Chapter 46 Chapter 14 Spring at the North Pole

The prisoners were liberated, and they were ecstatic to express their heartfelt thanks to the doctor.Old Johnson was a little sorry for those bear skins, which had been burned so badly that they could no longer be used, but this regret did not affect his happy mood. The whole day was spent repairing the igloo damaged by the explosion.The stones which the beast had piled up around the house were cleared away, and the walls were filled up again.Under the command of the boatswain, the work went on very quickly, and the boatswain's singing was very melodious. The next day, the temperature changed significantly.A sudden change in wind direction raises the temperature.People and everything felt this obvious change, and the slight southerly wind brought the first breath of polar spring.

The warm weather lasted for several days.The thermometer sometimes reached minus three degrees Celsius in sheltered places, and there were already signs of thawing. The ice was cracking, and sea water gushed out here and there, like a fountain in an English park.A few days later, it began to rain heavily. Thick fog rises from the sea of ​​snow, which is a good sign.These huge blocks of ice are about to melt.The bleak sun showed some color, drawing longer spiral lines on the sky.There are only three hours at night. There was one more obvious sign of spring: some arctic geese, plovers, and grouse had returned in flocks.The air gradually filled with their deafening calls, which were still fresh in the memory of last year's voyagers.Hares, which are easy to hunt, also occur on the coast; and arctic mice, whose small burrows form regular systems of burrows.

The doctor told his companions that the animals were beginning to shed their winter white coats and grow back their summer plumage; These animals provide food.One can feel a new life surging beneath the melting snow. But with these harmless animals come their vicious enemies.Foxes and wolves tracked their prey, their somber howls echoing through the short night. The wolves of this region are close relatives of dogs, and they bark like dogs, often able to fool the most sensitive ears, such as those of canines.Some even say the wolves use this trick to lure dogs and then eat them.People in the Hudson Bay area have discovered this phenomenon, and doctors have also seen it in the New World.Johnson doesn't let his dogs run off on their own, fearing they'll be duped.

Duck is well-informed, and his cleverness prevents him from falling into the mouth of wolves. During these fifteen days, we hunted a lot of prey.Fresh meat is plentiful.The prey that were killed included partridges and snow peacocks, all of which were delicious food.The hunters did not stay away from the Citadel of God. It can be said that these prey were all actively hitting the muzzle of the gun.The appearance of prey makes the quiet beach lively, and Victoria Bay presents a pleasing scene. The fifteen days following the bear incident were spent in these activities.Thawing is faster than before.The thermometer rose to minus two degrees Celsius.Streams began to rush in the ravines, and thousands of waterfalls appeared on the hillsides.

The doctor cleared out a mile of land, and in it he sowed the seeds of watercress, sour buns, and horseradish, which have a strong resistance to scurvy.When the cold swept over his kingdom again with lightning speed, the doctor had seen green shoots bursting out of the ground. A night of strong north winds dropped the temperature by dozens of degrees, and everything froze again. Birds, quadrupeds, and amphibians disappeared like magic.The Seal Cave was also closed, the crevasse disappeared, and the ice became as hard as a rock again. The waterfall was frozen in mid-air, like a long crystal column.

The scenery has completely changed.All this happened during the night of May 11th and 12th.When Bear put his nose outside in the morning to touch the horrific ice and snow, he nearly froze his nose. well!This ghost North Pole!The doctor said disappointedly, this is your trick!never mind!I just lost some seedlings. Hatteras was less calm about the matter, for he was anxious to carry on his research, but there was nothing he could do about it. Will this temperature last for a long time?Johnson asked. No, my friend, it will not.Croubney replied that it was the last blow of the cold!You know this is its hometown, and you can't drive it away if it resists.

He is very good at defending himself.Bell rubbed his face. yes!I should have waited, said the doctor, instead of sacrificing my seeds like a fool.I could totally grow them by the kitchen stove. What!Altamon said, you should have expected this big drop in temperature? Of course, and without witchcraft!I should have my seed directly under the patronage of the saints of Marmer, Pancras, and Servan, whose festivals are the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth of this month. Doctor, said Altamon, what effect do these three saints have on the temperature? Great influence, if we are to believe the horticulturists, who call these three saints the Three Saints of Ice and Snow.

Please tell me why? Because there is usually a short cold snap in May.This big drop in temperature occurred from the eleventh to the thirteenth of this month.It's true, and here's why. This is very strange, how to explain it?asked the American. There are two explanations: one is that at this time of year, there are the greatest number of meteors between the earth and the sun; the other is that the melting of snow must absorb a lot of heat.Both reasons make sense.Should it be fully accepted?I am not sure as well.But I'm not sure of the value of this explanation either.But I am a firm believer in the truth of the facts, and cannot forget this and waste my seeds no longer.

The doctor is telling the truth.Whatever the reason, the rest of May was unseasonably cold.Hunting had to stop, not only because of the cold, but also because the game was completely invisible.Fortunately the stock of fresh meat was not exhausted. These winter people have nothing to do again.During the fifteen days from May 11th to the 25th, their monotonous life encountered only one incident: the carpenter suddenly fell ill with diphtheria.His tonsils were so swollen and covered with a pseudomembrane that doctors quickly identified them.For a doctor this is his profession, and the disease, unforeseen, was quickly brought under control.The treatment Bell received was simple, and the pharmacy was not far away. The doctor just put a few small ice cubes in the patient's mouth. After a few hours, the redness and swelling began to subside, and the pseudomembrane disappeared.Twenty-four hours later, Bell was able to walk on the ground.

Everyone was full of praise for the doctor's medical skills, and the doctor replied: This place is a diphtheria-prone area, so the medicine for treatment should be near the disease to be cured. Medicine is important, but doctors are more important. Johnson said that the image of doctors in his mind is getting bigger and bigger. During these spare days the doctor decided to have a serious talk with the captain: he wanted to persuade Hatteras to change his mind and go north again, and to take a skiff or boat across the channel and bay.The opinionated captain had officially declared his objection to building a small boat from what was left of the American ship.

The doctor didn't know how to talk about it.But this matter must be decided as soon as possible, because June will be the peak tourist season.He thought for a long time, and finally one day he took Hatteras aside and asked him gently: Hatteras, do you consider me a friend? Of course, the captain replied loudly, best friend, maybe even only friend. If I made a suggestion to you, and the doctor said, You did not ask me, would you think that my suggestion was in the public interest? Yes, because I know you don't listen to self-interest.But what would you like to suggest? Hold on, Hatteras.I have one more question for you.Do you think I'm a good Englishman like you, a man bent on doing good to our country? Hatteras looked at the doctor in amazement. Yes.He replied, and at the same time asked the purpose of his question with his eyes. You want to reach the North Pole, the doctor said again, I understand your ambitions, and I have such ambitions.But to achieve this, we have to do some necessary things. Haven't I sacrificed everything so far to be successful? No, Hatteras, you did not sacrifice your personal vendettas.Now I see that you are prepared to deny the means necessary to get there. oh!Hatteras replied, you mean the boat, and the man Hatteras, please speak and consider all aspects of this matter calmly and without emotion.This coast on which we winter is likely to be interrupted, and nothing proves to us that it will extend northward.If the information you've gotten so far is correct, we're going to encounter large areas of ice-free ocean during this summer month.Facing the ice-free and navigable Arctic Ocean, what if we lack the tools to cross it? Hatteras was speechless. Would you rather be a few nautical miles away from the North Pole without being able to get there? Hatteras put his head in his hands. Now, the doctor said again, let's look at the moral side of the matter.I understand that an Englishman sacrifices his property and life to fight for the honor of England!But because with an American ship, a small ship made of a useless wreck, will reach new shores and cross new oceans, does that diminish the value of the new discovery?If you found yourself an old boat on this coast, would you hesitate to take advantage of it?Does the benefit of success belong only to the leader of the expedition?I ask you, is not this ship, built by four Englishmen, English from start to finish? Hatteras remained silent. No, said Crawford, frankly, it's not the boat you're bothered about, it's the man. Yes, doctor, that's right, said the captain, the American, I hate him, fate threw him in my way To save you! To destroy me!I feel he despises me, he speaks here as a master, he thinks he holds my fate in his hands, guesses my plans.When it came time to name these newly discovered lands, hadn't his wolf ambition been revealed?Did he admit what he wanted to do in these areas?I've always had a thought tormenting me, and you can't get me to let go of it: this man is the head of an expedition sent by the American government. Then wait and see, Hatteras, who proves that this expedition is to reach the North Pole?Couldn't the US try to take the Northwest Passage like the UK did?At any rate, Altamon knows nothing of your plans, for neither Johnson nor Bell nor you nor I confided a word to him. Well, he's been kept in the dark the whole time! He'll know eventually, because we can't leave him here alone. Why?The captain said slightly angrily, couldn't he stay alone in the Citadel? He won't agree, Hatteras.It would be imprudent and inhumane to leave this man here alone with no certainty that we will find him when we return.Altamon will come, he must come!Because there is no need to let him know the truth now, don't tell him anything.Hurry up and build the ship to the new coast. Hatteras could not decide whether to accept his friend's suggestion, and his friend waited for his answer, which he did not answer. What if the man doesn't agree to have his boat broken up?The captain finally asked the question. If this happens, you're on your case.You can build the boat against his objections, and he can count on nothing. God let him refuse!Hatteras said. Before refusing, the doctor said that the request should be made first, and I will do it. At dinner that same day, Crowburni talked about the activities planned for the summer months, which were hydrographic surveys of the coastline. I suppose, he asked Altamon, you will come with us? Of course, the Americans replied that it was necessary to know how far the New World stretched. Hatteras stared at him closely as he answered. To do this, Altamont said, it was necessary to make good use of what was left of the Perboise to build a robust ship capable of taking us great distances. Did you hear that, Bell?The doctor said loudly, we will start working tomorrow.