Chapter 47 Chapter 15 The Road to the Northwest

Bell, Altamon, and the doctor boarded the Pearl Boise the next day.There was no shortage of timber, and old three-masted ships wrecked by ice could provide bodies for new ones.The carpenter immediately went to work, and the boat to be built must be able to withstand the impact of the waves and be light enough to be carried away on a sled. In the last few days of May, the temperature rises, the thermometer rises back to the thaw temperature, spring returns, and this time winter hunters can take off their winter clothes. It rains often, and the snow falls like a waterfall, taking advantage of the occasional slope of the land.

Hatteras couldn't contain his joy at seeing the glacier showing signs of thawing.The free sea was freedom to him. If his pioneers got it wrong on the big question of the polar basin, that was what he wanted to know more than anything else, and all the success of his plan lay in it. That night, after a warm day, when the signs of melting were more evident, the captain began to discuss the subject of the free sea, which was of great interest to all. He repeated the series of reasons with which he was well acquainted, and maintained that the doctor was an ardent supporter of his theory.Still, there is some truth to his conclusions.

Apparently, he said, if the ice of the ocean facing Victoria Bay were to melt, then the south of it as far as New Cornua and the Queen's Canal would be free seas.Both Benny and Bilcher had seen it, and they must have. I believe it too, Hatteras.The doctor replied that there was nothing to doubt the good intentions of these fine seamen.Some tried in vain to explain their findings with mirages.But they appear overly certain, making the truth less convincing. I've always thought, Altamon said, that the polar basins extend not only to the west but also to the east. Presumably, Hatteras replied.

It should be assumed so, and the Americans said that the free sea that Benny and Captain Bilcher saw on the coast of Grinnell, Captain Kane also saw in the strait named after him, a brave scholar! We're not in the Cairn Sea now, Hatteras said, so we can't verify the facts. But at least we can assume that.Altamon said. Of course, the doctor said, he wanted to avoid a pointless argument, Altamon's idea should be the truth.Unless the special geographical location of the nearby area is different, generally the same phenomenon can appear at the same latitude.I also believe that the east and west are free seas.

Anyway, it doesn't matter much to us!Hatteras said. I don't agree with you, Hatteras, the Americans added, it's of considerable importance to us. When will I ask you? When I go back. go back!exclaimed Hatteras, who would have thought? Nobody, said Altamon, but we must stop somewhere, shall we? Where?asked Hatteras. For the first time, the question was posed directly to the Americans.The doctor was eager to interrupt the argument. Altamon did not answer, and the captain raised it again. Where?he asked. where we go!The American replied calmly. Who knows?Doctors want to be peacemakers.

I think, Altamon said again, that if we want to use the Polar Basin as our way back, we're going to try to get to the Cairn Sea, which takes us more directly to the Baffin Sea. Do you think so?said the captain sarcastically. I think so, and I also think that if these polar seas are navigable, we can take this route back, which is more direct.Dr. Kane's discovery is a great one! indeed so!Hatteras bit his lip when he said this. Yes, said the doctor, we cannot deny that fact.Whoever's merit should belong to whom. Before this brilliant seaman, said the obstinate American again, no one had gone farther north.

I hope so, said Hatteras, now that the British have caught up with him! And Americans!Altamon said. American!Hatteras replied. Who am I?said Altamon proudly. You are, Hatteras, who can't contain himself, a man who divides the credit evenly between chance and science!That American captain of yours went far north, but that was just by chance accidental!exclaimed Altamon, dare you say that his knowledge and courage are not worthy of such a great discovery? I mean, argues Hatteras, the name Cain is not worth mentioning in this place, where these seas were discovered by Parry, Franklin, Ross, Belcher, Benny Mike.Krull opens Northwest Channel

Mike.Cruel!The American vehemently retorted, you also mention this man, you object to accidental benefits?Didn't it just happen to help him? No, said Hatteras passionately, it was his courage, his tenacity to survive four winters in the snow and ice I believe, the American said, he was trapped and he couldn't come back.In the end he had to abandon his ship the Surveyor in order to return to England. My friends the doctor said. Besides, Altamon interrupted him and said, let's not talk about people, let's see the results.You speak of the Northwest Way, well said, the way is yet to be discovered!

Hatteras jumped up at this remark, for there was never a more irritating question between these two hostile peoples. The doctor still wanted to interject. You are mistaken, Altamon, he said. I'm not wrong, I stand by my opinion, this stubborn man says the North West Straits are yet to be discovered, to be traversed, if you prefer!Mike.Krull has not traveled this way to this day, and a ship from the Bering Strait has not reached the Baffin Sea! Generally speaking, this is the case.What can be the answer to the Americans? Hatteras stood up and said: I cannot bear the honor of an English captain to be long attacked before me!

You can't bear it, and the Americans stood up, but the facts are here, and your might can't destroy these facts. gentlemen!Hatteras blanched with anger. My friends, said the doctor, calm down!We're talking about science! Good Crawford would not like to see a scientific controversy mixed with the mutual hatred of an American and an Englishman. In fact, I'll tell you, Hatteras threatened, he couldn't hear anything. I say!The Americans retorted. Johnson and Bell were at a loss. Gentlemen, the doctor said loudly, you let me talk!I want to talk.I know the facts better than you do.Please allow me to speak impartially.

Yep!Johnson and Bell repeatedly said that they were worried about the development of the situation and they formed a united front with the doctors. Go, Crowburny, said Johnson, and these gentlemen will benefit from your advice, and we will all benefit from it. Speak!the Americans said. Hatteras sat down, and with a gesture of assent, he folded his arms. I'll tell you the truth, said the doctor, and you can correct me if I've left out or falsified a detail. We know you well, Mr. Crawburn, said Bell, and you don't have to worry if you say so. This is a map of the polar seas, the doctor said, and it is easy to find Mike on the map.Krull's sailing route, you can make judgments based on this. Spreading out on the table a map published by the Admiralty, containing the latest discoveries in the Arctic, the doctor went on: You know that in 1848 two ships sailed to the Bering Strait to find Franklin, the Herald, captained by Calais, and the Plover, commanded by Captain Moore.Their search was fruitless.In 1850, Mike.They were joined by Krull, who was leading the Prospector.The ship took part in the campaign of 1849 and was commissioned by James.Ross directed.His superior, Captain Collinson, followed with the Enterprise, but he reached the Bering Strait before Collinson.He claimed he couldn't wait too long and that he was going out alone and at his own risk.Altamon, listen to me, he will discover Franklin and the Northwest Channel. Altamon expressed neither his consent nor his disapproval. On August 5, 1850, the doctor said, Mike.Krull, after making his last contact with the Plover, set out for the sea eastward by an unknown road; you see, few places are marked on the map.On August 30th the young officer recorded Cape Baturster, and on September 6th he discovered Bering Island, and made it clear that it belonged to the Banks Islands, and also found Prince Albert island.So he decided to take the long strait that separates the two large islands, and he named it the Prince of Wales Strait.Let us use the power of imagination to enter this strait together with brave navigators!He wished to come out of Melville Sea, which we had crossed, and he was right in wishing.But the ice at the end of the strait became an insurmountable obstacle.Hindered Mike.Krull was out of service during the winter of 1850-1851.During this time he crossed the great ice to ascertain that the channel was connected to the Melville Sea. Yes, said Altamon, but he did not travel back in time. Wait, the doctor said, in this winter, Mike.Krull's men ran all over the nearby coasts, such as Cressville, Bering, Harthvelt, Prince Albert in the south, and Volker Point in the north.In July, as the thaw began, Mike.The second time Krull tried to steer the Prospector into Melville Sea, he made twenty nautical miles, just twenty nautical miles!But the wind was carrying him south, and he could not get over this obstacle.He decided to go back down the Prince of Wales Channel, round Banks Island, and try to do from the west what he had failed to do from the east.He turned the bow, and on the 18th he recorded Clay Island, and on the 19th he recorded Prince Alfred Island, which was twice as high.After a dogged struggle with the ice, he became stranded on the way to Banks Island, the mouth of a series of channels leading to the Baffin Sea. He has not been able to pass through them.Altamon replied. Don't worry, have Mike.Krull's patience.On September 26th he anchored for the winter at Marsh Bay, north of Banks Island, where he remained until 1852.April is here, Mike.Krull only had enough food left to last him eighteen months.But he didn't want to go back home, so he set off again.He crossed the Bunkers Strait to Melville Island.Let's follow him.He expected to find Colonel Austin's fleet here on the coast, which had sailed to meet him from the Baffin Sea and Lancaster Channel.On the twenty-eighth of April he arrived at Winterharbor, where Captain Parry had wintered thirty-three years before.But he did not find a boat, only found a document in the pile of stones, the document said Austin's second mate Mike.Clintock passed by this place last year and then left again.It must be desperate for other people, but Mike.Krull didn't despair.He placed a new document among the stones, in which he wrote that he wanted to return to England by the Northwest Way he had discovered by way of Lancaster Sound and Baffin Sea.If there is no further news of him, he may have gone north or west of Melville Island, and returned to Melsea Bay for a third winter, 1852-185. Three years of winter, he did not lose heart. I never doubted his courage, said Altamon, but his success. Go ahead and follow him.The doctor replied that in March, there were only two-thirds of the food left, and that winter was very cold, and prey could not be hunted.Mike.Krull decided to send half the crew back to England, either from the Baffin Sea, or from the Mackenzie River and Hudson Bay.The other half of the crew took the Prospector to Europe.He selected the weakest of his crew, for whom the fourth winter would be fatal.Their departure was scheduled for April 15th, and everything was ready.But on the 6th, Mike.Krull was walking on the ice with his second mate, Cresswell, when he saw a man running from the north, dancing and dancing.This man is Pym, the second mate of the Herald, the second mate of Captain Calais, who left Pym in the Bering Sea two years ago, as I said at the beginning.When Calais arrived at Winter Harbour, he found Mike.Knowing his situation in Marsh Bay, he sent the second mate Pym to meet the brave captain.Pym led a team of sailors on the Herald, including a French navy lieutenant deMr. Bray, who served as a volunteer under Captain Calais.You do not doubt the fact of this encounter with our compatriots? There is no doubt.Altamon said. Let's look at what happened later, whether this road to the northwest has really gone through.Note that if we combine Parry's findings with Mike's.Combined with Krull's discovery, we will find that the ship has circled the north coast of America. But not a ship.Altamon said. Not a boat, but a person.Let's move on.Mike.Krull went to Melville Island to visit Captain Calais. He spent twelve days walking through Meltiny Bay and Went.One hundred and seventy nautical miles between Harbour.He negotiated with the Herald ship, delivered his sick ship to the captain, and returned.If other people have been very satisfied with their own actions, but Mike.Krull, a brave young man, wanted to take another risk.Speaking of this, I want to remind you to pay special attention. His second officer, Creswell, accompanied the sick and disabled of the Surveyor to leave Marsh Bay and come to Winter.Harburg, and from there, after a voyage of 470 nautical miles through ice, reached Beecher Island on 2 June, and boarded the Flix with his twelve crew. I was, said Johnson, working with Captain Eaglefield, and we returned to England. On October 7, 1853, the doctor went on, Cresswell crossed the whole distance from Bering Strait to Cape Farewell to London. So, says Hatteras, arriving from one side and going out from the other is called crossing? Yes, said Altamon, but four hundred and seventy nautical miles on ice. Hey!What's the big deal? That's the point, replied the American, Mike.Has Krull's ship crossed? No, replied the doctor, after the fourth winter, Mike.Krull had to abandon his ship in the ice. In sailing, ships should pass by, not people.If the Northwest Road works, it should be crossed by boat, not by sledge.Therefore, the voyage should be done by boat, and if there is no boat, a small boat should be used. boat!cried Hatteras, realizing the meaning of the American's words. Altamon, said the doctor hastily, this distinction of yours is so childish that we think you are quite mistaken in this respect. It is not difficult for you, said Altamon, you are four to one.But I still stand by my opinion. You keep your opinion, Hatteras said, we won't listen to you any more. What right do you have to speak to me like that?exclaimed the American angrily. Captain Powers!Hatteras also roared angrily. Should I follow your orders?Artamon retorted. no doubt!unlucky for you if The doctor, Johnson, and Bell all stepped forward to intervene.The two enemies glared at each other, and the doctor was so nervous that his heart was about to jump out. After everyone's mediation, Altamon went to bed blowing the American national anthem, whether he fell asleep or not, anyway, he didn't say a word. Hatteras came out of the tent and took a long walk outside. He didn't come back until an hour later, and fell asleep without saying anything.