and it remains for thee to say if we shall have thine aid in frustrating Aleif and changing his purpose.' ' And I say, Eyvind,' put in Cecil, heartily, ' that what my brother has said is true ; and if you care to go in and win Sigrida — why, then, you have my blessing !' Eyvind's anger vanished, and as Cecil concluded he drew away from us a little shamefacedly. * I have wronged ye,' he admitted, honestly, 'and I ask thy forgiveness, Cecil, and thine, Godfrei. < )din knows that I was ordy too rea hiist a betrotlied in thine own land, I blanio tliee not. But I see not how wo can prevent it, for niy father is set upon it, and nothing, I know, ean turn him from his pur[)0.se.' 'That may be so, but he may rest assured that the ollei- of his kingdom won't indnco me to nuiiry tlice !' emphatically said Cecil ; and tlien, seeing from SiLcrida's ratlun- indignant look that ho had put the truth somewhat harshly, he diplo- matically added: 'For I know that I should thus oftend both thee and my friend l\yvinil.' 'And that being the case,' I hastened to say, 'canst thou not in any way free thyself and Cecil ?' Tiive me a moment to think,' she replied. We watched her with much eagerness, and when, after some puckering np of her brow and other signs of liard thought she brightened, we did likewise, in the hope that she had discovered a looi)liole of escape. ' Cecil must consent, and allow the betrothment to take jJace,' she said ; and when my brother and Eyvind would have spoken, she motioned them to keep silent. *Tn no other way can my father be gratified, and thus put oil' his guard. Thereafter, if I succeed in postjioning the marriage for a time, ye must flee, as Eyvind says ye wish to do. I have a plan. I know that in the autumn, when the harvest is over, the king proposes to visit the various countries of Isloken ; and I think, to please Eyvind, he may be induced to consent to the marriage taking place when he visits Iljetla. AVhen he, arrives he must find ye gone. But that may be considered again ; as it is, I have no other plan. What dost thou say to it, Cecil V Cecil looked doubtful, and said nothing. Clearly ho did not like the idea of it. Sigrida saw this. 'If I am willing to take the risk, so, surely, art thou,' she said, ])roudly. 'If ye fail to escape, the blow will fall as heavily upon me as U{)on thee.' Cecil gave in. Eyvind was more refractoiy ; but he, too, A ClUCUMl'OLAR OKKEMONY. 255 WHS ])a(;ificd by a few woids i'rom the princess. As for iriyself, I confess that I never ailniired a woman more than at tliit moment I admired !Si«'rida. * Jjiit if the plan is to be successful,' she went on, ' it must l)e carried through with heart and soul, that no suspicions may arise. Tliou, Eyvind ' — lauj^hinj^dy — 'must no hunger bo glum and discontented, else the king may not allow the strangers to return to lljctla. T^^a Cecil, must give thy consent to-morrow, and then the .'; hmcnt will take place. After that, let us hope tliat all w "' hi' well.' She bowed and disappeared thiodgh one of the side-courts, just as the king entered at the other end. l^yvind a(;ted his part well. To his majesty he apologised for his interru[)- tion in the ccanuil-house, which he excused on the ground of astonishment, and trusted thai (Jecil would amply justify the choice of the king. The latter, ipiito unsuspicious, cor- dially shook hands with him ; and there the matter rested, to the present satisla(;lion of all parties concerned. Everything befell exactly as iSigrida had foretold. Next day Cecil gave his formal answer to the great council, and by Aleif, wlio 'carried on' as if the delight had unhinged his brain, the betrothal was fixed for the Sunday following. 'Any day will do cijually well,' observed the doctor, sardonically. 'If that girl plays us false, I'm afraid tlnire's nothing for it, Cecil, but to marry her. If not, I shall be inclined to say you've lost a perfect treasure.' Like all necessary ceremonies in the Taradiso of the North, the betrothal was a simple ailair. But, although simple, it was not held less sacred by the natives. Cecil became rather alarmed when Eyvind told him that it was regarded as a mere preliminary to marriage, and that there was no breaking of the tie, unless by death or a special dispensation of the great council. If either inirty died before the iinal consummation, the survivor became the possessor of all the other's property, just as if they had been really married. Hjalnord was usually a quiet place, but on the eventful i i i 5 ^^ i 1 li t : ik. . ,. 1 V" pm 1 1 1 i 1 \ \ fMlM it i ■ '■* r . If ^1 - ' 256 A CmCUMPOLAR CETIEMONY. morning it rapidly became thronged hy the incoming of hundreds of the surrounding peasantry, wlio liad lire t)iey have dis- covered another we shall, wiiho-ut '\h\x\Af >«#/-# A^^iched the vale of Hjetla. But the jour/i'7 will f>j « f//ugfa v/i*, for the carth-treniblinfj must have destroy^ t)i^^ f/a^l^ ay, and many hamlets and villa/^e.^, t^>o. HfhV/ifn /i