Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty-One Simpson's Death

The expedition began again; and every mind was filled with fresh and unexpected ideas.Because a chance encounter in the Arctic is the most momentous event that can happen.Hatteras frowned anxiously. The Pearl Boise!What a ship it was, he thought to himself!What is it doing near the North Pole? Thinking of this, he shivered not because of the low temperature.Doctor and Bell, they only thought that finding this file would bring two results: save their companions or be saved by their companions. But the difficulties, obstacles and exhaustion soon returned and they could only think about their own situation, which at the time became dangerous.

Simpson's condition had deteriorated; doctors could not have mistaken it for a sign of dying.There was nothing he could do; he himself was cruelly tormented by a painful ophthalmia which, if he was not careful, would blind him.The light at dusk was more abundant, and the light was reflected by the snow and burned the eyes; it was difficult to protect the eyes from this light, because the lenses of the glasses were covered with ice, which became blurred and blocked the vision.But any accident in the road must be watched carefully, and kept as far away as possible; this would have risked eye infections, but the Doctor and Bell, blindfolded, took turns leading the sledge.

The sledges ran slowly because of the worn frames: it became more and more difficult to pull; Fifteen hundred feet high to cross the summit.There the climate was harsher; the tempests and storms showed their power, and the sight of these unfortunates dragging sledges over the desolate peaks was a very sad sight. They also suffered from snow blindness; the common symptom of the attack was nausea, and people felt dizzy as if they were drunk; On deck; the travelers could not get used to the symptoms, the constant sensations gave them headaches.Their limbs are numb, their spirits are atrophied, and they walk as if they are about to fall asleep; a bump, a sudden bump, or even a fall can wake them from this torpor, which delays them. time.

On the twenty-fifth of January, they began to descend the steep slope; they were more tired on this icy slope; No news. In the evening, a powerful storm swept over the snow peaks, and they could not resist the violent hurricane; they had to lie on the ground, but the temperature was very low, and they were in danger of being frozen immediately. Bell, with the help of Hatteras, had at great pains built an igloo, in which the poor souls hid; Four gallons; but it must be quenched, and don't think snow can be absorbed in its natural state; they have to melt it.In temperate regions, where temperatures drop below freezing, snow is harmless; but inside the arctic circle, it's a different story; snow is so cold that it can only be held by hand with the help of a red to white hot Iron, can only do so, although snow conducts heat very poorly; there is a temperature difference between the snow and the temperature of the stomach, after absorbing it, leading to real suffocation.Eskimos would rather suffer from thirst for a long time than use this kind of snow to quench their thirst. This kind of snow can't replace water at all.Travelers can only quench their thirst with alcohol to melt the snow.

At three o'clock in the morning, when the storm was at its worst, the doctor was on duty; he was leaning in a corner of the house when Simpson's mournful whining caught his attention; he got up to tend him, but when he rose his head shook He hit the ice dome on the ground; he didn't care about the impact of this incident, he bent over Simpson and began to massage his swollen and blue legs; after a quarter of an hour of treatment, he wanted to stand up, and Bumped his head once, even though he was kneeling there. That's weird, he thought. He stretched his hands above his head: the roof was noticeably lower.

God!He cried, Attention, my friends! At his cry, Hatteras and Bell rose up at once, and each also crashed into the roof; they were plunged into darkness. We are going to be crushed to death!The doctor said, go outside!go outside! The three men dragged Simpson out of the hole, and they left the perilous shelter; just in time, for the unpacked ice collapsed into a shard. Unlucky people have nowhere to hide during the storm and feel very cold.Hatteras hastened to pitch their tents; they could not hold out in the furious hurricane, and had to hide in the folds of the canvas, which was immediately covered with a thick layer of snow, but at least this snow kept the heat out. Distributed, so that the travelers survived even though they were frozen.

The storm did not subside until the next day; Bell saw that the dogs had not eaten enough, and that three of them had begun to gnaw their leather belts; two seemed too ill to go far. But the party was reluctantly on the road again; there were sixty nautical miles to go before reaching the appointed place. On the twenty-sixth, Bell was walking forward when he stopped his companion.They came, and he pointed to them a gun leaning on the ice floe with a look of astonishment. a gun!shouted the doctor. Hatteras picked it up, it was good and loaded. The people on the Pearl Boise will not be far away, the doctor said.

Hatteras inspected the weapon, noting that it was of American manufacture, and his hand twitched on the cold barrel. Hit the road, hit the road!he said sullenly. They continued down the hill, Simpson didn't seem to feel anything, he didn't complain anymore, he was tired. The storm didn't stop; the sledges were going slower and slower; they could hardly go more than a few nautical miles a day, and despite all possible economy, the food was significantly less; but as long as there was food left to eat when they got back, Hart Lars walked forward. On the twenty-seventh they found a sextant almost buried in the snow, and then a jug containing alcohol, or rather a block of ice, the essence of the liquid in which had turned into a mass of snow; Can no longer be used.

Evidently, Hatteras was reluctantly treading in the footsteps of a cataclysm; he followed the only practicable path, gathering the remnants of some terrible catastrophe.The doctor scrutinized the new signposts to see if they might enlighten him, but in vain. Sad thoughts welled up in his head; after all, if he had found these unfortunates, what could he have done to help them?His companions and he began to be short of everything; their clothes were torn, their food less and less.If there were many of these victims, they would all starve to death.Hatteras looked like he was going to run away from them!Didn't he make sense, he was thinking of saving the crew?Should he bring these strangers on board and implicate everyone?

But these strangers were human beings, their own kind, perhaps their fellow-citizens!With so little hope of their rescue, should their hope be taken away?The doctor wanted to know Bell's thoughts on the matter.Bell didn't answer.His own pain had hardened his heart.Crowburny dared not ask Hatteras; he had to follow the orders of heaven. On the evening of January 17, Simpson appeared to be dying, his limbs stiff and cold.His panting created a mist around his head.A sudden startle heralds his final hour.The expression on his face was horror and despair, and his eyes contained a powerless anger at the captain.It was full of accusations, silent reproaches, but it was obvious.Perhaps it is within reason!

Hatteras did not go near the dying man.He avoids him, avoids him, more silent, more introverted, more closed! The night that followed was very frightening; the storm increased in force; three times the tent was overturned, and the snow fell upon the poor wretches, and the sharp knives of ice that fell from the surrounding ice-bergs obscured their vision, Teach them to be icy cold.The dog barked miserably.Simpson was exposed to brutal temperatures.Bell finally propped up the shabby tent, which would at least keep out the snow, if not the cold.But a faster storm lifted it up for the fourth time, sweeping it into the snow with a frightful whine. ah!What a pain!bell yelled. Be brave!Be brave!The doctor replied, holding Bell tightly to keep him from rolling into the valley. Simpson let out a hoarse gasp.Suddenly, with the last of his strength, he swung his fist at Hatteras. The latter looked at him fixedly, and he let out a heart-piercing cry.Halfway through the threatening gesture, he fell down and died. died!cried the doctor. died!Bell repeated. Hatteras walked towards the body, taking a few steps back because of the strong wind. This was the first of the crew to die from the deadly climate, the first to never return to port, the first to lay down his life, endured untold hardships, and endured the captain's incurable Stubborn temperament.He was the murderer of death; but Hatteras did not bow before the condemnation.But tears welled up in his eyes and froze on his cheeks. The doctor and Bell looked at him with a look of terror.He leaned on crutches and looked like an elf in the far north, standing upright in the storm, and his motionlessness looked terrible. He stood there, motionless until the first rays of dusk, brave, resolute, and unruly, seemingly oblivious to the storm around him.