relics of the ice-wall had disappeared, proving that the island now
remained stationary, and that all the force of the current was 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
hours later it was found that Victoria Island had not advanced one mile.
The only remaining hope was that some vessel should sight the poor
shipwrecked creatures, either whilst still on the island, or after they
had taken to their raft.
The island was now in 54° 33’ latitude, and 177° 19’ longitude,
several hundred miles from the nearest land, namely, the Aleutian
Islands.
Hobson once more called his comrades together, and asked them what they
thought it would be best to do.
All agreed that they should remain on the island until it broke up, as
it was too large to be affected by the state of the sea, and only take
to the raft when the dissolution actually commenced. Once on the frail
vessel, they must wait.
Still wait!
The raft was now finished. Mac-Nab had made one large shed or cabin big
enough to hold every one, and to afford some little shelter from the
weather. A mast had been prepared, which could be put up if necessary,
and the sails intended 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 whole party.
“Nothing,” observed Mrs Barnett,—”nothing is impossible to Him
who rules the winds and waves.”
Hobson carefully looked over the stores of provisions. The reserves had
been much damaged by the avalanche, but there were plenty of animals
still on the island, and the abundant shrubs and mosses supplied them
with food. A few reindeer and hares were slaughtered by the hunters, and
their flesh salted for future needs.
The health of the colonists was on the whole good. They had suffered
little in the preceding mild winter, and all the mental trials they
had gone through had not affected their physical well-being. They were,
however, looking forward with something of a shrinking horror to the
moment when they would have to abandon 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 in a rude structure of
wood subject to all the caprices of winds and waves. Even in tolerably
fine weather seas would be shipped and every one constantly drenched
with saltwater. Moreover, it must be remembered that the men were none
of them sailors, accustomed to navigation, and ready to risk their lives
on a few planks, but soldiers, trained for service on land. Their island
was fragile, it is true, and rested on a thin crust of ice; but then it
was covered with a productive soil, trees and shrubs flourished upon it,
its huge bulk rendered it insensible to the motion of the waves, and
it might have been supposed to be stationary. They had, in fact, become
attached to Victoria Island, on which they had lived nearly two years;
every inch of the ground had become familiar to them; they had tilled
the soil, and had come safely through so many perils in their wandering
home, that in leaving it they felt as if they were parting from an old
and sorely-tried friend.
Hobson fully sympathised with the feelings of his men, and understood
their repugnance to embarking on the raft; but then he also knew that
the catastrophe could not now be deferred much longer, and ominous
symptoms already gave warning of its rapid approach.
We will now describe this raft. It was thirty feet square, and its deck
rose two feet above the water. Its bulwarks would therefore keep out the
small but not 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 the provisions and water-casks, all firmly fixed to
the deck with iron bolts. The mast, thirty feet high, was fastened to
the deck-house, and strengthened with stays 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 to this rough
structure, the fittings of which were necessarily incomplete.
Such was the raft constructed by the head carpenter, on which twenty-one
persons were to embark. It was floating peacefully on the little lake,
strongly moored to the shore.
It was certainly constructed with more care than if it had been put
together in haste on a vessel at sea doomed to immediate destruction. It
was stronger and better fitted up; but, after all, it was but a raft.
On the 1st June a new incident occurred. Hope, one of the soldiers, went
to fetch some water from the lake for culinary purposes, and when Mrs
Joliffe tasted it, she found that it was salt. She called Hope, and said
she wanted fresh, not salt water.
The man replied that he had brought it from the lake as usual, and as he
and Mrs Joliffe were disputing about it, the Lieutenant happened to come
in. Hearing Hope’s repeated [asertions] assertions that he had fetched
the water from the lake, 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 terrible
dread.
“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 drinkable
water.
“There will be plenty of ice, my friends,” he said. “We can always
melt a piece of our island, and,” he added, with a ghastly attempt at
a smile, “I don’t suppose we shall drink it all.”
It is, in fact, well known that salt separates from sea-water
in freezing and evaporation. A few blocks of ice were therefore
“disinterred,” if we may so express it, and melted for daily use,
and to fill the casks on board the raft.
It would not do, however, to neglect this fresh warning given by nature.
The invasion of the lake by the sea proved that the base of the island
was rapidly melting. At any moment the ground might give way, and Hobson
forbade his men to leave the factory, as they might be drifted away
before they were aware of it.
The animals seemed more keenly alive than ever to approaching danger;
they gathered yet more closely round the firmer part, and after the
disappearance of the 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 rushed wildly towards the factory, and
dashed away again howling piteously. The furred animals remained huddled
together round the large well where the principal house had formerly
stood. There were several hundreds of them, of different species,
and the solitary bear roamed backwards and forwards, showing no more
hostility to 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 as swans, &c, migrated towards the Aleutian Islands in the
south, where they would find a sure refuge. This significant and ominous
fact was noticed by Mrs Barnett and Madge, who were walking together on
the beach.
“There is plenty of food for these birds on the island,” observed
Mrs Barnett, “and yet they leave it—they have a good reason, no
doubt.”
“Yes,” replied Madge; “their instinct of self-preservation makes
them take flight, and they give us a warning by which we ought to
profit. The animals also appear more uneasy than usual.”
Hobson now decided to take the greater part of the provisions and all
the camping apparatus on board the raft, and when that was done, to
embark with the whole party.
The sea was, however, very rough, and the waters of the former
lake—now a kind of Mediterranean in miniature—were greatly agitated.
The waves, confined in the narrow space, dashed mountains high, and
broke violently upon the steep banks. The raft tossed up and down, and
shipped sea after sea. The embarkation of provisions, &c., had to be put
off.
Every one wished to pass one more quiet night on land, and Hobson
yielded against his better judgment, determined, if it were calmer the
next day, to proceed with the embarkation.
The night was more peaceful than had been expected; the wind went down,
and the sea became calmer; it had but been swept by one of those sudden
and brief hurricanes peculiar to these latitudes.
At eight o’clock in the evening the tumult ceased, and a slight
surface agitation of the waters of lake and sea alone remained.
It was some slight comfort that the island would not now be broken up
suddenly, as it must have done had the storm continued. Its dissolution
was, of course, still close at hand, but would not, it was hoped, be
sudden and abrupt.
The storm was succeeded by a slight fog, which seemed likely to thicken
during the night. It came from the north, and owing to the changed
position of the 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, he tightened them, and the worst that could now happen
would be, that the raft would drift out on to the lagoon, which was not
large enough to be lost upon it.