[Part 1] The British in the North Pole Chapter 1 The March At low tide tomorrow, Captain K. Z． , Chief Mate Richard.Shan Dun will lead the Forward to set off from New Prince Wharf and sail to unfamiliar seas. That is what one read in the Liverpool Herald of April 5, 1860. For Britain's busiest commercial port, a ship's departure is no big deal.Who would notice two miles among ships of various tonnages and countries? [Note: Ancient sea miles, about five.Five five six kilometers. 】Is it difficult for the floating dock to accommodate so many ships? However, on the morning of April 6, a large crowd gathered on the New Prince's Wharf, where countless people from the city's seaman's guild seemed to meet; nearby workers put down their work; wholesalers left them. Dark counters; merchants leave their deserted shops.The colorful stagecoaches that line the dock's outer walls bring in a few curious passengers every minute; the whole city seems busy with one thing: watching the March launch.

The March was a ship of 170 tons, equipped with a propeller and a steam engine of 120 horsepower.It is easy to confuse it with other ships in the port.But although it held nothing out of the ordinary in the eyes of the public, connoisseurs noticed something special about it that a sailor would not be mistaken for. Moreover, on the Nautilus not far from here, a group of sailors were talking about the course of the Advance. What's with that mast?After all, one said, it was unnatural to have such a large sail on a steamship. Should, replied a corporal with a broad red face, the ship should be made more by the mast than by the machinery, and if its topsails were so fitted, it was no doubt because the lowersails often had to be shaded.I have no doubt, therefore, that the Vander was heading for the Antarctic or Arctic seas, where the icebergs kept out the wind and rain, and a tall and sturdy ship was necessary.

You may be right, Mr. Cornhill, continued the third sailor. Do you see the stem of the ship vertically buried in the sea? Moreover, Mr. Cornhill said, the sharpened steel knife was cast on the stem, like a razor blade, which could cut in half an ancient warship with three decks and three rows of gun holes. The forward ship attacked it on board. Of course, one of Mercy's navigators replied, because the boat had propellers capable of going thirty knots an hour.It was quite a sight to see her sailing through the waves during her test voyage.Believe me, this is a fine sailing boat. With the sail, there is no need to worry about going wrong, Cornhill continued, and it is smooth sailing, and it is enough to operate it by hand.You see, this ship is going to explore the polar seas, otherwise, I'll change my name!By the way, there is one more point!Did you notice that big rudder stock hole that the rudder nose goes through?

Exactly, replied Mr. Cornhill's interlocutors, but what does that mean? That means, my boys, he said contentedly, with a contemptuous expression, that you know neither seeing nor thinking; it means that one should leave some play in the bow of the rudder, so that it can turn freely.But don't you know that this kind of operation is often performed between icebergs? Totally justified.Said the crew of the Nautilus. Plus, one of them said, the cargo on the ship confirmed Mr. Cornhill's point.I heard it from Cliff East, who bravely got into that boat.The Forward contained enough food for five or six years, and correspondingly, coal.Coal and food were all its goods, and a small amount of sheepskin and sealskin clothing.

Well, said Mr. Cornhill, there is nothing to doubt, but, my friend, since you know Clifton, Clifton didn't say where he was going at all? He didn't say anything; he didn't know; the whole crew was the same.Where is he going?He won't know until he arrives. And, said a skeptic, I behold they have gone to the devil. But what a wages, continued Clifton's friend, with an agitated look, and what a wages!Five times higher than usual wages!well!No, Richard.Where would Sandon find someone to do such a thing!A strangely shaped ship, sailing to nowhere, seems to be gone forever!If it were me, I wouldn't do this kind of thing.

Do it or not, my friend, Mr. Cornhill retorted, you can't join the Forward. Why? Because you don't qualify.I have heard that married people are not considered.However, you are within a large range.Therefore, you don't have to dismiss it, it's really a lot of hard work for you. The sailor, thus taught, laughed with his companions, showing that Mr. Cornhill's joke was on point. Even the name of the ship, Mr. Cornhill said with some pride, was daring as hell!Forward number, forward to where?Not to mention that people don't even know the captain of the ship. No, everyone knows, replied a young sailor with a childish face.

What, do you know each other? That's right. Little fellow, said Cornhill, do you think Sandon is the captain of the March? But the young sailor retorted. You must know that Shandon is only the second mate, nothing more; he is a brave and daring sailor, a proven whaler, a reliable companion, and fully capable of commanding, but he is not a commander. Neither you nor I are captains, pardon my presumption!He didn't know much about who was Lord but God on board.At that time, the real captain will appear from which corner of the two worlds unknowingly, because Richard.Shandon did not say, nor was he allowed to say, where on Earth he would take his ship.

But, Mr. Cornhill, went on the young sailor, I assure you that there will be someone on board, and someone will seriously say that the mate's place is reserved for Mr. Sandon! how!Mr. Cornhill shrugged his eyebrows and retorted, You must have convinced me that there was a captain on board the March? Yes, Mr. Cornhill. You say that to me, to me? ! It's true, because I've heard from Johnson that he's the boatswain. From Mr. Johnson? It is true; he said it to me himself! Did he really tell you, Johnson? He not only told me this, but showed me the captain. He pointed it out to you!Cornhill asked back, taken aback.

He pointed it out to me. did you see him I saw him with my own eyes. who is it? a dog. A four-legged dog? Yes! The sailors on the Nautilus were amazed.Under other circumstances they would surely have laughed.A dog captain on a 170-ton ship!But something stopped the laugh.No doubt the March was a peculiar ship, and one had to think twice before laughing and objecting, and not even Mr. Cornhill laughed. Was it Johnson who showed you this novelty captain, this dog?As he turned to the young sailor, he asked: Did you see that? As I see you, pardon me! So what do you think?Sailors asked Mr. Cornhill.

I can't see anything, replied the latter emphatically, I can't see anything, unless the March is a devil's ship, or The sailors continued to watch in silence on the Fram, whose preparations were drawing to a close; but not a single one of them claimed that Bosun Johnson was taunting the young sailor. Stories of the dog had spread like wildfire in the town, and more than one of the curious people who had set their eyes on Captain Dog almost believed him to be a supernatural animal. After all, the Forward had attracted the public's attention for months; there was something of an unusual construction about the ship, and a sense of mystery shrouded it, with the anonymous captain, Richard.The way Shandon accepted the proposal of the commanding fleet, the choice of the crew, and the suspiciously unknown course all gave the ship a strange color.

Besides, for a thinker, a visionary, a philosopher, there is nothing more thrilling than the setting sail of a ship; amid battles with the sea, battles with wild winds, and voyages of adventure that do not always reach port. In it, the imagination is willing to accompany it, and as soon as an unusual event occurs, the ship takes on a magical color and becomes the stuff of fantasy in the eyes of those with a rebellious spirit. This is what the forward number looks like.If most of the audience can't make the erudite commentary of Mr. Cornhill, it's impressive how much people add up in three months to be the talk of Liverpool. The ship was built in the shipyards of Birkenhead, a veritable suburb of the city, on the left bank of the Mersey, and connected to the port by small steamboats which came and went nonstop. The builders, Scott and C., were one of the most ingenious men in England.He from Richard.Sandon received an estimate sheet and a detailed chart with detailed descriptions of the ship's tonnage, volume, and component models.One can see in this blueprint the insight of a skilled sailor.Sandon had a good deal of money at his disposal, and the work was begun, and by instructions from an unknown shipowner, progressed rapidly. The boat was built strong enough to withstand all trials; it evidently resisted great pressures, for its ribs were of teak, an oak of India, reputed to be exceptionally strong, and were, moreover, joined by strong iron frames.Even those who work as seamen cannot help wondering why the hull of such a durable ship is not made of sheet iron like other steamships.To this, people reply that the mysterious engineer has his reasons for doing so. Taking shape at the shipyard, the boat astounded connoisseurs with its robustness and refinement.As the sailors on board the Nautilus saw, her bow and keel formed a right angle;A steel blade forged in Howson's workshop.The metal prow, which glistened in the sun, made the ship stand out even though it had absolutely no military purpose.But in the forward forecastle there is a cannon of sixteen-inch caliber; provided it is mounted on a pivot, it is easy to point in any direction, and it is to be noted that the cannon and the bow are the same; equip both In vain, the two really had no attempt to fight. On the 5th of February, 1860, this curious ship was put on a test voyage in front of a huge crowd of spectators, and its launch was a complete success. But since this ship is not a ship of war, nor a merchant ship, nor a yacht, since it is impossible for people to travel with enough food for six years, what kind of ship is it? Could it be to get John back?Sir Franklin's Erebus and Terror?Indeed, because last year, 1859, Mark.Captain Clintock returned from the polar seas with undeniable evidence of the wreck of this ill-fated expedition. Does the Forward still want to follow the famous Northwest Passage?what is the benefit?mark.Captain Krull discovered it in 1853, and his lieutenant Cresswell was the first to have the honor of circumnavigating the American continent from the Bering Strait to the Davis Strait. However, in the eyes of those insightful people, the Advancing is undoubtedly preparing to advance to the land of ice and snow. Is it going to the Antarctic, going further than the whaler Wydel, and James.Captain Ross is more courageous?But what is the use, what is the purpose? It is conceivable that, though the range of guesses is extremely limited, the imagination always finds room in it. On the second day after the boat was launched, the engine on board was taken from Newcastle R.Delivered from Howson's workshop. The engine was a 120-horsepower, drum-type, compact, enormous power for a ship of 170 tons, with several sails, and very fast.In this respect, the trials were so convincing that even Bosun Johnson felt compelled to express his opinion like Cliveton's friend: If the Forward uses sails and propellers at the same time, it still runs faster with sails. Cliffdon's friend knew nothing of the idea, but he believed that anything was possible in a ship commanded by dogs. Once the engines were on board, the food was loaded into the tanks; this was no small task, as the ship would carry six years' worth of food.Among them were meat and dried meat, smoked fish, biscuits and flour; mountains of coffee and tea were thrown into the hold like a gigantic avalanche.Richard.Sandon directed the loading of these precious cargoes with an expert eye; it was all settled, tagged, numbered, and carried on in order; Contains a lot of nutrients in a small volume. The characteristics of the food make people have no doubts about the length of the parade, but a good observer only needs to see buckets of lemon juice, calcium tablets, packages of mustard, sour buns and horseradish rapeseed, in a word, a lot of anti-corrosion powerful medicines for blood disease, it would be understood without a second thought that the Admiral was going to the polar seas, since the effect of these medicines on the South and North voyages was very necessary.Sandon was undoubtedly the man assigned to the careful care of this part of the shipment, for he was as dedicated as a traveling apothecary. If there were not many weapons on board, the powder compartments were, to the reassurance of the faint-hearted, a deterrent.The only cannon on the forward pier couldn't hope to digest these things.This is puzzling.In addition, there are huge saws and sturdy machinery, including levers, lead weights, hand saws, large axes, etc., not counting a considerable number of blasting tubes [Note: various firecrackers. ], its explosive power is enough to blow up Liverpool's customs.It's all weird, even scary, not to mention the assortment of rockets, signals, pyrotechnics and sidelights. The throng of onlookers on the pier of Port Nova de Princes admired a long mahogany whaling skiff, a tin canoe coated with gutta-percha, and something like a rubber cloak that only had to be blown into the rubber lining Be amazed by the boat that can be turned into a boat.Everyone was getting more and more confused, even excited, because the tide was out and the Forward would soon be going to that mysterious place.