Chapter 37 Chapter 5 The Seal and the Bear

Hatteras and the doctor went back to the igloo. You know, the former says that polar bears hunt seals for their main food.All day long they spy on the crevices and crush seals to death with their claws whenever they appear on the ice.A bear is not frightened by the presence of a seal, quite the contrary. I think I understand your plan, the doctor said, it is very dangerous. But it had a chance of success, the captain added, and it should be done in this way.I'm going to put on sealskin and slide on the ice field.Don't waste time, load your gun and leave it to me. The doctor was speechless: he too would do what his companions had ventured; he left the igloo, took two axes, one for Johnson and the other for himself, and then, accompanied by Hatteras, he Go to the sled.

There Hatteras disguised himself as a seal, and put on the skin, which almost covered him. Well, he said to the doctor, go to Johnson's side; I'll wait a while to disorient my adversary. Take courage, Hatteras!The doctor said. Be quiet and don't come out until I shoot. The doctor quickly ran behind the mound where Johnson was hiding. Ok?the latter asked. OK, wait for it!Hatteras died to save us. The doctor was very agitated, and he looked at the bear, who looked very agitated, as if he had a premonition of impending danger. A quarter of an hour later, the seal crawled on the ice, turned around, and hid itself among the large ice blocks, in order to better confuse the bear; then it was a hundred meters away from the bear.The latter saw it, and immediately shrank into a ball, trying to avoid it.

Hatteras imitated the seal's movements so skillfully that the doctor would have been fooled had he not said so. that's all!That's it!Johnson whispered. The mammal ran alongside the beast, seemingly not seeing it, and it appeared to be looking for a gap to re-dive back to where it lived. On the bear's side, circling the iceberg, approaching it with great caution, its burning eyes beckoning that it had salivated; it had been hungry for a month, maybe two, and it happened to be Encountered the prey that insurance can get. Presently the seal was only ten paces away from its enemy; the latter stretched out at once, made a great leap, stunned and terrified, and stopped three paces from Hatteras, who threw the sealskin Going to the back, kneeling on the ground with one leg, aimed at its heart.

The gun went off, and the bear rolled on the ice. go ahead!go ahead!shouted the doctor. The doctor and Johnson rushed to the scene of the fight. The beast stood up again, waving one paw in the air, while the other grabbed a handful of snow and jammed the wound. Hatteras did not move, he waited, knife in hand, but he aimed well, fired with surety, without shaking his hand, and had the whole knife in before his companions arrived. Into the animal's throat, the bear fell to the ground and did not move. Victory!shouted Johnson. Ulla!Hatteras!Ulla!the doctor shouted. Hatteras was not agitated at all, looking at the huge body with his arms folded.

It's my turn, said Johnson. It's a good kill, but not until it's frozen as hard as a rock, and our teeth and knives are useless. So Johnson began skinning the beast, which was almost the size of an ox, nine feet long and six feet in circumference; huge tusks the length of three thumbs protruding from its jaws. Johnson cut it open and saw that there was only water in its stomach. Obviously the bear hadn't eaten for a long time, but it was still very fat, weighing more than fifteen hundred pounds; it was divided into four parts, each with two hundred Pounds of meat, the hunters dragged the meat all the way to the igloo, not forgetting to take the animal's heart, which was still beating three hours later.

The doctor's companions wanted to devour the raw meat, but the latter stopped them, telling them to wait until it was cooked. When Crawford returned to the igloo, he felt that the room was extremely cold. He approached the stove and found that the fire was completely extinguished. The busyness and excitement of the morning made Johnson forget his usual duties. The doctor took on the responsibility of starting the fire, but he could not find a single spark in the already cold ashes. Well, be patient!He talked to himself. He went to the sled for tinder and asked Johnson for a lighter.

The stove went out, he said to the latter. It was my fault, Johnson replied. He looked in the pocket where he usually put the lighter, but he was surprised that he couldn't find it. He touched the other pockets, but still couldn't find them; he went back to the igloo and turned his overnight quilt inside out, but the result was still not optimistic. How about it?shouted the doctor. Johnson came back and looked at his companion. You didn't have the lighter, Mr. Croubney?He said. No, Johnson. What about you, Captain? No, Hatteras replied. You have always held it, the doctor said again.

all right!murmured the old sailor, turning pale. there is none left!The doctor cried out, shaking involuntarily. Without a lighter, this loss has dire consequences. Look for it, Johnson, said the doctor. The latter ran behind the iceberg where he was spying on the bear, and then to the scene where he was skinning; but he found nothing.He came back in despair.Hatteras looked at him without showing any sign of blaming him. The problem is serious, he told the doctor. Yes, the latter replied. We didn't even have a tool, a lens to remove the lens to make fire. I know, replied the Doctor, that it is very bad, for the sunlight needs to be quite strong to light the tinder.

Well, replied Hatteras, we must stuff our stomachs with raw meat, and then we went on our way, as far as we could get to the ship. Yes!The doctor said, lost in thought, yes, technically it is possible, why not?we can try what are you thinkingHatteras asked. i have an idea an idea!cried Johnson, an idea of ​​yours!Then we are saved! Whether it will be successful, the doctor replied, is still a question! What are your plans?asked Hatteras. We don't have a lens, so let's make one. How to make it?Johnson asked. Use a piece of ice we chipped. What?What do you think? why not?This is what gathers the sun's rays to a common point, and ice helps us do this, like the best crystals.

is it possible?Johnson asked. Yes, it's just that I'd prefer freshwater ice to saltwater ice; freshwater ice is clearer and stronger. But, if I'm not mistaken, said Johnson, pointing to an ice mound less than a hundred paces away, this gray-and-green mass of ice You are right, come, my friends, take your axe, Johnson. The three of them walked towards the designated ice mound, which was indeed formed by freshwater ice. The doctor cut off a piece of ice a foot in diameter, and at first he chiseled hard with the axe, then he smoothed the surface of the ice with a knife, and at last he polished it little by little with his hands, and soon he obtained a transparent lens, as if it were Manufactured from the highest quality crystal.

Then he returned to the igloo, where he took a piece of tinder and began his experiments. The sun was quite dazzling; the doctor put the ice lens in the sun, and then connected it with tinder. The tinder ignited within seconds. Ulla!Ulla!exclaimed Johnson, who could not believe his eyes, ah!Mr Crawford!Mr Crawford! The old sailor could not conceal his delight; he ran to and fro like a madman. The doctor returned to the house, and a few minutes later the stove came up, and soon the smell of a delicious roast woke Bell from his torpor. One can guess how cheerful the meal was, but the doctor advised his companions to be moderate, and as he ate and preached to them, he spoke again. We had a happy day today, he said, and we had enough food for the rest of our journey.But we can't sleep in Cap's carnival, we'd better keep going. We were less than forty-eight hours away from the Pearl Boise.Altamon said he was almost fluent in speech. I hope, said the doctor with a smile, that we can find something for the fire there? Yes, the Americans replied. Because, even if my lenses are fine, the doctor said, it's hard to tell on a sunny day, and most of these days I'm walking within ten degrees of the pole! After all, Altamon replied with a sigh: less than ten degrees!Our ship got there, and no ship had ventured there before it! hit the road!Hatteras ordered decisively. hit the road!The doctor repeated, casting anxious glances at the two captains. Immediately the travelers regained their strength, and the dogs ate mostly bear offal, and they soon headed north. On the way, the doctor wanted Altamon to clarify the reason for his long journey, but the answer from the American was evasive. Look after the two, the doctor whispered in the old sailor's ear. yes!Johnson replied. Hatteras never addressed the Americans, who didn't seem to show much gratitude either!Thank goodness I'm here. Mr. Crowburny, answered Johnson, I don't like the way the Yankee has looked since he came to life. Either I'm mistaken, replied the Doctor, or he suspects Hatteras' plans! Do you believe this stranger thinks like him? Who knows, Johnson?Americans are bold and brave. What an Englishman wants to do, an American wants to do too! What do you think of Altamon? I don't think of anything, replied the doctor, but the state of his ship on the way to the Pole is incomprehensible. But, Altamon said, he was dragged involuntarily! He did!Yes, but I found a strange smile at the corner of his mouth. hell!A rivalry between two stout men is a nasty situation, Mr. Crawburn. I hope I am wrong, Johnson, for such a situation would complicate the situation and possibly lead to disaster! I hope Altamon doesn't forget that we saved his life! Didn't he save our lives?I admit he cannot live without us; but what would we be without him, without the provisions he kept? Anyway, Mr. Crawburn, here you are, and I hope with your help everything goes well. I hope so, Johnson. The trip went on without incident, there was no shortage of bear meat, they cooked a good meal, and there was a certain kind of friendliness in the little procession, thanks to the doctor's wisecracks and his kindness; The man who is wise always finds in his bag of wisdom some lesson of facts and things.His health remained excellent; he was not too thin, despite the fatigue and hunger he had experienced; and his Liverpool friends had no trouble recognizing him.Especially because of his kind, unchanging temper. On Saturday morning, the character of the vast ice sheet changed markedly; distorted ice masses, more usual packs of ice packs, and piled-up ice mounds, indicated that the ice sheet was under great pressure; apparently, some strange continent, some new The islands produced this undulation as their paths shortened.Freshwater ice blocks are more frequent and larger, indicating a nearby coast. Not far off lay a new continent, with which the doctor was anxious to supplement the map of the northern hemisphere.He could not bear the joy of discovering strange shores and marking them with pencil.This was the Doctor's aim, and if Hatteras's aim was to set foot on the Pole, he was the first to take great pleasure in these new continental seas, straits, bays, and tiniest crooks which he would name.Of course, in these glorious technical terms he does not ignore his companions, his friends, his merciful God, the royal family; Crowburny Headland. These thoughts occupied his mind all day.They camped as usual at night, each taking turns during the night spent near strange land. The next day, Sunday, the travelers ate a delicious and hearty bear's paw breakfast, and headed north, sloping a little to the west; the road was getting harder; but they were going fast. Altamon stood on the sled, watching the horizon with a kind of feverish attention, and his companions fell into a kind of reluctant apprehension.The last observations of the Sun gave a precise latitude of 83° 35' and a longitude of 120° 15'; this was the exact position of the American ship; and this question of life and death was about to be resolved. Finally, around two o'clock in the afternoon, Altamon stood up straight, shouted for the little procession to stop, and pointed to the white pile where any other eye would have Confusing it with a nearby iceberg, he exclaimed: The Pearl Boise!