Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Beecher Island

On June 23, the Advancing passed the Dundas Headland at the northwest end of the Prince of Wales' territory.There the difficulties were increased by the number of icebergs.The sea is reduced at this point, and a series of islands such as Crozier, Young, Sun, Lowther, and Calais, like fortresses arranged in front of the anchorage, force the ice packs to gather in the channel.The voyage, which the ship would have otherwise required only a day, took a few days, from the 25th to the 30th of June; Coal, keep the fire low while at anchor, but never out, so as to be ready to go at any hour of the day or night.

Hatteras, like Sandon, was well aware of the state of his stores; but he was sure of finding fuel at Beecher's Island, and he was not willing to waste a minute in economy, for he was already delayed by turning south, though He had cautiously left England since April, no earlier than his contemporaries had arrived. On the 30th, at the north-east end of the Prince of Wales Dominion passed Rambler's Head; this is a headland that Kennedy and Bellow saw after passing all of Somerset in 1852.As early as 1851, Captain Ormany had the honor of being there to resupply his regiment on the occasion of the Austin Expedition.

This headland is very high, and its reddish-brown color is very striking; in clear weather, the entrance of Wellington Strait can be seen from it.In the evening, people saw Mike.Leon Bay separates Cape Bello from Cape Rambler.Cape Bello was obtained by a young French officer who participated in the British voyage and received numerous applause.In that place the shore was of yellowish limestone, uneven; it was guarded by icebergs, which were blown violently by the north wind, and the Vanguard soon lost track of it, where it lay in the midst of less solid ice floes. A road was opened to Beecher Island, across the Barrow Strait.

Hatteras resolved to proceed in a straight line, so as not to be dragged off the island, and he never left his post in the days that followed; Good fairway.The tact, coolness, bravery and brilliance of a sailor are all displayed in this crossing of the channel.In fact he was out of luck, since, at that time, he should have found almost unimpeded sea.But in the end, with neither his engine nor his crew nor himself, he reached his destination. At eleven o'clock in the morning, July 3rd, the ice navigator signaled to the north that a landmass was found; Hatteras made observations, and recognized Beecher's Island, the usual meeting place of Arctic voyagers.Almost all ships sailing in these seas pass here.It was here that Franklin first overwintered before going deep into Wellington Strait.Mike.Krull's Lieutenant Cresswell, after traveling 470 nautical miles on the iceberg, rendezvoused with the Felix here and returned to England. Fox; Mike.Here Clintock was resupplied, and built a house and shop here, August 11, 1855; not two years before; Hatteras knew the details.

The bosun's heart beat fast at the sight of the island; he had been a corporal aboard the Felix when he had come to the island; Hatteras asked him about the structure of the coast, the feasibility of anchoring, Possibility; the weather is very fine, the temperature is fourteen degrees Celsius. Well, Johnson, returned the captain, do you recognize it? Yes, Captain, this is Beecher Island!Only, we're moving a little further north; the coast there is easier to land on. But what about those houses, those stores?Hatteras said. oh!You can't see them until you land; they're hidden behind the hills you see.

Have you shipped a lot of supplies here? Lots of supplies, Captain.The Admiralty sent us here in 1853, under Captain Eaglefield, in the Felix, and a cargo ship, the Bridal Barney; and we brought enough supplies for a voyage supplies. But the captain of the Fox made extensive use of the supplies in 1855, Hatteras said. Don't worry, Captain, retorted Johnson, there's still some for you, it'll hold up well in the cold, and we'll find everything fresh and in good condition. It's not groceries that I'm worried about, Hatteras replied, I'm ready to eat for years!What I need is coal.

Well, Captain, we have left thousands of tons behind; so you may rest easy. "Let's come nearer," said Hatteras, with a telescope in his hand, and he kept watching the coast. Look at that promontory, Johnson continued, we're pretty near our anchorage when we round it.Yes, it is from this place that we set off for England with Lieutenant Cresswell and the twelve patients on board the Prospector.But if we are lucky enough to have Mike.How nice it would be for Captain Krull's Lieutenant Bello to be brought back to his homeland, who sailed with us on the Felix, but never saw his homeland again!ah!What a sad memory.Captain, I think we'll drop anchor here.

OK, Hatteras replied. Then he gave the order. The Forward is moored in a small bay that is naturally sheltered from the north, east, and south winds and a few chains away from the coast. Mr. Wall, said Hatteras, you have the boats ready, and you send six men in the boats to bring the coal aboard. Yes, Captain, Wall replied. I'm going to land in a canoe with the doctor and the boatswain, Mr. Sandon, will you accompany us? At your command, Sandon replied. Before long the Doctor was in a canoe with his hunter and scientist's gear, and ten minutes later they landed on a low-lying, rocky coast.

That's the place, Captain; only here's a monument I didn't expect to come across here! this!cried the doctor, I know what it is, let us come nearer, and the stone itself will tell us what it has come here for. The four walked forward, and the doctor took off his hat and said: This, my friends, is a monument erected in memory of Captain Franklin and his entourage. In the end, Mrs. Franklin gave a piece of black marble to Dr. Kane in 1855, and another piece of marble to Mike in 1858.Clintock, for shipment to Beecher Island.Mike.Clintock performed the task piously, and he placed the marble in John.Not far from a tombstone that Sir Barrow had carefully erected in honor of Bello.

The following inscription is carved on the marble: commemorate Franklin, Crozier, Fitz.james and all their brave brethren Officers and loyal followers for the cause of science and Honor of the Fatherland Suffering and Sacrifice This stone was erected at a distance from their first winter in the North Pole and they set out to overcome danger or to die not far away. Used to evoke memories of fellow countrymen and friends who adored them arouse sincere concern for them Evoking memories of those who lost their most faithful and closest companions in the expedition So the Lord brought them to the supreme port where all rest

1855 This stele, left on the remote shore of this remote land, touched the heart sorely; and the doctor felt tears well up in his eyes at the lamentable regret.Where Franklin and his entourage passed, there was strength and hope, and now only stones remain!Still, despite the sombre reminders of fate, the Vanguard was about to go the way of the Edupos and the Terror. Hatteras was the first to wake up from this dangerous mourning, and soon climbed a small hill of considerable height, which was scarcely snowed. Captain, said Johnson, walking with him, we can see the store from here. Shandon and the doctor followed them as they reached the top. But, looking from there, all they could see was a wide plain, without any sign of houses. That is strange, said the bosun. alright!What about the store?Hatteras asked excitedly. I don't know I can't see Johnson stammering. You may be on the wrong track, says the doctor. But it seemed to me, Johnson thought and said, that this was the place. Anyway, said Hatteras impatiently, where are we going? Go down, said the bosun, for I may be mistaken; seven years have passed, and I may have forgotten these places. in particular.The doctor replied that the area has a stereotyped appearance. But Johnson whispered. Sandon declined to comment. After walking for a few minutes, Johnson stopped. No, he cried, no, I was not mistaken! how?Hatteras looked around and said. How do you know, Johnson?the doctor asked. Do you see the bump on the ground?Said the bosun, pointing to the mound of earth at his feet, from which three pinnacles could be distinctly distinguished. What can this explain?the doctor asked. Here, answered Johnson, are the graves of Franklin's three sailors!I'm sure I'm not mistaken, there are houses a hundred feet from us, and if they're gone it's because He dared not think further; Hatteras trotted ahead, and a strong sense of desperation came over him.There should have stood the long-awaited store with all the supplies he needed; but destruction, plunder, subversion, and destruction have destroyed the vast resources created by the hand of human civilization for the voyager in a state of scarcity. .Who did the sabotage?Animals in these areas, wolves, foxes, bears?No, they only destroy daily necessities, but there is not even a strip of cloth, a piece of wood, a piece of iron, or metal of any kind left on the tent. Not a single bit of fuel left! Evidently the Eskimos, who were in frequent association with European ships, at last understood the value of these things, and they would not have; and since the passage of the Fox, they have been plundering and looting to and from this resourceful region, and they determined There is no trace of the past in this area; now, the ground is covered with long blankets of snow. Hatteras passed out.The doctor shook his head while observing his expression.Shandon has been silent, but if you look carefully, you will find a vicious smile on the corner of his mouth. At this time, the people sent by Lieutenant Wall arrived.They understand everything.Shandon went up to the captain and said: Mr. Hatteras, I see no use in despair; we are fortunately at the mouth of Barrow Strait, and thus back to Baffin Sea! Mr. Sandon, replied Hatteras, we are fortunate to be at the entrance of the Whineton Strait, so that we can sail north! How shall we sail, captain? Use sails, sir!We still have two months' worth of fuel, which we won't run out of until our next winter. Please listen to what I say Sandon and say. I allow you to stay with me on board, sir, Hatteras replied. With his back turned to his adversary, he returned to the ship, and shut himself up in the cabin. For two days the wind was headwind; the captain was no longer on deck.The doctor took advantage of this forced suspension to go around Beecher Island; he collected a few plants, which, because of the relatively warm temperature, grew here and there, a few heaths on snowless rocks, a drab lichen, a Yellow buttercup, a sorrel-like plant with large leaves with several strands, and rather robust saxifrage. The animals of this region are superior to the flora so rare in this region; the doctor saw long flocks of geese and cranes flying north; partridges, eider ducks with dark blue plumage, redshanks, northern loons, Long-bodied loons, delicious grouse and such, small pigeons with black bodies and white-spattered wings, with coral-red talons and beaks, noisy flocks of sea-birds, and fat white-bellied Fat loons indicate the species of these birds.The Doctor was delighted to shoot a few gray rabbits, which had not yet put on their winter whites, and a blue fox which Duck caught with amazing skill.The bears, evidently accustomed to express anxiety at the presence of men, kept no one near them, and the seals fled quickly, for the same reasons as their enemies, the bears.There is a good-tasting snail in the bay.Arthropods, insects with two wings, and forest-dwelling animals are represented only by a mosquito, which the doctor happily caught after a few bites.As a conchologist, he had less luck, collecting only one type of mussel and a few bivalve molluscs.