The FurCountry by Jules Verne (2024)

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Fur Country, by Jules Verne#31 in our series by Jules VerneCopyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check thecopyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributingthis or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this ProjectGutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit theheader without written permission.Please read the "legal small print," and other information about theeBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included isimportant information about your specific rights and restrictions inhow the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make adonation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts****eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971*******These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****Title: The Fur Country Seventy Degrees North LatitudeAuthor: Jules VerneRelease Date: September, 2005 [EBook #8991]Last Updated: December 31, 2018Edition: 10Language: EnglishCharacter set encoding: UTF-8*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FUR COUNTRY ***Produced by N. WolcottLinked table of contents provided by David Widger

THE FUR COUNTRY by Jules Verne

[Redactor's Note: The Fur Country(Number V010 in theT&M numerical listing of Verne's works) is a translation of Le Pays defourrures (1873) first published in England by Sampson and Low and in theUnited States by James Osgood (1874). The translation is by N. d'Anvers, apseudonym for Mrs. Arthur Bell (d. 1933) who also translated other works ofJules Verne. Other translations of this work are by Henry Frith (GeorgeRoutledge, 1879) and Edward Baxter (New Canada Press, 1987).

A listing of the illustrations in the original editions is provided as wellas a table of contents for each part. The illustrations are assigned numberswhich refer to the part of the book, chapter, and order (a,b,c etc.) for usewhen an illustrated version is created.

This redaction is by N. Wolcott (nwolcott2@post.harvard.edu) who assumes allresponsibility for errors of omission or commission. ]

THE FUR COUNTRY

or

Seventy Degrees North Latitude

Translated from the French of Jules Verne

BY

N. D'ANVERS

With One Hundred Illustrations

1874

TO MY NEPHEWS

HERBERT, EDGAR, AND ROBERT

This Translation

is

AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED,

N. D'ANVERS

Clapham, 1873

THE FUR COUNTRY.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

CONTENTS
Part I

CHAPTER I.

A SOIREE AT FORT RELIANCE.

On the evening of the 17th March 1859, Captain Craventy gave a fete at FortReliance. Our readers must not at once imagine a grand entertainment, such as acourt ball, or a musical soiree with a fine orchestra. Captain Craventy'sreception was a very simple affair, yet he had spared no pains to give iteclat.

In fact, under the auspices of Corporal Joliffe, the large room on theground-floor was completely transformed. The rough walls, constructed ofroughly-hewn trunks of trees piled up horizontally, were still visible, it istrue, but their nakedness was disguised by arms and armour, borrowed from thearsenal of the fort, and by an English tent at each corner of the room. Twolamps suspended by chains, like chandeliers, and provided with tin reflectors,relieved the gloomy appearance of the blackened beams of the ceiling, andsufficiently illuminated the misty atmosphere of the room. The narrow windows,some of them mere loop-holes, were so encrusted with hoar-frost, that it wasimpossible to look through them; but two or three pieces of red bunting, tastilyarranged about them, challenged the admiration of all who entered. The floor, ofrough joists of wood laid parallel with each other, had been carefully swept byCorporal Joliffe. No sofas, chairs, or other modern furniture, impeded the freecirculation of the guests. Wooden benches half fixed against the walls, hugeblocks of wood cut with the axe, and two tables with clumsy legs, were all theappliances of luxury the saloon could boast of. But the partition wall, with anarrow door leading into the next room, was decorated in a style alike costlyand picturesque. From the beams hung magnificent furs admirably arranged, theequal of which could not be seen in the more favoured regions of Regent Streetor the Perspective-Newski. It seemed as if the whole fauna of the ice-boundNorth were here represented by their finest skins. The eye wandered from thefurs of wolves, grey bears, polar bears, otters, wolverenes, beavers, muskrats,water pole-cats, ermines, and silver foxes; and above this display was aninscription in brilliantly-coloured and artistically shaped cardboard-the mottoof the world-famous Hudson's Bay Company-

"PROPELLE CUTUM."

"Really, Corporal Joliffe, you have surpassed yourself !" said CaptainCraventy to his subordinate.

"I think I have, I think I have !" replied the Corporal; "but honour to whomhonour is due, Mrs Joliffe deserves part of your commendation; she assisted mein everything."

"A wonderful woman, Corporal."

"Her equal is not to be found, Captain."

An immense brick and earthenware stove occupied the centre of the room, witha huge iron pipe passing from it through the ceiling, and conducting the denseblack smoke into the outer air. This stove contained a roaring fire constantlyfed with fresh shovelfuls of coal by the stoker, an old soldier speciallyappointed to the service. Now and then a gust of wind drove back a volume ofsmoke into the room, dimming the brightness of the lamps, and adding freshblackness to the beams of the ceiling, whilst tongues of flame shot forth fromthe stove. But the guests of Fort Reliance thought little of this slightinconvenience; the stove warmed them, and they could not pay too dearly for itscheering heat, so terribly cold was it outside in the cutting north wind.

The storm could be heard raging without, the snow fell fast, becoming rapidlysolid and coating the already frosted window panes with fresh ice. The whistlingwind made its way through the cranks and chinks of the doors and windows, andoccasionally the rattling noise drowned every other sound. Presently an awfulsilence ensued. Nature seemed to be taking breath; but suddenly the squallrecommenced with terrific fury. The house was shaken to its foundations, theplanks cracked, the beams groaned. A stranger less accustomed than thehabitues of the fort to the war of the elements, would have asked if theend of the world were come.

But, with two exceptions, Captain Craventy's guests troubled themselveslittle about the weather, and if they had been outside they would have felt nomore fear than the stormy petrels disporting themselves in the midst of thetempest. Two only of the assembled company did not belong to the ordinarysociety of the neighbourhood, two women, whom we shall introduce when we haveenumerated Captain Craventy's other guests: these were, Lieutenant JasparHobson, Sergeant Long, Corporal Joliffe, and his bright active Canadian wife, acertain Mac-Nab and his wife, both Scotch, John Rae, married to an Indian womanof the country, and some sixty soldiers or employes of the Hudson's Bay Company.The neighbouring forts also furnished their contingent of guests, for in theseremote lands people look upon each other as neighbours although their homes maybe a hundred miles apart. A good many employes or traders came from FortProvidence or Fort Resolution, of the Great Slave Lake district, and even fromFort Chippeway and Fort Liard further south. A rare break like this in themonotony of their secluded lives, in these hyberborean regions, was joyfullywelcomed by all the exiles, and even a few Indian chiefs, about a dozen, hadaccepted Captain Craventy's invitation. They were not, however, accompanied bytheir wives, the luckless squaws being still looked upon as little better thanslaves. The presence of these natives is accounted for by the fact that they arein constant intercourse with the traders, and supply the greater number of furswhich pass through the hands of the Hudson's Bay Company, in exchange for othercommodities. They are mostly Chippeway Indians, well grown men with hardyconstitutions. Their complexions are of the peculiar reddish black colour alwaysascribed in Europe to the evil spirits of fairyland. They wear very picturesquecloaks of skins and mantles of fur, with a head-dress of eagle's feathers spreadout like a lady's fan, and quivering with every motion of their thick blackhair.

Such was the company to whom the Captain was doing the honours of FortReliance. There was no dancing for want of music, but the "buffet" admirablysupplied the want of the hired musicians of the European balls. On the tablerose a pyramidal pudding made by Mrs Joliffe's own hands; it was an immensetruncated cone, composed of flour, fat, rein-deer venison, and musk beef. Theeggs, milk, and citron prescribed in recipe books were, it is true, wanting, buttheir absence was atoned for by its huge proportions. Mrs Joliffe served outslice after slice with liberal hands, yet there remained enough and to spare.Piles of sandwiches also figured on the table, in which ship biscuits took theplace of thin slices of English bread and butter, and dainty morsels of cornedbeef that of the ham and stuffed veal of the old world. The sharp teeth of theChippeway Indians made short work of the tough biscuits; and for drink there wasplenty of whisky and gin handed round in little pewter pots, not to speak of agreat bowl of punch which was to close the entertainment, and of which theIndians talked long afterwards in their wigwams.

Endless were the compliments paid to the Joliffes that evening, but theydeserved them; how zealously they waited on the guests, with what easy gracethey distributed the refreshments! They did not need prompting, they anticipatedthe wishes of each one. The sandwiches were succeeded by slices of theinexhaustible pudding, the pudding by glasses of gin or whisky.

"No, thank you, Mr Joliffe."

"You are too good, Corporal; but let me have time to breathe."

"Mrs Joliffe, I assure you, I can eat no more."

"Corporal Joliffe, I am at your mercy."

"No more, Mrs Joliffe, no more, thank you!"

Such were the replies met with on every side by the zealous pair, but theirpowers of persuasion were such that the most reluctant yielded in the end. Thequantities of food and drink consumed were really enormous. The hubbub ofconversation increased. The soldiery and employes became excited. Here the talkwas of hunting, there of trade. What plans were laid for next season! The entirefauna of the Arctic regions would scarcely supply game enough for theseenterprising hunters. They already saw bears, foxes, and musk oxen, fallingbeneath their bullets, and pole-cats by hundreds caught in their traps. Theirimagination pictured the costly furs piled up in the magazines of the Company,which was this year to realise hitherto unheard of profits. And whilst thespirits thus freely circulated inflamed the imagination of the Europeans, thelarge doses of Captain Craventy's "fire-water" imbibed by the Indians had anopposite effect. Too proud to show admiration, too cautious to make promises,the taciturn chiefs listened gravely and silently to the babel of voices aroundthem.

The captain enjoying the hurly burly, and pleased to see the poor people,brought back as it were to the civilised world, enjoying themselves sothoroughly, was here, there, and everywhere, answering all inquiries about thefete with the words

"Ask Joliffe, ask Joliffe !"

And they asked Joliffe, who had a gracious word for every body.

Some of those employed in the garrison and civil service of Fort Reliancemust here receive a few words of special notice, for they were presently to gothrough experiences of a most terrible nature, which no human perspicacity couldpossibly have foreseen. Amongst others we must name Lieutenant Jaspar Hobson,Sergeant Long, Corporal and Mrs Joliffe, and the two foreign women alreadyalluded to, in whose honour Captain Craventy's fete was given.

Jaspar Hobson was a man of forty years of age. He was short and slight, withlittle muscular power; but a force of will which carried him successfullythrough all trials, and enabled him to rise superior to adverse circumstances.He was " a child of the Company." His father, Major Hobson, an Irishman fromDublin, who had now been dead for some time, lived for many years at FortAssiniboin with his wife. There Jaspar Hobson was born. His childhood and youthwere spent at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. His father brought him upstrictly, and he became a man in self-control and courage whilst yet a boy inyears. Jaspar Hobson was no mere hunter, but a soldier, a brave and intelligentofficer. During the struggles in Oregon of the Hudson's Bay Company with therival companies of the Union, he distinguished himself by his zeal andintrepidity, and rapidly rose to the rank of lieutenant. His well-known meritled to his appointment to the command of an expedition to the north, the aim ofwhich was to explore the northern shores of the Great Bear Lake, and to found afort on the confines of the American continent. Jaspar Hobson was to set out onhis journey early in April.

If the lieutenant was the type of a good officer, Sergeant Long was that of agood soldier. He was a man of fifty years of age, with a rough beard that lookedas if it were made of cocoa-nut fibre. Constitutionally brave, and disposed toobey rather than to command. He had no ambition but to obey the orders hereceived never questioning them, however strange they might appear, neverreasoning for himself when on duty for the Company-a true machine in uniform;but a perfect machine, never wearing out; ever on the march, yet never showingsigns of fatigue. Perhaps Sergeant Long was rather hard upon his men, as he wasupon himself. He would not tolerate the slightest infraction of discipline, andmercilessly ordered men into confinement for the slightest neglect, whilst hehimself had never been reprimanded. In a word, he was a man born to obey, andthis self-annihilation suited his passive temperament. Men such as he are thematerials of which a formidable army is formed. They are the arms of theservice, obeying a single head. Is not this the only really powerfulorganisation? The two types of fabulous mythology, Briareus with a hundred armsand Hydra with a hundred heads, well represent the two kinds of armies; and in aconflict between them, which would be victorious? Briareus without a doubt !

We have already made acquaintance with Corporal Joliffe. He was the busy beeof the party, but it was pleasant to hear him humming. He would have made abetter major-domo than a soldier; and he was himself aware of this. So he calledhimself the " Corporal in charge of details," but he would have lost himself ahundred times amongst these details, had not little Mrs Joliffe guided him witha firm hand. So it came to pass, that Corporal Joliffe obeyed his wife withoutowning it, doubtless thinking to himself, like the philosopher Sancho, "awoman's advice is no such great thing, but he must be a fool who does not listento it."

It is now time to say a few words of the two foreign women already alluded tomore than once. They were both about forty years old, and one of them welldeserved to take first rank amongst celebrated female travellers. The name ofPaulina Barnett, the rival of the Pfeiffers, Tinnis, and Haimaires of Hull, hasbeen several times honourably mentioned at the meetings of the RoyalGeographical Society. In her journeys up the Brahmaputra, as far as themountains of Thibet, across an unknown corner of New Holland, from Swan Bay tothe Gulf of Carpentaria, Paulina Barnett had given proof of the qualities of agreat traveller. She had been a widow for fifteen years, and her passion fortravelling led her constantly to explore new lands. She was tall, and her face,framed in long braids of hair, already touched with white, was full of energy.She was near-sighted, and a double eye-glass rested upon her long straight nose,with its mobile nostrils. We must confess that her walk was somewhat masculine,and her whole appearance was suggestive of moral power, rather than of femalegrace. She was an Englishwoman from Yorkshire, possessed of some fortune, thegreater part of which was expended in adventurous expeditions, and some newscheme of exploration had now brought her to Fort Reliance. Having crossed theequinoctial regions, she was doubtless anxious to penetrate to the extremelimits of the hyperborean. Her presence at the fort was an event. The governorof the Company had given her a special letter of recommendation to CaptainCraventy, according to which the latter was to do all in his power to forwardthe design of the celebrated traveller to reach the borders of the Arctic Ocean.A grand enterprise! To follow in the steps of Hearne, Mackenzie, Rae, Franklin,and others. What fatigues, what trials, what dangers would have to be gonethrough in the conflict with the terrible elements of the Polar climate! Howcould a woman dare to venture where so many explorers have drawn back orperished? But the stranger now shut up in Fort Reliance was no ordinary woman;she was Paulina Barnett, a laureate of the Royal Society.

We must add that the celebrated traveller was accompanied by a servant namedMadge. This faithful creature was not merely a servant, but a devoted andcourageous friend, who lived only for her mistress. A Scotchwoman of the oldtype, whom a Caleb might have married without loss of dignity. Madge was aboutfive years older than Mrs Barnett, and was tall and strongly built. The two wereon the most intimate terms; Paulina looked upon Madge as an elder sister, andMadge treated Paulina as her daughter.

It was in honour of Paulina Barnett that Captain Craventy was this eveningtreating his employes and the Chippeway Indians. In fact, the lady traveller wasto join the expedition of Jaspar Hobson for the exploration of the north. It wasfor Paulina Barnett that the large saloon of the factory resounded with joyfulhurrahs. And it was no wonder that the stove consumed a hundredweight of coal onthis memorable evening, for the cold outside was twenty-four degrees Fahrenheitbelow zero, and Fort Reliance is situated in 61? 47' N. Lat., at least fourdegrees from the Polar circle.

CHAPTER II.

THE HUDSON'S BAY FUR COMPANY.

"Captain Craventy?"

"Mrs Barnett?"

What do you think of your Lieutenant, Jaspar Hobson?"

"I think he is an officer who will go far."

"What do you mean by the words, Will go far? Do you mean that he will gobeyond the Twenty-fourth parallel?"

Captain Craventy could not help smiling at Mrs Paulina Barnett's question.They were talking together near the stove, whilst the guests were passingbackwards and forwards between the eating and drinking tables.

"Madam," replied the Captain, "all that a man can do, will be done by JasparHobson. The Company has charged him to explore the north of their possessions,and to establish a factory as near as possible to the confines of the Americancontinent, and he will establish it."

"That is a great responsibility for Lieutenant Hobson !" said thetraveller.

"It is, madam, but Jaspar Hobson has never yet drawn back from a task imposedupon him, however formidable it may have appeared."

"I can quite believe it, Captain," replied Mrs Barnett, "and we shall now seethe Lieutenant at work. But what induces the Company to construct a fort on theshores of the Arctic Ocean?"

"They have a powerful motive, madam," replied the Captain.

"I may add a double motive. At no very distant date, Russia will probablycede her American possessions to the Government of the United States. [*1] Whenthis cession has taken place, the Company will find access to the Pacific Oceanextremely difficult, unless the North-west passage discovered by Mc'Clure bepracticable. [*1 Captain Craventy's prophecy has since been realised.] Freshexplorations will decide this, for the Admiralty is about to send a vessel whichwill coast along the North American continent, from Behring Strait to CoronationGulf, on the eastern side of which the new-Art is to be established. If theenterprise succeed, this point will become an important factory, the centre ofthe northern fur trade. The transport of furs across the Indian territoriesinvolves a vast expenditure of time and money, whereas, if the new route beavailable, steamers will take them from the new fort to the Pacific Ocean in afew days."

"That would indeed be an important result of the enterprise, if thisNorth-west passage can really be used," replied Mrs Paulina Barnett; "but Ithink you spoke of a double motive."

"I did, madam," said the Captain, "and I alluded to a matter of vitalinterest to the Company. But I must beg of you to allow me to explain to you ina few words how the present state of things came about, how it is in fact thatthe very source of the trade of this once flourishing Company is in danger ofdestruction."

The Captain then proceeded to give a brief sketch of the history of thefamous Hudson's Bay Company.

In the earliest times men employed the skins and furs of animals as clothing.The fur trade is therefore of very great antiquity. Luxury in dress increased tosuch an extent, that sumptuary laws were enacted to control too greatextravagance, especially in furs, for which there was a positive passion. Vairand the furs of Siberian squirrels were prohibited at the middle of the 12thcentury.

In 1553 Russia founded several establishments in the northern steppes, andEngland lost no time in following her example. The trade in sables, ermines, andbeavers, was carried on through the agency of the Samoiedes; but during thereign of Elizabeth, a royal decree restricted the use of costly furs to such anextent, that for several years this branch of industry was completelyparalysed.

On the 2nd May, 1670, a licence to trade in furs in the Hudson's BayTerritory was granted to the Company, which numbered several men of high rankamongst its shareholders : the Duke of York, the Duke of Albemarle, the Earl ofShaftesbury, &c. Its capital was then only ?8420. Private companies wereformidable rivals to its success; and French agents, making Canada theirheadquarters, ventured on hazardous but most lucrative expeditions. The activecompetition of these bold hunters threatened the very existence of the infantCompany.

The conquest of Canada, however, somewhat lessened the danger of itsposition. Three years after the taking of Quebec, 1776, the fur trade received anew impulse. English traders became familiar with the difficulties of trade ofthis kind; they learned the customs of the country, the ways of the Indians andtheir system of exchange of goods, but for all this the Company as yet made noprofits whatever. Moreover, towards 1784 some merchants of Montreal combined toexplore the fur country, and founded that powerful North-west Company, whichsoon became the centre of the fur trade. In 1798 the new Company shipped furs tothe value of no less than ?120,000, and the existence of the Hudson's BayCompany was again threatened.

We must add, that the North-west Company shrank from no act, howeveriniquitous, if its interests were at stake. Its agents imposed on their ownemployes, speculated on the misery of the Indians, robbed them when they hadthemselves made them drunk, setting at defiance the Act of Parliament forbiddingthe sale of spirituous liquors on Indian territory; and consequently realisingimmense profits, in spite of the competition of the various Russian and Americancompanies which had sprung up-the American Fur Company amongst others, foundedin 1809, with a capital of a million of dollars, which was carrying onoperations on the west of the Rocky Mountains.

The Hudson's Bay Company was probably in greater danger of ruin than anyother; but in 1821, after much discussion, a treaty was made, in accordance withwhich its old rival the North-west Company became amalgamated with it, the tworeceiving the common title of "The Hudson's Bay Fur Company."

Now the only rival of this important association is the American St Louis FurCompany. The Hudson's Bay Company has numerous establishments scattered over adomain extending over 3,700,000 square miles. Its principal factories aresituated on James Bay, at the mouth of the Severn, in the south, and towards thefrontiers of Upper Canada, on Lakes Athapeskow, Winnipeg, Superior, Methye,Buffalo, and near the Colombia, Mackenzie, Saskatchewan, and Assiniboin rivers,&c. Fort York, commanding the course of the river Nelson, is theheadquarters of the Company, and contains its principal fur depot. Moreover, in1842 it took a lease of all the Russian establishments in North America at anannual rent of ?40,000, so that it is now working on its own account the vasttracts of country between the Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean. It has sent outintrepid explorers in every direction: Hearne, towards the Polar Sea, in 1770,to the discovery of the Coppermine River; Franklin, in 1819 to 1822, along 5550miles of the American coast; Mackenzie, who, after having discovered the riverto which he gave his name, reached the shores of the Pacific at 52? 24' N. Lat.The following is a list of the quantities of skins and furs despatched to Europeby the Hudson's Bay Company in 1833-34, which will give an exact idea of theextent of its trade:-

 Beavers . . . . . . . . . . . 1,074 Skins and young Beavers,. . 92,288 Musk Rats,. . . . . . . . . 694,092 Badgers,. . . . . . . . . . 1,069 Bears,. . . . . . . . . . . 7,451 Ermines,. . . . . . . . . . 491 Foxes, . . . . . . . . . . . 9,937 Lynxes, . . . . . . . . . . 14,255 Sables, . . . . . . . . . . 64,490 Polecats, . . . . . . . . . 25,100 Otters, . . . . . . . . . . 22,303 Racoons,. . . . . . . . . . 713 Swans, . . . . . . . . . . 7,918 Wolves, . . . . . . . . . . 8,484 Wolverines, . . . . . . . . 1,571

Such figures ought to bring in a large profit to the Hudson's Bay Company,but unfortunately they have not been maintained, and for the last twenty yearshave been decreasing.

The cause of this decline was the subject of Captain Craventy's explanationto Mrs Paulina Barnett.

"Until 1839, madam," said he, "the Company was in a flourishing condition. Inthat year the number of furs exported was 2,350,000, but since then the tradehas gradually declined, and this number is now reduced by one-half atleast."

"But what do you suppose is the cause of this extraordinary decrease in theexportation of furs?" inquired Mrs Barnett.

"The depopulation of the hunting territories, caused by the activity, and, Imust add, the want of foresight of the hunters. The game was trapped and killedwithout mercy. These massacres were conducted in the most reckless andshort-sighted fashion. Even females with young and their little ones did notescape. The consequence is, that the animals whose fur is valuable have becomeextremely rare. The otter has almost entirely disappeared, and is only to befound near the islands of the North Pacific. Small colonies of beavers havetaken refuge on the shores of the most distant rivers. It is the same with manyother animals, compelled to flee before the invasion of the hunters. The traps,once crowded with game, are now empty. The price of skins is rising just when agreat demand exists for furs. Hunters have gone away in disgust, leaving nonebut the most intrepid and indefatigable, who now penetrate to the very confinesof the American continent."

"Yes," said Mrs Paulina Barnett, "the fact of the fur-bearing animals havingtaken refuge beyond the polar circle, is a sufficient explanation of theCompany's motive in founding a factory on the borders of the Arctic Ocean."

"Not only so, madam," replied the Captain, "the Company is also compelled toseek a more northern centre of operations, for an Act of Parliament has latelygreatly reduced its domain."

"And the motive for this reduction?" inquired the traveller.

"A very important question of political economy was involved, madam; onewhich could not fail greatly to interest the statesmen of Great Britain. In aword, the interests of the Company and those of civilisation are antagonistic.It is to the interest of the Company to keep the territory belonging to it in awild uncultivated condition. Every attempt at clearing ground was pitilessly puta stop to, as it drove away the wild animals, so that the monopoly enjoyed bythe Hudson's Bay Company was detrimental to all agricultural enterprise. Allquestions not immediately relating to their own particular trade, wererelentlessly put aside by the governors of the association. It was thisdespotic, and, in a certain sense, immoral system, which provoked the measurestaken by Parliament, and, in 1837, a commission appointed by the ColonialSecretary decided that it was necessary to annex to Canada all the territoriessuitable for cultivation, such as the Red River and Saskatchewan districts, andto leave to the Company only that portion of its land which appeared to beincapable of future civilisation. The next year the Company lost the westernslopes of the Rocky Mountains, which it held direct from the Colonial Office,and you will now understand, madam, how the agents of the Company, having losttheir power over their old territories, are determined before giving up theirtrade to try to work the little known countries of the north, and so open acommunication with the Pacific by means of the North-west passage."

Mrs Paulina Barnett was now well informed as to the ulterior projects of thecelebrated Company. Captain Craventy had given her a graphic sketch of thesituation, and it is probable he would have entered into further details, hadnot an incident cut short his harangue.

Corporal Joliffe announced in a loud voice that, with Mrs Joliffe'sassistance, he was about to mix the punch. This news was received as itdeserved. The bowl-or rather, the basin-was filled with the precious liquid. Itcontained no less than ten pints of coarse rum. Sugar, measured out by MrsJoliffe, was piled up at the bottom, and on the top floated slices of lemonshrivelled with age. Nothing remained to be done but to light this alcoholiclake, and the Corporal, match in hand, awaited the order of his Captain, as ifhe were about to spring a mine.

"All right, Joliffe !" at last said Captain Craventy.

The light was applied to the bowl, and in a moment the punch was in flames,whilst the guests applauded and clapped their hands. Ten minutes afterwards,full glasses of the delightful beverage were circulating amongst the guests,fresh bidders for them coming forward in endless succession, like speculators onthe Stock Exchange.

"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! three cheers for Mrs Barnett! A cheer for theCaptain."

In the midst of these joyful shouts cries were heard from outside. Silenceimmediately fell upon the company assembled.

"Sergeant Long," said the Captain, "go and see what is the matter."

And at his chief's order, the Sergeant, leaving his glass unfinished, leftthe room.

CHAPTER III.

A SAVANT THAWED.

Sergeant Long hastened to the narrow passage from which opened the outer doorof the fort, and heard the cries redoubled, and combined with violent blows onthe postern gate, surrounded by high walls, which gave access to the court. TheSergeant pushed open the door, and plunging into the snow, already a foot deep;he waded through it, although half-blinded by the cutting sleet, and nipped bythe terrible cold.

"What the devil does any one want at this time of night?" exclaimed theSergeant to himself, as he mechanically removed the heavy bars of the gate;"none but Esquimaux would dare to brave such a temperature as this!"

"Open! open! open!" they shouted from without.

"I am opening," replied Sergeant Long, who really seemed to be a long timeabout it.

At last the door swung open, and the Sergeant was almost upset by a sledge,drawn by six dogs, which dashed past him like a flash of lightning. WorthySergeant Long only just escaped being crushed, but he got up without a murmur,closed the gate, and returned to the house at his ordinary pace, that is to say,at the rate of seventy-five strides a minute.

But Captain Craventy, Lieutenant Jaspar Hobson, and Corporal Joliffe werealready outside, braving the intense cold, and staring at the sledge, white withsnow, which had just drawn up in front of them.

A man completely enveloped in furs now descended from it,

"Fort Reliance?;" he inquired.

"The same," replied the Captain.

"Captain Craventy?"

"Behold him! Who are you?"

"A courier of the Company."

"Are you alone?"

"No, I bring a traveller."

"A traveller! And what does he want?"

"He is come to see the moon."

At this reply, Captain Craventy said to himself the man must be a fool. Butthere was no time to announce this opinion, for the courier had taken an inertmass from the sledge, a kind of bag covered with snow, and was about to carry itinto the house, when the Captain inquired

"What is that bag?"

"It is my traveller," replied the courier.

"Who is this traveller?"

"The astronomer, Thomas Black."

"But he is frozen."

"Well, he must be thawed."

Thomas Black, carried by the Sergeant, the Corporal, and the courier, nowmade his entrance into the house of the fort, and was taken to a room on thefirst floor, the temperature of which was bearable, thanks to a glowing stove.He was laid upon a bed, and the Captain took his hand.

It was literally frozen. The wrappers and furred mantles, in which ThomasBlack was rolled up like a parcel requiring care, were removed, and revealed aman of about fifty. He was short and stout, his hair was already touched withgrey, his beard was untrimmed, his eyes were closed, and his lips pressedtogether as if glued to one another. If he breathed at all, it was so slightlythat the frost-work on the windows would not have been affected by it. Joliffeundressed him, and turned him rapidly on to his face and back again, with thewords-

"Come, come, sir, when do you mean to return to consciousness?"

But the visitor who had arrived in so strange a manner showed no signs ofreturning life, and Corporal Joliffe could think of no better means to restorethe lost vital heat than to give him a bath in the bowl of hot punch.

Very happily for Thomas Black, however, Lieutenant Jaspar Hobson had anotheridea.

"Snow, bring snow!" he cried.

There was plenty of it in the court of Fort Reliance; and whilst the Sergeantwent to fetch the snow, Joliffe removed all the astronomer's clothes. The bodyof the unfortunate man was covered with white frost-bitten patches. It wasurgently necessary to restore the circulation of the blood in the affectedportions. This result Jaspar Hobson hoped to obtain by vigorous friction withthe snow. We know that this is the means generally employed in the polarcountries to set going afresh the circulation of the blood arrested by theintense cold, even as the rivers are arrested in their courses by the icy touchof winter. Sergeant Loin soon returned, and he and Joliffe gave the new arrivalsuch a rubbing as he had probably never before received. It was no soft andagreeable friction, but a vigorous shampooing most lustily performed, more likethe scratching of a curry-comb than the caresses of a human hand.

And during the operation the loquacious Corporal continued to exhort theunconscious traveller.

"Come, come, sir. What do you mean by getting frozen like this. Now, don't beso obstinate !"

Probably it was obstinacy which kept Thomas Black from deigning to show asign of life. At the end of half an hour the rubbers began to despair, and wereabout to discontinue their exhausting efforts, when the poor man sighed severaltimes.

"He lives; he is coming to !" cried Jaspar Hobson.

After having warmed the outside of his body, Corporal Joliffe hurried to dothe same for the inside, and hastily fetched a few glasses of the punch. Thetraveller really felt much revived by them; the colour returned to his cheeks,expression to his eyes, and words to his lips, so that Captain Craventy began tohope that he should have an explanation from Thomas Black himself of his strangearrival at the fort in such a terrible condition.

At last the traveller, well covered with wraps, rose on his elbow, and saidin a voice still faint

"Fort Reliance?"

"The same," replied the Captain.

"Captain Craventy?"

"He is before you, and is happy to bid you welcome. But may I inquire whatbrings you to Fort Reliance?"

"He is come to see the moon," replied the courier, who evidently thought thisa happy answer.

It satisfied Thomas Black too, for he bent his head in assent andresumed-

"Lieutenant Hobson?"

"I am here," replied the Lieutenant.

"You have not yet started?"

"Not. yet, sir."

"Then," replied Thomas Black, "I have only to thank you, and to go to sleepuntil to-morrow morning."

The Captain and his companions retired, leaving their strange visitor to hisrepose. Half an hour later the fete was at an end, and the guests hadregained their respective homes, either in the different rooms of the fort, orthe scattered houses outside the enceinte.

The next day Thomas Black was rather better. His vigorous constitution hadthrown off the effects of the terrible chill he had had. Any one else would havedied from it; but he was not like other men.

And now who was this astronomer? Where did he come from? Why had heundertaken this journey across the territories of the Company in the depth ofwinter? What did the courier's reply signify?- To see the moon! The moon couldbe seen anywhere; there was no need to come to the hyperborean regions to lookat it!

Such were the thoughts which passed through Captain Craventy's mind. But thenext day, after an hour's talk with his new guest, he had learned all he wishedto know.

Thomas Black was an astronomer attached to the Greenwich Observatory, sobrilliantly presided over by Professor Airy. Mr Black was no theorist, but asagacious and intelligent observer; and in the twenty years during which he haddevoted himself to astronomy, he had rendered great services to the science ofouranography. In private life he was a simple nonentity; he existed only forastronomy; he lived in the heavens, not upon the earth; and was a truedescendant of the witty La Fontaine's savant who fell into a well. He could talkof nothing but stars and constellations. He ought to have lived in a telescope.As an observer be had not his rival; his patience was inexhaustible; he couldwatch for months for a cosmical phenomenon. He had a specialty of his own, too;he had studied luminous meteors and shooting stars, and his discoveries in thisbranch of astronomical science were considerable. When ever minute observationsor exact measurements and definitions were required, Thomas Black was chosen forthe service; for his clearness of sight was something remarkable. The power ofobservation is not given to everyone, and it will not therefore be surprisingthat the Greenwich astronomer should have been chosen for the mission we areabout to describe, which involved results so interesting for selenographicscience.

We know that during a total eclipse of the sun the moon is surrounded by aluminous corona. But what is the origin of this corona? Is it a real substance?or is it only an effect of the diffraction of the sun's rays near the moon? Thisis a question which science has hitherto been unable to answer.

As early as 1706 this luminous halo was scientifically described. The coronawas minutely examined during the total eclipse of 1715 by Lonville and Halley,by Maraldi in 1724, by Antonio de'Ulloa in 1778, and by Bonditch and Ferrer in1806; but their theories were so contradictory that no definite conclusion couldbe arrived at. During the total eclipse of 1842, learned men of allnations-Airy, Arago, Keytal, Langier, Mauvais, Otto, Struve, Petit, Baily,&c.-endeavoured to solve the mystery of the origin of the phenomenon; but inspite of all their efforts, "the disagreement," says Arago, "of the observationstaken in different places by skilful astronomers of one and the same eclipse,have involved the question in fresh obscurity, so that it is now impossible tocome to any certain conclusion as to the cause of the phenomenon." Since thiswas written, other total eclipses have been studied with no better results.

Yet the solution of the question is of such vast importance to selenographicscience that no price would be too great to pay for it. A fresh opportunity wasnow about to occur to study the much-discussed corona. A total eclipse of thesun-total, at least, for the extreme north of America, for Spain and NorthAfrica-was to take place on July 18th, 1860. It was arranged between theastronomers of different countries that simultaneous observations should betaken at the various points of the zone where the eclipse would be total. ThomasBlack was chosen for the expedition to North America, and was now much in thesame situation as the English astronomers who were transported to Norway andSweden on the occasion of the eclipse of 1851.

It will readily be imagined that Thomas Black seized with avidity theopportunity offered him of studying this luminous halo. He was also to examineinto the nature of the red prominences which appear on different parts of theedge of the terrestrial satellite when the totality of the eclipse hascommenced; and should he be able satisfactorily to establish their origin, hewould be entitled to the applause of the learned men of all Europe.

Thomas Black eagerly prepared for his journey. He obtained urgent letters ofrecommendation to the principal agents of the Hudson's Bay Company. Heascertained that an expedition was to go to the extreme north of the continentto found a new fort. It was an opportunity not to be lost; so he set out,crossed the Atlantic, landed at New York, traversed the lakes to the Red Riversettlement, and pressed on from fort to fort in a sledge, under the escort of acourier of the Company; in spite of the severity of the winter, braving all thedangers of a journey across the Arctic regions, and arriving at Fort Reliance onthe 19th March in the condition we have described.

Such was the explanation given by the astronomer to Captain Craventy. He atonce placed himself entirely at Mr Black's service, but could not refrain frominquiring why he had been in such a great hurry to arrive, when the eclipse wasnot to take place until the following year, 1860?

"But, Captain," replied the astronomer, "I heard that the Company was sendingan expedition along the northern coast of America, and I did not wish to missthe departure of Lieutenant Hobson."

"Mr Black," replied the Captain, "if the Lieutenant had already started, Ishould have felt it my duty to accompany you myself to the shores of the PolarSea."

And with fresh assurances of his willingness to serve him, the Captain againbade his new guest welcome to Fort Reliance.

CHAPTER IV.

A FACTORY.

One of the largest of the lakes beyond the 61st parallel is that called theGreat Slave Lake; it is two hundred and fifty miles long by fifty across, and issituated exactly at 61? 25' N. lat. and 114? W. long. The surrounding districtsslope down to it, and it completely fills a vast natural hollow. The position ofthe lake in the very centre of the hunting districts. once swarming with game,early attracted the attention of the Company. Numerous streams either take theirrise from it or flow into it-the Mackenzie, the Athabasca, &c.; and severalimportant forts have been constructed on its shores-Fort Providence on thenorth, and Fort Resolution on the south. Fort Reliance is situated on thenorth-east extremity, and is about three hundred miles from the Chesterfieldinlet, a long narrow estuary formed by the waters of Hudson's Bay.

The Great Slave Lake is dotted with little islands, the granite and gneiss ofwhich they are formed jutting up in several places. Its northern banks areclothed with thick woods, shutting out the barren frozen district beyond, notinaptly called the "Cursed Land." The southern regions, on the other band, areflat, without a rise of any kind, and the soil is mostly calcareous. The largeruminants of the polar districts-the buffaloes or bisons, the flesh of whichforms almost the only food of the Canadian and native hunters-seldom go furthernorth than the Great Slave Lake.

The trees on the northern shores of the lake form magnificent forests. Weneed not be astonished at meeting with such fine vegetation in this remotedistrict. The Great Slave Lake is not really in a higher latitude than Stockholmor Christiania. We have only to remember that the isothermal lines, or belts ofequal heat, along which heat is distributed in equal quantities, do not followthe terrestrial parallels, and that with the same latitude, America is ever somuch colder than Europe. In April the streets of New York are still white withsnow, yet the latitude of New York is nearly the same as that of the Azores. Thenature of a country, its position with regard to the oceans, and even theconformation of its soil, all influence its climate.

In summer Fort Reliance was surrounded with masses of verdure, refreshing tothe sight after the long dreary winter. Timber was plentiful in these forests,which consisted almost entirely of poplar, pine, and birch. The islets on thelake produced very fine willows. Game was abundant in the underwood, even duringthe bad season. Further south the hunters from the fort successfully pursuedbisons, elks, and Canadian porcupines, the flesh of which is excellent. Thewaters of the Slave Lake were full of fish; trout in them attained to an immensesize, their weight often exceeding forty pounds. Pikes, voracious lobes, a sortof charr or grayling called " blue fish," and countless legions of tittamegs,the Coregonus of naturalists, disported themselves in the water, so thatthe inhabitants of Fort Reliance were well supplied with food. Nature providedfor all their wants; and clothed in the skins of foxes, martens, bears, andother Arctic animals, they were able to brave the rigour of the winter.

The fort, properly so called, consisted of a wooden house with a ground-floorand one upper storey. In it lived the commandant and his officers. The barracksfor the soldiers, the magazines of the Company, and the offices where exchangeswere made, surrounded this house. A little chapel, which wanted nothing but aclergyman, and a powder-magazine, completed the buildings of the settlement. Thewhole was surrounded by palisades twenty-five feet high, defended by a smallbastion with a pointed roof at each of the four corners of the parallelogramformed by the enceinte. The fort was thus protected from surprise, a necessaryprecaution in the days when the Indians, instead of being the purveyors of theCompany, fought for the independence of their native land, and when the agentsand soldiers of rival associations disputed the possession of the rich furcountry.

At that time the Hudson's Bay Company employed about a million men on itsterritories. It held supreme authority over them, an authority which could eveninflict death. The governors of the factories could regulate salaries, andarbitrarily fix the price of provisions and furs; and as a result of thisirresponsible power, they often realised a profit of no less than three hundredper cent.

We shall see from the following table, taken from the " Voyage of CaptainRobert Lade," on what terms exchanges were formerly made with those Indians whohave since become the best hunters of the Company. Beavers' skins were then thecurrency employed in buying and selling.

The Indians paid-

But a few years ago beaver-skins became so scarce that the currency had to bechanged. Bison-furs are now the medium of trade. When an Indian presents himselfat the fort, the agents of the Company give him as many pieces of wood as hebrings skins, and he exchanges these pieces of wood for manufactured articles onthe premises; and as the Company fix the price of the articles they buy andsell, they cannot fail to realise large profits.

Such was the mode of proceeding in Fort Reliance and other factories; so thatMrs Paulina Barnett was able to watch the working of the system during her stay,which extended until the 16th April. Many a long talk did she have withLieutenant Hobson, many were the projects they formed, and firmly were they bothdetermined to allow no obstacle to check their advance. As for Thomas Black, henever opened his lips except when his own special mission was discussed. He waswrapped up in the subject of the luminous corona and red prominences of themoon; he lived but to solve the problem, and in the end made Mrs Paulina Barnettnearly as enthusiastic as himself. How eager the two were to cross the ArcticCircle, and how far off the 18th July 1860 appeared to both, but especially tothe impatient Greenwich astronomer, can easily be imagined.

The preparations for departure could not be commenced until the middle ofMarch, and a month passed before they were completed. In fact, it was aformidable undertaking to organise such an expedition for crossing the Polarregions. Everything had to betaken with them-food, clothes, tools, arms,ammunition, and a nondescript collection of various requisites.

The troops, under the command of Lieutenant Jaspar Hobson, were one chief andtwo subordinate officers, with ten soldiers, three of whom took their wives withthem. They were all picked men, chosen by Captain Craventy on account of theirenergy and resolution. We append a list of the whole party:-

In all, nineteen persons to be transported several hundreds of miles througha desert and imperfectly-known country.

With this project in view, however, the Company had collected everythingnecessary for the expedition. A dozen sledges, with their teams of dogs, were inreadiness. These primitive vehicles consisted of strong but light planks joinedtogether by transverse bands. A piece of curved wood, turning up at the end likea skate, was fixed beneath the sledge, enabling it to cleave the snow withoutsinking deeply into it. Six swift and intelligent dogs, yoked two and two, andcontrolled by the long thong brandished by the driver, drew the sledges, andcould go at a rate of fifteen miles an hour.

The wardrobe of the travellers consisted of garments made of reindeer-skins,lined throughout with thick furs. All wore linen next the skin as a protectionagainst the sudden changes of temperature frequent in these latitudes. Each one,officer or soldier, male or female, wore seal-skin boots sewn with twine, in themanufacture of which the natives excel. These boots are absolutely impervious,and are so flexible that they are admirably adapted for walking. Pine-woodsnow-shoes, two or three feet long, capable of supporting the weight of a man onthe most brittle snow, and enabling him to pass over it with the rapidity of askater on ice, can be fastened to the soles of the seal-skin boots. Fur caps anddeer-skin belts completed the costumes.

For arms, Lieutenant Hobson had the regulation musketoons provided by theCompany, pistols, ordnance sabres, and plenty of ammunition; for tools : axes,saws, adzes, and other instruments required in carpentering. Then there was thecollection of all that would be needed for setting up a factory in the remotedistrict for which they were bound : a stove; a smelting furnace, two airpumpsfor ventilation, an India-rubber boat, only inflated when required, &c.,&c.

The party might have relied for provisions on the hunters amongst them. Someof the soldiers were skilful trackers of game, and there were plenty of reindeerin the Polar regions. Whole tribes of Indians, or Esquimaux, deprived of breadand all other nourishment, subsist entirely on this venison, which is bothabundant and palatable. But as delays and difficulties had to be allowed for, acertain quantity of provisions was taken with them. The flesh of the bison, elk,and deer, amassed in the large battues on the south of the lake; cornedbeef, which will keep for any length of time; and some Indian preparations, inwhich the flesh of animals, ground to powder, retains its nutritive propertiesin a very small bulk, requiring no cooking, and forming a very nourishing diet,were amongst the stores provided in case of need.

Lieutenant Hobson likewise took several casks of rum and whisky; but he wasfirmly resolved to economise these spirits, so injurious to the health in coldlatitudes, as much as possible. The Company had placed at his disposal a littleportable medicine-chest, containing formidable quantities of lime-juice, lemons,and other simple remedies necessary to check, or if possible to prevent, thescorbutic affections which take such a terrible form in these regions.

All the men had been chosen with great care; none were too stout or too thin,and all had for years been accustomed to the severity of the climate, and couldtherefore more easily endure the fatigues of an expedition to the Polar Sea.They were all brave, high-spirited fellows, who had taken service of their ownaccord. Double pay had been promised them during their stay at the confines ofthe American continent, should they succeed in making a settlement beyond theseventieth parallel.

The sledge provided for Mrs Barnett and her faithful Madge was rather morecomfortable than the others. She did not wish to be treated better than hertravelling companions, but yielded to the urgent request of Captain Craventy,who was but carrying out the wishes of the Company.

The vehicle which brought Thomas Black to Fort Reliance also conveyed him andhis scientific apparatus from it. A few astronomical instruments, of which therewere not many in those days-a telescope for his selenographic observations, asextant for taking the latitude, a chronometer for determining the longitudes, afew maps, a few books, were all stored away in this sledge, and Thomas Blackrelied upon his faithful dogs to lose nothing by the way.

Of course the food for the various teams was not forgotten. There werealtogether no less than seventy-two dogs, quite a herd to provide for by theway, and it was the business of the hunters to cater for them. These strongintelligent animals were bought of the Chippeway Indians, who know well how totrain them for their arduous calling.

The little company was most skilfully organised. The zeal of LieutenantJaspar Hobson was beyond all praise. Proud of his mission, and devoted to histask; he neglected nothing which could insure success. Corporal Joliffe, alwaysa busybody, exerted himself without producing any very tangible results; but hiswife was most useful and devoted; and Mrs Paulina Barnett had already struck upa great friendship with the brisk little Canadian woman, whose fair hair andlarge soft eyes were so pleasant to look at.

We need scarcely add that Captain Craventy did all in his power to furtherthe enterprise. The instructions he had received from the Company showed whatgreat importance they attached to the success of the expedition, and theestablishment of a new factory beyond the seventieth parallel. We may thereforesafely affirm that every human effort likely to insure success which could bemade was made; but who could tell what insurmountable difficulties nature mightplace in the path of the brave Lieutenant I who could tell what awaited him andhis devoted little band.

CHAPTER V.

FROM FORT RELIANCE TO FORT ENTERPRISE.

The first fine days came at last. The green carpet of the hills began toappear here and there where the snow had melted. A few migratory birds from thesouth-such as swans, bald-headed eagles, &c.-passed through the warmer air.The poplars, birches, and willows began to bud, and the redheaded ducks, ofwhich there are so many species in North America, to skim the surface of thenumerous pools formed by the melted snow. Guillemots, puffins, and eider duckssought colder latitudes; and little shrews no bigger than a hazel-nut venturedfrom their holes, tracing strange figures on the ground with their tiny-pointedtails. It was intoxicating once more to breathe the fresh air of spring, and tobask in the sunbeams. Nature awoke once more from her heavy sleep in the longwinter night, and smiled as she opened her eyes.

The renovation of creation in spring is perhaps more impressive in the Arcticregions than in any other portion of the globe, on account of the greatercontrast with what has gone before.

The thaw was not, however, complete. The thermometer, it is true, marked 41?Fahrenheit above zero; but the mean temperature of the nights kept the surfaceof the snowy plains solid-a good thing for the passage of sledges, of whichJaspar Hobson meant to avail himself before the thaw became complete.

The ice of the lake was still unbroken. During the last month severalsuccessful hunting expeditions had been made across the vast smooth plains,which were already frequented by game. Mrs Barnett was astonished at the skillwith which the men used their snow-shoes, scudding along at the pace of a horsein full gallop. Following Captain Craventy's advice, the lady herself practisedwalking in these contrivances, and she soon became very expert in sliding overthe snow.

During the last few days several bands of Indians had arrived at the fort toexchange the spoils of the winter chase for manufactured goods. The season hadbeen bad. There were a good many polecats and sables; but the furs of beavers,otters, lynxes, ermines, and foxes were scarce. It was therefore a wise step forthe Company to endeavour to explore a new country, where the wild animals hadhitherto escaped the rapacity of man.

On the morning of the 16th April Lieutenant Jaspar Hobson and his party wereready to start. The route across the known districts, between the Slave Lake andthat of the Great Bear beyond the Arctic Circle, was already determined. JasparHobson was to make for Fort Confidence, on the northern extremity of the latterlake; and he was to revictual at Fort Enterprise, a station two hundred milesfurther to the north-west, on the shores of the Snare Lake, By travelling at therate of fifteen miles a day the Lieutenant hoped to halt there about thebeginning of May.

From this point the expedition was to take the shortest route to CapeBathurst, on the North American coast. It was agreed that in a year CaptainCraventy should send a convoy with provisions to Cape Bathurst, and that adetachment of the Lieutenant's men was to go to meet this convoy, to guide it tothe spot where the new fort was to be erected. This plan was a guarantee againstany adverse circumstances, and left a means of communication with theirfellow-creatures open to the Lieutenant and his voluntary companions inexile.

On the 16th April dogs and sledges were awaiting the travellers at thepostern gate. Captain Craventy called the men of the party together and said afew kind words to them. He urged them above all things to stand by one anotherin the perils they might be called upon to meet; reminded them that theenterprise upon which they were about to enter required self-denial anddevotion, and that submission to their officers was an indispensable conditionof success. Cheers greeted the Captain's speech, the adieux were quickly made,and each one took his place in the sledge assigned to him. Jaspar Hobson andSergeant Long went first; then Mrs Paulina Barnett and Madge, the latterdexterously wielding the long Esquimaux whip, terminating in a stiff thong.Thomas Black and one of the soldiers, the Canadian, Petersen, occupied the thirdsledge ;and the others followed, Corporal and Mrs Joliffe bringing up the rear.According to the orders of Lieutenant Hobson, each driver kept as nearly aspossible at the same distance from the preceding sledge, so as to avoid allconfusion-a necessary precaution, as a collision between two sledges going atfull speed, might have had disastrous results.

On leaving Fort Reliance, Jaspar Hobson at once directed his course towardsthe north-west. The first thing to be done was to cross the large riverconnecting Lakes Slave and Wolmsley, which was, however, still frozen so hard asto be undistinguishable from the vast white plains around. A uniform carpet ofsnow covered the whole country, and the sledges, drawn by their swift teams,sped rapidly over the firm smooth surface.

The weather was fine, but still very cold. The sun, scarce above the horizon,described a lengthened curve; and its rays, reflected on the snow, gave morelight than heat. Fortunately not a breath of air stirred, and this lessened theseverity of the cold, although the rapid pace of the sledges through the keenatmosphere must have been trying to any one not inured to the rigour of a Polarclimate.

"A good beginning," said Jaspar Hobson to the Sergeant, who sat motionlessbeside him as if rooted to his seat; "the journey has commenced favourably. Thesky is cloudless; the temperature propitious, our equipages shoot along likeexpress trains, and as long as this fine weather lasts we shall get oncapitally. What do you think, Sergeant Long?"

"I agree with you, Lieutenant," replied the Sergeant, who never differed fromhis chief.

"Like myself, Sergeant, you are determined to push on as far north aspossible-are you not?" resumed Lieutenant Hobson.

"You have but to command to be obeyed, Lieutenant."

"I know it, Sergeant; I know that with you to bear is to obey. Would that allour men understood as you do the importance of our mission, and would devotethemselves body and soul to the interests of the Company! Ah, Sergeant Long, Iknow if I gave you an impossible order- "

"Lieutenant, there is no such thing as an impossible order."

"What? Suppose now I ordered you to go to the North Pole?"

"Lieutenant, I should go !"

"And to comeback!" added Jaspar Hobson with a smile.

"I should come back," replied Sergeant Long simply.

During this colloquy between Lieutenant Hobson and his Sergeant a slightascent compelled the sledges to slacken speed, and Mrs Barnett and Madge alsoexchanged a few sentences. These two intrepid women, in their otter-skin capsand white bear-skin mantles, gazed in astonishment upon the rugged sceneryaround them, and at the white outlines of the huge glaciers standing out againstthe horizon. They had already left behind them the hills of the northern banksof the Slave Lake, with their summits crowned with the gaunt skeletons of trees.The vast plains stretched before them in apparently endless succession. Therapid flight and cries of a few birds of passage alone broke the monotony of thescene. Now and then a troop of swans, with plumage so white that the keenestsight could not distinguish them from the snow when they settled on the ground,rose into view in the clear blue atmosphere and pursued their journey to thenorth.

"What an extraordinary country !" exclaimed Mrs Paulina Barnett. "What adifference between these Polar regions and the green prairies of Australia! Youremember, Madge, how we suffered from the heat on the shores of the Gulf ofCarpentaria-you remember the cloudless sky and the parching sunbeams?"

My dear," replied Madge, "I have not the gift of remembering like you. Youretain your impressions, I forget mine."

"What, Madge !" cried Mrs Barnett, "you have forgotten the tropical heat ofIndia arid Australia? You have no recollection of our agonies when water failedus in the desert, when the pitiless sun scorched us to the bone, when even thenight brought us no relief from our sufferings !"

"No, Paulina," replied Madge, wrapping her furs more closely round her, "no,I remember nothing. How could I now recollect the sufferings to which youallude-the heat, the agonies of thirst-when we are surrounded on every side byice, and I have but to stretch my arm out of this sledge to pick up a handful ofsnow? You talk to me of heat, when we are freezing beneath our bearskins; yourecall the broiling rays of the sun when its April beams cannot melt the icicleson our lips! No, child, no, don't try to persuade me it's hot anywhere else;don't tell me I ever complained of being too warm, for I sha'n't believeyou!"

Mrs Paulina Barnett could not help smiling.

"So, poor Madge," she said, "you are very cold!"

"Yes, child, I am cold; but I rather like this climate. I've no doubt it'svery healthy, and I think North America will agree with me. It's really a veryfine country !"

"Yes, Madge; it is a fine country, and we have as yet seen none of thewonders it contains. But wait until we reach the Arctic Ocean; wait until thewinter shuts us in with its gigantic icebergs and thick covering of snow; waittill the northern storms break over us, and the glories of the Aurora Borealisand of the splendid constellations of the Polar skies are spread out above ourheads; wait till we have lived through the strange long six months' night, andthen indeed you will understand the infinite variety, the infinite beauty, ofour Creator's handiwork !"

Thus spoke Mrs Paulina Barnett, carried away by her vivid imagination. Shecould see nothing but beauty in these deserted regions, with their rigorousclimate. Her enthusiasm got the better for the time of her judgment. Hersympathy with nature enabled her to read the touching poetry of the ice-boundnorth-the poetry embodied in the Sagas, and sung by the bards of the time ofOssian. But Madge, more matter of fact than her mistress, disguised from herselfneither the dangers of an expedition to the Arctic Ocean, nor the sufferingsinvolved in wintering only thirty degrees at the most from the North Pole.

And indeed the most robust had sometimes succumbed to the fatigues,privations, and mental and bodily agonies endured in this severe climate. JasparHobson had not, it is true, to press on to the very highest latitudes of theglobe,; he had not to reach the pole itself, or to follow in the steps of Parry,Ross, Mc'Clure, Kean, Morton, and others. But after once crossing the ArcticCircle, there is little variation in the temperature; it does not increase incoldness in proportion to the elevation reached. Granted that Jaspar Hobson didnot think of going beyond the seventieth parallel, we must still remember thatFranklin and his unfortunate companions died of cold and hunger before they hadpenetrated beyond 68? N. lat.

Very different was the talk in the sledge occupied by Mr and Mrs Joliffe.Perhaps the gallant Corporal had too often drunk to the success of theexpedition on starting; for, strange to say, he was disputing with his littlewife. Yes, he was actually contradicting her, which never happened except underextraordinary circumstances!

"No, Mrs Joliffe," he was saying, "no, you have nothing to fear. A sledge isnot more difficult to guide than a pony-carriage, and the devil take me if Ican't manage a team of dogs !"

"I don't question your skill," replied Mrs Joliffe; "I only ask you not to goso fast. You are in front of the whole caravan now, and I hear Lieutenant Hobsoncalling out to you to resume your proper place behind."

"Let him call, Mrs Joliffe, let him call."

And the Corporal, urging on his dogs with a fresh cut of the whip, dashedalong at still greater speed.

"Take care, Joliffe," repeated his little wife; "not so fast, we are goingdown hill."

"Down hill, Mrs Joliffe; you call that down hill? why, it's up hill!"

"I tell you we are going down!" repeated poor Mrs Joliffe.

"And I tell you we are going up; look how the dogs pull !"

Whoever was right, the dogs became uneasy. The ascent was, in fact, prettysteep; the sledge dashed along at a reckless pace, and was already considerablyin advance of the rest of the party. Mr and Mrs Joliffe bumped up and down everyinstant, the surface of the snow became more and more uneven, and the pair,flung first to one side and then to the other, knocked against each other andthe sledge, and were horribly bruised and shaken. But the Corporal would listenneither to the advice of his wife nor to the shouts of Lieutenant Hobson. Thelatter, seeing the danger of this reckless course, urged on his own animals, andthe rest of the caravan followed at a rapid pace.

But the Corporal became more and more excited-the speed of his equipagedelighted him. He shouted, he gesticulated, and flourished his long whip like anaccomplished sportsman.

"Wonderful things these whips!" he cried; "the Esquimaux wield them withunrivalled skill !"

"But you are not an Esquimaux!" cried Mrs Joliffe, trying in vain to arrestthe arm of her imprudent husband.

"I have heard tell," resumed the Corporal-" I've heard tell that theEsquimaux can touch any dog they like in any part, that they can even cut out abit of one of their ears with the stiff thong at the end of the whip. I am goingto try."

"Don't try, don't try, Joliffe !" screamed the poor little woman, frightenedout of her wits.

"Don't be afraid, Mrs Joliffe, don't be afraid; I know what I can do. Thefifth dog on the right is misbehaving himself;. I will correct him alittle!"

But Corporal Joliffe was evidently not yet enough of an Esquimaux to be ableto manage the whip with its thong four feet longer than the sledge; for itunrolled with an ominous hiss, and rebounding, twisted itself round CorporalJoliffe's own neck, sending his fur cap into the air, perhaps with one of hisears in it.

At this moment the dogs flung themselves on one side, the sledge wasoverturned, and the pair were flung into the snow. Fortunately it was thick andsoft, so that they escaped unhurt. But what a disgrace for the Corporal! howreproachfully his little wife looked at him, and how stern was the reprimand ofLieutenant Hobson!

The sledge was picked up, but it was decided that henceforth the reins of thedogs, like those of the household, were to be in the hands of Mrs Joliffe. Thecrest-fallen Corporal was obliged to submit, and the interrupted journey wasresumed.

No incident worth mentioning occurred during the next fifteen days. Theweather continued favourable, the cold was not too severe, and on the 1st Maythe expedition arrived at Fort Enterprise.

:

CHAPTER VI.

A WAPITI DUEL.

Two hundred miles had been traversed since the expedition left Fort Reliance.The travellers, taking advantage of the long twilight, pressed on day and night,and were literally overcome with fatigue when they reached Fort Enterprise, nearthe shores of Lake Snare.

This fort was no more than a depot of provisions, of little importance,erected a few years before by the Hudson's Bay Company. It served as aresting-place for the men taking the convoys of furs from the Great Bear Lake,some three hundred miles further to the north-west. About a dozen soldiersformed the garrison. The fort consisted of a wooden house surrounded bypalisades. But few as were the comforts it offered, Lieutenant Hobson'scompanions gladly took refuge in it and rested there for two days.

The gentle influence of the Arctic spring was beginning to be felt. Here andthere the snow had melted, and the temperature of the nights was no longer belowfreezing point. A few delicate mosses and slender grasses clothed the ruggedground with their soft verdure; and from between the stones peeped the moistcalices of tiny, almost colourless, flowers. These faint signs of reawakeningvegetation, after the long night of winter, were refreshing to eyes weary of themonotonous whiteness of the snow; and the scattered specimens of the Flora ofthe Arctic regions were welcomed with delight.

Mrs Paulina Barnett and Jaspar Hobson availed themselves of this leisure timeto visit the shores of the little lake. They were both students and enthusiasticlovers of nature. Together they wandered amongst the ice masses, alreadybeginning to break up, and the waterfalls created by the action of the rays ofthe sun. The surface itself of Lake Snare was still intact, not a crack denotedthe approaching thaw; but it was strewn with the ruins of mighty icebergs, whichassumed all manner of picturesque forms, and the beauty of which was heightenedwhen the light, diffracted by the sharp edges of the ice, touched them with allmanner of colours. One might have fancied that a rainbow, crushed in a powerfulhand, bad been flung upon the ground, its fragments crossing each other as theyfell.

"What a beautiful scene!" exclaimed Mrs Paulina Barnett. "These prismaticeffects vary at every change of our position. Does it not seem as if we werebending over the opening of an immense kaleidoscope, or are you already weary ofa sight so new and interesting to me?"

"No, madam," replied the Lieutenant; "although I was born and bred on thiscontinent, its beauties never pall upon me. But if your enthusiasm is so greatwhen you see this scenery with the sun shining upon it, what will it be when youare privileged to behold the terrible grandeur of the winter? To own the truth,I think the sun, so much thought of in temperate latitudes, spoils my Arctichome."

"Indeed!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett, smiling at the Lieutenant's last remark;"for my part, I think the sun a capital travelling companion, and I shall not bedisposed to grumble at the warmth it gives even in the Polar regions !"

"Ah, madam," replied Jaspar Hobson, "I am one of those who think it best tovisit Russia in the winter, and the Sahara Desert in the summer. You then seetheir peculiar characteristics to advantage. The sun is a star of the torrid andtemperate zones, and is out of place thirty degrees from the North Pole. Thetrue sky of this country is the pure frigid sky of winter, bright withconstellations, and sometimes flushed with the glory of the Aurora Borealis.This land is the land of the night, not of the day; and you have yet to makeacquaintance with the delights and marvels of the long Polar night."

"Have you ever visited the temperate zones of Europe and America?" inquiredMrs Barnett.

"Yes, madam; and I admired them as they deserved. But I returned home withfresh love and enthusiasm for my native land. Cold is my element, and no meritis due to me for braving it. It has no power over me; and, like the Esquimaux. Ican live for months together in a snow hut."

"Really, Lieutenant Hobson, it is quite cheering to hear our dreaded enemyspoken of in such terms. I hope to prove myself worthy to be your companion, andwherever you venture, we will venture together."

"I agree, madam, I agree; and may all the women and soldiers accompanying meshow themselves as resolute as you. If so, God helping us, we shall indeedadvance far."

"You have nothing to complain of yet," observed the lady. "Not a singleaccident has occurred, the weather has been propitious, the cold not toosevere-everything has combined to aid us."

"Yes, madam; but the sun which you admire so much will soon createdifficulties for us, and strew obstacles in our path."

"What do you mean, Lieutenant Hobson?"

"I mean that the heat will soon have changed the aspect of the country; thatthe melted ice will impede the sliding of the sledges; that the ground willbecome rough and uneven; that our panting dogs will no longer carry us alongwith the speed of an arrow; that the rivers and lakes will resume their liquidstate, and that we shall have to ford or go round them. All these changes,madam, due to the influence of the solar rays, will cause delays, fatigue, anddangers, the very least of which will be the breaking of the brittle snowbeneath our feet, or the falling of the avalanches from the summits of theicebergs. For all this we have to thank the gradual rise of the sun higher andhigher above the horizon. Bear this in mind, madam: of the four elements of theold creation, only one is necessary to us here, the air; the other three, fire,earth, and water, are de trop in the Arctic regions."

Of course the Lieutenant was exaggerating, and Mrs Barnett could easily haveretorted with counter-arguments; but she liked to hear his raptures in praise ofhis beloved country, and she felt that his enthusiasm was a guarantee that hewould shrink from no obstacle.

Yet Jaspar Hobson was right when he said the sun would cause difficulties.This was seen when the party set out again on the 4th May, three days later. Thethermometer, even in the coldest part of the night, marked more than 32?Fahrenheit. A complete thaw set in, the vast white sheet of snow resolved itselfinto water. The irregularities of the rocky soil caused constant jolting of thesledges, and the passengers were roughly shaken. The roads were so heavy thatthe dogs had to go at a slow trot, and the reins were therefore again entrustedto the hands of the imprudent Corporal

Joliffe. Neither shouts nor flourishings of the whip had the slightest effecton the jaded animals.

From time to time the travellers lightened the sledges by walking little way.This mode of locomotion suited the hunters, who were now gradually approachingthe best districts for game in the whole of English America. Mrs Paulina Barnettand Madge took a great interest in the chase, whilst Thomas Black professedabsolute indifference to all athletic exercise. He had not come all thisdistance to hunt the polecat or the ermine, but merely to look at the moon atthe moment when her disc should cover that of the sun. When the queen of thenight rose above the horizon, the impatient astronomer would gaze at her witheager eyes, and one day the Lieutenant said to him

"It would be a bad look-out for you, Mr Black, if by any unlucky chance themoon should fail to keep her appointment on the 16th July 1860."

"Lieutenant Hobson," gravely replied the astronomer, "if the moon were guiltyof such a breach of good manners, I should indeed have cause to complain."

The chief hunters of the expedition were the soldiers Marbre and Sabine, bothvery expert at their business. Their skill was wonderful; and the cleverestIndians would not have surpassed them in keenness of sight, precision of aim, ormanual address. They were alike trappers and hunters, and were acquainted withall the nets and snares for taking sables, otters, wolves, foxes, bears, &c.No artifice was unknown to them, and Captain Craventy had shown his wisdom inchoosing two such intelligent men to accompany the little troop.

Whilst on the march however, Marbre and Sabine had no time for setting traps.They could not separate from the others for more than an hour or two at a time,and were obliged to be content with the game which passed within range of theirrifles. Still they were fortunate enough to kill two of the large Americanruminants, seldom met with in such elevated latitudes.

On the morning of the 15th May the hunters asked permission to follow somefresh traces they had found, and the Lieutenant not only granted it, but himselfaccompanied them with Mrs Paulina Barnett, and they went several miles out oftheir route towards the east.

The impressions were evidently the result of the passage of abouthalf-a-dozen large deer. There could be no mistake about it; Marbre and Sabinewere positive on that point, and could even have named the species to which theanimals belonged.

"You seem surprised to have met with traces of these animals here,Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett.

"Well, madam," replied Hobson, "this species is rarely seen beyond 57? N.lat. We generally hunt them at the south of the Slave Lake, where they feed uponthe shoots of willows and poplars, and certain wild roses to which they are verypartial."

"I suppose these creatures, like those with valuable furs, have fled from thedistricts scoured by the hunters."

"I see no other explanation of their presence at 65? N. lat.," replied theLieutenant-"that is, if the men are not mistaken as to the origin of thefootprints."

"No, no, sir," cried Sabine; "Marbre and I are not mistaken. These traceswere left by deer, the deer we hunters call red deer, and the nativeswapitis."

"He is quite right," added Marbre; "old trappers like us are not to be takenin; besides, don't you hear that peculiar whistling sound?"

The party had now reached the foot of a little hill, and as the snow hadalmost disappeared from its sides they were able to climb it, and hastened tothe summit, the peculiar whistling noticed by Marbre becoming louder, mingledwith cries resembling the braying of an ass, and proving that the two hunterswere not mistaken.

Once at the top of the hill, the adventurers looked eagerly towards the east.The undulating plains were still white with snow, but its dazzling surface washere and there relieved with patches of stunted light green vegetation. A fewgaunt shrubs stretched forth their bare and shrivelled branches, and hugeicebergs with precipitous sides stood out against the grey background of thesky.

"Wapitis! wapitis!-there they are !" cried Sabine and Marbre at once,pointing to a group of animals distinctly visible about a quarter of a mile tothe east.

"What are they doing?" asked Mrs Barnett.

"They are fighting, madam," replied Hobson; "they always do when the heat ofthe Polar sun inflames their blood-another deplorable result of the action ofthe radiant orb of day !"

From where they stood the party could easily watch the group of wapitis. Theywere fine specimens of the family of deer known under the various names of stagswith rounded antlers, American stags, roebucks, grey elks and red elks, &c.These graceful creatures have slender legs and brown skins with patches of redhair, the colour of which becomes darker in the warmer season. The fierce malesare easily distinguished from the females by their fine white antlers, thelatter being entirely without these ornaments. These wapitis were once verynumerous all over North America, and the United States imported a great many;but clearings were begun on every side, the forest trees fell beneath the axe ofthe pioneer of civilisation, and the wapitis took refuge in the more peacefuldistricts of Canada; but they were soon again disturbed, and wandered to theshores of Hudson's Bay. So that although the wapiti thrives in a cold country,Lieutenant Hobson was right in saying that it seldom penetrates beyond 57? N.latitude; and the specimens now found had doubtless fled before the ChippewayIndians, who hunt them without mercy.

The wapitis were so engrossed in their desperate struggle that they wereunconscious of the approach of the hunters; but they would probably not haveceased fighting, had they been aware of it. Marbre and Sabine, aware of theirpeculiarity in this respect, might therefore have advanced fearlessly upon them,and have taken aim at leisure.

Lieutenant Hobson suggested that they should do so.

"Beg pardon, sir," replied Marbre; "but let us spare our powder and shot.These beasts are engaged in a war to the death, and we shall arrive in plenty oftime to pick up the vanquished."

"Have these wapitis a commercial value?" asked Mrs Paulina Barnett.

"Yes, madam," replied Hobson; "and their skin, which is not quite so thick asthat of the elk, properly so called makes very valuable leather. By rubbing thisskin with the fat and brains of the animal itself, it is rendered flexible, andneither damp nor dryness injures it. The Indians are therefore always eager toprocure the skins of the wapitis."

"Does not the flesh make admirable venison?"

"Pretty good, madam; only pretty good. It is tough, and does not taste verynice; the fat becomes hard directly it is taken from the fire, and sticks to theteeth. It is certainly inferior as an article of food to the flesh of otherdeer; but when meat is scarce we are glad enough to eat it, and it supports lifeas well as anything else."

Mrs Barnett and Lieutenant Hobson had been chatting together for someminutes, when, with the exception of two, the wapitis suddenly ceased fighting.Was their rage satiated?- or had they perceived the hunters, and felt theapproach of danger? Whatever the cause, all but two fine creatures fled atowards the east With incredible speed; in a few instants they were out ofsight, and the swiftest horse could not have caught them up.

Meanwhile, however, two magnificent specimens remained on the field ofbattle. Heads down, antlers to antlers, hind legs stretched and quivering, theybutted at each other without a moment's pause. Like two wrestlers struggling fora prize which neither will yield, they would not separate, but whirled round andround together on their front legs as if riveted to one another. What implacablerage !" exclaimed Mrs Barnett.

"Yes," replied the Lieutenant; "the wapitis really are most spiteful beasts.I have no doubt they are fighting out an old quarrel."

"Would not this be the time to approach them, when they are blinded withrage?"

"There's plenty of time, ma'am," said Sabine; "they won't escape us now. Theywill not stir from where they are when we are three steps from them, the riflesat our shoulders, and our fingers on the triggers !"

Indeed? Yes, madam," added Hobson, who had carefully examined the wapitisafter the hunter's remark; "and whether at our hands or from the teeth ofwolves, those wapitis will meet death where they now stand."

"I don't understand what you mean, Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett.

"Well, go nearer, madam," he replied; "don't be afraid of startling theanimals; for, as our hunter says, they are no longer capable of flight."

The four now descended the hill, and in a few minutes gained the theatre ofthe struggle. The wapitis had not moved. They were pushing at each other like acouple of rams, and seemed to be inseparably glued together.

In fact, in the heat of the combat the antlers of the two creatures hadbecome entangled together to such an extent that they could no longer separatewithout breaking them. This often happens in the hunting districts. It is not atall uncommon to find antlers thus connected lying on the ground; the poorencumbered animals soon die of hunger, or they become an easy prey to wildbeasts.

Two bullets put an end to the fight between the wapitis; and Marbre andSabine taking immediate possession, carried off their skins to be subsequentlyprepared, leaving their bleeding carcasses to be devoured by wolves andbears.

CHAPTER VII.

THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.

The expedition continued to advance towards the north-west; but the greatinequalities of the ground made it hard work for the dogs to get along, and thepoor creatures, who could hardly be held in when they started, were now quietenough. Eight or ten miles a day were as much as they could accomplish, althoughLieutenant Hobson urged them on to the utmost.

He was anxious to get to Fort Confidence, on the further side of the GreatBear Lake, where he hoped to obtain some useful information. Had the Indiansfrequenting the northern banks of the lake been able to cross the districts onthe shores of the sea? was the Arctic Ocean open at this time of year? Thesewere grave questions, the reply to which would decide the fate of the newfactory.

The country through which the little troop was now passing was intersected bynumerous streams, mostly tributaries of the two large rivers, the Mackenzie andCoppermine, which flow from the south to the north, and empty themselves intothe Arctic Ocean. Lakes, lagoons, and numerous pools are formed between thesetwo principal arteries; and as they were no longer frozen over, the sledgescould not venture upon them, and were compelled to go around them, which causedconsiderable delay. Lieutenant Hobson was certainly right in saying that winteris the time to visit the hyperborean regions, for they are then far easier totraverse. Mrs Paulina Barnett had reason to own the justice of this assertionthan once.

This region, included in the "Cursed Land," was, besides, completelydeserted, as are the greater portion of the districts of the extreme north ofAmerica. It has been estimated that there is but one inhabitant to every tensquare miles. Besides the scattered natives, there are some few thousand agentsor soldiers of the different fur-trading companies; but they mostly congregatein the southern districts and about the various factories. No human footprintsgladdened the eyes of the travellers, the only traces on the sandy soil werethose of ruminants and rodents. Now and then a fierce polar bear was seen, andMrs Paulina Barnett expressed her surprise at not meeting more of these terriblecarnivorous beasts, of whose daily attacks on whalers and persons shipwrecked inBaffin's Bay and on the coasts of Greenland and Spitzbergen she had read in theaccounts of those who had wintered in the Arctic regions.

"Wait for the winter, madam," replied the Lieutenant; "wait till the coldmakes them hungry, and then you will perhaps see as many as you care about!"

On the 23d May, after a long and fatiguing journey, the expedition at lastreached the Arctic Circle. We know that this latitude 23? 27' 57" from the NorthPole, forms the mathematical limit beyond which the rays of the sun do notpenetrate in the winter, when the northern districts of the globe are turnedaway from the orb of day. Here, then, the travellers entered the true Arcticregion, the northern Frigid Zone.

The latitude had been very carefully obtained by means of most accurateinstruments, which were handled with equal skill by the astronomer and byLieutenant Hobson. Mrs Barnett was present at the operation, and had thesatisfaction of hearing that she was at last about to cross the Arctic Circle.It was with a feeling of just pride that she received the intelligence.

"You have already passed through the two Torrid Zones in your previousjourneys," said the Lieutenant, "and now you are on the verge of the ArcticCircle. Few explorers have ventured into such totally different regions. Some,so to speak, have a specialty for hot countries, and choose Africa or Australiaas the field for their investigations. Such were Barth, Burton, LivingstoneSpeke, Douglas, Stuart, &c. Others, on the contrary, have a passion for theArctic regions, still so little known. Mackenzie, Franklin, Penny, Kane, Parry,Rae, &c., preceded us on our present journey; but we must congratulate you,Mrs Barnett, on being a more cosmopolitan traveller than all of them."

"I must see everything or at least try to see everything, Lieutenant,"replied. Mrs Paulina; "and I think the dangers and difficulties are about equaleverywhere. Although we have not to dread the fevers of the unhealthy torridregions, or the attacks of the fierce black races, in this Frigid Zone, the coldis a no less formidable enemy; and I suspect that the white bears we are liableto meet with here will give us quite as warm a reception as would the tigers ofThibet or the lions of Africa. In Torrid and Frigid Zones alike there are vastunexplored tracts which will long defy the efforts of the boldestadventurers."

"Yes, madam," replied Jaspar Hobson; "but I think the hyperborean regionswill longer resist thorough exploration. The natives are the chief obstacle intropical regions, and I am well aware how many travellers have fallen victims tosavages. But civilisation will necessarily subdue the wild races sooner orlater; whereas in the Arctic and Antarctic Zones it is not the inhabitants whoarrest the progress of the explorer, but Nature herself who repels those whoapproach her, and paralyses their energies with the bitter cold !"

"You think, then, that the secrets of the most remote districts of Africa andAustralia will have been fathomed before the Frigid Zone has been entirelyexamined?"

"Yes, madam," replied the Lieutenant; "and I think my opinion is founded onfacts. The most intrepid discoverers of the Arctic regions - Parry, Penny,Franklin, M'Clure, Dane, and Morton - did not get beyond 83? north latitude,seven degrees from the pole - whereas Australia has several times been crossedfrom south to north by the bold Stuart; and even Africa, with all its terrors,was traversed by Livingstone from the Bay of Loanga to the mouth of the Zambesi.We are, therefore, nearer to geographical knowledge of the equatorial countriesthan of the Polar districts."

"Do you think that the Pole itself will ever be reached by man?" inquired MrsPaulina Barnett.

"Certainly," replied Hobson, adding with a smile, "by man or woman. But Ithink other means must be tried of reaching this point, where all the meridiansof the globe cross each other, than those hitherto adopted by travellers. Wehear of the open sea, of which certain explorers are said to have caught aglimpse. But if such a sea, free from ice, really exist, it is very difficult toget at, and no one can say positively whether it extends to the North Pole. Formy part, I think an open sea would increase rather than lessen the difficultiesof explorers. As for me, I would rather count upon firm footing, whether on iceor rock, all the way. Then I would organise successive expeditions, establishingdepots of provisions and fuel nearer and nearer to the Pole; and so, with plentyof time, plenty of money, and perhaps the sacrifice of a good many lives, Ishould in the end solve the great scientific problem. I should, I think, at lastreach the hitherto inaccessible goal !"

"I think you are right, Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett; "and if ever you trythe experiment, I should not be afraid to join you, and would gladly go to setup the Union Jack at the North Pole. But that is not our present object."

"Not our immediate object, madam," replied Hobson; "but when once theprojects of the Company are realised, when the new fort has been erected on theconfines of the American continent, it may become the natural starting-point ofall expeditions to the north. Besides, should the fur-yielding animals, toozealously hunted, take refuge at the Pole, we should have to follow them."

"Unless costly furs should go out of fashion," replied Mrs Barnett.

"O madam," cried the Lieutenant, "there will always be some pretty womanwhose wish for a sable muff or an ermine tippet must be gratified !"

"I am afraid so," said Mrs Barnett, laughing; "and probably the firstdiscoverer of the Pole will have been led thither in pursuit of a sable or asilver fox."

"That is my conviction," replied Hobson. " Such is human nature, and greed ofgain will always carry a man further than zeal for science."

"What! do you utter such sentiments?" exclaimed Mrs Barnett.

"Well, madam, what am I but an employe of the Hudson's Bay Company?and does the Company risk its capital and agents with any other hope than anincrease of profits?"

"Lieutenant Hobson," said Mrs Barnett, "I think I know you well enough toassert that on occasion you would be ready to devote body and soul to science.If a purely geographical question called you to the Pole, I feel sure you wouldnot hesitate to go. But," she added, with a smile, "the solution of this greatproblem is still far distant. We have but just reached the verge of the ArcticCircle, but I hope we may cross it without any very great difficulty."

"That I fear is doubtful," said the Lieutenant, who had been attentivelyexamining the sky during their conversation. "The weather has looked threateningfor the last few days. Look at the uniformly grey hue of the heavens. That mistwill presently resolve itself into snow; and if the wind should rise ever solittle, we shall have to battle with a fearful storm. I wish we were at theGreat Bear Lake !"

"Do not let us lose any time, then," said Mrs Barnett, rising; "give thesignal to start at once."

The Lieutenant needed no urging. Had he been alone, or accompanied by a fewmen as energetic as himself, he would have pressed on day and night; but he wasobliged to make allowance for the fatigue of others, although he never sparedhimself. He therefore granted a few hours of rest to his little party, and itwas not until three in the afternoon that they again set out.

Jaspar Hobson was not mistaken in prophesying a change in the weather. Itcame very soon. During the afternoon of the same day the mist became thicker,and assumed a yellowish and threatening hue. The Lieutenant, although veryuneasy, allowed none of his anxiety to appear, but had a long consultation withSergeant Long whilst the dogs of his sledge were laboriously preparing tostart.

Unfortunately, the district now to be traversed was very unsuitable forsledges. The ground was very uneven; ravines were of frequent occurrence; andmasses of granite or half-thawed icebergs blocked up the road, causing constantdelay. The poor dogs did their best, but the drivers' whips no longer producedany effect upon them.

And so the Lieutenant and his men were often obliged to walk to rest theexhausted animals, to push the sledges, or even sometimes to lift them when theroughness of the ground threatened to upset them. The incessant fatigue was,however, borne by all without a murmur. Thomas Black alone, absorbed in his oneidea, never got out of his sledge, and indeed be was so corpulent that allexertion was disagreeable to him.

The nature of the soil changed from the moment of entering the Arctic Circle.Some geological convulsion had evidently upheaved the enormous blocks strewnupon the surface. The vegetation, too, was of a more distinctive character.Wherever they were sheltered from the keen north winds, the flanks of the hillswere clothed not only with shrubs, but with large trees, all of the same species- pines, willows, and firs - proving by their presence that a certain amount ofvegetative force is retained even in the Frigid Zone. Jaspar Hobson hoped tofind such specimens of the Arctic Flora even on the verge of the Polar Sea; forthese trees would supply him with wood to build his fort, and fuel to warm itsinhabitants. The same thought passed through the minds of his companions, andthey could not help wondering at the contrast between this comparatively fertileregion, and the long white plains stretching between the Great Slave Lake andFort Enterprise.

At night the yellow mist became more opaque; the wind rose, the snow began tofall in large flakes, and the ground was soon covered with a thick white carpet.In less than an hour the snow was a foot deep, and as it did not freeze butremained in a liquid state, the sledges could only advance with extremedifficulty; the curved fronts stuck in the soft substance, and the dogs wereobliged to stop again and again.

Towards eight o'clock in the evening the wind became very boisterous. Thesnow, driven before it, was flung upon the ground or whirled in the air, formingone huge whirlpool. The dogs, beaten back by the squall and blinded with snow,could advance no further. The party was then in a narrow gorge between hugeicebergs, over which the storm raged with fearful fury. Pieces of ice, brokenoff by the hurricane, were hurled into the pass; partial avalanches, any one ofwhich could have crushed the sledges and their inmates, added to its dangers,and to press on became impossible. The Lieutenant no longer insisted, and afterconsulting with Sergeant Long, gave the order to halt. It was now necessary tofind a shelter from the snow-drift; but this was no difficult matter to menaccustomed to Polar expeditions. Jaspar Hobson and his men knew well what theyhad to do under the circumstances. It was not the first time they had beensurprised by a tempest some hundred miles from the forts of the Company, withoutso much as an Esquimaux hut or Indian hovel in which to lay their heads.

"To the icebergs! to the icebergs !" cried Jaspar Hobson.

Every one understood what he meant. Snow houses were to be hollowed out ofthe frozen masses, or rather holes were to be dug, in which each person couldcower until the storm was over. Knives and hatchets were soon at work on thebrittle masses of ice, and in three-quarters of an hour some ten dens had beenscooped out large enough to contain two or three persons each. The dogs wereleft to themselves, their own instinct leading them to find sufficient shelterunder the snow.

Before ten o'clock all the travellers were crouching in the snow houses, ingroups of two or three, each choosing congenial companions. Mrs Barnett, Madge,and Lieutenant Hobson occupied one hut, Thomas Black and Sergeant Long another,and so on. These retreats were warm, if not comfortable; and the Esquimaux andIndians have no other refuge even in the bitterest cold. The adventurers couldtherefore fearlessly await the end of the storm as long as they took care not tolet the openings of their holes become blocked up with the snow, which they hadto shovel away every half hour. So violent was the storm that even theLieutenant and his soldiers could scarcely set foot outside. Fortunately, allwere provided with sufficient food, and were able to endure their beaver-likeexistence without suffering from cold or hunger

For forty-eight hours the fury of the tempest continued to increase. The windroared in the narrow pass, and tore off the tops of the icebergs. Loud reports,repeated twenty times by the echoes, gave notice of the fall of avalanches, andJaspar Hobson began to fear that his further progress would be barred by themasses of debris accumulated between the mountains. Other sounds mingledwith these reports, which Lieutenant Hobson knew too well, and he did notdisguise from Mrs Barnett that bears were prowling about the pass. Butfortunately these terrible animals were too much occupied with their ownconcerns to discover the retreat of the travellers; neither the dogs nor thesledges, buried in the snow, attracted their attention, and they passed onwithout doing any harm.

The last night, that of the 25th or 26th May, was even more terrible. Sogreat was the fury of the hurricane that a general overthrow of icebergsappeared imminent. A fearful death would then have awaited the unfortunatetravellers beneath the ruins of the broken masses. The blocks of ice crackedwith an awful noise, and certain oscillations gave warning that breaches hadbeen made threatening their solidity. However, no great crash occurred, the hugemountains remained intact, and towards the end of the night one of those suddenchanges so frequent in the Arctic regions took place; the tempest ceasedsuddenly beneath the influence of intense cold, and with the first dawn of daypeace was restored.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE GREAT BEAR LAKE.

This sudden increase of cold was most fortunate. Even in temperate climesthere are generally three or four bitter days in May; and they were mostserviceable now in consolidating the freshly-fallen snow, and making itpracticable for sledges. Lieutenant Hobson, therefore, lost no time in resuminghis journey, urging on the dogs to their utmost speed.

The route was, however, slightly changed. Instead of bearing due north, theexpedition advanced towards the west, following, so to speak, the curve of theArctic Circle. The Lieutenant was most anxious to reach Fort Confidence, builton the northern extremity of the Great Bear Lake. These few cold days were ofthe greatest service to him; he advanced rapidly, no obstacle was encountered,and his little troop arrived at the factory on the 30th May.

At this time Forts Confidence and Good Hope were the most advanced posts ofthe Company in the north. Fort Confidence was a most important position, builton the northern extremity of the lake, close to its waters, which being frozenover in winter, and navigable in summer, afforded easy access to Fort Franklin,on the southern shores, and promoted the coming and going of the Indian hunterswith their daily spoils. Many were the hunting and fishing expeditions whichstarted from Forts Confidence and Good Hope, especially from the former. TheGreat Bear Lake is quite a Mediterranean Sea, extending over several degrees oflatitude and longitude. Its shape is very irregular : two promontories jut intoit towards the centre, and the upper portion forms a triangle; its appearance,as a whole, much resembling the extended skin of a ruminant without thehead.

Fort Confidence was built at the end of the " right paw," at least twohundred miles from Coronation Gulf, one of the numerous estuaries whichirregularly indent the coast of North America. It was therefore situated beyondthe Arctic Circle, but three degrees south of the seventieth parallel, north ofwhich the Hudson's Bay Company proposed forming a new settlement.

Fort Confidence, as a whole, much resembled other factories further south. Itconsisted of a house for the officers, barracks for the soldiers, and magazinesfor the furs - all of wood, surrounded by palisades. The captain in command wasthen absent. He had gone towards the east on a hunting expedition with a fewIndians and soldiers. The last season had not been good, costly furs had beenscarce; but to make up for this the lake had supplied plenty of otter-skins. Thestock of them had, however, just been sent to the central factories in thesouth, so that the magazines of Fort Confidence were empty on the arrival of ourparty.

In the absence of the Captain a Sergeant did the honours of the fort toJaspar Hobson and his companions. This second officer, Felton by name was abrother-in-law of Sergeant Long. He showed the greatest readiness to assist theviews of the Lieutenant, who being anxious to rest his party, decided onremaining two or three days at Fort Confidence. In the absence of the littlegarrison there was plenty of room, and dogs and men were soon comfortablyinstalled. The best room in the largest house was of course given to Mrs PaulinaBarnett, who was delighted with the politeness of Sergeant Felton.

Jaspar Hobson's first care was to ask Felton if any Indians from the northwere then beating the shores of the Great Bear Lake

"Yes, Lieutenant," replied the Sergeant; "we have just received notice of theencampment of a party of Hare Indians on the other northern extremity of thelake."

"How far from here?" inquired Hobson.

"About thirty miles," replied Sergeant Felton. "Do you wish to enter intocommunication with these Indians?"

"Yes," said Hobson; they may be able to give me some valuable informationabout the districts bordering on the Arctic Ocean, and bounded by Cape Bathurst.Should the site be favourable, I propose constructing our new fort somewhereabout there."

"Well, Lieutenant, nothing is easier than to go to the Hare encampment."

"Along the shores of the lake?"

"No, across it; it is now free from ice, and the wind is favourable. We willplace a cutter and a boatman at your service, and in a few hours you will be inthe Indian settlement."

"Thank you, Sergeant; to-morrow, then." Whenever you like, Lieutenant."

The start was fixed for the next morning; and when Mrs Paulina Barnett heardof the plan, she begged the Lieutenant to allow her to accompany him, which ofcourse he readily did.

But now to tell how the rest of this first day was passed. Mrs Barnett,Hobson, two or three soldiers, Madge, Mrs Mac-Nab, and Joliffe explored theshores of the lake under the guidance of Felton. The neighbourhood was by nomeans barren of vegetation; the hills, now free from snow, were crowned byresinous trees of the Scotch pine species. These trees, which attain a height ofsome forty feet, supply the inhabitants of the forts with plenty of fuel throughthe long winter. Their thick trunks and dark gloomy branches form a strikingfeature of the landscape; but the regular clumps of equal height, sloping downto the very edge of the water, are somewhat monotonous. Between the groups oftrees the soil was clothed with a sort of whitish weed, which perfumed the airwith a sweet thymy odour. Sergeant Felton informed his guests that this plantwas called the " herb of incense " on account of the fragrance it emits whenburnt.

Some hundred steps from the fort the party came to a little natural harbourshut in by high granite rocks, which formed an admirable protection from theheavy surf. Here was anchored the fleet of Fort Confidence, consisting of asingle fishing-boat-the very one which was to take Mrs Barnett and Hobson to theIndian encampment the next day. From this harbour an extensive view was obtainedof the lake; its waters slightly agitated by the wind, with its irregular shoresbroken by jagged capes and intersected by creeks. The wooded heights beyond,with here and there the rugged outline of a floating iceberg standing outagainst the clear blue air, formed the background on the north; whilst on thesouth a regular sea horizon, a circular line clearly cutting sky and water, andat this moment glittering in the sunbeams, bounded the sight.

The whole scene was rich in animal and vegetable life. The surface of thewater, the shores strewn with flints and blocks of granite, the slopes withtheir tapestry of herbs, the tree-crowned hill-tops, were all alike frequentedby various specimens of the feathered tribe. Several varieties of ducks,uttering their different cries and calls, eider ducks, whistlers spottedredshanks, "old women," those loquacious birds whose beak is never closed,skimmed the surface of the lake. Hundreds of puffins and guillemots withoutspread wings darted about in every direction, and beneath the trees struttedospreys two feet high-a kind of hawk with a grey body, blue beak and claws, andorange-coloured eyes, which build their huge nests of marine plants in theforked branches of trees. The hunter Sabine managed to bring down a couple ofthese gigantic ospreys, which measured nearly six feet from tip to tip of theirwings, and were therefore magnificent specimens of these migratory birds, whofeed entirely on fish, and take refuge on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico whenwinter sets in, only visiting the higher latitudes of North America during theshort summer.

But the most interesting event of the day was the capture of an otter, theskin of which was worth several hundred roubles.

The furs of these valuable amphibious creatures were once much sought afterin China; and although the demand for them has considerably decreased in theCelestial Empire, they still command very high prices in the Russian market.Russian traders, ready to buy up sea-otter skins, travel all along the coasts ofNew Cornwall as far as the Arctic Ocean; and of course, thus hunted, the animalis becoming very rare. It has taken refuge further and further north, and thetrackers have now to pursue it on the shores of the Kamtchatka Sea, and in theislands of the Behring Archipelago.

"But," added Sergeant Felton, after the preceding explanation, "Americaninland otters are not to be despised, and those which frequent the Great BearLake are worth from ?50 to ?60 each."

The Sergeant was right; magnificent otters are found in these waters, and hehimself skilfully tracked and killed one in the presence of his visitors whichwas scarcely inferior in value to those from Kamtchatka itself. The creaturemeasured three feet from the muzzle to the end of its tail; it had webbed feet,short legs, and its fur, darker on the upper than on the under part of its body,was long and silky.

"A good shot, Sergeant," said Lieutenant Hobson, who with Mrs Barnett hadbeen attentively examining the magnificent fur of the dead animal.

"Yes, Lieutenant," replied Felton; "and if each day brought us such a skin asthat, we should have nothing to complain of. But much time is wasted in watchingthese animals, who swim and dive with marvellous rapidity. We generally huntthem at night, as they very seldom venture from their homes in the trunks oftrees or the holes of rocks in the daytime, and even expert hunters find it verydifficult to discover their retreats."

"And are these otters also becoming scarcer and scarcer?" inquired MrsBarnett.

"Yes, madam," replied the Sergeant; "and when this species becomes extinct,the profits of the Company will sensibly decline. All the hunters try to obtainits fur, and the Americans in particular are formidable rivals to us. Did younot meet any American agents on your journey up, Lieutenant?"

"Not one," replied Hobson. "Do they ever penetrate as far as this?"

"Oh yes !" said the Sergeant; "and when you hear of their approach, I adviseyou to be on your guard."

"Are these agents, then, highway robbers?" asked Mrs Paulina Barnett.

"No, madam," replied the Sergeant; "but they are formidable rivals, and whengame is scarce, hunters often come to blows about it. I daresay that if theCompany's attempt to establish a fort on the verge of the Arctic Ocean besuccessful, its example will at once be followed by these Americans, whom Heavenconfound!"

"Bah!" exclaimed the Lieutenant; "the hunting districts are vast, and there'sroom beneath the sun for everybody. As for us, let's make a start to begin with.Let us press on as long as we have firm ground beneath our feet, and God be withus!"

After a walk of three hours the visitors returned to Fort Confidence, where agood meal of fish and fresh venison awaited them. Sergeant Long did the honoursof the table, and after a little pleasant conversation, all retired to rest toforget their fatigues in a healthy and refreshing sleep.

The next day, May 31st, Mrs Barnett and Jaspar Hobson were on foot at fiveA.M. The Lieutenant intended to devote this day to visiting the Indianencampment, and obtaining as much useful information as possible. He askedThomas Black to go with him, but the astronomer preferred to remain on terrafirma. He wished to make a few astronomical observations, and to determineexactly the latitude and longitude of Fort Confidence; so that Mrs Barnett andJaspar Hobson had to cross the lake alone, under the guidance of an old boatmannamed Norman, who had long been in the Company's service.

The two travellers were accompanied by Sergeant Long as far as the littleharbour, where they found old Norman ready to embark. Their little vessel wasbut an open fishing-boat, six feet long, rigged like a cutter, which one mancould easily manage. The weather was beautiful, and the slight breeze blowingfrom the north-east was favourable to the crossing. Sergeant Felton took leaveof his guests with many apologies for being unable to accompany them in theabsence of his chief. The boat was let loose from its moorings, and tacking tostarboard, shot across the clear waters of the lake.

The little trip passed pleasantly enough. The taciturn old sailor sat silentin the stern of the boat with the tiller tucked under his arm. Mrs Barnett andLieutenant Hobson, seated opposite to each other, examined with interest thescenery spread out before them. The boat skirted the northern shores of the lakeat about three miles' distance, following a rectilinear direction, so that thewooded heights sloping gradually to the west were distinctly visible. From thisside the district north of the lake appeared perfectly flat, and the horizonreceded to a considerable distance. The whole of this coast contrasted stronglywith the sharp angle, at the extremity of which rose Fort Confidence, framed ingreen pines. The flag of the Company was still visible floating from the towerof the fort. The oblique rays of the sun lit up the surface of the water, andstriking on the floating icebergs, seemed to convert them into molten silver ofdazzling brightness. No trace remained of the solid ice-mountains of the winterbut these moving relies, which the solar rays could scarcely dissolve, and whichseemed, as it were, to protest against the brilliant but not very powerful Polarsun, now describing a diurnal arc of considerable length.

Mrs Barnett and the Lieutenant, as was their custom, communicated to eachother the thoughts suggested by the strange scenes through which they werepassing. They laid up a store of pleasant recollections for the future whilstthe beat floated rapidly along upon the peaceful waves.

The party started at six in the morning, and at nine they neared the point onthe northern bank at which they were to land. The Indian encampment was situatedat the north-west angle of the Great Bear Lake. Before ten o'clock old Normanran the boat aground on a low bank at the foot of a cliff of moderate height.Mrs Barnett and the Lieutenant landed at once. Two or three Indians, with theirchief, wearing gorgeous plumes, hastened to meet them, and addressed them infairly intelligible English.

These Hare Indians, like the Copper and Beaver Indians, all belong to theChippeway race, and differ but little in customs and costumes from theirfellow-tribes. They are in constant communication with the factories, and havebecome, so to speak, "Britainised" - at least as much so as is possible forsavages. They bring the spoils of the chase to the forts, and there exchangethem for the necessaries of life, which they no longer provide for themselves.They are in the pay of the Company, they live upon it, and it is not surprisingthat they have lost all originality. To find a native race as yet uninfluencedby contact with Europeans we must go to still higher latitudes, to the ice-boundregions frequented by the Esquimaux, who, like the Greenlanders, are the truechildren of Arctic lands.

Mrs Barnett and Jaspar Hobson accompanied the Indians to their camp, abouthalf a mile from the shore, and found some thirty natives there, men, women, andchildren, who supported themselves by hunting and fishing on the borders of thelake. These Indians had just come from the northernmost districts of theAmerican continent, and were able to give the Lieutenant some valuable, althoughnecessarily incomplete, information on the actual state of the sea-coast nearthe seventieth parallel. The Lieutenant heard with considerable satisfactionthat a party of Americans or Europeans had been seen on the confines of thePolar Sea, and that it was open at this time of year. About Cape Bathurst,properly so called, the point for which he intended to make, the Hare Indianscould tell him nothing. Their chief said, however, that the district between theGreat Bear Lake and Cape Bathurst was very difficult to cross, being hilly andintersected by streams, at this season of the year free from ice. He advised theLieutenant to go down the Coppermine river, from the north-east of the lake,which would take him to the coast by the shortest route. Once at the ArcticOcean, it would be easy to skirt along its shores and to choose the best spot atWhich to halt.

Lieutenant Hobson thanked the Indian chief, and took leave after giving him afew presents. Then accompanied by Mrs Barnett, he explored the neighbourhood ofthe camp, not returning to the boat until nearly three o'clock in theafternoon.

CHAPTER IX.

A STORM ON THE LAKE.

The old sailor was impatiently awaiting the return of the travellers; forduring the last hour the weather had changed, and the appearance of the sky wascalculated to render any one accustomed to read the signs of the clouds uneasy.The sun was obscured by a thick mist, the wind had fallen, but - an ominousmoaning was heard from the south of the lake. These symptoms of an approachingchange of temperature were developed with all the rapidity peculiar to theseelevated latitudes.

"Let us be off, sir! let us be off!" cried old Norman, looking anxiously atthe fog above his head. " Let us start without losing an instant. There areterrible signs in the air!"

"Indeed," exclaimed the Lieutenant, "the appearance of the sky is quitechanged, and we never noticed it, Mrs Barnett!"

"Are you afraid of a storm?" inquired the lady of old Norman.

"Yes, madam," replied the old sailor; "and the storms on the Great Bear Lakeare often terrible. The hurricane rages as if upon the open Atlantic Ocean. Thissudden fog bodes us no good; but the tempest may hold back for three or fourhours, and by that time we shall be at Fort Confidence. Let us then startwithout a moment's delay, for the boat would not be safe near these rocks."

The Lieutenant, feeling that the old man, accustomed as he was to navigatethese waters, was better able to judge than himself, decided to follow hisadvice, and embarked at once with Mrs Barnett.

But just as they were pushing off, old Norman, as if possessed by some suddenpresentiment, murmured -

"Perhaps it would be better to wait."

Lieutenant Hobson overheard these words, and looked inquiringly at the oldboatman, already seated at the helm. Had he been alone he would not havehesitated to start, but as Mrs Barnett was with him caution was necessary. Thelady at once saw and understood his hesitation.

"Never mind about me, Lieutenant," she said; "act as if I were not present.Let us start immediately , as our brave guide suggests."

"We are off, then," cried Norman, letting go the moorings, "to the fort bythe shortest route."

For about an hour the bark made little head. The sail, scarcely filled by thefitful breeze, flapped against the mast. The fog became thicker. The waves beganto rise and the boat to rock considerably; for the approaching hurricaneaffected the water sooner than the atmosphere itself. The two travellers satstill and silent, whilst the old sailor peered into the darkness with bloodshoteyes. Prepared for all contingencies, he awaited the shock of the wind, ready topay out rapidly should the attack be very violent. The conflict of the elementshad not, however, as yet commenced; and all would have been well if they badbeen able to advance, but after an hour's sail they were still only about twohours' distance from the Indian encampment. A few gusts of wind from the shoredrove them out of their course, and the dense fog rendered it impossible forthem to make out the coast-line. Should the wind settle in the north it wouldprobably go hard with the light boat, which, unable to hold its own course,would be drifted out into the lake no one knew where.

"We are scarcely advancing at all," said the Lieutenant to old Norman.

"No, sir," replied Norman; "the wind is not strong enough to fill the sail,and if it were, I fear it comes from the wrong quarter. If so," he added,pointing to the south, "we may see Fort Franklin before Fort Confidence."

"Well," said Mrs Barnett cheerfully, "our trip will have been all the morecomplete. This is a magnificent lake, well worth exploring from north to south.I suppose, Norman, one might get back even from Fort Franklin?"

"Yes, madam, if we ever reach it," replied the old man. "But tempests lastingfifteen days are by no means rare on this lake; and if our bad luck should driveus to the south, it may be a month before Lieutenant Hobson again sees FortConfidence."

"Let us be careful, then," said the Lieutenant; "for such a delay, wouldhinder our projects very much. Do the best you can under the circumstances, andif you think it would be prudent, go back to the north. I don't suppose MrsBarnett would mind a walk of twenty or twenty-five miles."

I should be glad enough to go back to the north, Lieutenant," replied Norman,"if it were still possible. But look, the wind seems likely to settle againstus. All I can attempt is to get to the cape on the north-east, and if it doesn'tblow too hard, I hope to succeed."

But at about half-past four the storm broke. The shrill whistling of the windwas heard far above their heads, but the state of the atmosphere prevented itfrom as yet descending upon the lake; this was, however, only delayed for abrief space of time. The cries of frightened birds flying through the fogmingled with the noise of the wind. Suddenly the mist was torn open, andrevealed low jagged masses of rain-cloud chased towards the south. The fears ofthe old sailor were realised. The wind blew from the north, and it was not longbefore the travellers learned the meaning of a squall upon the lake.

"Look out!" cried old Norman, tightening sail so as to get his boat ahead ofthe wind, whilst keeping her under control of the helm.

The squall came. It caught the boat upon the flank, and it was turned over onits side; but recovering itself, it was flung upon the crest of a wave. Thebillows surged as if upon an open sea. The waters of the lake not being verydeep, struck against the bottom and rebounded to an immense height.

"Help! help!" cried old Norman, hurriedly struggling to haul down hissail.

Mrs Barnett and Hobson endeavoured to come to his assistance, but withoutsuccess, for they knew noticing of the management of a boat. Norman, unable toleave the helm, and the halliards being entangled at the top of the mast, couldnot take in the sail. Every moment the boat threatened to capsize, and heavyseas broke over its sides. The sky became blacker and blacker, cold rain mingledwith snow fell in torrents, whilst the squall redoubled its fury, lashing thecrests of the waves into foam.

"Cut it! cut it!" screamed Norman above the roaring of the storm.

The Lieutenant, his cap blown away and his eyes blinded by the spray, seizedNorman's knife and cut the halliard like a harp-string; but the wet cordage nolonger acted in the grooves of the pulleys, and the yard remained attached tothe top of the mast.

Norman, totally unable to make head against the wind, now resolved to tackabout for the south, dangerous as it would be to have the boat before the wind,pursued by waves advancing at double its speed. Yes, to tack, although thiscourse would probably bring them all to the southern shores of the lake, faraway from their destination.

The Lieutenant and his brave companion were well aware of the danger whichthreatened them. The frail boat could not long resist the blows of the waves, itwould either be crushed or capsized; the lives of those within it were in thehands of God.

But neither yielded to despair; clinging to the sides of the boat, wet to theskin, chilled to the bone by the cutting blast, they strove to gaze through thethick mist and fog. All trace of the land had disappeared, and so great was theobscurity that at a cable's length from the boat clouds and waves could not bedistinguished from each other. Now and then the two travellers lookedinquiringly into old Norman's face, who, with teeth set and hands clutching thetiller; tried to keep his boat as much as possible under wind.

But the violence of the squall became such that the boat could not longmaintain this course. The waves which struck its bow would soon have inevitablycrushed it; the front planks were already beginning to separate, and when itswhole weight was flung into the hollows of the waves it seemed as if it couldrise no more.

"We must tack, we must tack, whatever happens !" murmured the old sailor.

And pushing the tiller and paying out sail, he turned the head of the boat tothe south. The sail, stretched to the utmost, brought the boat round with giddyrapidity, and the immense waves, chased by the wind, threatened to engulf thelittle bark. This was the great danger of shifting with the wind right aft. Thebillows hurled themselves in rapid succession upon the boat, which could notevade them. It filled rapidly, and the water bad to be baled out without amoment's pause, or it must have foundered. As they got nearer and nearer to themiddle of the lake the waves became rougher. Nothing there broke the fury of thewind; no clumps of trees, no hills, checked for a moment the headlong course ofthe hurricane. Now and then momentary glimpses were obtained through the fog oficebergs dancing like buoys upon the waves, and driven towards the south of thelake.

It was half-past five. Neither Norman nor the Lieutenant had any idea ofwhere they were, or whither they were going. They had lost all control over theboat, and were at the mercy of the winds and waves.

And now at about a hundred feet behind the boat a huge wave upreared itsfoam-crowned crest, whilst in front a black whirlpool was formed by the suddensinking of the water. All surface agitation, crushed by the wind, haddisappeared around this awful gulf, which, growing deeper and blacker everymoment, drew the devoted little vessel towards its fatal embrace. Ever nearercame the mighty wave, all lesser billows sinking into insignificance before it.It gained upon the boat, another moment and it would crush it to atoms. Norman,looking round, saw its approach; and Mrs Barnett and the Lieutenant, with eyesfixed and staring, awaited in fearful suspense the blow from which there was noescape. The wave broke over them with the noise of thunder; it enveloped thestern of the boat in foam, a fearful crash was heard, and a cry burst from thelips of the Lieutenant and his companion, smothered beneath the liquid mass.

They thought that all was over, and that the boat had sunk; but no, it roseonce more, although more than half filled with water.

The Lieutenant uttered a cry of despair. Where was Norman? The poor oldsailor had disappeared !

Mrs Paulina Barnett looked inquiringly at Hobson.

"Norman!" he repeated, pointing to his empty place.

"Unhappy man !" murmured Mrs Barnett; and at the risk of being flung from theboat rocking on the waves, the two started to their feet and looked around them.But they could see and hear nothing. No cry for help broke upon their ears. Nodead body floated in the white foam. The old sailor had met his death in theelement he loved so well.

Mrs Barnett and Hobson sank back upon their seats. They were now alone, andmust see to their own safety; but neither of them knew anything of themanagement of a boat, and even an experienced hand could scarcely havecontrolled it now. They were at the mercy of the waves, and the bark, withdistended sail, swept along in mad career. What could the Lieutenant do to checkor direct its course?

What a terrible situation for our travellers, to be thus overtaken by atempest in a frail bark which they could not manage !

"We are lost!" said the Lieutenant.

"No, Lieutenant," replied Mrs Barnett; "let us make another effort. Heavenhelps those who help themselves !"

Lieutenant Hobson now for the first time realised with how intrepid a womanfate had thrown him.

The first thing to be done was to get rid of the water which weighed down theboat. Another wave shipped would have filled it in a moment, and it must havesunk at once. The vessel lightened, it would have a better chance of rising onthe waves; and the two set to work to bale out the water. This was no easy task;for fresh waves constantly broke over them, and the scoop could not be laidaside for an instant. Mrs Barnett was indefatigable, and the Lieutenant, leavingthe baling to her, took the helm himself, and did the best he could to guide theboat with the wind right aft.

To add to the danger, night, or rather darkness, for in these latitudes nightonly lasts a few hours at this time of year, fell upon them. Scarce a ray oflight penetrated through the heavy clouds and fog. They could not see two yardsbefore them, and the boat must have been dashed to pieces had it struck afloating iceberg. This danger was indeed imminent, for the loose ice-massesadvance with such rapidity that it is impossible to get out of their way.

"You have no control over the helm?" said Mrs Barnett in a slight lull of thestorm.

No, madam he replied; "and you must prep are for the worst."

"I am ready!" replied the courageous woman simply.

As she spoke a loud rippling sound was heard. The sail, torn away by thewind, disappeared like a white cloud. The boat sped rapidly along for a fewinstants, and then stopped suddenly, the waves buffeting it about like anabandoned wreck. Mrs Barnett and Hobson, flung to the bottom of the boat,bruised, shaken, and torn, felt that all was lost. Not a shred of canvas wasleft to aid in navigating the craft; and what with the spray, the snow, and therain, they could scarcely see each other, whilst the uproar drowned theirvoices. Expecting every moment to perish, they remained for an hour in painfulsuspense, commending themselves to God, who alone could save them.

Neither of them could have said how long they waited when they were arousedby a violent shock.

The boat had just struck an enormous iceberg, a floating block with rugged,slippery sides, to which it would be impossible to cling.

At this sudden blow, which could not have been parried, the bow of the boatwas split open, and the water poured into it in torrents.

"We are sinking! we are sinking !" cried Jasper Hobson.

He was right. The boat was settling down; the water had already reached theseats.

"Madam, madam, I am here! I will not leave you!" added the Lieutenant.

"No, no," cried Mrs Barnett : "alone, you may save yourself; together, weshould perish. Leave me! leave me!"

"Never!" cried Hobson.

But he had scarcely pronounced this word when the boat, struck by anotherwave, filled and sank.

Both were drawn under water by the eddy caused by the sudden settling down ofthe boat, but in a few instants they rose to the surface. Hobson was a strongswimmer, and struck out with one arm, supporting his companion with the other.But it was evident that he could not long sustain a conflict with the furiouswaves, and that he must perish with her he wished to save.

At this moment a strange sound attracted his attention. It was not the cry ofa frightened bird, but the shout of a human voice! By one supreme effort Hobsonraised himself above the waves and looked around him.

But he could distinguish nothing in the thick fog. And yet he again beardcries, this time nearer to him. Some bold men were coming to his succour! Alas!if it were so, they would arrive too late. Encumbered by his clothes, theLieutenant felt himself sinking with the unfortunate lady, whose head he couldscarcely keep above the water. With a last despairing effort he uttered aheartrending cry and disappeared beneath the waves.

It was, however, no mistake-he had heard voices. Three men, wandering aboutby the lake, had seen the boat in danger, and put off to its rescue. They wereEsquimaux, the only men who could have hoped to weather such a storm, for theirsare the only boats constructed to escape destruction in these fearfultempests.

The Esquimaux boat or kayak is a long pirogue raised at each end, madeof a light framework of wood, covered with stretched seal-skins stronglystitched with the sinews of the Walrus. In the upper part of the boat; alsocovered with skins, is an opening in which the Esquimaux takes his place,fastening his waterproof jacket to the back of his seat; so that he is actuallyjoined to his bark, which not a drop of water can penetrate. This light,easily-managed kayak, floating as it does, on the crests of the waves,can never be submerged; and if it be sometimes capsized, a blow of the paddlerights it again directly; so that it is able to live and make way in seas inwhich any other boat would certainly be dashed to pieces.

The three Esquimaux, guided by the Lieutenant's last despairing cry, arrivedat the scene of the wreck joints in time. Hobson and Mrs Barnett, already halfdrowned, felt themselves drawn up by powerful hands; but in the darkness theywere unable to discover who were their deliverers. One of the men took theLieutenant and laid him across his own boat, another did the sane for MrsBarnett, and the three kayaks, skilfully managed with the paddles, sixfeet long, sped rapidly over the white foam.

Half an hour afterwards, the shipwrecked travellers were lying on the sandybeach three miles above Fort Providence.

The old sailor alone was missing !

CHAPTER X.

A RETROSPECT.

It was about ten o'clock the same night when Mrs Barnett and LieutenantHobson knocked at the postern gate of the fort. Great was the joy on seeingthem, for they had been given up for lost; but this joy was turned to mourningat the news of the death of Norman. The brave fellow had been beloved by all,and his loss was sincerely mourned. The intrepid and devoted Esquimaux receivedphlegmatically the earnest expressions of gratitude of those they had saved, andcoulot be persuaded to come to the fort. What they had done seemed to themonly natural, and these were not the first persons they had rescued; so theyquietly returned to their wild life of adventure on the lake, where they huntedthe otters and water-birds day and night.

For the next three nights the party rested. Hobson always intended to set outon June 2d; and on that day, all having recovered from their fatigues and thestorm having abated, the order was given to start.

Sergeant Felton had done all in his power to make his guests comfortable andto aid their enterprise; some of the jaded dogs were replaced by fresh animals,and now the Lieutenant found all his sledges drawn up in good order at the doorof the enceinte, and awaiting the travellers.

The adieux were soon over. Each one thanked Sergeant Felton for hishospitality, and Mrs Paulina Barnett was most profuse in her expressions ofgratitude. A hearty shake of the hand between the Sergeant and hisbrother-in-law, Long, completed the leave-taking,

Each pair got into the sledge assigned to them; but this time Mrs Barnett andthe Lieutenant shared one vehicle, Madge and Sergeant Long following them.

According to the advice of the Indian chief, Hobson determined to get to thecoast by the shortest route, and to take a north-easterly direction. Afterconsulting, his map, which merely gave a rough outline of the configuration ofthe country, it seemed best to him to descend the valley of the Coppermine, alarge river which flows into Coronation Gulf.

The distance between Fort Confidence and the mouth of this river is only adegree and a half-that is to say, about eighty-five or ninety miles. The deephollow formed by the gulf is bounded on the north by Cape Krusenstein, and fromit the coast juts out towards the north-west, ending in Cape Bathurst, which isabove the seventieth parallel.

The Lieutenant, therefore, now changed the route he had hitherto followed,directing his course to the east, so as to reach the river in a few hours.

In the afternoon of the next day, June 3d, the river was gained. It was nowfree from ice, and its clear and rapid waters flowed through a vast valley,intersected by numerous but easily fordable streams. The sledges advanced prettyrapidly, and as they went along, Hobson gave his companion some account of thecountry through which they were passing. A sincere friendship founded on mutualesteem, had sprung up between these two. Mrs Paulina Barnett was an earneststudent with a special gift for discovery, and was therefore always glad toconverse with travellers and explorers. Hobson, who knew his beloved NorthAmerica by heart, was able to answer all her inquiries fully.

"About ninety years ago," he said, "the territory through which theCoppermine flows was unknown, and we are indebted for its discovery to theagents of the Hudson's Bay Company. But as always happens in scientific matters,in seeking one thing, another was found. Columbus was trying to find Asia, anddiscovered America."

"And what were the agents of the Hudson's Bay Company seeking? The famousNorth-West Passage?"

"No, madam," replied the young Lieutenant. "A century ago the Company had nointerest in the opening of a new route, which would have been more valuable toits rivals than to it. It is even said that in 1741 a certain ChristopherMiddleton, sent to explore these latitudes, was publicly charged with receivinga bribe of ?500 from the Company to say that there was not, and could not be, asea passage between the oceans."

"That was not much to the credit of the celebrated Company," said MrsBarnett.

"I do not defend it in the matter," replied Hobson; "and its interference wasseverely censured by Parliament in 1746, when a reward of ?20,000 was offered bythe Government for the discovery of the passage in question. In that year twointrepid explorers, William Moor and Francis Smith, penetrated as far as RepulseBay in the hope of discovering the much-longed-for passage. But they wereunsuccessful, and returned to England after an absence of a year and ahalf."

"But did not other captains follow in their steps, resolved to conquer wherethey had failed?" inquired Mrs Barnett.

"No, madam; and in spite of the large reward offered by Parliament, noattempt was made to resume explorations in English America until thirty yearsafterwards, when some agents of the Company took up the unfinished task ofCaptains Moor and Smith."

"The Company had then relinquished the narrow-minded egotistical position ithad taken up?"

"No, madam, not yet. Samuel Hearne, the agent, only went to reconnoitre theposition of a copper-mine which native miners had reported. On November 6, 1769,this agent left Fort Prince of Wales, on the river Churchill, near the westernshores of Hudson's Bay. He pressed boldly on to the north-west; but theexcessive cold and the exhaustion of his provisions compelled him to returnwithout accomplishing anything. Fortunately he was not easily discouraged, andon February 23d of the next year he set out again, this time taking some Indianswith him. Great hardships were endured in this second journey. The fish and gameon which Hearne had relied often failed him; and he had once nothing to eat forseven days but wild fruit, bits of old leather, and burnt bones. He was againcompelled to return to the fort a disappointed man. But he did not even yetdespair, and started a third time, December 7th, 1770; and after a struggle ofnineteen months, he discovered the Coppermine river, July 13th, 1772, the courseof which he followed to its mouth. According to his own account, he saw the opensea, and in any case he was the first to penetrate to the northern coast ofAmerica."

"But the North-West Passage-that is to say, the direct communication by seabetween the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans-was not then discovered?"

"Oh no, madam," replied the Lieutenant; "and what countless adventuroussailors have since gone to seek it! Phipps in 1773, James Cook and Clerke in1776 to 1779, Kotzebue in 1815 to 1818, Ross, Parry, Franklin, and others haveattempted this difficult task; but it was reserved to M'Clure in our own day topass from one ocean to the other across the Polar Sea."

"Well, Lieutenant, that was a geographical discovery of which we English maywell be proud. But do tell me if the Hudson's Bay Company did not adopt moregenerous views, and send out some other explorer after the return ofHearne."

"It did, madam; and it was thanks to it that Captain Franklin was able toaccomplish his voyage of 1819 to 1822 between the river discovered by Hearne andCape Turnagain. This expedition endured great fatigue and hardships; provisionsoften completely failed, and two Canadians were assassinated and eaten by theircomrades. But in spite of all his sufferings, Captain Franklin explored no lessthan five thousand five hundred and fifty miles of the hitherto unknown coast ofNorth America!"

"He was indeed a man of energy," added Mrs Barnett; "and he gave proof of hisgreat qualities in starting on a fresh Polar expedition after all he had gonethrough."

"Yes," replied the Lieutenant; "and he met a terrible death in the land hisown intrepidity had discovered. It has now been proved, however, that all hiscompanions did not perish with him. Many are doubtless still wandering about onthe vast ice-fields. I cannot think of their awful condition without a shudder.One day," be added earnestly, and with strange emotion-" one day I will searchthe unknown lands where the dreadful catastrophe took place, and- "

"And," exclaimed Mrs Barnett, pressing his hand, "I will accompany you. Yes,this idea has occurred to me more than once, as it has to you; and my heartbeats high when I think that fellow countrymen of my own-Englishmen-are awaitingsuccour."

"Which will come too late for most of them, madam," said the Lieutenant; "butrest assured some will even yet be saved."

"God grant it, Lieutenant!" replied Mrs Barnett; "and it appears to me thatthe agents of the Company, living as they do close to the coast, are betterfitted than any one else to fulfil this duty of humanity."

"I agree with you, madam; they are, as they have often proved, inured to therigours of the Arctic climate. Was it not they who aided Captain Back in hisvoyage in 1834, when he discovered King William's Land, where Franklin met hisfate? Was it not two of us, Dease and Simpson, who were sent by the Governor ofHudson's Bay to explore the shores of the Polar Sea in 1838, and whosecourageous efforts first discovered Victoria Land? It is my opinion that thefuture reserves for the Hudson's Bay Company the final conquest of the Arcticregions. Gradually its factories are advancing further and further north,following the retreat of the fur-yielding animals; and one day a fort will beerected on the Pole itself, that mathematical point where meet all the meridiansof the globe."

During this and the succeeding journeys Jaspar Hobson related his ownadventures since he entered the service of the Company his struggles with theagents of rival associations, and his efforts to explore the unknown districtsof the north or west; and Mrs Barnett, on her side, told of her travels in thetropics. She spoke of all she had done, and of all she hoped still toaccomplish; so that the long hours, lightened by pleasant conversation, passedrapidly away.

Meanwhile the dogs advanced at full gallop towards the north. The Copperminevalley widened sensibly as they neared the Arctic Ocean. The hills on eitherside sank lower and lower, and only scattered clumps of resinous trees broke themonotony of the landscape. A few blocks of ice, drifted down by the river, stillresisted the action of the sun; but each day their number decreased, and acanoe, or even a good-sized boat, might easily have descended the stream, thecourse of which was unimpeded by any natural barrier or aggregation of rocks.The bed of the Coppermine was both deep and wide; its waters were very clear,and being fed by the melted snow, flowed on at a considerable pace, never,however, forming dangerous rapids. Its course, at first very sinuous, becamegradually less and less winding, and at last stretched along in a straight linefor several miles. Its banks, composed of fine firm sand, and clothed in partwith short dry herbage, were wide and level, so that the long train of sledgessped rapidly over them.

The expedition travelled day and night-if we can speak of the night, when thesun, describing an almost horizontal circle, scarcely disappeared at all. Thetrue night only lasted two hours, and the dawn succeeded the twilight almostimmediately. The weather was fine; the sky clear, although somewhat misty on thehorizon; and everything combined to favour the travellers.

For two days they kept along the river-banks without meeting with anydifficulties. They saw but few fur-bearing animals; but there were plenty ofbirds, which might have been counted by thousands. The absence of otters,sables, beavers, ermines, foxes, &c., did not trouble the Lieutenant much,for he supposed that they had been driven further north by over-zealoustracking; and indeed the marks of encampments, extinguished fires, &c., toldof the more or less recent passage of native hunters. Hobson knew that he wouldhave to penetrate a good deal further north, and that part only of his journeywould be accomplished when he got to the mouth of the Coppermine river. He wastherefore most eager to reach the limit of Hearne's exploration, and pressed onas rapidly as possible.

Every one shared the Lieutenant's impatience, and resolutely resisted fatiguein order to reach the Arctic Ocean with the least possible delay. They weredrawn onwards by an indefinable attraction; the glory of the unknown dazzledtheir sight. Probably real hardships would commence when they did arrive at themuch-desired coast. But no matter, they longed to battle with difficulties, andto press straight onwards to their aim. The district they were now traversingcould have no direct interest for them; the real exploration would only commenceon the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Each one, then, would gladly hail the arrivalin the elevated western districts for which they were bound, cut across thoughthey were by the seventieth parallel of north latitude.

On the 5th June, four days after leaving Fort Confidence the river widenedconsiderably. The western banks, curving slightly, ran almost due north; whilstthe eastern rounded off into the coastline, stretching away as far as the eyecould reach.

Lieutenant Hobson paused, and waving his hand to his companions, pointed tothe boundless ocean.

CHAPTER XI.

ALONG THE COAST.

Coronation Gulf, the large estuary dotted with the islands forming the Dukeof York Archipelago, which the party had now reached, was a sheet of water withirregular banks, let in, as it were, into the North American continent. At itswestern angle opened the mouth of the Coppermine; and on the east a long narrowcreek called Bathurst Inlet ran into the mainland, from which stretched thejagged broken coast with its pointed capes and rugged promontories, ending inthat confusion of straits, sounds, and channels which gives such a strangeappearance to the maps of North America. On the other side the coast turnedabruptly to the north beyond the mouth of the Coppermine River, and ended inCape Krusenstern.

After consulting with Sergeant Long, Lieutenant Hobson decided to give hisparty a day's rest here.

The exploration, properly so called, which was to enable the Lieutenant tofix upon a suitable site for the establishment of a fort, was now really aboutto begin. The Company had advised him to keep as much as possible above theseventieth parallel, and on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. To obey his ordersHobson was obliged to keep to the west; for on the east-with the exception,perhaps, of the land of Boothia, crossed by the seventieth parallel-the wholecountry belongs rather to the Arctic Circle, and the geographical conformationof Boothia is as yet but imperfectly known.

After carefully ascertaining the latitude and longitude, and verifying hisposition by the map, the Lieutenant found that he was a hundred miles below theseventieth degree. But beyond Cape Krusenstern, the coast-line, running in anorth-easterly direction, abruptly crosses the seventieth parallel at a sharpangle near the one hundred and thirtieth meridian, and at about the sameelevation as Cape Bathurst, the spot named as a rendezvous by Captain Craventy.He must therefore make for that point, and should the site appear suitable thenew fort would be erected there.

"There," said the Lieutenant to his subordinate, Long, "we shall be in theposition ordered by the Company. There the sea, open for a great part of theyear, will allow the vessels from Behring Strait to come right up to the fort,bringing us fresh provisions and taking away our commodities."

"Not to mention," added Sergeant Long, "that our men will be entitled todouble pay all the time they are beyond the seventieth parallel."

"Of course that is understood," replied Hobson; "and I daresay they willaccept it without a murmur."

"Well then, Lieutenant," said Long simply, "we have now only to start forCape Bathurst."

But as a day of rest had been promised, the start did not actually take placeuntil the next day, June 6th.

The second part of the journey would naturally be very different from thefirst. The rules with regard to the sledges keeping their rank need no longer beenforced, and each couple drove as it pleased them. Only short distances weretraversed at a time; halts were made at every angle of the coast, and the partyoften walked. Lieutenant Hobson only urged two things upon his companions not togo further than three miles from the coast, and to rally their forces twice aday, at twelve o'clock and in the evening. At night they all encamped intents.

The weather continued very fine and the temperature moderate, maintaining amean height of 59? Fahrenheit above zero. Two or three times sudden snowstormscame on; but they did not last long, and exercised no sensible influence uponthe temperature.

The whole of the American coast between Capes Krusenstern and Parry,comprising an extent of more than two hundred and fifty miles, was examined withthe greatest care between the 6th and 20th of June. Geographical observationswere accurately taken, and Hobson, most effectively aided by Thomas Black, wasable to rectify certain errors in previous marine surveys; whilst the primaryobject of the expedition-the examination into the quality and quantity of thegame in the surrounding districts-was not neglected.

Were these lands well stocked with game? Could they count with certainty notonly on a good supply of furs, but also of meat? Would the resources of thecountry provide a fort with provisions in the summer months at least? Such werethe grave questions which Lieutenant Hobson had to solve, and which called forimmediate attention. We give a summary of the conclusions at which hearrived.

Game, properly so called, of the kind for which Corporal Joliffe amongstothers had a special predilection, was not abundant. There were plenty of birdsof the duck tribe; but only a few Polar hares, difficult of approach, poorlyrepresented the rodents of the north. There seemed, however, to be a good manybears about. Marbre and Sabine had come upon the fresh traces of several. Somewere even seen and tracked; but, as a rule, they kept at a respectful distance.In the winter, however, driven by famine from higher latitudes, there wouldprobably be more than enough of these ravenous beasts prowling about the shoresof the Arctic Ocean.

"There is certainly no denying," said Corporal Joliffe, "that bear's flesh isvery good eating when once it's in the larder; but there is something veryproblematical about it beforehand, and it's always just possible that thehunters themselves may meet the fate they intended for the bears!"

This was true enough. It was no use counting upon the bears to provisiontheir fort. Fortunately traces were presently found of herds of a far moreuseful animal, the flesh of which is the principal food of the Indians andEsquimaux. We allude to the reindeer; and Corporal Joliffe announced with thegreatest satisfaction that there were plenty of these ruminants on this coast.The ground was covered with the lichen to which they are so partial, and whichthey cleverly dig out from under the snow.

There could be no mistake as to the footprints left by the reindeer, as, likethe camel, they have a small nail-like hoof with a convex surface. Large herds,sometimes numbering several thousand animals, are seen running wild in certainparts of America. Being easily domesticated, they are employed to draw sledges;and they also supply the factories with excellent milk, more nourishing thanthat of cows. Their dead bodies are not less useful. Their thick skin providesclothes, their hair makes very good thread, and their flesh is palatable; sothat they are really the most valuable animals to be found in these latitudes,and Hobson, being assured of their presence, was relieved from half hisanxiety.

As he advanced he had also reason to be satisfied with regard to thefur-bearing animals. By the little streams rose many beaver lodges and musk-rattunnels. Badgers, lynxes, ermines, wolverenes, sables, polecats, &c.,frequented these districts, hitherto undisturbed by hunters. They had thus farcome to no trace of the presence of man, and the animals had chosen their refugewell. Footprints were also found of the fine blue and silver foxes, which arebecoming more and more rare, and the fur of which is worth its weight in gold.Sabine and Mac-Nab might many a time have shot a very valuable animal on thisexcursion, but the Lieutenant had wisely forbidden all hunting of the kind. Hedid not wish to alarm the animals before the approaching season-that is to say,before the winter months, when their furs become thicker and more beautiful. Itwas also desirable not to overload the sledges. The hunters saw the force of hisreasoning; but for all that, their fingers itched when they came withinshot-range of a sable or some valuable fox. Their Lieutenant's orders were,however, not to be disobeyed.

Polar bears and birds were, therefore, all that the hunters had to practiseupon in this second stage of their journey. The former, however, not yetrendered bold by hunger, soon scampered off, and no serious struggle with themensued.

The poor birds suffered for the enforced immunity of the quadrupeds.White-headed eagles, huge birds with a harsh screeching cry; fishing hawks,which build their nests in dead trees and migrate to the Arctic regions in thesummer; snow buntings with pure white plumage, wild geese, which afford the bestfood of all the Anseres tribe; ducks with red heads and black breasts;ash-coloured crows, a kind of mocking jay of extreme ugliness; eider ducks;scoters or black divers, &c. &c., whose mingled cries awake the echoesof the Arctic regions, fell victims by hundreds to the unerring aim of Marbreand Sabine. These birds haunt the high latitudes by millions, and it would beimpossible to form an accurate estimate of their number on the shores of theArctic Ocean. Their flesh formed a very pleasant addition to the daily rationsof biscuit and corned beef, and we can understand that the hunters laid up agood stock of them in the fifteen days during which they were debarred fromattacking more valuable game.

There would then be no lack of animal food; the magazines of the Companywould be well stocked with game, and its offices filled with furs and traders;but something more was wanted to insure success to the undertaking. Would it bepossible to obtain a sufficient supply of fuel to contend with the rigour of anArctic winter at so elevated a latitude?

Most fortunately the coast, was well wooded; the hills which sloped downtowards the sea were crowned with green trees, amongst which the pinepredominated. Some of the woods might even be called forests, and wouldconstitute an admirable reserve of timber for the fort. Here and there Hobsonnoticed isolated groups of willows, poplars, dwarf birch-trees, and numerousthickets of arbutus. At this time of the warm season all these trees werecovered with verdure, and were an unexpected and refreshing sight to eyes solong accustomed to the rugged, barren polar landscape. The ground at the foot ofthe hills was carpeted with a short herbage devoured with avidity by thereindeer, and forming their only sustenance in winter. On the whole, then, theLieutenant had reason to congratulate himself on having chosen the north-west ofthe American continent for the foundation of a new settlement.

We have said that these territories, so rich in animals, were apparentlydeserted by men. The travellers saw neither Esquimaux, who prefer the districtsround Hudson's Bay, nor Indians, who seldom venture so far beyond the ArcticCircle. And indeed in these remote latitudes hunters may be overtaken by storms,or be suddenly surprised by winter, and cut off from all communication withtheir fellow-creatures. We can easily imagine that Lieutenant Hobson was by nomeans sorry not to meet any rival explorers. What he wanted was an unoccupiedcountry, a deserted land, suitable as a refuge for the fur-bearing animals; andin this matter he had the full sympathy of Mrs Barnett, who, as the guest of theCompany, naturally took a great interest in the success of its schemes.

Fancy, then, the disappointment of the Lieutenant, when on the morning of the20th June he came to an encampment but recently abandoned.

It was situated at the end of a narrow creek called Darnley Bay, of whichCape Parry is the westernmost point. There at the foot of a little hill were thestakes which had served to mark the limits of the camp, and heaps of cinders,the extinct embers of the fires.

The whole party met at this encampment, and all understood how great adisappointment it involved for Lieutenant Hobson.

"What a pity!" he exclaimed. "I would rather have met a whole family of polarbears!"

"But I daresay the men who encamped here are already far off," said MrsBarnett; "very likely they have returned to their usual hunting grounds."

"That is as it may be," replied the Lieutenant. "If these be the traces ofEsquimaux, they are more likely to have gone on than to have turned back; and ifthey be those of Indians, they are probably, like ourselves, seeking a newhunting district; and in either case it will be very unfortunate for us."

"But," said Mrs Barnett, "cannot we find out to what race the travellers dobelong? Can't we ascertain if they be Esquimaux or Indians from the south? Ishould think tribes of such a different origin, and of such dissimilar customs,would not encamp in the same manner."

Mrs Barnett was right; they might possibly solve the mystery after a thoroughexamination of the ground.

Jaspar Hobson and others set to work, carefully examining every trace, everyobject left behind, every mark on the ground; but in vain, there was nothing toguide them to a decided opinion. The bones of some animals scattered about toldthem nothing, and the Lieutenant, much annoyed, was about to abandon the uselesssearch, when he heard an exclamation from Mrs Joliffe, who had wandered a littleway to the left.

All hurried towards the young Canadian, who remained fixed to the spot,looking attentively at the ground before her.

As her companions came up she said-

"You are looking for traces, Lieutenant; well, here are some."

And Mrs Joliffe pointed to a good many footprints clearly visible in the firmclay.

These might reveal something; for the feet of the Indians and Esquimaux, aswell as their boots, are totally different from each other.

But what chiefly struck Lieutenant Hobson was the strange arrangement ofthese impressions. They were evidently made by a human foot, a shod foot; but,strange to say, the ball alone appeared to have touched the ground! The markswere very numerous, close together, often crossing one another, but confined toa very small circle.

Jaspar Hobson called the attention of the rest of the party to this singularcircumstance.

"These were not made by a person walking," he said.

"Nor by a person jumping," added Mrs Barnett; "for there is no mark of aheel."

"No," said Mrs Joliffe; "these footprints were left by a dancer."

She was right, as further examination proved. They were the marks left by adancer, and a dancer engaged in some light and graceful exercise, for they wereneither clumsy nor deep.

But who could the light-hearted individual be who had been impelled to dancein this sprightly fashion some degrees above the Arctic Circle?

"It was certainly not an Esquimaux," said the Lieutenant.

"Nor an Indian," cried Corporal Joliffe.

"No, it was a Frenchman," said Sergeant Long quietly.

And all agreed that none but a Frenchman could have been capable of dancingon such a spot.

CHAPTER XII.

THE MIDNIGHT SUN.

Sergeant Long's assertion must appear to have been founded on insufficientevidence. That there had been dancing no one could deny, but that the dancer wasa Frenchman, however probable, could not be considered proved.

However, the Lieutenant shared the opinion of his subordinate, which did notappear too positive to any of the party, who all agreed in feeling sure thatsome travellers, with at least one compatriot of Vestris amongst them, hadrecently encamped on this spot.

Of course Lieutenant Hobson was by no means pleased at this he was afraid ofhaving been preceded by rivals in the north-western districts of EnglishAmerica; and secret as the Company had kept its scheme, it had doubtless beendivulged in the commercial centres of Canada and the United States.

The Lieutenant resumed his interrupted march; but he was full of care andanxiety, although he would not now have dreamed of retracing his steps.

"Frenchmen are then sometimes met with in these high latitudes?" was MrsBarnett's natural question after this incident.

"Yes, madam," replied the Lieutenant; "or if not exactly Frenchmen, thedescendants of the masters of Canada when it belonged to France, which comes tomuch the same thing. These men are in fact our most formidable rivals."

"But I thought," resumed Mrs Barnett, "that after the absorption by theHudson's Bay Company of the old North-West Company, that it had no longer anyrivals on the American continent."

"Although there is no longer any important association for trading in fursexcept our own, there are a good many perfectly independent private companies,mostly American, which have retained French agents or their descendants in theiremploy."

"Are these agents then held in such high esteem?" asked Mrs Barnett.

"Yes, madam, and with good reason. During the ninety-four years of Frenchsupremacy in Canada, French agents always proved themselves superior to ours. Wemust be just even to our rivals."

"Especially to our rivals," added Mrs Barnett.

"Yes, especially. . . At that time French hunters, starting from Montreal,their headquarters, pressed on to the north with greater hardihood than anyothers. They lived for years with the Indian tribes, sometimes intermarryingwith them. The natives called them the 'Canadian travellers,' and were on themost intimate terms with them. They were bold, clever fellows, expert atnavigating streams, light-hearted and merry, adapting themselves tocircumstances with the easy flexibility of their race, and always ready to singor dance."

"And do you suppose that hunting is the only object of the party whose traceswe have just discovered?"

"I don't think any other hypotheses at all likely," replied Hobson. "They aresure to be seeking new hunting grounds. But as we cannot possibly stop them, wemust make haste to begin our own operations, and compete boldly with allrivals."

Lieutenant Hobson was now prepared for the competition he could not prevent,and he urged on the march of his party as much as possible, hoping that hisrivals might not follow him beyond the seventieth parallel.

The expedition now descended towards the south for some twenty miles, inorder the more easily to pass round Franklin Bay. The country was still coveredwith verdure, and the quadrupeds and birds already enumerated were as plentifulas ever; so that they could reasonably hope that the whole of the north-westerncoasts of the American continent were populated in the same manner.

The ocean which bathed these shores stretched away as far as the eye couldreach Recent atlases give no land beyond the north American coast-line, and itis only the icebergs which impede the free navigation of the open sea fromBehring Strait to the Pole itself.

On the 4th July the travellers skirted round another deep bay called WashburnBay, and reached the furthest point of a little lake, until then imperfectlyknown, covering but a small extent of territory, scarcely two square miles-infact it was rather a lagoon, or large pond of sweet water, than a lake.

The sledges went on easily and rapidly, and the appearance of the country wasmost encouraging to the explorers. It seemed that the extremity of Cape Bathurstwould be a most favourable site for the new fort, as with this lagoon behindthem, and the sea open for four or five months in the warm season, and givingaccess to the great highway of Behring Strait, before them, it would be easy forthe exiles to lay in fresh provisions and to export their commodities.

On the 5th June, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the party at lasthalted at the extremity of Cape Bathurst. It remained to ascertain the exactposition of this cape, which the maps place above the seventieth parallel. Itwas, however, impossible to rely upon the marine surveys of the coast, as theyhad never yet been made with exactitude. Jaspar Hobson decided to wait andascertain the latitude and longitude.

"What prevents us from settling here?" asked Corporal Joliffe. "You will own,Lieutenant, that it is a very inviting spot."

"It will seem more inviting still if you get double pay here, my worthyCorporal," replied Hobson.

"No doubt," said Joliffe; "and the orders of the Company must be obeyed."

"Then wait patiently till to-morrow," added Hobson; "and if we find that CapeBathurst is really beyond 70? north latitude, we will pitch our tent here."

The site was indeed admirably suited for the foundation of a new settlement.The wooded heights surrounding the lagoon would supply plenty of pine, birch,and other woods for the construction of the fort, and for stocking, it with'fuel. The Lieutenant and some of his companions went to the very edge of thecape, and found that towards the west the coast-line formed a lengthened curve,beyond which icebergs of a considerable height shut out the view. The water ofthe lagoon, instead of being brackish as they expected from its close vicinityto the sea, was perfectly sweet; but had it not been so, drinkable water wouldnot have failed the little colony, as a fresh and limpid stream ran a few yardsto the south-east of Cape Bathurst, and emptied itself into the Arctic Oceanthrough a narrow inlet, which, protected by a singular accumulation of sand andearth instead of by rocks, would have afforded a refuge to several vessels fromthe winds of the offing, and might be turned to account for the anchorage of theships which it was hoped would come to the new settlement from Behring Strait.Out of compliment to the lady of the party, and much to her delight, LieutenantHobson named the stream Paulina river, and the little harbour Port Barnett.

By building the fort a little behind the actual cape, the principal house andthe magazines would be quite sheltered from the coldest winds. The elevation ofthe cape would help to protect them from the snow-drifts, which sometimescompletely bury large buildings beneath their heavy avalanches in a few hours.There was plenty of room between the foot of the promontory and the bank of thelagoon for all the constructions necessary to a fort. It could even besurrounded by palisades, which would break the shock of the icebergs; and thecape itself might be surrounded with a fortified redoubt, if the vicinity ofrivals should render such a purely defensive erection necessary; and theLieutenant, although with no idea of commencing anything of the kind as yet,naturally rejoiced at having met with an easily defensible position.

The weather remained fine, and it was quite warm enough. There was not acloud upon the sky; but, of course, the clear blue air of temperate and torridzones could not be expected here, and the atmosphere was generally charged witha light mist. What would Cape Bathurst be like in the long winter night of fourmonths when the ice-mountains became fixed and rigid, and the hoarse north windswept down upon the icebergs in all its fury? None of the party gave a thoughtto that time now; for the weather was beautiful, the verdant landscape smiled,and the waves sparkled in the sunbeams, whilst the temperature remained warm andpleasant.

A provisional camp, the sledges forming its only material, was arranged forthe night on the banks of the lagoon; and towards evening Mrs Barnett, theLieutenant, Sergeant Long, and even Thomas Black, explored the surroundingdistrict in order to ascertain its resources. It appeared to be in every respectsuitable; and Hobson was eager for the next day, that he might determine theexact situations, and find out if it fulfilled the conditions imposed by theCompany.

"Well, Lieutenant," said the astronomer when the examination was over, "thisis really a charming spot, such as I should not have imagined could have existedbeyond the Arctic Circle."

"Ah, Mr Black!" cried Hobson, "the finest countries in the world are to befound here, and I am impatient to ascertain our latitude and longitude."

"Especially the latitude," said the astronomer, whose eclipse was never outof his thoughts; "and I expect your brave companions are as eager as yourself.Double pay beyond the seventieth parallel!"

"But, Mr Black," said Mrs Barnett, "do you not yourself take an interest apurely scientific interest, in getting beyond that parallel?"

"Of course, madam, of course I am anxious to get beyond it, but not soterribly eager. According to our calculations, however, made with absoluteaccuracy, the solar eclipse which I am ordered to watch will only be total to anobserver placed beyond the seventieth degree, and on this account I share theLieutenant's impatience to determine the position of Cape Bathurst."

"But I understand, Mr Black," said Mrs Barnett, "that this solar eclipse willnot take place until the 18th July 1860?"

"Yes, madam, on the 18th July 1860."

"And it is now only the 15th June 1859! So that the phenomenon will not bevisible for more than a year!"

"I am quite aware of it, Mrs Barnett," replied the astronomer; "but if I hadnot started till next year I should have run a risk of being too late."

"You would, Mr Black," said Hobson, "and you did well to start a yearbeforehand. You are now quite sure not to miss your eclipse. I own that ourjourney from Fort Reliance has been accomplished under exceptionally favourablecircumstances. We have had little fatigue and few delays. To tell you thetruth, I did not expect to get to this part of the coast until the middle ofAugust; and if the eclipse had been expected this year, instead of next; youreally might have been too late. Moreover, we do not yet know if we are beyondthe seventieth parallel."

"I do not in the least regret the journey I have taken in your company,Lieutenant, and I shall patiently wait until next year for my eclipse. The fairPhobe, I fancy, is a sufficiently grand lady to be waited for."

The next day, July 6th, a little after noon, Hobson and the astronomer madetheir preparations for taking the exact bearings of Cape Bathurst. The sun shoneclearly enough for them to take the outlines exactly. At this season of theyear, too, it had reached its maximum height above the horizon; and consequentlyits culmination, on its transit across the meridian, would facilitate the workof the two observers.

Already the night before, and the same morning, by raking differentaltitudes, and by means of a calculation of right ascensions, the Lieutenant andthe astronomer had ascertained the longitude with great accuracy. But it wasabout the latitude that Hobson was most anxious; for what would the meridian ofCape Bathurst matter to him should it not be situated beyond the seventiethparallel?

Noon approached. The men of the expedition gathered round the observers withtheir sextants ready in their hands. The brave fellows awaited the result of theobservation with an impatience which will be readily understood. It was now tobe decided whether they had come to the end of their journey, or whether theymust search still further for a spot fulfilling the conditions imposed by theCompany.

Probably no good result would have followed upon further explorations,According to the maps of North America-imperfect, it is true-the western coastbeyond Cape Bathurst sloped down below the seventieth parallel, not again risingabove it until it entered Russian America, where the English had as yet no rightto settle; so that Hobson had shown considerable judgment in directing hiscourse to Cape Bathurst after a thorough examination of the maps of thesenorthern regions. This promontory is, in fact, the only one which juts outbeyond the seventieth parallel along the whole of the North American continent,properly so called-that is to say, in English America. It remained to be provedthat it really occupied the position assigned to it in maps.

At this moment the sun was approaching the culminating-point of its course,and the two observers pointed the telescopes of their sextants upon it. By meansof inclined mirrors attached to the instruments, the sun ought apparently to goback to the horizon itself; and the moment when it seemed to touch it with thelower side of its disc would be precisely that at which it would occupy thehighest point of the diurnal arc, and consequently the exact moment when itwould pass the meridian-in other words, it would be noon at the place where theobservation was taken.

All watched in anxious silence.

"Noon!" cried Jaspar Hobson and the astronomer at once.

The telescopes were immediately lowered. The Lieutenant and Thomas Black readon the graduated limbs the value of the angles they had just obtained, and atonce proceeded to note down their observations.

A few minutes afterwards, Lieutenant Hobson rose and said, addressing hiscompanions

"My friends, from this date, July 6th, I promise you double pay in the nameof the Hudson's Bay Company!"

"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah for the Company!" shouted the worthy companions ofthe Lieutenant with one voice.

Cape Bathurst and its immediate neighbourhood were in very truth above theseventieth degree of north latitude.

We give the result of these simultaneous observations, which agreed to asecond.

Longitude, 127? 36' 12" west of the meridian of Greenwich.

Latitude, 70? 44' 37" north.

And that very evening these hardy pioneers, encamped so far from theinhabited world, watched the mighty luminary of day touch the edges of thewestern horizon without dipping beneath it.

For the first time they saw the shining of the midnight sun.

CHAPTER XIII.

FORT HOPE.

The site of the new fort was now finally determined on. It would beimpossible to find a better situation than on the level ground behind CapeBathurst, on the eastern bank of the lagoon Hobson determined to commence theconstruction of the principal house at once. Meanwhile all must accommodatethemselves as best they could; and the sledges were ingeniously utilised to forma provisional encampment.

His men being very skilful, the Lieutenant hoped to have the principal houseready in a month. It was to be large enough to accommodate for a time thenineteen persons of the party. Later, and before the excessive cold set in, ifthere should be time, the barracks for the soldiers and the magazines for thefurs and skins were to be built. There was not much chance of getting it alldone before the end of September; and after that date, the winter, with itsfirst bitter frosts and long nights, would arrest all further progress.

Of the ten soldiers chosen by Captain Craventy, two-Marbre and Sabine-wereskilful hunters; the other eight handled the hatchet with as much address as themusket. Like sailors, they could turn their hands to anything, and were now tobe treated more like workmen than soldiers, for they were to build a fort whichthere was as yet no enemy to attack. Petersen, Belcher, Rae, Garry, Pond, Hope,and Kellet formed a body of clever, zealous carpenters, under the ablesuperintendence of Mac-Nab, a Scotchman from Stirling, who had hadconsiderable experience in the building both of houses and boats. The men werewell provided with tools-hatchets, centre-bits, adzes, planes, hand-saws,mallets, hammers, chisels, &c. &c. Rae was most skilful at blacksmith'swork, and with the aid of a little portable forge he was able to make all thepins, tenons, bolts, nails, screws, nuts, &e., required in carpentry. Theyhad no mason in the party; but none was wanted, as all the buildings of thefactories in the north are of wood. Fortunately there were plenty of trees aboutCape Bathurst, although as Hobson had already remarked to Mrs Barnett, there wasnot a rock, a stone, not even a flint or a pebble, to be seen. The shore wasstrewn with innumerable quantities of bivalve shells broken by the surf, andwith seaweed or zoophytes, mostly sea-urchins and asteriada; but the soilconsisted entirely of earth and sand, without a morsel of silica or brokengranite; and the cape itself was but an accumulation of soft earth, theparticles of which were scarcely held together by the vegetation with which itwas clothed.

In the afternoon of the same day, July 6th Hobson and Mac-Nab the carpenterwent to choose the site of the principal house on the plateau at the foot ofCape Bathurst. From this point the view embraced the lagoon and the westerndistricts to a distance of ten or twelve miles. On the right, about four milesoff, towered icebergs of a considerable height. partly draped in mist; whilst onthe left stretched apparently boundless plains, vast steppes which it would beimpossible to distinguish from the frozen surface of the lagoon or from the seaitself in the winter.

The spot chosen, Hobson and Mac-Nab set out the outer walls of the house withthe line. This outline formed a rectangle measuring sixty feet on the largerside, and thirty on the smaller. The facade of the house would therefore have alength of sixty feet it was to have a door and three windows on the side of thepromontory, where the inner court was to be situated, and four windows on theside of the lagoon. The door was to open at the left corner, instead of in themiddle, of the back of the house, for the sake of warmth. This arrangement wouldimpede the entrance of the outer air to the further rooms, and add considerablyto the comfort of the inmates of the fort.

According to the simple plan agreed upon by the Lieutenant and hismaster-carpenter, there were to be four compartments in the house: the first tobe an antechamber with a double door to keep out the wind; the second to serveas a kitchen, that the cooking which would generate damp, might be all donequite away from the living-rooms; the third, a large hall, where the daily mealswere to be served in common; and the fourth, to be divided into several cabins,like the state-rooms on board ship.

The soldiers were to occupy the dining-hall provisionally, and a kind ofcamp-bed was arranged for them at the end of the room. The Lieutenant, MrsBarnett, Thomas Black, Madge, Mrs Joliffe, Mrs Mac-Nab, and Mrs Rae were tolodge in the cabins of the fourth compartment. They would certainly be packedpretty closely; but it was only a temporary state of things, and when thebarracks were constructed, the principal house would be reserved to the officerin command, his sergeant, Thomas Black, Mrs Barnett, and her faithful Madge, whonever left her. Then the fourth compartment might perhaps be divided into threecabins, instead of four; for to avoid corners as much as possible is a rulewhich should never be forgotten by those who winter in high latitudes Nooks andcorners are, in fact, so many receptacles of ice. The partitions impede theventilation; and the moisture, generated in the air, freezes readily, and makesthe atmosphere of the rooms unhealthy causing grave maladies to those who sleepin them.

On this account many navigators who have to winter in the midst of ice haveone large room in the centre of their vessel, which is shared by officers andsailors in common. For obvious reasons, however, Hobson could not adopt thisplan.

From the preceding description we shall have seen that the future house wasto consist merely of a ground-floor. The roof was to be high, and its sides toslope considerably, so that water could easily run off them. The snow would,however, settle upon them; and when once they were covered with it, the housewould be, so to speak, hermetically closed, and the inside temperature would bekept at the same mean height. Snow is, in fact, a very bad conductor of beat: itprevents it from entering, it is true; but, what is more important in an Arcticwinter, it also keeps it from getting out.

The carpenter was to build two chimneys-one above the kitchen, the other inconnection with the stove of the large dining-room, which was to heat it and thecompartment containing the cabins. The architectural effect of the whole wouldcertainly be poor; but the house would be as comfortable as possible, and whatmore could any one desire?

Certainly an artist who had once seen it would not soon forget this winterresidence, set down in the gloomy Arctic twilight in the midst of snow-drifts,half hidden by icicles, draped in white from roof to foundation, its wallsencrusted with snow, and the smoke from its fires assuming strangely-contortedforms in the wind.

But now to tell of the actual construction of this house, as yet existingonly in imagination. This, of course, was the business of Mac-Nab and his men;and while the carpenters were at work, the foraging party to whom thecommissariat was entrusted would not be idle. There was plenty for every one todo.

The first step was to choose suitable timber, and a species of Scotch fir wasdecided on, which grew conveniently upon the neighbouring hills, and seemedaltogether well adapted to the multifarious uses to which it would be put. Forin the rough and ready style of habitation which they were planning, there couldbe no variety of material; and every part of the house-outside and inside walls,flooring, ceiling, partitions, rafters, ridges, framework, and tiling-would haveto be contrived of planks, beams, and timbers. As may readily be supposed,finished workmanship was not necessary for such a description of building, andMac-Nab was able to proceed very rapidly without endangering the safety of thebuilding. About a hundred of these firs were chosen and felled-they were neitherbarked nor squared-and formed so many timbers, averaging some twenty feet inlength. The axe and the chisel did not touch them except at the ends, in orderto form the tenons and mortises by which they were to be secured to one another.Very few days sufficed to complete this part of the work, and the timbers werebrought down by the dogs to the site fixed on for the principal building. Tostart with, the site had been carefully levelled. The soil, a mixture of fineearth and sand, had been beaten and consolidated with heavy blows. The brushwoodwith which it was originally covered was burnt, and the thick layer of ashesthus produced would prevent the damp from penetrating the floors. A clean anddry foundation having been thus secured on which to lay the first joists,upright posts were fixed at each corner of the site, and at the extremities ofthe inside walls, to form the skeleton of the building. The posts were sunk to adepth of some feet in the ground, after their ends had been hardened in thefire; and were slightly hollowed at each side to receive the crossbeams of theouter wall, between which the openings for the doors and windows had beenarranged for. These posts were held together at the top by horizontal beams welllet into the mortises, and consolidating the whole building. On these horizontalbeams, which represented the architraves of the two fronts, rested the hightrusses of the roof, which overhung the walls like the eaves of a chalet. Abovethis squared architrave were laid the joists of the ceiling, and those of thefloor upon the layer of ashes.

The timbers, both in the inside and outside walls, were only laid side byside. To insure their being properly joined, Rae the blacksmith drove strongiron bolts through them at intervals; and when even this contrivance provedinsufficient to close the interstices as hermetically as was necessary, Mac-Nabhad recourse to calking, a process which seamen find invaluable in renderingvessels water-tight; only as a substitute for tow he used a sort of dry moss,with which the eastern side of the cape was covered, driving it into thecrevices with calking-irons and a hammer, filling up each hollow with layers ofhot tar, obtained without difficulty from the pine-trees, and thus making thewalls and boarding impervious to the rain and damp of the winter season.

The door and windows in the two fronts were roughly but strongly built, andthe small panes of the latter glazed with isinglass, which, though rough,yellow, and almost opaque, was yet the best substitute for glass which theresources of the country afforded; and its imperfections really mattered little,as the windows were sure to be always open in fine weather; while during, thelong night of the Arctic winter they would be useless, and have to be keptclosed and defended by heavy shutters with strong bolts against the violence ofthe gales. Meanwhile the house was being quickly fitted up inside. By means of adouble door between the outer and inner halls a too sudden change of temperaturewas avoided, and the wind was prevented from blowing with unbroken force intothe rooms. The air-pumps, brought from Fort Reliance, were so fixed as to let infresh air whenever excessive cold prevented the opening of doors or windows -onebeing made to eject the impure air from within, the other to renew the supply;for the Lieutenant had given his whole mind to this important matter.

The principal cooking utensil was a large iron furnace, which had beenbrought piecemeal from Fort Reliance, and which the carpenter put up without anydifficulty. The chimneys for the kitchen and ball, however, seemed likely to taxthe ingenuity of the workmen to the utmost, as no material within their reachwas strong enough for the purpose, and stone, as we have said before, wasnowhere to be found in the country around Cape Bathurst.

The difficulty appeared insurmountable, when the invincible Lieutenantsuggested that they should utilise the shells with which the shore wasstrewed.

"Make chimneys of shells!" cried the carpenter.

"Yes, Mac-Nab," replied Hobson; "we must collect the shells, grind them, burnthem, and make them into lime, then mould the lime into bricks, and use them inthe same way."

"Let us try the shells, by all means," replied the carpenter; and so the ideawas put in practice at once, and many tons collected of calcareous shellsidentical with those found in the lowest stratum of the Tertiary formations.

A furnace was constructed for the decomposition of the carbonate which is solarge an ingredient of these shells, and thus the lime required was obtained inthe space of a few hours. It would perhaps be too much to say that the substancethus made was as entirely satisfactory as if it had gone through all the usualprocesses; but it answered its purpose, and strong conical chimneys soon adornedthe roof, to the great satisfaction of Mrs Paulina Barnett, who congratulatedthe originator of the scheme warmly on its success, only adding laughingly, thatshe hoped the chimneys would not smoke.

"Of course they will smoke, madam," replied Hobson coolly; "all chimneysdo!"

All this was finished within a month, and on the 6th of August they were totake possession of the new house.

While Mac-Nab and his men were working so hard, the foraging party, with theLieutenant at its head, had been exploring the environs of Cape Bathurst, andsatisfied themselves that there would be no difficulty in supplying theCompany's demands for fur and feathers, so soon as they could set about huntingin earnest. In the meantime they prepared the way for future sport, contentingthemselves for the present with the capture of a few couples of reindeer, whichthey intended to domesticate for the sake of their milk and their young. Theywere kept in a paddock about fifty yards from the house, and entrusted to thecare of Mac-Nabs wife, an Indian woman, well qualified to take charge ofthem.

The care of the household fell to Mrs Paulina Barnett, and this good woman,with Madge's help, was invaluable in providing for all the small wants, whichwould inevitably have escaped the notice of the men.

After scouring the country within a radius of several miles, the Lieutenantnotified, as the result of his observations, that the territory on which theyhad established themselves, and to which he gave the name of Victoria Land, wasa large peninsula about one hundred and fifty square miles in extent, with veryclearly-defined boundaries, connected with the American continent by an isthmus,extending from the lower end of Washburn Bay on the east, as fair as thecorresponding slope on the opposite coast. The Lieutenant next proceeded toascertain what were the resources of the lake and river, and found great reasonto be satisfied with the result of his examination. The shallow waters of thelake teemed with trout, pike, and other available fresh-water fish; and thelittle river was a favourite resort of salmon and shoals of white bait andsmelts. The supply of sea-fish was not so good; and though many a grampus andwhale passed by in the offing, the latter probably flying from the harpoons ofthe Behring Strait fishermen there were no means of capturing them unless one bychance happened to get stranded on the coast; nor would Hobson allow any of theseals which abounded on the western shore to be taken until a satisfactoryconclusion should be arrived at as to how to use them to the best advantage.

The colonists now considered themselves fairly installed stalled in their newabode, and after due deliberation unanimously agreed to bestow upon thesettlement the name of Fort Good Hope.

Alas! the auspicious title was never to be inscribed upon a map. Theundertaking, begun so bravely and with such prospects of success, was destinednever to be carried out, and another disaster would have to be added to the longlist of failures in Arctic enterprise.

CHAPTER XIV.

SOME EXCURSIONS.

It did not take long to furnish the new abode. A camp-bed was set up in thehall, and the carpenter Mac-Nab constructed a most substantial table, aroundwhich were ranged fixed benches. A few movable seats and two enormous pressescompleted the furniture of this apartment. The inner room, which was also ready,was divided by solid partitions into six dormitories, the two end ones alonebeing lighted by windows looking to the front and back. The only furniture was abed and a table. Mrs Paulina Barnett and Madge were installed in one whichlooked immediately out upon the lake. Hobson offered the other with the windowin it to Thomas Black, and the astronomer took immediate possession of it. TheLieutenant's own room was a dark cell adjoining the hall, with no window but abull's eye pierced through the partition. Mrs Joliffe, Mrs Mac-Nab, and Mrs Rae,with their husbands, occupied the other dormitories. These good people agreed sowell together that it would have been a pity to separate them. Moreover, anaddition was expected shortly to the little colony; and Mac-Nab had already goneso far as to secure the services of Mrs Barnett as god-mother, an honour whichgave the good woman much satisfaction. The sledges had been entirely unloaded,and the bedding carried into the different rooms. All utensils, stores, andprovisions which were not required for immediate use were stowed away in agarret, to which a ladder gave access. The winter clothing-such as boots,overcoats, furs, and skins-were also taken there, and protected from the damp inlarge chests. As soon as these arrangements were completed, the Lieutenant beganto provide for the heating of the house.

Knowing that the most energetic measures were necessary to combat theseverity of the Arctic winter, and that during the weeks of intensest cold therewould be no possibility of leaving the house to forage for supplies, he ordereda quantity of fuel to be brought from the wooded hills in the neighbourhood, andtook care to obtain a plentiful store of oil from the seals which abounded onthe shore.

In obedience to his orders, and under his directions, the house was providedwith a condensing apparatus which would receive the internal moisture, and wasso constructed that the ice which would form in it could easily be removed.

This question of heating was a very serious one to the Lieutenant.

"I am a native of the Polar regions, madam," he often said to Mrs Barnett; "Ihave some experience in these matters, and I have read over and over again bookswritten by those who have wintered in these latitudes. It is impossible to taketoo many precautions in preparing to pass a winter in the Arctic regions, andnothing must be left to chance where a single neglect may prove fatal to theenterprise."

"Very true, Mr Hobson," replied Mrs Barnett; "and you have evidently made upyour mind to conquer the cold; but there is the food to be thought of too."

"Yes, indeed; I have been thinking of that, and mean to make all possible useof the produce of the country so as to economise our stores. As soon as we can,we will make some foraging expeditions. We need not think about the furs atpresent, for there will be plenty of time during the winter to stock theCompany's depots. Besides, the furred animals have not got their winter clothingon yet, and the skins would lose fifty per cent. of their value if taken now.Let us content ourselves for the present with provisioning Fort Hope. Reindeer,elk, - and any wapitis that may have ventured so far north are the only gameworth our notice just now; it will be no small undertaking to provide food fortwenty people and sixty dogs."

The Lieutenant loved order, and determined to do everything in the mostmethodical manner, feeling confident that if his companions would help him tothe utmost of their power, nothing need be wanting to the success of theexpedition.

The weather at this season was almost always fine, and might be expected tocontinue so for five weeks longer, when the snow would begin to fall. It wasvery important that the carpenters-should make all possible use of the interval;and as soon as the principal house was finished, Hobson set them to work tobuild an enormous kennel or shed in which to keep the teams of dogs. Thisdoghouse was built at the very foot of the promontory, against the hill, andabout forty yards to the right of the house. Barracks for the accommodation ofthe men were to be built opposite this kennel on the left, while the store andpowder magazines were to occupy the front of the enclosure.

Hobson determined with almost excessive prudence to have the Factory enclosedbefore the winter set in. A strong fence of pointed stakes, planted firmly inthe ground, was set up as a protection against the inroads of wild animals orthe hostilities of the natives. The Lieutenant had not forgotten an outragewhich had been committed along the coast at no great distance from Fort Hope,and he well knew how essential it was to be safe from a coup de main. Thefactory was therefore entirely encircled, and at each extremity of the lagoonMac-Nab undertook to erect a wooden sentry-box commanding the coast-line, fromwhich a watch could be kept without any danger. The men worked indefatigably,and it seemed likely that everything would be finished before the cold seasonset in.

In the meantime hunting parties were organised. The capture of seals beingput off for a more convenient season, the sportsmen prepared to supply the fortwith game, which might be dried and preserved for consumption during the badseason.

Accordingly Marbre and Sabine, sometimes accompanied by the Lieutenant andSergeant Long, whose experience was invaluable, scoured the country daily formiles round; and it was no uncommon sight to see Mrs Paulina Barnett join themand step briskly along shouldering her gun bravely, and never allowing herselfto be outstripped by her companions.

Throughout the month of August these expeditions were continued with greatsuccess, and the store of provisions increased rapidly. Marbre and Sabine wereskilled in all the artifices which sportsmen employ in stalking theirprey-particularly the reindeer, which are exceedingly wary. How patiently theywould face the wind lest the creature's keen sense of smell should warn it oftheir approach! and how cunningly they lured it on to its destruction bydisplaying the magnificent antlers of some former victim above the birch-bushes!

They found a useful alley (sic) in a certain little traitorous bird towhich the Indians have given the name of "monitor." It is a kind of daylightowl, about the size of a pigeon, and has earned its name by its habit of callingthe attention of hunters to their quarry, by uttering a sharp note like the cryof a child.

When about fifty reindeer, or, to give them their Indian name, "caribous,"had been brought down by the guns, the flesh was cut into long strips for food,the skins being kept to be tanned and used for shoe-leather.

Besides the caribous, there were also plenty of Polar hares, which formed anagreeable addition to the larder. They were much less timorous than the Europeanspecies, and allowed themselves to be caught in great numbers. They belong tothe rodent family, and have long ears, brown eyes, and a soft fur resemblingswan's down. They weigh from ten to fifteen pounds each, and their flesh isexcellent. Hundreds of them were cared for winter use, and the remainderconverted into excellent pies by the skilful hands of Mrs Joliffe.

While making provision for future wants, the daily supplies were notneglected. In addition to the Polar hares, which underwent every variety ofculinary treatment from Mrs Joliffe, and won for her compliments innumerablefrom hunters and workmen alike, many waterfowl figured in the bill of fare.Besides the ducks which abounded on the shores of the lagoon, large flocks ofgrouse congregated round the clumps of stunted willows. They belong, as theirzoological name implies, to the partridge family, and might be aptly describedas white partridges with long black-spotted feathers in the tail. The Indianscall them willow-fowl; but to a European sportsman they are neither more norless than blackcock (Tetrao tetrix). When roasted slightly before a quickclear fire they proved delicious.

Then there were the supplies furnished by lake and stream. Sergeant Long wasa first-rate angler, and nothing could surpass the skill and patience with whichhe whipped the water and cast his line. The faithful Madge, another worthydisciple of Isaak Walton was perhaps his only equal. Day after day the twosallied forth together rod in hand, to spend the day in mute companionship bythe river-side, whence they were sure to return in triumph laden with somesplendid specimens of the salmon tribe.

But to return to our sportsmen; they soon found that their hunting excursionswere not to be free from peril. Hobson perceived with some alarm that bears werevery numerous in the neighbourhood and that scarcely a day passed without one ormore of them being sighted. Sometimes these unwelcome visitors belonged to thefamily of brown bears, so common throughout the whole "Cursed Land; "but now andthen a solitary specimen of the formidable Polar bear warned the hunters whatdangers they might have to encounter so soon as the first frost should drivegreat numbers of these fearful animals to the neighbourhood of Cape Bathurst.Every book of Arctic explorations is full of accounts of the frequent perils towhich travellers and whalers are exposed from the ferocity of these animals.

Now and then, too, a distant pack of wolves was seen, which receded like awave at the approach of the hunters, or the sound of their bark was heard asthey followed the trail of a reindeer or wapiti. These creatures were large greywolves, about three feet high, with long tails, whose fur becomes white in thewinter. They abounded in this part of the country, where food was plentiful; andfrequented wooded spots, where they lived in holes like foxes. During thetemperate season, when they could get as much as they wanted to eat, they werescarcely dangerous, and fled with the characteristic cowardice of their race atthe first sign of pursuit; but when impelled by hunger, their numbers renderedthem very formidable; and from the fact of their lairs being close at hand, theynever left the country even in the depth of winter.

One day the sportsmen returned to Fort Hope, bringing with them anunpleasant-looking animal, which neither Mrs Paulina Barnett nor the astronomer,Thomas Black, had ever before seen. It was a carnivorous creature of theplantigrada family, and greatly resembled the American glutton, being stronglybuilt, with short legs, and, like all animals of the feline tribe, a very suppleback; its eyes were small and horny, and it was armed with curved claws andformidable jaws.

"What is this horrid creature?" inquired Mrs Paulina Barnett of Sabine, whoreplied in his usual sententious manner-

"A Scotchman would call it a 'quick-hatch,' an Indian an 'okelcoo-haw-gew,'and a Canadian a 'carcajou."'

"And what do you call it?"

"A wolverene, ma'am," returned Sabine, much delighted with the elegant way inwhich he had rounded his sentence.

The wolverene, as this strange quadruped is called by zoologists, lives inhollow trees or rocky caves, whence it issues at night and creates great havocamongst beavers, musk-rats, and other rodents, sometimes fighting with a fox ora wolf for its spoils. Its chief characteristics are great cunning, immensemuscular power, and an acute sense of smell. It is found in very high latitudes;and the short fur with which it is clothed becomes almost black in the wintermonths, and forms a large item in the Company's exports.

During their excursions the settlers paid as much attention to the Flora ofthe country as to its Fauna; but in those regions vegetation, has necessarily ahard struggle for existence, as it must brave every season of the year, whereasthe animals are able to migrate to a warmer climate during the winter.

The hills on the eastern side, of the lake were well covered with pine andfir trees; and Jaspar also noticed the "tacamahac," a species of poplar whichgrows to a great height and shoots forth yellowish leaves which turn green inthe autumn. These trees and larches were, however, few and sickly looking, as ifthey found the oblique rays of the sun insufficient to make them thrive. Theblack fir, or Norway spruce fir, throve better, especially when situated inravines well sheltered from the north wind. The young shoots of this tree arevery valuable, yielding a favourite beverage known in North America as "spruce-beer." A good crop of these branchlets was gathered in and stored in thecellar of Fort Hope. There were also the dwarf birch, a shrub about two feethigh, native to very cold climates, and whole thickets of cedars, which are sovaluable for fuel.

Of vegetables which could be easily grown and used for food, this barren landyielded but few; and Mrs Joliffe, who took a great interest in " economic "botany, only met with .two plants which were available in cooking.

One of these, a bulb, very difficult to classify, because its leaves fall offjust at the flowering season, turned out to be a wild leek, and yielded a goodcrop of onions, each about the size of an egg.

The other plant was that known throughout North America as "Labrador tea;" itgrew abundantly on the shores of the lagoon between the clumps of willow andarbutus, and formed the principal food of the Polar hares. Steeped in boilingwater, and flavoured with a few drops of brandy or gin, it formed an excellentbeverage, and served to economise the supply of China tea which the party hadbrought from Fort Reliance.

Knowing the scarcity of vegetables, Jaspar Hobson had plenty of seeds withhim, chiefly sorrel and scurvy-grass (Cochlearia), the antiscorbutic propertiesof which are invaluable in these latitudes. In choosing the site of thesettlement, such care bad been taken to find a spot sheltered from the keenblasts, which shrivel vegetation like a fire, that there was every chance ofthese seeds yielding a good crop in the ensuing season.

The dispensary of the new fort contained other antiscorbutics, in the shapeof casks of lemon and lime juice, both of which are absolutely indispensable toan Arctic expedition. Still the greatest economy was necessary with regard tothe stores, as a long period of bad weather might cut off the communicationbetween Fort Hope and the southern stations.

CHAPTER XV.

FIFTEEN MILES FROM CAPE BATHURST.

September had now commenced, and as upon the most favourable calculation onlythree more weeks would intervene before the bad season set in and interruptedthe labours of the explorers, the greatest haste was necessary in completing thenew buildings, and Mac-Nab and his workmen surpassed themselves in industry. Thedog-house was on the eve of being finished, and very little remained to be doneto the palisading which was, to encircle the fort. An inner court had beenconstructed, in the shape of a half-moon, fenced with tall pointed stakes,fifteen feet high, to which a postern gave entrance. Jaspar Hobson favoured thesystem of an unbroken enclosure with detached forts (a great improvement uponthe tactics of Vauban and Cormontaigne), and knew that to make his defencecomplete the summit of Cape Bathurst, which was the key of the position, must befortified; until that could be done, however, he thought the palisading would bea sufficient protection, at least against quadrupeds.

The next thing was to lay in a supply of oil and lights, and accordingly anexpedition was organised to a spot about fifteen miles distant where seals wereplentiful, Mrs Paulina Barnett being invited to accompany the sportsmen, notindeed for the sake of watching the poor creatures slaughtered, but to satisfyher curiosity with regard to the country around Cape Bathurst, and to see somecliffs on that part of the coast which were worthy of notice. The Lieutenantchose as his other companions, Sergeant Long, and the soldiers Petersen, Hope,and Kellet, and the party set off at eight o'clock in the morning in twosledges, each drawn by six dogs, on which the bodies of the seals were to bebrought back. The weather was fine, but the fog which lay low along the horizonveiled the rays of the sun, whose yellow disk was now beginning to disappear forsome hours during the night, a circumstance which attracted the Lieutenant'sattention, for reasons which we will explain.

That part of the shore to the west of Cape Bathurst rises but a few inchesabove the level of the sea, and the tides are-or are said to be-very high in theArctic Ocean-many navigators, such as Parry, Franklin, the two Rosses, M'Clure,and M'Clintock, having observed that when the sun and moon were in conjunctionthe waters were sometimes twenty-five feet above the ordinary level. How thenwas it to be explained that the sea did not at high tide inundate Cape Bathurst,which possessed no natural defences such as cliffs or downs? What was it, infact, which prevented the entire submersion of the whole district, and themeeting of the waters of the lake with those of the Arctic Ocean?

Jaspar Hobson could not refrain from remarking on this peculiarity to MrsBarnett, who replied somewhat hastily that she supposed that there were-in spiteof all that had been said to the contrary-no tides in the Arctic Ocean.

"On the contrary, madam," said Hobson, "all navigators agree that the ebb andflow of Polar seas are very distinctly marked, and it is impossible to believethat they can have been mistaken on such a subject."

"How is it, then," inquired Mrs Barnett, "that this land is not flooded whenit is scarcely ten feet above the sea level at low tide?"

"That is just what puzzles me," said Hobson; "for I have been attentivelywatching the tides all through this month, and during that time they have notvaried more than a foot, and I feel certain, that even during the Septemberequinox, they will not rise more than a foot and a half all along the shores ofCape Bathurst."

"Can you not explain this phenomenon?" inquired Mrs Barnett.

"Well, madam," replied the Lieutenant, "two conclusions are open to us,either of which I find it difficult to believe; such men as Franklin, Parry,Ross, and others, are mistaken, and there are no tides on this part of theAmerican coast; or, as in the Mediterranean, to which the waters of the Atlantichave not free ingress, the straits are too narrow to be affected by the oceancurrents."

"The latter would appear to be the more reasonable hypothesis, MrHobson."

"It is not, however, thoroughly satisfactory," said the Lieutenant, "and Ifeel sure that if we could but find it, there is some simple and naturalexplanation of the phenomenon."

After a monotonous journey along a flat and sandy shore, the party reachedtheir destination, and, having unharnessed the teams, they were left behind lestthey should startle the seals.

At the first glance around them, all were equally struck with the contrastbetween the appearance of this district and that of Cape Bathurst.

Here the coast line was broken and fretted, showing manifest traces of itsigneous origin; whereas the site of the fort was of sedimentary formation andaqueous origin. Stone, so conspicuously absent at the cape, was here plentiful;the black sand and porous lava were strewn with huge boulders deeply imbedded inthe soil, and there were large quantities of the aluminium, silica, and felsparpebbles peculiar to the crystalline strata of one class of igneous rocks.Glittering Labrador stones, and many other kinds of felspar, red, green, andblue, were sprinkled on the unfrequented beach, with grey and yellowpummice-stone, and lustrous variegated obsidian. Tall cliffs, rising some twohundred feet above the sea, frowned down upon the bay; and the Lieutenantresolved to climb them, and obtain a good view of the eastern side of thecountry. For this there was plenty of time, as but few of the creatures they hadcome to seek were as yet to be seen, and the proper time for the attack would bewhen they assembled for the afternoon siesta in which the. amphibious mammaliaalways indulge. The Lieutenant, however, quickly discovered that the animalsfrequenting this coast were not, as he had been led to suppose, true seals,although they belonged to the Phocida family, but morses or walruses, sometimescalled sea-cows. They resemble the seals in general form, but the canine teethof the upper jaw curved down-wards are much more largely developed.

Following the coast line, which curved considerably, and to which they gavethe name of " Walruses' Bay," the party soon reached the foot of the cliff, andPetersen, Hope, and Kellet, took up their position as sentinels on the littlepromontory, whilst Mrs Barnett, Hobson, and Long, after promising not to losesight of their comrades, and to be on the look-out for their signal, proceededto climb the cliff, the summit of which they reached in about a quarter of anhour. From this position they were able to survey the whole surrounding country;at their feet lay the vast sea, stretching northwards as far as the eye .couldreach, its expanse so entirely unbroken by islands or icebergs that thetravellers came to the conclusion, that this portion of the Arctic waters wasnavigable as far as Behring Straits, and that during the summer season theNorth-West Passage to Cape Bathurst would, be open to the Company's ships. Onthe west, the aspect of the country explained the presence of the volcanicdebris on the shore; for at a distance of about ten miles was a chain ofgranitic hills, of conical form, with blunted crests, looking as if theirsummits had been cut off, and with jagged tremulous outlines standing outagainst the sky. They bad hitherto escaped the notice of our party, as they wereconcealed by the cliffs on the Cape Bathurst side, and Jaspar Hobson examinedthem in silence, but with great attention, before he proceeded to study theeastern side, which consisted of a long strip of perfectly level coast-linestretching away to Cape Bathurst. Any one provided with a good field-glass wouldhave been able to distinguish the fort of Good Hope, and perhaps even the cloudof blue smoke, which was no doubt at that very moment issuing from Mrs Joliffe'skitchen chimney.

The country behind them seemed to possess two entirely distinct characters;to the east and south the cape was bounded by a vast plain, many hundreds ofsquare miles in extent, while behind the cliff, from "Walruses' Bay" to themountains mentioned above, the country had undergone terrible convulsions,showing clearly that it owed its origin to volcanic eruptions. The Lieutenantwas much struck with this marked contrast, and Sergeant Long asked him whetherhe thought the mountains on the western horizon were volcanoes.

"Undoubtedly," said Hobson; "all these pumice-stones and pebbles have beendischarged by them to this distance, and if we were to go two or three milesfarther, we should find ourselves treading upon nothing but lava and ashes."

"Do you suppose," inquired the Sergeant, "that all these volcanoes are stillactive?"

"That I cannot tell you yet."

"But there is no smoke issuing from any of them," added the Sergeant.

"That proves nothing; your pipe is not always in your mouth, and it is justthe same with volcanoes, they are not always smoking."

"I see," said the Sergeant; "but it is a great puzzle to me how volcanoes canexist at all. on Polar continents."

"Well, there are not many of them !" said Mrs Barnett.

"No, madam," replied Jaspar, "but they are not so very rare either; they areto be found in Jan Mayen's Land, the Aleutian Isles, Kamtchatka, RussianAmerica, and Iceland, as well as in the Antarctic circle, in Tierra del Fuego,and Australasia. They are the chimneys of the great furnace in the centre of theearth, where Nature makes her chemical experiments, and it appears to me thatthe Creator of all things has taken care to place these safety-valves whereverthey were most needed."

"I suppose so," replied the Sergeant; "and yet it does seem very strange tofind them in this icy climate."

"Why should they not be here as well as anywhere else, Sergeant? I should saythat ventilation holes are likely to be more numerous at the Poles than at theEquator !"

"Why so?" asked the Sergeant in much surprise.

"Because, if these safety-valves are forced open by the pressure ofsubterranean gases, it will most likely be at the spots where the surface of theearth is thinest, and as the globe is flattened at the poles, it would appearnatural that-but Kellet is making signs to us," added the Lieutenant, breakingoff abruptly; "will you join us, Mrs Barnett?"

"No, thank you. I will stay here until we return to the fort. I don't care towatch the walrus slaughtered!"

"Very well," replied Hobson, "only don't forget to join us in an hour's time,meanwhile you can enjoy the view."

The beach was soon reached, and some hundred walrus had collected, eitherwaddling about on their clumsy webbed feet, or sleeping in family groups. Somefew of the larger males-creatures nearly four feet long, clothed with very shortreddish fur-kept guard over the herd.

Great caution was required in approaching these formidable looking animals,and the hunters took advantage of every bit of cover afforded by rocks andinequalities of the ground, so as to get within easy range of them and cut offtheir retreat to the sea.

On land these creatures are clumsy and awkward, moving in jerks or withcreeping motions like huge caterpillars, but in water -their native element-theyare nimble and even graceful; indeed their strength is so great, that they havebeen known to overturn the whalers in pursuit of them.

As the hunters drew near the sentinels took alarm, and raising their headslooked searchingly around them; but before they could warn their companions ofdanger, Hobson and Kellet rushed upon them from one side, the Sergeant,Petersen, and Hope from the other, and after lodging a ball in each of theirbodies, despatched them with their spears, whilst the rest of the herd plungedinto the sea.

The victory was an easy one; the five victims were very large and theirtusks, though slightly rough, of the best quality. They were chiefly valuable,however, on account of the oil; of which-being in excellent condition-they wouldyield a large quantity. The bodies were packed in the sledges, and proved nolight weight for the dogs.

It was now one o'clock, and Mrs Barnett having joined them, the party set outon foot-the sledges being full-to return to the fort. There were but ten milesto be traversed, but ten miles in a straight line is a weary journey, provingthe truth of the adage "It's a long lane that has no turning." They beguiled thetediousness of the way by chatting pleasantly, and Mrs Barnett was ready to joinin the conversation, or to listen with interest to the accounts the worthysoldiers gave of former adventures; but in spite of the brave struggle againstennui they advanced but slowly, and the poor dogs found it hard work todrag the heavily-laden sledges over the rough ground. Had it been covered withfrozen snow the distance would have been accomplished in a couple of hours.

The merciful Lieutenant often ordered a halt to give the teamsbreathing-time, and the Sergeant remarked that it would be much more convenientfor the inhabitants of the fort, if the morses would settle a little nearer CapeBathurst.

"They could not find a suitable spot," replied the Lieutenant, with amelancholy shake of the head.

"Why not?" inquired Mrs Barnett with some surprise.

"Because they only congregate where the slope of the beach is gradual enoughto allow of their creeping up easily from the sea. Now Cape Bathurst risesabruptly, like a perpendicular wall, from water three hundred fathoms deep. Itis probable that ages ago portion of the continent was rent away in some violentvolcanic convulsion, and flung into the Arctic Ocean. Hence the absence ofmorses on the beach of our cape."

CHAPTER XVI.

TWO SHOTS.

The first half of September passed rapidly away. Had Fort Hope been situatedat the Pole itself, that is to say, twenty degrees farther north, the polarnight would have set in on the 21st of that month But under the seventiethparallel the sun would be visible above the horizon for another month.Nevertheless, the temperature was already decidedly colder, the thermometer fellduring the night to 31? Fahrenheit; and thin coatings of ice appeared here andthere, to be dissolved again in the day-time.

But the settlers were able to await the coming of winter without alarm; theyhad a more than sufficient store of provisions, their supply of dried venisonhad largely increased, another score of morses had been killed, the tamerein-deer were warmly and comfortably housed, and a huge wooden shed behind thehouse was filled with fuel. In short, everything was prepared for the Polarnight.

And now all the wants of the inhabitants of the fort being provided for, itwas time to think of the interests of the Company. The Arctic creatures had nowassumed their winter furs, and were therefore of the greatest value, and Hobsonorganised shooting parties for the remainder of the fine weather, intending toset traps when the snow should prevent further excursions.

They would have plenty to do to satisfy the requirements of the Company, forso far north it was of no use to depend on the Indians, who are generally thepurveyors of the factories.

The first expedition was to the haunt of a family of beavers, long sincenoted by the watchful Lieutenant, on a tributary of the stream already referredto. It is true, the fur of the beaver is not now as valuable as when it was usedfor hats, and fetched ?16 per kilogramme (rather more than 2 lb.); but it stillcommands a high price as the animal is becoming very scarce, in consequence ofthe reckless way in which it has been hunted.

When the party reached their destination, the Lieutenant called Mrs Barnett'sattention to the great ingenuity displayed by beavers in the construction oftheir submarine city. There were some hundred animals in the little colony nowto be invaded, and they lived together in pairs in the "holes" or "vaults" theyhad hollowed out near the stream. They had already commenced their preparationsfor the winter, and were hard at work constructing their dams and laying uptheir piles of wood. A dam of admirable structure had already been built acrossthe stream, which was deep and rapid enough not to freeze far below the surface,even in the severest weather. This dam, which was convex towards the current,consisted of a collection of upright stakes interlaced with branches and roots,the whole being cemented together and rendered watertight with the clayey mud ofthe river, previously pounded by the animals' feet. The beavers use theirtails-which are large and flat, with scales instead of hair at the root-forplastering over their buildings and beating the clay into shape.

"The object of this dam," said the Lieutenant to Mrs Barnett, "is to secureto the beavers a sufficient depth of water at all seasons of the year, and toenable the engineers of the tribe to build the round huts called houses orlodges, the tops of which you can just see. They are extremely solid structures,and the walls made of stick, clay, roots, &c., are two feet thick., They canonly be entered from below the water, and their owners have therefore to divewhen they go home-an admirable arrangement for their protection. Each lodgecontains two stories; in the lower the winter stock of branches, bark, androots, is laid up, and the upper is the residence of the householder and hisfamily."

"There is, however, not a beaver in sight," said Mrs Barnett; "is this adeserted village?"

"Oh no," replied the Lieutenant, "the inhabitants are now all asleep andresting; they only work in the night, and we mean to surprise them in theirholes."

This was, in fact, easily done, and in an hour's time about a hundred of theill-fated rodents had been captured, twenty of which were of very great value,their fur being black, and therefore especially esteemed. That of the others wasalso long, glossy, and silky, but of a reddish hue mixed with chestnut brown.Beneath the long fur, the beavers have a second coat of close short hair of agreyish-white colour.

The hunters returned to the fort much delighted with the result of theirexpedition. The beavers' skins were warehoused and labelled as "parchments" or"young beavers," according to their value.

Excursions of a similar kind were carried on throughout the month ofSeptember, and during the first half of October, with equally happy results.

A few badgers were taken, the skin being used as an ornament for the collarsof draught horses, and the hair for making brushes of every variety. Thesecarnivorous creatures belong to the bear family, and the specimens obtained byHobson were of the genus peculiar to North America, sometimes called the Taxelbadger.

Another animal of the rodent family, nearly as industrious as the beaver,largely contributed to the stores of the Company. This was the musk-rat ormusquash. Its head and body are about a foot long and its tail ten inches. Itsfur is in considerable demand. These creatures, like the rest of their family,multiply with extreme rapidity, and a great number were easily unearthed.

In the pursuit of lynxes and wolverines or gluttons, fire-arms had to beused. The lynx has all the suppleness and agility of the feline tribe to whichit belongs, and is formidable even to the rein-deer; Marbre and Sabine were,however, well up to their work, and succeeded in killing more than sixty ofthem. A few wolverines or gluttons were also despatched, their fur isreddish-brown, and that of the lynx, light-red with black spots; both are ofconsiderable value.

Very few ermines or stoats were seen, and Jaspar Hobson ordered his men tospare any which happened to cross their path until the winter, when they shouldhave assumed their beautiful snow-white coats with the one black spot at the tipof the tail. At present the upper fur was reddish-brown and the under yellowishwhite, so that, as Sabine expressed it, it was desirable to let them " ripen,"or, in other words,-to wait for the cold to bleach them.

Their cousins, the polecats, however, which emit so disagreeable an odour,fell victims in great numbers to the hunters, who either tracked them to theirhomes in hollow trees, or shot them as they glided through the branches.

Martens, properly so-called, were hunted with great zeal. Their fur is inconsiderable demand, although not so valuable as that of the sable, whichbecomes a dark lustrous brown in the winter. The latter did not, however, comein the way of our hunters, as it only frequents the north of Europe and Asia asfar as Kamtchatka, and is chiefly hunted by the inhabitants of Siberia. They hadto be content with the polecats and pine-martens, called " Canada- martens,"which frequent the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

All the weasels and martens are very difficult to catch; they wriggle theirlong supple bodies through the smallest apertures with great ease, and thuselude their pursuers. In the winter, however, they are easily taken in traps,and Marbre and Sabine looked forward to make up for lost time then, when, saidthey, "there shall be plenty of their furs in the Company's stores."

We have now only to mention the Arctic or blue and silver foxes, to completethe list of animals which swelled the profits of the Hudson's Bay Company.

The furs of these foxes are esteemed in the Russian and English markets aboveall others, and that of the blue fox is the most valuable of all. This prettycreature has a black muzzle, and the fur is not as one would suppose blue, butwhitish-brown; its great price-six times that of any other kind-arises from itssuperior softness, thickness, and length. A cloak belonging to the Emperor ofRussia, composed entirely of fur from the neck of the blue fox (the fur from theneck is considered better than that from any other part), was shown at theLondon Exhibition of 1851, and valued at ?3400 sterling.

Several of these foxes were sighted at Cape Bathurst, but all escaped thehunters; whilst only about a dozen silver foxes fell into their hands. The furof the latter-of a lustrous black dotted with white-is much sought after inEngland and Russia, although it does not command so high a price as that of thefoxes mentioned above.

One of the silver foxes captured was a splendid creature, with a coal-blackfur tipped with white at the extreme end of the tail, and with a dash of thesome on the forehead. The circumstances attending its death deserve relation indetail, as they proved that Hobson was right in the precautions he had taken

On the morning of the 24th September, two sledges conveyed Mrs Barnett, theLieutenant, Sergeant Long. Marbre, and Sabine, to Walruses' Bay. Some traces offoxes had been noticed the evening before, amongst some rocks clothed withscanty herbage and the direction taken by the animals was very clearlyindicated. The hunters followed up the trail of a large animal, and wererewarded by bringing down a very fine silver fox.

Several other animals of the same species were sighted, and the huntersdivided into two parties-Marbre and Sabine going after one foe, and Mrs Barnett,Hobson, and the Sergeant, trying to cut off the retreat of another fine animalhiding behind some rocks.

Great caution and some artifice was necessary to deal with this craftyanimal, which took care not to expose itself to a shot. The pursuit lasted forhalf-an-hour without success; but at last the poor creature, with the sea on oneside and its three enemies on the other, had recourse in its desperation to aflying leap, thinking thus to escape with its life. But Hobson was too quick forit; and as it bounded by like a flash of lightning, it was struck by a shot, andto every one's surprise, the report of the Lieutenant's gun was succeeded bythat of another, and a second ball entered the body of the fox, which fell tothe ground mortally wounded.

"Hurrah! hurrah !" cried Hobson, "it is mine!"

"And mine!" said another voice, and a stranger stept forward and placed hisfoot upon the fox just as the Lieutenant was about to raise it.

Hobson drew back in astonishment. He thought the second ball had been firedby the Sergeant, and found himself face to face with a stranger whose gun wasstill smoking.

The rivals gazed at each other in silence.

The rest of the party now approached, and the stranger was quickly joined bytwelve comrades, four of whom were like himself " Canadian travellers," andeight Chippeway Indians.

The leader was a tall man-a fine specimen of his class-those Canadiantrappers described in the romances of Washington Irving, whose competitionHobson had dreaded with such good reason. He wore the traditional costumeascribed to his fellow-hunters by the great American writer; a blanket looselyarranged about his person, a striped cotton shirt, wide cloth trousers, leathergaiters, deerskin mocassins, and a sash of checked woollen stuff round thewaist, from which were suspended his knife, tobacco-pouch, pipe, and a fewuseful tools.

Hobson was right. The man before him was a Frenchman, or at least adescendant of the French Canadians, perhaps an agent of the American Companycome to act as a spy on the settlers in the fort. The other four Canadians worea costume resembling that of their leader, but of coarser materials.

The Frenchman bowed politely to Mrs Barnett, and the Lieutenant was the firstto break the silence, during which he had not removed his eyes from his rival'sface.

"This fox is mine, sir," he said quietly.

"It is if you killed it !" replied the other in good English, but with aslightly foreign accent.

"Excuse me, sir," replied Hobson rather sharply, "it is mine in anycase."

The stranger smiled. scornfully at this lofty reply, so exactly what beexpected from an agent of the Hudson's Bay Company, which claims supremacy overall the northern districts, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

"Do you mean to say," he said at last, gracefully toying with his gun, "thatyou consider the Hudson's Bay Company mistress of the whole of NorthAmerica?"

"Of course I do," said Hobson; "and if, as I imagine, you belong to anAmerican company-

"To the St Louis Fur Company," replied the stranger with a bow.

"I think," added the Lieutenant, "that you will find it difficult to show thegrants entitling you to any privileges here."

"Grants! privileges !" cried the Canadian scornfully, "old world terms whichare out of place in America !"

"You are not now on American but on English ground," replied the Lieutenantproudly.

"This is no time for such a discussion," said the hunter rather warmly. "Weall know the old claims made by the English in general, and the Hudson's BayCompany in particular, to these hunting grounds; but I expect coming events willsoon alter this state of things, and America will be America from the Straits ofMagellan to the North Pole !"

"I do not agree with you," replied Hobson dryly.

"Well, sir, however that may be," said the Canadian, "let us suffer thisinternational question to remain in abeyance for the present. Whatever rightsthe Company may arrogate to itself, it is very clear that in the extreme northof the continent, and especially on the coast, the territory belongs to whoeveroccupies it. You have founded a factory on Cape Bathurst, therefore we willrespect your domain, and you on your side will avoid ours, when the St Louisfur-traders have established their projected fort at another point on thenorthern shore of America."

The Lieutenant frowned at this speech, for he well knew what complicationswould arise in the future when the Hudson's Bay Company would be compelled tostruggle for supremacy with powerful rivals, and that quarrelling and evenbloodshed would ensue; he could not, however, but acknowledge that this was notthe time to begin the discussion, and he was not sorry when the hunter, whosemanners, to tell the truth, were very polite, placed the dispute on anotherfooting.

"As for this present matter," said the Canadian, "it is of minor importance,and we must settle it according to the rules of the chase. Our guns are ofdifferent calibre, and our balls can be easily distinguished; let the fox belongto whichever of us really killed it."

The proposition was a fair one, and the body of the victim was examinedaccordingly. One ball had entered at the side, the other at the heart; and thelatter was from the gun of the Canadian.

"The fox is your property, sir," said Jaspar Hobson, vainly endeavouring toconceal his chagrin at seeing this valuable spoil fall into the enemy'shands.

The Canadian took it, but instead of throwing it over his shoulder andcarrying it off, he turned to Mrs Barnett, and said " Ladies are fond ofbeautiful furs, and although, perhaps, if they knew better what dangers anddifficulties have to be surmounted in order to obtain them, they might not careso much about them, they are not likely to refuse to wear them on that account,and I hope, madam, you will favour me by accepting this one in remembrance ofour meeting."

Mrs Barnett hesitated for a moment, but the gift was offered with so muchcourtesy and kindliness of manner, that it would have seemed churlish to refuse,and she therefore accepted it with many thanks.

This little ceremony over, the stranger again bowed politely, and, followedby his comrades, quickly disappeared behind the rocks, whilst the Lieutenant andhis party returned to Fort Good Hope. Hobson was very silent and thoughtful allthe way; for he could not but feel that the existence of a rival company wouldgreatly compromise the success of his undertaking, and lead to many futuredifficulties.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE APPROACH OF WINTER.

It was the 21st of September. The sun was then passing through the autumnalequinox, that is to say, the day and night were of equal length all over theworld. These successive alternations of light and darkness were hailed withdelight by the inhabitants of the fort. It is easier to sleep in the absence ofthe sun, and darkness refreshes and strengthens the eyes, weary with theunchanging brightness of several months of daylight.

We know that during the equinox the tides are generally at their greatestheight; we have high water or flood, for the sun and moon being in conjunction,their double influence is brought to bear upon the waters. It was, therefore,necessary to note carefully the approaching tide at Cape Bathurst. Jaspar Hobsonhad made bench marks some days before, so as to estimate exactly the amount ofvertical displacement of the waters between high and low tide; he found,however, that in spite of all the reports of previous observers, the combinedsolar and lunar influence was hardly felt in this part of the Arctic Ocean.There was scarcely any tide at all, and the statements of navigators on thesubject were contradicted.

"There is certainly something unnatural here !" said Lieutenant Hobson tohimself.

He did not in fact know what to think, but other cares soon occupied hismind, and he did not long endeavour to get to the rights of this singularpeculiarity.

On the 29th September the state of the atmosphere changed considerably. Thethermometer fell to 41? Fahrenheit, and the sky became covered with clouds whichwere soon converted into heavy rain. The bad season was approaching.

Before the ground should be covered with snow, Mrs Joliffe was busy sowingthe seeds of Cochlearia (scurvy grass) and sorrel, in the hope that asthey were very hardy, and would be well protected from the rigour of the winterby the snow itself, they would come up in the spring. Her garden, consisting ofseveral acres hidden behind the cliff of the cape, had been prepared beforehand,and it was sown during the last days of September.

Hobson made his companions assume their winter garments before the great coldset in, and all were soon suitably clothed in the linen under vests, deerskincloaks, sealskin pantaloons, fur bonnets, and waterproof boots with which theywere provided. We may also say that the rooms were suitably dressed; the woodenwalls were hung with skins, in order to prevent the formation upon them of coatsof ice in sudden falls of temperature. About this time, Rae set up hiscondensers for collecting the vapour suspended in the air, which were to beemptied twice a week. The heat of the stove was regulated according to thevariations of the external temperature, so as to keep the thermometer of therooms at 50? Fahrenheit. The house would soon be covered with thick snow, whichwould prevent any waste of the internal warmth, and by this combination ofnatural and artificial protections they hoped to be able successfully to contendwith their two most formidable enemies, cold and damp.

On the 2nd October the thermometer fell still lower, and the first snow stormcame on; there was but little wind, and there were therefore none of thoseviolent whirlpools of snow called drifts, but a vast white carpet of uniformthickness soon clothed the cape, the enceinte of fort, and the coast. Thewaters of the lake and sea, not yet petrified by the icy hand of winter, were ofa dull, gloomy, greyish hue, and on the northern horizon the first icebergsstood out against the misty sky. The blockade had not yet commenced, but naturewas collecting her materials, soon to be cemented by the cold into animpenetrable barrier.

The " young ice " was rapidly forming on the liquid surfaces of sea and lake.The lagoon was the first to freeze over; large whitish-grey patches appearedhere and there, signs of a hard frost setting in, favoured by the calmness ofthe atmosphere. and after a night during which the thermometer had remained at15? Fahrenheit, the surface of the lake was smooth and firm enough to satisfythe most fastidious skaters of the Serpentine. On the verge of the horizon, thesky assumed that peculiar appearance which whalers call ice-blink, and which isthe result of the glare of light reflected obliquely from the surface of the iceagainst the opposite atmosphere. Vast tracts of the ocean became graduallysolidified, the ice-fields, formed by the accumulation of icicles, became weldedto the coast, presenting a surface broken and distorted by the action of thewaves, and contrasting strongly with the smooth mirror of the lake. Here andthere floated these long pieces, scarcely cemented together at the edges, knownas " drift ice," and the " hummocks," or protuberances caused by the squeezingof one piece against another, were also of frequent occurrence.

In a few days the aspect of Cape Bathurst and the surrounding districts wascompletely changed. Mrs Barnett's delight and enthusiasm knew no bounds;everything was new to her, and she would have thought no fatigue or sufferingtoo great to be endured for the sake of witnessing such a spectacle. She couldimagine nothing more sublime than this invasion of winter with all its mightyforces, this conquest of the northern regions by the cold. All trace of thedistinctive features of the country had disappeared; the land was metamorphosed,a new country was springing into being before her admiring eyes, a countrygifted with a grand and touching beauty. Details were lost, only the largeoutlines were given, scarcely marked out against the misty sky. Onetransformation scene followed another with magic rapidity. The ocean, which butlately lifted up its mighty waves, was hushed and still; the verdant soil ofvarious hues was replaced by a carpet of dazzling whiteness; the woods of treesof different kinds were converted into groups of gaunt skeletons draped inhoar-frost; the radiant orb of day had become a pale disc, languidly running itsallotted course in the thick fog, and visible but for a few hours a day, whilstthe sea horizon, no longer clearly cut against the sky, was hidden by an endlesschain of ice-bergs, broken into countless rugged forms, and building up thatimpenetrable ice-wall, which Nature has set up between the Pole and the boldexplorers who endeavour to reach it.

We can well understand to how many discussions and conversations the alteredappearance of the country gave rise. Thomas Black was the only one who remainedindifferent to the sublime beauty of the scene. But what could one expect of anastronomer so wrapped up in his one idea, that he might be said to be present inthe little colony in the body, but absent in spirit? He lived in thecontemplation of the heavenly bodies, passing from the examination of oneconstellation to that of another, roving in imagination through the vast realmsof space, peopled by countless radiant orbs, and fuming with rage when fogs orclouds hid the objects of his devotion from his sight. Hobson consoled him bypromising him fine cold nights admirably suited to astronomical observations,when he could watch the beautiful Aurora Borealis, the lunar halos, and otherphenomena of Polar countries worthy even of his admiration.

The cold was not at this time too intense; there was no wind, and it is thewind which makes the cold so sharp and biting. Hunting was vigorously carried onfor some days. The magazines became stocked with new furs, and fresh stores ofprovisions were laid up. Partridges and ptarmigans on their way to the southpassed over the fort in great numbers, and supplied fresh and wholesome meat.Polar or Arctic hares were plentiful, and had already assumed their white winterrobes. About a hundred of these rodents formed a valuable addition to thereserves of the colony.

There were also large flocks of the whistling swan or hooper, one of thefinest species of North America. The hunters killed several couples of them,handsome birds, four or five feet in entire length, with white plumage, touchedwith copper colour on the head and upper part of neck. They were on their way toa more hospitable zone, where they could find the aquatic plants and insectsthey required for food, and they sped through the air at a rapid pace, for it isas much their native element as water. Trumpeter swans, with a cry like theshrill tone of a clarion, which are about the same size as the hoopers, but haveblack feet and beaks, also passed in great numbers, but neither Marbre norSabine were fortunate enough to bring down any of them. However, they shoutedout "au revoir" in significant tones, for they knew that they would return withthe first breezes of spring and that they could then be easily caught. Theirskin, plumage, and down, are all of great value, and they are therefore eagerlyhunted. In some favourable years tens of thousands of them have been exported,fetching half a guinea a piece.

During these excursions, which only lasted for a few hours, and were ofteninterrupted by bad weather, packs of wolves were often met with. There was noneed to go far to find them, for, rendered bold by hunger, they already venturedclose to the factory. Their scent is very keen, and they were attracted by thesmell from the kitchen. During the night they could be heard howling in athreatening manner. Although not dangerous individually, these carnivorousbeasts are formidable in packs, and the hunters therefore took care to be wellarmed when they went beyond the enceinte of the fort.

The bears were still more aggressive. Not a day passed without several ofthese animals being seen. At night they would come close up to the enclosure,and sane were even wounded with shot, but got off, staining the snow with theirblood, so that up to October 10th not one had left its warm and valuable fur inthe hands of the hunters. Hobson would not have them molested, rightly judgingthat with such formidable creatures it was best to remain on the defensive, andit was not improbable that, urged on by hunger, they might attack Fort Hopebefore very long. Then the little colony could defend itself, and provision itsstores at the same time.

For a few days the weather continued dry and cold, the surface of the snowwas firm and suitable for walking, so that a few excursions were made withoutdifficulty along the coast on the south of the fort. The Lieutenant was anxiousto ascertain if the agents of the St Louis Fur Company had left the country. Notraces were, however, found of their return march, and it was thereforeconcluded that they had gone down to some southern fort to pass the winter byanother route.

The few fine days were soon over, and in the first week of November the windveered round to the south, making the temperature warmer, it is true, but alsobringing heavy snow-storms. The ground was soon covered with a soft cushionseveral feet thick, which had to be cleared away round the house every day,whilst a lane was made through it to the postern, the shed, and the stable ofthe dogs and rein-deer. Excursions became more and more rare, and it wasimpossible to walk without snow-shoes.

When the snow has become hardened by frost, it easily sustains the weight ofa man; but when it is soft and yielding, and the unfortunate pedestrian sinksinto it up to his knees, the snow-shoes used by Indians are invaluable.

Lieutenant Hobson and his companions were quite accustomed to walk in them,and could glide about over the snow as rapidly as skaters on ice; Mrs Barnetthad early practised wearing them, and was quite as expert in their use as therest of the party. The frozen lake as well as the coast was scoured by theseindefatigable explorers, who were even able to advance several miles from theshore on the solid surface of the ocean now covered with ice several feet thick.It was, however, very tiring work, for the ice-fields were rugged and uneven,strewn with piled-up ridges of ice and hummocks which had to be turned. Furtherout a chain of icebergs, some five hundred feet high, barred their progress.These mighty icebergs, broken into fantastic and picturesque forms, were a trulymagnificent spectacle. Here they looked like the whitened ruins of a town withcurtains battered in, and monuments and columns overthrown; there like somevolcanic land torn and convulsed by earthquakes and eruptions; a confusion ofglaciers and glittering ice-peaks with snowy ramparts and buttresses, valleys,and crevasses, mountains and hillocks, tossed and distorted like the famous Alpsof Switzerland. A few scattered birds, petrels, guillemots, and puffins,lingering behind their fellows, still enlivened the vast solitude with theirpiercing cries; huge white bears roamed about amongst the hummocks, theirdazzling coats scarcely distinguishable from the shining ice-truly there wasenough to interest and excite our adventurous lady traveller, and even Madge,the faithful Madge, shared the enthusiasm of her mistress. How far, how veryfar, were both from the tropic zones of India or Australia!

The frozen ocean was firm enough to have allowed of the passage of a park ofartillery, or the erection of a monument, and many were the excursions on itssurface until the sudden lowering of the temperature rendered all exertion soexhausting that they had to be discontinued. The pedestrians were out of breathafter taking a few steps, and the dazzling whiteness of the glittering snowcould not be endured by the naked eye; indeed, the reverberation orflickering glare of the undulatory reflection of the light from the surface ofthe snow, has been known to cause several cases of blindness amongst theEsquimaux.

A singular phenomenon due to the refraction of rays of light was nowobserved: distances, depths, and heights lost their true proportions, five orsix yards of ice looked like two, and many were the falls and ludicrous resultsof this optical illusion.

On October 14th the thermometer marked 3? Fahrenheit below zero, a severetemperature to endure, especially when the north wind blows strongly. The airseemed to be made of needles, and those who ventured out of the house were ingreat danger of being frost-bitten, when death or mortification would ensue ifthe suspended circulation of the blood were not restored by immediate frictionwith snow. Garry, Belcher, Hope, and other members of the little community wereattacked by frost-bite, but the parts affected being rubbed in time they escapedwithout serious injury.

It will readily be understood that all manual labour had now becomeimpossible. The days were extremely short, the sun was only above the horizonfor a few hours and the actual winter, implying entire confinement within doors,was about to commence. The last Arctic birds forsook the gloomy shores of thePolar Sea, only a few pairs of those speckled quails remained which the Indiansappropriately call " winter birds," because they wait in the Arctic regionsuntil the commencement of the Polar night, but they too were soon to take theirdeparture.

Lieutenant Hobson, therefore, urged on the setting of the traps and snareswhich were to remain in different parts of Cape Bathurst throughout thewinter.

These traps consisted merely of rough joists supported on a square, formed ofthree pieces of wood so balanced as to fall on the least touch--in fact, the samesort of trap as that used for snaring birds in fields on a large scale. The endof the horizontal piece of wood was baited with venison, and every animal of amoderate height, a fox or a marten, for instance, which touched it with its paw,could not fail to be crushed. Such were the traps set in the winter over a spaceof several miles by the famous hunters whose adventurous life has been sopoetically described by Cooper. Some thirty of these snares were set round FortHope, and were to be visited at pretty frequent intervals.

On the 12th November a new member was born to the little colony. Mrs Mac-Nabwas safely confined of a fine healthy boy, of whom the head carpenter wasextremely proud. Mrs Barnett stood god-mother to the child, which received thename of Michael Hope. The ceremony of baptism was performed with considerablesolemnity, and a kind of fete was held in honour of the little creaturewhich had just come into the world beyond the 70th degree N. Lat.

A few days afterwards, on November .20th, the sun sunk below the horizon notto appear again for two months. The Polar night had commenced!

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE POLAR NIGHT.

The long night was ushered in by a violent storm. The cold was perhaps alittle less severe, but the air was very damp, and, in spite of everyprecaution, the humidity penetrated into the house, and the condensers, whichwere emptied every morning, contained several pounds of ice.

Outside drifts whirled past like waterspouts-the snow seemed no longer tofall horizontally but vertically. The Lieutenant was obliged to insist upon thedoor being kept shut, for had it been opened the passages would immediately havebecome blocked up. The explorers were literally prisoners.

The window shutters were hermetically closed, and the lamps were kept burningthrough the long hours of the sleepless night.

But although darkness reigned without, the noise of the tempest replaced thesilence usually so complete in these high latitudes. The roaring of the windbetween the house and the cliff never ceased for a moment, the house trembled toits foundations, and had it not been for the solidity of its construction, musthave succumbed to the violence of the hurricane. Fortunately the accumulation ofsnow round the walls broke the force of the squall, and Mac-Nabs only fear wasfor the chimneys, which were liable to be blown over. However, they remainedfirm, although they had constantly to be freed from the snow which blocked upthe openings.

In the midst of the whistling of the wind, loud reports were heard, of whichMrs Barnett could not conjecture the cause. It was the falling of icebergs inthe offing. The echoes caught up the sounds, which were rolled along like thereverberations of thunder. The ground shook as the ice-fields split open,crushed by the falling of these mighty mountains, and none but those thoroughlyinured to the horrors of these wild rugged climates could witness these strangephenomena without a shudder. Lieutenant Hobson and his companions wereaccustomed to all these things, and Mrs Barnett and Madge were graduallybecoming so, and were, besides, not altogether unfamiliar with those terriblewinds which move at the rate of forty miles an hour, and overturn twenty-fourpounders. Here, however, the darkness and the snow aggravated the dread might ofthe storm; that which was not crushed was buried and smothered, and, probablytwelve hours after the commencement of the tempest, house, kennel, shed, andenceinte would have disappeared beneath a bed of snow of uniform thickness.

The time was not wasted during this long imprisonment. All these good peopleagreed together perfectly, and neither ill-humour nor ennui marred thecontentment of the little party shut up in such a narrow space. They were usedto life under similar conditions at Forts Enterprise and Reliance, and there wasnothing to excite Mrs Barnett's surprise in their ready accommodation ofthemselves to circumstances.

Part of the day was occupied with work, part with reading and games. Garmentshad to be made and mended, arms to be kept bright and in good repair, boots tobe manufactured, and the daily journal to be issued in which Lieutenant Hobsonrecorded the slightest events of this northern wintering-the weather, thetemperature, the direction of the wind, the appearance of meteors so frequent inthe Polar regions, &c., &c. Then the house had to be kept in order, therooms must be swept, and the stores of furs must be visited every day to see ifthey were free from damp; the fires and stoves, too, required constantsuperintendence, and perpetual vigilance was necessary to prevent theaccumulation of particles of moisture in the corners.

To each one was assigned a task, the duty of each one was laid down in rulesfixed up in the large room, so that without being overworked, the occupants ofthe fort were never without something to do. Thomas Black screwed and unscrewedhis instruments, and looked over his astronomical calculations, remaining almostalways shut up in his cabin, fretting and fuming at the storm which preventedhim from making nocturnal observations. The three married women had also plentyto see to : Mrs Mac-Nab busied herself with her baby who got on wonderfully,whilst Mrs Joliffe, assisted by Mrs Rae, and with the Corporal always at herheels, presided in the kitchen.

When work was done the entire party assembled in the large room, spending thewhole of Sunday together. Reading was the chief amusement. The Bible and somebooks of travels were the whole library of the fort; but they were all the goodfolks required. Mrs Barnett generally read aloud, and her audience listened withdelight. The Bible and accounts of adventures received a fresh charm when readout in her clear earnest voice; her gestures were so expressive that imaginarypersons seemed to live when she spoke of them, and all were glad when she tookup the book. She was, in fact, the life and soul of the little community, eageralike to give and receive instruction; she combined the charm and grace of awoman with the energy of a man, and she consequently became the idol of therough soldiers, who would have willingly laid down their lives in her service.Mrs Barnett shared everything with her companions, never holding herself aloofor remaining shut up in her cabin, but working zealously amongst the others,drawing out the most reticent by her intelligent questions and warm sympathy.Good humour and good health prevailed throughout the little community, andneither bands nor tongues were idle.

The storm, however, showed no signs of abating. The party had now beenconfined to the house for three days, and the snow-drifts were as wild andfurious as ever. Lieutenant Hobson began to get anxious. It was becomingimperatively necessary to renew the air of the rooms, which was too much chargedwith carbonic acid. The light of the lamps began to pale in the unhealthyatmosphere, and the air-pumps would not act, the pipes being choked up with ice;they were not, in fact, intended to be used when the house was buried in snow.It was necessary to take counsel; the Lieutenant and Sergeant Long put theirheads together, and it was decided on November 23d that, as the wind beat withrather less violence on the front of the house, one of the windows at the end ofthe passage on that side should be opened.

This was no light matter. It was easy enough to open the window from inside,but the shutter outside was encrusted over with thick lumps of ice, and resistedevery effort to move it. It had to be taken off its hinges, and the hard mass ofsnow was then attacked with pickaxe and shovel; it was at least ten feet thick,and it was not until a kind of channel bad been scooped out that the outer airwas admitted.

Hobson, the Sergeant, several soldiers, and Mrs Barnett herself ventured tocreep through this tunnel or channel, but not without considerable difficulty,for the wind rushed in with fearful fury.

What a scene was presented by Cape Bathurst and the surrounding plain. It wasmid-day, and but a few faint twilight rays glimmered upon the southern horizon.The cold was not so intense as one would have supposed, and the thermometermarked only 15? Fahrenheit above zero; but the snow-drifts whirled along withterrific force, and all would inevitably have been thrown to the ground, had notthe snow in which they were standing up to their waists helped to sustain themagainst the gusts of wind. Everything around them was white, the walls of theenceinte, and the whole of the house even to the roof were completely coveredover, and nothing but a few blue wreaths of smoke would have betrayed theexistence of a human habitation to a stranger.

Under the circumstances the " promenade " was soon over; but Mrs Barnett badmade good use of her time, and would never forget the awful beauty of the Polarregions in a snow-storm, a beauty upon which few women had been privileged tolook.

A few moments sufficed to renew the atmosphere of the house, and allunhealthy vapours were quickly dispersed by the introduction of a pure andrefreshing current of air.

The Lieutenant and his companions hurried in, and the window was againclosed; but after that the snow before it was removed every day for the sake ofventilation.

The entire week passed in a similar manner; fortunately the rein-deer anddogs had plenty of food, so that there was no need to visit them. The eight daysduring which the occupants of the fort were imprisoned so closely, could notfail to be somewhat irksome to strong men, soldiers and hunters, accustomed toplenty of exercise in the open air; and we must own that listening to readingaloud gradually lost its charm, and even cribbage became uninteresting. The lastthought at night was a hope that the tempest might have ceased in the morning, ahope disappointed every day. Fresh snow constantly accumulated upon the windows,the wind roared, the icebergs burst with a crash like thunder, the smoke wasforced back into the rooms, and there were no signs of a diminution of the furyof the storm.

At last, however, on the 28th November the Aneroid barometer in the largeroom gave notice of an approaching change in the state of the atmosphere. Itrose rapidly, whilst the thermometer outside fell almost suddenly to less thanfour degrees below zero. These were symptoms which could not be mistaken, and onthe 29th November the silence all around the fort told that the tempest hadceased.

Every one was eager to get out, tine confinement had lasted long enough. Thedoor could not be opened, and all had to get through the window, and clear awaythe fresh accumulation of snow; this time, however, it was no soft mass they hadto remove, but compact blocks of ice, which required pick-axes to break themup.

It took about half-an-hour to clear a passage, and then every one in thefort, except Mrs Mac-Nab, who was not yet up, hastened into the interior court,glad once more to be able to walk about.

The cold was still intense, but the wind having gone down it was possible toendure it, although great care was necessary to escape serious consequences onleaving the heated rooms for the open air, the difference between thetemperature inside and outside being some fifty-four degrees.

It was eight o'clock in the morning. Myriads of brilliant constellationsstudded the sky, and at the zenith shone the Pole star. Although in bothhemispheres there are in reality but 5000 fixed stars visible to the naked eye,their number appeared to the observers incalculable. Exclamations of admirationburst involuntarily from the lips of the delighted astronomer as he gazed intothe cloudless heavens, once more undimmed by mists or vapours. Never had a morebeautiful sky been spread out before the eyes of an astronomer.

Whilst Thomas Black was raving in ecstasy, dead to all terrestrial matters,his companions had wandered as far as the enceinte. The snow was as hard as arock, And so slippery that there were a good many tumbles, but no seriousinjuries.

It is needless to state that the court of the fort was completely filled up.The roof of the house alone appeared above the white mass, the surface of whichhad been worn smooth by the action of the wind; of the palisade nothing wasvisible but the top of the stakes, and the least nimble of the wild animals theydreaded could easily have climbed over them. But what was to be done? It was nouse to think of clearing away a mass of frozen snow ten feet thick, extendingover so large an extent of ground. All they could attempt would be to dig awaythe ice inside the enceinte, so as to form a kind of moat, the counterscarp ofwhich would protect the palisade. But alas the winter was only beginning, and afresh tempest might at any time fill in the ditch a few hours.

Whilst the Lieutenant was examining the works, which could no more protecthis fort than a single sunbeam could melt the solid layer of snow,-Mrs Joliffesuddenly exclaimed:

"And our dogs! our reindeer!"

It was indeed time to think about the poor animals. The dog house and stablebeing lower than the house were probably entirely covered, and the supply of airhad perhaps been completely cut off. Some hurried to the dog-house, others tothe reindeer stable, and all fears were quickly dispelled. The wall of ice,which connected the northern corner of the house with the cliff, had partlyprotected the two buildings, and the snow round them was not more than four feetthick, so that the apertures left in the walls had not been closed up. Theanimals were all well, and when the door was opened, the dogs rushed out barkingwith delight.

The cold was so intense, that after an hour's walk every one began to thinkof the glowing stove in the large room at home. There was nothing left to bedone outside, the traps buried beneath ten feet of snow could not be visited, soall returned to the house, the window, was closed, and the party sat down to thedinner awaiting them with sharpened appetites.

We can readily imagine that the conversation turned on the intensity of thecold, which had so rapidly converted the soft snow into a solid mass. It was nolight matter, and might to a certain extent compromise the safety of the littlecolony.

"But, Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett, "can we not count upon a few days'thaw-will not all this snow be rapidly converted into water?"

"Oh no, madam," replied Hobson, "a thaw at this time of year is not at alllikely. Indeed I expect the thermometer will fall still lower, and it is verymuch to be regretted that we were unable to remove the snow when it wassoft."

What, you think the temperature likely to become much colder?"

"I do most certainly, madam, 4? below zero-what is that at thislatitude?"

"What would it be if we were at the Pole itself?"

"The Pole, madam, is probably not the coldest point of the globe, for mostnavigators agree that the sea is there open. From certain peculiarities of itsgeographical position it would appear that a certain spot on the shores of NorthGeorgia, 95? longitude and 78? latitude, has the coldest mean temperature in theworld: 2? below zero all the year round. It is, therefore, called the 'pole ofcold.' "

"But," said Mrs Barnett, "we are more than 8? further south than that famouspoint."

"Well, I don't suppose we shall suffer as much at Cape Bathurst as we mighthave done in North Georgia. I only tell you of the 'pole of cold,' that you maynot confound it with the Pole properly so-called when the lowness of thetemperature is discussed. Great cold has besides been experienced on otherpoints of the globe. The difference is, that the low temperature is not theremaintained."

"To what places do you allude?" inquired Mrs Barnett; "I assure you I takethe greatest interest in this matter of degrees of cold."

"As far as I can remember, madam," replied the Lieutenant, Arctic explorersstate that at Melville Island the temperature fell to 61? below zero, and atPort Felix to 65?."

"But Melville Island and Port Felix are some degrees farther north latitudethan Cape Bathurst, are they not?"

"Yes, madam, but in a certain sense we may say that their latitude provesnothing. A combination of different atmospheric conditions is requisite toproduce intense cold. Local and other causes largely modify climate. If Iremember rightly in 1845 . . . Sergeant Long, you were at Fort Reliance at thatdate?

"Yes, sir," replied Long.

"Well, was it not in January of that year that the cold was soexcessive?"

"Yes it was, I remember only too well that the thermometer marked 70? belowzero."

"What!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett, "at Fort Reliance, on the Great SlaveLake?"

"Yes, madam," replied the Lieutenant, "and that was at 65? north latitudeonly, which is the same parallel as that of Christiania and St Petersburg."

"Then we must be prepared for everything."

"Yes, indeed, we must when we winter in Arctic countries."

During the 29th and 30th November, the cold did not decrease, and it wasnecessary to keep up huge fires to prevent the freezing in all the corners ofthe house of the moisture in the atmosphere. Fortunately there was plenty offuel, and it was not spared. A mean temperature of 52? Fahrenheit was maintainedindoors in spite of the intensity of the cold without.

Thomas Black was so anxious to take stellar observations, now that the skywas so clear, that he braved the rigour of the outside temperature, hoping to beable to examine some of the magnificent constellations twinkling on the zenith.But he was compelled to desist-his instruments "burnt" his hands! "Burnt" is theonly word to express the sensation produced by touching a metallic bodysubjected to the influence of intense cold. Exactly similar results are producedby the sudden introduction of heat into an animate body, and the suddenwithdrawal of the same from it, as the astronomer found to his cost when he leftthe skin of his fingers on his instruments. He had to give up takingobservations.

However, the heavens made him the best amends in their power by displayingthe most beautiful and indescribable phenomena of a lunar halo and an AuroraBorealis.

The lunar halo was a white corona with a pale red edge encircling the moon.This luminous meteor was about forty-five degrees in diameter, and was theresult of the diffraction of the lunar rays through the small prismaticice-crystals floating in the atmosphere. The queen of the night shone withrenewed splendour and heightened beauty from the centre of the luminous ring,the colour and consistency of which resembled the milky transparent lunarrainbows which have been so often described by astronomers.

Fifteen hours later the heavens were lit up by a magnificent Aurora Borealis,the arch of which extended over more than a hundred geographical degrees. Thevertex of this arch was situated in the magnetic meridian, and, as is often thecase, the rays darted by the luminous meteor were of all the colours of therainbow, red predominating. Here and there. the stars seemed to be floating inblood. Glowing lines of throbbing colour spread from the dark segment on thehorizon, some of them passing the zenith and quenching the light of the moon intheir electric waves, which oscillated and trembled as if swept by a current ofair.

No description could give an adequate idea of the glory which flushed thenorthern sky, converting it into a vast dome of fire, but after the magnificentspectacle had been enjoyed for about half an hour, it suddenly disappeared-notfading gradually away after concentration of its rays, or a diminution of itssplendour, but dying abruptly, as if an invisible hand had cut off the supply ofelectricity which gave it life.

It was time it was over, for the sake of Thomas Black, for in another fiveminutes he would have been frozen where he stood !

CHAPTER XIX.

A NEIGHBOURLY VISIT.

On the 2nd December; the intensity of the cold decreased. The phenomena ofthe lunar halo and Aurora Borealis were symptoms which a meteorologist wouldhave been at no loss to interpret. They implied the existence of a certainquantity of watery vapour in the atmosphere, and the barometer fell slightly,whilst the thermometer rose to 15? above zero.

Although this temperature would have seemed very cold to the inhabitants of atemperate zone, it was easily endured by the colonists. The absence of wind madea great difference, and Hobson having noticed that the upper layers of snow werebecoming softer, ordered his men to clear it away from the outer approaches ofthe enceinte. Mac-Nab and his subordinates set to work zealously, and completedtheir task in a few days. The traps were now uncovered and re-set. A good manyfootprints showed that there were plenty of furred animals about the cape, andas they could not get any other food, it was probable that the bait in thesnares would soon attract them. In accordance with the advice of Marbre thehunter, a reindeer trap was constructed in the Esquimaux style. A trench wasdug twelve feet deep, and of a uniform width of ten feet. A see-saw plank, whichwould rebound when lowered, was laid across it. A bait of herbs was placed atone end of the plank, and any animal venturing to take them, was inevitablyflung to the bottom of the pit, and the plank immediately returning to itsformer position, would allow of the trapping of another animal in the samemanner. Once in, there was no getting out. The only difficulty Marbre had tocontend with in making his trap, was the extreme hardness of the ground to bedug out, but both he and the Lieutenant were not a little surprised at findingbeneath some five feet of earth and sand a bed of snow, as hard as a rock, whichappeared to be very thick.

After closely examining the geological structure of the ground, Hobsonobserved:

"This part of the coast must have been subjected to intense cold for aconsiderable length of time a great many years ago. Probably the ice rests on abed of granite, and the earth and sand upon it have accumulated gradually."

"Well, sir, our trap won't be any the worse for that, the reindeer will finda slippery wall, which it will be impossible for them to climb."

Marbre was right, as the event proved.

On the 5th September, he and Sabine were on their way to the trench, whenthey heard loud growls. They stood still and listened.

"It's no reindeer making that noise, "said Marbre, "I know well enough whatcreature has fallen into our pit."

"A bear?" replied Sabine.

"Yes," said Marbre, whose eyes glistened with delight.

"Well," remarked Sabine, "we won't grumble at that, bears' steaks are as goodas reindeers', and we get the fur in! Come along."

The two hunters were armed. They quickly slipped balls into their guns, whichwere already loaded with lead, and hurried to the trap. The see-saw plank hadswung back into its place, but the bait had disappeared, having probably beendragged down, into the trench. The growls became louder and fiercer, and lookingdown the hunters saw that it was indeed a bear they had taken. A huge mass washuddled together in one corner of the pit, looking in the gloom like a pile ofwhite fur with two glittering eyes. The sides of the trench had been ploughed upby the creature's sharp claws, and had they been made of earth instead of ice,it would certainly have managed to scramble out, but it could get no hold on theslippery surface, and it had only managed to enlarge its prison, not to escapefrom it.

Under the circumstances the capture was easy. Two balls carefully aimed putan end to the bear's life, and the next thing to do was to get it out of thepit. The two hunters returned to the fort for reinforcements, and ten of thesoldiers, provided with ropes, returned with them. It was not withoutconsiderable difficulty that the body was hauled up. It was a huge creature, sixfeet long, weighing six hundred pounds, and must have possessed immensestrength. It belonged to the sub-order of white bears, and had the flattenedhead, long neck, short and slightly curved claws, narrow muzzle, and smoothwhite fur characteristic of the species. The edible portions of this valuableanimal were confided to Mrs Joliffe, and by her carefully prepared for thetable.

The next week the traps were in full activity. Some twenty martens weretaken, in all the beauty of their winter clothing, but only two or three foxes.These cunning creatures divined the snare laid for them, and scratching up theground near the trap, they often managed to run off with the bait without beingcaught. This made Sabine beside himself with rage "for," he said, "such asubterfuge was unworthy of a respectable fox."

About the 10th December, the wind having veered round to the south-west, thesnow again began to fall, but not in thick flakes, or in large quantities. Thewind being high, however, the cold was severely felt, and it was necessary tosettle in-doors again, and resume domestic occupations. Hobson distributed limelozenges and lime juice to every one as a precaution against the scorbuticaffections, which damp cold produces. No symptoms of scurvy had fortunately asyet appeared amongst the occupants of the fort, thanks to the sanitaryprecautions taken.

The winter solstice was now approaching, when the darkness of the Polar nightwould be most profound, as the sun would be at the lowest maximum point belowthe horizon of the northern hemisphere. At midnight the southern edges of thelong white plains were touched with a faint glimmer of twilight, that was all,and it would be impossible to imagine anything more melancholy than the gloomystillness and darkness of the vast expanse.

Hobson felt more secure from the attacks of wild beasts, now that theapproaches to the enceinte had been cleared of snow, which was a fortunatecircumstance, as ominous growlings were heard, the nature of which no one couldmistake.

There was no fear of visits from Indian hunters or Canadians at this time ofyear, but an incident occurred proving that these districts were not altogetherdepopulated even in the winter, and which was quite an episode in the longdreary dark months. Some human beings still lingered on the coast hunting morsesand camping under the snow. They belonged to the race of Esquimaux, "or eatersof raw flesh," which is scattered over the continent of North America, fromBaffin's Bay to Behring Strait, seldom, however, advancing farther south thanthe Great Slave Lake.

On the morning of the 14th December, or rather nine hours before midday,Sergeant Long, on his return from an excursion along the coast, ended his reportto the Lieutenant by saying, that if his eyes had not deceived him, a tribe ofnomads were encamped about four miles from the fort, near a little cape juttingout from the coast.

"What do you suppose these nomads are?" inquired Hobson.

"Either men or morses," replied the Sergeant. "There's no medium!"

The brave Sergeant would have been considerably surprised if any one had toldhim that some naturalists admit the existence of the " medium," the idea ofwhich he scouted; and certain savants have with some humour classed theEsquimaux as an " intermediate species " between roan and the sea-cow.

Lieutenant Hobson, Mrs Barnett, Madge, and a few others at once went toascertain the truth of the report. Well wrapt up, and on their guard against asudden chill, their feet cased in furred boots, and guns and hatchets in theirhands, they issued from the postern, and made their way over the frozen snowalong the coast, strewn with masses of ice.

The moon, already in the last quarter, shed a few faint rays through themists which shrouded the ice-fields. After marching for about an hour, theLieutenant began to think that the Sergeant had been mistaken, and that what hehad seen were morses, who had returned to their native element through the holesin the ice which they always keep open.

But Long, pointing to a grey wreath of smoke curling out of a conicalprotuberance on the ice-field some hundred steps off, contented himself withobserving quietly-

"The morses are smoking, then !"

As he spoke some living creatures came out of the but dragging themselvesalong the snow. They were Esquimaux, but whether male or female none but anative could have said, for their costumes were all exactly alike.

Indeed, without in the least sharing the opinion of the naturalist quotedabove, any one might have taken the rough shaggy figures for seals or some otheramphibious animals. There were six of them-four full-grown, and two children.Although very short, they were broad-chested and muscular. They had the flatnoses, long eye-lashes, large mouths, thick lips, long black coarse hair, andbeardless chins of their race. Their costume consisted of a round coat made ofthe skin of the walrus, a hood, boots, trousers, and mittens of the samematerial. They gazed at the Europeans in silence.

"Does any one understand Esquimaux?" inquired the Lieutenant.

No one was acquainted with that idiom, and every one started when a voiceimmediately exclaimed in English, "Welcome! welcome !"

It was an Esquimaux, and, as they learned later, a woman, who, approachingMrs Barnett, held out her hand.

The lady, much surprised, replied in a few words, which the native girlreadily understood, and the whole family was invited to follow the Europeans tothe fort.

The Esquimaux looked searchingly at the strangers, and after a few moments'hesitation they accompanied the Lieutenant, keeping close together, however:

Arrived at the enceinte, the native woman, seeing the house, of the existenceof which she had had no idea, exclaimed-

"House! snow-house!"

She asked if it were made of snow, which was a natural question enough, forthe house was all but hidden beneath the white mass which covered the ground.She was made to understand that it was built of wood; she then turned and said afew words to her companions, who made signs of acquiescence, and they all passedthrough the postern, and were taken to the large room in the chief building.

They removed their hoods, and it became possible to distinguish sexes. Therewere two men, about forty or fifty years old, with yellowish-red complexions,sharp teeth, and projecting cheek-bones, which gave them something of theappearance of carnivorous animals; two women, still young whose matted hair wasadorned with the teeth and claws of Polar bears; and two children, about five orsix years old, poor little creatures with intelligent faces, who looked aboutthem with wide wondering eyes.

"I believe the Esquimaux are always hungry," said Hobson, "so I don't supposeour guests would object to a slice of venison."

In obedience to the Lieutenant's order, Joliffe brought somereindeer-venison, which the poor creatures devoured with greedy avidity; but theyoung woman who had answered in English behaved with greater refinement, andwatched Mrs Barnett and the women of the fort without once removing her eyesfrom them. Presently noticing the baby in Mrs Mac-Nabs arms; she rose and ran upto it, speaking to it in a soft voice, and caressing it tenderly.

Indeed if not exactly superior, the young girl was certainly more civilisedthan her companions, which was especially noticeable when, being attacked by aslight fit of coughing, she put her hand before her mouth in the manner enjoinedby the first rules of civilised society.

This significant gesture did not escape any one, and Mrs Barnett, who chattedfor some time with the Esquimaux woman, learned from her in a few shortsentences that she had been for a year in the service of the Danish governor ofUpper Navik, whose wife was English, and that she had left Greenland to followher family to the hunting grounds. The two men were her brothers; the otherwoman was her sister-in-law, married to one of the men, and mother of the twochildren. They were all returning from Melbourne Island, on the eastern coast ofEnglish America, and were making for Point Barrow, on the western coast ofRussian America, the home of their tribe, and- were considerably astonished tofind a factory established on Cape Bathurst. Indeed the two men shook theirheads when they spoke of it. Did they disapprove of the construction of a fortat this particular point of the coast? Did they think the situation ill-chosen?In spite of all his endeavours, Hobson could get no satisfactory reply to thesequestions, or rather he could not understand the answers he received.

The name of the young girl was Kalumah, and she seemed to have taken a greatfancy to Mrs Barnett. But sociable as she was, she appeared to feel no regret athaving left the governor of Upper Navik, and to be sincerely attached to herrelations.

After refreshing themselves with the reindeer-venison, and drinkinghalf-a-pint of rum, in which the children had their share, the Esquimaux tookleave of their hosts; but before saying goodbye, the young girl invited MrsBarnett to visit their snow-hut, and the lady promised to do so the next day,weather permitting.

The next day was fine, and accompanied by Madge, Lieutenant Hobson, and a fewsoldiers, well armed in case any bears should be prowling about, Mrs Barnett setout for " Cape Esquimaux," as they had named the spot where the little colonyhad encamped.

Kalumah hastened forward to meet her friend of yesterday, and pointed to thebut with an, air of pride. It was a large cone of snow, with an opening in thesummit, through which the smoke from the fire inside made its way. Thesesnow-houses, called igloos in the language of the Esquimaux, areconstructed with great rapidity, and are admirably suited to the climate. Inthem their owners can endure a temperature 40? below zero, without fires, andwithout suffering much. In the summer the Esquimaux encamp in tents made of sealand reindeer skins, which are called tupics.

It was no easy matter to get into this hut. The only opening was a hole closeto the ground, and it was necessary to creep through a kind of passage three orfour feet long, which is about the thickness of the walls of these snow-houses.But a traveller by profession, a laureate of the Royal Society, could nothesitate, and Mrs Paulina Barnett did not hesitate! Followed by Madge, shebravely entered the narrow tunnel in imitation of her guide. Lieutenant Hobsonand his men dispensed with paying their respects inside.

And Mrs Barnett soon discovered that the chief difficulty was not gettinginto the but, but remaining in it when there. The room was heated by a fire, onwhich the bones of morses were burning; and the air was full of the smell of thefetid oil of a lamp, of greasy garments, and the flesh of the amphibious animalswhich form the chief article of an Esquimaux's diet. It was suffocating andsickening! Madge could not stand it, and hurried out at once, but Mrs Barnett,rather than hurt the feelings of the young native, showed superhuman courage,and extended her visit over five long minutes!-five centuries! The two childrenand their mother were at home, but the men had gone to hunt morses four or fivemiles from their camp.

Once out of the hut, Mrs Barnett drew a long sigh of relief, and the colourreturned to her blanched cheeks.

"Well, madam," inquired the Lieutenant, "what do you think of Esquimauxhouses?"

"The ventilation leaves something to be desired !" she replied simply.

The interesting native family remained encamped near Cape Esquimaux for eightdays. The men passed twelve hours out of every twenty-four hunting morses. Witha patience which none but sportsmen could understand, they would watch for theamphibious animals near the holes through which they come up to the surface ofthe ice-field to breathe. When the morse appears, a rope with a running noose isflung round its body a little below the head, and it is dragged on to theice-field, often with considerable difficulty, and killed with hatchets. It isreally more like fishing than hunting. It is considered a great treat to drinkthe warm blood of the walrus, and the Esquimaux often indulge in it toexcess.

Kalumah came to the fort every day in spite of the severity of the weather.She was never tired of going through the different rooms, and watching MrsJoliffe at her cooking or sewing. She asked the English name of everything, andtalked for hours together with Mrs Barnett, if the term "talking" can be appliedto an exchange of words after long deliberation on both sides. When Mrs Barnettread aloud, Kalumah listened with great attention, although she probablyunderstood nothing of what she heard.

The young native girl had a sweet voice, and sometimes sang some strangemelancholy rhythmical songs with a peculiar metre, and, if we may so express it,a frosty ring about them, peculiarly characteristic of their origin.

Mrs Barnett had the patience to translate one of these Greenland sagas, whichwas sung to a sad air, interspersed with long pauses, and filled with strangeintervals, which produced an indescribable effect. We give an English renderingof Mrs Barnett's translation, which may give a faint idea of this strangehyperborean poetry.

GREENLAND SONG

Dark Is the sky,
The sun sinks wearily;
My trembling heart, with sorrow filled,
Aches drearily !
My sweet child at my songs is smiling still,
While at his tender heart the icicles lie chill.
Child of my dreams I
Thy love doth cheer me;
The cruel biting frost I brave
But to be near thee!
Ah me, Ah me, could these hot tears of mine
But melt the icicles around that heart of thine!
Could we once more
Meet heart to heart,
Thy little hands close clasped in mine,
No more to part.
Then on thy chill heart rays from heaven above
Should fall, and softly melt it with the warmth of love!

On the 20th December the Esquimaux family came to take leave of the occupantsof the fort. Kalumah was sorry to part with Mrs Barnett, who would gladly haveretained her in her service, but the young native could not be persuaded toleave her own people; she promised, however, to return to Fort Hope in thesummer.

Her farewell was touching. She presented Mrs Barnett with a copper ring, andreceived in exchange a necklace of black beads, which she immediately put on.Hobson gave the poor people a good stock of provisions, which they packed intheir sledge; and after a few words of grateful acknowledgment from Kalumah, thewhole party set out towards the west, quickly disappearing in the thick fogs onthe shore.

CHAPTER XX.

MERCURY FREEZES.

A few days of dry calm weather favoured the operations of the hunters, butthey did not venture far from the fort; the abundance of game rendered itunnecessary to do so, and Lieutenant Hobson could justly congratulate himself onhaving chosen so favourable a situation for the new settlement. A great numberof furred animals of all kinds were taken in the traps, and Sabine and Marbrekilled a good many Polar hares. Some twenty starving wolves were shot. Hungerrendered the latter animals aggressive, and bands of them gathered about thefort, filling the air with hoarse howls, and amongst the " hummocks " on theice-fields sometimes prowled huge bears, whose movements were watched with greatinterest.

On the 25th December all excursions had again to be given up. The wind veeredsuddenly to the north, and the cold became exceedingly severe. It was impossibleto remain out of doors without being frost-bitten. The Fahrenheit thermometerfell to 18? below zero, and the gale roared like a volley of musketry. Hobsontook care to provide the animals with food enough to last several weeks.

Christmas Day, the day of home-gatherings so dear to the heart of allEnglishmen, was kept with due solemnity. The colonists returned thanks to Godfor preserving them through so many perils; and the workmen, who had a holidayin honour of the day, afterwards assembled with their masters and the ladiesround a well-filled board, on which figured two huge Christmas puddings.

In the evening a huge bowl of punch flamed in the centre of the table; thelamps were put out, and for a time the room was lighted only by the livid flamesof the spirit, the familiar objects assuming strange fantastic forms. Thespirits of the soldiers rose as they watched the flickering illumination, andtheir excitement was not lessened after imbibing some of the burning liquid.

But now the flames began to pale; bluish tongues still fitfully licked theplump sides of the national pudding for a few minutes, and then died away.

Strange to say, although the lamps had not been relit, the room did notbecome dark on the extinction of the flames. A bright red light was streamingthrough the window, which had passed unnoticed in the previous illumination.

The revellers started to their feet, and looked at each other inastonishment.

"A fire !" cried several.

But unless the house itself were burning, there could not be a fire anywherenear Cape Bathurst.

The Lieutenant rushed to the window, and at once understood the cause of thephenomenon. It was an eruption.

Indeed, above the western cliffs beyond Walruses' Bay the horizon was onfire. The summits of the igneous hills, some miles from Cape Bathurst, could notbe seen; but the sheaf of flame shot up to a considerable height, lighting upthe whole country in a weird, unearthly manner.

"It is more beautiful than the Aurora Borealis!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett.

Thomas Black indignantly protested against this assertion. A terrestrialphenomenon more beautiful than a meteor! But no one was disposed to argue withhim about it, for all hurried out, in spite of the bitter gale and biting cold,to watch the glorious spectacle of the flashing sheaf of flames standing outagainst the black background of the night sky.

Had not the mouths and ears of the party been cased in furs, they would havebeen able to hear the rumbling noise of the eruption, and to tell each other ofthe impressions made upon them by this magnificent sight; but, as it was, theycould neither speak nor hear. They might well be content, however, with gazingupon such a glorious scene-a scene which once looked upon could never beforgotten. The glowing sheets of flames contrasted alike with the gloomydarkness of the heavens and the dazzling whiteness of the far-stretching carpetof snow, and produced effects of light and shade which no pen or pencil couldadequately portray. The throbbing reverberations spread beyond the zenith,gradually quenching the light of all the stars. The white ground became dashedwith golden tints, the hummocks on the ice-field and the huge icebergs in thebackground reflecting the glimmering colours like so many glowing mirrors. Therays of light, striking on the edges or surfaces of the ice, became bent anddiffracted; the angles and varying inclinations on which they fell fretting theminto fringes of colour, and reflecting them back with changed and heightenedbeauty. It was like a fairy scene in which ice and snow combined to addeclat to a melee of rays in which luminous waves rushed uponeach other, breaking into coloured ripples.

But the excessive cold soon drove the admiring spectators back to their warmdwelling, and many a nose paid dearly for the feast enjoyed by the eyes.

During the following days the cold became doubly severe. The mercurialthermometer was of course no longer of any use for marking degrees, and analcohol thermometer had to be used. On the night of the 28th to the 29thDecember the column fell to 32? below zero.

The stoves were piled up with fuel, but the temperature in the house couldnot be maintained above 20? degrees. The bedrooms were exceedingly cold, and tenfeet from the stove, in the large room, its heat could not be felt at all. Thelittle baby had the warmest corner, and its cradle was rocked in turn by thosewho came to the fire. Opening doors or windows was strictly forbidden, as thevapour in the rooms would immediately have been converted into snow, and in thepassage the breathing of the inmates already produced that result. Every now andthen dull reports were heard, which startled those unaccustomed to living insuch high latitudes. They were caused by the cracking of the trunks of trees, ofwhich the walls were composed under the influence of the intense cold. The stockof rum and gin stowed away in the garret had to be brought down into thesitting-room, as the alcohol was freezing and sinking to the bottom of thebottles. The spruce-beer made from a decoction of young fir-branchlets burst thebarrels in which it was kept as it froze, whilst all solid bodies resisted theintroduction of heat as if they were petrified. Wood burnt very slowly, andHobson was obliged to sacrifice some of the walrus-oil to quicken itscombustion. Fortunately the chimneys drew well, so that there was nodisagreeable smell inside, although for a long distance outside the air wasimpregnated with the fetid odour of the smoke from Fort Hope, which a casualobserver might therefore have pronounced an unhealthy building.

One symptom we must notice was the great thirst from which every onesuffered. To relieve it, different liquids had to be melted at the fire, for it-would have been dangerous to eat ice. Another effect of the cold was intensedrowsiness, which Hobson earnestly entreated his companions to resist. Someappeared unable to do so; but Mrs Barnett was invaluable in setting an exampleof constant activity: always brave, she kept herself awake, and encouragedothers by her kindness, brightness, and sympathy. Sometimes she read aloudaccounts of travels, or sang some old familiar English song, in the chorus ofwhich all joined. These joyous strains roused up the sleepers whether they wouldor no, and their voices soon swelled the chorus. The long days of imprisonmentpassed wearily by, and the Lieutenant, consulting the outside thermometerthrough the windows, announced that the cold was still on the increase. On the31st December, the mercury was all frozen hard in the cistern of theinstrument, so that the temperature was 44? below freezing point.

The next day, 1st January 1860, Lieutenant Hobson wished Mrs Barnett a happynew year, and complimented her on the courage and good temper with which sheendured the miseries of this northern winter. The astronomer was not forgottenin the universal interchange of good wishes amongst the members of the littlecolony; but his only thought on entering another year was, that it was thebeginning of that in which the great eclipse was to take place. Fortunately thegeneral health still remained good, and any symptoms of scurvy were promptlychecked by the use of lime-juice and lime-lozenges.

It would not do, however, to rejoice too soon. The winter had still to lastthree months. The sun would doubtless reappear above the horizon in due time;but there was no reason to think that the cold had reached its maximumintensity, especially as in most northern countries February is the month duringwhich the temperature falls lowest. However that might be, there was no decreasein the severity of the weather during the first days of the new year, and on the8th January the alcohol thermometer placed outside the window of the passagemarked 66? below zero. A few degrees more and the minimum temperature at FortReliance in 1835 would be reached!

Jaspar Hobson grew more and more uneasy at the continued severity of thecold. He began to fear that the furred animals would have to seek a lessrigorous climate further south, which would of course thwart all his plans forhunting in the early spring. Moreover, he sometimes heard subterraneanrumblings, which were evidently connected with the volcanic eruption. Thewestern horizon still glowed with the reflection of the burning lava, and it wasevident that some great convulsion was going on in the bowels of the earth.Might not the close vicinity of an active volcano be dangerous to the new fort ?Such was the question which the subterranean rumblings forced upon the mind ofthe Lieutenant, but he kept his vague apprehensions to himself.

Of course under these circumstances no one dreamt of leaving the house. Theanimals were well provided for, and being accustomed to long fasts in thewinter, required no attention from their masters, so that there really was nonecessity for any exposure out of doors. It was difficult enough to endure theinside temperature, even with the help of a plentiful combustion of wood andoil; for, in spite of every precaution, damp crept into the ill-ventilatedrooms, and layers of ice, increasing in thickness every day, were formed uponthe beams. The condensers were choked up, and one of them burst from thepressure of the ice.

Lieutenant Hobson did not spare his fuel; he was, in fact, rather lavish ofit in his anxiety to raise the temperature, which, when the fires got low-as ofcourse sometimes happened-fell to 15? Fahrenheit. The men on guard, who relievedeach other every hour, had strict orders to keep up the fires, and great was thedismay of the Lieutenant when Sergeant Long said to him one day-

"We shall be out of wood soon !"

"Out of wood !" exclaimed Hobson.

"I mean our stock is getting low, and we must lay in fresh stores soon. Ofcourse I know, though, that it will be at the risk of his life that any one goesout in this cold !"

"Yes," replied Hobson. "It was a mistake not to build the wooden shed closeto the house, and to make no direct communication with it. I see that now it istoo late. I ought not to have forgotten that we were going to winter beyond theseventieth parallel. But what's done can't be undone. How long will the woodlast?"

"There is enough to feed the furnace and stove for another two or threedays," replied the Sergeant.

"Let us hope by that time that the severity of the cold may have decreased,and that we may venture across the court of the fort without danger."

"I doubt it, sir," replied Long, shaking his head. "The atmosphere is veryclear, the wind is still in the north, and I shall not be surprised if thistemperature is maintained. for another fifteen days-until the new moon, infact."

"Well, my brave fellow," said the Lieutenant, "we won't die of cold if we canhelp it, and the day we have to brave the outside air "

"We will brave it, sir," said Long.

Hobson pressed his subordinate's hand, well knowing the poor fellow'sdevotion.

We might fancy that Hobson and the Sergeant were exaggerating when theyalluded to fatal results from sudden exposure to the open air, but they spokefrom experience, gained from long residence in the rigorous Polar regions. Theyhad seen strong men fall fainting on the ice under similar circumstances; theirbreath failed them, and they were taken up in a state of suffocation. Incredibleas such facts may appear, they have been of frequent occurrence amongst thosewho have wintered in the extreme north. In their journey along the shores ofHudson's Bay in 1746, Moor and Smith saw many incidents of this kind,-some oftheir companions were killed, struck down by the cold, and there can be no doubtthat sudden death may result from braving a temperature in which mercuryfreezes.

Such was the distressing state of things at Fort Hope, when a new dangerarose to aggravate the sufferings of the colonists.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE LARGE POLAR BEARS.

The only one of the four windows through which it was possible to look intothe court of the fort was that opening at the end of the entrance passage. Theoutside shutters had not been closed; but before it could be seen through it hadto be washed with boiling water, as the panes were covered with a thick coatingof ice. This was done several times a day by the Lieutenant's orders, when thedistricts surrounding the fort were carefully examined, and the state of thesky, and of the alcohol thermometer placed outside, were accurately noted.

On the 6th January, towards eleven o'clock in the morning, Kellet, whose turnit was to look out, suddenly called the Sergeant, and pointed to some movingmasses indistinctly visible in the gloom. Long, approaching the window observedquietly-

"They are bears!"

In fact half-a-dozen of these formidable animals had succeeded in gettingover the palisades, and, attracted by the smoke from the chimneys, wereadvancing upon the house.

On hearing of the approach of the bears, Hobson at once ordered the window ofthe passage to be barricaded inside; it was the only unprotected opening in thehouse, and when it was secured it appeared impossible for the bears to effect anentrance. The window was, therefore, quickly closed up with bars, which thecarpenter Mac-Nab wedged firmly in, leaving a narrow slit through which to watchthe movements of the unwelcome visitors.

"Now," observed the head carpenter, "these gentlemen can't get in without ourpermission, and we have time to hold a council of war."

"Well, Lieutenant," exclaimed Mrs Barnett, "nothing has been wanting to ournorthern winter! After the cold come the bears."

"Not after," replied the Lieutenant, "but, which is a serious matter,with the cold, and a cold ago intense that we cannot venture outside! Ireally don't know how we shall get rid .of these tiresome brutes."

"I suppose they will soon get tired of prowling about," said the lady, "andreturn as they came."

Hobson shook his head as if he had his doubts.

"You don't know these animals, madam. They are famished with hunger, and willnot go until we make them!"

"Are you anxious, then?"

"Yes and no," replied the Lieutenant. "I don't think the bears will get in;but neither do I see how we can get out, should it become necessary for us to doso."

With these words Hobson turned to the window, and Mrs Barnett joined theother women, who had gathered round the Sergeant, and were listening to what hehad to say about the bears. He spoke like a man well up in his subject, for hehad had many an encounter with these formidable carnivorous creatures, whichare often met with even towards the south, where, however, they can be safelyattacked, whilst here the siege would be a regular blockade, for the cold wouldquite prevent any attempt at a sortie.

Throughout the whole day the movements of the bears were attentively watched.Every now and then one of them would lay his great head against the window-paneand an ominous growl was heard.

The Lieutenant and the Sergeant took counsel together, and it was agreed thatif their enemies showed no sign of beating a retreat, they would drill a fewloopholes in the walls of the house, and fire at them. But it was decided to putoff this desperate measure for a day or two, as it was desirable to avoid givingaccess to the outer air; the inside temperature being already far too low. Thewalrus oil to be burnt was frozen so hard that it had to be broken up withhatchets.

The day passed without any incident. The bears went and came, prowling roundthe house, but attempting no direct attack. Watch was kept all night, and atfour o'clock in the morning they seemed to have left the court-at any rate, theywere nowhere to be seen.

But about seven o'clock Marbre went up to the loft to fetch some provisions,and on his return announced that the bears were walking about on the roof.

Hobson, the Sergeant, Mac-Nab, and two or three soldiers seized their arms,and rushed to the ladder in the passage, which. communicated with the loft by atrap-door. The cold was, however, so intense in the loft that the men could nothold the barrels of their guns, and their breath froze as it left their lips andfloated about them as snow.

Marbre was right; the bears were all on the roof, and the sound of their feetand their growls could be distinctly heard. Their great claws caught in thelaths of the roof beneath the ice, and there was some danger that they mighthave sufficient strength to tear away the woodwork.

The Lieutenant and his men, becoming giddy and faint from the intense cold,were soon obliged to go down, and Hobson announced the state of affairs in ashopeful a tone as he could assume.

"The bears," he said, "are now upon the roof. We ourselves have nothing tofear, as they can't get into our rooms; but they may force an entrance to theloft, and devour the furs stowed away there. Now these furs belong to theCompany, and it is our duty to preserve them from injury I ask you then, myfriends, to aid me in removing them to a place of safety."

All eagerly volunteered, and relieving each other in parties of two or three,for none could have supported the intense severity of the cold for long at atime, they managed to carry all the furs into the large room in about anhour.

Whilst the work was proceeding, the bears continued their efforts to get in,and tried to lift up the rafters of .the roof. In some places the laths becamebroken by their weight, and poor Mac-Nab was in despair; he had not reckonedupon such a contingency when he constructed the roof, and expected to see itgive way every moment.

The day passed, however, without any change in the situation. The bears didnot get in; but a no less formidable enemy, the cold, gradually penetrated intoevery room. The fires in the stoves burnt low; the fuel in reserve was almostexhausted; and before twelve o'clock, the last piece of wood would be burnt, andthe genial warmth of the stove would no longer cheer the unhappy colonists.

Death would then await them-death in its most fearful form, from cold. Thepoor creatures, huddled together round the stove, felt that their own vital heatmust soon become exhausted, but not a word of complaint passed their lips. Thewomen bore their sufferings with the greatest heroism, and Mrs Mac-Nab pressedher baby convulsively to her ice-cold breast. Some of the soldiers slept, orrather were wrapped in a heavy torpor, which could scarcely be called sleep.

At three o'clock in the morning Hobson consulted the thermometer hanging inthe large room, about ten feet from the stove.

It marked 4? Fahrenheit below zero.

The Lieutenant pressed his hand to his forehead, and looked mournfully at hissilent companions without a word. His half-condensed breath shrouded his face ina white cloud, and he was standing rooted to the spot when a hand was laid uponhis shoulder. He started, and looked round to see Mrs Barnett beside him.

"Something must be done, Lieutenant Hobson !" exclaimed the energetic woman;"we cannot die like this without an effort to save ourselves !"

"Yes," replied the Lieutenant, feeling revived by the moral courage of hiscompanion--" yes, something must be done !" and he called together Long, Mac-Nab,and Rae the blacksmith, as the bravest men in his party. All, together with MrsBarnett, hastened to the window, and having washed the panes with boiling water,they consulted the thermometer outside.

"Seventy-two degrees !" cried Hobson. "My friends, two courses only are opento us, we can risk our lives to get a fresh supply of fuel, or we can burn thebenches, beds, partition walls, and everything in the house to feed our stovesfor a few days longer. A desperate alternative, for the cold may last for sometime yet; there is no sign of a change in the weather."

"Let us risk our lives to get fuel !" said Sergeant Long.

All agreed that it would be the best course, and without another word eachone set to work to prepare for the emergency.

The following were the precautions taken to save the lives of those who wereabout to risk themselves for the sake of the general good :-

The shed in which the wood was stored was about fifty steps on the left,behind, the principal house. It was decided that one of the men should try andrun to the shed. He was to take one rope wound round his body, and to carryanother in his hand, one end of which was to be held by one of his comrades.Once at the shed, he was to load one of the sledges there with fuel, and tie onerope to the front, and the other to the back of the vehicle, so that it could bedragged backwards and forwards between the house and the shed without muchdanger. A tug violently shaking one or the other cord would be the signal thatthe sledge was filled with fuel at the shed, or unloaded at the house.

A very clever plan, certainly; but two things might defeat it. The door ofthe shed might be so blocked up with ice that it would be very difficult to openit, or the bears might come down from the roof and prowl about the court. Tworisks to be run !

Long, Mac-Nab, and Rae, all three volunteered for the perilous service; butthe Sergeant reminded the other two that they were married, and insisted uponbeing the first to venture.

When the Lieutenant expressed a wish to go himself, Mrs Barnett saidearnestly, "You are our chief; you have no right to expose yourself. LetSergeant Long go."

Hobson could not but realise that his office imposed caution, and beingcalled upon to decide which of his companions should go, be chose the Sergeant.Mrs Barnett pressed the brave man's hand with ill-concealed emotion; and therest of the colonists, asleep or stupefied, knew nothing of the attempt about tobe made to save their lives.

Two long ropes were got ready. The Sergeant wound one round his body abovethe warm furs, worth some thousand pounds sterling, in which he was encased, andtied the other to his belt, on which he hung a tinder-box and a loaded revolver.Just before starting he swallowed down half a glass of rum, as he said, "toinsure a good load of wood."

Hobson, Rae, and Mac-Nab accompanied the brave fellow through the kitchen,where the fire had just gone out, and into the passage. Rae climbed up to thetrap-door of the loft, and peeping through it, made sure that the bears werestill on the roof. The moment for action had arrived.

One door of the passage was open, and in spite of the thick furs in whichthey were wrapped, all felt chilled to the very marrow of their bones; and whenthe second door was pushed open, they recoiled for an instant, panting forbreath, whilst the moisture held in suspension in the air of the passage coveredthe walls and the floor with fine snow.

The weather outside was extremely dry, and the stars shone with extraordinarybrilliancy. Sergeant Long rushed out without a moment's hesitation, dragging thecord behind him, one end of which was held by his companions; the outer door waspushed to, and Hobson, Mae-Nab, and Rae went back to the passage and closed thesecond door, behind which they waited. If Long did not return in a few minutes,they might conclude that his enterprise had succeeded, and that, safe in theshed, he was loading the first train with fuel. Ten minutes at the most ought tosuffice for this operation, if he had been able to get the door open.

When the Sergeant was fairly off, Hobson and Mac-Nab walked together towardsthe end of the passage.

Meanwhile Rae had been watching the bears and the loft. It was so dark thatall hoped Long's movements would escape the notice of the hungry animals.

Ten minutes elapsed, and the three watchers went back to the narrow spacebetween the two doors, waiting for the signal to be given to drag in thesledge.

Five minutes more. The cord remained motionless in their hands! Their anxietycan be imagined. It was a quarter of an hour since the Sergeant had started,plenty of time for all he had to do, and he had given no signal.

Hobson waited a few minutes longer, and then tightening his hold of the endof the rope, he made a sign to his companions to pull with him. If the load ofwood were not quite ready, the Sergeant could easily stop it from being draggedaway.

The rope was pulled vigorously. A heavy object seemed to slide along thesnow. In a few moments it reached the outer door.

It was the body of the Sergeant, with the rope round his waist. Poor Long hadnever reached the shed. He had fallen fainting to the ground, and after twentyminutes' exposure to such a temperature there was little hope that he wouldrevive.

A cry of grief and despair burst from the lips of Mac-Nab and Rae. Theylifted their unhappy comrade from the ground, and carried him into the passage;but as the Lieutenant was closing the outer door, something pushed violentlyagainst it, and a horrible growl was heard.

"Help!" cried Hobson.

Mac-Nab and Rae rushed to their officer's assistance; but Mrs Barnett hadbeen beforehand with them and was struggling with all her strength to helpHobson to close the door. In vain; the monstrous brute, throwing the wholeweight of its body against it, would force its way into the passage in anothermoment.

Mrs Barnett, whose presence of mind did not forsake her now, seized one ofthe pistols in the Lieutenant's belt, and waiting quietly until the animalshoved its head between the door and the wall, discharged the contents into itsopen mouth.

The bear fell backwards, mortally wounded no doubt, and the door was shut andsecurely fastened.

The body of the Sergeant was then carried into the large room. But, alas! thefire was dying out. How was it possible to restore the vital heat with no meansof obtaining warmth?

"I will go-I will go and fetch some wood !" cried the blacksmith Rae.

"Yes, Rae, we will go together!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett, whose courage wasunabated.

"No, my friends, no!" cried Hobson; "you would fall victims to the cold, orthe bears, or both. Let us burn all there is to burn in the house, and leave therest to God !"

And the poor half-frozen settlers rose and laid about them with theirhatchets like madmen. Benches, tables, and partition walls were thrown down,broken up, crushed to pieces, and piled up in the stove of the large room andkitchen furnace. Very soon good fires were burning, on which a few drops ofwalrus-oil were poured, so that the temperature of the rooms quickly rose adozen degrees.

Every effort was made to restore the Sergeant. He was rubbed with warm rum,and gradually the circulation of his blood was restored. The white blotches withwhich parts of his body were covered began to disappear; but he had suffereddreadfully, and several hours elapsed before he could articulate a word. He waslaid in a warm bed, and Mrs Barnett and Madge watched by him until the nextmorning.

Meanwhile Hobson, Mac-Nab, and Rae consulted bow best to escape from theirterrible situation. It was impossible to shut their eyes to the fact that in twodays this fresh supply of fuel would be exhausted, and then, if the coldcontinued, what would become of them all? The new moon had risen forty-eighthours ago, and there was no sign of a change in the weather! The north windstill swept the face of the country with its icy breath; the barometer remainedat " fine dry weather; "and there was not a vapour to be seen above the endlesssuccession of ice-fields. There was reason to fear that the intense cold wouldlast a long time yet, but what was to be done? Would it do to try once more toget to the wood-shed, when the bears had been roused by the shot, and rendereddoubly dangerous? Would it be possible to attack these dreadful creatures in theopen air I No, it would be madness, and certain death for all!

Fortunately the temperature of the rooms had now become more bearable, and inthe morning Mrs Joliffe served up a breakfast of hot meat and tea. Hot grog wasserved out, and the brave Sergeant was able to take his share. The heat from thestoves warmed the bodies and reanimated the drooping courage of the poorcolonists, who were now ready to attack the bears at a word from Hobson. But theLieutenant, thinking the forces unequally matched, would not risk the attempt;and it appeared likely that the day would pass without any incident worthy ofnote, when at about three o'clock in the afternoon a great noise was heard onthe top of the house.

"There they are!" cried two or three soldiers, hastily arming themselves withhatchets and pistols.

It was evident that the bears had torn away one of the rafters of the roof,and got into the loft.

"Let every one remain where he is!" cried the Lieutenant. "Rae, the trap!"

The blacksmith rushed into the passage, scaled the ladder, and shut andsecurely fastened the trap-door.

A dreadful noise was now heard-growling, stamping of feet, and tearing ofclaws. It was doubtful whether the danger of the anxious listeners wasincreased, or the reverse. Some were of opinion that if all the bears were inthe loft, it would be easier to attack them. They would be less formidable in anarrow space, and there would not be the same risk of suffocation from cold. Ofcourse a conflict with such fierce creatures must still. be very perilous, butit no longer appeared so desperate as before.

It was now debated whether it would be better to go and attack the besiegers,or to remain on the defensive. Only one soldier could get through the narrowtrap-door at a time, and this made Hobson hesitate, and finally resolve to wait.The Sergeant and others, whose bravery none could doubt, agreed that he was inthe right, and it might be possible that some new incident would occur to modifythe situation. It was almost impossible for the bears to break through the beamsof the ceiling, as they had the rafters of the roof, so that there was littlefear that they would get on to the ground-floor.

The day passed by in anxious expectation, and at night no one could sleep forthe uproar made by the furious beasts.

The next day, about nine o'clock, a fresh complication compelled Hobson totake active steps.

He knew that the pipes of the stove and kitchen furnace ran all along theloft, and being made of lime-bricks but imperfectly cemented together, theycould not resist great pressure for any length of time. Now some of the bearsscratched at the masonry, whilst others leant against the pipes for the sake ofthe warmth from the stove; so that the bricks began to give way, and soon thestoves and furnace ceased to draw.

This really was an irreparable misfortune, which would have disheartened lessenergetic men. But things were not yet at their worst. Whilst the fire becamelower and lower, a thick, nauseous, acrid smoke filled the house; the pipes werebroken, and the smoke soon became so thick that the lamps went out. Hobson nowsaw that he must leave the house if he wished to escape suffocation, but toleave the house would be to perish with cold. At this fresh misfortune some ofthe women screamed; and Hobson, seizing a hatchet, shouted in a loud voice

"To the bears! to the bears, my friends !"

It was the forlorn-hope. These terrible creatures must be destroyed. Allrushed into the passage and made for the ladder, Hobson leading the way. Thetrap-door was opened, and a few shots were fired into the black whirlpool ofsmoke. Mingled howls and screams were heard, and blood began to flow on bothsides; but the fearful conflict was waged in profound darkness.

In the midst of the melee a terrible rumbling sound suddenly drowned thetumult, the ground became violently agitated, and the house rocked as if it werebeing torn up from its foundations. The beams of the walls separated, andthrough the openings Hobson and his companions saw the terrified bears rushingaway into the darkness, howling with rage and fright.

CHAPTER XXII.

FIVE MONTHS MORE.

A violent earthquake had shaken Cape Bathurst. Such convulsions were probablyfrequent in this volcanic region, and the connection between them and eruptionswas once more demonstrated.

Hobson well understood the significance of what had occurred, and waited inanxious suspense. He knew that the earth might open and swallow up the littlecolony; but only one shock was felt, and that was rather a rebound than avertical upheaval, which made the house lean over towards the lake, and burstopen its walls. Immediately after this one shock, the ground again became firmand motionless.

The house, although damaged, was still habitable; the breaches in the wallswere quickly repaired, and the pipes of the chimneys were patched together againsomehow

Fortunately the wounds the soldiers had received in their struggle with thebears were slight, and merely required dressing.

Two miserable days ensued, during which the woodwork of the beds and theplanks of the partition walls were burnt, and the most pressing repairs executedby Mac-Nab and his men. The piles, well driven into the earth, had not yielded;but it was evident that the earthquake had caused a sinking of the level of thecoast on which the fort was built, which might seriously compromise the safetyof the building. Hobson was most anxious to ascertain the extent of thealteration of elevation, but the pitiless cold prevented him from venturingoutside.

But at last there were symptoms of an approaching change in the weather. Thestars shone with rather less brilliancy, and on the 11th January the barometerfell slightly; hazy vapours floated in the air, the condensation of which wouldraise the temperature; and on the 12th January the wind veered to thesouth-west, and snow fell at irregular intervals.

The thermometer outside suddenly rose to 15? above zero, and to the frozencolonists it was like the beginning of spring.

At eleven o'clock the same morning all were out of doors. They were like aband of captives unexpectedly set free. They were, however, absolutely forbiddento go beyond the enceinte of the fort, in case of awkward meetings.

The sun had not yet reappeared above the horizon, but it approached it nearlyenough to produce a long twilight, during which objects could be distinctly seento a distance of two miles; and Hobson's first thought was to ascertain whatdifference the earthquake had produced in the appearance of the surroundingdistricts.

Certain changes had been effected. The crest of the promontory of CapeBathurst had been broken off, and large pieces of the cliff had been flung uponthe beach. The whole mass of the cape seemed to have been bent towards the lake,altering the elevation of the plateau on which the fort was built. The soil onthe west appeared to have been depressed, whilst that on the east had beenelevated. One of the results of this change of level would unfortunately be,that when the thaw set in, the waters of the lake and of Paulina river, inobedience to the law, requiring liquids to maintain their level, would inundatea portion of the western coast. The stream would probably scoop out another bed,and the natural harbour at its mouth would be destroyed. The hills on theeastern bank seemed to be considerably depressed, but the cliffs on the westwere too far off for any accurate observations to be made. The importantalteration produced by the earthquake may, in fact, be summed up in a very fewwords : the horizontal character of the ground was replaced by a slope from eastto west.

"Well, Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett, laughing, "you were good enough to givemy name to the port and river, and now there will be neither Paulina river norPort Barnett. I must say I have been hardly used."

"Well, madam," replied Hobson, "although the river is gone, the lake remains,and we will call it Lake Barnett. I hope that it at least will remain true toyou."

Mr and Mrs Joliffe, on leaving the house, had hurried, one to the doghouse,the other to the reindeer-stable. The dogs had not suffered much from theirlone, confinement, and rushed into the court barking with delight. One reindeerhad died, but the others, though thin, appeared to be in good health.

"Well, madam," said the Lieutenant, "we have got through our troubles betterthan we could have expected."

"I never despaired," replied the lady. "The miseries of an Arctic -winterwould not conquer men like you and your companions."

"To own the truth, madam," replied Hobson, "I never experienced such intensecold before, in all the years I have spent in the north; and if it had lastedmany days longer we should all have been lost."

"The earthquake came in the nick of time then, not only to drive away thebears, but also to modify the extremity of the cold?"

"Perhaps so, madam. All natural phenomena influence each other to a certainextent. But the volcanic structure of the soil makes me rather uneasy. I cannotbut regret the close vicinity of this active volcano. If the lava from it cannotreach us, the earthquakes connected with it can. Just look at our housenow!"

"Oh, all that can be put right when the fine weather comes, and you will makeit all the stronger for the painful experience you have gained."

"Of course we shall, but meanwhile I am afraid you won't find it verycomfortable."

"Are you speaking to me, Lieutenant? to an old traveller like me? I shallimagine myself one of the crew of a small vessel, and now that it does not pitchand toss, I shall have no fear of being sea-sick."

"What you say does not surprise me," replied Hobson; "we all know yourgrandeur of character, your moral courage and imperturbable good temper. Youhave done much to help us all to bear our troubles, and I thank you in my ownname and that of my men."

"You flatter me, Lieutenant; you flatter me."

"No, no; I only say what every one thinks. But may I ask you one question.You know that next June, Captain Craventy is to send us a convoy withprovisions, which will take back our furs to Fort Reliance. I suppose our friendThomas Black, after having seen his eclipse, will return with the Captain's men.Do you mean to accompany him?"

"Do you mean to send me back?" asked the lady with a smile.

"O madam !"-

"Well, my superior officer," replied Mrs Barnett, extending her hand to theLieutenant, "I shall ask you to allow me to spend another winter at Fort Hope.Next year one of the Company's ships will probably anchor off Cape Bathurst, andI shall return in it. Having come overland, I should like to go back by BehringStrait."

The Lieutenant was delighted with his companion's decision. The two hadbecome sincerely attached to each other, and had many tastes and qualities incommon. The hour of separation could not fail to be painful to both; and whocould tell what further trials awaited `the colonists, in which their combine,influence might sustain the courage of the rest?

On the 20th January the sun at last reappeared, and the Polar night was at anend. It only remained above the horizon for a few minutes, and was greeted withjoyous hurrahs by the settlers. From this date the days gradually increased inlength.

Throughout the month of February, and until the 15th March, there were abrupttransitions from fine to bad weather. The fine days were so cold that thehunters could not go out; and in the bad weather snowstorms kept them in. It wasonly between whiles that any outdoor work could be done; and long excursionswere out of the question. There was no necessity for them, however, as the trapswere in full activity. In the latter end of the winter, martens, foxes, ermines,wolverines, and other valuable animals were taken in large numbers, and thetrappers had plenty to do.

In March an excursion was ventured on as far as Walruses' Bay and it wasnoticed that the earthquake had considerably altered the form of the cliffs,which were much depressed; whilst the igneous hills beyond, with their summitswrapped in mist, seemed to look larger and more threatening than ever.

About the 20th March the hunters sighted the first swans migrating from thesouth, and uttering shrill cries as they flew. A few snow buntings and winterhawks were also seen. But the ground was still covered with thick layers offrozen snow, and the sun was powerless to melt the hard surface of the lake andsea.

The breaking up of the frost did not commence until early in April. The iceburst with a noise like the discharge of artillery.

Sudden changes took place in the appearance of the icebergs broken bycollisions, undermined by the action of the water once more set free, hugemasses rolled over with an awful crash, in consequence of the displacement oftheir centre of gravity, causing fractures and fissures in the ice-fields whichgreatly accelerated their breaking up.

At this time the mean temperature was 32? above zero, so that the upper layerof ice on the beach rapidly dissolved, whilst the chain of icebergs, driftedalong by the currents of the Polar Sea, gradually drew back and became lost inthe fogs on the horizon. On the 15th April the sea was open, and a vessel fromthe Pacific Ocean coming through Behring Strait, could certainly have skirtedalong the American coast, and have anchored off Cape Bathurst.

Whilst the ice was disappearing from the ocean, Lake Barnett was also layingaside its slippery armour, much to the delight of the thousands of ducks andother water-fowl which began to teem upon its banks. As Hobson had foreseen,however, the level of the lake was affected by the slope of the soil. That partof the beach which stretched away from the enceinte of the fort, and was boundedon the east by wooded hills, had increased considerably in extent; and Hobsonestimated that the waters of the lake had receded five hundred paces on theeastern bank. As a natural consequence, the water on the western side had risen,and if not held back by some natural barrier, would inundate the country.

On the whole, it was fortunate that the slope was from east to west; for hadit been from west to east, the factory must have been submerged.

The little river dried up as soon as the thaw set free its waters. It mightalmost be said to have run back to its source, so abrupt was the slope of itsbed from north to south.

"We have now to erase a river from the map of the Arctic regions," observedHobson to his Sergeant. "It would have been embarrassing if we had beendependent on the truant for drinkable water. Fortunately we have still LakeBarnett, and I don't suppose our thirsty men will drain it quite dry."

"Yes, we've got the lake," replied the Sergeant; "but do you think its watershave remained sweet?"

Hobson started and looked at his subordinate with knitted brows. It had notoccurred to him that a fissure in the ground might have established acommunication between the lake and the sea! Should it be so, ruin must ensue,and the factory would inevitably have to be abandoned after all.

The Lieutenant and Hobson rushed to the lake and found their fearsgroundless. Its waters were still sweet.

Early in May the snow had disappeared in several places, and a scantyvegetation clothed the soil. Tiny mosses and slender grasses timidly pushed uptheir stems above the ground, and the sorrel and cochlearia seeds which MrsJoliffe had planted began to sprout. The carpet of snow had protected themthrough the bitter winter; but they had still to be saved from the beaks ofbirds and the teeth of rodents. This arduous and important task was confided tothe worthy Corporal, who acquitted himself of it with the zeal and devotion of ascarecrow in a kitchen garden.

The long days had now returned, and hunting was resumed.

Hobson was anxious to have a good stock of furs for the agents from FortReliance to take charge of when they arrived, as they would do in a few weeks.Marbre, Sabine, and the others, therefore, commenced the campaign. Theirexcursions were neither long nor fatiguing : they never went further than twomiles from Cape Bathurst, for they had never before been in a district so wellstocked with game; and they were both surprised and delighted. Martens,reindeer, hares, caribous, foxes, and ermines passed close to their guns.

One thing, however, excited some regret in the minds of the colonists, not atrace was to be seen of their old enemies the bears; and it seemed as if theyhad taken all their relations with them. Perhaps the earthquake had frightenedthem away, for they have a very delicate nervous organisation, if such anexpression can be applied to a mere quadruped. It was a pity they were gone, forvengeance could not be wreaked upon them.

The month of May was very wet. Rain and snow succeeded each other. The meantemperature was only 41? above zero. Fogs were of frequent occurrence, and sothick that it would often have been imprudent to go any distance from the fort.Petersen and Kellet once caused their companions grave anxiety by disappearingfor forty-eight hours. They had lost their way, and turned to the south whenthey thought they were near to Walruses' Bay. They came back exhausted and halfdead with hunger.

June came at last, and with it really fine warm weather. The colonists wereable to leave off their winter clothing. They worked zealously at repairing thehouse, the foundations of which had to be propped up; and Hobson also orderedthe construction of a large magazine at the southern corner of the court. Thequantity of game justified the expenditure of time and labour involved : thenumber of furs collected was already considerable, and it was necessary to havesome place set aside in which to keep them.

The Lieutenant now expected every day the arrival of the detachment to besent by Captain Craventy. A good many things were still required for the newsettlement. The stores were getting low; and if the party had left the fort inthe beginning of May, they ought to reach Cape Bathurst towards the middle ofJune. It will be remembered that the Captain and his Lieutenant had fixed uponthe cape as the spot of rendezvous, and Hobson having constructed his fort onit, there was no fear of the reinforcements failing to find him.

From the 15th June the districts surrounding the cape were carefully watched.The British flag waved from the summit of the cliff, and could be seen at aconsiderable distance. It was probable that the convoy would follow theLieutenant's example, and skirt along the coast from Coronation Gulf. If notexactly the shortest, it was the surest route, at a time when, the sea beingfree from ice, the coast-line could be easily followed.

When the month of June passed without the arrival of the expected party,Hobson began to feel rather uneasy, especially as the country again becamewrapped in fogs. He began to fear that the agents might lose their way, andoften talked the matter over with Mrs Barnett, Mac-Nab, and Rae.

Thomas Black made no attempt to conceal his uneasiness, for he was anxious toreturn with the party from Fort Reliance as soon as he had seen his eclipse; andshould anything keep them back from coming, he would have to resign himself toanother winter, a prospect which did not please him at all; and in reply to hiseager questions, Hobson could say little to reassure him.

The 4th July dawned. No news! Some men sent to the southeast to reconnoitre,returned, bringing no tidings.

Either the agents had never started, or they had lost their way. The latterhypothesis was unfortunately the more probable. Hobson knew Captain Craventy,and felt confident that he had sent off the convoy at the time named.

His increasing anxiety will therefore be readily understood. The fine seasonwas rapidly passing away. Another two months and the Arctic winter, with itsbitter winds, its whirlpools of snow, and its long nights, would again setin.

Hobson, as we well know, was not a man to yield to misfortune without astruggle. Something must be done, and with the ready concurrence of theastronomer the following plan was decided on.

It was now the 5th July. In another fortnight-July 18th-the solar eclipse wasto take place, and after that Thomas Black would be free to leave Fort Hope. Itwas therefore agreed that if by that time the agents had not arrived, a convoyof a few men and four or five sledges should leave the factory, and make for theGreat Slave Lake, taking with them some of the most valuable furs; and if noaccident befell them, they might hope to arrive at Fort Reliance in six weeks atthe latest-that is to say, towards the end of August.

This matter settled, Thomas Black shrank back into his shell, and became oncemore the man of one idea, awaiting the moment when the moon, passing between theorb of day and "himself," should totally eclipse the disc of the sun.

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE ECLIPSE OF THE 18TH JULY 1860.

The mists did not disperse. The sun shone feebly through thick curtains offog, and the astronomer began to have a great dread lest the eclipse should notbe visible after all. Sometimes the fog was so dense that the summit of the capecould not be seen from the court of the fort.

Hobson got more and more uneasy. He had no longer any doubt that the convoyhad gone astray in the strange land; moreover, vague apprehensions and sadforebodings increased his depression. He could not look into the future with anyconfidence-why, he would have found it impossible to explain. Everythingapparently combined to reassure him. In spite of the great rigour of the winter,his little colony was in excellent health. No quarrels had arisen amongst thecolonists, and their zeal and enthusiasm was still unabated. The surroundingdistricts were well stocked with game, the harvest of furs had surpassed hisexpectations, and the Company might well be satisfied with the result of theenterprise. Even if no fresh supply of provisions arrived, the resources of thecountry were such that the prospect of a second winter need awake no misgivings.Why, then, was Lieutenant Hobson losing hope and confidence?

He and Mrs Barnett had many a talk on the subject; and the latter did all shecould to raise the drooping spirits of the commanding officer, urging upon himall the considerations enumerated above; and one day walking with him along thebeach, she pleaded the cause of Cape Bathurst and the factory, built at the costof-so much suffering, with more than usual eloquence.

"Yes, yes, madam, you are right," replied Hobson; "but we can't help ourpresentiments. I am no visionary. Twenty times in my soldier's life I have beenin critical circumstances, and have never lost presence of mind for one instant;and now for the first time in my life I am uneasy about the future. If I had toface a positive danger, I should have no fear; but a vague uncertain peril ofwhich I have only a presentiment "

"What danger do you mean?" inquired Mrs Barnett; "a danger from men, fromanimals, or the elements?"

"Of animals I have no dread whatever, madam; it is for them to tremble beforethe hunters of Cape Bathurst, nor do I fear men; these districts are frequentedby none but Esquimaux, and the Indians seldom venture so far north."

"Besides, Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett, "the Canadians, whose arrival you somuch feared in the fine season, have never appeared."

"I am very sorry for it, madam."

"What! you regret the absence of the rivals who are so evidently hostile toyour Company?"

"Madam, I am both glad and sorry that they have not come; that will of coursepuzzle you. But observe that the expected convoy from Fort Reliance has notarrived. It is the same with. the agents of the St Louis Fur Company; they mighthave come, and they have not done so. Not a single Esquimaux has visited thispart of the coast during the summer either"-

"And what do you conclude from all this?" inquired Mrs Barnett.

"I conclude that it is not so easy to get to Cape Bathurst or to FortHope as we could wish."

The lady looked into the Lieutenant's anxious face, struck with themelancholy and significant intonation of the word easy.

"Lieutenant Hobson," she said earnestly, "if you fear neither men noranimals, I must conclude that your anxiety has reference to the elements."

"Madam," he replied, "I do not know if my spirit be broken, or if mypresentiments blind me, but there seems to me to be something uncanny about thisdistrict. If I had known it better I should not have settled down in it. I havealready called your attention to certain peculiarities, which to me appearinexplicable; the total absence of stones everywhere, and the clear-cut line ofthe coast. I can't make out about the primitive formation of this end of thecontinent. I know that the vicinity of a volcano may cause some phenomena; butyou remember what I said to you on the subject of the tides?"

"Oh yes, perfectly."

"Where the sea ought according to the observations of explorers in theselatitudes, to have risen fifteen or twenty feet, it has scarcely risen one!"

"Yes; but that you accounted for by the irregular distribution of land andthe narrowness of the straits."

"I tried to account for it, that is all," replied Hobson; "but the daybefore yesterday I noticed a still more extraordinary phenomenon, which I cannoteven try to explain, and I doubt if the greatest savants could do soeither."

Mrs Barnett looked inquiringly at Hobson.

"What has happened?" she exclaimed.

"Well, the day before yesterday, madam, when the moon was full, and accordingto the almanac the tide ought to have been very high, the sea did not even riseone foot, as it did before-it did not rise at all."

"Perhaps you may be mistaken observed Mrs Barnett.

"I am not mistaken. I saw it with my own eyes. The day before yesterday, July4th, there was positively no tide on the coast of Cape Bathurst."

"And what do you conclude from that?" inquired Mrs Barnett.

"I conclude madam," replied the Lieutenant, "either that the laws of natureare changed, or that this district is very peculiarly situated . . . or rather .. . I conclude nothing . . . I explain nothing . . . I am puzzled. . . I do notunderstand it; and therefore . . . therefore I am anxious."

Mrs Barnett asked no more questions. Evidently the total absence of tides wasas unnatural and inexplicable as would be the absence of the sun from themeridian at noon. Unless the earthquake had so modified the conformation of thecoast of the Arctic regions as to account for it-but no, such an idea could notbe entertained by any one accustomed to note terrestrial phenomena.

As for supposing that the Lieutenant could be mistaken in his observations,that was impossible; and that very day he and Mrs Barnett, by means ofbeach-marks made on the beach, ascertained beyond all doubt that whereas a yearbefore the sea rose a foot, there was now no tide whatever.

The matter was kept a profound secret, as Hobson was unwilling to render hiscompanions anxious. But he might often be seen standing motionless and silentupon the summit of the cape, gazing across the sea, which was now open, andstretched away as far as the eye could reach.

During the month of July hunting the furred animals was discontinued, as themartens, foxes, and others had already lost their winter beauty. No game wasbrought down but that required for food, such as caribous, Polar hares, &c.,which, strange to say, instead of being scared away by the guns, continued tomultiply near the fort. Mrs Barnett did not fail to note this peculiar, and, asthe event proved, significant fact.

No change had taken place in the situation on the 15th July. No news fromFort Reliance. The expected convoy did not arrive, and Hobson resolved toexecute his project of sending to Captain Craventy, as Captain Craventy did notcome to him.

Of course none but Sergeant Long could be appointed to the command of thelittle troop, although the faithful fellow would rather not have been separatedfrom his Lieutenant. A considerable time must necessarily elapse before he couldget back to Fort Hope. He would have to pass the winter at Fort Reliance, andreturn the next summer. Eight months at least! It is true either Mac-Nab or Raecould have taken the Sergeant's place; but then they were married, and the onebeing a master carpenter, and the other the only blacksmith, the colonists couldnot well have dispensed with their services.

Such were the grounds on which the Lieutenant chose Long, and the Sergeantsubmitted with military obedience. The four soldiers elected to accompany himwere Belcher, Pond, Petersen, and Kellet, who declared their readiness tostart.

Four sledges and their teams of dogs were told off for the service. They wereto take a good stock of provisions, and the most valuable of the furs. Foxes,ermines, martens, swans, lynxes, musk-rats, gluttons, &c., all contributedto the precious convoy. The start was fixed for the morning of the 19th July,the day after the eclipse. Of course Thomas Black was to accompany the Sergeant,and one sledge was to convoy his precious person and instruments.

The worthy savant endured agonies of suspense in the few days preceding thephenomenon which he awaited with so much impatience. He might well be anxious;for one day it was fine and another wet, now mists obscured the sun, or thickfogs hid it all together; and the wind veered to every point of the horizon withprovoking fickleness and uncertainty. What if during the few moments of theeclipse the queen of the night and the great orb of day should be wrapped in anopaque cloud at the critical moment, so that he, the astronomer, Thomas Black,come so far to watch the phenomenon, should be unable to see the luminous coronaor the red prominences! How terrible would be the disappointment! How manydangers, how much suffering, how much fatigue, would have been gone through invain !

"To have come so far to see the moon, and not to see it!" he cried in acomically piteous tone.

No, he could not face the thought and early of an evening he would climb tothe summit of the cape and gaze into the heavens. The fair Phoebe was nowhere tobe seen; for it being three days before new moon, she was accompanying the sunin his daily course, and her light was quenched in his beams.

Many a time did Thomas Black relieve his over-burdened heart by pouring outhis troubles to Mrs Barnett. The good lady felt sincerely sorry for him, and oneday, anxious to reassure him, she told him that the barometer showed a certaintendency to rise, and reminded him that they were in the fine season.

The fine season !" cried the poor astronomer" shrugging his shoulders. "Whocan speak of a fine season in such a country as this?"

"Well, but, Mr Black," said Mrs Barnett, "suppose, for the sake of argument,that you miss this eclipse by any unlucky chance, I suppose there will beanother some day. The eclipse of July 18th will not be the last of thiscentury."

"No, madam, no," returned Black; "there will be five more total eclipses ofthe sun before 1900. One on the 31st December 1861, which will be total for theAtlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean, and the Sahara Desert; a second on the 22dDecember 1870, total for the Azores, the south of Spain, Algeria, Sicily, andTurkey; a third on the 19th August 1887, total for the north-east of Germany,the south of Russia, and Central Asia; a fourth on the 9th April 1896, visiblein Greenland, Lapland, and Siberia; and lastly, a fifth on the 28th May 1900,which will be total for the United States, Spain, Algeria, and

Egypt."

"Well, Mr Black," resumed Mrs Barnett, "if you lose the eclipse of the 18thJuly 1860, you can console yourself by looking forward to that of the 31stDecember 1861. It will only be seventeen months !"

"I can console myself, madam," said the astronomer gravely, "by lookingforward to that of 1896. I shall have to wait not seventeen months butthirty-six years !"

"May I ask why?"

"Because of all the eclipses, it alone-that of 9th August 1896-will be totalfor places in high latitudes, such as Lapland, Siberia, or Greenland."

"But what is the special interest of an observation taken in these elevatedlatitudes?"

"What special interest?" cried Thomas Black; why, a scientific interest ofthe highest importance. Eclipses have very rarely been watched near the Pole,where the sun, being very little above the horizon, is considerably increased insize. The disc of the moon which is to intervene between us and the sun issubject to a similar apparent extension, and therefore it may be that the redprominences and the luminous corona can be more thoroughly examined This, madam,is why I have travelled all this distance to watch the eclipse above theseventieth parallel. A similar opportunity will not occur until 1896, and whocan tell if I shall be alive then?"

To this burst of enthusiasm there was no reply to be made; and theastronomer's anxiety and depression increased, for the inconstant weather seemedmore and more disposed to play him some ill-natured trick.

It was very fine on the 16th July, but the next day it was cloudy and mistyand Thomas Black became really ill. The feverish state he had been in for solong seemed likely to result in a serious illness. Mrs Barnett and Hobson triedin vain to soothe him, and Sergeant Long and the others could not understand howit was possible to be so unhappy for love of the moon."

At last the great day-the 18th July-dawned. According to the calculations ofastronomers, the total eclipse was to last four minutes thirty-sevenseconds-that is to say, from forty-three minutes fifteen seconds past eleven toforty-seven minutes fifty-seven seconds past eleven A.M.

"What do I ask? what do I ask?" moaned the astronomer, tearing his hair."Only one little corner of the sky free from clouds! only the small space inwhich the eclipse is to take place ! And for how long? For four short minutes!After that, let it snow, let it thunder, let the elements break loose in fury, Ishould care no more for it all than a snail for a chronometer."

It is not to be denied that Thomas Black had some grounds for his fears. Itreally seemed likely that observations would be impossible. At daybreak thehorizon was shrouded in mists Heavy clouds were coming up from the south, andcovering the very portion of the sky in which the eclipse was to take place. Butdoubtless the patron saint of astronomers had pity on poor Black, for towardseight o'clock a slight wind arose and swept the mists and clouds from the sky,leaving it bright and clear!

A cry of gratitude burst from the lips of the astronomer, and his heart beathigh with newly-awakened hope. The sun shone brightly, and the moon, so soon todarken it, was as yet invisible in its glorious beams.

Thomas Black's instruments were already carefully placed on the promontory,and having pointed them towards the southern horizon, he awaited the event withcalmness restored, and the coolness necessary for taking his observation. Whatwas there left to fear?

Nothing, unless it was that the sky might fall upon his head! At nine o'clockthere was not a cloud, not a vapour left upon the sky from the zenith to thehorizon. Never were circumstances more favourable to an astronomicalobservation.

The whole party were anxious to take part in the observation, and allgathered round the astronomer on Cape Bathurst. Gradually the sun rose above thehorizon, describing an extended arc above the vast plain stretching away to thesouth. No one spoke, but awaited the eclipse in solemn silence.

Towards half-past nine the eclipse commenced The disc of the moon seemed tograze that of the sun. But the moon's shadow was not to fall completelyon the earth, hiding the sun, until between forty three minutes past eleven andforty-seven minutes fifty-seven seconds past eleven. That was the time fixed inthe almanacs, and every one knows that no error can creep into them,established, verified, and controlled as they are by the scientific men of allthe observatories in the world.

The astronomer had brought a good many glasses with him, and he distributedthem amongst his companions, that all might watch the progress of the phenomenonwithout injury to the eyes.

The brown disc of the moon gradually advanced, and terrestrial objects beganto assume a peculiar orange hue, whilst the atmosphere on tire zenith completelychanged colour. At a quarter-past ten half the disc of the sun was darkened, anda few dogs which happened to be at liberty showed signs of uneasiness and howledpiteously. The wild ducks, thinking night had come, began to utter sleepy calls-and to seek their nests, and the mothers gathered their little ones under theirwings. The hush of eventide fell upon all animated nature.

At eleven o'clock two-thirds of the sun were covered, and all terrestrialobjects became a kind of vinous red. A gloomy twilight set in, to be succeededduring the four minutes of totality by absolute darkness. A few planets, amongstt others Mercury and Venus, began to appear, and some constellations-Caplet,[symbol] and [symbol] of Taurus, and [symbol] of Orion. The darkness deepenedevery moment.

Thomas Black remained motionless with his eye glued to the glass of hisinstrument, eagerly watching the progress of the phenomenon. At forty-threeminutes past eleven the discs of the two luminaries ought to be exactly oppositeto each other, that of the moon completely hiding that of the sun.

"Forty-three minutes past eleven," announced Hobson, who was attentivelywatching the minute hand of his chronometer.

Thomas Black remained motionless, stooping over his instrument. Half a minutepassed, and then the astronomer [astonomer] drew himself up, with eyes distendedand eager. Once more he bent over the telescope, and cried in a chokedvoice-

"She is going! she is going! The moon, the moon is going! She isdisappearing, running away !"

True enough the disc of the moon was gliding away from that of the sunwithout having completely covered it !

The astronomer had fallen backwards, completely overcome. The four minuteswere past. The luminous corona had not appeared !

"What is the matter?" inquired Hobson.

"The matter is," screamed the poor astronomer, "that the eclipse was nottotal-not total for this portion of the globe! Do you hear? It was notto-t-a-1! I say not to-t-a-l! !"

"Then your almanacs are incorrect."

"Incorrect! Don't tell that to me, if you please, Lieutenant Hobson !"

"But what then?" said Hobson, suddenly changing countenance.

"Why," said Black, "we are not after all on the seventieth parallel !"

"Only fancy !" cried Mrs Barnett.

"We can soon prove it," said the astronomer whose eyes flashed with rage anddisappointment. "The sun will pass the meridian in a few minutes. . . . Mysextant-quick . . . make haste !"

One of the soldiers rushed to the house and fetched the instrumentrequired.

The astronomer pointed it upon the sun; he watched the orb of day pass themeridian, and rapidly noted down a few calculations.

"What was the situation of Cape Bathurst a year ago when we took thelatitude?" he inquired.

"Seventy degrees, forty-four minutes, and thirty-seven seconds," repliedHobson.

"Well, sir, it is now seventy-three degrees, seven minutes, and twentyseconds! You see we are not under the seventieth parallel !

"Or rather we are no longer there !" muttered Hobson.

A sudden light had broken in upon his mind, all the phenomena hitherto soinexplicable were now explained.

Cape Bathurst had drifted three degrees farther north since the arrival ofthe Lieutenant and his companions !

End of Part I

PART II
CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

A FLOATING FORT.

And so Fort Hope, founded by Lieutenant Hobson on the borders of the PolarSea, had drifted! Was the courageous agent of the Company to blame for this? No;any one might have been deceived as he had been. No human prevision could haveforeseen such a calamity. He meant to build upon a rock, and he had not evenbuilt upon sand. The peninsula of Victoria, which the best maps of EnglishAmerica join to the American continent, had been torn suddenly away from it.This peninsula was in fact nothing but an immense piece of ice, five hundredsquare miles in extent, converted by successive deposits of sand and earth intoapparently solid ground well clothed with vegetation. Connected with themainland for thousands of centuries, the earthquake of the 8th of January haddragged it away from its moorings, and it was now a floating island, at themercy of the winds and waves, and had been carried along the Arctic Ocean bypowerful currents for the last three months!

Yes, Fort Hope was built upon ice! Hobson at once understood the mysteriouschange in their latitude. The isthmus-that is to say, the neck of land whichconnected the peninsula of Victoria with the mainland-had been snapped in two bya subterranean convulsion connected with the eruption of the volcano some monthsbefore. As long as the northern winter continued, the frozen sea maintainedthings as they were; but when the thaw came, when the ice fields, melted beneaththe rays of the sun, and the huge icebergs, driven out into the offing, drewback to the farthest limits of the horizon-when the sea at last became open, thewhole peninsula drifted away, with its woods, its cliffs, its promontories, itsinland lagoon, and its coast-line, under the influence of a current about whichnothing was known. For months this drifting had been going on unnoticed by thecolonists, who even when hunting did not go far from Fort Hope. Beach-marks, ifthey had been made, would have been useless; for heavy mists obscured everythingat a short distance, the ground remained apparently firm and motionless, andthere was, in short, nothing to hint to the Lieutenant and his men that they hadbecome islanders. The position of the new island with regard to the rising andsetting of the sun was the same as before. Had the cardinal points changed theirposition, had the island turned round, the Lieutenant, the astronomer, or MrsBarnett, would certainly have noticed and understood the change; but in itscourse the island had thus far followed a parallel of latitude, and its motion,though rapid, had been imperceptible.

Although Hobson had no doubt of the moral and physical courage anddetermination of his companions, he determined not to acquaint them with thetruth. It would be time enough to tell them of their altered position when ithad been thoroughly studied. Fortunately the good fellows, soldiers or workmen,took little notice of the astronomical observations, and not being able to seethe consequences involved, they did not trouble themselves about the change oflatitude just announced.

The Lieutenant determined to conceal his anxiety, and seeing no remedy forthe misfortune, mastered his emotion by a strong effort, and tried to consoleThomas Black, who was lamenting his disappointment and tearing his hair.

The astronomer had no doubt about the misfortune of which he was the victim.Not having, like the Lieutenant, noticed the peculiarities of the district, hedid not look beyond the one fact in which he was interested: on the day fixed,at the time named, the moon had not completely eclipsed the sun. And what couldhe conclude but that, to the disgrace of observatories, the almanacs were false,and that the long desired eclipse, his own eclipse, Thomas Black's, which he hadcome so far and through so many dangers to see, had not been "total" for thisparticular district under the seventieth parallel! No, no, it was impossible tobelieve it; he could not face the terrible certainty, and he was overwhelmedwith disappointment. He was soon to learn the truth, however.

Meanwhile Hobson let his men imagine that the failure of the eclipse couldonly interest himself and the astronomer, and they returned to their ordinaryoccupations; but as they were leaving, Corporal Joliffe stopped suddenly andsaid, touching his cap-

"May I ask you one question, sir?"

"Of course, Corporal; say on," replied the Lieutenant, who wondered what wascoming.

But Joliffe hesitated, and his little wife nudged his elbow.

"Well, Lieutenant," resumed the Corporal, "it's just about the seventiethdegree of latitude-if we are not where we thought we were."

The Lieutenant frowned.

"Well," he replied evasively, "we made a mistake in our reckoning, ... ourfirst observation was wrong; ... but what does that concern you?"

"Please, sir, it's because of the pay," replied Joliffe with a scowl. "Youknow well enough that the Company promised us double pay."

Hobson drew a sigh of relief. It will be remembered that the men had beenpromised higher pay if they succeeded in settling on or above the seventiethdegree north latitude, and Joliffe, who always had an eye to the main chance,had looked upon the whole matter from a monetary point of view, and was afraidthe bounty would be withheld.

"You needn't be afraid," said Hobson with a smile; "and you can tell yourbrave comrades that our mistake, which is really inexplicable, will not in theleast prejudice your interests. We are not below, but above the seventiethparallel, and so you will get your double pay."

"Thank you, sir, thank you," replied Joliffe with a beaming face. "It isn'tthat we think much about money, but that the money sticks to us."

And with this sage remark the men drew off, little dreaming what a strangeand fearful change had taken place in the position of the country.

Sergeant Long was about to follow the others when Hobson stopped him with thewords-

"Remain here, Sergeant Long."

The subordinate officer turned on his heel and waited for the Lieutenant toaddress him.

All had now left the cape except Mrs Barnett, Madge, Thomas Black, and thetwo officers.

Since the eclipse Mrs Barnett had not uttered a word. She looked inquiringlyat Hobson, who tried to avoid meeting her eyes.

For some time not another word was spoken. All involuntarily turned towardsthe south, where the broken isthmus was situated; but from their position theycould only see the sea horizon on the north. Had Cape Bathurst been situated afew hundred feet more above the level of the ocean, they would have been able ata glance to ascertain the limits of their island home.

All were deeply moved at the sight of Fort Hope and all its occupants borneaway from all solid ground, and floating at the mercy of winds and waves.

"Then, Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett at last, "all the strange phenomena youobserved are now explained!"

"Yes, madam," he replied, "everything is explained. The peninsula ofVictoria, now an island, which we thought firm ground with an immovablefoundation, is nothing more than a vast sheet of ice welded for centuries to theAmerican continent. Gradually the wind has strewn it with earth and sand, andscattered over them the seeds from which have sprung the trees and mosses withwhich it is clothed. Rain-water filled the lagoon, and produced the littleriver; vegetation transformed the appearance of the ground; but beneath thelake, beneath the soil of earth and sand-in a word, beneath our feet is afoundation of ice, which floats upon the water by reason of its beingspecifically lighter than it. Yes, it is a sheet of ice which bears us up, andis carrying us away, and this is why we have not found a single flint or stoneupon its surface. This is why its shores are perpendicular, this is why we foundice ten feet below the surface when we dug the reindeer pit-this, in short, iswhy the tide was not noticeable on the peninsula, which rose and sank with theebb and flow of the waves!"

"Everything is indeed explained," said Mrs Barnett, "and your presentimentsdid not deceive you; but can you explain why the tides, which do not affect usat all now, were to a slight extent perceptible on our arrival?"

"Simply because, madam, on our arrival the peninsula was still connected bymeans of its flexible isthmus with the American continent. It offered a certainresistance to the current, and on its northern shores the tide rose two feetbeyond low-water mark, instead of the twenty we reasonably expected. But fromthe moment when the earthquake broke the connecting link, from the moment whenthe peninsula became an island free from all control, it rose and sank with theebb and flow of the tide; and, as we noticed together at full moon a few daysago, no sensible difference was produced on our shores."

In spite of his despair, Thomas Black listened attentively to Hobson'sexplanations, and could not but see the reasonableness of his deductions, but hewas furious at such a rare, unexpected, and, as he said, "ridiculous" phenomenonoccurring just so as to make him miss the eclipse, and he said not a word, butmaintained a gloomy, even haughty silence.

"Poor Mr Black," said Mrs Barnett, "it must be owned that an astronomer wasnever more hardly used than you since the world began!"

"In any case, however," said Hobson, turning to her, "we have neither of usanything to reproach ourselves with. No one can find fault with us. Nature aloneis to blame. The earthquake cut off our communication with the mainland, andconverted our peninsula into a floating island, and this explains why the furredand other animals imprisoned like ourselves, have become so numerous round thefort!"

"This, too, is why the rivals you so much dreaded have not visited us,Lieutenant!" exclaimed Madge.

"And this," added the Sergeant, "accounts for the non-arrival of the convoysent to Cape Bathurst by Captain Craventy."

"And this is why," said Mrs. Barnett, looking at the Lieutenant, "I must giveup all hope of returning to Europe this year at least!"

The tone of voice in which the lady made this last remark showed that sheresigned herself to her fate more readily than could have been expected. Sheseemed suddenly to have made up her mind to make the best of the situation,which would no doubt give her an opportunity of making a great many interestingobservations. And after all, what good would grumbling have done? Recriminationswere worse than useless. They could not have altered their position, or havechecked the course of the wandering island, and there was no means of reunitingit to a continent. No; God alone could decide the future of Fort Hope. They mustbow to His will.

CHAPTER II.

WHERE ARE WE?

It was necessary carefully to study the unexpected and novel situation inwhich the agents of the Company now found themselves, and Hobson did so with hischart before him.

He could not ascertain the longitude of Victoria Island-the original namebeing retained-until the next day, and the latitude had already been taken. Forthe longitude, the altitude of the sun must be ascertained before and afternoon, and two hour angles must be measured.

At two o'clock P.M. Hobson and Black took the height of the sun above thehorizon with the sextant, and they hoped to recommence the same operation thenext morning towards ten o'clock A.M., so as to be able to infer from the twoaltitudes obtained the exact point of the Arctic Ocean then occupied by theirisland.

The party did not, however, at once return to the fort, but remained talkingtogether for some little time on the promontory. Madge declared she was quiteresigned, and evidently thought only of her mistress, at whom she could not lookwithout emotion; she could not bear to think of the sufferings and trials her"dear girl" might have to go through in the future. She was ready to lay downher life for "Paulina," but what good could that do now. She knew, however, thatMrs Barnett was not a woman to sink under her misfortunes, and indeed at presentthere was really no need for any one to despair.

There was no immediate danger to be dreaded, and a catastrophe might even yetbe avoided. This Hobson carefully explained to his companions.

Two dangers threatened the island floating along the coast of North America,only two.

It would be drawn by the currents of the open sea to the high Polarlatitudes, from which there is no return.

Or the current would take it to the south, perhaps through the Behring Straitinto the Pacific Ocean.

In the former contingency, the colonists, shut in by ice and surrounded byimpassable icebergs, would have no means of communication with theirfellow-creatures, and would die of cold and hunger in the solitudes of thenorth.

In the latter contingency, Victoria Island, driven by the currents to thewestern waters of the Pacific, would gradually melt and go to pieces beneath thefeet of its inhabitants.

In either case death would await the Lieutenant and his companions, and thefort, erected at the cost of so much labour and suffering, would bedestroyed.

But it was scarcely probable that either of these events would happen. Theseason was already considerably advanced, and in less than three months the seawould again be rendered motion less by the icy hand of the Polar winter. Theocean would again be converted into an ice-field, and by means of sledges theymight get to the nearest land-the coast of Russian America if the islandremained in the east, or the coast of Asia if it were driven to the west.

"For," added Hobson, "we have absolutely no control over our floating island.Having no sail to hoist, as in a boat, we cannot guide it in the least. Where ittakes us we must go."

All that Hobson said was clear, concise, and to the point. There could be nodoubt that the bitter cold of winter would solder Victoria Island to the vastice-field, and it was highly probable that it would drift neither too far northnor too far eouth. To have to cross a few hundred miles of ice was no suchterrible prospect for brave and resolute men accustomed to long excursions inthe Arctic regions. It would be necessary, it was true, to abandon Fort Hope-theobject of so many hopes, and to lose the benefit of all their exertions, butwhat of that? The factory, built upon a shifting soil, could be of no furtheruse to the Company. Sooner or later it would be swallowed up by the ocean, andwhat was the good of useless regrets? It must, therefore, be deserted as soon ascircumstances should permit.

The only thing against the safety of the colonists was-and the Lieutenantdwelt long on this point-that during the eight or nine weeks which must elapsebefore the solidification of the Arctic Ocean, Victoria Island might be draggedtoo far north or south.

Arctic explorers had often told of pieces of ice being drifted an immensedistance without any possibility of stopping them.

Everything then depended on the force and direction of the currents from theopening of Behring Strait; and it would be necessary carefully to ascertain allthat a chart of the Arctic Ocean could tell. Hobson had such a chart, andinvited all who were with him on the cape to come to his room and look at it;but before going down to the fort he once more urged upon them the necessity ofkeeping their situation a secret.

"It is not yet desperate," he said, "and it is therefore quite unnecessary todamp the spirits of our comrades, who will perhaps not be able to understand, aswe do, all the chances in our favour."

"Would it not be prudent to build a boat large enough to hold us all, andstrong enough to carry us a few hundred miles over the sea?" observed MrsBarnett.

"It would be prudent certainly," said Hobson, "and we will do it. I mustthink of some pretext for beginning the work at once, and give the necessaryorders to the head carpenter. But taking to a boat can only be a forlorn hopewhen everything else has failed. We must try all we can to avoid being on theisland when the ice breaks up, and we must make for the mainland as soon as everthe sea is frozen over."

Hobson was right. It would take about three months to build a thirty orthirty-five ton vessel, and the sea would not be open when it was finished. Itwould be very dangerous to embark the whole party when the ice was breaking upall round, and he would be well out of his difficulties if he could get acrossthe ice to firm ground before the next thaw set in. This was why Hobson thoughta boat a forlorn hope, a desperate makeshift, and every one agreed with him.

Secrecy was once more promised, for it was felt that Hobson was the bestjudge of the matter, and a few minutes later the five conspirators were seatedtogether in the large room of Fort Hope, which was then deserted, eagerlyexamining an excellent map of the oceanic and atmospheric currents of the ArcticOcean, special attention being naturally given to that part of the Polar Seabetween Cape Bathurst and Behring Strait.

Two principal currents divide the dangerous latitudes comprehended betweenthe Polar Circle and the imperfectly known zone, called the North-West Passagesince McClure's daring discovery-at least only two have been hitherto noticed bymarine surveyors.

One is called the Kamtchatka Current. It takes its rise in the offing outsidethe peninsula of that name, follows the coast of Asia, and passes throughBehring Strait, touching Cape East, a promontory of Siberia. After running duenorth for about six hundred miles from the strait, it turns suddenly to theeast, pretty nearly following the same parallel as McClure's Passage, andprobably doing much to keep that communication open for a few mouths in the warmseason.

The other current, called Behring Current, flows just the other way. Afterrunning from east to west at about a hundred miles at the most from the coast,it comes into collision, so to speak, with the Kamtchatka Current at the openingof the strait, and turning to the south approaches the shores of RussianAmerica, crosses Behring Sea, and finally breaks on the kind of circular damformed by the Aleutian Islands.

Hobson's map gave a very exact summary of the most recent nauticalobservations, so that it could be relied on.

The Lieutenant examined it carefully before speaking, and then pressing hishand to his head, as if oppressed by some sad presentiment, he observed-

"Let us hope that fate will not take us to remote northern latitudes. Ourwandering island would run a risk of never returning."

"Why, Lieutenant?" broke in Mrs Barnett.

"Why, madam?" replied Hobson; "look well at this part of the Arctic Ocean,and you will readily understand why. Two currents, both dangerous for us, runopposite ways. When they meet, the island must necessarily become stationary,and that at a great distance from any land. At that point it will have to remainfor the winter, and when the next thaw sets in, it will either follow theKamtchatka Current to the deserted regions of the north-west, or it will floatdown with the Behring Current to be swallowed up by the Pacific Ocean."

"That will not happen, Lieutenant," said Madge in a tone of earnestconviction; "God would never permit that."

"I can't make out," said Mrs Barnett, "whereabouts in the Polar Sea we are atthis moment; for I see but one current from the offing of Cape Bathurst whichbears directly to the north-west, and that is the dangerous Kamtchatka Current.Are you not afraid that it has us in its fatal embrace, and is carrying us withit to the shores of North Georgia?"

"I think not," replied Hobson, after a moment's reflection.

"Why not?"

"Because it is a very rapid current, madam; and if we had been following itfor three months, we should have had some land in sight by this time, and thereis none, absolutely none!"

"Where, then, do you suppose we are?" inquired Mrs Barnett.

"Most likely between the Kamtchatka Current and the coast, perhaps in somevast eddy unmarked upon the map."

"That cannot be, Lieutenant," replied Mrs Barnett, quickly.

"Why not, madam, why not?"

"Because if Victoria Island were in an eddy, it would have veered round to acertain extent, and our position with regard to the cardinal points would havechanged in the last three months, which is certainly not the case."

"You are right, madam, you are quite right. The only explanation I can thinkof is, that there is some other current, not marked on our map. Oh, that tomorrow were here that I might find out our longitude; really this uncertainty isterrible!"

"To-morrow will come," observed Madge.

There was nothing to do but to wait. The party therefore separated, allreturning to their ordinary occupations. Sergeant Long informed his comradesthat the departure for Fort Reliance, fixed for the next day, was put off. Hegave as reasons that the season was too far advanced to get to the southernfactory before the great cold set in, that the astronomer was anxious tocomplete his meteorological observations, and would therefore submit to anotherwinter in the north, that game was so plentiful provisions from Fort Reliancewere not needed. &c., &c. But about all these matters the brave fellowscared little.

Lieutenant Hobson ordered his men to spare the furred animals in future, andonly to kill edible game, so as to lay up fresh stores for the coming winter; healso forbade them to go more than two miles from the fort, not wishing Marbreand Sabine to come suddenly upon a sea-horizon, where the isthmus connecting thepeninsula of Victoria with the mainland was visible a few months before. Thedisappearance of the neck of land would inevitably have betrayed everything.

The day appeared endless to Lieutenant Hobson. Again and again he returned toCape Bathurst either alone, or accompanied by Mrs Barnett. The latter, inured todanger, showed no fear; she even joked the Lieutenant about his floating islandbeing perhaps, after all, the proper conveyance for going to the North Pole."With a favourable current might they not reach that hitherto inaccessible pointof the globe?"

Lieutenant Hobson shook his head as he listened to his companion's fancy, andkept his eyes fixed upon the horizon, hoping to catch a glimpse of some land, nomatter what, in the distance. But no, sea and sky met in an absolutely unbrokencircular line, confirming Hobson's opinion that Victoria Island was drifting tothe west rather than in any other direction.

"Lieutenant," at last said Mrs Barnett, "don't you mean to make a tour of ourisland as soon as possible?"

"Yes, madam, of course; as soon as I have taken our bearings, I mean toascertain the form and extent of our dominions. It seems, however, that thefracture was made at the isthmus itself, so that the whole peninsula has becomean island."

"A strange destiny is ours, Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett. "Others returnfrom their travels to add new districts to geographical maps, but we shall haveto efface the supposed peninsula of Victoria!"

The next day, July 18th, the sky was very clear, and at ten o'clock in themorning Hobson obtained a satisfactory altitude of the sun, and, comparing itwith that of the observation of the day before, he ascertained exactly thelongitude in which they were.

The island was then in 157? 37' longitude west from Greenwich.

The latitude obtained the day before at noon almost immediately after theeclipse was, as we know, 73? 7' 20" north.

The spot was looked out on the map in the presence of Mrs Barnett andSergeant Long.

It was indeed a most anxious moment, and the following result was arrivedat.

The wandering island was moving in a westerly direction, borne along by acurrent unmarked on the chart, and unknown to hydrographers, which was evidentlycarrying it towards Behring Strait. All the dangers foreseen by Hobson were thenimminent, if Victoria Island did not again touch the mainland before thewinter.

"But how far are we from the American continent? that is the most importantpoint just at present," said Mrs Barnett.

Hobson took his compasses, and carefully measured the narrowest part of thesea between the coast and the seventieth parallel.

"We are actually more than two hundred and fifty miles from Point Barrow, thenorthernmost extremity of Russian America," he replied.

"We ought to know, then, how many miles the island has drifted since it leftthe mainland," said Sergeant Long.

"Seven hundred miles at least," replied Hobson, after having again consultedthe chart.

"And at about what time do you suppose the drifting commenced?"

"Most likely towards the end of April; the ice-field broke up then, and theicebergs which escaped melting drew back to the north. We may, therefore,conclude that Victoria Island has been moving along with the current parallelwith the coast at an average rate of ten miles a day."

"No very rapid pace after all!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett.

"Too fast, madam, when you think where we may be taken during the two monthsin which the sea will remain open in this part of the Arctic Ocean."

The three friends remained silent, and looked fixedly at the chart of thefearful Polar regions, towards which they were being irresistibly drawn, andwhich have hitherto successfully resisted all attempts to explore them.

"There is, then, nothing to be done? Nothing to try?" said Mrs Barnett aftera pause.

"Nothing, madam," replied Hobson; "nothing whatever. We must wait; we mustall pray for the speedy arrival of the Arctic winter generally so much dreadedby sailors, but which alone can save us now. The winter will bring ice, our onlyanchor of salvation, the only power which can arrest the course of thiswandering island."

CHAPTER III.

A TOUR OF THE ISLAND.

From that day, July 18th, it was decided that the bearings should be taken ason board a vessel whenever the state of the atmosphere rendered the operationpossible. Was not the island, in fact, a disabled ship, tossed about withoutsails or helm.

The next day after taking the bearings, Hobson announced that without changeof latitude the island had advanced several miles farther west. Mac-Nab wasordered to commence the construction of a huge boat, Hobson telling him, inexplanation, that he proposed making a reconnaissance of the coast as far asRussian America next summer. The carpenter asked no further questions, butproceeded to choose his wood, and fixed upon the beach at the foot of CapeBathurst as his dockyard, so that he might easily be able to launch hisvessel.

Hobson intended to set out the same day on his excursion round the island inwhich he and his comrades were imprisoned. Many changes might take place in theconfiguration of this sheet of ice, subject as it was to the influence of thevariable temperature of the waves, and it was important to determine its actualform at the present time, its area, and its thickness in different parts. Thepoint of rupture, which was most likely at the isthmus itself, ought to beexamined with special care; the fracture being still fresh, it might be possibleto ascertain the exact arrangement of the stratified layers of ice and earth ofwhich the soil of the island was composed.

But in the afternoon the sky clouded over suddenly, and a violent squall,accompanied with thick mists, swept down upon the fort. Presently torrents ofrain fell, and large hailstones rattled on the roof, whilst a few distant clapsof thunder were heard, a phenomenon of exceedingly rare occurrence in suchelevated latitudes.

Hobson was obliged to put off his trip, and wait until the fury of theelements abated, but during the 20th, 2lst, and 22d July, no change occurred.The storm raged, the floods of heaven were let loose, and the waves broke uponthe beach with a deafening roar. Liquid avalanches were flung with such forceupon Cape Bathurst, that there was reason to dread that it might give way; itsstability was, in fact, somewhat problematical, as it consisted merely of anaggregation of sand and earth, without any firm foundation. Vessels at sea mightwell be pitied in this fearful gale, but the floating island was of too vast abulk to be affected by the agitation of the waves, and remained indifferent totheir fury.

During the night of the 22d July the tempest suddenly ceased. A strong breezefrom the north-east dispelled the last mists upon the horizon. The barometerrose a few degrees, and the weather appeared likely to favour Hobson'sexpedition.

He was to be accompanied by Mrs Barnett and Sergeant Long, and expected to beabsent a day or two. The little party took some salt meat, biscuits, and a fewflasks of rum with them, and there was nothing in their excursion to surprisethe rest of the colonists. The days were just then very long, the sun onlydisappearing below the horizon for a few hours.

There were no wild animals to be feared now. The bears seemed to have fled byinstinct from the peninsula whilst it was still connected with the mainland, butto neglect no precaution each of the three explorers was provided with a gun.The Lieutenant and his subordinate also carried hatchets and ice-chisels, whicha traveller in the Polar regions should never be without.

During the absence of the Lieutenant and the Sergeant, the command of thefort fell to Corporal Joliffe, or rather to his little wife, and Hobson knewthat he could trust her. Thomas Black could not be depended on; he would noteven join the exploring party; he promised, however, to watch the northernlatitudes very carefully, and to note any change which should take place in thesea or the position of the cape during the absence of the Lieutenant.

Mrs Barnett had endeavoured to reason with the unfortunate astronomer, but hewould listen to nothing. He felt that Nature had deceived him, and that he couldnever forgive her.

After many a hearty farewell, the Lieutenant and his two companions left thefort by the postern gate, and, turning to the west, followed the lengthenedcurve of the coast between Capes Bathurst and Esquimaux.

It was eight o'clock in the morning; the oblique rays of the sun struck uponthe beach, and touched it with many a brilliant tint, the angry billows of thesea were sinking to rest, and the birds, ptarmigans, guillemots, puffins, andpetrels, driven away by the storm, were returning by thousands. Troops of duckswere hastening back to Lake Barnett, flying close, although they knew it not, toMrs Joliffe's saucepan. Polar hares, martens, musk rats, and ermines rose beforethe travellers and fled at their approach, but not with any great appearance ofhaste or terror. The animals evidently felt drawn towards their old enemies by acommon danger.

"They know well enough that they are hemmed in by the sea and cannot quit theisland," observed Hobson.

"They are all in the habit of seeking warmer climates in the south in thewinter, are they not?" inquired Mrs Barnett.

"Yes, madam, but unless they are presently able to cross the ice-field, theywill have to remain prisoners like ourselves, and I am afraid the greater numberwill die of cold or hunger.

"I hope they will be good enough to supply us with food for a long time,"observed the Sergeant," and I think it is very fortunate that they had not thesense to run away before the rupture of the isthmus."

"The birds will, however, leave us?" added Mrs Barnett.

"Oh yes, madam, everything with wings will go, they can traverse longdistances without fatigue, and, more fortunate than ourselves, they will regainterra firma."

"Could we not use them as messengers?" asked Mrs Barnett.

"A good idea, madam, a capital idea," said Hobson. "We might easily catchsome hundreds of these birds, and tie a paper round their necks with our exactsituation written upon it. John Ross in 1848 tried similar means to acquaint thesurvivors of the Franklin expedition with the presence of his ships, theEnterprise and the Investigator in the Polar seas. He caught somehundreds of white foxes in traps, rivetted a copper collar round the neck ofeach with all the necessary information engraved upon it, and then set them freein every direction."

"Perhaps some of the messengers may have fallen into the hands of theshipwrecked wanderers."

"Perhaps so," replied Hobson; "I know that an old fox was taken by CaptainHatteras during his voyage of discovery, wearing a collar half worn away andhidden beneath his thick white fur. What we cannot do with the quadrupeds, wewill do with the birds."

Chatting thus and laying plans for the future, the three explorers continuedto follow the coast. They noticed no change; the abrupt cliffs covered withearth and sand showed no signs of a recent alteration in the extent of theisland. It was, however, to be feared that the vast sheet of ice would be wornaway at the base by the action of the warm currents, and on this point Hobsonwas naturally anxious.

By eleven o'clock in the morning the eight miles between Capes Bathurst andEsquimaux had been traversed. A few traces of the encampment of Kalumah's partystill remained; of course the snow huts had entirely disappeared, but somecinders and walrus bones marked the spot.

The three explorers halted here for a short time, they intended to pass thefew short hours of the night at Walruses' Bay, which they hoped to reach In afew hours. They breakfasted seated on a slightly rising ground covered with ascanty and stunted herbage. Before their eyes lay the ocean bounded by aclearly-defined sea-horizon, without a sail or an iceberg to break the monotonyof the vast expanse of water.

"Should you be very much surprised if some vessel came In sight now,Lieutenant?" inquired Mrs Barnett.

"I should be very agreeably surprised, madam," replied Hobson. "It is not atall uncommon for whalers to come as far north as this, especially now that theArctic Ocean is frequented by whales and chacholots, but you must remember thatit is the 23rd July, and the summer is far advanced. The whole fleet of whalingvessels is probably now in Gulf Kotzebue, at the entrance to the strait. Whalersshun the sudden changes in the Arctic Ocean, and with good reason. They dreadbeing shut in the ice; and the icebergs, avalanches, and, ice-fields they avoid,are the very things for which we earnestly pray."

"They will come, Lieutenant," said Long; "have patience, in another twomonths the waves will no longer break upon the shores of Cape Esquimaux."

"Cape Esquimaux!" observed Mrs Barnett with a smile. "That name, like thosewe gave to the other parts of the peninsula, may turn out unfortunate too. Wehave lost Port Barnett and Paulina River; who can tell whether Cape Esquimauxand Walruses' Bay may not also disappear in time?"

"They too will disappear, madam," replied Hobson, "and after them the wholeof Victoria Island, for nothing now connects it with a continent, and it isdoomed to destruction. This result is inevitable, and our choice of geographicalnames will be thrown away; but fortunately the Royal Society has not yet adoptedthem, and Sir Roderick Murchison will have nothing to efface on his maps."

"One name he will," exclaimed the Sergeant.

"Which?" inquired Hobson.

"Cape Bathurst," replied Long.

"Ah, yes, you are right. Cape Bathurst must now be removed from maps of thePolar regions."

Two hours' rest were all the explorers cared for, and at one o'clock theyprepared to resume their journey.

Before starting Hobson once more looked round him from the summit of CapeEsquimaux; but seeing nothing worthy of notice, he rejoined Mrs Barnett andSergeant Long.

"Madam," he said, addressing the lady, "you have not forgotten the family ofnatives we met here last winter?"

"Oh no, I have always held dear little Kalumah in friendly remembrance. Shepromised to come and see us again at Fort Hope, but she will not be able to doso. But why do you ask me about the natives now?"

"Because I remember something to which, much to my regret, I did not at thetime attach sufficient importance."

"What was that?"

"You remember the uneasy surprise the men manifested at finding a big afactory at the foot of Cape Bathurst."

"Oh yes, perfectly."

"You remember that I tried to make out what the natives meant, and that Icould not do so?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well," added Hobsou, "I know now why they shook their heads. From tradition,experience, or something, the Esquimaux knew what the peninsula really was, theyknew we had not built on firm ground. But as things had probably remained asthey were for centuries, they thought there was no immediate danger, and that itwas not worth while to explain themselves."

"Very likely you are right," replied Mrs Barnett; "but I feel sure thatKalumah had no suspicion of her companion's fears, or she would have warnedus."

Hobson quite agreed with Mrs Barnett, and Sergeant Long observed-

"It really seems to have been by a kind of fatality that we settled ourselvesupon this peninsula just before it was torn away from the mainland. I suppose,Lieutenant, that it had been connected for a very long time, perhaps forcenturies."

"You might say for thousands and thousands of years, Sergeant," repliedHobson. "Remember that the soil on which we are treading has been brought hereby the wind, little by little, that the sand has accumulated grain by grain!Think of the time it must have taken for the seeds of firs, willows, and arbutusto become shrubs and trees! Perhaps the sheet of ice on which we float waswelded to the continent before the creation of man!"

"Well," cried Long, "it really might have waited a few centuries longerbefore it drifted. How much anxiety and how many dangers we might then have beenspared!"

Sergeant Long's most sensible remark closed the conversation, and the journeywas resumed.

From Cape Esquimaux to Walruses' Bay the coast ran almost due south,following the one hundred and twenty-seventh meridian. Looking behind them theycould see one corner of the lagoon, its waters sparkling in the sunbeams, and alittle beyond the wooded heights in which it was framed. Large eagles soaredabove their heads, their cries and the loud flapping of their wings breaking thestillness, and furred animals of many kinds, martens, polecats, ermines,&c., crouching behind some rising ground, or hiding amongst the stuntedbushes and willows, gazed inquiringly at the intruders. They seemed tounderstand that they had nothing to fear. Hobson caught a glimpse of a fewbeavers wandering about, evidently ill at ease, and puzzled at the disappearanceof the little river. With no ledges to shelter them, and no stream by which tobuild a new home, they were doomed to die of cold when the severe frost set in.Sergeant Long also saw a troop of wolves crossing the plain.

It was evident that specimens of the whole Arctic Fauna were imprisoned onthe island, and there was every reason to fear that, when famished with hunger,all the carnivorous beasts would be formidable enemies to the occupants of FortHope.

Fortunately, however, one race of animals appeared to be quite unrepresented.Not a single white bear was seen! Once the Sergeant thought he saw an enormouswhite mass moving about on the other side of a clump of willows, but on closeexamination decided that he was mistaken.

The coast near Walruses' Bay was, on the whole, only slightly elevated abovethe sea-level, and in the distance the waves broke into running foam as they doupon a sloping beach. It was to be feared that the soil had little stability,but there was no means of judging of the modifications which had taken placesince their last visit, and Hobson much regretted that he had not made benchmarks about Cape Bathurst before he left, that he might judge of the amount ofsinking or depression which took place. He determined, however, to take thisprecaution on his return.

It will be understood that, under the circumstances, the party did notadvance very rapidly. A pause was often made to examine the soil, or to see ifthere were any sign of an approaching fracture on the coast, and sometimes theexplorers wandered inland for half a mile. Here and there the Sergeant plantedbranches of willow or birch to serve as landmarks for the future, especiallywherever undermining seemed to be going on rapidly and the solidity of theground was doubtful. By this means it would be easy to ascertain the changeswhich might take place.

They did advance, however, and at three o'clock in the afternoon they wereonly three miles from Walruses' Bay, and Hobson called Mrs Barnett's attentionto the important changes which had been effected by the rupture of theisthmus.

Formerly the south-western horizon was shut in by a long slightly curvedcoast-line, formed by the shores of Liverpool Bay. Now a sea-line bounded theview, the continent having disappeared. Victoria Island ended in an abrupt anglewhere it had broken off, and all felt sure that on turning round that angle theocean would be spread out before them, and that its waves would bathe the wholeof the southern side of the island, which was once the connecting-link betweenWalruses' Bay and Washburn Bay.

Mrs Barnett could not look at the changed aspect of the scene withoutemotion. She had expected it, and yet her heart beat almost audibly. She gazedacross the sea for the missing continent, which was now left several hundredmiles behind, and it rushed upon her mind with a fresh shock that she wouldnever set foot on America again. Her agitation was indeed excusable, and it wasshared by the Lieutenant and the Sergeant.

All quickened their steps, eager to reach the abrupt angle in the south. Theground rose slightly as they advanced, and the layers of earth and sand becamethicker; this of course was explained by the former proximity of this part ofthe coast to the true continent. The thickness of the crust of ice and of thelayer of earth at the point of junction increasing, as it probably did, everycentury, explained the long resistance of the isthmus, which nothing but someextraordinary convulsion could have overcome. Such a convulsion was theearthquake of the 8th January, which, although it had only affected thecontinent of North America, had sufficed to break the connecting-link, and tolaunch Victoria Island upon the wide ocean.

At four o'clock P.M., the angle was reached. Walruses' Bay, formed by anindentation of the firm ground, had disappeared! It had remained behind with thecontinent

"By my faith, madam!" exclaimed the Sergeant, "it's lucky for you we didn'tcall it Paulina Barnett Bay!"

"Yes," replied the lady, "I begin to think I am an unlucky godmother fornewly-discovered places."

CHAPTER IV.

A NIGHT ENCAMPMENT.

And so Hobson had not been mistaken about the point of rupture. It was theisthmus which had yielded in the shock of the earthquake. Not a trace was to beseen of the American continent, not a single cliff, even the volcano on the westhad disappeared. Nothing but the sea everywhere.

The island on this side ended in a cape, coming to an almost sharp point, andit was evident that the substratum of ice, fretted by the warmer waters of thecurrent and exposed to all the fury of the elements, must rapidly dissolve.

The explorers resumed their march, following the course of the fracture,which ran from west to east in an almost straight line. Its edges were notjagged or broken, but clear cut, as if the division had been made with a sharpinstrument, and here and there the conformation of the soil could be easilyexamined. The banks- half ice, half sand and earth-rose some ten feet from thewater. They were perfectly perpendicular, without the slightest slope, and insome places there were traces of recent landslips. Sergeant Long pointed toseveral small blocks of ice floating in the offing, and rapidly melting, whichhad evidently been broken off from their island. The action of the warm surfwould, of course, soon eat away the new coast-line, which time had not yetclothed with a kind of cement of snow and sand, such as covered the rest of thebeach, and altogether the state of things was very far from reassuring.

Before taking any rest, Mrs Barnett, Hobson, and Long, were anxious to finishtheir examination of the southern edge of the island. There would be plenty ofdaylight, for the sun would not set until eleven o'clock P.M. The briliant orbof day was slowly advancing along the western horizon, and its oblique rays castlong shadows of themselves before the explorers, who conversed at intervalsafter long silent pauses, during which they gazed at the sea and thought of thedark future before them.

Hobson intended to encamp for the night at Washburn Bay. When there eighteenmiles would have been traversed, and, if he were not mistaken, half his circularjourney would be accomplished. After a few hours' repose he meant to return toFort Hope along the western coast.

No fresh incident marked the exploration of the short distance betweenWalruses' Bay and Washburn Bay, and at seven o'clock in the evening the spotchosen for the encampment was reached. A similar change had taken place here. OfWashburn Bay, nothing remained but the curve formed by the coast-line of theisland, and which was once its northern boundary. It stretched away without abreak for seven miles to the cape they had named Cape Michael. This side of theisland did not appear to have suffered at all in consequence of the rupture. Thethickets of pine and birch, massed a little behind the cape, were in theirfullest beauty at this time of year, and a good many furred animals weredisporting themselves on the plain.

A halt was made at Washburn Bay, and the explorers were able to enjoy anextended view on the south, although they could not see any great distance onthe north. The sun was so low on the horizon, that its rays were intercepted bythe rising ground on the west, and did not reach the little bay. It was not,however, yet night, nor could it be called twilight, as the sun had not set.

"Lieutenant," said Long, "if by some miracle a bell were now to ring, what doyou suppose it would mean?"

"That it was supper-time," replied Hobson. "Don't you agree with me, MrsBarnett?"

"Indeed I do," replied the lady addressed, "and as our cloth is spread forus, let us sit down. This moss, although slightly worn, will suit us admirably,and was evidently intended for us by Providence."

The bag of provisions was opened; some salt meat, a hare pate from MrsJoliffe's larder, with a few biscuits, formed their frugal supper.

The meal was quickly over, and Hobson returned to the southwest angle of theisland, whilst Mrs Barnett rested at the foot of a low fir tree, and SergeantLong made ready the night quarters.

The Lieutenant was anxious to examine the piece of ice which formed theisland, to ascertain, if possible, something of its structure. A little bank,produced by a landslip, enabled him to step down to the level of the sea, andfrom there he was able to look closely at the steep wall which formed the coast.Where he stood the soil rose scarcely three feet above the water. The upper partconsisted of a thin layer of earth and sand mixed with crushed shells; and thelower of hard, compact, and, if we may so express it, "metallic" ice, strongenough to support the upper soil of the island.

This layer of ice was not more than one foot above the sea-level. Inconsequence of the recent fracture, it was easy to see the regular dispositionof the sheets of ice piled up horizontally, and which had evidently beenproduced by successive frosts in comparatively quieter waters.

We know that freezing commences on the surface of liquids, and as the coldincreases, the thickness of the crust becomes greater, the solidificationproceeding from the top downwards. That at least is the case in waters that areat rest; it has, however, been observed that the very reverse is the case inrunning waters-the ice forming at the bottom, and subsequently rising to thesurface.

It was evident, then, that the floe which formed the foundation of VictoriaIsland had been formed in calm waters on the shores of the North Americancontinent. The freezing had evidently commenced on the surface, and the thawwould begin at the bottom, according to a well-known law; so that the ice-fieldwould gradually decrease in weight as it became thawed by the warmer watersthrough which it was passing, and the general level of the island would sink inproportion.

This was the great danger.

As we have just stated, Hobson noticed that the solid ice, the ice-fieldproperly so called, was only about one foot above the sea-level! We know thatfour-fifths of a floating mass of ice are always submerged. For one foot of aniceberg or ice-field above the water, there are four below it. It must, however,be remarked that the density, or rather specific weight of floating ice, variesconsiderably according to its mode of formation or origin. The ice-masses whichproceed from sea water, porous, opaque, and tinged with blue or green, accordingas they are struck by the rays of the sun, are lighter than ice formed fromfresh water. All things considered, and making due allowance for the weight ofthe mineral and vegetable layer above the ice. Hobson concluded it to be aboutfour or five feet thick below the sea-level. The different declivities of theisland, the little hills and rising ground, would of course only affect theupper soil, and it might reasonably be supposed that the wandering island wasnot immersed more than five feet.

This made Hobson very anxious. Only five feet! Setting aside the causes ofdissolution to which the ice-field might be subjected, would not the slightestshock cause a rupture of the surface? Might not a rough sea or a gale of windcause a dislocation of the ice-field, which would lead to its breaking up intosmall portions, and to its final decomposition? Oh for the speedy arrival of thewinter, with its bitter cold! Would that the column of mercury were frozen inits cistern! Nothing but the rigour of an Arctic winter could consolidate andthicken the foundation of their island, and establish a means of communicationbetween it and the continent.

Hobson returned to the halting-place little cheered by his discoveries, andfound Long busy making arrangements for the night; for he had no idea ofsleeping beneath the open sky, although Mrs Barnett declared herself quite readyto do so. He told the Lieutenant that he intended to dig a hole in the ice bigenough to hold three persons-in fact to make a kind of snow-hut, in which theywould be protected from the cold night air.

"In the land of the Esquimaux," he said, "nothing is wiser than to do as theEsquimaux do."

Hobson approved, but advised the Sergeant not to dig too deeply, as the icewas not more than five feet thick.

Long set to work. With the aid of his hatchet and ice-chisel he had sooncleared away the earth, and hollowed out a kind of passage sloping gently downto the crust of ice.

He next attacked the brittle mass, which had been covered over with sand andearth for so many centuries. It would not take more than an hour to hollow out asubterranean retreat, or rather a burrow with walls of ice, which would keep inthe heat, and therefore serve well for a resting-place during the shortnight.

Whilst Long was working away like a white ant, Hobson communicated the resultof his observations to Mrs Barnett. He did not disguise from her that theconstruction of Victoria Island rendered him very uneasy. He felt sure that thethinness of the ice would lead to the opening of ravines on the surface beforelong; where, it would be impossible to foresee, and of course it would beequally impossible to prevent them. The wandering Island might at any momentsettle down in consequence of a change in its specific gravity, or break up intomore or less numerous islets, the duration of which must necessarily beephemeral. He judged, therefore, that it would be best for the members of thecolony to keep together as much as possible, and not to leave the fort, thatthey might all share the same chances.

Hobson was proceeding further to unfold his views when cries for help wereheard.

Mrs Barnett started to her feet, and both looked round in every direction,but nothing was to be seen.

The cries were now redoubled, and Hobson exclaimed-

"The Sergeant! the Sergeant!"

And followed by Mrs Barnett, he rushed towards the burrow, and he hadscarcely reached the opening of the snow-house before he saw Sergeant Longclutching with both hands at his knife, which he had stuck in the wall of ice,and calling out loudly, although with the most perfect self-possession.

His head and arms alone were visible. Whilst he was digging, the ice hadgiven way suddenly beneath him, and he was plunged into water up to hiswaist.

Hobson merely said-

"Keep hold!"

And creeping through the passage, he was soon at the edge of the hole. Thepoor Sergeant seized his hand, and he was soon rescued from his perilousposition.

"Good God! Sergeant!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett; "what has happened?"

"Nothing," replied Long, shaking himself like a wet spaniel, "except that theice gave way under me, and I took a compulsory bath."

"You forgot what I told you about not digging too deeply, then," saidHobson.

"Beg pardon, sir; I hadn't cut through fifteen inches of the ice, and Iexpect there was a kind of cavern where I was working-the ice did not touch thewater. It was just like going through a ceiling. If I hadn't been able to hangon by my knife, I should have slipped under the island like a fool, and thatwould have been a pity, wouldn't it, madam?"

"A very great pity, my brave fellow," said Mrs Barnett, pressing hishand.

Long's explanation was correct; for some reason or another-most likely froman accumulation of air-the ice had formed a kind of vault above the water, andof course it soon gave way under the weight of the Sergeant and the blows of hischisel.

The same thing might happen in other parts of the island, which was anythingbut reassuring. Where could they be certain of treading on firm ground? Mightnot the earth give way beneath their feet at any minute? What heart, howeverbrave, would not have sunk at the thought of the thin partition between them andthe awful gulf of the ocean?

Sergeant Long, however, thought but little of his bath, and was ready tobegin mining in some other place. This Mrs Barnett would not allow. A night inthe open air would do her no harm; the shelter of the coppice near would beprotection enough for them all; and Sergeant Long was obliged to submit.

The camp was, therefore, moved back some thirty yards from the beach, to arising ground on which grew a few clumps of pines and willows which couldscarcely be called a wood. Towards ten o'clock the disc of the sun began to dipbelow the horizon, and before it disappeared for the few hours of the night acrackling fire of dead branches was blazing at the camp.

Long had now a fine opportunity of drying his legs, of which he gladlyavailed himself. He and Hobson talked together earnestly until twilight set in,and Mrs Barnett occasionally joined in the conversation, doing the best shecould to cheer the disheartened Lieutenant. The sky was bright with stars, andthe holy influence of the night could not fail to calm his troubled spirit. Thewind murmured softly amongst the pines; even the sea appeared to be wrapt inslumber, its bosom slightly heaving with the swell, which died away upon thebeach with a faint rippling sound. All creation was hushed, not even the wail ofa sea bird broke upon the ear, the crisp crackling of the dead branches wasexchanged for a steady flame, and nothing but the voices of the wanderers brokethe sublime, the awful silence of the night.

"Who would imagine," said Mrs Barnett, "that we were floating on the surfaceof the ocean! It really requires an effort to realise it, for the sea which iscarrying us along in its fatal grasp appears to be absolutely motionless!"

"Yes, madam," replied Hobson;" and if the floor of our carriage were solid,if I did not know that sooner or later the keel of our boat will be missing,that some day its hull will burst open, and finally, if I knew where we aregoing, I should rather enjoy floating on the ocean like this."

"Well, Lieutenant," rejoined Mrs Barnett, "could there be a pleasanter modeof travelling than ours? We feel no motion. Our island has exactly the samespeed as the current which is bearing it away. Is it not like a balloon voyagein the air? What could be more delightful than advancing with one's house,garden, park, &c.? A wandering island, with a solid insubmersiblefoundation, would really be the most comfortable and wonderful conveyance thatcould possibly be imagined. I have heard of hanging gardens. Perhaps some dayfloating parks will be invented which will carry us all over the globe! Theirsize will render them insensible to the action of the waves, they will havenothing to fear from storms, and perhaps with a favourable wind they might beguided by means of immense sails! What marvels of vegetation would be spreadbefore the eyes of the passengers when they passed from temperate to torridzones! With skilful pilots, well acquainted with the currents, it might bepossible to remain in one latitude, and enjoy a perpetual spring."

Hobson could not help smiling at Mrs Barnett's fancies. The brave woman ranon with such an easy flow of words, she talked with as little effort as VictoriaIsland moved. And was she not right? It would have been a very pleasant mode oftravelling if there had been no danger of their conveyance melting and beingswallowed up by the sea.

The night passed on, and the explorers slept a few hours. At daybreak theybreakfasted, and thoroughly enjoyed their meal. The warmth and rest hadrefreshed them, and they resumed their journey at about six o'clock A.M.

From Cape Michael to the former Port Barnett the coast ran in an almoststraight line from south to north for about eleven miles. There was nothingworthy of note about it; the shores were low and pretty even all the way, andseemed to have suffered no alteration since the breaking of the isthmus. Long,in obedience to the Lieutenant, made bench marks along the beach, that anyfuture change might be easily noted.

Hobson was naturally anxious to get back to Fort Hope the same day, and MrsBarnett was also eager to return to her friends. It was of course desirableunder the circumstances that the commanding officer should not be long absentfrom the fort

All haste was therefore made, and by taking a short cut they arrived at noonat the little promontory which formerly protected Port Barnett from the eastwinds.

It was not more than eight miles from this point to Fort Hope, and beforefour o'clock P.M the shouts of Corporal Joliffe welcomed their return to thefactory.

CHAPTER V.

FROM JULY 25TH TO AUGUST 20TH.

Hobson's first care on his return to the fort, was to make inquiries ofThomas Black as to the situation of the little colony. No change had taken placefor the last twenty-four hours, but, as subsequently appeared, the island hadfloated one degree of latitude further south, whilst still retaining its motiontowards the west. It was now at the same distance from the equator as Icy Cape,a little promontory of western Alaska, and two hundred miles from the Americancoast. The speed of the current seemed to be less here than in the eastern partof the Arctic Ocean, but the island continued to advance, and, much to Hobson'sannoyance, towards the dreaded Behring Strait. It was now only the 24th July,and a current of average speed would carry it in another month through thestrait and into the heated waves of the Pacific, where it would melt "like alump of sugar in a glass of water."

Mrs Barnett acquainted Madge with the result of the exploration of theisland. She explained to her the arrangement of the layers of earth and ice atthe part where the isthmus had been broken off; told her that the thickness ofthe ice below the sea level was estimated at five feet; related the accident toSergeant Long-in short, she made her fully understand the reasons there were tofear the breaking up or sinking of the ice field.

The rest of the colony had, however, no suspicion of the truth; a feeling ofperfect security prevailed. It never occurred to any of the brave fellows thatFort Hope was floating above an awful abyss, and that the lives of all itsinhabitants were in danger. All were in good health, the weather was fine, andthe climate pleasant and bracing. The baby Michael got on wonderfully; he wasbeginning to toddle about between the house and the palisade; and CorporalJoliffe, who was extremely fond of him, was already beginning to teach him tohold a gun, and to understand the first duties of a soldier. Oh, if Mrs Joliffewould but present him with such a son! but, alas! the blessing of children, forwhich he and his wife prayed every day, was as yet denied to them.

Meanwhile the soldiers had plenty to do.

Mac-Nab and his men-Petersen, Belcher, Garry, Pond, and Hope-worked zealouslyat the construction of a boat, a difficult task, likely to occupy them forseveral months. But as their vessel would be of no use until next year after thethaw, they neglected none of their duties at the factory on its account. Hobsonlet things go on as if the future of the factory were not compromised, andpersevered in keeping the men in ignorance. This serious question was oftendiscussed by the officer and his "staff," and Mrs Barnett and Madge differedfrom their chief on the subject. They thought it would be better to tell thewhole truth; the men were brave and energetic, not likely to yield to despair,and the shock would not be great if they heard of it now, instead of only whentheir situation was so hopeless that it could not be concealed. But in spite ofthe justice of these remarks, Hobson would not yield, and he was supported bySergeant Long. Perhaps, after all, they were right; they were both men of longexperience, and knew the temper of their men.

And so the work of provisioning and strengthening the fort proceeded. Thepalisaded enceinte was repaired with new stakes, and made higher in many places,so that it really formed a very strong fortification. Mac-Nab also put intoexecution, with his chief's approval, a plan he had long had at heart. At thecorners abutting on the lake he built two little pointed sentry-boxes, whichcompleted the defences; and Corporal Joliffe anticipated with delight the timewhen he should be sent to relieve guard: he felt that they gave a military lookto the buildings, and made them really imposing.

The palisade was now completely finished, and Mac-Nab, remembering thesufferings of the last winter, built a new wood shed close up against the houseitself, with a door of communication inside, so that there would be no need togo outside at all. By this contrivance the fuel would always be ready to hand.On the left side of the house, opposite the shed, Mac-Nab constructed a largesleeping-room for the soldiers, so that the camp-bed could be removed from thecommon room. This room was also to be used for meals, and work. The threemarried couples had private rooms walled off, so that the large house wasrelieved of them as well as of all the other soldiers. A magazine for furs onlywas also erected behind the house near the powder-magazine, leaving the loftfree for stores; and the rafters and ribs of the latter were bound with ironcramps, that they might be able to resist all attacks. Mac-Nab also intended tobuild a little wooden chapel, which had been included in Hobson's original planof the factory; but its erection was put off until the next summer.

With what eager interest would the Lieutenant have once watched the progressof his establishment! Had he been building on firm ground, with what delightwould he have watched the houses, sheds, and magazines rising around him! Heremembered the scheme of crowning Cape Bathurst with a redoubt for theprotection of Fort Hope with a sigh. The very name of the factory, "Fort Hope,"made his heart sink within him; for should it not more truly be called "FortDespair?"

These various works took up the whole summer, and there was no time forennui. The construction of the boat proceeded rapidly. Mac-Nab meant it to be ofabout thirty tons measurement, which would make it large enough to carry sometwenty passengers several hundred miles in the fine season. The carpenter hadbeen fortunate enough to find some bent pieces of wood, so that he was ablequickly to form the first ribs of the vessel, and soon the stern and sternpost,fixed to the keel, were upon the dockyard at the foot of Cape Bathurst.

Whilst the carpenters were busy with hatchets, saws, and adzes, the hunterswere eagerly hunting the reindeer and Polar hares, which abounded near the fort.The Lieutenant, however, told Marbre and Sabine not to go far away, stating as areason, that until the buildings were completed he did not wish to attract thenotice of rivals. The truth was, he did not wish the changes which had takenplace to be noticed.

One day Marbre inquired if it was not now time to go to Walruses' Bay, andget a fresh supply of morse-oil for burning, and Hobson replied ratherhastily-

"No, Marbre; it would be useless."

The Lieutenant knew only too well that Walruses' Bay was two hundred milesaway, and that there were no morses to be hunted on the island.

It must not be supposed that Hobson considered the situation desperate evennow. He often assured Mrs Barnett, Madge, and Long that he was convinced theisland would hold together until the bitter cold of winter should thicken itsfoundation and arrest its course at one and the same time.

After his journey of discovery, Hobson estimated exactly the area of his newdominions. The island measured more than forty miles round, from which itssuperficial area[r] would appear to be about one hundred and forty miles at theleast. By way of comparison, we may say that Victoria Island was rather largerthan St Helena, and its area was about the same as that of Paris within the lineof fortifications. If then it should break up into fragments, the separate partsmight still be of sufficient size to be habitable for some time.

When Mrs Barnett expressed her surprise that a floating ice-field could be solarge, Hobson replied by reminding her of the observations of Arctic navigators.Parry, Penny, and Franklin had met with ice-fields in the Polar seas one hundredmiles long and fifty broad. Captain Kellet abandoned his boat on an ice-fieldmeasuring at least three hundred square miles, and what was Victoria Islandcompared to it?

Its size was, however, sufficient to justify a hope that it would resist theaction of the warm currents until the cold weather set in. Hobson would notallow himself to doubt; his despair arose rather from the knowledge that thefruit of all his cares, anxieties, and dangers must eventually be swallowed upby the deep, and it was no wonder that he could take no interest in the worksthat were going on.

Mrs Barnett kept up a good heart through it all; she encouraged her comradesin their work, and took her share in it, as if she had still a future to lookforward to. Seeing what an interest Mrs Joliffe took in her plants, she joinedher every day in the garden. There was now a fine crop of sorrel andscurvy-grass-thanks to the Corporal's unwearying exertions to keep off the birdsof every kind, which congregated by hundreds.

The taming of the reindeer had been quite successful; there were now a goodmany young, and little Michael had been partly brought up on the milk of themothers. There were now some thirty head in the herd which grazed near the fort,and a supply of the herbage on which they feed was dried and laid up for thewinter. These useful animals, which are easily domesticated, were already quitefamiliar with all the colonists, and did not go far from the enceinte. Some ofthem were used in sledges to carry timber backwards and forwards. A good manyreindeer, still wild, now fell into the trap half way between the fort and PortBarnett. It will be remembered that a large bear was once taken in it; butnothing of the kind occurred this season-none fell victims but the reindeer,whose flesh was salted and laid by for future use. Twenty at least were taken,which in the ordinary course of things would have gone down to the south in thewinter.

One day, however, the reindeer-trap suddenly became useless in consequence ofthe conformation of the soil. After visiting it as usual, the hunter Marbreapproached Hobson, and said to him in a significant tone--

"I have just paid my daily visit to the reindeer-trap, sir."

"Well, Marbre, I hope you have been as successful to-day as yesterday, andhave caught a couple of reindeer," replied Hobson.

"No, sir, no," replied Marbre, with some embarrassment.

"Your trap has not yielded its ordinary contingent then?"

"No, sir; and if any animal had fallen in, it would certainly have beendrowned!"

"Drowned!" cried the Lieutenant, looking at the hunter with an anxiousexpression.

"Yes, sir," replied Marbre, looking attentively at his superior, "the pit isfull of water."

"Ah!" said Hobson, in the tone of a man who attached no importance to that,"you know your pit was partly hollowed out of ice; its walls have melted withthe heat of the sun, and then "--

"Beg pardon for interrupting you, sir," said Marbre; "but the water cannothave been produced by the melting of ice."

"Why not, Marbre?" "Because if it came from ice it would be sweet, as youexplained to me once before. Now the water in our pit is salt!"

Master of himself as he was, Hobson could not help changing countenanceslightly, and he had not a word to say.

"Besides," added Marbre, "I wanted to sound the trench, to see how deep thewater was, and to my great surprise, I can tell you, I could not find thebottom."

"Well, Marbre," replied Hobson hastily, "there is nothing so wonderful inthat. Some fracture of the soil has established a communication between the seaand the trap. So don't be uneasy about it, my brave fellow, but leave the trapalone for the present, and be content with setting snares near the fort."

Marbre touched his cap respectfully, and turned on his heel, but not beforehe had given his chief a searching glance.

Hobson remained very thoughtful for a few moments. Marbre's tidings were ofgrave importance. It was evident that the bottom of the trench, gradually meltedby the warm waters of the sea, had given way.

Hobson at once called the Sergeant, and having acquainted him with theincident, they went together, unnoticed by their companions, to the beach at thefoot of Cape Bathurst, where they had made the bench-marks.

They examined them carefully, and found that since they last did so, thefloating island had sunk six inches.

"We are sinking gradually," murmured Sergeant Long. "The ice is wearingaway."

"Oh for the winter! the winter!" cried Hobson, stamping his foot upon theground.

But as yet, alas! there was no sign of the approach of the cold season. Thethermometer maintained a mean height of 59? Fahrenheit, and during the few hoursof the night the column of mercury scarcely went down three degrees.

Preparations for the approaching winter went on apace, and there was reallynothing wanting to Fort Hope, although it had not been revictualled by CaptainCraventy's detachment. The long hours of the Arctic night might be awaited inperfect security. The stores were of course carefully husbanded. There stillremained plenty of spirits, only small quantities having been consumed; andthere was a good stock of biscuits, which, once gone, could not be replaced.Fresh venison and salt meat were to be had in abundance, and with someantiscorbutic vegetables, the diet was most healthy; and all the members of thelittle colony were well.

A good deal of timber was cut in the woods clothing the eastern slopes ofLake Barnett. Many were the birch-trees, pines, and firs which fell beneath theaxe of Mac-Nab, and were dragged to the house by the tamed reindeer. Thecarpenter did not spare the little forest, although he cut his wood judiciously;for he never dreamt that timber might fail him, imagining, as he did, VictoriaIsland to be a peninsula, and knowing the districts near Cape Michael to be richin different species of trees.

Many a time did the unconscious carpenter congratulate his Lieutenant onhaving chosen a spot so favoured by Heaven. Woods, game, furred animals, alagoon teeming with fish, plenty of herbs for the animals, and, as CorporalJoliffe would have added, double pay for the men. Was not Cape Bathurst a cornerof a privileged land, the like of which was not to be found in the whole Arcticregions? Truly Hobson was a favourite of Heaven, and ought to return thanks toProvidence every day for the discovery of this unique spot.

Ah, Mac-Nab, you little knew how you wrung the heart of your master when youtalked in that strain!

The manufacture of winter garments was not neglected in the factory. MrsBarnett, Madge, Mrs Mac-Nab, Mrs Rae, and Mrs Joliffe-when she could leave herfires-were alike indefatigable. Mrs Barnett knew that they would all have toleave the fort in the depth of winter, and was determined that every one shouldbe warmly clothed. They would have to face the bitterest cold for a good manydays during the Polar night, if Victoria Island should halt far from thecontinent. Boots and clothes ought indeed to be strong and well made, forcrossing some hundreds of miles under such circumstances. Mrs Barnett and Madgedevoted all their energies to the matter in hand, and the furs, which they knewit would be impossible to save, were turned to good account. They were useddouble, so that the soft hair was both inside and outside of the clothes; andwhen wearing them, the whole party would be as richly attired as the grandestprincesses, or the most wealthy ladies. Those not in the secret were rathersurprised at the free use made of the Company's property; but Hobson's authoritywas not to be questioned, and really martens, polecats, musk-rats, beavers, andfoxes multiplied with such rapidity near the fort, that all the furs used couldeasily be replaced by a few shots, or the setting of a few traps; and when MrsMac-Nab saw the beautiful ermine coat which had been made for her baby, herdelight was unbounded, and she no longer wondered at anything.

So passed the days until the middle of the month of August. The weathercontinued fine, and any mists which gathered on the horizon were quicklydispersed by the sunbeams.

Every day Hobson took the bearings, taking care, however, to go some distancefrom the fort, that suspicions might not be aroused, and he also visiteddifferent parts of the island, and was reassured by finding that no importantchanges appeared to be taking place.

On the 16th August Victoria Island was situated in 167? 27' west longitude,and 70? 49' north latitude. It had, therefore, drifted slightly to the south,but without getting any nearer to the American coast, which curvedconsiderably.

The distance traversed by the island since the fracture of the isthmus, orrather since the last thaw, could not be less than eleven or twelve hundredmiles to the west.

But what was this distance compared to the vast extent of the ocean? Had notboats been known to be drifted several thousands of miles by currents? Was notthis the case with the English ship Resolute, the American brigAdvance, and with the Fox, all of which were carried along uponice-fields until the winter arrested their advance?

CHAPTER VI.

TEN DAYS OF TEMPEST

From the 17th to the 20th August the weather continued fine, and thetemperature moderate. The mists on the horizon were not resolved into clouds,and altogether the weather was exceptionally beautiful for such an elevatedposition. It will be readily understood, however, that Hobson could take nopleasure in the fineness of the climate.

On the 21st August, however, the barometer gave notice of an approachingchange. The column of mercury suddenly fell considerably, the sun was completelyhidden at the moment of culmination, and Hobson was unable to take hisbearings.

The next day the wind changed and blew strongly from the north-west, torrentsof rain falling at intervals. Meanwhile, however, the temperature did not changeto any sensible extent, the thermometer remaining at 54? Fahrenheit.

Fortunately the proposed works were now all finished, and MacNab hadcompleted the carcass of his boat, which was planked and ribbed. Hunting mightnow be neglected a little, as the stores were complete, which was fortunate, forthe weather became very bad. The wind was high, the rain incessant, and thickfogs rendered it impossible to go beyond the enceinte of the fort.

"What do you think of this change in the weather, Lieutenant?" inquired MrsBarnett on the morning of the 27th August; "might it not be in our favour?"

"I should not like to be sure of it, madam," replied Hobson; "but anything isbetter for us than the magnificent weather we have lately had, during which thesun made the waters warmer and warmer. Then, too, the wind from the north-westis so very strong that it may perhaps drive us nearer to the Americancontinent."

"Unfortunately," observed Long, "we can't take our bearings every day now.It's impossible to see either sun, moon, or stars in this fog. Fancy attemptingto take an altitude now!"

"We shall see well enough to recognise America, if we get anywhere near it,"said Mrs Barnett. "Whatever land we approach will be welcome. It will mostlikely be some part of Russian America-probably Western Alaska."

"You are right, madam," said Hobson; "for, unfortunately, in the whole ArcticOcean there is not an island, an islet, or even a rock to which we could fastenour vessel!"

"Well," rejoined Mrs Barnett, "why should not our conveyance take us straightto the coasts of Asia? Might not the currents carry us past the opening ofBearing Strait and land us on the shores of Siberia?"

"No, madam, no," replied Hobson; "our ice-field would soon meet theKamtchatka current, and be carried by it to the northwest. It is more likely,however, that this wind will drive us towards the shores of RussianAmerica."

"We must keep watch, then," said Mrs Barnett, "and ascertain our position assoon as possible."

"We shall indeed keep watch," replied Hobson, "although this fog is very muchagainst us If we should be driven on to the coast, the shock will be felt evenif we cannot see. Let's hope the island will not fall to pieces in this storm!That is at present our principal danger. Well, when it comes we shall see whatthere is to be done, and meanwhile we must wait patiently."

Of course this conversation was not held in the public room, where thesoldiers and women worked together. It was in her own room, with the windowlooking out on the court, that Mrs Barnett received visitors. It was almostimpossible to see indoors even in the daytime, and the wind could be heardrushing by outside like an avalanche. Fortunately, Cape Bathurst protected thehouse from the north-east winds, but the sand and earth from its summit werehurled down upon the roof with a noise like the pattering of hail. Mac-Nab beganto feel fresh uneasiness about his chimneys, which it was absolutely necessaryto keep in good order. With the roaring of the wind was mingled that of the sea,as its huge waves broke upon the beach. The storm had become a hurricane.

In spite of the fury of the gale, Hobson determined on the morning of the28th of August to climb to the summit of Cape Bathurst, in order to examine thestate of the horizon, the sea, and the sky. He therefore wrapped himself up,taking care to have nothing about him likely to give hold the wind, and setout.

He got to the foot of the cape without much difficulty. The sand and earthblinded him, it is true, but protected by the cliff he had not as yet actuallyfaced the wind. The fatigue began when he attempted to climb the almostperpendicular sides of the promontory; but by clutching at the tufts of herbswith which they were covered, he managed to get to the top, but there the furyof the gale was such that he could neither remain standing nor seated; he wastherefore forced to fling himself upon his face behind the little coppice andcling to some shrubs, only raising his head and shoulders above the ground.

The appearance of sea and sky was indeed terrible. The spray dashed over theLieutenant's head, and half-a-mile from the cape water and clouds wereconfounded together in a thick mist. Low jagged rain-clouds were chased alongthe heavens with giddy rapidity, and heavy masses of vapour were piled upon thezenith. Every now and then an awful stillness fell upon the land, and the onlysounds were the breaking of the surf upon the beach and the roaring of the angrybillows; but then the tempest recommenced with redoubled fury, and Hobson feltthe cape tremble to its foundations. Sometimes the rain poured down with suchviolence that it resembled grape-shot.

It was indeed a terrible hurricane from the very worst quarter of theheavens. This north-east wind might blow for a long time and cause all manner ofhavoc. Yet Hobson, who would generally have grieved over the destruction aroundhim, did not complain,-on the contrary, he rejoiced; for if, as he hoped, theisland held together, it must be driven to the south-west by this wind, so muchmore powerful than the currents. And the south-west meant land-hope-safety! Yes,for his own sake, and for that of all with him, he hoped that the hurricanewould last until it had flung them upon the laud, no matter where. That whichwould have been fatal to a ship was the best thing that could happen to thefloating island.

For a quarter of an hour Hobson remained crouching upon the ground, clutchingat the shrubs like a drowning man at a spar, lashed by the wind, drenched by therain and the spray, struggling to estimate all the chances of safety the stormmight afford him. At the end of that time he let himself slide down the cape,and fought his way to Fort Hope.

Hobson's first care was to tell his comrades that the hurricane was not yetat its height, and that it would probably last a long time yet. He announcedthese tidings with the manner of one bringing good news, and every one looked athim in astonishment. Their chief officer really seemed to take a delight in thefury of the elements.

On the 30th Hobson again braved the tempest, not this time climbing the cape,but going down to the beach. What was his joy at noticing some long weedsfloating on the top of the waves, of a kind which did not grow on VictoriaIsland. Christopher Columbus' delight was not greater when he saw the sea-weedwhich told him of the proximity of land.

The Lieutenant hurried back to the fort, and told Mrs Barnett and SergeantLong of his discovery. He had a good mind to tell every one the whole truth now,but a strange presentiment kept him silent.

The occupants of the fort had plenty to amuse them in the long days ofcompulsory confinement. They went on improving the inside of the variousbuildings, and dug trenches in the court to carry away the rain-water. Mac-Nab,a hammer in one hand and a nail in the other, was always busy at a job in somecorner or another, and nobody took much note of the tempest outside in thedaytime; but at night it was impossible to sleep, the wind beat upon thebuildings like a battering-ram; between the house and the cape sometimes whirleda huge waterspout of extraordinary dimensions; the planks cracked, the beamsseemed about to separate, and there was danger of the whole structure tumblingdown. Mac-Nab and his men lived in a state of perpetual dread, and had to becontinually on the watch.

Meanwhile, Hobson was uneasy about the stability of the island itself, ratherthan that of the house upon it. The tempest became so violent, and the sea sorough, that there was really a danger of the dislocation of the ice-field. Itseemed impossible for it to resist much longer, diminished as it was inthickness and subject to the perpetual action of the waves. It is true that itsinhabitants did not feel any motion, on account of its vast extent, but itsuffered from it none the less. The point at issue was simply:-Would the islandlast until it was flung upon the coast, or would it fall to pieces before ittouched firm ground?

There could be no doubt that thus far it had resisted. As the Lieutenantexplained to Mrs Barnett, had it already been broken, had the ice-field alreadydivided into a number of islets, the occupants of the fort must have noticed it,for the different pieces would have been small enough to be affected by themotion of the sea, and the people on any one of them would have been pitchedabout like passengers on a boat. This was not the case, and in his dailyobservations Lieutenant Hobson had noticed no movement whatever, not so much asa trembling of the island, which appeared as firm and motionless as when it wasstill connected by its isthmus with the mainland.

But the breaking up, which had not yet taken place, might happen at anyminute.

Hobson was most anxious to ascertain whether Victoria Island, driven by thenorth-west wind out of the current, had approached the continent. Everything, infact, depended upon this, which was their last chance of safety. But withoutsun, moon, or stars, instruments were of course useless, as no observationscould be taken, and the exact position of the island could not be determined.If, then, they were approaching the land, they would only know it when the landcame in sight, and Hobson's only means of ascertaining anything in time to be ofany service, was to get to the south of his dangerous dominions. The position ofVictoria Island with regard to the cardinal points had not sensibly altered allthe time. Cape Bathurst still pointed to the north, as it did when it was theadvanced post of North America. It was, therefore, evident that if VictoriaIsland should come alongside of the continent, it would touch it with itssouthern side,-the communication would, in a word, be re-established by means ofthe broken isthmus; it was, therefore, imperative to ascertain what was going onin that direction.

Hobson determined to go to Cape Michael, however terrible the storm might be,but he meant to keep the real motive of his reconnaissance a secret from hiscompanions. Sergeant Long was to accompany him.

About four o'clock P.M., on the 31st August, Hobson sent for the Sergeant inhis own room, that they might arrange together for all eventualities.

"Sergeant Long," he began, "it is necessary that we should, without delay,ascertain the position of Victoria Island, and above all whether this wind has,as I hope, driven it near to the American continent."

"I quite agree with you, sir," replied Long, "and the sooner we find out thebetter"

"But it will necessitate our going down to the south of the island."

"I am ready, sir."

"I know, Sergeant, that you are always ready to do your duty, but you willnot go alone. Two of us ought to go, that we may be able to let our comradesknow if any land is in sight; and besides I must see for myself ... we will gotogether."

"When you like, Lieutenant, just when you think best."

"We will start this evening at nine o'clock, when everybody else has gone tobed"

"Yes, they would all want to come with us," said Long, "and they must notknow why we go so far from the factory."

"No, they must not know," replied Hobson, "and if I can, I will keep theknowledge of our awful situation from them until the end."

"It is agreed then, sir?"

"Yes. You will take a tinder-box and some touchwood [Footnote: A fungus usedas tinder (Polyporous igniarius).] with you, so that we can make a signalif necessary-if land is in sight in the south, for instance"

"Yes, sir."

"We shall have a rough journey, Sergeant."

"What does that matter, sir, but by the way-the lady?"

"I don't think I shall tell her. She would want to go with us."

"And she could not," said the Sergeant, "a woman could not battle with such agale. Just see how its fury is increasing at this moment!"

Indeed the house was rocking to such an extent that it seemed likely to betorn from its foundations.

"No," said Hobson, "courageous as she is, she could not, she ought not toaccompany us. But on second thought, it will be best to tell her of our project.She ought to know in case any accident should befall us"

"Yes," replied Long, "we ought not to keep anything from her, and if we donot come back"....

"At nine o'clock then, Sergeant."

"At nine o'clock."

And with a military salute Sergeant Long retired.

A few minutes later Hobson was telling Mrs Barnett of his scheme. As heexpected the brave woman insisted on accompanying him, and was quite ready toface the tempest. Hobson did not dissuade her by dwelling on the dangers of theexpedition, he merely said that her presence was necessary at the fort duringhis absence, and that her remaining would set his mind at ease. If any accidenthappened to him it would be a comfort to know that she would take his place.

Mrs Barnett understood and said no more about going; but only urged Hobsonnot to risk himself unnecessarily. To remember that he was the chief officer,that his life was not his own, but necessary to the safety of all. TheLieutenant promised to be as prudent as possible; but added that the examinationof the south of the island must be made at once, and he would make it. The nextday Mrs Barnett merely told her companions that the Lieutenant and the Sergeanthad gone to make a final reconnaissance before the winter set in.

CHAPTER VII.

A FIRE AND A CRY.

The Lieutenant and the Sergeant spent the evening in the large room of thefort, where all were assembled except the astronomer, who still remained shut upin his cabin. The men were busy over their various occupations, some cleaningtheir arms, others mending or sharpening their tools. The women were stitchingaway industriously, and Mrs Paulina Barnett was reading aloud; but she was ofteninterrupted not only by the noise of the wind, which shook the walls of thehouse like a battering-ram, but by the cries of the baby. Corporal Joliffe, whohad undertaken to amuse him, had enough to do. The young gentleman had riddenupon his playmate's knees until they were worn out, and the Corporal at last putthe indefatigable little cavalier on the large table, where he rolled about tohis heart's content until he fell asleep.

At eight o'clock prayers were read as usual, the lamps were extinguished, andall retired to rest.

When every one was asleep, Hobson and Long crept cautiously across the largeroom and gained the passage, where they found Mrs Barnett, who wished to presstheir hands once more.

"Till to-morrow," she said to the Lieutenant.

"Yes," replied Hobson, "to-morrow, madam, without fail."

"But if you are delayed?"

"You must wait patiently for us," replied the Lieutenant, "for if inexamining the southern horizon we should see a fire, which is not unlikely thisdark night, we should know that we were near the coasts of New Georgia, and thenit would be desirable for me to ascertain our position by daylight. In fact, wemay be away forty eight hours. If, however, we can get to Cape Michael beforemidnight, we shall be back at the fort to-morrow evening. So wait patiently,madam, and believe that we shall incur no unnecessary risk."

"But," added the lady, "suppose you don't get back to morrow, suppose you areaway more than two days?"

"Then we shall not return at all," replied Hobson simply.

The door was opened, Mrs Barnett closed it behind the Lieutenant and hiscompanion and went back to her own room, where Madge awaited her, feelinganxious and thoughtful.

Hobson and Long made their way across the inner court through a whirlwindwhich nearly knocked them down; but clinging to each other, and leaning on theiriron-bound staffs, they reached the postern gates, and set out [beween] betweenthe hills and the eastern bank of the lagoon.

A faint twilight enabled them to see their way. The moon, which was new thenight before, would not appear above the horizon, and there was nothing tolessen the gloom of the darkness, which would, however, last but a few hourslonger.

The wind and rain were as violent as ever. The Lieutenant and his companionwore impervious boots and water-proof cloaks well pulled in at the waist, andthe hood completely covering their heads. Thus protected they got along at arapid pace, for the wind was behind them, and sometimes drove them on ratherfaster than they cared to go. Talking was quite out of the question, and theydid not attempt it, for they were deafened by the hurricane, and out of breathwith the buffeting they received.

Hobson did not mean to follow the coast, the windings of which would havetaken him a long way round, and have brought him face to face with the wind,which swept over the sea with nothing to break its fury. His idea was to cutacross in a straight line from Cape Bathurst to Cape Michael, and he wasprovided with a pocket compass with which to ascertain his bearings. He hoped bythis means to cross the ten or eleven miles between him and his goal, justbefore the twilight faded and gave place to the two hours of real darkness.

Bent almost double, with rounded shoulders and stooping heads, the twopressed on. As long as they kept near the lake they did not meet the gale fullface, the little hills crowned with trees afforded them some protection, thewind howled fearfully as it bent and distorted the branches, almost tearing thetrunks up by the roots; but it partly exhausted its strength, and even the rainwhen it reached the explorers was converted into impalpable mist, so that forabout four miles they did not suffer half as much as they expected to.

But when they reached the southern skirts of the wood, where the hillsdisappeared, and there were neither trees nor rising ground, the wind sweptalong with awful force, and involuntarily they paused for a moment. They werestill six miles from Cape Michael.

"We are going to have a bad time of it," shouted Lieutenant Hobson in theSergeant's ear.

"Yes, the wind and rain will conspire to give us a good beating," answeredLong.

"I am afraid that now and then we shall have hail as well," added Hobson.

"It won't be as deadly as grape-shot," replied Long coolly, "and we have bothbeen through that, and so forwards!"

"Forwards, my brave comrade!"

It was then ten o'clock. The twilight was fading away, dying as if drowned inthe mists or quenched by the wind and the rain. There was still, however, somelight, and the Lieutenant struck his flint, and consulted his compass, passing apiece of burning touchwood over it, and then, drawing his cloak more closelyaround him, he plunged after the Sergeant across the unprotected plain.

At the first step, both were flung violently to the ground, but they managedto scramble up, and clinging to each other with their backs bent like two oldcrippled peasants, they struck into a kind of ambling trot.

There was a kind of awful grandeur in the storm to which neither wasinsensible. Jagged masses of mist and ragged rain-clouds swept along the ground.The loose earth and sand were whirled into the air and flung down again likegrape-shot, and the lips of Hobson and his companion were wet with salt spray,although the sea was two or three miles distant at least.

During the rare brief pauses in the gale, they stopped and took breath,whilst the Lieutenant ascertained their position as accurately as possible.

The tempest increased as the night advanced, the air and water seemed to beabsolutely confounded together, and low down on the horizon was formed one ofthose fearful waterspouts which can overthrow houses, tear up forests, and whichthe vessels whose safety they threaten attack with artillery. It really seemedas if the ocean itself was being torn from its bed and flung over the devotedlittle island.

Hobson could not help wondering how it was that the ice-field which supportedit was not broken in a hundred places in this violent convulsion of the sea, theroaring of which could be distinctly heard where he stood. Presently Long, whowas a few steps in advance, stopped suddenly, and turning round managed to makethe Lieutenant hear the broken words-

"Not that way!"

"Why not?"

"The sea!"

"What, the sea! We cannot possibly have got to the southeast coast!"

"Look, look, Lieutenant!"

It was true, a vast sheet of water was indistinctly visible before them, andlarge waves were rolling up and breaking at the Lieutenant's feet.

Hobson again had recourse to his flint, and with the aid of some lightedtouchwood consulted the needle of his compass very carefully.

"No," he said, "the sea is farther to the left, we have not yet passed thewood between us and Cape Michael."

"Then it is"--

"It is a fracture of the island!" cried Hobson, as both were compelled tofling themselves to the ground before the wind, "either a large portion of ourland has been broken off and drifted away, or a gulf has been made, which we cango round. Forwards!"

They struggled to their feet and turned to the right towards the centre ofthe island. For about ten minutes they pressed on in silence, fearing, notwithout reason, that all communication with the south of the island would befound to be cut off. Presently, however, they no longer heard the noise of thebreakers.

"It is only a gulf." screamed Hobson in the Sergeant's ear. "Let us turnround."

And they resumed their original direction towards the south, but both knewonly too well that they had a fearful danger to face, for that portion of theisland on which they were was evidently cracked for a long distance, and mightat any moment separate entirely; should it do so under the influence of thewaves, they would inevitably be drifted away, whither they knew not. Yet theydid not hesitate, but plunged into the mist, not even pausing to wonder if theyshould ever get back.

What anxious forebodings must, however, have pressed upon the heart of theLieutenant. Could he now hope that the island would hold together until thewinter? had not the inevitable breaking up already commenced? If the wind shouldnot drive them on to the coast, were they not doomed to perish very soon, to beswallowed up by the deep, leaving no trace behind them? What a fearful prospectfor all the unconscious inhabitants of the fort!

But through it all the two men, upheld by the consciousness of a duty toperform, bravely struggled on against the gale, which nearly tore them topieces, along the new beach, the foam sometimes bathing their feet, andpresently gained the large wood which shut in Cape Michael. This they would haveto cross to get to the coast by the shortest route, and they entered it incomplete darkness, the wind thundering among the branches over their heads.Everything seemed to be breaking to pieces around them, the dislocated branchesintercepted their passage, and every moment they ran a risk of being crushedbeneath a falling tree, or they stumbled over a stump they had not been able tosee in the gloom. The noise of the waves on the other side of the wood was asufficient guide to their steps, and sometimes the furious breakers shook theweakened ground beneath their feet. Holding each other's hands lest they shouldlose each other, supporting each other, and the one helping the other up when hefell over some obstacle, they at last reached the point for which they werebound.

But the instant they quitted the shelter of the wood a perfect whirlwind torethem asunder, and flung them upon the ground.

"Sergeant, Sergeant! Where are you?" cried Hobson with all the strength ofhis lungs.

"Here, here!" roared Long in reply.

And creeping on the ground they struggled to reach each other; but it seemedas if a powerful hand rivetted them to the spot on which they had fallen, and itwas only after many futile efforts that they managed to reach each other. Havingdone so, they tied their belts together to prevent another separation, and creptalong the sand to a little rising ground crowned by a small clump of pines. Oncethere they were a little more protected, and they proceeded to dig themselves ahole, in which they crouched in a state of absolute exhaustion andprostration.

It was half-past eleven o'clock P.M.

For some minutes neither spoke. With eyes half closed they lay in a kind oftorpor, whilst the trees above them bent beneath the wind, and their branchesrattled like the bones of a skeleton. But yet again they roused themselves fromthis fatal lethargy, and a few mouthfuls of rum from the Sergeant's flaskrevived them.

"Let us hope these trees will hold," at last observed Hobson.

"And that our hole will not blow away with them," added the Sergeant,crouching in the soft sand.

"Well!" said Hobson, "here we are at last, a few feet from Cape Michael, andas we came to make observations, let us make them. I have a presentiment,Sergeant, only a presentiment, remember, that we are not far from firmground!"

Had the southern horizon been visible the two adventurers would have beenable to see two-thirds of it from their position; but it was too dark to makeout anything, and if the hurricane had indeed driven them within sight of land,they would not be able to see it until daylight, unless a fire should be lightedon the continent.

As the Lieutenant had told Mrs Barnett, fishermen often visited that part ofNorth America, which is called New Georgia, and there are a good many smallnative colonies, the members of which collect the teeth of mammoths, thesefossil elephants being very numerous in these latitudes. A few degrees farthersouth, on the island of Sitka, rises New-Archangel, the principal settlement inRussian America, and the head-quarters of the Russian Fur Company, whosejurisdiction once extended over the whole of the Aleutian Islands. The shores ofthe Arctic Ocean are, however, the favourite resort of hunters, especially sincethe Hudson's Bay Company took a lease of the districts formerly in the hands ofthe Russians; and Hobson, although he knew nothing of the country, was wellacquainted with the habits of those who were likely to visit it at this time ofthe year, and was justified in thinking that he might meet fellow-countrymen,perhaps even members of his own Company, or, failing them, some native Indians,scouring the coasts.

But could the Lieutenant reasonably hope that Victoria Island had been driventowards the coast?

"Yes, a hundred times yes," he repeated to the Sergeant again and again. "Forseven days a hurricane has been blowing from the northeast, and although I knowthat the island is very flat, and there is not much for the wind to take holdof, still all these little hills and woods spread out like sails must have feltthe influence of the wind to a certain extent. Moreover, the sea which bears usalong feels its power, and large waves are certainly running in shore. It isimpossible for us to have remained in the current which was dragging us to thewest, we must have been driven out of it, and towards the south. Last time wetook our bearings we were two hundred miles from the coast, and in seven days"--

"Your reasonings are very just, Lieutenant," replied the Sergeant, "and Ifeel that whether the wind helps us or not, God will not forsake us. It cannotbe His will that so many unfortunate creatures should perish, and I put my trustin Him!"

The two talked on in broken sentences, making each other hear above theroaring of the storm, and struggling to pierce the gloom which closed them in onevery side; but they could see nothing, not a ray of light broke the thickdarkness.

About half past one A.M. the hurricane ceased for a few minutes, whilst thefury of the sea seemed to be redoubled, and the large waves, lashed into foam,broke over each other with a roar like thunder.

Suddenly Hobson seizing his companion's arm shouted-

"Sergeant, do you hear?"

"What?"

"The noise of the sea?"

"Of course I do, sir," replied Long, listening more attentively, "and thesound of the breakers seems to me not"--

"Not exactly the same... isn't it Sergeant; listen, listen, it is like thesound of surf!... it seems as if the waves were breaking against rocks!"

Hobson and the Sergeant now listened intently, the monotonous sound of thewaves dashing against each other in the offing was certainly exchanged for theregular rolling sound produced by the breaking of water against a hard body;they heard the reverberating echoes which told of the neighbourhood of rocks,and they knew that along the whole of the coast of their island there was not asingle stone, and nothing more sonorous than the earth and sand of which it wascomposed!

Could they have been deceived? The Sergeant tried to rise to listen better,but he was immediately flung down by the hurricane, which recommenced withrenewed violence. The lull was over, and again the noise of the waves wasdrowned in the shrill whistling of the wind, and the peculiar echo could nolonger be made out.

The anxiety of the two explorers will readily be imagined. They againcrouched down in their hole, doubting whether it would not perhaps be prudent toleave even this shelter, for they felt the sand giving way beneath them, and thepines cracking at their very roots. They persevered, however, in gazing towardsthe south, every nerve strained to the utmost, in the effort to distinguishobjects through the darkness.

The first grey twilight of the dawn might soon be expected to appear, and alittle before half-past two A.M. Long suddenly exclaimed:

"I see it!"

"What?"

"A fire!"

"A fire?"

"Yes, there-over there!"

And he pointed to the south-west. Was he mistaken? No, for Hobson also madeout a faint glimmer in the direction indicated.

"Yes!" he cried, "yes, Sergeant, a fire; there is land there!"

"Unless it is a fire on board ship," replied Long.

"A ship at sea in this weather!" exclaimed Hobson, "impossible! No, no, thereis land there, land I tell you, a few miles from us!"

"Well, let us make a signal!"

"Yes, Sergeant, we will reply to the fire on the mainland by a fire on ourisland!"

Of course neither Hobson nor Long had a torch, but above their heads roseresinous pines distorted by the hurricane.

"Your flint, Sergeant," said Hobson.

Long at once struck his flint, lighted the touchwood, and creeping along thesand climbed to the foot of the thicket of firs, where he was soon joined by theLieutenant. There was plenty of deadwood about, and they piled it up at thestems of the trees, set fire to it, and soon, the wind helping them, they hadthe satisfaction of seeing the whole thicket in a blaze

"Ah!" said Hobson, "as we saw their fire, they will see ours!"

The firs burnt with a lurid glare like a large torch. The dried resin in theold trunks aided the conflagration, and they were rapidly consumed. At last thecrackling ceased, the flames died away, and all was darkness.

Hobson and Long looked in vain for an answering fire-nothing was to be seen.For ten minutes they watched, hoping against hope, and were just beginning todespair, when suddenly a cry was heard, a distinct cry for help. It was a humanvoice, and it came from the sea.

Hobson and Long, wild with eager anxiety, let themselves slide down to theshore.

The cry was not, however, repeated.

The daylight was now gradually beginning to appear, and the violence of thetempest seemed to be decreasing. Soon it was light enough for the horizon to beexamined.

But there was no land in sight, sea and sky were still blended in oneunbroken circle.

CHAPTER VIII.

MRS. PAULINA BARNETT'S EXCURSION.

The whole morning Hobson and Sergeant Long wandered about the coast. Theweather was much improved, the rain had ceased, and the wind had veered round tothe south-east with extraordinary suddenness, without unfortunately decreasingin violence, causing fresh anxiety to the Lieutenant, who could no longer hopeto reach the mainland.

The south-east wind would drive the wandering island farther from thecontinent, and fling it into the dangerous currents, which must drift it to thenorth of the Arctic Ocean.

How could they even be sure that they had really approached the coast duringthe awful night just over. Might it not have been merely a fancy of theLieutenant's? The air was now clear, and they could look round a radius ofseveral miles; yet there was nothing in the least resembling land within sight.Might they not adopt the Sergeant's suggestion, that a ship had passed theisland during the night, that the fire and cry were alike signals of sailors indistress? And if it had been a vessel, must it not have foundered in such astorm?

Whatever the explanation there was no sign of a wreck to be seen either inthe offing or on the beach, and the waves, now driven along by the wind from theland, were large enough to have overwhelmed any vessel.

"Well, Lieutenant," said Sergeant Long, "what is to be done?'"

"We must remain upon our island," replied the Lieutenant, pressing his handto his brow; "we must remain on our island and wait for winter; it alone cansave us."

It was now mid-day, and Hobson, anxious to get back to Fort Hope before theevening, at once turned towards Cape Bathurst.

The wind, being now on their backs, helped them along as it had done before.They could not help feeling very uneasy, as they were naturally afraid that theisland might have separated into two parts in the storm. The gulf observed thenight before might have spread farther, and if so they would be cut off fromtheir friends.

They soon reached the wood they had crossed the night before. Numbers oftrees were lying on the ground, some with broken stems, others torn up by theroots from the soft soil, which had not afforded them sufficient support. Thefew which remained erect were stripped of their leaves, and their naked branchescreaked and moaned as the south-east wind swept over them.

Two miles beyond this desolated forest the wanderers arrived at the edge ofthe gulf they had seen the night before without being able to judge of itsextent. They examined it carefully, and found that it was about fifty feet wide,cutting the coast line straight across near Cape Michael and what was formerlyFort Barnett, forming a kind of estuary running more than a mile and a halfinland. If the sea should again become rough in a fresh storm, this gulf wouldwiden more and more.

Just as Hobson approached the beach, he saw a large piece of ice separatefrom the island and float away!

"Ah!" murmured Long, "that is the danger!"

Both then turned hurriedly to the west, and walked as fast as they couldround the huge gulf, making direct for Fort Hope.

They noticed no other changes by the way, and towards four o'clock theycrossed the court and found all their comrades at their usual occupations.

Hobson told his men that he had wished once more before the winter to see ifthere were any signs of the approach of Captain Craventy's convoy, and that hisexpedition had been fruitless.

"Then, sir," observed Marbre, "I suppose we must give up all idea of seeingour comrades from Fort Reliance for this year at least?"

"I think you must," replied Hobson simply, re-entering the public room.

Mrs Barnett and Madge were told of the two chief events of the exploration:the fire and the cry. Hobson was quite sure that neither he nor the Sergeantwere mistaken. The fire had really been seen, the cry had really been heard; andafter a long consultation every one came to the conclusion that a ship indistress had passed within sight during the night, and that the island had notapproached the American coast.

The south-east wind quickly chased away the clouds and mists, so that Hobsonhoped to be able to take his bearings the next day. The night was colder and afine snow fell, which quickly covered the ground. This first sign of winter washailed with delight by all who knew of the peril of their situation.

On the 2nd September the sky gradually became free from vapours of all kinds,and the sun again appeared. Patiently the Lieutenant awaited its culmination; atnoon he took the latitude, and two hours later a calculation of hour-angles gavehim the longitude.

The following were the results obtained: Latitude, 70? 57'; longitude, 170?30'.

So that, in spite of the violence of the hurricane, the island had remainedin much the same latitude, although it had been drifted somewhat farther west.They were now abreast of Behring Strait, but four hundred miles at least northof Capes East and Prince of Wales, which jut out on either side at the narrowestpart of the passage.

The situation was, therefore, more dangerous than ever, as the island wasdaily getting nearer to the dangerous Kamtchatka Current, which, if it onceseized it in its rapid waters, might carry it far away to the north. Its fatewould now soon be decided. It would either stop where the two currents met, andthere be shut in by the ice of the approaching winter, or it would be driftedaway and lost in the solitudes of the remote hyperborean regions.

Hobson was painfully moved on ascertaining the true state of things, andbeing anxious to conceal his emotion, he shut himself up in his own room and didnot appear again that day. With his chart before him, he racked his brains tofind some way out of the difficulties with which be was beset.

The temperature fell some degrees farther the same day, and the mists, whichhad collected above the south-eastern horizon the day before, resolvedthemselves into snow during the night, so that the next day the white carpet wastwo inches thick. Winter was coming at last.

On September 3rd Mrs Barnett resolved to go a few miles along the coasttowards Cape Esquimaux. She wished to see for herself the changes latelyproduced. If she had mentioned her project to the Lieutenant, he would certainlyhave offered to accompany her; but she did not wish to disturb him, and decidedto go without him, taking Madge with her. There was really nothing to fear, theonly formidable animals, the bears, seemed to have quite deserted the islandafter the earthquake; and two women might, without danger, venture on a walk ofa few hours without an escort.

Madge agreed at once to Mrs Barnett's proposal, and without a word to any onethey set out at eight o'clock A.M., provided with an ice-chisel, a flask ofspirits, and a wallet of provisions.

After leaving Cape Bathurst they turned to the west. The sun was alreadydragging its slow course along the horizon, for at this time of year it wouldonly be a few degrees above it at its culmination. But its oblique rays wereclear and powerful, and the snow was already melting here and there beneaththeir influence.

The coast was alive with flocks of birds of many kinds; ptarmigans,guillemots, puffins, wild geese, and ducks of every variety fluttered about,uttering their various cries, skimming the surface of the sea or of the lagoon,according as their tastes led them to prefer salt or fresh water.

Mrs Barnett had now a capital opportunity of seeing how many furred animalshaunted the neighbourhood of Fort Hope. Martens, ermines, musk-rats, and foxeswere numerous, and the magazines of the factory might easily have been filledwith their skins, but what good would that be now? The inoffensive creatures,knowing that hunting was suspended, went and came fearlessly, venturing close upto the palisade, and becoming tamer every day. Their instinct doubtless toldthem that they and their old enemies were alike prisoners on the island, and acommon danger bound them together. It struck Mrs Barnett as strange that the twoenthusiastic hunters-Marbre and Sabine-should obey the Lieutenant's orders tospare the furred animals without remonstrance or complaint, and appeared noteven to wish to shoot the valuable game around them. It was true the foxes andothers had not yet assumed their winter robes, but this was not enough toexplain the strange indifference of the two hunters.

Whilst walking at a good pace and talking over their strange situation, MrsBarnett and Madge carefully noted the peculiarities of the sandy coast. Theravages recently made by the sea were distinctly visible. Fresh landslipsenabled them to see new fractures in the ice distinctly. The strand, frettedaway in many places, had sunk to an enormous extent, and the waves washed alonga level beach when the perpendicular shores had once checked their advance. Itwas evident that parts of the island were now only on a level with theocean.

"O Madge!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett, pointing to the long smooth tracts on whichthe curling waves broke in rapid succession, "our situation has indeed becomeaggravated by the awful storm! It is evident that the level of the whole islandis gradually becoming lower. It is now only a question of time. Will the wintercome soon enough to save us? Everything depends upon that."

"The winter will come, my dear girl," replied Madge with her usual unshakenconfidence. "We have already had two falls of snow. Ice is [begininng] beginningto accumulate, and God will send it us in time, I feel sure."

"You are right. Madge, we must have faith!" said Mrs Barnett. "We women whodo not trouble ourselves about the scientific reasons for physical phenomena canhope, when men who are better informed, perhaps, despair. That is one of ourblessings, which our Lieutenant unfortunately does not share. He sees thesignificance of facts, he reflects, he calculates, he reckons up the time stillremaining to us, and I see that he is beginning to lose all hope."

"He is a brave, energetic man, for all that," replied Madge.

"Yes," added Mrs Barnett, "and if it be in the power of man to save us, hewill do it."

By nine o'clock the two women had walked four miles. They were often obligedto go inland for some little distance, to avoid parts of the coast alreadyinvaded by the sea. Here and there the waves had encroached half-a-mile beyondthe former high-water line, and the thickness of the ice-field had beenconsiderably reduced. There was danger that it would soon yield in many places,and that new bays would be formed all along the coast.

As they got farther from the fort Mrs Barnett noticed that the number offurred animals decreased considerably. The poor creatures evidently felt moresecure near a human habitation. The only formidable animals which had not beenled by instinct to escape in time from the dangerous island were a few wolves,savage beasts which even a common danger did not conciliate. Mrs Barnett andMadge saw several wandering about on the plains, but they did not approach, andsoon disappeared behind the hills on the south of the lagoon.

"What will become of all these imprisoned animals," said Madge, "when allfood fails them, and they are famished with hunger in the winter?"

"They will not be famished in a hurry, Madge," replied Mrs Barnett, "and weshall have nothing to fear from them; all the martens, ermines, and Polar hares,which we spare will fall an easy prey to them. That is not our danger; thebrittle ground beneath our feet, which may at any moment give way, is our realperil. Only look how the sea is advancing here. It already covers half theplain, and the waves, still comparatively warm, are eating away our island aboveand below at the same time! If the cold does not stop it very soon, the sea willshortly join the lake, and we shall lose our lagoon as we lost our river and ourport!"

"Well, if that should happen it will indeed be an irreparable misfortune!"exclaimed Madge.

"Why?" asked Mrs Barnett, looking inquiringly at her companion.

"Because we shall have no more fresh water," replied Madge.

"Oh, we shall not want for fresh water, Madge," said Mrs Barnett; "the rain,the snow, the ice, the icebergs of the ocean, the very ice-field on which wefloat, will supply us with that; no, no, that is not our danger."

About ten o'clock Mrs Barnett and Madge had readied the rising ground aboveCape Esquimaux, but at least two miles inland, for they had found it impossibleto follow the coast, worn away as it was by the sea. Being rather tired with themany detours they had had to make, they decided to rest a few minutesbefore setting off on their return to Fort Hope. A little hill crowned by aclump of birch trees and a few shrubs afforded a pleasant shelter, and a bankcovered with yellow moss, from which the snow had melted, served them as a seat.The little wallet was opened, and they shared their simple repast likesisters.

Half an hour later, Mrs Barnett proposed that they should climb along thepromontory to the sea, and find out the exact state of Cape Esquimaux. She wasanxious to know if the point of it had resisted the storm, and Madge declaredherself ready to follow "her dear girl" wherever she went, but at the same timereminded her that they were eight or nine miles from Cape Bathurst already, andthat they must not make Lieutenant Hobson uneasy by too long an absence.

But some presentiment made Mrs Barnett insist upon doing as she proposed, andshe was right, as the event proved. It would only delay them half an hour afterall.

They had not gone a quarter of a mile before Mrs Barnett stopped suddenly,and pointed to some clear and regular impressions upon the snow. These marksmust have been made within the last nine or ten hours, or the last fall of snowwould have covered them over.

"What animal has passed along here, I wonder?" said Madge.

"It was not an animal," said Mrs Barnett, bending down to examine the marksmore closely, "not a quadruped certainly, for its four feet would have leftimpressions very different from these. Look, Madge, they are the footprints of ahuman person!"

"But who could have been here?" inquired Madge; "none of the soldiers orwomen have left the fort, and we are on an island, remember. You must bemistaken, my dear; but we will follow the marks, and see where they leadus."

They did so, and fifty paces farther on both again paused.

"Look, Madge, look!" cried Mrs Barnett, seizing her companion's arm, "andthen say if I am mistaken."

Near the footprints there were marks of a heavy body having been draggedalong the snow, and the impression of a hand.

"It is the hand of a woman or a child!" cried Madge.

"Yes!" replied Mrs Barnett; "a woman or a child has fallen here exhausted,and risen again to stumble farther on; look, the footprints again, and father onmore falls!"

"Who, who could it have been?" exclaimed Madge.

"How can I tell?" replied Mrs Barnett. "Some unfortunate creature imprisonedlike ourselves for three or four months perhaps. Or some shipwrecked wretchflung upon the coast in the storm. You remember the fire and the cry of whichSergeant Long and Lieutenant Hobson spoke. Come, come, Madge, there may be someone in danger for us to save!

And Mrs Barnett, dragging Madge with her, ran along following the traces, andfurther on found that they were stained with blood.

The brave, tender-hearted woman, had spoken of saving some one in danger; hadshe then forgotten that there was no safety for any upon the island, doomedsooner or later to be swallowed up by the ocean?

The impressions on the ground led towards Cape Esquimaux. And the twocarefully traced them, but the footprints presently disappeared, whilst theblood-stains increased, making an irregular pathway along the snow. It wasevident the poor wretch had been unable to walk farther, and had crept along onhands and knees; here and there fragments of torn clothes were scattered about,bits of sealskin and fur.

"Come, come," cried Mrs Barnett, whose heart beat violently.

Madge followed her, they were only a few yards from Cape Esquimaux, which nowrose only a few feet upon the sea-level against the background of the sky, andwas quite deserted.

The impressions now led them to the right of the cape, and running along theysoon climbed to the top, but there was still nothing, absolutely nothing, to beseen. At the foot of the cape, where the slight ascent began, the traces turnedto the right, and led straight to the sea.

Mrs Barnett was turning to the right also, but just as she was stepping on tothe beach, Madge, who had been following her and looking about uneasily, caughthold of her hand, and exclaimed-

"Stop! stop!" "No, Madge, no!" cried Mrs Barnett, who was drawn along by akind of instinct in spite of herself.

"Stop, stop, and look!" cried Madge, tightening her hold on her mistress'shand.

On the beach, about fifty paces from Cape Esquimaux, a large white mass wasmoving about and growling angrily.

It was an immense Polar bear, and the two women watched it with beatinghearts. It was pacing round and round a bundle of fur on the ground, which itsmelt at every now and then, lifting it up and letting it fall again. The bundleof fur looked like the dead body of a walrus.

Mrs Barnett and Madge did not know what to think, whether to advance or toretreat, but presently as the body was moved about a kind of hood fell back fromthe head, and some long locks of brown hair were thrown over the snow.

"It is a woman! a woman!" cried Mrs Barnett, eager to rush to her assistanceand find out if she were dead or alive!

"Stop!" repeated Madge, holding her back; "the bear won't harm her."

And, indeed, the formidable creature merely turned the body over, and showedno inclination of tearing it with its dreadful claws. It went away and came backapparently uncertain what to do. It had not yet perceived the two women who wereso anxiously watching it.

Suddenly a loud crack was heard. The earth shook, and it seemed as if thewhole of Cape Esquimaux were about to be plunged into the sea.

A large piece of the island had broken away, and a huge piece of ice, thecentre of gravity of which had been displaced by the alteration in its specificweight, drifted away, carrying with it the bear and the body of the woman.

Mrs Barnett screamed, and would have flung herself upon the broken ice beforeit floated away, if Madge had not clutched her hand firmly, saying quietly--

"Stop! stop!"

At the noise produced by the breaking off of the piece of ice, the bearstarted back with a fearful growl, and, leaving the body, rushed to the sidewhere the fracture had taken place; but he was already some forty feet from thecoast, and in his terror he ran round and round the islet, tearing up the groundwith his claws, and stamping the sand and snow about him.

Presently he returned to the motionless body, and, to the horror of the twowomen, seized it by the clothes with his teeth, and carrying it to the edge ofthe ice, plunged with it into the sea.

Being a powerful swimmer, like the whole race of Arctic bears, he soon gainedthe shores of the island. With a great exertion of strength he managed to climbup the ice, and having reached the surface of the island he quietly laid downthe body he had brought with him.

Mrs Barnett could no longer be held back, and, shaking off Madge's hold, sherushed to the beach, never thinking of the danger she ran in facing a formidablecarnivorous creature.

The bear, seeing her approach, reared upon his hind legs, and came towardsher, but at about ten paces off he paused, shook his great head, and turninground with a low growl, quietly walked away towards the centre of the island,without once looking behind him. He, too, was evidently affected by themysterious fear which had tamed all the wild animals on the island.

Mrs Barnett was soon bending over the body stretched about the snow.

A cry of astonishment burst from her lips:

"Madge, Madge, come!" she exclaimed.

Madge approached and looked long and fixedly at the inanimate body. It wasthe young Esquimaux girl Kalumah!

CHAPTER IX.

KALUMAH'S ADVENTURES.

Kalumah on the floating island, two hundred miles from the American coast. Itwas almost incredible!

The first thing to be ascertained was whether the poor creature stillbreathed. Was it possible to restore her to life? Mrs Barnett loosened herclothes, and found that her body was not yet quite cold. Her heart beat veryfeebly, but it did beat. The blood they had seen came from a slight wound in herhand; Madge bound it up with her handkerchief, and the bleeding soon ceased.

At the same time Mrs Barnett raised the poor girl's head, and managed to poura few drops of rum between her parted lips. She then bathed her forehead andtemples with cold water, and waited.

A few minutes passed by, and neither of the watchers were able to utter aword, so anxious were they lest the faint spark of life remaining to the youngEsquimaux should be quenched.

But at last Kalumah's breast heaved with a faint sigh, her hands movedfeebly, and presently she opened her eyes, and recognising her preserver shemurmured-

"Mrs Barnett! Mrs Barnett!"

The lady was not a little surprised at hearing her own name. Had Kalumahvoluntarily sought the floating island, and did she expect to find her oldEuropean friends on it? If so, how had she come to know it, and how had shemanaged to reach the island, two hundred miles from the mainland? How could shehave guessed that the ice-field as bearing Mrs Barnett and all the occupants ofFort Hope away from the American coast? Really it all seemed quiteinexplicable.

"She lives-she will recover!" exclaimed Madge, who felt the vital heat andpulsation returning to the poor bruised body.

"Poor child, poor child'" said Mrs Barnett, much affected; "she murmured myname when she was at the point of death."

But now Kalumah again half opened her eyes, and looked about her with adreamy unsatisfied expression, presently, however, seeing Mrs Barnett, her facebrightened, the same name again burst from her lips, and painfully raising herhand she let it fall on that of her friend.

The anxious care of the two women soon revived Kalumah, whose extremeexhaustion arose not only from fatigue but also from hunger. She had eatennothing for forty-eight hours. Some pieces of cold venison and a little rumrefreshed her, and she soon felt able to accompany her newly-found friends tothe fort.

Before starting, however, Kalumah, seated on the sand between Mrs Barnett andMadge, overwhelmed them with thanks and expressions of attachment. Then she toldher story: she had not forgotten the Europeans of Fort Hope, and the thought ofMrs Paulina Barnett had been ever present with her. It was not by chance, as weshall see, that she had come to Victoria Island.

The following is a brief summary of what Kalumah related to Mrs Barnett:-

Our readers will remember the young Esquimaux's promise to come and see herfriends at Fort Hope again in the fine season of the next year. The long Polarnight being over, and the month of May having come round, Kalumah set out tofulfil her pledge. She left Russian America, where she had wintered, andaccompanied by one of her brothers-in-law, started for the peninsula ofVictoria.

Six weeks later, towards the middle of June, she got to that part of BritishAmerica which is near Cape Bathurst. She at once recognised the volcanicmountains shutting in Liverpool Bay, and twenty miles farther east she came toWalruses' Bay, where her people had so often hunted morses and seals.

But beyond the bay on the north, there was nothing to be seen. The coastsuddenly sank to the south-east in an almost straight line. Cape Esquimaux andCape Bathurst had alike disappeared.

Kalumah understood what had happened. Either the whole of the peninsula hadbeen swallowed up by the waves, or it was floating away as an island, no oneknew whither!

Kalumah's tears flowed fast at the loss of those whom she had come so far tosee.

Her brother-in-law, however, had not appeared surprised at the catastrophe. Akind of legend or tradition had been handed down amongst the nomad tribes ofNorth America, that Cape Bathurst did not form part of the mainland, but hadbeen joined on to it thousands of years before, and would sooner or later betorn away in some convulsion of nature. Hence the surprise at finding thefactory founded by Hobson at the foot of the cape. But with the unfortunatereserve characteristic of their race, and perhaps also under the influence ofthat enmity which all natives feel for those who settle in their country, theysaid nothing to the Lieutenant, whose fort was already finished. Kalumah knewnothing of this tradition, which after all rested on no trustworthy evidence,and probably belonged to the many northern legends relating to the creation.This was how it was that the colonists of Fort Hope were not warned of thedanger they ran in settling on such a spot.

Had a word in season been spoken to Hobson he would certainly have gonefarther in search of some firmer foundation for his fort than this soil, certainpeculiarities of which he had noticed at the first.

When Kalumah had made quite sure that all trace of Cape Bathurst was gone,she explored the coast as far as the further side of Washburn Bay, but withoutfinding any sign of those she sought, and at last there was nothing left for herto do but to return to the fisheries of Russian America.

She and her brother-in-law left Walruses' Bay at the end of June, andfollowing the coast got back to New Georgia towards the end of July, after anabsolutely fruitless journey.

Kalumah now gave up all hope of again seeing Mrs Barnett and the othercolonists of Fort Hope. She concluded that they had all been swallowed up by theocean long ago.

At this part of her tale the young Esquimaux looked at Mrs Barnett with eyesfull of tears, and pressed her hand [affectionaly] affectionately, and then shemurmured her thanks to God for her own preservation through the means of herfriend.

Kalumah on her return home resumed her customary occupations, and worked withthe rest of her tribe at the fisheries near Icy Cape, a point a little above theseventieth parallel, and more than six hundred miles from Cape Bathurst.

Nothing worthy of note happened during the first half of the month of April;but towards the end the storm began which had caused Hobson so much uneasiness,and which had apparently extended its ravages over the whole of the Arctic Oceanand beyond Behring Strait. It was equally violent at Icy Cape and on VictoriaIsland, and, as the Lieutenant ascertained in taking his bearings, the latterwas then not more than two hundred miles from the coast.

As Mrs Barnett listened to Kalumah, her previous information enabled herrapidly to find the key to the strange events which had taken place, and toaccount for the arrival of the young native on the island.

During the first days of the storm the Esquimaux of Icy Cape were confined totheir huts. They could neither get out nor fish. But during the night of the31st August a kind of presentiment led Kalumah to venture down to the beach,and, braving the wind and rain in all their fury, she peered anxiously throughthe darkness at the waves rising mountains high.

Presently she thought she saw a huge mass driven along by the hurricaneparallel with the coast. Gifted with extremely keen sight-as are all thesewandering tribes accustomed to the long dark Polar nights-she felt sure that shewas not mistaken.

Something of vast bulk was passing two miles from the coast, and thatsomething could be neither a whale, a boat, nor, at this time of the year, evenan iceberg.

But Kalumah did not stop to reason. The truth flashed upon her like arevelation. Before her excited imagination rose the images of her friends. Shesaw them all once more, Mrs Barnett, Madge, Lieutenant Hobson, the baby she hadcovered with kisses at Fort Hope. Yes, they were passing, borne along in thestorm on a floating ice-field!

Kalumah did not doubt or hesitate a moment. She felt that she must tell thepoor shipwrecked people, which she was sure they were, of the close vicinity ofthe land. She ran to her hut, seized a torch of tow and resin, such as theEsquimaux use when fishing at night, lit it and waved it on the beach at thesummit of Icy Cape.

This was the fire which Hobson and Long had seen when crouching on CapeMichael on the night of the 31st August.

Imagine the delight and excitement of the young Esquimaux when a signalreplied to hers, when she saw the huge fire lit by Lieutenant Hobson, thereflection of which reached the American coast, although he did not dream thathe was so near it.

But it quickly went out, the lull in the storm only lasted a few minutes, andthe fearful gale, veering round to the south-east, swept along with redoubledviolence.

Kalumah feared that her "prey," so she called the floating island, was aboutto escape her, and that it would not be driven on to the shore. She saw itfading away, and knew that it would soon disappear in the darkness and be lostto her on the boundless ocean.

It was indeed a terrible moment for the young native, and she determined atall hazards to let her friends know of their situation. There might yet be timefor them to take some steps for their deliverance, although every hour took themfarther from the continent.

She did not hesitate a moment, her kayak was at hand, the frail bark in whichshe had more than once braved the storms of the Arctic Ocean, she pushed it downto the sea, hastily laced on the sealskin jacket fastened to the canoe, and, thelong paddle in her hand, she plunged into the darkness.

Mrs Barnett here pressed the brave child to her heart, and Madge shed tearsof sympathy.

When launched upon the roaring ocean, Kalumah found the change of wind in herfavour. The waves dashed over her kayak, it is true, but they were powerless toharm the light boat, which floated on their crests like a straw. It was capsizedseveral times, but a stroke of the paddle righted it at once.

After about an hour's hard work, Kalumah could see the wandering island moredistinctly, and had no longer any doubt of effecting her purpose, as she was buta quarter of a mile from the beach.

It was then that she uttered the cry which Hobson and Long had heard.

But, alas! Kalumah now felt herself being carried away towards the west by apowerful current, which could take firmer hold of her kayak than of the floatingisland!

In vain she struggled to beat back with her paddle, the light boat shot alonglike an arrow. She uttered scream after scream, but she was unheard, for she wasalready far away, and when the day broke the coasts of Alaska and the island shehad wished to reach, were but two distant masses on the horizon.

Did she despair? Not yet. It was impossible to get back to the Americancontinent in the teeth of the terrible wind which was driving the island beforeit at a rapid pace, taking it out two hundred miles in thirty-six hours, andassisted by the current from the coast.

There was but one thing left to do. To get to the island by keeping in thesame current which was drifting it away.

But, alas! the poor girl's strength was not equal to her courage, she wasfaint from want of food, and, exhausted as she was, she could no longer wieldher paddle.

For some hours she struggled on, and seemed to be approaching the island,although those on it could not see her, as she was but a speck upon the ocean.She struggled on until her stiffened arms and bleeding hands fell powerless,and, losing consciousness, she was floated along in her frail kayak at the mercyof winds and waves.

She did not know how long this lasted, she remembered nothing more, until asudden shock roused her, her kayak had struck against something, it openedbeneath her, and she was plunged into cold water, the freshness of which revivedher. A few moments later, she was flung upon the sand in a dying state by alarge wave.

This had taken place the night before, just before dawn-that is to say, abouttwo or three o'clock in the morning. Kalumah had then been seventy hours at seasince she embarked!

The young native had no idea where she had been thrown, whether on thecontinent or on the floating island, which she had so bravely sought, but shehoped the latter. Yes, hoped that she had reached her friends, although she knewthat the wind and current had driven them into the open sea, and not towards thecoast!

The thought revived her, and, shattered as she was, she struggled to herfeet, and tried to follow the coast.

She had, in fact, been providentially thrown on that portion of VictoriaIsland which was formerly the upper corner of Walruses' Bay. But, worn away asit was by the waves, she did not recognise the land with which she had once beenfamiliar.

She tottered on, stopped, and again struggled to advance; the beach beforeher appeared endless, she had so often to go round where the sea had encroachedupon the sand. And so dragging herself along, stumbling and scrambling up again,she at last approached the little wood where Mrs. Barnett and Madge had haltedthat very morning. We know that the two women found the footprints left byKalumah in the snow not far from this very spot, and it was at a short distancefarther on that the poor girl fell for the last time. Exhausted by fatigue andhunger, she still managed to creep along on hands and knees for a few minuteslonger.

A great hope kept her from despair, for she had at last recognised CapeEsquimaux, at the foot of which she and her people had encamped the year before.She knew now that she was but eight miles from the factory, and that she hadonly to follow the path she had so often traversed when she went to visit herfriends at Fort Hope.

Yes, this hope sustained her, but she had scarcely reached the beach when herforces entirely failed her, and she again lost all consciousness. But for MrsBarnett she would have died.

"But, dear lady," she added, "I knew that you would come to my rescue, andthat God would save me by your means."

We know the rest. We know the providential instinct which led Mrs Barnett andMadge to explore this part of the coast on this very day, and the presentimentwhich made them visit Cape Esquimaux after they had rested, and before returningto Fort Hope. We know too-as Mrs Barnett related to Kalumah- how the piece ofice had floated away, and how the bear had acted under the circumstances.

"And after all," added Mrs Barnett with a smile, "it was not I who saved you,but the good creature without whose aid you would never have come back to us,and if ever we see him again we will treat him with the respect due to yourpreserver."

During this long conversation Kalumah was rested and refreshed, and MrsBarnett proposed that they should return to the fort at once, as she had alreadybeen too long away. The young girl immediately rose ready to start.

Mrs Barnett was indeed most anxious to tell the Lieutenant of all that hadhappened during the night of the storm, when the wandering island had neared theAmerican continent, but she urged Kalumah to keep her adventures secret, and tosay nothing about the situation of the island. She would naturally be supposedto have come along the coast, in fulfilment of the promise she had made to visither friends in the fine season. Her arrival would tend only to strengthen thebelief of the colonists that no changes had taken place in the country aroundCape Bathurst, and to set at rest the doubts any of them might haveentertained.

It was about three o'clock when Madge and Mrs Barnett, with Kalumah hangingon her arm, set out towards the east, and before five o'clock in the afternoonthey all arrived at the postern of the fort.

CHAPTER X.

THE KAMTCHATKA CURRENT.

We can readily imagine the reception given to Kalumah by all at the fort. Itseemed to them that the communication with the outer world was reopened. MrsMac-Nab, Mrs Rae and Mrs Joliffe overwhelmed her with caresses, but Kalumah'sfirst thought was for the little child, she caught sight of him immediately, andrunning to him covered him with kisses.

The young native was charmed and touched with the hospitality of her Europeanhosts. A positive fete was held in her honour and every one was delightedthat she would have to remain at the fort for the winter, the season being toofar advanced for her to get back to the settlements of Russian America beforethe cold set in.

But if all the settlers were agreeably surprised at the appearance ofKalumah, what must Lieutenant Hobson have thought when he saw her leaning on MrsBarnett's arm. A sudden hope flashed across his mind like lightning, and asquickly died away: perhaps in spite of the evidence of his daily observationsVictoria Island had run aground somewhere on the continent unnoticed by any ofthem.

Mrs Barnett read the Lieutenant's thoughts in his face, and shook her headsadly.

He saw that no change had taken place in their situation, and waited untilMrs Barnett was able to explain Kalumah's appearance.

A few minutes later he was walking along the beach with the lady, listeningwith great interest to her account of Kalumah's adventures.

So he had been right in all his conjectures. The north-east hurricane haddriven the island out of the current. The ice-field had approached within a mileat least of the American continent. It had not been a fire on board ship whichthey had seen, or the cry of a shipwrecked mariner which they had heard. Themainland had been close at hand, and had the north-east wind blown hard foranother hour Victoria Island would have struck against the coast of RussianAmerica. And then at this critical moment a fatal, a terrible wind had driventhe island away from the mainland back to the open sea, and it was again in thegrasp of the irresistible current, and was being carried along with a speedwhich nothing could check, the mighty south-east wind aiding its headlongcourse, to that terribly dangerous spot where it would be exposed to contraryattractions, either of which might lead to its destruction and that of all theunfortunate people dragged along with it.

For the hundredth time the Lieutenant and Mrs Barnett discussed all thebearings of the case, and then Hobson inquired if any important changes hadtaken place in the appearance of the districts between Cape Bathurst andWalruses' Bay?

Mrs Barnett replied that in some places the level of the coast appeared to belowered, and that the waves now covered tracts of sand which were formerly outof their reach. She related what had happened at Cape Esquimaux, and theimportant fracture which had taken place at that part of the coast.

Nothing could have been less satisfactory. It was evident that the ice-fieldforming the foundation of the island was breaking up. What had happened at CapeEsquimaux might at any moment be reproduced at Cape Bathurst. At any hour of theday or night the houses of the factory might be swallowed up by the deep, andthe only thing which could save them was the winter, the bitter winter which wasfortunately rapidly approaching.

The next day, September 4th, when Hobson took his bearings, he found that theposition of Victoria Island had not sensibly changed since the day before. Ithad remained motionless between the two contrary currents, which was on thewhole the very best thing that could have happened.

"If only the cold would fix us where we are, if the ice wall would shut usin, and the sea become petrified around us," exclaimed Hobson, "I should feelthat our safety was assured. We are but two hundred miles from the coast at thismoment, and by venturing across the frozen ice fields we might perhaps reacheither Russian America or Kamtchatka. Winter, winter at any price, let thewinter set in, no matter how rapidly."

Meanwhile, according to the Lieutenant's orders, the preparations for thewinter were completed. Enough forage to last the dogs the whole of the Polarnight was stored up. They were all in good health, but getting rather fat withhaving nothing to do. They could not be taken too much care of, as they wouldhave to work terribly hard in the journey across the ice after the abandonmentof Fort Hope. It was most important to keep up their strength, and they were fedon raw reindeer venison, plenty of which was easily attainable.

The tame reindeer also prospered, their stable was comfortable, and a goodsupply of moss was laid by for them in the magazines of the fort. The femalesprovided Mrs Joliffe with plenty of milk for her daily culinary needs.

The Corporal and his little wife had also sown fresh seeds, encouraged by thesuccess of the last in the warm season. The ground had been prepared beforehandfor the planting of scurvy-grass and Labrador Tea. It was important that thereshould be no lack of these valuable anti-scorbutics.

The sheds were filled with wood up to the very roof. Winter might come assoon as it liked now, and freeze the mercury in the cistern of the thermometer,there was no fear that they would again be reduced to burn their furniture asthey had the year before. Mac-Nab and his men had become wise by experience, andthe chips left from the boat-building added considerably to their stock offuel.

About this time a few animals were taken which had already assumed theirwinter furs, such as martens, polecats, blue foxes, and ermines. Marbre andSabine had obtained leave from the Lieutenant to set some traps outside theenceinte. He did not like to refuse them this permission, lest they shouldbecome discontented, as he had really no reason to assign for putting a stop tothe collecting of furs, although he knew full well that the destination of theseharmless creatures could do nobody any good. Their flesh was, however, usefulfor feeding the dogs, and enabled them to economise the reindeer venison.

All was now prepared for the winter, and the soldiers worked with an energywhich they would certainly not have shown if they had been told the secret oftheir situation.

During the next few days the bearings were taken with the greatest care, butno change was noticeable in the situation of Victoria Island; and Hobson,finding that it was motionless, began to have fresh hope. Although there were asyet no symptoms of winter in inorganic nature, the temperature maintaining amean height of 49? Fahrenheit, some swans flying to the south in search of awarmer climate was a good omen. Other birds capable of a long-sustained flightover vast tracts of the ocean began to desert the island. They knew full wellthat the continent of America and of Asia, with their less severe climates andtheir plentiful resources of every kind, were not far off, and that their wingswere strong enough to carry them there. A good many of these birds were caught;and by Mrs Barnett's advice the Lieutenant tied round their necks a stiff clothticket, on which was inscribed the position of the wandering island, and thenames of its inhabitants. The birds were then set free, and their captorswatched them wing their way to the south with envious eyes.

Of course none were in the secret of the sending forth of these messengers,except Mrs Barnett, Madge, Kalumah, Hobson, and Long.

The poor quadrupeds were unable to seek their usual winter refuges in thesouth. Under ordinary circumstances the reindeer, Polar hares, and even thewolves would have left early in September for the shores of the Great Bear andSlave Lakes, a good many degrees farther south; but now the sea was aninsurmountable barrier, and they, too, would have to wait until the wintershould render it passable. Led by instinct they had doubtless tried to leave theisland, but, turned back by the water, the instinct of self-preservation hadbrought them to the neighbourhood of Fort Hope, to be near the men who were oncetheir hunters and most formidable enemies, but were now, like themselves,rendered comparatively inoffensive by their imprisonment.

The observations of the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th September, revealed noalteration in the position of Victoria Island. The large eddy between the twocurrents kept it stationary. Another fifteen days, another three weeks of thisstate of things, and Hobson felt that they might be saved.

But they were not yet out of danger, and many terrible, almost supernatural,trials still awaited the inhabitants of Fort Hope.

On the 10th of September observations showed a displacement of VictoriaIsland. Only a slight displacement, but in a northerly direction.

Hobson was in dismay; the island was finally in the grasp of the KamtchatkaCurrent, and was drifting towards the unknown latitudes where the large icebergscome into being; it was on its way to the vast solitudes of the Arctic Ocean,interdicted to the human race, from which there is no return.

Hobson did not hide this new danger from those who were in the secret of thesituation. Mrs Barnett, Madge, Kalumah, and Sergeant Long received this freshblow with courage and resignation.

"Perhaps," said Mrs Barnett, "the island may stop even yet. Perhaps it willmove slowly. Let us hope on ... and wait! The winter is not far off, and we aregoing to meet it. In any case God's will be done!" "My friends," said Hobsonearnestly, "do you not think I ought now to tell our comrades. You see in what aterrible position we are and all that may await us! Is it not taking too great aresponsibility to keep them in ignorance of the peril they are in?"

"I should wait a little longer," replied Mrs Barnett without hesitation; "Iwould not give them all over to despair until the last chance is gone."

"That is my opinion also," said Long.

Hobson had thought the same, and was glad to find that his companions agreedwith him in the matter.

On the 11th and 12th September, the motion towards the north was morenoticeable. Victoria Island was drifting at a rate of from twelve to thirteenmiles a day, so that each day took them the same distance farther from the landand nearer to the north. They were, in short, following the decided course madeby the Kamtchatka Current, and would quickly pass that seventieth degree whichonce cut across the extremity of Cape Bathurst, and beyond which no land of anykind was to be met with in this part of the Arctic Ocean.

Every day Hobson looked out their position on the map, and saw only tooclearly to what awful solitudes the wandering island was drifting.

The only hope left consisted, as Mrs Barnett had said, in the fact that theywere going to meet the winter. In thus drifting towards the north they wouldsoon encounter those ice-cold waters, which would consolidate and strengthen thefoundations of the island. But if the danger of being swallowed up by the waveswas decreased, would not the unfortunate colonists have an immense distance totraverse to get back from these remote northern regions? Had the boat beenfinished, Lieutenant Hobson would not have hesitated to embark the whole partyin it, but in spite of the zealous efforts of the carpenter it was not nearlyready, and indeed it taxed Mac-Nab's powers to the uttermost to construct avessel on which to trust the lives of twenty persons in such a dangerous sea

By the 16th September Victoria Island was between seventy-three and eightymiles north of the spot where its course had been arrested for a few daysbetween the Behring and Kamtchatka Cur rents There were now, however, many signsof the approach of winter Snow fell frequently and in large flakes The column ofmercury fell gradually The mean temperature was still 44? Fahrenheit during theday, but at night it fell to 32?. The sun described an extremely lengthenedcurve above the horizon, not rising more than a few degrees even at noon, anddisappearing for eleven hours out of every twenty four.

At last, on the night of the 16th September, the first signs of ice appearedupon the sea in the shape of small isolated crystals like snow, which stainedthe clear surface of the water As was noticed by the famous explorer Scoresby,these crystals immediately calmed the waves, like the oil which sailors pourupon the sea to produce a momentary cessation of its agitation These crystalsshowed a tendency to weld themselves together, but they were broken andseparated by the motion of the water as soon as they had combined to anyextent.

Hobson watched the appearance of the "young ice" with extreme attention. Heknew that twenty four hours would suffice to make the ice-crust two or threeinches thick, strong enough in fact to bear the weight of a man He thereforeexpected that Victoria Island would shortly be arrested in its course to thenorth.

But the day ended the work of the night, and if the speed of the islandslackened during the darkness in consequence of the obstacles in its path, theywere removed in the next twelve hours, and the island was carried rapidly alongagain by the powerful current.

The distance from the northern regions became daily less, and nothing couldbe done to lessen the evil.

At the autumnal equinox on the 21st of September, the day and night were ofequal length, and from that date the night gradually became longer and longer.The winter was coming at last, but it did not set in rapidly or with any rigourVictoria Island was now nearly a degree farther north than the seventiethparallel, and on this 21st September, a rotating motion was for the first timenoticed, a motion estimated by Hobson at about a quarter of thecircumference.

Imagine the anxiety of the unfortunate Lieutenant. The secret he had so longcarefully kept was now about to be betrayed by nature to the least clearsighted. Of course the rotation altered the cardinal points of the island. CapeBathurst no longer pointed to the north, but to the east. The sun, moon, andstars rose and set on a different horizon, and it was impossible that men likeMac-Nab, Rae, Marbre and others, accustomed to note the signs of the heavens,could fail to be struck by the change, and understand its meaning.

To Hobson's great satisfaction, however, the brave soldiers appeared tonotice nothing, the displacement with regard to the cardinal points was not, itwas true, very considerable, and it was often too foggy for the rising andsetting of the heavenly bodies to be accurately observed.

Unfortunately the rotation appeared to be accompanied by an increase ofspeed. From that date Victoria Island drifted at the rate of a mile an hour. Itadvanced farther and farther north, farther and farther away from all land.Hobson did not even yet despair, for it was not in his nature to do so, but hefelt confused and astray, and longed for the winter with all his heart.

At last the temperature began to fall still lower. Snow fell plentifully onthe 23d and 24th September, and increased the thickness of the coating of ice onthe sea. Gradually the vast ice-field was formed on every side, the island inits advance continually broke it up, but each day it became firmer and betterable to resist. The sea succumbed to the petrifying hand of winter, and becamefrozen as far as the eye could reach, and on September 27th, when the bearingswere taken, it was found that Victoria Island had not moved since the daybefore. It was imprisoned in a vast ice-field, it was motionless in longitude177? 22', and latitude 77? 57'-more than six hundred miles from anycontinent.

CHAPTER XI

A COMMUNICATION FROM LIEUTENANT HOBSON.

Such was the situation. To use Sergeant Long's expression, the island had"cast anchor," and was as stationary as when the isthmus connected it with themainland. But six hundred miles now separated it from inhabited countries, sixhundred miles which would have to be traversed in sledges across the solidifiedsurface of the sea, amongst the icebergs which the cold would build up, in thebitterest months of the Arctic winter.

It would be a fearful undertaking, but hesitation was impossible. The winter,for which Lieutenant Hobson had so ardently longed, had come at last, andarrested the fatal march of the island to the north. It would throw a bridge sixhundred miles long from their desolate home to the continents on the south, andthe new chances of safety must not be neglected, every effort must be made torestore the colonists, so long lost in the hyperborean regions, to theirfriends.

As Hobson explained to his companions, it would be madness to linger till thespring should again thaw the ice, which would be to abandon themselves once moreto the capricious Behring currents. They must wait until the sea was quitefirmly frozen over, which at the most would be in another three or four weeks.Meanwhile the Lieutenant proposed making frequent excursions on the ice-fieldencircling the island, in order to ascertain its thickness, its suitability forthe passage of sledges, and the best route to take across it so as to reach theshores of Asia or America.

"Of course," observed Hobson to Mrs Barnett and Sergeant Long, "we would allrather make for Russian America than Asia, if a choice is open to us."

"Kalumah will be very useful to us," said Mrs Barnett, "for as a native shewill be thoroughly acquainted with the whole of Alaska."

"Yes, indeed," replied Hobson, "her arrival was most fortunate for us. Thanksto her, we shall be easily able to get to the settlement of Fort Michael onNorton Sound, perhaps even to New Archangel, a good deal farther south, where wecan pass the rest of the winter."

"Poor Fort Hope!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett, "it goes to my heart to think ofabandoning it on this island. It has been built at the cost of so much troubleand fatigue, everything about it has been so admirably arranged by you,Lieutenant! I feel as if my heart would break when we leave it finally."

"You will not suffer more than I shall, madam," replied Hobson, "and perhapsnot so much. It is the chief work of my life; I have devoted all my powers tothe foundation of Fort Hope, so unfortunately named, and I shall never cease toregret having to leave it. And what will the Company say which confided thistask to me, for after all I am` but its humble agent."

"It will say," cried Mrs Barnett with enthusiasm, "it will say that you havedone your duty, that you are not responsible for the caprices of nature, whichis ever more powerful than man. It will understand that you could not foreseewhat has happened, for it was beyond the penetration of the most far-sightedman, and it will know that it owes the preservation of the whole party to yourprudence and moral courage."

"Thank you, madam," replied the Lieutenant, pressing Mrs Barnett's hand,"thank you for your warm-hearted words. But I have had some experience of men,and I know that success is always admired and failure condemned. But the will ofHeaven be done!"

Sergeant Long, anxious to turn the Lieutenant from his melancholy thoughts,now began to talk about the preparations for the approaching departure, andasked if it was not time to tell his comrades the truth.

"Let us wait a little longer," replied Hobson. "We have saved the poorfellows much anxiety and worry already, let us keep silent until the day isfixed for the start, and then we will reveal the whole truth."

This point being decided, the ordinary occupations of the factory went on fora few weeks longer.

How different was the situation of the colonists a year ago, when they wereall looking forward to the future in happy unconsciousness!

A year ago the first symptoms of the cold season were appearing, even as theywere now. The "young ice" was gradually forming along the coast. The lagoon, itswaters being quieter than those of the sea, was the first to freeze over. Thetemperature remained about one or two degrees above freezing point in the day,and fell to three or four degrees below in the night. Hobson again made his menassume their winter garments, the linen vests and furs before described. Thecondensers were again set up inside the house, the air vessel and air-pumps werecleaned, the traps were set round the palisades on different parts of CapeBathurst, and Marbre and Sabine got plenty of game, and finally the last toucheswere given to the inner rooms of the principal house.

Although Fort Hope was now about two degrees farther north than at the sametime the year before, there was no sensible difference in the state of thetemperature. The fact is, the distance between the seventieth and seventy-secondparallels is not great enough to affect the mean height of the thermometer, onthe contrary, it really seemed to be less cold than at the beginning of thewinter before. Perhaps, however, that was because the colonists were now, to acertain extent, acclimatised.

Certainly the winter did not set in so abruptly as last time. The weather wasvery damp, and the atmosphere was always charged with vapour, which fell now asrain now as snow. In Lieutenant Hobson's opinion, at least, it was not nearlycold enough.

The sea froze all round the island, it is true, but not in a regular orcontinuous sheet of ice. Large blackish patches here and there showed that theicicles were not thoroughly cemented together. Loud resonant noises wereconstantly heard, produced by the breaking of the ice field when the rain meltedthe imperfectly welded edges of the blocks composing it. There was no rapidaccumulation of lump upon lump such as is generally seen in intense cold.Icebergs and hummocks were few and scattered, and no ice-wall as yet shut in thehorizon.

"This season would have been just the thing for the explorers of the NorthWest Passage, or the seekers of the North Pole," repeated Sergeant Long againand again, "but it is most unfavourable for us, and very much against our evergetting back to our own land!"

This went on throughout October, and Hobson announced that the meantemperature was no lower than 32? Fahrenheit, and it is well known that severaldays of cold, 7? or 8? below zero, are required for the sea to freeze hard.

Had proof been needed that the ice-field was impassable, a fact noticed byMrs Barnett and Hobson would have sufficed.

The animals imprisoned in the island, the furred animals, reindeer, wolves,&c., would have left the island had it been possible to cross the sea, butthey continued to gather in large numbers round the factory, and to seek thevicinity of man. The wolves came actually within musket-range of the enceinte todevour the martens and Polar hares, which were their only food. The famishedreindeer having neither moss nor herbs on which to browse, roved about CapeBathurst in herds. A solitary bear, no doubt the one to which Mrs Barnett andKalumah felt they owed a debt of gratitude, often passed to and fro amongst thetrees of the woods, on the banks of the lagoon, and the presence of all theseanimals, especially of the ruminants, which require an exclusively vegetablediet, proved that flight was impossible.

We have said that the thermometer remained at freezing point, and Hobsonfound on consulting his journal that at the same time the year before, it hadalready marked 20? Fahrenheit below zero, proving how unequally cold isdistributed in the capricious Polar regions.

The colonists therefore did not suffer much, and were not confined to thehouse at all. It was, however, very damp indeed, rain mixed with snow fellconstantly, and the falling of the barometer proved that the atmosphere wascharged with vapour.

Throughout October the Lieutenant and Long made many excursions to ascertainthe state of the ice-field in the offing; one day they went to Cape Michael,another to the edge of the former Walruses' Bay, anxious to see if it would bepossible to cross to the continent of America or Asia, or if the start wouldhave to be put off.

But the surface of the ice-field was covered with puddles of water, and insome parts riddled with holes, which would certainly have been impassable forsledges. It seemed as if it would be scarcely safe for a single traveller toventure across the half-liquid, half-solid masses. It was easy to see that thecold had been neither severe nor equally maintained, for the ice consisted of anaccumulation of sharp points, crystals, prisms, polyhedrons, and figures ofevery variety, like an aggregation of stalactites. It was more like a glacierthan a "field," and even if it had been practicable, walking on it would havebeen very tiring.

Hobson and Long managed with great difficulty to scramble over a mile or twotowards the south, but at the expense of a vast amount of time, so that theywere compelled to admit that they must wait some time yet, and they returned toFort Hope disappointed and disheartened.

The first days of November came, and the temperature fell a little, but onlya very few degrees, which was not nearly enough. Victoria Island was wrapped indamp fogs, and the lamps had to be lit during the day. It was necessary,however, to economise the oil as much as possible, as the supply was runningshort. No fresh stores had been brought by Captain Craventy's promised convoy,and there were no more walruses to be hunted. Should the dark winter beprolonged, the colonists would be compelled to have recourse to the fat ofanimals, perhaps even to the resin of the firs, to get a little light. The dayswere already very short, and the pale disc of the sun, yielding no warmth, anddeprived of all its brightness, only appeared above the horizon for a few hoursat a time. Yes, winter had come with its mists, its rain, and its snow, butwithout the long desired cold.

On the 11th November something of a fete was held at Fort Hope. Mrs Joliffeserved up a few extras at dinner, for it was the anniversary of the birth oflittle Michael Mac-Nab. He was now a year old, and was the delight of everybody.He had large blue eyes and fair curly hair, like his father, the head carpenter,who was very proud of the resemblance. At dessert the baby was solemnly weighed.It was worth something to see him struggling in the scales, and to hear hisastonished cries! He actually weighed thirty-four pounds! The announcement ofthis wonderful weight was greeted with loud cheers, and Mrs Mac-Nab wascongratulated by everybody on her fine boy. Why Corporal Joliffe felt that heought to share the compliments it is difficult to imagine, unless it was as akind of foster-father or nurse to the baby. He had carried the child about,dandled and rocked him so often, that he felt he had something to do with hisspecific weight!

The next day, November 12th, the sun did not appear above the horizon. Thelong Polar night was beginning nine days sooner than it had done the yearbefore, in consequence of the difference in the latitude of Victoria Island thenand now.

The disappearance of the sun did not, however, produce any change in thestate of the atmosphere. The temperature was as changeable as ever. Thethermometer fell one day and rose the next. Rain and snow succeeded each other.The wind was soft, and did not settle in any quarter, but often veered round toevery point of the compass in the course of a single day. The constant damp wasvery unhealthy, and likely to lead to scorbutic affections amongst thecolonists, but fortunately, although the lime juice and lime lozenges wererunning short, and no fresh stock had been obtained, the scurvy-grass and sorrelhad yielded a very good crop, and, by the advice of Lieutenant Hobson, a portionof them was eaten daily.

Every effort must, however, be made to get away from Fort Hope. Under thecircumstances, three months would scarcely be long enough for them all to get tothe nearest continent. It was impossible to risk being overtaken by the thaw onthe ice-field, and therefore if they started at all it must be at the end ofNovember.

The journey would have been difficult enough, even if the ice had beenrendered solid everywhere by a severe winter, and in this uncertain weather itwas a most serious matter.

On the 13th November, Hobson, Mrs Barnett, and the Sergeant met to decide onthe day of departure. The Sergeant was of opinion that they ought to leave theisland as soon as possible.

"For," he said, "we must make allowance for all the possible delays during amarch of six hundred miles. We ought to reach the continent before March, or wemay be surprised by the thaw, and then we shall be in a worse predicament thanwe are on our island."

"But," said Mrs Barnett, "is the sea firm enough for us to cross it?"

"I think it is," said Long, "and the ice gets thicker every day. Thebarometer, too, is gradually rising, and by the time our preparations arecompleted, which will be in about another week, I think, I hope that the reallycold weather will have set in."

"The winter has begun very badly," said Hobson, "in fact everything seems tocombine against us. Strange seasons have often been experienced on these seas, Ihave heard of whalers being able to navigate in places where, even in the summerat another time they would not have had an inch of water beneath their keels. Inmy opinion there is not a day to be lost, and I cannot sufficiently regret thatthe ordinary temperature of these regions does not assist us."

"It will later," said Mrs Barnett, "and we must be ready to take advantage ofevery chance in our favour. When do you propose starting, Lieutenant?"

"At the end of November at the latest," replied Hobson, "but if in a weekhence our preparations are finished, and the route appears practicable, we willstart then."

"Very well," said Long, "we will get ready without losing an instant."

"Then," said Mrs Barnett, "you will now tell our companions of the situationin which they are placed?"

"Yes, madam, the moment to speak and the time for action have alikearrived."

"And when do you propose enlightening them?"

"At once. Sergeant Long," he added, turning to his subordinate, who at oncedrew himself up in a military attitude, "call all your men together in the largeroom to receive a communication."

Sergeant Long touched his cap, and turning on his heel left the room withouta word.

For some minutes Mrs Barnett and Hobson were left alone, but neither of themspoke.

The Sergeant quickly returned, and told Hobson that his orders wereexecuted.

The Lieutenant and the lady at once went into the large room. All the membersof the colony, men and women, were assembled in the dimly lighted room.

Hobson came forward, and standing in the centre of the group said verygravely-

"My friends, until to-day I have felt it my duty, in order to spare youuseless anxiety, to conceal from you the situation of our fort. An earthquakeseparated us from the continent. Cape Bathurst has broken away from themainland. Our peninsula is but an island of ice, a wandering island"--

At this moment Marbre stepped forward, and said quietly.

"We knew it, sir!"

CHAPTER XII.

A CHANCE TO BE TRIED.

The brave fellows knew it then! And that they might not add to the cares oftheir chief, they had pretended to know nothing, and had worked away at thepreparations for the winter with the same zeal as the year before.

Tears of emotion stood in Hobson's eyes, and he made no attempt to concealthem, but seizing Marbre's outstretched hand, he pressed it in his own.

Yes, the soldiers all knew it, for Marbre had guessed it long ago. Thefilling of the reindeer trap with salt water, the non-arrival of the detachmentfrom Fort Reliance, the observations of latitude and longitude taken every day,which would have been useless on firm ground, the precautions observed by Hobsonto prevent any one seeing him take the bearings, the fact of the animalsremaining on the island after winter had set in, and the change in the positionof the cardinal points during the last few days, which they had noticed at once,had all been tokens easily interpreted by the inhabitants of Fort Hope. Thearrival of Kalumah had puzzled them, but they had concluded that she had beenthrown upon the island in the storm, and they were right, as we are aware.

Marbre, upon whom the truth had first dawned, confided his suspicions toMac-Nab the carpenter and Rae the blacksmith. All three faced the situationcalmly enough, and agreed that they ought to tell their comrades and wives, butdecided to let the Lieutenant think they knew nothing, and to obey him withoutquestion as before.

"You are indeed brave fellows, my friends," exclaimed Mrs Barnett, who wasmuch touched by this delicate feeling, "you are true soldiers!"

"Our Lieutenant may depend upon us," said Mac-Nab, "he has done his duty, andwe will do ours."

"I know you will, dear comrades," said Hobson, "and if only Heaven will helpand not forsake us, we will help ourselves."

The Lieutenant then related all that had happened since the time when theearthquake broke the isthmus, and converted the districts round Cape Bathurstinto an island. He told how, when the sea became free from ice in the spring,the new island had been drifted more than two hundred miles away from the coastby an unknown current, how the hurricane had driven it back within sight ofland, how it had again been carried away in the night of the 31st August, and,lastly, how Kalumah had bravely risked her life to come to the aid of herEuropean friends. Then he enumerated the changes the island had undergone,explaining how the warmer waters had worn it away, and his fear that it might becarried to the Pacific, or seized by the Kamtchatka Current, concluding hisnarrative by stating that the wandering island had finally stopped on the 27thof last September.

The chart of the Arctic seas was then brought, and Hobson pointed out theposition occupied by the island-six hundred miles from all land.

He ended by saying that the situation was extremely dangerous, that theisland would inevitably be crushed when the ice broke up, and that, beforehaving recourse to the boat-which could not be used until the next summer-theymust try to get back to the American continent by crossing the ice-field.

"We shall have six hundred miles to go in the cold and darkness of the Polarnight. It will be hard work, my friends, but you know as well as I do that therecan be no shrinking from the task."

"When you give the signal to start, Lieutenant, we will follow you," saidMac-Nab.

All being of one mind, the preparations for departure were from that daterapidly pushed forward. The men bravely faced the fact that they would have sixhundred miles to travel under very trying circumstances. Sergeant Longsuperintended the works, whilst Hobson, the two hunters, and Mrs Barnett, oftenwent to test the firmness of the ice-field. Kalumah frequently accompanied them,and her remarks, founded on experience, might possibly be of great use to theLieutenant. Unless they were prevented they were to start on the 20th November,and there was not a moment to lose.

As Hobson had foreseen, the wind having risen, the temperature fell slightly,and the column of mercury marked 24? Fahrenheit.

Snow, which soon became hardened, replaced the rain of the preceding days. Afew more days of such cold and sledges could be used. The little bay hollowedout of the cliffs of Cape Michael was partly filled with ice and snow; but itmust not be forgotten that its calmer waters froze more quickly than those ofthe open sea, which were not yet in a satisfactory condition.

The wind continued to blow almost incessantly, and with considerableviolence, but the motion of waves interfered with the regular formation andconsolidation of the ice. Large pools of water occurred here and there betweenthe pieces of ice, and it was impossible to attempt to cross it.

"The weather is certainly getting colder," observed Mrs Barnett to LieutenantHobson, as they were exploring the south of the island together on the 10thNovember, "the temperature is becoming lower and lower, and these liquid spaceswill soon freeze over."

"I think you are right, madam," replied Hobson, "but the way in which theywill freeze over will not be very favourable to our plans. The pieces of ice aresmall, and their jagged edges will stick up all over the surface, making it veryrough, so that if our sledges get over it at all, it will only be with verygreat difficulty."

"But," resumed Mrs Barnett, "if I am not mistaken, a heavy fall of snow,lasting a few days or even a few hours, would suffice to level the entiresurface!"

"Yes, yes," replied Hobson, "but if snow should fall, it will be because thetemperature has risen; and if it rises, the ice-field will break up again, sothat either contingency will be against us!"

"It really would be a strange freak of fortune if we should experience atemperate instead of an Arctic winter in the midst of the Polar Sea!" observedMrs Barnett.

"It has happened before, madam, it has happened before. Let me remind you ofthe great severity of last cold season; now it has been noticed that two longbitter winters seldom succeed each other, and the whalers of the northern seasknow it well. A bitter winter when we should have been glad of a mild one, and amild one when we so sorely need the reverse. It must be owned, we have beenstrangely unfortunate thus far! And when I think of six hundred miles to crosswith women and a child!"...

And Hobson pointed to the vast white plain, with strange irregular markingslike guipure work, stretching away into the infinite

"I know you will, dear comrades," said Hobson, "and if only Heaven will helpand not forsake us, we will help ourselves."

The Lieutenant then related all that had happened since the time when theearthquake broke the isthmus, and converted the districts round Cape Bathurstinto an island. He told how, when the sea became free from ice in the spring,the new island had been drifted more than two hundred miles away from the coastby an unknown current, how the hurricane had driven it luck within sight ofland, how it had again been carried away in the night of the 31st August, and,lastly, how Kalumah had bravely risked her life to come to the aid of herEuropean friends. Then he enumerated the changes the island had undergone,explaining how the warmer waters had worn it away, and his fear that it might becarried to the Pacific, or seized by the Kamtchatka Current, concluding hisnarrative by stating that the wandering island had finally stopped on the 27thof last September.

The chart of the Arctic seas was then brought, and Hobson pointed out theposition occupied by the island-six hundred miles from all land.

He ended by saying that the situation was extremely dangerous, that theisland would inevitably be crushed when the ice broke up, and that, beforehaving recourse to the boat-which could not be used until the next summer-theymust try to get back to the American continent by crossing the ice-field.

"We shall have six hundred miles to go in the cold and darkness of the Polarnight. It will be hard work, my friends but you know as well as I do that therecan be no shirking from the task" "When you give the signal to start,Lieutenant, we will follow you," said Mac-Nab.

All being of one mind, the preparations for departure were from that daterapidly pushed forward. The men bravely faced the fact that they would have sixhundred miles to travel under very trying circumstances. Sergeant Longsuperintended the works, whilst Hobson, the two hunters, and Mrs Barnett, oftenwent to test the firmness of the ice-field Kalumah frequently accompanied them,and her remarks, founded on experience, might possibly be of great use to theLieutenant. Unless they were prevented they were to start on the 20th November,and there was not a moment to lose.

As Hobson had foreseen, the wind having risen, the temperature fell slightly,and the column of mercury marked 24? Fahrenheit.

Snow, which soon became hardened, replaced the rain of the preceding days. Afew more days of such cold and sledges could be used The little bay hollowed outof the cliffs of Cape Michael was partly filled with ice and snow, but it mustnot be forgotten that its calmer waters froze more quickly than those of theopen sea, which were not yet in a satisfactory condition.

The wind continued to blow almost incessantly, and with considerableviolence, but the motion of waves interfered with the regular formation andconsolidation of the ice. Large pools of water occurred here and there betweenthe pieces of ice, and it was impossible to attempt to cross it.

"The weather is certainly getting colder," observed Mrs Barnett to LieutenantHobson, as they were exploring the south of the island together on the 10thNovember, "the temperature is becoming lower and lower, and these liquid spaceswill soon freeze over."

"I think you are right, madam," replied Hobson, "but the way in which theywill freeze over will not be very favourable to our plans. The pieces of ice aresmall, and their jagged edges will stick up all over the surface, making it veryrough, so that if our sledges get over it at all, it will only be with verygreat difficulty."

"But," resumed Mrs Barnett, "if I am not mistaken, a heavy fall of snow,lasting a few days or even a few hours, would suffice to level the entiresurface!"

"Yes, yes," replied Hobson, "but if snow should fall, it will be because thetemperature has risen; and if it rises, the ice-field will break up again, sothat either contingency will be against us!"

"It really would be a strange freak of fortune if we should experience atemperate instead of an Arctic winter in the midst of the Polar Sea!" observedMrs Barnett.

"It has happened before, madam, it has happened before. Let me remind you ofthe great severity of last cold season; now it has been noticed that two longbitter winters seldom succeed each other, and the whalers of the northern seasknow it well. A bitter winter when we should have been glad of a mild one, and amild one when we so sorely need the reverse. It must be owned, we have beenstrangely unfortunate thus far! And when I think of six hundred miles to crosswith women and a child!"...

And Hobson pointed to the vast white plain, with strange irregular markingslike guipure work, stretching away into the infinite distance. Sad anddesolate enough it looked, the imperfectly frozen surface cracking every now andthen with an ominous sound. A pale moon, its light half quenched in the dampmists, rose but a few degrees above the gloomy horizon and shot a few faintbeams upon the melancholy scene. The half-darkness and the refraction combineddoubled the size of every object. Icebergs of moderate height assumed giganticproportions, and were in some cases distorted into the forms of fabulousmonsters. Birds passed overhead with loud flapping of wings, and in consequenceof this optical illusion the smallest of them appeared as large as a condor or avulture. In the midst of the icebergs yawned apparently huge black tunnels, intowhich the boldest man would scarcely dare to venture, and now and then suddenconvulsions took place, as the icebergs, worn away at the base, heeled over witha crash, the sonorous echoes taking up the sounds and carrying them along. Therapid changes resembled the transformation scenes of fairyland, and terribleindeed must all those phenomena have appeared to the luckless colonists who wereabout to venture across the ice-field!

In spite of her moral and physical courage Mrs Barnett could not control aninvoluntary shudder. Soul and body alike shrunk from the awful prospect, and shewas tempted to shut her eyes and stop her ears that she might see and hear nomore. When the moon was for a moment veiled behind a heavy cloud, the gloom ofthe Polar landscape became still more awe-inspiring, and before her mind's eyerose a vision of the caravan of men and women struggling across these vastsolitudes in the midst of hurricanes, snow-storms, avalanches, and in the thickdarkness of the Arctic night!

Mrs Barnett, however, forced herself to look; she wished to accustom her eyesto these scenes, and to teach herself not to shrink from facing their terrors.But as she gazed a cry suddenly burst from her lips, and seizing Hobson's hand,she pointed to a huge object, of ill-defined dimensions, moving about in theuncertain light, scarcely a hundred paces from where they stood.

It was a white monster of immense size, more than a hundred feet high. It waspacing slowly along over the broken ice, bounding from one piece to another, andbeating the air with its huge feet, between which it could have held ten largedogs at least. It, too, seemed to be seeking a practicable path across theice-it, too, seemed anxious to fly from the doomed island. The ice gave waybeneath its weight, and it had often considerable difficulty in regaining itsfeet.

The monster made its way thus for about a quarter of a mile across the ice,and then, its farther progress being barred, it turned round and advancedtowards the spot where Mrs Barnett and the Lieutenant stood.

Hobson seized the gun which was slung over his shoulder and presented it atthe animal, but almost immediately lowering the weapon, he said to MrsBarnett-

"A bear, madam, only a bear, the size of which has been greatly magnified byrefraction."

It was, in fact, a Polar bear, and Mrs Barnett drew a long breath of reliefas she understood the optical illusion of which she had been the victim. Then anidea struck her.

"It is my bear!" she exclaimed, "the bear with the devotion of a Newfoundlanddog! Probably the only one still on the island. But what is he doing here?"

"He is trying to get away," replied Hobson, shaking his head. "He is tryingto escape from this doomed island, and he cannot do so! He is proving to us thatwe cannot pass where he has had to turn back!"

Hobson was right, the imprisoned animal had tried to leave the island and toget to the continent, and having failed it was returning to the coast. Shakingits head and growling, it passed some twenty paces from the two watchers, and,either not seeing them or disdaining to take any notice of them, it walkedheavily on towards Cape Michael, and soon disappeared behind the risingground.

Lieutenant Hobson and Mrs Barnett returned sadly and silently to thefort.

The preparations for departure went on as rapidly, however, as if it werepossible to leave the island. Nothing was neglected to promote the success ofthe undertaking, every possible danger had to be foreseen, and not only had theordinary difficulties and dangers of a journey across the ice to be allowed for,but also the sudden changes of weather peculiar to the Polar regions, which soobstinately resist every attempt to explore them.

The teams of dogs required special attention. They were allowed to run aboutnear the fort, that they might regain the activity of which too long a rest had,to some extent, deprived them, and they were soon in a condition to make a longmarch.

The sledges were carefully examined and repaired. The rough surface of theice-field would give them many violent shocks, and they were thereforethoroughly overhauled by Mac-Nab and his men, the inner framework and the curvedfronts being carefully repaired and strengthened.

Two large waggon sledges were built, one for the transport of provisions, theother for the peltries. These were to be drawn by the tamed reindeer, which hadbeen well trained for the service. The peltries or furs were articles of luxurywith which it was not perhaps quite prudent to burden the travellers, but Hobsonwas anxious to consider the interests of the Company as much as possible,although he was resolved to abandon them, en route, if they harassed orimpeded his march. No fresh risk was run of injury of the furs, for of coursethey would have been lost if left at the factory.

It was of course quite another matter with the provisions, of which a goodand plentiful supply was absolutely necessary. It was of no use to count on theproduct of the chase this time. As soon as the passage of the ice-field becamepracticable, all the edible game would get on ahead and reach the mainlandbefore the caravan. One waggon sledge was therefore packed with salt meat,corned beef, hare pates, dried fish, biscuits-the stock of which wasunfortunately getting low-and an ample reserve of sorrel, scurvy-grass, rum,spirits of wine, for making warm drinks, &c. &c. Hobson would have beenglad to take some fuel with him, as he would not meet with a tree, a shrub, or abit of moss throughout the march of six hundred miles, nor could he hope forpieces of wreck or timber cast up by the sea, but he did not dare to overloadhis sledges with wood. Fortunately there was no lack of warm comfortablegarments, and in case of need they could draw upon the reserve of peltries inthe waggon.

Thomas Black, who since his misfortune had altogether retired from the world,shunning his companions, taking part in none of the consultations, and remainingshut up in his own room, reappeared as soon as the day of departure wasdefinitely fixed. But even then he attended to nothing but the sledge which wasto carry his person, his instruments, and his registers. Always very silent, itwas now impossible to get a word out of him. He had forgotten everything, eventhat he was a scientific man, and since he had been deceived about the eclipse,since the solution of the problem of the red prominences of the moon had escapedhim, he had taken no notice of any of the peculiar phenomena of the highlatitudes, such as the Aurora Borealis, halos, parhelia, &c.

During the last few days every one worked so hard that all was ready for thestart on the morning of the 18th November.

But, alas! the ice-field was still impassable. Although the thermometer hadfallen slightly, the cold had not been severe enough to freeze the surface ofthe sea, with any uniformity, and the snow which fell was fine and intermittent.Hobson, Marbre, and Sabine went along the coast every day from Cape Michael towhat was once the corner of the old Walruses' Bay. They even ventured out abouta mile and a half upon the ice-field, but were compelled to admit that it wasbroken by rents, crevasses, and fissures in every direction. Not only would itbe impossible for sledges to cross it, it was dangerous for unencumberedpedestrians. Hobson and his two men underwent the greatest fatigue in theseshort excursions, and more than once they ran a risk of being unable to get backto Victoria Island across the ever-changing, ever-moving blocks of ice.

Really all nature seemed to be in league against the luckless colonists.

On the 18th and 19th November, the thermometer rose, whilst the barometerfell. Fatal results were to be feared from this change in the state of theatmosphere. Whilst the cold decreased the sky became covered with clouds, whichpresently resolved themselves into heavy rain instead of the sadly-needed snow,the column of mercury standing at 34? Fahrenheit. These showers of comparativelywarm water melted the snow and ice in many places, and the result can easily beimagined. It really seemed as if a thaw were setting in, and there were symptomsof a general breaking up of the ice-field. In spite of the dreadful weather,however, Hobson went to the south of the island every day, and every dayreturned more disheartened than before.

On the 20th, a tempest resembling in violence that of the month before, brokeupon the gloomy Arctic solitudes, compelling the colonists to give up going out,and to remain shut up in Fort Hope for two days.

CHAPTER XIII.

ACROSS THE ICE-FIELD.

At last, on the 22d of November, the weather moderated. In a few hours thestorm suddenly ceased. The wind veered round to the north, and the thermometerfell several degrees. A few birds capable of a long-sustained flight took wingand disappeared. There really seemed to be a likelihood that the temperature wasat last going to become what it ought to be at this time of the year in such anelevated latitude. The colonists might well regret that it was not now what ithad been during the last cold season, when the column of mercury fell to 72?Fahrenheit below zero.

Hobson determined no longer to delay leaving Victoria Island, and on themorning of the 22d the whole of the little colony was ready to leave the island,which was now firmly welded to the ice-field, and by its means connected withthe American continent, six hundred miles away.

At half-past eleven A.M., Hobson gave the signal of departure. The sky wasgrey but clear, and lighted up from the horizon to the zenith by a magnificentAurora Borealis. The dogs were harnessed to the sledges, and three couple ofreindeer to the waggon sledges. Silently they wended their way towards CapeMichael, where they would quit the island, properly so called, for theice-field.

The caravan at first skirted along the wooded hill on the east of LakeBarnett, but as they were rounding the coiner all paused to look round for thelast time at Cape Bathurst, which they were leaving never to return. A fewsnow-encrusted rafters stood out in the light of the Aurora Borealis, a fewwhite lines marked the boundaries of the enceinte of the factory, a-white masshere and there, a few blue wreaths of smoke from the expiring fire never to berekindled; this was all that could be seen of Fort Hope, now useless anddeserted, but erected at the cost of so much labour and so much anxiety.

"Farewell, farewell, to our poor Arctic home!" exclaimed Mrs. Barnett, wavingher hand for the last time; and all sadly and silently resumed theirjourney.

At one o'clock the detachment arrived at Cape Michael, after having roundedthe gulf which the cold had imperfectly frozen over. Thus far the difficultiesof the journey had not been very great, for the ground of the island was smoothcompared to the ice-field, which was strewn with icebergs, hummocks, and packs,between which, practicable passes had to be found at the cost of an immenseamount of fatigue.

Towards the evening of the same day the party had advanced several miles onthe ice-field, and a halt for the night was ordered; the encampment was to beformed by hollowing out snow-houses in the Esquimaux style. The work was quicklyaccomplished with the ice-chisels, and at eight o'clock, after a salt meatsupper, every one had crept into the holes, which are much warmer than anybodywould imagine.

Before retiring, however, Mrs. Barnett asked the Lieutenant how far hethought they had come.

"Not more than ten miles, I think," replied Hobson.

"Ten from six hundred!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett. "At this rate, it will take usthree months to get to the American continent!"

"Perhaps more, madam," replied Hobson, "for we shall not be able to get onfaster than this. We are not travelling as we were last year over the frozenplains between Fort Reliance and Cape Bathurst; but on a distorted ice-fieldcrushed by the pressure of the icebergs across which there is no easy route. Iexpect to meet with almost insurmountable difficulties on the way; may we beable to conquer them! It is not of so much importance, however, to march quicklyas to preserve our health, and I shall indeed think myself fortunate if all mycomrades answer to their names in the roll-call on our arrival at Fort Reliance.Heaven grant we may have all landed at some point, no matter where, of theAmerican continent in three months' time; if so, we shall never be able toreturn thanks enough."

The night passed without incident; but during the long vigil which he kept,Hobson fancied he noticed certain ill-omened tremblings on the spot he hadchosen for his encampment, and could not but fear that the vast ice-field wasinsufficiently cemented, and that there would be numerous rents in the surfacewhich would greatly impede his progress, and render communication with firmground very uncertain. Moreover, before he started, he had observed that none ofthe animals had left the vicinity of the fort, and they would certainly havesought a warmer climate had not their instinct warned them of obstacles in theirway. Yet the Lieutenant felt that he had only done his duty in making thisattempt to restore his little colony to an inhabited land, before the setting inof the thaw, and whether he succeeded or had to turn back he would have noreason to reproach himself.

The next day, November 23d, the detachment could not even advance ten milestowards the east, so great were the difficulties met with. The ice-field wasfearfully distorted, and here and there many layers of ice were piled one uponanother, doubtless driven along by the irresistible force of the ice-wall intothe vast funnel of the Arctic Ocean. Hence a confusion of masses of ice, whichlooked as if they had been suddenly dropped by a hand incapable of holding them,and strewn about in every direction.

It was clear that a caravan of sledges, drawn by dogs and reindeer, could notpossibly get over these blocks; and it was equally clear that a path could notbe cut through them with the hatchet or ice-chisel. Some of the icebergs assumedextraordinary forms, and there were groups which looked like towns falling intoruins. Some towered three or four hundred feet above the level of the ice-field,and were capped with tottering masses of debris, which the slightest shake orshock or gust of wind would bring down in avalanches.

The greatest precautions were, therefore, necessary in rounding theseice-mountains, and orders were given not to speak above a whisper, and not toexcite the dogs by cracking the whips in these dangerous passes.

But an immense amount of time was lost in looking for practicable passages,and the travellers were worn out with fatigue, often going ten miles roundbefore they could advance one in the required direction towards the east. Theonly comfort was that the ground still remained firm beneath their feet.

On the 24th November, however, fresh obstacles arose, which Hobson reallyfeared, with considerable reason, would be insurmountable.

After getting over one wall of ice which rose some twenty miles from VictoriaIsland, the party found themselves on a much less undulating ice-field, thedifferent portions of which had evidently not been subjected to any greatpressure. It was clear that in consequence of the direction of the currents theinfluence of the masses of permanent ice in the north had not here been felt,and Hobson and his comrades soon found that this ice-field was intersected withwide and deep crevasses not yet frozen over. The temperature here wascomparatively warm, and the thermometer maintained a mean height of more than34? Fahrenheit. Salt water, as is well known, does not freeze so readily asfresh, but requires several degrees of cold below freezing point before itbecomes solidified, and the sea was therefore still liquid. All the icebergs andfloes here had come from latitudes farther north, and, if we may so express it,lived upon the cold they had brought with them. The whole of the southernportion of the Arctic Ocean was most imperfectly frozen, and a warm rain wasfalling, which hastened the dissolution of what ice there was.

On the 24th November the advance of the travellers was absolutely arrested bya crevasse full of rough water strewn with small icicles-a crevasse not morethan a hundred feet wide, it is true, but probably many miles long.

For two whole hours the party skirted along the western edge of this gap, inthe hope of coming to the end of it and getting to the other side, so as toresume their march to the east, but it was all in vain, they were obliged togive it up and encamp on the wrong side.

Hobson and Long, however, proceeded for another quarter of a mile along theinterminable crevasse, mentally cursing the mildness of the winter which hadbrought them into such a strait.

"We must pass somehow," said Long, "for we can't stay where we are."

"Yes, yes," replied the Lieutenant, "and we shall pass it, either by going upto the north, or down to the south, it must end somewhere. But after we have gotround this we shall come to others, and so it will go on perhaps for hundred ofmiles, as long as this uncertain and most unfortunate weather continues!"

"Well, Lieutenant, we must ascertain the truth once for all before we resumeour journey," said the Sergeant.

"We must indeed, Sergeant," replied Hobson firmly, "or we shall run a risk ofnot having crossed half the distance between us and America after travellingfive or six hundred miles out of our way. Yes, before going farther, I must makequite sure of the state of the ice-field, and that is what I am about todo."

And without another word Hobson stripped himself, plunged into thehalf-frozen water, and being a powerful swimmer a few strokes soon brought himto the other side of the crevasse, when he disappeared amongst the icebergs.

A few hours later the Lieutenant reached the encampment, to which Long hadalready returned, in an exhausted condition. He took Mrs Barnett and theSergeant aside, and told them that the ice-field was impracticable, adding-

"Perhaps one man on foot without a sledge or any encumbrances might getacross, but for a caravan it is impossible. The crevasses increase towards theeast, and a boat would really be of more use than a sledge if we wish to reachthe American coast"

"Well," said Long, "if one man could cross, ought not one of us to attemptit, and go and seek assistance for the rest."

"I thought of trying it myself," replied Hobson.

"You, Lieutenant!"

"You, sir!" cried Mrs Barnett and Long in one breath.

These two exclamations showed Hobson how unexpected and inopportune hisproposal appeared. How could he, the chief of the expedition, think of desertingthose confided to him, even although it was in their interests and at great riskto himself. It was quite impossible, and the Lieutenant did not insist uponit.

"Yes," he said, "I understand how it appears to you, my friends, and I willnot abandon you. It would, indeed, be quite useless for any one to attempt thepassage; he would not succeed, he would fall by the way, and find a watery gravewhen the thaw sets in. And even suppose he reached New Archangel, how could hecome to our rescue? Would he charter a vessel to seek for us? Suppose he did, itcould not start until after the thaw. And who can tell where the currents willthen have taken Victoria Island, either yet farther north or to the BehringSea!

"Yes, Lieutenant, you are right," replied Long; "let us remain together, andif we are to be saved in a boat, there is Mac-Nab's on Victoria Island, and forit at least we shall not have to wait!"

Mrs Barnett had listened without saying a word, but she understood that theice-field being impassible. they had now nothing to depend on but thecarpenter's boat, and that they would have to wait bravely for the thaw.

"What are you going to do, then?" she inquired at last.

"Return to Victoria Island."

"Let us return then, and God be with us!"

The rest of the travellers had now gathered round the Lieutenant, and he laidhis plans before them.

At first all were disposed to rebel, the poor creatures had been counting ongetting back to their homes, and felt absolutely crushed at the disappointment,but they soon recovered their dejection and declared themselves ready toobey.

Hobson then told them the results of the examination he had just made. Theylearnt that the obstacles in their way on the east were so numerous that itwould be absolutely impossible to pass with the sledges and their contents, andas the journey would last several months, the provisions, &c., could not bedispensed with.

"We are now," added the Lieutenant, "cut off from all communication with themainland, and by going farther towards the east we run a risk, after enduringgreat fatigues, of finding it impossible to get back to the island, now our onlyrefuge. If the thaw should overtake us on the ice-field, we are lost. I have notdisguised nor have I exaggerated the truth, and I know, my friends, that I amspeaking to men who have found that I am not a man to turn back fromdifficulties. But I repeat, the task we have set ourselves is impossible!"

The men trusted their chief implicitly. They knew his courage and energy, andfelt as they listened to his words that it was indeed impossible to cross theice. It was decided to start on the return journey to Fort Hope the next day,and it was accomplished under most distressing circumstances. The weather wasdreadful, squalls swept down upon the ice-field, and rain fell in torrents. Thedifficulty of finding the way in the darkness through the labyrinth of icebergscan well be imagined!

It took no less than four days and four nights to get back to the island.Several teams of dogs with their sledges fell into the crevasses, but thanks toHobson's skill, prudence, and devotion, he lost not one of his party. But whatterrible dangers and fatigues they had to go through, and how awful was theprospect of another winter on the wandering island to the unfortunatecolonists!

CHAPTER XIV.

THE WINTER MONTHS.

The party did not arrive at Fort Hope until the 28th, after a most arduousjourney. They had now nothing to depend on but the boat, and that they could notuse until the sea was open, which would not be for six months.

Preparations for another winter were therefore made. The sledges wereunloaded, the provisions put back in the pantry, and the clothes, arms, furs,&c., in the magazines. The dogs returned to their dog-house, and thereindeer to their stable.

Great was the despair of Thomas Black at this return to seclusion. The poorastronomer carried his instruments, his books, and his MSS. back to his room,and more angry than ever with "the evil fate which pursued him," he held himselfaloof from everything which went on in the factory.

All were again settled at their usual winter avocations the day after theirarrival, and the monotonous winter life once more commenced. Needlework, mendingthe clothes, taking care of the furs, some of which might yet be saved, theobservation of the weather, the examination of the ice-field, and reading aloud,were the daily occupations. Mrs Barnett was, as before, the leader ineverything, and her influence was everywhere felt. If, as sometimes happened,now that all were uneasy about the future, a slight disagreement occurredbetween any of the soldiers, a few words from Mrs Barnett soon set mattersstraight, for she had acquired wonderful power over the little world in whichshe moved, and she always used it for the good of the community.

Kalumah had become a great favourite with everybody, for she was alwayspleasant and obliging. Mrs Barnett had undertaken her education, and she got onquickly, for she was both intelligent and eager to learn. She improved herEnglish speaking, and also taught her to read and write in that language. Therewere, however, twelve masters for Kalumah, all eager to assist in this branch ofher education, as the soldiers had all been taught reading, writing, andarithmetic either in England or in English colonies.

The building of the boat proceeded rapidly, and it was to be planked anddecked before the end of the month. Mac-Nab and some of his men worked hard inthe darkness outside, with no light but the flames of burning resin, whilstothers were busy making the rigging in the magazines of the factory. Althoughthe season was now far advanced, the weather still remained very undecided. Thecold was sometimes intense, but owing to the prevalence of west winds it neverlasted long.

Thus passed the whole of December, rain and intermittent falls of snowsucceeded each other, the temperature meanwhile varying from 26? to 34?Fahrenheit. The consumption of fuel was moderate, although there was no need toeconomise it, the reserves being considerable. It was otherwise with the oil,upon which they depended for light, for the stock was getting so low that theLieutenant could at last only allow the lamps to be lit for a few hours everyday. He tried using reindeer fat for lighting the house, but the smell of it wasso unbearable that every one preferred being in the dark. All work had of courseto be given up for the time, and very tedious did the long dark hoursappear.

Some Aurora Borealis and two or three lunar halos appeared at full moon, andThomas Black might now have minutely observed all these phenomenon, and havemade precise calculations on their intensity, their coloration, connection withthe electric state of the atmosphere, and their influence upon the magneticneedle, &c. But the astronomer did not even leave his room. His spirit wascompletely crushed.

On the 30th December the light of the moon revealed a long circular line oficebergs shutting in the horizon on the north and east of Victoria Island. Thiswas the ice-wall, the frozen masses of which were piled up to a height of somethree or four hundred feet. Two-thirds of the island were hemmed in by thismighty barrier, and it seemed probable that the blockade would become yet morecomplete.

The sky was clear for the first week of January. The new year, 1861, openedwith very cold weather, and the column of mercury fell to 8? Fahrenheit. It wasthe lowest temperature that had yet been experienced in this singular winter,although it was anything but low for such a high latitude.

The Lieutenant felt it his duty once more to take the latitude and longitudeof the island by means of stellar observations, and found that its position hadnot changed at all.

About this time, in spite of all their economy, the oil seemed likely to failaltogether. The sun would not appear above the horizon before early in February,so that there was a month to wait, during which there was a danger of thecolonists having to remain in complete darkness. Thanks to the young Esquimaux,however, a fresh supply of oil for the lamps was obtained.

On the 3rd January Kalumah walked to Cape Bathurst to examine the state ofthe ice. All along the south of the island the ice-field was very compact, theicicles of which it was composed were more firmly welded together, there were noliquid spaces between them, and the surface of the floe, though rough, wasperfectly firm everywhere. This was no doubt caused by the pressure of the chainof icebergs on the horizon, which drove the ice towards the north, and squeezedit against the island.

Although she saw no crevasses or rents, the young native noticed manycircular holes neatly cut in the ice, the use of which she knew perfectly well.They were the holes kept open by seals imprisoned beneath the solid crust ofice, and by which they came to the surface to breathe and look for mosses underthe snow on the coast.

Kalumah knew that in the winter bears will crouch patiently near these holes,and watching for the moment when the seal comes out of the water, they rush uponit, hug it to death in their paws, and carry it off. She knew, too, that theEsquimaux, not less patient than the bears, also watch for the appearance ofthese animals, and throwing a running noose over their heads when they push themup, drag them to the surface.

What bears and Esquimaux could do might certainly also be done by skilfulhunters, and Kalumah hastened back to the fort to tell the Lieutenant of whatshe had seen, feeling sure that where these holes were seals were not faroff.

Hobson sent for the hunters, and the young native described to them the wayin which the Esquimaux capture these animals in the winter, and begged them totry.

She had not finished speaking before Sabine had a strong rope with a runningnoose ready in his hand and accompanied by Hobson, Mrs Barnett, Kalumah, and twoor three soldiers, the hunters hurried to Cape Bathurst, and whilst the womenremained on the beach, the men made their way to the holes pointed out byKalumah. Each one was provided with a rope, and stationed himself at a differenthole.

A long time of waiting ensued-no sign of the seals, but at last the water inthe hole Marbre had chosen began to bubble, and a head with long tusks appeared.It was that of a walrus. Marbre flung his running noose skilfully over its neckand pulled it tightly. His comrades rushed to his assistance, and with somedifficulty the huge beast was dragged upon the ice, and despatched withhatchets.

It was a great success, and the colonists were delighted with this novelfishing. Other walruses were taken in the same way, and furnished plenty of oil,which, though not strictly of the right sort, did very well for the lamps, andthere was no longer any lack of light in any of the rooms of Fort Hope.

The cold was even now not very severe, and had the colonists been on theAmerican mainland they could only have rejoiced in the mildness of the winter.They were sheltered by the chain of icebergs from the north and west winds, andthe month of January passed on with the thermometer never many degrees belowfreezing point, so that the sea round Victoria Island was never frozen hard.Fissures of more or less extent broke the regularity of the surface in theoffing, as was proved by the continued presence of the ruminants and furredanimals near the factory, all of which had become strangely tame, forming infact part of the menagerie of the colony.

According to Hobson's orders, all these creatures were unmolested. It wouldhave been useless to kill them, and a reindeer was only occasionally slaughteredto obtain a fresh supply of venison. Some of the furred animals even venturedinto the enceinte, and they were not driven away. The martens and foxes were inall the splendour of their winter clothing, and under ordinary circumstanceswould have been of immense value. These rodents found plenty of moss under thesnow, thanks to the mildness of the season, and did not therefore live upon thereserves of the factory.

It was with some apprehensions for the future that the end of the winter wasawaited, but Mrs Barnett did all in her power to brighten the monotonousexistence of her companions in exile.

Only one incident occurred in the month of January, and that one wasdistressing enough. On the 7th, Michael Mac-Nab was taken ill-severe headache,great thirst and alternations of shivering and fever, soon reduced the poorlittle fellow to a sad state. His mother and father, and indeed all his friends,were in very great trouble. No one knew what to do, as it was impossible to saywhat his illness was, but Madge, who retained her senses about her, advisedcooling drinks and poultices. Kalumah was indefatigable, remaining day and nightby her favourite's bedside, and refusing to take any rest.

About the third day there was no longer any doubt as to the nature of themalady. A rash came out all over the child's body, and it was evident that hehad malignant scarlatina, which would certainly produce internalinflammation.

Children of a year old are rarely attacked with this terrible disease, butcases do occasionally occur. The medicine-chest of the factory was necessarilyinsufficiently stocked, but Madge, who had nursed several patients throughscarlet lever, remembered that tincture of belladonna was recommended, andadministered one or two drops to the little invalid every day. The greatest carewas taken lest he should catch cold; he was at once removed to his parents'room, and the rash soon came out freely. Tiny red points appeared on his tongue,his lips, and even on the globes of his eyes. Two days later his skin assumed aviolet hue, then it became white and fell off in scales.

It was now that double care was required to combat the great internalinflammation, which proved the severity of the attack, Nothing was neglected,the boy was, in fact, admirably nursed, and on the 20th January, twelve daysafter he was taken ill, he was pronounced out of danger.

Great was the joy in the factory. The baby was the child of the fort, of theregiment! He was born in the terrible northern latitudes, in the colony itself,he had been named Michael Hope, and he had come to be regarded as a kind oftalisman in the dangers and difficulties around, and all felt sure that Godwould not take him from them.

Poor Kalumah would certainly not have survived him had he died, but hegradually recovered, and fresh hope seemed to come back when he was restored tothe little circle.

The 23d of January was now reached, after all these distressing alternationsof hope and fear. The situation of Victoria Island had not changed in the least,and it was still wrapped in the gloom of the apparently interminable Polarnight. Snow fell abundantly for some days, and was piled up on the ground to theheight of two feet.

On the 27th a somewhat alarming visit was received at the fort. The soldiersBelcher and Pond, when on guard in front of the enceinte in the morning, saw ahuge bear quietly advancing towards the fort. They hurried into the large room,and told Mrs Barnett of the approach of the formidable carnivorous beast.

"Perhaps it is only our bear again," observed Mrs Barnett to Hobson, andaccompanied by him, and followed by the Sergeant, Sabine, and some soldiersprovided with guns,-he fearlessly walked to the postern.

The bear was now about two hundred paces off, and was walking along withouthesitation, as if he had some settled plan in view.

"I know him!" cried Mrs Barnett, "it is your bear, Kalumah, yourpreserver!"

"Oh, don't kill my bear!" exclaimed the young Esquimaux.

"He shall not be killed," said the Lieutenant, "don't injure him, my goodfellows," he added to the men, "he will probably return as he came."

"But suppose he intends coming into the enceinte?" said Long, who had hisdoubts as to the friendly propensities of Polar bears.

"Let him come, Sergeant," said Mrs Barnett, "he is a prisoner like ourselves,and you know prisoners"-

"Don't eat each other," added Hobson. "True, but only when they belong to thesame species For your sake, however, we will spare this fellow-sufferer, andonly defend ourselves if he attack us. I think, however, it will be as prudentto go back to the House. We must not put too strong a temptation in the way ofour carnivorous friend!"

This was certainly good advice, and all returned to the large room, thewindows were closed, but not the shutters.

Through the panes the movements of the visitor were watched. The bear,finding the postern unfastened, quietly pushed open the door, looked in,carefully examined the premises, and finally entered the enceinte. Havingreached the centre, he examined the buildings around him, went towards thereindeer stable and dog-house, listened for a moment to the howlings of the dogsand the uneasy noises made by the reindeer, then continued his walk round thepalisade, and at last came and leant his great head against one of the windowsof the large room.

To own the truth everybody started back, several of the soldiers seized theirguns, and Sergeant Long began to fear he had let the joke go too far.

But Kalumah came forward, and looked through the thin partition with hersweet eyes. The bear seemed to recognise her, at least so she thought, anddoubtless satisfied with his inspection, he gave a hearty growl, and turningaway left the enceinte, as Hobson had prophesied, as he entered it.

This was the bear's first and last visit to the fort, and on his departureeverything went on as quietly as before.

The little boy's recovery progressed favourably, and at the end of the monthhe was as rosy and as bright as ever.

At noon on the 3rd of February, the northern horizon was touched with a faintglimmer of light which did not fade away for an hour, and the yellow disc of thesun appeared for an instant for the first time since the commencement of thelong Polar night.

CHAPTER XV.

THE LAST EXPLORING EXPEDITION.

From this date, February 3rd, the sun rose each day higher above the horizon,the nights were, however, still very long, and, as is often the case inFebruary, the cold increased, the thermometer marking only 1o Fahrenheit, thelowest temperature experienced throughout this extraordinary winter.

"When does the thaw commence in these northern seas?" inquired Mrs Barnett ofthe Lieutenant.

"In ordinary seasons," replied Hobson, "the ice does not break up until earlyin May; but the winter has been so mild that unless a very hard frost should nowset in, the thaw may commence at the beginning of April. At least that is myopinion." "We shall still have two months to wait then?"

"Yes, two months, for it would not be prudent to launch our boat too soonamongst the floating ice; and I think our best plan will be to wait until ourisland has reached the narrowest part of Behring Strait, which is not more thantwo hundred miles wide."

"What do you mean?" exclaimed Mrs Barnett, considerably surprised at theLieutenant's reply. "Have you forgotten that it was the Kamtchatka Current whichbrought us where we now are, and which may seize us again when the thaw sets inand carry us yet farther north?"

"I do not think it will, madam; indeed I feel quite sure that that will nothappen. The thaw always takes place in from north to south, and although theKamtchatka Current runs the other way, the ice always goes down the BehringCurrent. Other reasons there are for my opinion which I cannot now enumerate.But the icebergs invariably drift towards the Pacific, and are there melted byits warmer waters. Ask Kalumah if I am not right. She knows these latitudeswell, and will tell you that the thaw always proceeds from the north to thesouth."

Kalumah when questioned confirmed all that the Lieutenant had said, so thatit appeared probable that the island would be drifted to the south like a hugeice-floe, that is to say, to the narrowest part of Behring Strait, which is muchfrequented in the summer by the fishermen of New Archangel, who are the mostexperienced mariners of those waters. Making allowance for all delays they mightthen hope to set foot on the continent before May, and although the cold had notbeen very intense there was every reason to believe that the foundations ofVictoria Island had been thickened and strengthened by a fresh accumulation ofice at the base, and that it would hold together for several months to come.

There was then nothing for the colonists to do but to wait patiently,-stillto wait!

The convalescence of little Michael continued to progress favourably. On the20th of February he went out for the first time, forty days after he was takenill. By this we mean that he went from his bedroom into the large room, where hewas petted and made much of. His mother, acting by Madge's advice, put offweaning him for some little time, and he soon got back his strength. Thesoldiers had made many little toys for him during his illness, and he was now ashappy as any child in the wide world.

The last week of February was very wet, rain and snow falling alternately. Astrong wind blew from the north-west, and the temperature was low enough forlarge quantities of snow to fall; the gale, however, increased in violence, andon the side of Cape Bathurst and the chain of icebergs the noise of the tempestwas deafening. The huge ice-masses were flung against each other, and fell witha roar like that of thunder. The ice on the north was compressed and piled up onthe shores of the island. There really seemed to be a danger that the capeitself-which was but a kind of iceberg capped with earth and sand-would be flungdown.

Some large pieces of ice, in spite of their weight, were driven to the veryfoot of the palisaded enceinte; but fortunately for the factory the caperetained its position; had it given way all the buildings must inevitably havebeen crushed beneath it.

It will be easily understood that the position of Victoria Island, at theopening of a narrow strait about which the ice accumulated in large quantities,was extremely perilous, for it might at any time be swept by a horizontalavalanche, or crushed beneath the huge blocks of ice driven inland from theoffing, and so become engulfed before the thaw. This was a new danger to beadded to all the others already threatening the little band. Mrs Barnett, seeingthe awful power of the pressure in the offing, and the violence with which themoving masses of ice crushed upon each other, realised the full magnitude of theperil they would all be in when the thaw commenced. She often mentioned herfears to the Lieutenant, and he shook his head like a man who had no reply tomake.

Early in March the squall ceased, and the full extent of the transformationof the ice-field was revealed. It seemed as if by a kind of glissade thechain of icebergs had drawn nearer to the island. In some parts it was not twomiles distant, and it advanced like a glacier on the move, with the differencethat the latter has a descending and the ice-wall a horizontal motion. Betweenthe lofty chain of ice-mountains the ice-field was fearfully distorted: strewnwith hummocks, broken obelisks, shattered blocks, overturned pyramids, itresembled a tempest-tossed sea or a ruined town, in which not a building or amonument had remained standing, and above it all the mighty icebergs rearedtheir snowy crests, standing out against the sky with their pointed peaks, theirrugged cones, and solid buttresses, forming a fitting frame for the weirdfantastic landscape at their feet.

At this date the little vessel was quite finished. This boat was rather heavyin shape, as might have been expected, but she did credit to Mac-Nab, and shapedas she was like a barge at the bows, she ought the better to withstand theshocks of the floating ice. She might have been taken for one of those Dutchboats which venture upon the northern waters. Her rig, which was completed,consisted, like that of a cutter, of a mainsail and a jib carried on a singlemast. The tent canvass of the factory had been made use of for sailcloth.

This boat would carry the whole colony, and if, as the Lieutenant hoped, theisland were drifted to Behring Strait, the vessel would easily make her way toland, even from the widest part of the passage. There was then nothing to bedone but wait for the thaw.

Hobson now decided to make a long excursion to the south to ascertain thestate of the ice-field, to see whether there were any signs of its breaking up,to examine the chain of icebergs by which it was hemmed in, to make sure, inshort, whether it would really be useless to attempt to cross to the Americancontinent. Many incidents might occur, many fresh dangers might arise before thethaw, and it would therefore be but prudent to make a reconnaissance on theice-field.

The expedition was organised and the start fixed for March 7th. Hobson, MrsBarnett, Kalumah, Marbre, and Sabine were to go, and, if the route should bepracticable, they would try and find a passage across the chain of icebergs. Inany case, however, they were not to be absent for more than forty-eighthours.

A good stock of provisions was prepared, and, well provided for everycontingency, the little party left Fort Hope on the morning of the 7th March aidturned towards Cape Michael.

The thermometer then marked 32? Fahrenheit. The atmosphere was misty, but theweather was perfectly calm. The sun was now above the horizon for seven or eighthours a day, and its oblique rays afforded plenty of light.

At nine o'clock, after a short halt, the party descended the slope of CapeMichael and made their way across the ice-fields in a southeasterly direction.On this side the ice wall rose not three miles from the cape.

The march was of course very slow. Every minute a crevasse had to be turned,or a hummock too high to be climbed. It was evident that a sledge could not havegot over the rough distorted surface, which consisted of an accumulation ofblocks of ice of every shape and size, some of which really seemed to retaintheir equilibrium by a miracle. Others had been but recently overturned, ascould be seen from the clearly cut fractures and sharp corners. Not a sign wasto be seen of any living creature, no footprints told of the passage of man orbeast, and the very birds had deserted these awful solitudes.

Mrs Barnett was astonished at the scene before her, and asked the Lieutenanthow they could possibly have crossed the ice-fields if they had started inDecember, and he replied by reminding her that it was then in a very differentcondition; the enormous pressure of the advancing icebergs had not thencommenced, the surface of the sea was comparatively even, and the only dangerwas from its insufficient solidification. The irregularities which now barredtheir passage did not exist early in the winter.

They managed, however, to advance towards the mighty ice-wall, Kalumahgenerally leading the way. Like a chamois on the Alpine rocks, the young girlfirmly treaded the ice-masses with a swiftness of foot and an absence ofhesitation which was really marvellous. She knew by instinct the best waythrough the labyrinth of icebergs, and was an unerring guide to hercompanions.

About noon the base of the ice-wall was reached, but it had taken three hoursto get over three miles.

The icy barrier presented a truly imposing appearance, rising as it did morethan four hundred feet above the ice-field. The various strata of which it wasformed were clearly defined, and the glistening surface was tinged with many adelicately-shaded hue. Jasper-like ribbons of green and blue alternated withstreaks and dashes of all the colours of the rainbow, strewn with enamelledarabesques, sparkling crystals, and delicate ice-flowers. No cliff, howeverstrangely distorted, could give any idea of this marvellous half opaque, halftransparent ice-wall, and no description could do justice to the wonderfuleffects of chiara-oscuro produced upon it.

It would not do, however, to approach too near to these beetling cliffs, thesolidity of which was very doubtful. Internal fractures and rents were alreadycommencing, the work of destruction and decomposition was proceeding rapidly,aided by the imprisoned air-bubbles; and the fragility of the huge structure,built up by the cold, was manifest to every eye. It could not survive the Arcticwinter, it was doomed to melt beneath the sunbeams, and it contained materialenough to feed large rivers.

Lieutenant Hobson had warned his companions of the danger of the avalancheswhich constantly fall from the summits of the icebergs, and they did nottherefore go far along their base. That this prudence was necessary was provedby the falling of a huge block, at two o'clock, at the entrance to a kind ofvalley which they were about to cross. It must have weighed more than a hundredtons, and it was dashed upon the ice-field with a fearful crash, bursting like abomb-shell. Fortunately no one was hurt by the splinters.

From two to five o'clock the explorers followed a narrow winding path leadingdown amongst the icebergs; they were anxious to know if it led right throughthem, but could not at once ascertain. In this valley, as it might be called,they were able to examine the internal structure of the icy barrier. The blocksof which it was built up were here arranged with greater symmetry than outside.In some places trunks of trees were seen embedded in the ice, all, however, ofTropical not Polar species, which had evidently been brought to Arctic regionsby the Gulf Stream, and would be taken back to the ocean when the thaw shouldhave converted into water the ice which now held them in its chill embrace.

At five o'clock it became too dark to go any further. The travellers had notgone more than about two miles in the valley, but it was so sinuous, that it wasimpossible to estimate exactly the distance traversed.

The signal to halt was given by the Lieutenant, and Marbre and Sabine quicklydug out a grotto in the ice with their chisels, into which the whole partycrept, and after a good supper all were soon asleep.

Every one was up at eight o'clock the next morning, and Hobson decided tofollow the valley for another mile, in the hope of finding out whether it wentright through the ice-wall. The direction of the pass, judging from the positionof the sun, had now changed from north to south east, and as early as eleveno'clock the party came out on the opposite side of the chain of icebergs. Thepassage was therefore proved to run completely through the barrier.

The aspect of the ice-field on the eastern side was exactly similar to thaton the west. The same confusion of ice-masses, the same accumulation of hummocksand icebergs, as far as the eye could reach, with occasional alternations ofsmooth surfaces of small extent, intersected by numerous crevasses, the edges ofwhich were already melting fast. The same complete solitude, the same desertion,not a bird, not an animal to be seen.

Mrs Barnett climbed to the top of the hummock, and there remained for anhour, gazing upon the sad and desolate Polar landscape before her. Her thoughtsinvoluntarily flew back to the miserable attempt to escape that had been madefive months before. Once more she saw the men and women of the hapless caravanencamped in the darkness of these frozen solitudes, or struggling againstinsurmountable difficulties to reach the mainland.

At last the Lieutenant broke in upon her reverie, and said-

"Madam, it is more than twenty-four hours since we left the fort. We now knowthe thickness of the ice-wall, and as we promised not to be away longer thanforty-eight hours, I think it is time to retrace our steps."

Mrs Barnett saw the justice of the Lieutenant's remark. They had ascertainedthat the barrier of ice was of moderate thickness, that it would melt awayquickly enough to allow of the passage of Mac-Nab's boat after the thaw, and itwould therefore be well to hasten back lest a snow-storm or change in theweather of any kind should render return through the winding valleydifficult.

The party breakfasted and set out on the return journey about one o'clockP.M.

The night was passed as before in an ice-cavern, and the route resumed ateight o'clock the next morning, March 9th.

The travellers now turned their backs upon the sun, as they were making forthe west, but the weather was fine, and the orb of day, already high in theheavens, flung some of its rays across the valley and lit up the glitteringice-walls on either side.

Mrs Barnett and Kalumah were a little behind the rest of the party chattingtogether, and looking about them as they wound through the narrow passagespointed out by Marbre and Sabine. They expected to get out of the valleyquickly, and be back at the fort before sunset, as they had only two or threemiles of the island to cross after leaving the ice. This would be a few hoursafter the time fixed, but not long enough to cause any serious anxiety to theirfriends at home.

They made their calculation without allowing for an incident which no humanperspicacity could possibly have foreseen.

It was about ten o'clock when Marbre and Sabine, who were some twenty pacesin advance of the rest, suddenly stopped and appeared to be debating some point.When the others came up, Sabine was holding out his compass to Marbre, who wasstaring at it with an expression of the utmost astonishment.

"What an extraordinary thing!" he exclaimed, and added, turning to theLieutenant-

"Will you tell me, sir, the position of the island with regard to theice-wall, is it on the east or west?"

"On the west," replied Hobson, not a little surprised at the question, "youknow that well enough, Marbre"

"I know it well enough! I know it well enough!" repeated Marbre, shaking hishead, "and if it is on the west, we are going wrong, and away from theinland!"

"What, away from the island!" exclaimed the Lieutenant, struck with thehunter's air of conviction.

"We are indeed, sir," said Marbre; "look at the compass; my name is notMarbre if it does not show that we are walking towards the east not thewest!"

"Impossible!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett.

"Look, madam," said Sabine.

It was true. The needle pointed in exactly the opposite direction to thatexpected. Hobson looked thoughtful and said nothing.

"We must have made a mistake when we left the ice cavern this morning,"observed Sabine, "we ought to have turned to the left instead of to theright."

"No, no," said Mrs Barnett, "I am sure we did not make a mistake!"

"But"--said Marbre.

"But," interrupted Mrs Barnett, "look at the sun. Does it no longer rise inthe east? Now as we turned our backs on it this morning, and it is still behindus, we must be walking towards the west, so that when we get out of the valleyon the western side of the chain of icebergs, we must come to the island we leftthere."

Marbre, struck dumb by this irrefutable argument, crossed his arms and saidno more.

"Then if so," said Sabine, "the sun and the compass are in completecontradiction of each other?"

"At this moment they are," said Hobson, "and the reason is simple enough; inthese high northern latitudes, and in latitudes in the neighbourhood of themagnetic pole, the compasses are sometimes disturbed, and the deviation of theirneedles is so great as entirely to mislead travellers."

"All right then," said Marbre, "we have only to go on keeping our backs tothe sun."

"Certainly," replied Lieutenant Hobson, "there can be no hesitation which tochoose, the sun or our compass, nothing disturbs the sun."

The march was resumed, the sun was still behind them, and there was really noobjection to be made to Hobson's theory, founded, as it was, upon the positionthen occupied by the radiant orb of day.

The little troop marched on, but they did not get out of the valley as soonas they expected. Hobson had counted on leaving the ice-wall before noon, and itwas past two when they reached the opening of the narrow pass.

Strange as was this delay, it had not made any one uneasy, and theastonishment of all can readily be imagined when, on stepping on to the icefield, at the base of the chain of icebergs, no sign was to be seen of VictoriaIsland, which ought to have been opposite to them.

Yes!-The island, which on this side had been such a conspicuous object, owingto the height of Cape Michael crowned with trees, had disappeared. In its placestretched a vast ice-field lit up by the sunbeams.

All looked around them, and then at each other in amazement.

"The island ought to be there!" cried Sabine.

"But it is not there," said Marbre. "Oh, sir-Lieutenant-where is it? what hasbecome of it?"

But Hobson had not a word to say in reply, and Mrs Barnett was equallydumfounded.

Kalumah now approached Lieutenant Hobson, and touching his arm, she said-

"We went wrong in the valley, we went up it instead of down it, we shall onlyget back to where we were yesterday by crossing the chain of icebergs. Come,come!"

Hobson and the others mechanically followed Kalumah, and trusting in theyoung native's sagacity, retraced their steps. Appearances were, however,certainly against her, for they were now walking towards the sun in an easterlydirection.

Kalumah did not explain her motives, but muttered as she went along-

"Let us make haste!"

All were quite exhausted, and could scarcely get along, when they foundthemselves on the other side of the ice-wall, after a walk of three hours. Thenight had now fallen, and it was too dark to see if the island was there, butthey were not long left in doubt.

At about a hundred paces off, burning torches were moving about, whilstreports of guns and shouts were heard.

The explorers replied, and were soon joined by Sergeant Long and others,amongst them Thomas Black, whose anxiety as to the fate of his friends had atlast roused him from his torpor. The poor fellows left on the island had been ina terrible state of uneasiness, thinking that Hobson and his party had losttheir way. They were right, but what was it that had made them think so?

Twenty-four hours before, the immense ice-field and the island had turnedhalf round, and in consequence of this displacement they were no longer on thewest, but on the east of the ice-wall!

CHAPTER XVI

THE BREAK-UP OF THE ICE

Two hours later all had returned to Fort Hope, and the next day the sun forthe first time shone upon that part of the coast which was formerly on the westof the island. Kalumah, to whom this phenomenon was familiar, had been right,and if the sun had not been the guilty party neither had the compass!

The position of Victoria Island with regard to the cardinal points was againcompletely changed. Since it had broken loose from the mainland the island-andnot only the island, but the vast ice field in which it was enclosed-had turnedhalf round. This displacement proved that the ice-field was not connected withthe continent, and that the thaw would soon set in.

"Well, Lieutenant," said Mrs. Barnett, "this change of front is certainly inour favour. Cape Bathurst and Fort Hope are now turned towards the north-east,in other words towards the point nearest to the continent, and the ice-wall,through which our boat could only have made its way by a difficult and dangerouspassage, is no longer between us and America. And so all is for the best, is itnot?" added Mrs. Barnett with a smile.

"Indeed it is," replied Hobson, who fully realised all that was involved inthis change of the position of Victoria Island.

No incident occurred between the 10th and 21st March, but there wereindications of the approaching change of season. The temperature varied from 43?to 50? Fahrenheit, and it appeared likely that the breaking up of the ice wouldcommence suddenly. Fresh crevasses opened, and the unfrozen water flooded thesurface of the ice. As the whalers poetically express it, the "wounds of theice-field bled copiously," and the opening of these "wounds" was accompanied bya sound like the roar of artillery. A warm rain fell for several hours, andaccelerated the dissolution of the solid coating of the ocean.

The birds, ptarmigans, puffins, ducks, &c., which had deserted the islandin the beginning of the winter, now returned in large numbers. Marbre and Sabinekilled a few of them, and on some were found the tickets tied round their necksby the Lieutenant several months before. Flocks of white trumpeter swans alsoreappeared, and filled the air with their loud clarion tones; whilst thequadrupeds, rodents, and carnivora alike continued to frequent the vicinity ofthe fort like tame domestic animals.

Whenever the state of the sky permitted, which was almost every day, Hobsontook the altitude of the sun. Sometimes Mrs Barnett, who had become quite expertin handling the sextant, assisted him, or took the observation in his stead. Itwas now most important to note the very slightest changes in the latitude andlongitude of the island. It was still doubtful to which current it would besubject after the thaw, and the question whether it would be drifted north orsouth was the chief subject of the discussions between the Lieutenant and MrsBarnett.

The brave lady had always given proof of an energy superior to that of mostof her sex, and now she was to be seen every day braving fatigue, and venturingon to the half decomposed, or "pancake" ice, in all weathers, through snow orrain, and on her return to the factory ready to cheer and help everybody, and tosuperintend all that was going on. We must add that her efforts were ablyseconded by the faithful Madge.

Mrs Barnett had compelled herself to look the future firmly in the face, andalthough she could not fail to fear for the safety of all, and sad presentimentshaunted her, she never allowed herself to betray any uneasiness. Her courage andconfidence never seemed to waver, she was as ever the kind encouraging friend ofeach and all, and none could have dreamt of the conflict of spirit going onbeneath her quiet exterior demeanour. Lieutenant Hobson's admiration of hercharacter was unbounded, and he had also entire confidence in Kalumah, oftentrusting to her natural instinct as implicitly as a hunter to that of hisdog.

The young Esquimaux was, in fact, very intelligent, and familiar frombabyhood with the phenomena of the Polar regions. On board a whaler she mighthave advantageously replaced many an ice-master or pilot whose business it is toguide a boat amongst the ice.

Every day Kalumah went to examine the state of the ice-field.

The nature of the noise produced by the breaking of the icebergs in thedistance was enough to tell her how far the decomposition had advanced. No footwas surer than hers upon the ice, no one could spring more lightly forwards thanshe when her instinct told her that the smooth surface was rotten underneath,and she would scud across an ice-field riddled with fissures without a moment'shesitation.

From the 20th to the 30th March, the thaw made rapid progress. Rain fellabundantly and accelerated the dissolution of the ice. It was to be hoped thatthe ice-field would soon open right across, and that in about fifteen daysHobson would be able to steer his boat into the open sea. He was determined tolose no time, as he did not know but that the Kamtchatka Current might sweep theisland to the north before it could come under the influence of the BehringCurrent.

"But," Kalumah repeated again and again, "there is no fear of that, thebreaking up of the ice does not proceed upwards but downwards. The danger isthere!" she added, pointing to the south in the direction of the vast PacificOcean.

The young girl's confidence on this point reassured Hobson, for he had noreason now to dread the falling to pieces of the island in the warm waters ofthe Pacific. He meant everybody to be on board the boat before that couldhappen, and they would not have far to go to get to one or the other continent,as the strait is in reality a kind of funnel through which the waters flowbetween Cape East on the Asiatic side and Cape Prince of Wales on theAmerican.

This will explain the eager attention with which the slightest change in theposition of the island was noticed. The bearings were taken every day, andeverything was prepared for an approaching and perhaps sudden and hurriedembarkation.

Of course all the ordinary avocations of the factory were now discontinued.There was no hunting or setting of traps. The magazines were already piled upwith furs, most of which would be lost. The hunters and trappers had literallynothing to do; but Mac-Nab and his men, having finished their boat, employedtheir leisure time in strengthening the principal house of the fort, which wouldprobably be subjected to considerable pressure from the accumulation of ice onthe coast during the further progress of the thaw, unless indeed Cape Bathurstshould prove a sufficient protection. Strong struts were fixed against theoutside walls, vertical props were placed inside the rooms to afford additionalsupport to the beams of the ceiling, and the roof was strengthened so that itcould bear a considerable weight. These various works were completed early inApril, and their utility, or rather their vital importance, was very soonmanifested.

Each day brought fresh symptoms of returning spring, which seemed likely toset in early after this strangely mild Polar winter. A few tender shootsappeared upon the trees, and the newly-thawed sap swelled the bark of beeches,willows, and arbutus. Tiny mosses tinged with pale green the slopes under thedirect influence of the sunbeams; but they were not likely to spread much, asthe greedy rodents collected about the fort pounced upon and devoured themalmost before they were above the ground.

Great were the sufferings of Corporal Joliffe at this time. We know that hehad undertaken to protect the plot of ground cultivated by his wife. Underordinary circumstances he would merely have had to drive away featheredpilferers, such as guillemots or puffins, from his sorrel and scurvy grass. Ascarecrow would have been enough to get rid of them, still more the Corporal inperson. But now all the rodents and ruminants of the Arctic fauna combined tolay siege to his territory; reindeer, Polar hares, musk-rats, shrews, martens,&c., braved all the threatening gestures of the Corporal, and the poor manwas in despair, for whilst he was defending one end of his field the enemy waspreying upon the other.

It would certainly have been wiser to let the poor creatures enjoy unmolestedthe crops which could be of no use to the colonists, as the fort was to be sosoon abandoned, and Mrs Barnett tried to persuade the angry Corporal to do so,when he came to her twenty times a day with the same wearisome tale, but hewould not listen to her:

"To lose the fruit of all our trouble!" he repeated; "to leave anestablishment which was prospering so well! To give up the plants Mrs Joliffeand I sowed so carefully!... O madam, sometimes I feel disposed to let you allgo, and stay here with my wife! I am sure the Company would give up all claim onthe island to us"--

Mrs Barnett could not help laughing at this absurd speech, and sent theCorporal to his little wife, who had long ago resigned herself to the loss ofher sorrel, scurvy grass, and other medicinal herbs.

We must here remark, that the health of all the colonists remained good, theyhad at least escaped illness; the baby, too, was now quite well again, andthrove admirably in the mild weather of the early spring.

The thaw continued to proceed rapidly from the 2nd to the 5th April. Theweather was warm but cloudy, and rain fell frequently in large drops. The windblew from the south west, and was laden with the heated dust of the continent.Unfortunately the sky was so hazy, that it was quite impossible to takeobservations, neither sun, moon, nor stars could be seen through the heavymists, and this was the more provoking, as it was of the greatest importance tonote the slightest movements of the island.

It was on the night of the 7th April that the actual breaking up of the icecommenced. In the morning the Lieutenant, Mrs Barnett, Kalumah, and SergeantLong, had climbed to the summit of Cape Bathurst, and saw that a great changehad taken place in the chain of icebergs. The huge barrier had parted nearly inthe middle, and now formed two separate masses, the larger of which seemed to bemoving northwards.

Was it the Kamtchatka Current which produced this motion? Would the floatingisland take the same direction? The intense anxiety of the Lieutenant and hiscompanions can easily be imagined. Their fate might now be decided in a fewhours, and if they should be drifted some hundred miles to the north, it wouldbe very difficult to reach the continent in a vessel so small as theirs.

Unfortunately it was impossible to ascertain the nature or extent of thedisplacement which was going on. One thing was, however, evident, the island wasnot yet moving, at least not in the same direction as the ice-wall. It thereforeseemed probable that whilst part of the ice field was floating to the north,that portion immediately surrounding the island still remained stationary.

This displacement of the icebergs did not in the least alter the opinion ofthe young Esquimaux. Kalumah still maintained that the thaw would proceed fromnorth to south, and that the ice wall would shortly feel the influence of theBehring Current. To make herself more easily understood, she traced thedirection of the current on the sand with a little piece of wood, and made signsthat in following it the island must approach the American continent. Noargument could shake her conviction on this point, and it was almost impossiblenot to feel reassured when listening to the confident expressions of theintelligent native girl.

The events of the 8th, 9th, and 10th April, seemed, however, to prove Kalumahto be in the wrong. The northern portion of the chain of icebergs driftedfarther and farther north. The breaking up of the ice proceeded rapidly and witha great noise, and the ice field opened all round the island with a deafeningcrash. Out of doors it was impossible to hear one's self speak, a ceaseless roarlike that of artillery drowned every other sound.

About half a mile from the coast on that part of the island overlooked byCape Bathurst, the blocks of ice were already beginning to crowd together, andto pile themselves upon each other. The ice-wall had broken up into numerousseparate icebergs, which were drifting towards the north. At least it seemed asif they were moving in that direction. Hobson became more and more uneasy, andnothing that Kalumah could say reassured him. He replied by counter-arguments,which could not shake her faith in her own belief.

At last, on the morning of the 11th April, Hobson showed Kalumah the lasticebergs disappearing in the north, and again endeavoured to prove to her thatfacts were against her.

"No, no!" replied Kalumah, with an air of greater conviction than ever, "no,the icebergs are not going to the north, but our island is going to thesouth!"

She might perhaps be right after all, and Hobson was much struck by this lastreply. It was really possible that the motion of the icebergs towards the northwas only apparent, and that Victoria Island, dragged along with the ice-field,was drifting towards the strait. But it was impossible to ascertain whether thiswere really the case, as neither the latitude nor longitude could be taken.

The situation was aggravated by a phenomenon peculiar to the Polar regions,which rendered it still darker and more impossible to take observations of anykind.

At the very time of the breaking up of the ice, the temperature fell severaldegrees. A dense mist presently enveloped the Arctic latitudes, but not anordinary mist. The soil was covered with a white crust, totally distinct fromhoar-frost-it was, in fact, a watery vapour which congeals on its precipitation.The minute particles of which this mist was composed formed a thick layer ontrees, shrubs, the walls of the fort, and any projecting surface which bristledwith pyramidal or prismatic crystals, the apexes of which pointed to thewind.

Hobson at once understood the nature of this atmospheric phenomenon, whichwhalers and explorers have often noticed in the spring in the Polar regions.

"It is not a mist or fog," he said to his companions, "it is a 'frost-rime',a dense vapour which remains in a state of complete congelation."

But whether a fog or a frozen mist this phenomenon was none the less to beregretted, for it rose a hundred feet at least above the level of the sea, andit was so opaque that the colonists could not see each other when only two orthree paces apart.

Every one's disappointment was very great. Nature really seemed determined totry them to the uttermost. When the break up of the ice had come at last, whenthe wandering island was to leave the spot in which it had so long beenimprisoned, and its movements ought to be watched with the greatest care, thisfog prevented all observations.

This state of things continued for four days. The frost-rime did notdisappear until the 15th April, but on the morning of that date a strong windfrom the south rent it open and dispersed it.

The sun shone brightly once more, and Hobson eagerly seized his instruments.He took the altitude, and found that the exact position of Victoria Island wasthen: Latitude, 69? 57'; longitude, 179? 33'.

Kalumah was right, Victoria Island, in the grasp of the Behring Current, wasdrifting towards the south.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE AVALANCHE.

The colonists were then at last approaching the more frequented latitudes ofBehring Sea. There was no longer any danger that they would be drifted to thenorth, and all they had to do was to watch the displacement of the island, andto estimate the speed of its motion, which would probably be very unequal, onaccount of the obstacles in its path. Hobson most carefully noted everyincident, taking alternately solar and stellar altitudes, and the next day,April 16th, after ascertaining the bearings, he calculated that if its presentspeed were maintained, Victoria Island would reach the Arctic Circle, from whichit was now separated at the most by four degrees of latitude, towards thebeginning of May.

It was probable that, when the island reached the narrowest portion of thestrait, it would remain stationary until the thaw broke it up, the boat wouldthen be launched, and the colonists would set sail for the Americancontinent.

Everything was ready for an immediate embarkation, and the inhabitants of theisland waited with greater patience and confidence than ever. They felt, poorthings, that the end of their trials was surely near at last, and that nothingcould prevent their landing on one side or the other of the strait in a fewdays.

This prospect cheered them up wonderfully, and the gaiety natural to themall, which they had lost in the terrible anxiety they had so long endured, wasrestored. The common meals were quite festal, as there was no need foreconomising the stores under present circumstances. The influence of the springbecame more and more sensibly felt, and every one enjoyed the balmy air, andbreathed more freely than before.

During the next few days, several excursions were made to the interior of theisland and along the coast. Everywhere the furred animals, &c., stillabounded, for even now they could not cross to the continent, the connectionbetween it and the ice-field being broken, and their continued presence was afresh proof that the island was no longer stationary.

No change had taken place on the island at Cape Esquimaux, Cape Michael,along the coast, or on the wooded heights of the interior, and the banks of thelagoon. The large gulf which had opened near Cape Michael during the storm hadclosed in the winter, and there was no other fissure on the surface of thesoil.

During these excursions, bands of wolves were seen scudding across parts ofthe island. Of all the animals these fierce carnivorous beasts were the onlyones which the feeling of a common danger had not tamed.

Kalumah's preserver was seen several times. This worthy bear paced to and froon the deserted plains in melancholy mood, pausing in his walk as the explorerspassed, and sometimes following them to the fort, knowing well that he hadnothing to fear from them.

On the 20th April Lieutenant Hobson ascertained that the wandering island wasstill drifting to the south. All that remained of the ice-wall, that is to say,the southern portion of the icebergs, followed it, but as there were no benchmarks, the changes of position could only be estimated by astronomicalobservations.

Hobson took several soundings in different parts of the ground, especially atthe foot of Cape Bathurst, and on the shores of the lagoon. He was anxious toascertain the thickness of the layer of ice supporting the earth and sand, andfound that it had not increased during the winter, and that the general level ofthe island did not appear to have risen higher above that of the sea. Theconclusion he drew from these facts was, that no time should be lost in gettingaway from the fragile island, which would rapidly break up and dissolve in thewarmer waters of the Pacific.

About the 25th April the bearing of the island was again changed, the wholeice-field had moved round from east to west twelve points, so that Cape Bathurstpointed to the north-west. The last remains of the ice-wall now shut in thenorthern horizon, so that there could be no doubt that the ice-field was movingfreely in the strait, and that it nowhere touched any land.

The fatal moment was approaching. Diurnal or nocturnal observations gave theexact position of the island, and consequently of the ice-field. On the 30th ofApril, both were together drifting across Kotzebue Sound, a large triangulargulf running some distance inland on the American coast, and bounded on thesouth by Cape Prince of Wales, which might, perhaps, arrest the course of theisland if it should deviate in the very least from the middle of the narrowpass.

The weather was now pretty fine, and the column of mercury often marked 50?Fahrenheit. The colonists had left off their winter garments some weeks before,and held themselves in constant readiness to leave the island. Thomas Black hadalready transported his instruments and books into the boat, which was waitingon the beach. A good many provisions had also been embarked and some of the mostvaluable furs.

On the 2d of May a very carefully taken observation showed that VictoriaIsland had a tendency to drift towards the east, and consequently to reach theAmerican continent. This was fortunate, as they were now out of danger of beingtaken any farther by the Kamtchatka Current, which, as is well known, runs alongthe coast of Asia. At last the tide was turning in favour of the colonists!

"I think our bad fortune is at last at an end," observed Sergeant Long to MrsBarnett, "and that our misfortunes are really over; I don't suppose there areany more dangers to be feared now."

"I quite agree with you," replied Mrs Barnett, "and it is very fortunate thatwe had to give up our journey across the ice-field a few months ago; we ought tobe very thankful that it was impassible!"

Mrs Barnett was certainly justified in speaking as she did, for what fearfulfatigues and sufferings they would all have had to undergo in crossing fivehundred miles of ice in the darkness of the Polar night!

On the 5th May, Hobson announced that Victoria Island had just crossed theArctic Circle. It had at last re-entered that zone of the terrestrial sphere inwhich at one period of the year the sun does not set. The poor people all feltthat they were returning to the inhabited globe.

The event of crossing the Arctic Circle was celebrated in much the same wayas crossing the Equator for the first time would be on board ship, and many aglass of spirits was drank in honour of the event.

There was now nothing left to do but to wait till the broken and half-meltedice should allow of the passage of the boat, which was to bear the whole colonyto the land.

During the 7th May the island turned round to the extent of another quarterof its circumference. Cape Bathurst now pointed due north, and those masses ofthe old chain of icebergs which still remained standing were now above it, sothat it occupied much the same position as that assigned to it in maps when itwas united to the American continent. The island had gradually turned completelyround, and the sun had risen successively on every point of its shores.

The observations of the 8th May showed that the island had become stationarynear the middle of the passage, at least forty miles from Cape Prince of Wales,so that land was now at a comparatively short distance from it, and the safetyof all seemed to be secured.

In the evening a good supper was served in the large room, and the healths ofMrs Barnett and of Lieutenant Hobson were proposed.

The same night the Lieutenant determined to go and see if any changes hadtaken place in the ice-field on the south, hoping that a practicable passagemight have been opened.

Mrs Barnett was anxious to accompany him, but he persuaded her to rest alittle instead, and started off, accompanied only by Sergeant Long.

Mrs Barnett, Madge, and Kalumah returned to the principal house after seeingthem off, and the soldiers and women had already gone to bed in the differentapartments assigned to them.

It was a fine night, there was no moon, but the stars shone very brightly,and as the ice-field vividly reflected their light, it was possible to see for aconsiderable distance.

It was nine o'clock when the two explorers left the fort and turned towardsthat part of the coast between Port Barnett and Cape Michael. They followed thebeach for about two miles, and found the ice-field in a state of positive chaos.The sea was one vast aggregation of crystals of every size, it looked as if ithad been petrified suddenly when tossing in a tempest, and, alas, there was evennow no free passage between the ice-masses-it would be impossible for a boat topass yet.

Hobson and Long remained on the ice-field talking and looking about themuntil midnight, and then seeing that there was still nothing to do but to wait,they decided to go back to Fort Hope and rest for a few hours.

They had gone some hundred paces, and had reached the dried-up bed of PaulinaRiver, when an unexpected noise arrested them. It was a distant rumbling fromthe northern part of the ice-field, and it became louder and louder until it wasalmost deafening. Something dreadful was going on in the quarter from which itcame, and Hobson fancied he felt the ice beneath his feet trembling, which wascertainly far from reassuring.

"The noise comes from the chain of icebergs," exclaimed Long, "what can begoing on there?"

Hobson did not answer, but feeling dreadfully anxious he rushed towards thefort dragging his companion after him.

"To the fort! to the fort." he cried at last, "the ice may have opened, wemay be able to launch our boat on the sea!"

And the two ran as fast as ever they could towards Fort Hope by the shortestway.

A thousand conjectures crowded upon them. From what new phenomenon did theunexpected noise proceed? Did the sleeping inhabitants of the fort know what wasgoing on? They must certainly have heard the noise, for, in vulgar language, itwas loud enough to wake the dead.

Hobson and Long crossed the two miles between them and Fort Hope in twentyminutes, but before they reached the enceinte they saw the men and women theyhad left asleep hurrying away in terrified disorder, uttering cries ofdespair.

The carpenter Mac-Nab, seeing the Lieutenant, ran towards him with his littleboy in his arms.

"Look, sir, look!" he cried, drawing his master towards a little hill whichrose a few yards behind the fort.

Hobson obeyed, and saw that part of the ice-wall, which, when he left, wastwo or three miles off in the offing, had fallen upon the coast of the island.Cape Bathurst no longer existed, the mass of earth and sand of which it wascomposed had been swept away by the icebergs and scattered over the palisades.The principal house and all the buildings connected with it on the north wereburied beneath the avalanche. Masses of ice were crowding upon each other andtumbling over with an awful crash, crushing everything beneath them. It was likean army of icebergs taking possession of the island.

The boat which had been built at the foot of the cape was completelydestroyed. The last hope of the unfortunate colonists was gone!

As they stood watching the awful scene, the buildings, formerly occupied bythe soldiers and women, and from which they had escaped in time, gave waybeneath an immense block of ice which fell upon them. A cry of despair burstfrom the lips of the houseless outcasts.

"And the others, where are they?" cried the Lieutenant in heart-rendingtones.

"There!" replied Mac-Nab, pointing to the heap of sand, earth, and ice,beneath which the principal house had entirely disappeared.

Yes, the illustrious lady traveller, Madge, Kalumah, and Thomas Black, wereburied beneath the avalanche which had surprised them in their sleep!

CHAPTER XVIII.

ALL AT WORK.

Fearful catastrophe had occurred. The ice-wall had been flung upon thewandering island, the volume below the water being five times that of theprojecting part, it had come under the influence of the submarine currents, and,opening a way for itself between the broken ice-masses, it had fallen bodilyupon Victoria Island, which, driven along by this mighty propelling force, wasdrifting rapidly to the south.

Mac-Nab and his companions, aroused by the noise of the avalanche dashingdown upon the dog-house, stable, and principal house, had been able to escape intime, but now the work of destruction was complete. Not a trace remained of thebuildings in which they had slept, and the island was bearing all itsinhabitants with it to the unfathomable depths of the ocean! Perhaps, however,Mrs Barnett, Madge, Kalumah, and the astronomer, were still living! Dead oralive they must be dug out.

At this thought Hobson recovered his composure and shouted-

"Get shovels and pickaxes! The house is strong! it may have held together!Let us set to work!"

There were plenty of tools and pickaxes, but it was really impossible toapproach the enceinte. The masses of ice were rolling down from the summits ofthe icebergs, and some parts of the ice-wall still towered amongst the ruins twohundred feet above the island. The force with which the tossing masses, whichseemed to be surging all along the northern horizon, were overthrown can beimagined; the whole coast between the former Cape Bathurst and Cape Esquimauxwas not only hemmed in, but literally invaded by these moving mountains, which,impelled by a force they could not resist, had already advanced more than aquarter of a mile inland.

Every moment the trembling of the ground and a loud report gave notice thatanother of these masses had rolled over, and there was a danger that the islandwould sink beneath the weight thrown upon it. A very apparent lowering of thelevel had taken place all along that part of the coast near Cape Bathurst, itwas evidently gradually sinking down, and the sea had already encroached nearlyas far as the lagoon.

The situation of the colonists was truly terrible, unable as they were toattempt to save their companions, and driven from the enceinte by the crashingavalanches, over which they had no power whatever. They could only wait, a preyto the most awful forebodings.

Day dawned at last, and how fearful a scene was presented by the districtsaround Cape Bathurst! The horizon was shut in on every side by ice-masses, buttheir advance appeared to be checked for the moment at least. The ruins of theice-wall were at rest, and it was only now and then that a few blocks rolleddown from the still tottering crests of the remaining icebergs. But the wholemass-a great part of its volume being sunk beneath the surface of the sea-was inthe grasp of a powerful current, and was driving the island along with it to thesouth, that is to say, to the ocean, in the depths of which they would alike beengulfed.

Those who were thus borne along upon the island were not fully conscious ofthe peril in which they stood. They had their comrades to save, and amongst themthe brave woman who had so won all their hearts, and for whom they would gladlyhave laid down their lives. The time for action had come, they could againapproach the palisades, and there was not a moment to lose, as the poorcreatures had already been buried beneath the avalanche for six hours.

We have already said that Cape Bathurst no longer existed. Struck by a hugeiceberg it had fallen bodily upon the factory, breaking the boat and crushingthe dog-house and stable with the poor creatures in them. The principal housenext disappeared beneath the masses of earth and sand, upon which rolled blocksof ice to a height of fifty or sixty feet. The court of the fort was filled up,of the palisade not a post was to be seen, and it was from beneath thisaccumulation of earth, sand, and ice, that the victims were to be dug out.

Before beginning to work Hobson called the head carpenter to him, and askedif he thought the house could bear the weight of the avalanche.

"I think so, sir," replied Mac-Nab; "in fact, I may almost say I am sure ofit. You remember how we strengthened it, it has been 'casemated,' and thevertical beams between the ceilings and floors must have offered greatresistance; moreover, the layer of earth and sand with which the roof was firstcovered must have broken the shock of the fall of the blocks of ice from theicebergs." "God grant you may be right, Mac-Nab," replied Hobson, "and that wemay be spared the great grief of losing our friends!"

The Lieutenant then sent for Mrs Joliffe, and asked her if plenty ofprovisions had been left in the house.

"Oh, yes," replied Mrs Joliffe, "there was plenty to eat in the pantry andkitchen."

"And any water?"

"Yes, water and rum too."

"All right, then," said Hobson, "they will not be starved-but how aboutair?"

To this question Mac-Nab could make no reply, and if, as he hoped, the househad not given way, the want of air would be the chief danger of the fourvictims. By prompt measures, however, they might yet be saved, and the firstthing to be done was to open a communication with the outer air.

All set to work zealously, men and women alike seizing shovels and pickaxes.The masses of ice, sand, and earth, were vigorously attacked at the risk ofprovoking fresh downfalls; but the proceedings were ably directed byMac-Nab.

It appeared to him best to begin at the top of the accumulated masses, so asto roll down loose blocks on the side of the lagoon. The smaller pieces wereeasily dealt with, with pick and crowbar, but the large blocks had to be brokenup. Some of great size were melted with the aid of a large fire of resinouswood, and every means was tried to destroy or get rid of the ice in the shortestpossible time.

But so great was the accumulation, that although all worked without pause,except when they snatched a little food, there was no sensible diminution in itsamount when the sun disappeared below the horizon. It was not, however, reallyof quite so great a height as before, and it was determined to go on workingfrom above through the night, and when there was no longer any danger of freshfalls Mac-Nab hoped to be able to sink a vertical shaft in the compact mass, soas to admit the outer air to the house as soon as possible.

All night long the party worked at the excavation, attacking the masses withiron and heat, as the one or the other seemed more likely to be effective. Themen wielded the pickaxe whilst the women kept up the fires; but all wereanimated by one purpose-the saving of the lives of Mrs Barnett, Madge, Kalumah,and the astronomer.

When morning dawned the poor creatures had been buried for thirty hours inair necessarily very impure under so thick a cover.

The progress made in the night had been so great that Mac-Nab prepared tosink his shaft, which he meant to go straight down to the top of the house; andwhich, according to his calculation, would not have to be more than fifty feetdeep. It would be easy enough to sink this shaft through the twenty feet of ice;but great difficulty would be experienced when the earth and sand were reached,as, being very brittle, they would of course constantly fill in the shaft, andits sides would therefore have to be lined. Long pieces of wood were preparedfor this purpose, and the boring proceeded. Only three men could work at ittogether, and the soldiers relieved each other constantly, so that theexcavation seemed likely to proceed rapidly.

As might be supposed the poor fellows alternated between hope and fear whensome obstacle delayed them. When a sudden fall undid their work they feltdiscouraged, and nothing but Mac-Nab's steady voice could have rallied them. Asthe men toiled in turn at their weary task the women stood watching them fromthe foot of a hill, saying little, but often praying silently. They had nownothing to do but to prepare the food, which the men devoured in their shortintervals of repose.

The boring proceeded without any very great difficulty, but the ice was sohard that the progress was but slow. At the end of the second day Mac-Nab hadnearly reached the layer of earth and sand, and could not hope to get to the topof the house before the end of the next day.

Night fell, but the work was continued by the light of torches. A"snow-house" was hastily dug out in one of the hummocks on the shore as atemporary shelter for the women and the little boy. The wind had veered to thesouth-west, and a cold rain began to fall, accompanied with occasional squalls;but neither the Lieutenant nor his men dreamt of leaving off work.

Now began the worst part of the task. It was really impossible to bore in theshifting masses of sand and earth, and it became necessary to prop up the sidesof the shaft with wood, the loose earth being drawn to the surface in a buckethung on a rope. Of course under the circumstances the work could not proceedrapidly, falls might occur at any moment, and the miners were in danger of beingburied in their turn.

Mac-Nab was generally the one to remain at the bottom of the narrow shaft,directing the excavation, and frequently sounding with a long pick, but as itmet with no resistance, it was evident that it did not reach the roof of thehouse.

When the morning once more dawned, only ten feet had been excavated in themass of earth and sand, so that twenty remained to be bored through before theroof of the house could be reached, that is to say, if it had not given way, andstill occupied the position it did before the fall of the avalanche.

It was now fifty-four hours since Mrs Barnett and her companions wereburied!

Mac-Nab and the Lieutenant often wondered if they on their side had made anyeffort to open a communication with the outer air. They felt sure that with herusual courage, Mrs Barnett would have tried to find some way out if hermovements were free. Some tools had been left in the house, and Kellet, one ofthe carpenter's men, remembered leaving his pickaxe in the kitchen. Theprisoners might have broken open one of the doors and begun to pierce a galleryacross the layer of earth. But such a gallery could only be driven in ahorizontal direction, and would be a much longer business than the sinking of ashaft from above, for the masses flung down by the avalanche, although onlysixty feet deep, covered a space more than five hundred feet in diameter. Ofcourse the prisoners could not be aware of this fact, and if they should succeedin boring their horizontal gallery, it would be eight days at least before theycould cut through the last layer of ice, and by that time they would be totallydeprived of air, if not of food.

Nevertheless the Lieutenant carefully went over every portion of theaccumulation himself, and listened intently for any sounds of subterraneandigging, but he heard nothing.

On the return of day the men toiled with fresh energy, bucket after bucketwas drawn to the surface of the shaft loaded with earth. The clumsy wooden propsanswered admirably in keeping the earth from filling in the pit, a few fallsoccurred, but they were rapidly checked, and no fresh misfortunes occurredthroughout the day, except that the soldier Garry received a blow on the headfrom a falling block of ice. The wound was not however severe, and he would notleave his work.

At four o'clock the shaft was fifty feet deep altogether, having been sunkthrough twenty feet of ice and thirty of sand and earth.

It was at this depth that Mac-Nab had expected to reach the roof of thehouse, if it had resisted the pressure of the avalanche.

He was then at the bottom of the shaft, and his disappointment and dismay canbe imagined when, on driving his pickaxe into the ground as far as it would go,it met with no resistance whatever.

Sabine was with him, and for a few moments he remained with his arms crossed,silently looking at his companion.

"No roof then?" inquired the hunter.

"Nothing whatever," replied the carpenter, "but let us work on, the roof hasbent of course, but the floor of the loft cannot have given way. Another tenfeet and we shall come to that floor, or else"--

Mac-Nab did not finish his sentence, and the two resumed their work with thestrength of despair.

At six o'clock in the evening, another ten or twelve feet had been dugout.

Mac-Nab sounded again, nothing yet, his pick still sunk in the shiftingearth, and flinging it from him, he buried his face in his hands andmuttered-

"Poor things, poor things!" He then climbed to the opening of the shaft bymeans of the wood-work.

The Lieutenant and the Sergeant were together in greater anxiety than ever,and taking them aside, the carpenter told them of his dreadfuldisappointment.

"Then," observed Hobson, "the house must have been crushed by the avalanche,and the poor people in it"--

"No!" cried the head-carpenter with earnest conviction, "no, it cannot havebeen crushed, it must have resisted, strengthened as it was. It cannot-it cannothave been crushed!"

"Well, then, what has happened?" said the Lieutenant in a broken voice, hiseyes filling with tears.

"Simply this," replied Mac-Nab, "the house itself has remained intact, butthe ground on which it was built must have sunk. The house has gone through thecrust of ice which forms the foundation of the island. It has not been crushed,but engulfed, and the poor creatures in it"--

"Are drowned!" cried Long.

"Yes, Sergeant, drowned without a moment's notice-drowned like passengers ona foundered vessel!"

For some minutes the three men remained silent. Mac-Nab's idea was probablycorrect. Nothing was more likely than that the ice forming the foundation of theisland had given way under such enormous pressure. The vertical props whichsupported the beams of the ceiling, and rested on those of the floor, hadevidently aided the catastrophe by their weight, and the whole house had beenengulfed.

"Well, Mac-Nab," said Hobson at last, "if we cannot find them alive"--

"We must recover their bodies," added the head carpenter.

"And with these words Mac-Nab, accompanied by the Lieutenant, went back tohis work at the bottom of the shaft without a word to any of his comrades of theterrible form his anxiety had now assumed.

The excavation continued throughout the night, the men relieving each otherevery hour, and Hobson and Mac-Nab watched them at work without a moment'srest.

At three o'clock in the morning Kellet's pickaxe struck against somethinghard, which gave out a ringing sound. The head carpenter felt it almost beforehe heard it.

"We have reached them!" cried the soldier, "they are saved."

"Hold your tongue, and go on working," replied the Lieutenant in a chokedvoice.

It was now seventy-six hours since the avalanche fell upon the house!

Kellet and his companion Pond resumed their work. The shaft must have nearlyreached the level of the sea, and Mac-Nab therefore felt that all hope wasgone.

In less than twenty minutes the hard body which Kellet had struck wasuncovered, and proved to be one of the rafters of the roof. The carpenter flunghimself to the bottom of the shaft, and seizing a pickaxe sent the laths of theroof flying on every side. In a few moments a large aperture was made, and afigure appeared at it which it was difficult to recognise in the darkness.

It was Kalumah!

"Help! help!" she murmured feebly.

Hobson let himself down through the opening, and found himself up to thewaist in ice-cold water. Strange to say, the roof had not given way, but asMac-Nab had supposed, the house had sunk, and was full of water. The water didnot, however, yet fill the loft, and was not more than a foot above the floor.There was still a faint hope!

The Lieutenant, feeling his way in the darkness, came across a motionlessbody, and dragging it to the opening he consigned it to Pond and Kellet. It wasThomas Black.

Madge, also senseless, was next found; and she and the astronomer were drawnup to the surface of the ground with ropes, where the open air graduallyrestored them to consciousness.

Mrs Barnett was still missing, but Kalumah led Hobson to the very end of theloft, and there he found the unhappy lady motionless and insensible, with herhead scarcely out of the water.

The Lieutenant lifted her in his arms and carried her to the opening, and afew moments later he had reached the outer air with his burden, followed byMac-Nab with Kalumah.

Every one gathered round Mrs Barnett in silent anxiety, and poor Kalumah,exhausted as she was, flung herself across her friend's body.

Mrs Barnett still breathed, her heart still beat feebly, and revived by thepure fresh air she at last opened her eyes.

A cry of joy burst from every lip, a cry of gratitude to Heaven for the greatmercy vouchsafed, which was doubtless heard above.

Day was now breaking in the east, the sun was rising above the horizon,lighting up the ocean with its brilliant beams, and Mrs Barnett painfullystaggered to her feet. Looking round her from the summit of the new mountainformed by the avalanche, which overlooked the whole island, she murmured in achanged and hollow voice--

"The sea! the sea!"

Yes, the ocean now encircled the wandering island, the sea was open at last,and a true sea-horizon shut in the view from east to west.

CHAPTER XIX.

BEHRING SEA.

The island, driven by the ice-wall, had then drifted at a great speed intoBehring Sea, after crossing the strait without running aground on its shores! Itwas still hurrying on before the icy barrier, which was in the grasp of apowerful submarine current, hastening onwards on to its inevitable dissolutionin the warmer waters of the Pacific, and the boat on which all had depended wasuseless!

As soon as Mrs Barnett had entirely recovered consciousness, she related in afew words the history of the seventy-four hours spent in the house now in thewater. Thomas Black, Madge, and Kalumah had been aroused by the crash of theavalanche, and had rushed to the doors or windows. There was no longer anypossibility of getting out, the mass of earth and sand, which was but a momentbefore Cape Bathurst, completely covered the house, and almost immediatelyafterwards the prisoners heard the crash of the huge ice-masses which were flungupon the factory.

In another quarter of an hour all felt that the house, whilst resisting theenormous pressure, was sinking through the soil of the island. They knew thatthe crust of the ice must have given way, and that the house would fill withwater!

To seize a few provisions remaining in the pantry, and to take refuge in theloft, was the work of a moment. This the poor creatures did from a dim instinctof self-preservation, but what hope could they really have of being saved!However, the loft seemed likely to resist, and two blocks of ice abutting fromthe roof saved it from being immediately crushed.

Whilst thus imprisoned the poor creatures could hear the constant falls fromthe icebergs, whilst the sea was gradually rising through the lower rooms. Theymust either be crushed or drowned!

But by little short of a miracle, the roof of the house, with its strongframework, resisted the pressure, and after sinking a certain depth the houseremained stationary, with the water rather above the floor of the loft. Theprisoners were obliged to take refuge amongst the rafters of the roof, and therethey remained for many hours. Kalumah devoted herself to the service of theothers, and carried food to them through the water. They could make no attemptto save themselves, succour could only come from without.

It was a terrible situation, for breathing was difficult in the vitiated airdeficient as it was in oxygen, and charged with a great excess of carbonicacid.... A few hours later Hobson would only have found the corpses of hisfriends!

The horror of the position was increased by the gushing of the water throughthe lower rooms, which convinced Mrs Barnett that the island was drifting to thesouth. She had, in fact, guessed the whole truth; she knew that the ice-wall hadheeled over and fallen upon the island, and concluded that the boat wasdestroyed. It was this last fact which gave such terrible significance to herfirst words when she looked around her after her swoon-

"The sea! the sea!"

Those about her, however, could think of nothing yet but the fact, that theyhad saved her for whom they would have died, and with her Madge, Kalumah, andThomas Black. Thus far not one of those who had joined the Lieutenant in hisdisastrous expedition had succumbed to any of the fearful dangers through whichthey had passed.

But matters were not yet at their worst, and fresh troubles were soon tohasten the final catastrophe.

Hobson's first care after Mrs Barnett's recovery was to take the bearings ofthe inland. It was listless now to think of quitting it, as the sea was open andtheir boat destroyed. A few ruins alone remained of the mighty ice-wall, theupper portion of which had crushed Cape Bathurst whilst the submerged base wasdriving the island to the south.

The instruments and maps belonging to the astronomer were found in the ruinsof the house, and were fortunately uninjured. The weather was cloudy, but Hobsonsucceeded in taking the altitude of the sun with sufficient accuracy for hispurpose.

We give the result obtained at noon on the 12th May. Victoria Island was thensituated in longitude 168?12' west of Greenwich, and in latitude 63?37' N. Theexact spot was looked out on the chart, and proved to be in Norton Sound,between Cape Tchaplin on the Asiatic and Cape Stephens on the American coast,but a hundred miles from either.

"We must give up all hope of making the land of the continent then!" said MrsBarnett.

"Yes, madam," replied Hobson; "all hope of that is at an end; the current iscarrying us with great rapidity out into the offing, and our only chance is,that we may pass within sight of a whaler."

"Well, but," added Mrs Barnett, "if we cannot make the land of eithercontinent, might not the current drive us on to one of the islands of BehringSea?"

There was, in fact, a slight possibility that such a thing might happen, andall eagerly clutched at the hope, like a drowning man at a plank. There areplenty of islands in Behring Sea, St Lawrence, St Matthew, Nunivak, St Paul,George island, &c. The wandering island was in fact at that moment not farfrom St Lawrence, which is of a considerable size, and surrounded with islets;and should it pass it without stopping, there was yet a hope that the cluster ofthe Aleutian Islands, bounding Behring Sea on the south, might arrest itscourse.

Yes! St Lawrence might be a harbour of refuge for the colonists, and if itfailed them, St Matthew, and the group of islets of which it is the centre,would still be left. It would not do, however, to count upon the AleutianIslands, which were more than eight hundred miles away, and which they mightnever reach. Long, long before they got so far, Victoria Island, worn away bythe warm sea-waves, and melted by the rays of the sun, which was already in thesign of Gemini, would most likely have sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

There is, however, no fixed point beyond which floating ice does not advance.It approaches nearer to the equator in the southern than in the northernhemisphere. Icebergs have been seen off the Cape of Good Hope, at aboutthirty-six degrees south latitude, but those which come down from the ArcticOcean have never passed forty degrees north latitude. The weather conditions,which are of course variable, determine the exact locality where ice will melt;in severe and prolonged winters it remains solid in comparatively low latitudes,and vice versa in early springs.

Now the warm season of 1861 had set in very early, and this would hasten thedissolution of Victoria Island. The waters of Behring Sea had already changedfrom blue to green, as the great navigator Hudson observed they always do on theapproach of icebergs, so that a catastrophe might be expected at any moment.

Hobson determined to do his best to avert the coming misfortune, and ordereda raft to be constructed which would carry the whole colony, and might be guidedto the continent somehow or other. There was every chance of meeting vessels nowthat the whaling season had commenced, and Mac-Nab was commissioned to make alarge solid raft which would float when Victoria Island was engulfed.

But first of all, it was necessary to construct some shelter for the homelessinhabitants of the island. The simple plan appeared to be to dig out the oldbarracks, which had been built on to the principal house, and the walls of whichwere still standing. Every one set to work with a hearty good-will, and in a fewdays a shelter was provided from the inclemencies of the fickle weather.

Search was also made in the ruins of the large house, and a good manyarticles of more or less value were saved from the submerged rooms-tools, arms,furniture, the air pumps, and the air vessel, &c.

On the 13th May all hope of drifting on to the island of St Lawrence had tobe abandoned. When the bearings were taken, it was found that they were passingat a considerable distance to the east of that island; and, as Hobson was wellaware, currents do not run against natural obstacles, but turn them, so thatlittle hope could be entertained of thus making the land. It is true the networkof islands in the Catherine Archipelago, scattered over several degrees oflatitude, might stop the island if it ever got so far. But, as we have beforestated, that was not probable, although it was advancing at great speed; forthis speed must decrease considerably when the ice-wall which was driving italong should be broken away or dissolved, unprotected as it was from the heat ofthe sun by any covering of earth or sand.

Lieutenant Hobson, Mrs Barnett, Sergeant Long, and the head carpenter oftendiscussed these matters, and came to the conclusion that the island couldcertainly never reach the Aleutian group with so many chances against it.

On the 14th May, Mac-Nab and his men commenced the construction of a hugeraft. It had to be as high as possible above the water, to prevent the wavesfrom breaking over it, so that it was really a formidable undertaking. Theblacksmith, Rae, had fortunately found a large number of the iron bolts whichhad been brought from Fort Reliance, and they were invaluable for firmlyfastening together the different portions of the framework of the raft.

We must describe the novel site for the building of the raft suggested byLieutenant Hobson. Instead of joining the timbers and planks together on theground, they were joined on the surface of the lake. The different pieces ofwood were prepared on the banks, and launched separately. They were then easilyfitted together on the water. This mode of proceeding had two advantages:-

1. The carpenter would be able at once to judge of the point of flotation,and the stability which should be given to the raft. 2. When Victoria Islandmelted, the raft would already be floating, and would not be liable to theshocks it would receive if on land when the inevitable break-up came.

Whilst these works were going on, Hobson would wander about on the beach,either alone or with Mrs Barnett, examining the state of the sea, and theever-changing windings of the coast-line, worn by the constant action of thewaves. He would gaze upon the vast deserted ocean, from which the very icebergshad now disappeared, watching, ever watching, like a shipwrecked mariner, forthe vessel which never came. The ocean solitudes were only frequented bycetacea, which came to feed upon the microscopic anima[l]culae which form theirprincipal food, and abound in the green waters. Now and then floating trees ofdifferent kinds, which had been brought by the great ocean currents from warmlatitudes, passed the island on their way to the north.

On the 16th May, Mrs Barnett and Madge were walking together on that part ofthe island between the former Cape Bathurst and Port Barnett. It was a fine warmday, and there had been no traces of snow on the ground for some time; all thatrecalled the bitter cold of the Polar regions were the relics left by theice-wall on the northern part of the island; but even these were rapidlymelting, and every day fresh waterfalls poured from their summits and bathedtheir sides. Very soon the sun would have completely dissolved every atom ofice.

Strange indeed was the aspect of Victoria Island. But for their terribleanxiety, the colonists must have gazed at it with eager interest. The ground wasmore prolific than it could have been in any former spring, transferred as itwas to milder latitudes. The little mosses and tender flowers grew rapidly, andMrs Joliffe's garden was wonderfully successful. The vegetation of every kind,hitherto checked by the rigour of the Arctic winter, was not only more abundant,but more brilliantly coloured. The hues of leaves and flowers were no longerpale and watery, but warm and glowing, like the sunbeams which called themforth. The arbutus, willow, birch, fir, and pine trees were clothed with darkverdure; the sap-sometimes heated in a temperature of 68? Fahrenheit-burst openthe young buds; in a word, the Arctic landscape was completely transformed, forthe island was now beneath the same parallel of latitude as Christiania orStockholm, that is to say, in one of the finest districts of the temperatezones.

But Mrs Barnett had now no eyes for these wonderful phenomena of nature. Theshadow of the coming doom clouded her spirit. She shared the feeling ofdepression manifested by the hundreds of animals now collected round thefactory. The foxes, martens, ermines, lynxes, beavers, musk-rats, gluttons, andeven the wolves, rendered less savage by their instinctive knowledge of a commondanger, approached nearer and nearer to their old enemy man, as if man couldsave them. It was a tacit, a touching acknowledgment of human superiority, undercircumstances in which that superiority could be of absolutely no avail.

No! Mrs Barnett cared no longer for the beauties of nature, and gazed withoutceasing upon the boundless, pitiless, infinite ocean with its unbrokenhorizon.

"Poor Madge!" she said at last to her faithful companion; "it was I whobrought you to this terrible pass-you who have followed me everywhere, and whosefidelity deserved a far different recompense! Can you forgive me?"

"There is but one thing I could never have forgiven you," replied Madge,-"adeath I did not share!"

"Ah, Madge!" cried Mrs Barnett, "if my death could save the lives of allthese poor people, how gladly would I die!"

"My dear girl," replied Madge, "have you lost all hope at last?"

"I have indeed," murmured Mrs Barnett, hiding her face on Madge'sshoulder.

The strong masculine nature had given way at last, and Mrs Barnett was for amoment a feeble woman. Was not her emotion excusable in so awful asituation?

Mrs Barnett sobbed aloud, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Madge kissed and caressed her, and tried all she could to reassure her; andpresently, raising her head, her poor mistress said-

"Do not tell them, Madge, how I have given way-do not betray that I havewept."

"Of course not," said Madge, "and they would not believe me if I did. It wasbut a moment's weakness. Be yourself, dear girl; cheer up, and take freshcourage."

"Do you mean to say you still hope yourself!" exclaimed Mrs Barnett, lookinganxiously into her companion's face.

"I still hope!" said Madge simply.

But a few days afterwards, every chance of safety seemed to be indeed gone,when the wandering island passed outside the St Matthew group, and drifted awayfrom the last land in Behring Sea!

CHAPTER XX.

IN THE OFFING.

Victoria Island was now floating in the widest part of Behring Sea, sixhundred miles from the nearest of the Aleutian Islands, and two hundred milesfrom the nearest land, which was on the east. Supposing no accident happened, itwould be three weeks at least before this southern boundary of Behring Sea couldbe reached.

Could the island last so long? Might it not burst open at any moment, subjectas it was even now to the constant action of tepid water, the mean temperatureof which was more than 50? Fahrenheit?

Lieutenant Hobson pressed on the construction of the raft as rapidly aspossible, and the lower framework was already floating on the lagoon. Mac-Nabwished to make it as strong as possible, for it would have a considerabledistance to go to reach the Aleutian Islands, unless they were fortunate enoughto meet with a whaler.

No important alteration had lately taken place in the general configurationof the island. Reconaissances were taken everyday, but great caution wasnecessary, as a fracture of the ground might at any moment cut off the explorersfrom the rest of the party.

The wide gulf near Cape Michael, which the winter had closed, had reopenedgradually, and now ran a mile inland, as far as the dried-up bed of the littleriver. It was probable that it was soon to extend to the bed itself, which wasof course of little thickness, having been hollowed out by the stream. Should itdo so, the whole district between Cape Michael and Port Barnett, bounded on thewest by the river bed, would disappear-that is to say, the colonists would losea good many square miles of their domain. On this account Hobson warned everyone not to wander far, as a rough sea would be enough to bring about the dreadedcatastrophe.

Soundings were, however, taken, in several places with a view to ascertainingwhere the ice was thickest, and it was found that, near Cape Bathurst, not onlywas the layer of earth and sand of greater extent-which was of littleimportance-but the crust of ice was thicker than anywhere else. This was a mostfortunate circumstance, and the holes made in sounding were kept open, so thatthe amount of diminution in the base of the island could be estimated every day.This diminution was slow but sure, and, making allowance for the unfortunatefact that the island was drifting into warmer waters, it was decided that it wasimpossible for it to last another three weeks.

The next week, from the 19th to the 25th May, the weather was very bad. Afearful storm broke over the island, accompanied by flash after flash oflightning and peals of thunder. The sea rose high, lashed by a powerfulnorth-west wind, and its waves broke over the doomed island, making it trembleominously. The little colony were on the watch, ready on an emergency to embarkin the raft, the scaffolding of which was nearly finished, and some provisionsand fresh water were taken on board.

Rain heavy enough to penetrate to the ice-crust fell in large quantitiesduring this storm, and melted it in many places. On the slopes of some of thehills the earth was washed away, leaving the white foundations bare. Theseravines were hastily filled up with soil to protect the ice from the action ofthe warm air and rain, and but for this precaution the soil would have beeneverywhere perforated.

Great havoc was caused amongst the woods by this storm; the earth and sandwere washed away from the roots of the trees, which fell in large numbers. In asingle night the aspect of the country between the lake and the former PortBarnett was completely changed. A few groups of birch trees and thickets of firsalone remained-a fact significant of approaching decomposition, which no humanskill could prevent! Every one knew and felt that the ephemeral inland wasgradually succumbing-every one, except perhaps Thomas Black, who was stillgloomily indifferent to all that was going on.

On the 23d of May, during the storm, the hunter Sabine left the house in thethick fog, and was nearly drowned in a large hole which had opened during thenight on the site formerly occupied by the principal house of the factory.

Hitherto, as we are aware, the house, three quarters submerged, and buriedbeneath a mass of earth and sand, had remained fixed in the ice-crust beneaththe island; but now the sea had evidently enlarged the crevasse, and the housewith all it contained had sunk to rise no more. Earth and sand were pouringthrough this fissure, at the bottom of which surged the tempest-tossed waves

Sabine's comrades, hearing his cries, rushed to his assistance, and were justin time to save him as he was still clinging to the slippery walls of the abyss.He escaped with a ducking which might have had tragic consequences.

A little later the beams and planks of the house, which had slid under theisland, were seen floating about in the offing like the spars of a wreckedvessel. This was the worst evil the storm had wrought, and would compromise thesolidity of the island yet more, as the waves would now eat away the ice allround the crevasse.

In the course of the 25th May, the wind veered to the north-east, andalthough it blew strongly, it was no longer a hurricane; the rain ceased, andthe sea became calmer. After a quiet night the sun rose upon the desolate scene,the Lieutenant was able to take the bearings accurately, and obtained thefollowing result:-

At noon on the 25th May, Victoria Island was in latitude 56? 13', andlongitude 170? 23'.

It had therefore advanced at great speed, having drifted nearly eight hundredmiles since the breaking up of the ice set it free in Behring Strait two monthsbefore.

This great speed made the Lieutenant once more entertain a slight hope. Hepointed out the Aleutian Islands on the map to his comrades, and said-

"Look at these islands; they are not now two hundred miles from us, and wemay reach them in eight days."

"Eight days!" repeated Long, shaking his head; "eight days is a longtime."

"I must add," continued Hobson, "that if our island had followed the hundredand sixty-eighth meridian, it would already have reached the parallel of theseislands, but in consequence of a deviation of the Behring current, it is bearingin a south-westerly direction."

The Lieutenant was right, the current seemed likely to drag the island awayfrom all land, even out of sight of the Aleutian Islands, which only extend asfar as the hundred and seventieth meridian.

Mrs Barnett examined the map in silence. She saw the pencil-mark whichdenoted the exact spot then occupied by the island.

The map was made on a large scale, and the point representing the islandlooked but a speck upon the vast expanse of the Behring Sea. She traced back theroute by which the island had come to its present position, marvelling at thefatality, or rather the immutable law, by which the currents which had borne italong had avoided all land, sheering clear of islands, and never touching eithercontinent; and she saw the boundless Pacific Ocean, towards which she and allwith her were hurrying.

She mused long upon this melancholy subject, and at last exclaimedsuddenly-

"Could not the course of the island be controlled? Eight days at this pacewould bring us to the last island of the Aleutian group."

"Those eight days are in the hands of God," replied Lieutenant Hobsongravely; "we can exercise no control upon them. Help can only come to us fromabove; there is nothing left for us to try."

"I know, I know!" said Mrs Barnett; "but Heaven helps those who helpthemselves. Is there really nothing we can do?"

Hobson shook his head doubtfully. His only hope was in the raft, and he wasundecided whether to embark every one on it at once, contrive some sort of asail with clothes, &c., and try to reach the nearest land, or to wait yet alittle longer.

He consulted Sergeant Long, Mac-Nab, Rae, Marbre, and Sabine, in whom he hadgreat confidence, and all agreed that it would be unwise to abandon the islandbefore they were obliged. The raft, constantly swept as it would be by thewaves, could only be a last resource, and would not move at half the pace of theisland, still driven towards the south by the remains of the ice-wall. The windgenerally blew from the east, and would be likely to drift the raft out into theoffing away from all land. They must still wait then, always wait; for theisland was drifting rapidly towards the Aleutians. When they really approachedthe group they would be able to see what it would be best to do.

This was certainly the wisest course to take. In eight days, if the presentspeed were maintained, the island would either stop at the southern boundary ofBehring Sea, or be dragged to the south west to the waters of the Pacific Ocean,where certain destruction awaited it.

But the adverse fate which seemed all along to have followed the haplesscolonists had yet another blow in store for them: the speed on which theycounted was now to fail them, as everything else had done.

During the night of the 26th May, the orientation of the island changed oncemore; and this time the results of the displacement were extremely serious. Theisland turned half round, and the icebergs still remaining of the huge ice-wall,which had shut in the northern horizon, were now on the south.

In the morning the shipwrecked travellers-what name could be moreappropriate?-saw the sun rise above Cape Esquimaux instead of above PortBarnett.

Hardly a hundred yards off rose the icebergs, rapidly melting, but still of aconsiderable size, which till then had driven the island before them. Thesouthern horizon was now partly shut in by them.

What would be the consequences of this fresh change of position? Would notthe icebergs now float away from the island, with which they were no longerconnected?

All were oppressed with a presentiment of some new misfortune, and understoodonly too well what Kellet meant when he exclaimed-

"This evening we shall have lost our screw!'"

By this Kellet meant that the icebergs, being before instead of behind theisland, would soon leave it, and as it was they which imparted to it its rapidmotion, in consequence of their very great draught of water-their volume beingsix or seven feet below the sea level for every one above-they would now go onwithout it, impelled by the submarine current, whilst Victoria Island, not deepenough in the water to come under the influence of the current, would be leftfloating helplessly on the waves.

Yes! Kellet was right; the island would then be like a vessel with disabledmasts and a broken screw.

No one answered the soldier's remark, and a quarter of an hour had notelapsed before a loud cracking sound was heard. The summits of the icebergstrembled, large masses broke away, and the icebergs, irresistibly drawn along bythe submarine current, drifted rapidly to the south.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE ISLAND BECOMES AN ISLET.

Three hours later the last relics of the ice-wall had disappeared, provingthat the island now remained stationary, and that all the force of the currentwas deep down below the waves, not on the surface of the sea.

The bearings were taken at noon with the greatest care and twenty-four hourslater it was found that Victoria Island had not advanced one mile.

The only remaining hope was that some vessel should sight the poorshipwrecked creatures, either whilst still on the island, or after they hadtaken to their raft.

The island was now in 54? 33' latitude, and 177? 19' longitude, severalhundred miles from the nearest land, namely, the Aleutian Islands.

Hobson once more called his comrades together, and asked them what theythought it would be best to do.

All agreed that they should remain on the island until it broke up, as it wastoo large to be affected by the state of the sea, and only take to the raft whenthe dissolution actually commenced. Once on the frail vessel, they mustwait.

Still wait!

The raft was now finished. Mac-Nab had made one large shed or cabin bigenough to hold every one, and to afford some little shelter from the weather. Amast had been prepared, which could be put up if necessary, and the sailsintended for the boat had long been ready. The whole structure was strong,although clumsy; and if the wind were favourable, and the sea not too rough,this rude assortment of planks and timbers might save the lives of the wholeparty.

"Nothing," observed Mrs Barnett,-"nothing is impossible to Him who rules thewinds and waves."

Hobson carefully looked over the stores of provisions. The reserves had beenmuch damaged by the avalanche, but there were plenty of animals still on theisland, and the abundant shrubs and mosses supplied them with food. A fewreindeer and hares were slaughtered by the hunters, and their flesh salted forfuture needs.

The health of the colonists was on the whole good. They had suffered littlein the preceding mild winter, and all the mental trials they had gone throughhad not affected their physical well-being. They were, however, looking forwardwith something of a shrinking horror to the moment when they would have toabandon their island home, or, to speak more correctly, when it abandoned them.It was no wonder that they did not like the thought of floating on the ocean ina rude structure of wood subject to all the caprices of winds and waves. Even intolerably fine weather seas would be shipped and every one constantly drenchedwith saltwater. Moreover, it must be remembered that the men were none of themsailors, accustomed to navigation, and ready to risk their lives on a fewplanks, but soldiers, trained for service on land. Their island was fragile, itis true, and rested on a thin crust of ice; but then it was covered with aproductive soil, trees and shrubs flourished upon it, its huge bulk rendered itinsensible to the motion of the waves, and it might have been supposed to bestationary. They had, in fact, become attached to Victoria Island, on which theyhad lived nearly two years; every inch of the ground had become familiar tothem; they had tilled the soil, and had come safely through so many perils intheir wandering home, that in leaving it they felt as if they were parting froman old and sorely-tried friend.

Hobson fully sympathised with the feelings of his men, and understood theirrepugnance to embarking on the raft; but then he also knew that the catastrophecould not now be deferred much longer, and ominous symptoms already gave warningof its rapid approach.

We will now describe this raft. It was thirty feet square, and its deck rosetwo feet above the water. Its bulwarks would therefore keep out the small butnot the large waves. In the centre the carpenter had built a regular deck-house,which would hold some twenty people. Round it were large lockers for theprovisions and water-casks, all firmly fixed to the deck with iron bolts. Themast, thirty feet high, was fastened to the deck-house, and strengthened withstays attached to the corners of the raft. This mast was to have a square sail,which would only be useful when the wind was aft. A sort of rudder was fixed tothis rough structure, the fittings of which were necessarily incomplete.

Such was the raft constructed by the head carpenter, on which twenty-onepersons were to embark. It was floating peacefully on the little lake, stronglymoored to the shore.

It was certainly constructed with more care than if it had been put togetherin haste on a vessel at sea doomed to immediate destruction. It was stronger andbetter fitted up; but, after all, it was but a raft.

On the 1st June a new incident occurred. Hope, one of the soldiers, went tofetch some water from the lake for culinary purposes, and when Mrs Joliffetasted it, she found that it was salt. She called Hope, and said she wantedfresh, not salt water.

The man replied that he had brought it from the lake as usual, and as he andMrs Joliffe were disputing about it, the Lieutenant happened to come in. HearingHope's repeated [asertions] assertions that he had fetched the water from thelake, he turned pale and hurried to the lagoon.

The waters were quite salt; the bottom of the lake had evidently given way,and the sea had flowed in.

The fact quickly became known, and every one was seized with a terribledread.

"No more fresh water!" exclaimed all the poor creatures together.

Lake Barnett had in fact disappeared, as Paulina River had done before.

Lieutenant Hobson hastened to reassure his comrades about drinkablewater.

"There will be plenty of ice, my friends," he said. "We can always melt apiece of our island, and," he added, with a ghastly attempt at a smile, "I don'tsuppose we shall drink it all."

It is, in fact, well known that salt separates from sea-water in freezing andevaporation. A few blocks of ice were therefore "disinterred," if we may soexpress it, and melted for daily use, and to fill the casks on board theraft.

It would not do, however, to neglect this fresh warning given by nature. Theinvasion of the lake by the sea proved that the base of the island was rapidlymelting. At any moment the ground might give way, and Hobson forbade his men toleave the factory, as they might be drifted away before they were aware ofit.

The animals seemed more keenly alive than ever to approaching danger; theygathered yet more closely round the firmer part, and after the disappearance ofthe fresh water lake, they came to lick the blocks of ice. They were all uneasy,and some seemed to be seized with madness, especially the wolves, who rushedwildly towards the factory, and dashed away again howling piteously. The furredanimals remained huddled together round the large well where the principal househad formerly stood. There were several hundreds of them, of different species,and the solitary bear roamed backwards and forwards, showing no more hostilityto the quadrupeds than to men.

The number of birds, which had hitherto been considerable, now decreased.During the last few days all those capable of long-sustained flight-such asswans, &c, migrated towards the Aleutian Islands in the south, where theywould find a sure refuge. This significant and ominous fact was noticed by MrsBarnett and Madge, who were walking together on the beach.

"There is plenty of food for these birds on the island," observed MrsBarnett, "and yet they leave it-they have a good reason, no doubt."

"Yes," replied Madge; "their instinct of self-preservation makes them takeflight, and they give us a warning by which we ought to profit. The animals alsoappear more uneasy than usual."

Hobson now decided to take the greater part of the provisions and all thecamping apparatus on board the raft, and when that was done, to embark with thewhole party.

The sea was, however, very rough, and the waters of the former lake-now akind of Mediterranean in miniature-were greatly agitated. The waves, confined inthe narrow space, dashed mountains high, and broke violently upon the steepbanks. The raft tossed up and down, and shipped sea after sea. The embarkationof provisions, &c., had to be put off.

Every one wished to pass one more quiet night on land, and Hobson yieldedagainst his better judgment, determined, if it were calmer the next day, toproceed with the embarkation.

The night was more peaceful than had been expected; the wind went down, andthe sea became calmer; it had but been swept by one of those sudden and briefhurricanes peculiar to these latitudes.

At eight o'clock in the evening the tumult ceased, and a slight surfaceagitation of the waters of lake and sea alone remained.

It was some slight comfort that the island would not now be broken upsuddenly, as it must have done had the storm continued. Its dissolution was, ofcourse, still close at hand, but would not, it was hoped, be sudden andabrupt.

The storm was succeeded by a slight fog, which seemed likely to thickenduring the night. It came from the north, and owing to the changed position ofthe island, would probably cover the greater part of it.

Before going to bed, Hobson went down and examined the moorings of the raft,which were fastened to some strong birch-trees. To make security doubly sure, hetightened them, and the worst that could now happen would be, that the raftwould drift out on to the lagoon, which was not large enough to be lost uponit.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE FOUR FOLLOWING DAYS.

The night was calm, and in the morning the Lieutenant resolved to order theembarkation of everything and everybody that very day. He, therefore, went downto the lake to look at the raft.

The fog was still thick, but the sunbeams were beginning to struggle throughit. The clouds had been swept away by the hurricane of the preceding day, and itseemed likely to be hot.

When Hobson reached the banks of the lake, the fog was still too dense forhim to make out anything on its surface, and he was waiting for it to clearaway, when he was joined by Mrs Barnett, Madge, and several others.

The fog gradually cleared off, drawing back to the end of the lake, but theraft was nowhere to be seen.

Presently a gust of wind completely swept away the fog.

The raft was gone! There was no longer a lake! The boundless ocean stretchedaway before the astonished colonists!

Hobson could not check a cry of despair; and when he and his companionsturned round and saw the sea on every side, they realised with a shock of horrorthat their island was now nothing more than an islet!

During the night six-sevenths of the district once belonging to Cape Bathursthad silently floated away, without producing a shock of any kind, so completelyhad the ice been worn away by the constant action of the waves, the raft haddrifted out into the offing, and those whose last hope it had been could not seea sign of it on the desolate sea.

The unfortunate colonists were now overwhelmed with despair; their last hopegone, they were hanging above an awful abyss ready to swallow them up; and someof the soldiers in a fit of madness were about to throw themselves into the sea,when Mrs Barnett flung herself before them, entreating them to desist. Theyyielded, some of them weeping like children.

The awful situation of the colonists was indeed manifest enough, and we maywell pity the Lieutenant surrounded by the miserable despairing creatures.Twenty-one persons on an islet of ice which must quickly melt beneath theirfeet! The wooded hills had disappeared with the mass of the island now engulfed;not a tree was left. There was no wood remaining but the planks of the roughlodging, which would not be nearly enough to build a raft to hold so many. A fewdays of life were all the colonists could now hope for; June had set in, themean temperature exceeded 68? Fahrenheit, and the islet must rapidly melt.

As a forlorn hope, Hobson thought he would make a reconaissance of hislimited domain, and see if any part of it was thicker than where they were allnow encamped. In this excursion he was accompanied by Mrs Barnett and Madge.

"Do you still hope!" inquired the lady of her faithful companion.

"I hope ever!" replied Madge.

Mrs Barnett did not answer, but walked rapidly along the coast at theLieutenant's side. No alteration had taken place between Cape Bathurst and CapeEsquimaux, that is to say, for a distance of eight miles. It was at CapeEsquimaux that the fracture had taken place, and running inland, it followed acurved line as far as the beginning of the lagoon, from which point the shoresof the lake, now bathed by the waves of the sea, formed the new coast-line.Towards the upper part of the lagoon there was another fracture, running as faras the coast, between Cape Bathurst and what was once Port Barnett, so that theislet was merely an oblong strip, not more than a mile wide anywhere.

Of the hundred and forty square miles which once formed the total superficialarea of the island, only twenty remained.

Hobson most carefully examined the new conformation of the islet, and foundthat its thickest part was still at the site of the former factory. He decided,therefore, to retain the encampment where it was, and, strange to say, theinstinct of the quadrupeds still led them to congregate about it.

A great many of the animals had, however, disappeared with the rest of theisland, amongst them many of the dogs which had escaped the former catastrophe.Most of the quadrupeds remaining were rodents; and the bear, which seemedterribly puzzled, paced round and round the islet like a caged animal.

About five o'clock in the evening the three explorers returned to the camp.The men and women were gathered together in gloomy silence in the rough shelterstill remaining to them, and Mrs Joliffe was preparing some food. Sabine, whowas less overcome than his comrades, was wandering about in the hope of gettingsome fresh venison, and the astronomer was sitting apart from every one, gazingat the sea in an absent indifferent manner, as if nothing could ever rouse orastonish him again.

The Lieutenant imparted the results of his excursion to the whole party. Hetold them that they were safer where they were than they would be on any otherspot, and he urged them not to wander about, as there were signs of anotherapproaching fracture half way between the camp and Cape Esquimaux. Thesuperficial area of the islet would soon be yet further reduced, and they coulddo nothing, absolutely nothing.

The day was really quite hot. The ice which had been "disinterred" fordrinkable water melted before it was brought near the fire. Thin pieces of theice crust of the steep beach fell off into the sea, and it was evident that thegeneral level of the islet was being lowered by the constant wearing away of itsbase in the tepid waters.

No one slept the next night. Who could have closed his eyes with theknowledge that the abyss beneath might open at any moment?-who but the littleunconscious child who still smiled in his mother's arms, and was never for oneinstant out of them?

The next morning, June 4th, the sun rose in a cloudless sky. No change hadtaken place in the conformation of the islet during the night.

In the course of this day a terrified blue fox rushed into the shed, andcould not be induced to leave it. The martens, ermines, polar hares, musk-rats,and beavers literally swarmed upon the site of the former factory. The wolvesalone were unrepresented, and had probably all been swallowed up with the restof the island. The bear no longer wandered from Cape Bathurst, and the furredanimals seemed quite unconscious of its presence; nor did the colonists noticeit much, absorbed as they were in the contemplation of the approaching doom,which had broken down all the ordinary distinctions of race.

A little before noon a sudden hope-too soon to end in disappointment-revivedthe drooping spirits of the colonists.

Sabine, who had been standing for some time on the highest part of the isletlooking at the sea, suddenly cried-

"A boat! a boat!"

It was as if an electric shock had suddenly ran through the group, for allstarted up and rushed towards the hunter.

The Lieutenant looked at him inquiringly, and the man pointed to a whitevapour on the horizon. Not a word was spoken, but all watched in breathlesssilence as the form of a vessel gradually rose against the sky.

It was indeed a ship, and most likely a whaler. There was no doubt about it,and at the end of an hour even the keel was visible.

Unfortunately this vessel appeared on the east of the islet, that is to say,on the opposite side to that from which the raft had drifted, so that therecould be no hope that it was coming to their rescue after meeting with the raft,which would have suggested the fact of fellow-creatures being in danger.

The question now was, would those in this vessel perceive the islet? Wouldthey be able to make out signals on it? Alas! in broad daylight, with a brightsun shining, it was not likely they would. Had it been night some of the planksof the remaining shed might have made a fire large enough to be seen at aconsiderable distance, but the boat would probably have disappeared before thedarkness set in; and, although it seemed of little use, signals were made, andguns fired on the islet.

The vessel was certainly approaching, and seemed to be a large three-master,evidently a whaler from New Archangel, which was on its way to Behring Straitafter having doubled the peninsula of Alaska. It was to the windward of theislet, and tacking to starboard with its lower sails, top sails, and top-gallantsails all set. It was steadily advancing to the north. A sailor would have seenat a glance that it was not bearing towards the islet, but it might even yetperceive it, and alter its course.

"If it does see us," whispered Hobson in Long's ear, "it is more likely toavoid us than to come nearer."

The Lieutenant was right, for there is nothing vessels dread more in theselatitudes than the approach of icebergs and ice-floes; they look upon them asfloating rocks, against which there is a danger of striking, especially in thenight, and they therefore hasten to change their course when ice is sighted; andthis vessel would most likely do the same, if it noticed the islet at all.

The alternations of hope and despair through which the anxious watcherspassed may be imagined, but cannot be described. Until two o'clock in theafternoon they were able to believe that Heaven had at last taken pity onthem-that help was coming-that their safety was assured. The vessel continued toapproach in an oblique direction, and was presently not more than six miles fromthe islet. Signal after signal was tried, gun after gun fired, and some of theplanks of the shed were burnt.

All in vain-either they were not seen, or the vessel was anxious to avoid theislet.

At half-past two it luffed slightly, and bore away to the northeast.

In another hour a white vapour was all that was visible, and that soondisappeared.

On this the soldier Kellet burst into a roar of hysterical laughter, andflinging himself on the ground, rolled over and over like a madman.

Mrs Barnett turned and looked Madge full in the face, as if to ask her if shestill hoped, and Madge turned away her head.

On this same ill-fated day a crackling noise was heard, and the greater partof the islet broke off, and plunged into the sea. The cries of the drowninganimals rent the air, and the islet was reduced to the narrow strip between thesite of the engulfed house and Cape Bathurst. It was now merely a piece ofice.

CHAPTER XXIII.

ON A PIECE OF ICE.

A piece of ice, a jagged triangular strip of ice, measuring one hundred feetat its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on ittwenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a largebear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!

Yes! all the luckless colonists were there. Not one had yet been swallowedup. The last rupture had occurred when they were all in the shed. Thus far fatehad spared them, probably that they might all perish together.

A silent sleepless night ensued. No one spoke or moved, for the slightestshake or blow might suffice to break the ice.

No one would touch the salt-meat served round by Mrs Joliffe. What would bethe good of eating?

Nearly every one remained in the open air, feeling that it would be better tobe drowned in the open sea than in a narrow wooden shed.

The next day, June 5th, the sun shone brightly down upon the heads of thedoomed band of wanderers. All were still silent, and seemed anxious to avoideach other. Many gazed with troubled anxious eyes at the perfect circle of thehorizon, of which the miserable little strip of ice formed the centre. But thesea was absolutely deserted-not a sail, not an ice-floe, not an islet! Their ownpiece of ice was probably the very last floating on the Behring Sea.

The temperature continued to rise. The wind had gone down, and a terriblecalm had set in, a gentle swell heaved the surface of the sea, and the morsel ofearth and ice, which was all that was left of Victoria Island, rose and sankwithout change of position, like a wreck-and what was it but a wreck?

But a wreck, a piece of woodwork, a broken mast, or a few planks, remainfloating; they offer some resistance to the waves, they will not melt; but thisbit of ice, this solidified water, must dissolve with the heat of the sun!

This piece of ice had formed the thickest part of the island, and this willexplain its having lasted so long. A layer of earth and plenty of vegetationcovered it, and the base of ice must have been of considerable thickness. Thelong bitter Polar winters must have "fed it with fresh ice," in the countlesscenturies during which it was connected with the mainland. Even now its meanheight was five or six feet above the sea level, and its base was probably ofabout the same thickness. Although in these quiet waters it was not likely to bebroken, it could not fail gradually to melt, and the rapid dissolution couldactually be watched at the edges, for as the long waves licked the sides, pieceafter piece of ground with its verdant covering sank to rise no more.

On this 5th June a fall of this nature occurred at about one o'clock P.M., onthe site of the shed itself, which was very near the edge of the ice. There wasfortunately no one in it at the time, and all that was saved was a few planks,and two or three of the timbers of the roofs. Most of the cooking utensils andall the astronomical instruments were lost. The colonists were now obliged totake refuge on the highest part of the islet, where nothing protected them fromthe weather, but fortunately a few tools had been left there, with the air pumpsand the air-vessel, which Hobson had employed for catching a little of therain-water for drinking purposes, as he no longer dared to draw for a supplyupon the ice, every atom of which was of value.

At about four o'clock P.M., the soldier Kellet, the same who had alreadygiven signs of insanity, came to Mrs Barnett and said quietly-

"I am going to drown myself, ma'am."

"What, Kellet?" exclaimed the lady.

"I tell you I am going to drown myself," replied the soldier. "I have thoughtthe matter well over: there is no escape for us, and I prefer dying at once towaiting to be killed."

"Kellet!" said Mrs Barnett, taking the man's hand and looking into his face,which was strangely composed, "you will not do that?"

"Yes, I will, ma'am; and as you have always been very good to us all, Iwanted to wish you good-bye. Good-bye, ma'am!"

And Kellet turned towards the sea. Mrs Barnett, terrified at his manner,threw herself upon him and held him back. Her cries brought Hobson and Long toher assistance, and they did all in their power to dissuade the unhappy man fromcarrying out his purpose, but he was not to be moved, and merely shook hishead.

His mind was evidently disordered, and it was useless to reason with him. Itwas a terrible moment, as his example might lead some of his comrades to commitsuicide also. At all hazards he must be prevented from doing as hethreatened.

"Kellet," said Mrs Barnett gently, with a half smile, "we have always beenvery good friends, have we not?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied Kellet calmly.

"Well, Kellet, if you like we will die together, but not to-day."

"What, ma'am?"

"No, my brave fellow, I am not ready; but to-morrow, to-morrow if youlike."

The soldier looked more fixedly than ever at the courageous woman, and seemedto hesitate an instant; then he cast a glance of fierce longing at the sea, andpassing his hand over his eyes, said-

"To-morrow!"

And without another word he quietly turned away and went back to hiscomrades.

"Poor fellow." murmured Mrs Barnett; "I have asked him to wait tillto-morrow, and who can say whether we shall not all be drowned by thattime!"

Throughout that night Hobson remained motionless upon the beach, ponderingwhether there might not yet be some means to check the dissolution of theislet-if it might not yet be possible to preserve it until they came in sight ofland of some sort.

Mrs Barnett and Madge did not leave each other for an instant. Kalumahcrouched like a dog at the feet of her mistress, and tried to keep her warm. MrsMac-Nab, wrapped in a few furs, the remains of the rich stores of Fort Hope, hadfallen into a kind of torpor, with her baby clasped in her arms.

The stars shone with extraordinary brilliancy, and no sounds broke thestillness of the night but the rippling of the waves and the splash of pieces ofice as they fell into the sea. The colonists, stretched upon the ground inscattered groups, were as motionless as corpses on an abandoned wreck.

Sometimes Sergeant Long rose and peered into the night-mists, bat seeingnothing, he resumed his horizontal position. The bear, looking like a greatwhite snowball, cowered motionless at the very edge of the strip of ice.

This night also passed away without any incident to modify the situation. Thegrey morning dawned in the east, and the sun rose and dispersed the shadows ofthe night.

The Lieutenant's first care, as soon as it was light, was to examine thepiece of ice. Its perimeter was still more reduced, and, alas! its mean heightabove the sea level had sensibly diminished. The waves, quiet as they were,washed over the greater part of it; the summit of the little hill alone wasstill beyond their reach.

Long, too, saw the changes which had taken place during the night, and feltthat all hope was gone.

Mrs Barnett joined Lieutenant Hobson, and said to him-

"It will be to-day then!"

"Yes, madam, and you will keep your promise to Kellet!"

"Lieutenant Hobson," said the lady solemnly, "have we done all in ourpower!"

"We have, madam."

"Then God's will be done!"

One last attempt was, however, made during the day. A strong breeze set infrom the offing, that is to say, a wind bearing to the south-east, the directionin which were situated the nearest of the Aleutian Islands. How far off no onecould say, as without instruments the bearings of the island could not be taken.It was not likely to have drifted far, however, unless under the influence ofthe current, as it gave no hold to the wind.

Still it was just possible that they might be nearer land than they thought.If only a current, the direction of which it was impossible to ascertain, hadtaken them nearer to the much-longed-for Aleutian Islands, then, as the wind wasbearing down upon those very islands, it might drive the strip of ice before itif a sail of some kind could be concocted. The ice had still several hours tofloat, and in several hours the land might come in sight, or, if not the land,some coasting or fishing vessel.

A forlorn hope truly, but it suggested an idea to the Lieutenant which heresolved to carry out. Could not a sail be contrived on the islet as on anordinary raft? There could be no difficulty in that; and when Hobson suggestedit to Mac-Nab, he exclaimed-

"You are quite right, sir;" adding to his men, "bring out all the canvasthere is!"

Every one was quite revived by this plan, slight as was the chance itafforded, and all lent a helping hand, even Kellet, who had not yet reminded MrsBarnett of her promise.

A beam, which had once formed part of the roof of the barracks, was sunk deepinto the earth and sand of which the little hill was composed, and firmly fixedwith ropes arranged like shrouds and a stay. A sail made of all the clothes andcoverlets still remaining fastened on to a strong pole for a yard, was hoistedon the mast This sail, or rather collection of sails, suitably set, swelled inthe breeze, and by the wake it left, it was evident that the strip of ice wasrapidly moving towards the south-east.

It was a success, and every one was cheered with newly-awakened hope. Theywere no longer stationary; they were advancing slowly, it was true, but stillthey were advancing. The carpenter was particularly elated; all eagerly scannedthe horizon, and had they been told that no land could be sighted, they wouldhave refused to believe it.

So it appeared, however; for the strip of ice floated along on the waves forthree hours in the centre of an absolutely circular and unbroken horizon. Thepoor colonists still hoped on.

Towards three o'clock, the Lieutenant took the Sergeant aside, and said tohim-

"We are advancing at the cost of the solidity and duration of our islet."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean that the ice is being rapidly fretted away as it moves along. Itsspeed is hastening its dissolution, and since we set sail it has diminishedone-third."

"Are you quite sure?"

"Absolutely certain. The ice is longer and flatter. Look, the sea la not morethan ten feet from the hill!"

It was true, and the result was what might naturally have been expected fromthe motion of the ice.

"Sergeant," resumed Hobson, "do you think we ought to take down oursail?"

"I think," replied Long, after a moment's reflection, "that we should consultour comrades. We ought all to share the responsibility of a decision now."

The Lieutenant bent his head in assent, and the two returned to their oldposition on the little hill.

Hobson put the case before the whole party.

"The speed we have given to the ice," he said, "is causing it to wear awayrapidly, and will perhaps hasten the inevitable catastrophe by a few hours. Myfriends, you must decide whether we shall still go on."

"Forwards!" cried all with one voice.

So it was decided, and, as it turned out, the decision was fraught withconsequences of incalculable importance.

At six o'clock P.M. Madge rose, and pointing to a point on the south-east,cried-

"Land!"

Every one started up as if struck by lightning. Land there was indeed, on thesouth-east, twelve miles from the island.

"More sail! more sail!" shouted Hobson.

He was understood, and fresh materials were hastily brought. On the shrouds asort of studding sail was rigged up of clothes, furs, everything, in short, thatcould give hold to the wind.

The speed increased as the wind freshened, but the ice was meltingeverywhere; it trembled beneath the feet of the anxious watchers, and might openat any moment. But they would not think of that; they were buoyed up with hope;safety was at hand, on the land they were rapidly nearing. They shouted-theymade signals-they were in a delirium of excitement.

At half-past seven the ice was much nearer the land, but it was visiblymelting, and sinking rapidly; water was gushing from it, and the waves werewashing over it, sweeping off the terrified quadrupeds before the eyes of thecolonists. Every instant they expected the whole mass to be engulfed, and it wasnecessary to lighten it like a sinking vessel. Every means was tried to checkthe dissolution; the earth and sand were carefully spread about, especially atthe edges of the ice, to protect it from the direct influence of the sunbeams;and furs were laid here and there, as being bad conductors of heat. But it wasall of no avail; the lower portion of the ice began to crack, and severalfissures opened in the surface. It was now but a question of moments!

Night set in, and there was nothing left for the poor colonists to do toquicken the speed of the islet. Some of them tried to paddle about on planks.The coast was still four miles to windward.

It was a dark gloomy night, without any moon, and Hobson, whose heroiccourage did not even now fail him, shouted-

"A signal, my friends! a signal!" A pile was made of all the remainingcombustibles-two or three planks and a beam. It was set fire to, and brightflames soon shot up, but the strip of ice continued to melt and sink. Presentlythe little hill alone remained above water, and on it the despairing wretches,with the few animals left alive, huddled together, the bear growlingfiercely.

The water was still rising, and there was no sign that any one on land hadseen the signal. In less than a quarter of an hour they must all be swallowedup.

Could nothing be done to make the ice last longer? In three hours, threeshort hours, they might reach the land, which was now but three miles towindward.

"Oh!" cried Hobson, "if only I could stop the ice from melting! I would givemy life to know how! Yes, I would give my life!"

"There is one way," suddenly replied a voice.

It was Thomas Black who spoke, the astronomer, who had not opened his lipsfor so long, and who had long since appeared dead to all that was going on.

"Yes," he continued, "there is one way of checking the dissolution of theice-there is one way of saving us all."

All gathered eagerly round the speaker, and looked at him inquiringly. Theythought they must have misheard what he said.

"Well!" asked Hobson, "what way do you mean?"

"To the pumps!" replied Black simply.

Was he mad? Did he take the ice for a sinking vessel, with ten feet of waterin the hold?

The air pumps were at hand, together with the air vessel, which Hobson hadbeen using as a reservoir for drinking water, but of what use could they be?Could they harden the ice, which was melting all over?

"He is mad!" exclaimed Long.

"To the pumps!" repeated the astronomer; "fill the reservoir with air!"

"Do as he tells you!" cried Mrs Barnett.

The pumps were attached to the reservoir, the cover of which was closed andbolted. The pumps were then at once set to work, and the air was condensed underthe pressure of several atmospheres. Then Black, taking one of the leather pipesconnected with the reservoir, and opening the cock, let the condensed airescape, walking round the ice wherever it was melting.

Every one was astonished at the effect produced. Wherever the air wasprojected by the astronomer, the fissures filled up, and the surfacere-froze.

"Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted all with one voice.

It was tiring enough to work the pumps, but there were plenty of volunteers.The edges of the ice were again solidified, as if under the influence of intensecold.

"You have saved us, Mr Black," said Lieutenant Hobson.

"Nothing could be more natural," replied the astronomer quietly.

Nothing, in fact, could have been more natural; and the physical effectproduced may be described as follows:-

There were two reasons for the relegation:-First, under the pressure of theair, the water vaporised on the surface of the ice produced intense cold, andthe compressed air in expanding abstracted the heat from the thawed surface,which immediately re-froze. Wherever the ice was opening the cold cemented theedges, so that it gradually regained its original solidity.

This went on for several hours, and the colonists, buoyed up by hope, toiledon with unwearying zeal.

They were nearing the coast, and when they were about a quarter of a milefrom it, the bear plunged into the sea, and swimming to the shore, soondisappeared.

A few minutes afterwards the ice ran aground upon a beach, and the fewanimals still upon it hurried away in the darkness. The colonists "disembarked,"and falling on their knees, returned thanks to God for their miraculousdeliverance.

CHAPTER XXIV

CONCLUSION.

It was on the island of Blejinie, the last of the Aleutian group, at theextreme south of Behring Sea, that all the colonists of Fort Hope at lastlanded, after having traversed eighteen hundred miles since the breaking-up ofthe ice. They were hospitably received by some Aleutian fishermen who hadhurried to their assistance, and were soon able to communicate with some Englishagents of the Hudson's Bay Company.

After all the details we have given, it is needless to dwell on the courageand energy of the brave little band, which had proved itself worthy of its nobleleader. We know how all struggled with their misfortunes, and how patiently theyhad submitted to the will of God. We have seen Mrs Barnett cheering every one byher example and sympathy; and we know that neither she nor those with heryielded to despair when the peninsula on which Fort Hope had been built wasconverted into a wandering island, when that island became an islet, and theislet a strip of ice, nor even when that strip of ice was melting beneath thecombined influence of sun and waves. If the scheme of the Company was a failure,if the new fort had perished, no one could possibly blame Hobson or hiscompanions, who had gone through such extraordinary and unexpected trials. Ofthe nineteen persons under the Lieutenant's charge, not one was missing, and hehad even two new members in his little colony, Kalumah and Mrs Barnett's godson,Michael Mac-Nab.

Six days after their rescue the shipwrecked mariners arrived at NewArchangel, the capital of Russian America.

Here the friends, bound together by so many dangers shared, must part,probably for ever! Hobson and his men were to return to Fort Reliance acrossEnglish America, whilst Mrs Barnett, accompanied by Kalumah, who would not leaveher, Madge, and Thomas Black, intended to go back to Europe via San Franciscoand the United States.

But whilst they were still altogether, the Lieutenant, addressing MrsBarnett, said with considerable emotion-

"God bless you, madam, for all you have been to us. You have been ourcomforter, our consoler, the very soul of our little world; and I thank you inthe name of all."

Three cheers for Mrs Barnett greeted this speech, and each soldier begged toshake her by the hand, whilst the women embraced her affectionately.

The Lieutenant himself had conceived so warm an affection for the lady whohad so long been his friend and counsellor, that he could not bid her good-byewithout great emotion.

"Can it be that we shall never meet again?" he exclaimed.

"No, Lieutenant," replied Mrs Barnett;" we must, we shall meet again. If youdo not come and see me in Europe, I will come back to you at Fort Reliance, orto the new factory you will found some day yet."

On hearing this, Thomas Black, who had regained the use of his tongue sincehe had landed on terra firma, came forward and said, with an air of thegreatest conviction-

"Yes, we shall meet again in thirty-six years. My friends, I missed theeclipse of 1860, but I will not miss that which will take place under exactlysimilar conditions in the same latitudes in 1896. And therefore I appoint ameeting with you, Lieutenant, and with you, my dear madam, on the confines ofthe Arctic Ocean thirty six years hence."

End of Part II

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