Chapter 45 Chapter 13 Landmines

As night fell, the lights began to dim in the oxygen-deprived living room. At eight o'clock, they made their final preparations.The gun was carefully loaded, and they made a hole in the vault of the igloo. A few minutes into the work, Bell was doing it expertly, when Johnson left the bedroom, where he had been watching, and walked quickly towards his companions. He looks worried. what's wrong with youthe captain asked him. What's wrong with me?fine!The old sailor answered hesitantly. But what happened?Altamon said. Be quiet!Didn't you hear a strange sound? in which direction?

over there!There is movement in the walls of the room! Bell stopped what he was doing; everyone was listening. A distant sound was clearly audible, as if from a side wall; evidently a hole in the ice. Scratch the wall!Johnson said. No doubt, replied Altamon. Bear?Bell said. right!It's a bear, said Altamon. They changed their strategy, the old sailor said again, they don't besiege us anymore! Or they thought they had us trapped!The American said he was furious. We will be attacked, Bell said. All right!Hatteras replied, let's fight hand to hand. hell!cried Altamon, I prefer this!I'm sick of these invisible enemies!Just wait and see, fight to the death!

Yes, Johnson replied, but without firing a shot, which is impossible in such a confined space. That's all!Take the axe!Take a knife! The noise grew louder; they could distinctly hear the scratching of claws; the bear was already attacking where the wall met the snow-covered slope against the rock. The wall-digging beast, Johnson said, was within six feet of us now. You have a point, Johnson, the Americans answer, but we have time to prepare for it! With an ax in one hand and a knife in the other, the American stood on tiptoe with his right foot and leaned forward in an attacking stance.Hatteras and Bell imitated him, and Johnson readied his gun in case he needed it.

The noise grew louder; the shattered ice crackled under the sharp grip of iron claws. In the end, only a thin layer separated the attacker from his opponents; suddenly, this thin layer split like a paper ring pulled by a clown, and a black, huge body appeared in the half-light. in the room. Altamon raised his hand with the knife and ax to strike. stop!For heaven's sake!A very familiar voice called. doctor!doctor!shouted Johnson. It was indeed the doctor, and he was huge, rolling into the middle of the room. Hello, my brave friends, he said, rising deftly to his feet. His companions were dumbfounded, but with amazement came joy, and every one wanted to embrace the venerable man; and Hatteras, greatly agitated, clasped him in his arms for a long time.The doctor returned him with a warm handshake.

Why, it's you, Mr. Crawburn!said the boatswain. It is I, my old Johnson, who worry more about your fate than you about mine. But how did you know we were attacked by a pack of bears?Asked Altamon: Our greatest fear is that you return to God's fortress untroubled and unaware of the danger. oh!I saw everything; replied the doctor, you reminded me by shooting, I was beside the wreck of the Perboise, I climbed a hill of ice, and I saw five bears following you; ah , I am so worried about you!But in the end your rolling down from the heights of the mountain and the hesitancy of the beast temporarily reassured me; I understood that you had time to fortify the house, so I got closer, climbing and sliding between the icebergs and when I came near the fort, I saw these gigantic beasts at work, like gigantic beavers, beating the snow and piling up the ice, and in a word they were going to bury you alive.It's a good thing they didn't think to pile the ice on top of the cone, otherwise you'd be crushed to pieces.

But, said Bell, you're not safe, Mr. Crawburn, won't they give up the place and run on you? They didn't expect that the Greenland dogs were released by Johnson and patrolled in close range many times. They could think of hunting these dogs. No, they thought they would get more delicious prey. Thanks for the compliment, Altamon said with a smile. oh!Nothing to be proud of.When I understood the bear's strategy, I decided to join you.It was more prudent to wait till night; likewise, as soon as the first rays of evening appeared, I slid quietly down the slope from the powder magazine.I chose this site with my own ideas, I wanted to dig a corridor.So I got to work, and I chipped away at the ice with a snow knife, which is an amazing tool, for sure!I shoveled, dug, and worked for three hours, and I'm hungry and tired now, but it's finally here

To share fate with us?Altamon said. For us all to be saved, but give me a biscuit and a piece of meat, and I'm starving. Immediately the doctor was nibbling a sizable piece of corned beef with his white teeth.As he ate, he prepared himself to answer the barrage of questions that were thrown at him. save us!Bell said again. No doubt, replied the doctor, flexing his muscles in order to answer. In fact, Bell said, now that Mr. Crowburne is here, we can go down the same path. Yes, answered the Doctor, let these wicked scum have their way, and we shall find our warehouses looted! Should stay here, Hatteras said.

No doubt, replied the Doctor, get rid of these beasts. Is there a way?Bell asked. There are sure ways, the doctor replied. I said, exclaimed Johnson, clapping his hands, that there is nothing to despair about with Mr. Crawford, for his scientist always has inventions in his pocket. oh!oh!My poor pockets are broke, but I've got a good look Doctor, said Altamon, bears don't come in through the tunnel you dug, do they? No, I've carefully plugged the hole; now we can go from here to the powder magazine without arousing their suspicion. good!Tell us now what you can do to rid us of these ridiculous visitors?

A very simple method, about which part of the work has already been done. How to do it? You will see.But I forget that I am not here alone. what do you mean?Johnson asked. I introduce a partner to you. As the doctor said this, he took out a fox he had just killed from the passage. a fox!bell yelled. My prey this morning, replied the doctor humbly, you will see that it has never been easier to shoot a fox. But anyway, what's your plan?Altamon asked. I dare say, replied the doctor, that a hundred pounds of powder could blow up all the bears together. Everyone looked at the doctor in surprise.

But what about gunpowder?Everyone asked him. In the warehouse. What about the warehouse? This tunnel leads there. I dug a twenty-meter-long tunnel for no reason. I could have opened the railing closer to the room, but I have my own ideas. Anyway, where did you dig this tunnel?asked the American. Just on the opposite side of the slope, that is, furthest from the houses, powder magazines, and storehouses. But how to attract all the bears? I am in charge, the doctor replied, Enough talk, let's do it.We had to dig a hundred feet of tunnels at night; it was tiring work, but there were five of us, and we did it well in turns.Bell gets to work, and in the meantime, we take a break.

Oh my god!cried Johnson, and the more I think about it, the better Mr. Crawford's method seems to me. That's more reliable, the doctor replied. oh!You say, these are dead bears, and already I feel their skins on my shoulders. Let's do it! The doctor crawled into the dark tunnel, Bell following him; where the doctor passed, his companions felt relieved.Two miners came to the middle of the neatly arranged powder kegs in the powder magazine.The doctor gave Bell the necessary instructions, the carpenter dug the opposite wall on which the slope rested, and his companion returned to the igloo. Bell worked for an hour, digging a tunnel about ten feet long, through which people could crawl.After this time, Altamon came to replace him, and he did the same work in almost the same time; the snow from the tunnel was carried to the kitchen, and the doctor melted it over the fire, so that It takes up less space. The captain followed closely behind the American, then Johnson.After ten hours, that is, nearly eight o'clock in the morning, the tunnel was fully opened. Just after the first rays of dawn the doctor watched the bears through the holes he had dug in the wall of the powder magazine. These patient beasts stayed where they were.They walked about there, howling loudly, but all in all they stood sentinel with exemplary fortitude; they prowled around the house, which was lost in the accumulation of ice.But the moment came when they seemed to be at the end of their patience, and the doctor saw them knock down their pile of ice in one fell swoop. good!he said to the captain standing beside him. what are they doingthe latter asked. I see they want to destroy their fortifications, come to us, but wait, they will be destroyed first.In conclusion, don't waste your time. The doctor slid down to the place where the tunnel had been dug, and there he had the room enlarged according to the width and height of the slope; on the heights there soon remained a layer of ice no more than a foot thick; It even needs to be propped up. A post, planted firmly on the granite floor, served as a post, and the dead fox was tied to the top, and a long rope was tied underneath, which ran from the storehouse to the powder magazine. The doctor's companions follow his instructions, but don't quite understand them. Here's the bait, he said, pointing to the fox. At the foot of the pole he had placed a keg containing a hundred pounds of powder. It's a landmine, he added. But, asked Hatteras, we're not going to blow ourselves up with the bear, are we? No!We are some distance from the explosion site; besides, our house is very strong, if it is a little scattered, we will rebuild it. Well, answered Altamon, but what do you do now? Thus, by pulling the rope, we brought down the post supporting the ice above the mine, and suddenly the dead fox appeared outside the slope, and you will admit without much effort that these long-starved beasts would not hesitate to pounce on it. Unexpected prey. That's right. Well, at this point, I ignite the mines, and I blow up the guests and the dinner all at once. good!good!cried Johnson, listening with interest to the conversation. Hatteras was so sure of his friend that no explanation was needed, and he waited.But Altamon wants to break the casserole and ask the end. Doctor, he said, how do you time the fuse to burn, and how precisely do you need it to explode at a fixed time? It's very simple, the doctor replied, I don't count. You have a hundred foot fuse? No. You just use a long powder trail? No, it doesn't work. Need someone to dedicate themselves to igniting a mine? If a man of conscience is needed, said Johnson eagerly, I will go. It is no use, my venerable friend, answered the doctor, holding out his hand to the old boatswain, that the lives of five of us are dear to us, for God's sake. Well, the Americans said, I don't guess. Looking at it, the doctor replied with a smile, what is the use of studying physics if you can't get out of this situation? ah!Johnson beamingly said, physics! right!Don't we have a battery and enough length of wire here for our lighthouses? Then what? Then we ignite the mines when we like, just for a moment, without danger. Ulla!shouted Johnson. Ulla!His companions repeated whether their enemies could hear them or not. Immediately, wires were running in the tunnel all the way from the room to where the mine was.One end wraps around the battery and the other protrudes into the center of the keg with a small gap in between. At nine o'clock in the morning, everything was ready.The time has come and the bear is on the verge of insane destruction. The doctor decided it was time.Johnson, who was in charge of firing at the rope attached to the pole in the powder magazine, took his position. Now, said the Doctor to his companions, Get your weapons ready, in case the besiegers are not killed all at once; stand beside Johnson, and run outside as soon as the blast is over. Agreed, the American replied. Now, we have done everything that humans can do!We will be helped!Let God help us! Hatteras, Altamon, and Bell came to the powder magazine.The doctor was alone with the battery. Soon, he heard Johnson's voice in the distance: Notice! everything is normal!he answered. Johnson fired a sharp shot at the rope, which flew toward him with the pole, and then ran to the loophole to look out. The surface of the slope has sunk.A dead fox appears on top of the crushed ice.The bears startled at first, then immediately huddled together and pounced on their new prey. fire!shouted Johnson. Immediately the doctor switched on the current between the wires; there was a huge explosion, the house shook like an earthquake, and the walls cracked.Hatteras, Altamon, and Bell rushed outside the powder magazine, ready to fire. But their weapons were useless, four of the five bears were blown off, fragments were everywhere, unrecognizable, mutilated, charred, and the last one was half-cooked, fast Ran away. Ulla!Ulla!Ulla!Croubney's companions cried out, and the latter, laughing, threw himself into their arms.