Chapter 48 Chapter 16 North Pole Ravine

On May 29th, the sun did not set for the first time. The round sun set on the edge of the sky, brushed the horizon slightly, and then rose again immediately. People entered a 24-hour day.On the second day, the sun was surrounded by a beautiful halo, which shone with colorful brilliance.The occurrence was so frequent that it attracted the attention of the doctor, who has been recording the timing, size and appearance of the halos.The halo he observed that day took on a rare shape. Soon all kinds of birds came chirping again, flocks of great bustards and Canada geese came from far away places like Florida and Arkansas, and rushed northward at high speed, with the breath of spring under their wings.The doctor killed several of them, and he also took three or four precocious cranes and a lone stork.

Under the sunshine, the snow on all sides began to melt.Seawater gushing from crevasses and seal holes accelerates the melting of the ice.Ice that melts with seawater forms a dirty paste that Arctic navigators call slushie.The land around the bay became a vast swamp, growing like an arctic spring creature. The doctor planted his plants again, he had no shortage of seeds, and he was amazed to see a kind of acid film grow in the cracks of the stone, and he marveled at the creativity of nature, which took advantage of any opportunity to show itself.He sowed the watercress seeds, and three weeks later the seedlings were ten francs.Twenty five millimeters. 】Long.

The bushes, too, began to coyly reveal small, almost colorless buds.In short, the New World seems to be able to grow plants, and these rare plants look so pleasing to the eye.That's all the little sunlight can give, and this is the last memory of God, who has not forgotten this far-off land. Later, the weather got really hot.On June 15, the doctor saw that the thermometer showed 14°C.He couldn't believe his eyes, but the truth was right in front of him.The entire region has changed dramatically: countless waterfalls roar and cascade down sunlit mountaintops; the ice is melting, and the great problem of the Free Sea is finally solved.The air was filled with the sound of huge avalanches rolling down the ravine from the top of the mountain, and the cracking of the ice was also loud.

We went to Johnson Island, which is an inconspicuous island, steep and desolate.But the old boatswain was still very happy to name these reefs in the sea with his own name. He even wanted to engrave his name on a protruding reef, but almost fell to his death. Hatteras walked carefully to identify these areas beyond Cape Washington.The melting of the ice visibly altered the appearance of these regions, revealing ravines and hills that had been covered with snow like plains. The houses seemed to be falling apart, and constant renovations were needed to bring them back to their original condition.Fortunately, temperatures of fourteen degrees Celsius are rare here, and the average temperature is slightly above freezing.

Around June 15th, the construction of the boat was progressing rapidly, and the initial results were already showing.Bell and Johnson were busy building boats, while the others went hunting, and the harvest was rich.They hunted reindeer, an animal that is difficult to approach.Altamon used the method of his native Indians: lying on the ground, with his arm raised, he aimed his gun at the horns of the four-legged animal's head, and in this way he shot at a long range and hit every shot with success. The best game, though, was the musk ox, of which Parry had seen herds on Melville Island.In Victoria Bay, these musk oxen are rarely seen.Everyone decided to go further, not only wanting to catch this precious animal, but also wanting to discover the land of the East.Hatteras did not contemplate reaching the North Pole via this part of the continent, but the doctor was glad to have a general idea of ​​the region.So everyone decided to go to the east of the Citadel.Altamon wanted to hunt, and of course Dak wanted to join.

On Monday, June 17th, the weather was fine and the thermometer read five degrees Celsius.Fresh air.The three hunters, each with a two-shot shotgun, hatchet, and snow knife, left the doctor's house at six o'clock in the morning, followed by Dak.They are equipped with such equipment as they are going on a three- or four-day long trip, so they have brought enough food. At eight o'clock in the morning, Hatteras and his two companions had covered nearly seven miles.Not a single game hit their muzzles yet, and their hunt looked like it was turning into an excursion. This new region is the Great Plains that stretch as far as the eye can see.Here and there were brooks and marshes formed yesterday, great swamps glistening in the sun like ponds.The melted ice forms underfoot sedimentary soil, which is formed by the action of water and covers a wide area of ​​the earth's surface.

People also saw some huge glacial boulders with particularly strange shapes, and it is difficult to explain the appearance of these stones.There are slate and limestone everywhere, especially a lot of strange, transparent and colorless crystal stones, which have the unique luster of Icelandic stones. Although the doctor did not hunt, he was still unable to do geological work, and he trotted as a scholar, because his companions walked fast.Nevertheless, he studied the geology incessantly, and talked to his companions as much as he could, without whom absolute silence would surely have been maintained.Altamon had no desire to speak to the captain, and the captain would not answer him.

By ten o'clock in the morning the hunters had gone about twelve miles east.The sea is hidden from the horizon, and the doctor proposes to take a break and have lunch.Everyone finished eating quickly, and set off again half an hour later. The land descends in a gentle slope.Pieces of snow due to the shape of the rocks make the ground undulating, as if waves blown by a strong wind on the sea. The region always appeared to be a barren plain, and there was no sign of wild animals. Altamon said to the doctor: Obviously we have had bad luck hunting.It appears that this place provides little food for the beast.However, the arctic beast has no right to be too picky and should be more easy-going.

Let us not lose heart, replied the doctor, that the summer had just begun, and if Parry had encountered many different beasts on Melville Island, there was no reason why we should not encounter them here. But we're further north, Hatteras said. Of course, but North is only a word in this matter.We should be thinking about the North Pole, that is, the icy and snowy land where we and the forward spend the winter here.Besides, the farther we go, the farther we get from the coldest place on earth, we should be able to find what Parry, Ross, and the other navigators found there. At any rate, said Altamon with a sigh, we are travelers now, not hunters.

Be patient, said the doctor, the area is gradually changing, and I'm sure we'll be able to hunt where there's vegetation growing in some ravines. Admittedly, the Americans insisted that the area we were passing through was a no man's land and an uninhabitable place. ah!Uninhabitable!Seriously, said the doctor, I don't believe there is a place where you can't live.Through the efforts of generations, people can use all the agricultural resources to make such desolate areas rich. Do you really think so?Altamon asked. right!If you go to those famous places from the beginning of the world, Thebes [Note: The name of the ancient city of Egypt and Greece. ], Nineveh [Note: The capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire. ], Babylon, go to the fertile valleys where our ancestors lived, and you will think that it is impossible for people to live in such places.The air there has become stale since humans left.It is the laws of nature that make uninhabited or no longer inhabited areas dirty and barren.Remember this, that man himself builds his home by his being, his habits, his faculties, and I would even say by his breath.He gradually changed the smell and the environment of the land, he purified what he breathed!So when you say there are uninhabited areas, I agree, but when you say that there are uninhabitable areas, I absolutely agree.

These hunters became naturalists, and they went on, and they came to a valley, which was very wide, and at the bottom of the valley was a river, whose water had thawed.The valley faces south, so there are some plants growing on the sides and sides of the valley.The land still looks fertile.There were some green valleys that seemed to be in labor, and the doctor pointed out these obvious signs. You see, said the doctor, can't some daring settlers make a home in this valley?With their own ability and perseverance, they can completely change this place. I'm not talking about a temperate field, but a decent place.Hey!If I'm not mistaken, there are also four-legged inhabitants! Oh My God!These are ibex, cried Altamon, raising his gun. Wait, said the doctor, wait a minute, you crazy hunter!These poor animals don't even try to run away!Look, they are coming towards us! There were indeed three or four kids walking towards the three hunters through the undergrowth and the new moss, and they did not seem to be afraid of their presence.They ran happily, but that did not make Altamon lay down his arms. They soon came to the doctor, who stroked them and said: Why shoot at these critters who need petting?Killing them will do us no good. You are right, doctor, said Hatteras, they should be kept alive. And these redshanks lumbering along on long legs!cried Altamon. A flock of feathered birds came up to the hunters, unaware of the danger the doctor had just spoken of.Dak was also dumbfounded in astonishment. The spectacle is both strange and moving, these beautiful animals leaping and hopping unsuspectingly, they perch on Croubney's shoulders, play at his feet, willingly accept the hunter's caresses, they seem to be passionately Welcome these strange guests.Flocks of birds sang joyfully and flew from all directions in the valley.Doctor like a real wizard.The hunters continued along the bank, followed by the great flock of birds. At the corner of the small valley, they saw a caravan of seven or eight reindeer eating lichen half buried under the snow.These animals look very charming, graceful, and serene, with the female as well as the male, with serpentine side shoots bordered on them, their coat color looks like wool, and has replaced the winter white with the summer brown and light gray; They do not appear to be any more easily frightened, or more difficult to tame, than the hares or birds of this peaceful country.This is the relationship between the first man and the first animals at the beginning of the world. The hunters came among the deer, and they did not escape even a step; this time the doctor had a hard time restraining Altamon's instincts; idea.Hatteras looked excitedly at the gentle animals, who rubbed their nostrils against the coat of the doctor, who was the friend of all animals. But anyway, said Altamon, didn't we come to hunt? To beat the musk ox, Crowburne replied, nothing else!We don't know what this prey is for, we have enough food, let's enjoy the touching scene of this man playing with these peaceful animals, and don't let them be intimidated at all. That proves they've never seen a human, Hatteras said. Obviously, replied the doctor, from this observation it can be concluded that the animals did not come from America. Why?Altamon said. Had they been born on the continent of North America, they would have known what the two-handed, bipedal mammals called man were thinking, and it seemed to us that they were bound to flee!No, they probably came from the north, they were born in the strange regions of Asia that our kind have not approached, they crossed continents near the poles.So, Altamon, you have no right to call them countrymen. oh!A hunter, said Altamon, would not have studied so carefully, and the prey always belonged to the country of the man who killed it! Well, be at peace, my righteous Namrod!It seems to me that I would rather live my life without firing a shot than have these lovely creatures frightened.look!Dak feels like a brother to these beautiful animals.Believe me, be compassionate, if possible, compassion is a power! Well, well, replied Altamon, who does not quite understand the feeling, but I would like to see you use mercy as a weapon among bears or wolves! oh!I didn't say enchanting beasts, replied the doctor. I don't really believe in Orpheus's witchcraft; after all, bears and wolves don't treat us like hares, partridges, and reindeer. Why not, Altamon replied, if they had never seen a man? For the nature of these animals is ferocious, and ferocity, like malice, arouses suspicion; this is something the observant man readily observes in man and animal.Violence breeds distrust, and one who inspires fear, fear easily finds him. This little lesson of natural philosophy closes the conversation. The whole day was spent in the canyon which the doctor called Northern Arcadia, and his companions had no objection at all. When night came, the three hunters ate a meal that did not cost the lives of the inhabitants of this area. For the price of dinner, they slept in the crevices of the rocks, as if it was a comfortable shelter specially provided for them.