Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven The Devil's Thumb

In the absence of the Commander, all sorts of work were done; to keep the ship safe from the pressure of the ice-fields, Penn, Clifton, Bourton, Gripper, Simpson were engaged in this arduous work; the stokers and the two mechanics were obliged to assist their companions, for as long as the engine did not require them to be present, they became sailors again, so that they could be assigned to do all the work on board. This was not without great dissatisfaction. I said I was sick of it, and Payne said, if it doesn't thaw in three days, I swear in the name of God, I'm going to stand by!

Standing on the sidelines, Gripper replied, it's better to use your energy on the return flight!Do you think we'd like to spend the winter here until next year? In fact, it was a miserable winter mooring, Provo continued, because the boat was exposed on all sides! Who knows, said Brenton, whether the sea will be clearer next spring than it is now? That doesn't mean next spring, Payne retorted, we're on a Thursday, and if the roads aren't clear on Sunday morning, we're headed back south. well said!Clifton said. Do you agree?asked Payne. we agree.his companions answered.

That makes sense, Warren said again, because, if we go on like this, arm tug the boat, I agree to pull the boat back. Let's see again on Sunday.Watson said. Whatever order is given to me, said Brenton, my stove will be alight in no time! oh!Brenton added, we can order it ourselves. If an officer, Penn replied, would like to spend the winter here, let him have his way, no one will disturb his peace, he will have no difficulty in building himself a snow house and living like a real Eskimo thing. Nope, Penn, retorted Brenton, we don't lose anybody, you understand?The rest of you?I don't think it is difficult for the commander to make a decision, I think he is already quite worried, just mention this matter to him a little bit

That is, Proffer went on to say, Richard.Shandon was a firm man, sometimes even stubborn, and he should be tested with caution. When I thought about it, Bourdain sighed and said, we'll be back in Liverpool in a month's time!We'll be crossing the ice pack line to the south soon!Crossing the Davis Strait in early June will be unimpeded!All we have to do is drift towards the Atlantic Ocean! Not to mention, replied the prudent Clifton, let the Commander go back with us, and act under his authority, and we'll get our shares and our bonuses; This matter is not so sure. Makes sense, said Plover, this fellow Clifton talks like an accountant!Don't fall out with these gentlemen in the Admiralty, it's safer and leave no one behind.

But what if these officers refuse to listen to us?Payne added that he wanted his companions to fight it out. It's a little difficult for you to answer a question that's so straightforwardly posed. We'll see, and if the time comes, replied Bourdain, we're good enough to have Shandon on our side, and I don't think it will be difficult. But someone else wants me to stay here, Payne cursed viciously, if he bites my arm. Oh, that dog, said Plover. Yes, that dog, I'll be taking care of him before long. In particular, said Clifton, returning to his favorite topic, the dog that is the source of all our suffering.

It is what determines our fate, said Plover. That's what led us to the Great Ice Pack, Gripper replied. It was in our path, Walsen retorted, gathering ice floes unprecedented at this hour. It gave me eye problems, Brenton said. It did away with gin and brandy, Payne said. It caused everything!Everyone shouted together, and their imagination became more and more abundant. That is, said Clifton, it was the captain. Well, inauspicious captain, cried Penn, and the more he spoke, the more he felt a kind of unknown fire burning more and more. If you want to come here, you should stay here!

But how to catch it?Plover said. oh!Just a good chance, replied Clifton, the commander was not on board, the lieutenant was sleeping in his cabin, the fog was so thick that Johnson couldn't see us But what about dogs?Payne yelled. Captain Dog is sleeping next to the coal bunker at the moment, Clifton replied, if anyone wants I'll do it, Penn replied angrily. Be careful, Penn, it has teeth capable of breaking iron rods. If it moves, I'll disembowel it, replied Penn, knife in his hand. He threw himself into the middle cabin, followed by Warren, trying to help him with this.

The two of them soon returned, with the beast in their arms, their muzzle and paws fastened, and they caught him in his sleep, and the poor dog could not get free. Payne is so cool!cried Plover. Now, what do you want to do?Clifton asked. Drown it and see if it can come up again, Perth replied with a contented, terrified smile. Two hundred paces from the ship there is a seal den, a circular slit made from the teeth of this amphibian, dug from the inside out, through which the seals come to breathe on the ice, But he must be careful not to close the hole, for the structure of his jaws prevents him from re-burrowing from the outside in, and he cannot hide from his enemy in case of danger.

Payne and Warren walked towards the gap where, despite the dog's struggles, it was thrown into the sea without mercy, and then a huge ice pack was pushed against the opening, and the animal could not get out anyway. Here it is, sealed in the liquid prison like this. Good luck, captain!shouted the rude sailor. Soon, Penn and Warren returned to the boat.Little did Johnson understand this, the fog thickened around the boat, and the snow fell heavily. An hour later, Richard.Shandon, the Doctor, and Gary returned to the Forward. Shandon noticed a passage to the northeast, and he wanted to go that way.Then he gave his order, and the crew obeyed rather willingly, trying to make Sandon understand that it was impossible to go any further, but they could obey him for three days.

During part of the night and the next day, the crew worked hard on the ice saw and tug, and the forward headed two nautical miles north.On the eighteenth it saw land, five or six steps from a precipice, which was called the Devil's Thumb because of its peculiar shape. It was in this same place that the Prince Albert in 1851 and the March under Kane in 1853 were held firmly by ice floes for many weeks. The grotesque shape of the Devil's Thumb, the desolate and remote surroundings, the wide cirques of several icebergs more than three hundred feet high, and the terrifying echoes of the colliding ice floes, all made the situation of the Vamp appear very tragic.Shandon understood that the boat should be towed out and sailed to a farther place.Twenty-four hours later, he estimated, he would be about two nautical miles from the perilous coast.But it's not all.Shandon was seized with terror, and his unfavorable surroundings made him feel weak, and in order to obey his orders and move forward, he had thrown his ship into a rather dangerous situation, and the tug was exhausting the crew. , it took more than three hours to make a passage twenty feet long through an iceberg, usually four or five feet thick, and the health of the crew had deteriorated.Shandon was mystified by the silence of his men and their unusual devotion, but feared that the calm might herald the storm to come.

One can imagine surprise, disappointment, despair occupying his mind.For he saw that by an imperceptible movement of the ice the March lost all that he had labored for from the night of the 18th to the 19th, and on Saturday morning he faced the devil, always dangerous. Thumb, and the situation was more critical, the icebergs multiplied and moved through the fog like ghosts. Shandon was utterly discouraged, or rather fear swept over the hearts of the brave man and his men.Shandon had heard that the dog had disappeared, but he dared not punish the perpetrator for fear of causing a riot. The weather was bad that day, and the snowflakes, whirling in great masses, wrapped around the ship like an impenetrable net.Sometimes, by the action of a hurricane, the mist parted, and terrified eyes from the edge of the land saw the devil's thumb flashing like a phantom. The Forward was anchored on a huge ice floe, unable to do anything, never to think about doing anything, the sky was getting darker and darker, and the man at the helm could not see James who was on duty ahead.Wall. Shandon returned to his cabin, unable to restrain his worries.The doctor sorted out his travel diary, and half the crew stayed on deck and half in the common room. As the hurricane whips up, the Devil's Thumb appears to stand in the blown mist. God!Simpson backed away, screaming in terror. What's this?Foucault said. Soon there were shouts from all directions. It will crush us! We can't do it! Mr Wall!Mr Wall! This is coming for us! commander!commander! These shouts were made simultaneously by those on duty. Wall rushed to the forecastle behind, and the doctor followed Shandon to the deck and looked up. In the parting mist, the Devil's Finger seemed about to crash into the ship, growing as if by magic, with an inverted cone spinning at its apex at its apex, its huge heap with handles There was a danger of the ship crushing, and it was shaking, ready to tip over at any moment.The sight was horrific, and everyone backed away unconsciously, and many of the sailors jumped onto the ice floe and left the ship. Nobody busy!The commander sternly ordered, everyone take their positions! Oh my friends, nothing to fear, the doctor says, no danger!Look, Commander, look, Mr. Wall, this is the effect of a mirage, nothing else! You are right, Mr. Crawburn, replied Mr. Johnson, these ignorant people are frightened by a shadow. When the doctor had finished speaking, most of the sailors drew nearer, from horror to admiration at the strange sight, which was not long in passing. They call this a mirage!Clifton said, the devil is there, trust me. Indeed, Gripper replied. But when the mist cleared a little, the commander saw a wide and clear road which he had no doubts about, leading him away from the coast, and he resolved to seize this opportunity without delay.Crews were placed on each side of the channel, and they pulled up the big ropes and began towing the ship north. For hours, all labored hard, though no one spoke; Sandon had fires kindled, and made use of the channel so fortunately found. It was providence, he said to Johnson, that if we could go a few nautical miles, our misery might be at an end!Mr. Brenton, keep the fire burning hotter, and let me know when the pressure is enough.At the same time, our people must increase their courage, there is still a lot to do.They're in a hurry to get off the devil's thumb!ok!We are indebted to them for their talents. Suddenly, the boat stopped suddenly. what happened?Sandon asked, Wall, is our towline broken? No, Commander, replied Wall, leaning over the bulwark, alas!The men are turning back; they're aboard, and they look terrified! what happened?cried Shandon, and he rushed forward of the ship. aboard!aboard!The sailors shouted, with unnatural terror in their voices. Shan Dun looked northward, feeling horrified. A strange animal, very frightening in its movements, with a smoking tongue protruding from a large mouth, jumped a chain away from the boat, it seemed to be more than twenty feet high, its hair was bristling, and it chased At the sailors, to hold them back, his huge tail, ten feet long, swept and lifted the snow in thick clumps.The sight of such a monster sends shivers down the spine of the bravest. It's a bear!one said. This is Govodan's animal! This is the Lion of the Apocalypse! Shandon ran to the cabin to fetch a loaded gun, and the doctor ran to his weapon to shoot at the animal, whose gigantic size recalled the quadrupeds of Noah's time before the Flood. It came closer, leaping wildly, and Sandon and the doctor fired at the same time, and suddenly their guns went off, shaking the atmosphere with unexpected effects. The doctor looked at it carefully and couldn't help laughing. refraction!He said. refraction!Shandon cried out. But a terrible roar from the crew interrupted them. dog!Clifton said. Captain Dog!repeated his companion. is it!cried Penn, always it! In fact, it broke free from the rope and came to the ice through another gap.At this time, due to the refraction of light common to this latitude, its body appeared abnormally large, but the vibration of the air restored it to its original shape.But the psychological effect of this nasty result was not diminished on the sailors, who had difficulty accepting a purely physical cause.The adventures of the devil's thumb, the dog's reappearance in magical circumstances, bewildered them, and whispers came from all directions.