Chapter 38 Chapter 6 The Pearl Boise

March 24th is a great festival called Rameau Sunday. On this day, the streets of European villages and cities are filled with flowers and green leaves, and the bells are ringing in the air full of refreshing floral fragrance. up. But here, in this dreary place, how sad!How still!Only the sharp and biting cold wind, not a dead leaf, not a grass stalk! But this Sunday is also a joyous day for the travellers, for they are going to find the food, without which they will soon die. They quickened their pace, the dog pulled more vigorously, Duck barked with satisfaction, and the team quickly arrived at the American ship.

The Perleboise was completely covered in snow, she had no mast, no yard, no rigging, all her rigging had been broken in the wreck, and the ship was stuck in a place completely invisible at the moment. In the rock bed that arrived, the Pearl Boise has rolled over due to the strong impact, and its water entry part has been half-opened, and it seems uninhabitable. That's what the captain, the doctor, and Johnson confirmed after struggling to get into the cabin.It was necessary to clear more than fifteen feet of ice to reach the Great Hatch; but, to everyone's delight, they saw that the animals that had left many tracks on the ice sheet preserved a valuable food resource.

If we do have here, said Johnson, fuel and food, I don't think the hull will last. Well, a igloo should be built, Hatteras replied, and we are as settled as we can on land. No doubt, said the doctor again, but let's take it easy and do a good job.When we had to, we lived temporarily in the boat, and during this time we built a strong igloo, which protected us from the cold and from wild animals.I'm here to be an architect, you see how I do it! I don't doubt your talent, Mr. Crawburn!Johnson replied we try to settle here and take an inventory of what's in this boat, unfortunately I don't see either the dinghy or the boat, the debris is so bad we can't build a boat .

Who knows?The doctor replied that if we had time and thought, we could get things done. Now, the problem is not to sail, but to build a settled abode. I suggest no other plans, and everything should be done in due time. That makes sense, Hatteras replied, and we begin with the most urgent. The three companions left the boat, returned to the sled, and told Bell and the American what they thought.Bell announced the preparations; the American shook his head, saying that there was nothing to be done on board his ship; but, as such discussions were useless at the moment, they decided to take refuge in the Parboise and build a wide residence.

At four o'clock in the evening, the five travelers settled down at least on the lower deck, and Bell built a roughly level floor out of the spar's logs and broken masts, on which they put their ice-hard bedding, The heat of the fire soon brought them back to normal.With the help of the doctor, Altamon reached the corner reserved for him without much effort.No sooner had his foot set foot in the boat than he let out a sigh of satisfaction, which was not a very good omen in the bosun's opinion. He feels at home, thought the old sailor, as if he had invited us! The rest of the day was spent resting, and the weather was likely to change under the influence of the westerly wind; a thermometer placed outside indicated minus thirty-two degrees Celsius.

In conclusion, Perboise lies beyond the cold poles, at a relatively less cold latitude, though closer to the north. They ate what was left of the bear's meat for the day, with biscuits and a few cups of tea they found in the cabin; then weariness took hold, and everyone fell into a deep sleep. Hatteras and his companions woke up late in the morning, their minds running along new lines, the uncertainty of tomorrow no longer occupying their minds; they thought only of settling down comfortably.These victims saw themselves as migrants arriving at their destination, forgetting the hardships of the journey and thinking only about building a decent future.

oh!The doctor stretched out his arms and cried out, which is equivalent to not knowing where to sleep at night and what to eat tomorrow. Let's start taking stock of the ship, Johnson replied. The Pearl Boise was well equipped and well-fed for the voyage. The quantities of supplies counted were as follows: 6,150 pounds of flour, fat, and raisins for pudding; 2,900 pounds of beef and bacon, 1,500 pounds of dried meatloaf, 700 pounds of sugar, and as much chocolates; a carton and a half of tea weighing ninety-six pounds, fifty pounds of rice; many barrels of canned fruit and vegetables; plenty of marinara, horseradish, sour buns, and watercress seeds; three hundred gallons of rum Liquor and soju.The stores are rich in gunpowder, bullets, and buckshot; coal and wood are abundant.The doctor carefully took over the physical and nautical instruments, and there was even a Bunsen strong battery, which was used for electrical experiments.

In short, all kinds of materials are enough for five people to use for more than two years.Any worries of starving or freezing to death vanished. In this way, our lives are secured, said the doctor to the captain, and nothing can prevent us from going to the extreme. to the extreme!Hatteras answered tremblingly. Doubtless, said the doctor again: Who can prevent us from going to the Pole by land in summer? By land, yes!But through the ocean? Can't a boat be built from the planks of the Perboise? An American boat, isn't it?Hatteras replied contemptuously, commanded by this American!

The doctor understood the captain's disgust and felt that it was unnecessary to go any further.He changed the subject. Now that we know what to do with our supplies, he went on, a warehouse should be built for them and a house for us.There is no shortage of materials, and we can live very comfortably.I hope, Bell, added the doctor, turning to the carpenter, that you go ahead, my friend, and that I can give you some good advice. I'm ready, Mr. Crowburne, answered Bell, and I'll make a whole city out of these blocks of ice, with its houses and streets, if need be. oh!We don't need that much, let's take the example of the sergeant at Hudson's Bay, who built castles to protect them from wild beasts and Indians; Well, on the one hand is a residence, on the other hand is a warehouse, similar to a parapet and two fortresses, to protect us.Under these circumstances I endeavored to recall my knowledge of the ancient arts of encampment.

no doubt!Mr. Crawburn, said Johnson, I have no doubt that we are doing something great under your command. Well, my friends, first our address is chosen; a good engineer first fixes his place. Will you come, Hatteras? I entrust this matter to you, doctor, replied the captain. Come on, I will go to the coast. Altamon, still too weak to labor, was left in his ship while the English went to land. The sky was dark and overcast, and the thermometer at noon indicated twenty-three degrees below zero; but there was no wind and the temperature was tolerable. From the shore, a broad sea, completely frozen over, stretches westward as far as the eye can see; Here and there, it formed a wide bay, and here and there stood dangerous stones, from which the Perboise was wrecked; and on the far land, stood a mountain range, which the doctor estimated to be about a thousand meters above sea level. .To the north, a promontory juts out into the sea, covering part of the bay.An island of moderate size, or rather a small island, emerged on an ice-field three miles from the shore, so that, apart from the difficulty of accessing this anchorage, it was a sure and safe anchorage.In a half-moon-shaped indentation on the shore there is a small harbor that ships could easily enter, should this part of the Arctic Ocean thaw out.However, according to Bilcher and Benny, the whole sea is open in summer.

Halfway up the mountain the doctor noticed a kind of circular plateau about two hundred feet in diameter; it faced the bay on three sides, and on the fourth side was closed off by a sheer wall of forty meters high; it could be reached only by steps dug in the ice.This place is suitable for the foundation of a solid building, which is easy to hold, and naturally provides the preliminary conditions; it is enough to make use of the terrain. The doctor, Bell, and Johnson reached this plateau by cutting through the ice with an axe, and the plateaus are joined together.Having ascertained this excellent site, the doctor decided that the ten feet of hard snow which covered it should be removed, and that the dwelling and storehouse should be built on firm foundations. For three days in succession, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, they worked incessantly, and at last the ground appeared, consisting of hard, compact marble with edges as sharp as glass; The big crystal sparked when the pickaxe hit it. The doctor gave the size and drawings of the snow house; the length of the snow house should be forty feet, the width of twenty feet, and the height of ten feet; it is divided into three rooms, a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen; more There is no need for more.On the left is the kitchen; on the right is the bedroom, and in the middle is the living room. During these five days, the work was very hard.There is no lack of material; the ice walls should be thick enough to resist thawing, for one cannot risk having no shelter, even in summer. As the snow house is increasingly being built it shows good construction with four windows on the surface, two for the living room, one for the kitchen and one for the bedroom, the glass is made of beautiful slabs of ice , in the style of the Eskimos, let a soft light shine through like frosted glass. Between the two windows in front of the drawing-room, a corridor resembling a concealed passage stretched into the house; it was mysteriously closed by a solid door taken from the Perboise.When the house was completed, the doctor was very pleased with his result; it is very difficult to say what style the building belonged to, although the architect will admit that he preferred the Saxon Gothic, which is widespread in England; but first What should be considered is solidity. The doctor feels that adding solid wall stacks on the surface, thick and short like Roman columns, above, the steeply sloping roof leans against the granite wall.The latter is also used to support the chimney and vent the smoke to the outside. When the big project was finished, they got busy with interior decoration.They brought into the room the berths of the Perboise, which were arranged around a large stove.Upholstered benches, chairs, armchairs, tables, cupboards were also placed in the parlour, which served as a dining room, and finally the galley received the ship's stove with all its utensils.The sails laid on the ground served as carpets and also as curtains for inner doors that had no other means of closing. The walls of the houses were uniformly five feet thick, and the window frames were like blastholes. All of this is exceptionally strong, what more could they ask for?ah?What can't be done with ice and snow, as the doctor said?How easy it is to combine them into any configuration!All day long he conjures up countless beautiful plans, which he never thinks of realizing, but which, from the wellsprings of his spirit, provide some diversion to the common labor. In addition, as a rare book collector, he has read M.A very rare book by Kraft entitled "Details of the Construction and Furnishings of the Igloo in St. Petersburg, January 1740".This memory fueled his creative spirit.He even told his companions one evening about the beauty and charm of the ice palace. Do it in St. Petersburg, he said to them, can't we do it here?What are we missing?Not even a lack of imagination! Is it really magnificent?Johnson asked. It's like a wonderland, my friend!In 1740 the wedding of one of the jesters took place in the palace built at the behest of Tsarina Anna, which is about the same size as ours.But in front of the palace's façade, six cannons of ice rested on their mounts; they fired bullets and powder many times, and these cannons did not explode; and chiseled mortars for sixty-pounder , we can also build a great cannon if necessary; copper is not far away, it fell from the sky.But what is interesting and artistic is the pediment of the palace, decorated with very beautiful ice statues; the steps look like vases and orange trees made of the same material; on the right stands a stone brain that sprays water during the day and ignites at night. The giant elephant of oil.Um!How perfect our setup would be, if only we would! In terms of beasts, Johnson retorted, we have no shortage of, I suppose, they're not made of ice, nor are they lacking in fun! Well, answered the belligerent doctor, we have means of dealing with their attacks, but let me go back to my St. Petersburg palace, and I will add that there are tables, dressing tables, mirrors, candelabras, candles, beds, Sheets, pillows, curtains, clocks, chairs, playing cards, a fully equipped cupboard, everything cut, cut, carved out of ice, in short a complete set of furniture, nothing is lacking. Is this a real palace?Bell said. A magnificent palace, befitting a queen!ah!ice!What a good thing Heaven has done to invent it, for it produces so many wonderful things, and does good to the victims! The igloo was furnished until the 31st of March: it was Easter, and it was a day of rest; they spent the whole day in the drawing-room, reading the scriptures, and everyone admiring the perfect construction of the igloo. The next day they were busy building the warehouse and the powder magazine, which took about a week or so, including the unloading of the Perleboise, which was not without difficulty, as the temperature Long working hours are allowed.Finally, on the 8th of April, food, fuel, and equipment were placed on solid ground and fully sheltered, with the storehouses on the north side of the plateau and the powder magazines on the south side of the plateau, about sixty feet from each side of the house, in the storehouses. A dog nest was built nearby to house Greenland breed dogs, and doctors named it the Dog Palace.Duck also lives with the pack of dogs. Next, the doctor set about Xuegong's defensive measures.Under his command, the plateau was surrounded by a veritable fortress of ice, protecting it from all encroachments, its height itself a natural danger, for it had neither concave nor convex corners, and it was very solid on all planes. .When the doctor organized the defense system, he couldn't help thinking of the respectable Toby.De.In the style of Uncle Steiner, he also has a good heart and a good temper.It should be up to him to calculate the slope of the inner slope, the slope of the base and the width of the berm, but with such high quality snow, the job is so easy to do, it's a real pleasure and a well-meaning engineer can teach him The ice wall was seven feet thick, and, moreover, the plateau was near the sea, and he needed no barriers, nor outer slopes, nor open fields; The two ends of the house are connected.These emplacement works were completed towards the fifteenth of April.The fort is complete, and the doctor looks very proud of his work. Indeed, such a fortress would have long held off the Eskimo tribes, had a similar foe been encountered at such latitudes, but there was no trace of man on this shore, and Hatteras, as he surveyed the contours of the bay, did not Seeing a igloo so common in areas frequented by Greenlandic tribes, the victims of the Vampire and the Perlboise appeared to be the first to set foot in this unfamiliar territory. But even if man is nothing to fear, animals are very suspect, and a fortress so defended is supposed to protect its small army from them.