I had a long consultation with Saxe., then joined the expedition. I
expected he would try to dissuade me from my intention, but on the
contrary, he seemed singularly happy at my decision and confided to me
his strange, strange theory.
“I do not search for the Pole,” he told me, “but for the great countries
I know exist beyond. The world has never been fully explored, and,
Virgillius, it never will be. Once, long ago, ships never sailed beyond
the Strait of Gibraltar, the great waste of water meeting the horizon
line was simply the ‘jumping-off place.’ Later, according to
civilization, Europe, Asia, and Africa comprised the world, and history
relates the jeers Columbus’s contrary but positive assertions received.
We’ve made rapid progress since those primitive times.
“Explorers usually are blessed with vivid imaginations—those who seek
the Pole, expect to discover a vast continent on the other side; all
have the same positive idea concerning the unknown regions, but dare not
express them. Now take Sheldon,” he continued, “do you suppose a man of
his learning expects to discover a great body of fresh water in the
Arctic zone? Not much! And Saunders, and his wonderful star, whose
existence has never been disputed by scientific readers of the heavens.
He declares the earth egg-shaped, not round, as many commonly believe
has been proven—nothing has been proven. The great twin planet is
visible upon the other side of this globe similar to the Moon, which
exposes but one side of her disc to us—the uninhabited sphere.”
I gasped. Saxe. chuckled at my astonishment and grasped my hand.
“Glad you’ve joined us, my boy,” he said. “It’s a good move. You’ll find
more confined within the boundary of Earth than in your wildest dreams
of paradise. Now, tell me—why have you so suddenly decided to join the
expedition?”
He looked at me keenly and I felt my face burning hot but remained mute.
Saxe. dropped my hand. “Keep it to yourself,” he said. “I dare say it’s
a very good reason; it ought to be, you’re so jealous of it, and I’ll
learn all about it in good time. Don’t mention our conversation to
Saunders, or Sheldon; as intimate as we are the subject has never gone
beyond the Pole. We all actually believe we’re greatly fooling the
other, but Saunders will travel till he beholds his star; Sheldon will
never halt till he discovers his phenomenal body of water; and I, I have
worked for years and spent my last cent that ultimately I can be the
discoverer of the other side of the globe. And you, Virgillius, you are
going because you—er—have nothing else to do?”
I laughed and took up my hat to depart. How the devil could I tell the
old sport I was going to the North Pole, in search of—er—a woman. I, who
fancied myself above the ordinary, a side light to gleam and flash
fitfully, never with the steady glow of genius, found myself in the
category of every-day, commonplace men, whose careers always end with a
woman, as I now dared hope mine would.
* * * * *
The day finally arrived when we were to steam away upon our long,
venturesome voyage. I was the last to board the little whaling vessel.
Saxe., Sheldon, and Saunders were on deck busily occupied.
Saxe. had an elderly female clinging and sobbing upon his
shoulder, accompanied by two pretty girls with red eyes and
sniffles. Saunders was standing apart, holding tightly the
hand of a young man who appeared very serious, and talked
very rapidly, while Saunders listened with that aggravating
air—talk-away-young-man-if-it-makes-you-feel-better-but-it’s-useless.
The young man was Saunders, Jr. Sheldon, obvious to everything, was up
in a corner embracing a portly dame, who wept copiously. Portly dame
unknown and nobody’s business. I became as blind as a bat, and was
hailed by Middleton & Co., who nabbed me after a red-hot chase and
started to argue. Never was such eloquence heard outside the bar. The
gentlemen had suddenly become convinced I was deceiving them, and their
suspicions and fears had to be quieted. I felt ashamed of myself, but
could not give up the expedition. My brain throbbed with the memory of
the blazing vision, and my three lawyers put aside their dignity and
trotted to keep up with me as I paced the deck with amorous strides. I
hurried the trio to my cabin, opened several bottles, and out-argued
them, till finally, Middleton, sighing heavily, wrung my hand in
parting.
“Keep your word, my boy,” he warned.
“And what do you expect me to do?” I asked.
“Oh, never mind,” he replied, “only see that you return.”
“That I certainly will,” I told him, and I kept my word.
I felt sorry to part with the old boys, but honestly it was a relief to
see them trooping from the ship with other visitors. I did not feel safe
from them till I saw them on the wharf waving their kerchiefs as we
pulled out. Saxe. walked up and down smoking vigorously, answering very
testily if any one dared address him. Saunders was leaning dangerously
forward over the railing, bawling to the young man on the pier, who was
bawling back at him, neither understanding what the other was bawling.
Sheldon, with a red nose, was seated upon a barrel sentimentally
studying a photo, presumably of the portly one; and all three, I firmly
believe, were willing to back out of the expedition if they dared. We
were forced to drop all sentimental nonsense and acknowledge the
magnificent send-off tendered us, though every last blessed mortal who
wished us luck were positive we would never return. Bare-headed the four
of us shouted and gesticulated like mad in response to the hubbub;
bedlam reigned; our ship was surrounded by every conceivable craft in
existence. The ear-splitting shriek of infernal tugs, and launches,
nearly drove us demented, making us deaf to the salutes of little
white-halls, and yachts, crowded with wealthy, idle men in flannels, who
whooped as we steamed past, roused to momentary enthusiasm because they
had nothing else to do. The pleasure-seekers accompanied us till the
swell of heavy seas drove them back one by one, and at last, thank
Heaven! the awful din was quieted and we, speeding swiftly, alone,
between water and sky toward the goal Saxe. had worked a lifetime for.
He became very chummy with the captain, who was the most profane man I
ever ran across.
Sheldon and Saunders found their charts and quarrels so interesting, I
was left entirely to myself, though ennui was killed in vain dreams of
an image, an impossibility, thrilling and rousing dormant sensibilities
I did not believe myself possessed of. I idled away hours, becoming
absolutely useless, and Saxe. dispensing with my services, ordered me
from the box he had converted into a laboratory.
At his expressed wish we anchored at several northern ports, and were
usually received by a committee of speech-making asses, who forced
banquets, balls and receptions upon us. At one port two of the crew
deserted and delayed us four days; then when all was in readiness for
departure, Saxe., to our astonishment, was missing. We appealed to the
captain, who declared, if necessary, he would wait six months for
Saxlehner, who he was confident, however, would be along soon. Sheldon
confidentially told me he believed Saxe. had deserted, while Saunders
fretfully hoped the expedition wasn’t going to end here. Saxe.’s absence
was beginning to worry us, when towards the close of the following day
he put in an appearance, very tired but exultant, and that night several
hundred cans of two gallons each containing some mysterious fluid was
shipped aboard. This explained Saxe.’s absence, and he explained the
mysterious chemical was used in his secret solution which supplied the
motor power to the _Propellier_, and was absolutely proof against what
he termed “atmospheric influence,” and could be procured in large
quantities only in this vicinity. At this stage of the explanation I
departed. I knew Saxe. would divulge nothing, his secretive method in
securing the chemical was sufficient for me. Not to a living soul would
Saxe. ever impart the knowledge of how he manufactured his marvelous
electric fluid, but Saunders and Sheldon hung on in the vain hope that
Saxe. in his enthusiasm might forget himself; and this after all their
years of association with him. They had failed to discover that he was
the worst old fox in creation. As there was no further cause for
dallying we decided to slight those ports where we were expected to
anchor and steamed straight for the north. Four days out we encountered
a heavy storm, high seas washed the decks clean of everything. Affairs
looked serious at one time, but Captain Norris buoyed us up with the
information this was merely a trifle to what we were fated to encounter
before we reached the Pole. Saunders said he predicted the storm from
the position of wind clouds and atmospheric, etc., etc., etc. Sheldon
declared it was brought on by Saxe.’s meddling with combustibles, and
aggravated by Sally’s volcanic thoughts (a dig at my idleness).
The storm lasted three days, then one morning the sun rose in all
serenity and we were nearing the coast of Greenland.
To please various prominent individuals who continually worried him with
suggestions, Saxe. favored the Nansen route, though his own had been
mapped out years ago when the _Propellier_ was in its infancy.
“Following a northerly flowing current was all right for Nansen, and the
_Fram_,” he argued, “but the famous Polar Basin, free of ice, has still
to be located—Nansen failed.”
He had great admiration for Dr. Kane, considering him the bravest and
most scientific of explorers.
“His dash for the Pole was not successful, because with all his
tremendous knowledge he neglected the fact that the unknown, frozen
north must be traversed by steel and steam, as is the civilized portion
of the globe; and,” he continued, “we have progressed immensely since
1850,” then saluted deeply to our vigorous applause.
“Boys,” he cried, waving his cap, “I swear we shall succeed.”
Even Norris, though shaking his head, joined us in cheering.
Meanwhile we steamed steadily north, up through Davis Strait, viewing
the great island of Greenland, bleak, cold, sterile, arctic. We anchored
in the calm, deep blue waters of Baffins Bay, a half mile from the icy,
snowy coast, and our luggage packed in small boats was towed to land.
The captain and crew rendered us every assistance. These men had become
wonderfully kind to us, believing firmly we were going to our death.
Under their experienced hands tents for our accommodation reared as by
magic, and we began the work of putting the _Propellier_ together.
Captain Norris had little faith in the _Propellier_, he asserted
positively the machine would take us beyond human aid then “bust up.” He
informed us of his intention to tarry in this vicinity several weeks; in
case things went wrong with us he could hurry to the relief and gladly
take us back to civilization.
“It’s on my conscience,” he told us, “you cannot succeed; but men with a
fair amount of intelligence to risk their lives in a perilous attempt to
reach the Pole deserve to die. The world is overflowing with asses, but
those who commit such rash deeds are evil asses. Gentlemen, pardon me,
but encouragement is criminal. Why are you going?” he asked us sternly,
“For the benefit of science? Fudge! Professor Saunders, in search of a
star! Bah! the sky is overcrowded with stars. Prove they are inhabited
and you will benefit science. Professor Sheldon expects to discover a
huge body of fresh water resting placidly in hollow ice mountains upon
the frozen surface of the Polar Sea. And Saxlehner, with his remarkable
invention, intends to return with the Pole under his arm! Oh, gentlemen,
gentlemen! And you,” he continued, addressing me, “you with your
millions, why in God’s earth are you going?”
He argued some time, telling me I was the lover of Dame Fortune, and
gold the magnet of the universe. No one disputed with him and the poor
old fellow’s voice finally quivered and broke, he turned away.
We felt as sorry for Norris as he felt for us. He’d done his best to
persuade us to give up our polar trip—the absurdity of the effort was
too profound for laughter. Saxe. took the captain aside and eased the
troublesome conscience, convincing the poor gentleman, as he had
everybody else, of the perfect efficiency of his invention. He invited
him to examine the instrument which was rapidly nearing completion, and
patiently explained each portion of the machinery. Norris became very
interested and returned to his ship highly enthused over the
_Propellier_. We had pitched camp in the midst of a little Esquimaux
village, the chief told Saxe., who became very friendly with the tribe,
being able to speak a few words of their language, that they settled
here every season for the whaling and fishing. They pried around a good
deal and interestedly watched us working upon the _Propellier_. They
seemed to regard us with suspicion, but never failed to bring daily
tokens of their esteem in the way of fresh fish and oil. Saxe. repaid
their gifts with long strings of bright colored beads, which presumably
he packed along for that purpose. Captain Norris and his men were on
land most of the time assisting us, and created considerable jollity.
One or two of the crew started flirtations with several Esquimaux women,
rousing the ire of the men, who proceeded to chastise their women. I had
not noticed the facial characteristics of the Esquimaux sufficiently to
distinguish the sexes, they all looked alike, and when I saw them
quarreling and fighting I thought the whole settlement had gone on the
warpath, possibly over Saxe.’s beads, and we were in for it. Norris,
between shouts of laughter, informed me of my error and that the women
were thrashing the men.
The _Propellier_ and cars were eventually ready for the great trial
trip. The captain was invited to join us. He seemed dubious but
accepted, and as we entered the car the same thought came to every
blessed mother’s son of us—what if the blamed instrument should
explode—we compared notes after the trip. I turned sick at the thought
that now we were about to commence our journey in earnest the
_Propellier_ might fall short—we were all frank about our uneasiness.
Saxe. alone had faith in his instrument and swaggered through the car to
his place at the engine. All the sailors, and the whole Esquimaux
settlement turned out to see us off with whoops, and yells, that would
have sent a troop of Apaches scurrying in fright. Just at starting, the
_Propellier’s_ siren let off an ear-splitting blast that, in the clear
atmosphere, must have been heard for miles. Saxe. went very confidently
about his work, handling the great steel lever with expert skill. The
_Propellier_ dipped gracefully forward, we moved slowly. The sailors and
Esquimaux followed with leaps and shouts, and one merry sailor placed
his shoulder against the hind car as though to shove it forward and help
us along; he was hooted and cheered in turn by his laughing comrades,
but he came to grief. Saxe., oblivious, intent, sure of the result,
watched the strange little electric time-piece set above the lever which
he pressed several notches farther down, we bounded forward, gliding as
smooth as oil, and the suddenness of the start caused the meddlesome
sailor to fall—hard.
We literally flew, running at a rate of speed I did not believe the
_Propellier_ could ever reach, and as yet the lever nob had traveled but
one-half its notched road, and Saxe. would test the full length. His
eyes gleamed, and his usually ruddy face became pallid and pinched. He
bent in a listening attitude and slowly pressed the lever to its last
notch; the _Propellier_ had reached the speed limit. The runners plowed
the snow deeply, which flew up, covering the windows; we seemed to be
traveling in the air; I grew dizzy with the marvelous velocity. Our
captain seemed uneasy and wished to remonstrate with Saxe. to lessen
speed, but Saunders pushed him aside in time. It was useless to speak
with him now, Saxe. would not even hear; heart, soul, his very life, was
bound up in his invention. Should the _Propellier_ fail now that it had
reached perfection, his heart would break or he would lose his reason. I
went and stood beside him, the perspiration was streaming down his pale
face, his tense attitude must have been painful; in very pity I was
drawn to him. He was peering through the round magnifying window which
brought the distant scenery to closer view, revealing the ruggedness of
the snow plains. Suddenly the _Propellier_ swerved, then with a wide,
graceful turn made at full speed for camp. Saxe. rose to his full
height, the color returned to his face and he heaved a deep sigh of
relief, then saluted us.
“Gentlemen,” he said, “my invention is successful. I have the honor to
state we shall reach the North Pole, in less than nine weeks.”
From our hearts we cheered the old boy, our whoops mingled with the
shrill shrieks of the siren, and our return to camp was welcomed with
noisy delight.
Captain Norris shook hands with Saxe., who beamed with joy. He was
congratulated upon his success, and received the congratulations with
the loftiness of genius.
The _Propellier_ was perfect. The trip lasted one hour and twenty
minutes, and the highest rate of speed reached ninety-five miles an
hour.