IN SAN FRANCISCO--WHERE SHALL I GO NEXT?--A STARTLING ITEM OF NEWS
ANSWERS THE QUESTION AND ENDS THE SEARCH--IN MALE ATTIRE--ENLISTS
AS SCIENTIST ON THE ICE KING--OFF TO THE NORTH POLE--AN UNEXPECTED
BLOW--THE DANGER SIGNAL--THE RACE FOR LIFE--THE EARTHQUAKE--"THE
CHANNEL IS CLOSING!"--"THE SHIP IS LOST!"
[Illustration]
I WAS in the parlor of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Since my
last visit to the city, I had circumnavigated the globe. During the
last three years, I had not only again visited the leading points of
interest for tourists in Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia, but had
extended my travels into the frozen regions of the far south, on a
whaling voyage. Yet I had not found that for which I was searching.
My failure had brought a feeling of intense sadness and depression
which I shall not attempt to describe. For fifteen years I had been
a wanderer on the high seas. I had traversed every latitude from
Greenland to the South frigid zone and was now mentally asking "Where
shall I go next?" I had determined that I would not give up this long
continued search until it was crowned with success, or death had
intervened, as long as there was one spot on earth unexplored.
Thus pondering in my own mind what to do next, I picked up an evening
paper and abstractedly glanced over its pages in the attempt to form an
idea of its contents by reading the headlines. In the editorial columns
my eye rested on the caption:
"OFF TO THE NORTH POLE."
This was travel into a region I had not penetrated. I was at once
interested and glancing down the column I read the comments of the
editor. "The discovery of America," he said, "was the attempt to
discover a more direct and consequently a nearer route to India by
sailing westward. The object sought for was not found, but the search
gave to the overcrowded and oppressed millions of Christendom a new
world, where they might work out their destiny in conformity with
the ideal of the founder of their religion, beyond the reach of the
political and religious despotisms of the old world; and why may not
this venture, even though it fails to reach the pole, ultimate in
discoveries of inestimable value to mankind? We hope so, and hence we
wish the most abundant success to the expedition now being organized
in this city, by an experienced traveler and navigator, Capt. Raphael
Ganoe."
The paper dropped from my hand; I was overcome; my senses were
paralysed; my heart almost ceased to beat; my brain for a moment
was deprived of the power of thought. As the full import of this
unexpected revelation dawned upon me, I arose and paced the floor.
"My God," I exclaimed, "this cannot be, it must not be, but how can I
prevent it? All the arrangements are perfected. I cannot, I dare not,
under the circumstances, speak the word that possibly might prevent
this perilous undertaking." I was powerless. But I soliloquized, "If I
cannot prevent it, I must join the expedition, for never again will I
permit him to leave me."
My mind was made up. I was in the prime of life, about thirty-five
years of age, and had traveled extensively. I was familiar with
ocean navigation and versed in all the sciences taught in our higher
institutions of learning. I would make application for the position of
scientist, and failing in that would enlist before the mast as a common
sailor, if nothing better offered.
I turned to the mirror and surveyed myself long and earnestly. I raised
myself to my full height and critically viewed the womanly face and
figure revealed to my vision. Though not masculine, my form was strong
and muscular for one of my sex, and with the proper disguise it would
do. For the first time in years I had donned the habiliments of woman.
In masculine attire I had traveled without being discovered. Protected
by this disguise, I had filled almost every position on shipboard and
had succeeded in earning a competency, something I never could have
accomplished as a woman. It was not an experiment. I had tried it
successfully for years and would try it again.
I took up the paper and read the account of the expedition with more
care. The ship was one of the staunchest that had ever been built
and had been provided with all the modern appliances for the comfort
and protection of the crew, during a cruise that was intended to
be indefinitely extended. None but bold and experienced seamen had
been enlisted. As time was no object it was intended to use the sails
instead of steam whenever it was practicable. Hence the large space
usually given to coal was mainly reserved for an unusual supply of
carefully prepared provisions for a long sojourn in the Arctic regions.
Every thing that human foresight could devise for the success of this
expedition had been provided. The daring commander had determined to
take all the time that was needed for making careful surveys of the
shore lines of the frozen north, and sounding its seas.
My mind was made up. I retired at once to my rooms. The male attire
that I had used so successfully, was in my trunks. I need not worry
the reader at this time with the details of my hasty yet thorough
preparation for concealing my identity from the keen observation of
one who knew me so much better than the many with whom I had been
associated in my wanderings. Suffice it to say that every arrangement
was completed in my private apartments, without exciting the suspicion
of any person. I dressed myself in a neat sailor suit, which was
concealed from view beneath the ample folds of a fashionable wrapper.
I packed my trunks, summoned a porter and ordered my goods removed to
furnished rooms that I had previously engaged. When there, I removed
every article that would indicate that I was a woman, and with valise
in hand took my way to the dock, where the Ice King was being fitted up
with the greatest care by the experienced navigator in whose services
it was my intention to enlist.
It was in the early twilight of a glorious evening in May 189--. I
lingered a few moments on the wharf to enjoy the scene and to collect
my faculties for the trial that was to come. I was tall and slender
and my appearance was youthful and refined. Yet I flattered myself
that with my long experience in this disguise, I would be able to
successfully act the part I had determined upon. As I stepped on board,
I met an officer who accosted me with the familiar salutation: "Hello
Jack, what will you have?"
"I want to see Captain Ganoe," I said. "Where can I find him?"
"He is in his cabin," he replied, and passed on.
I gained the deck. The calm waters of the bay reflected the full
rounded moon and her stellar attendants. The harbor was almost
deserted. Vessels here and there dotted the placid surface of the
water. Music low, sweet and plaintive reached my ears. Its melancholy
strains drew me forward. The soul of the performer seemed to float out
upon the air through the tender caresses of the magic bow. The very
waves, as they sparkled in the mellow moonbeams, seemed to dance to the
sweet melody.
It came from the Captain's quarters. I passed in so quietly that I was
not observed. As I suspected, the musician was Captain Ganoe. He was so
absorbed in the plaintive notes of the violin, through which his soul
was speaking, that he did not notice my intrusion. He was in thought,
far away and oblivious to his surroundings.
I stood and carefully scanned the form before me. It was that of a
man of mature years, broad shoulders and medium height, firmly knit,
compactly built and fair complexion. His eyes were blue, his nose
a combination of Grecian and Roman, his mouth firm, and his entire
bearing indicative of courage and strength of character. His brow was
broad and thoughtful; his expression kind and firm. Everything left
the impression that, though comparatively young, he had drained the cup
of bitter disappointment to its dregs. While I sympathized, his sadness
brought a feeling of sweet relief. Oh, how my heart bounded, and for
the moment I felt impelled to fall upon his bosom and sob out the story
of my wrongs. But no, this would not do. I must be patient and first
ascertain from his own lips, in just what light he would regard me when
he learned the whole truth.
I aroused him from his reverie with the inquiry:
"Is this Captain Ganoe?"
He looked up quickly, surprised to see a stranger in his cabin, and
responded:
"Yes, young man, I am Captain Ganoe, and let me ask to what I am
indebted for the honor of this visit. Did you not meet an officer who
could attend to your wants?"
"I did," I replied, "but I wanted to see and talk with Captain Ganoe."
The severity left his countenance, and he bade me be seated.
"Now young man," said he, "please state fully but briefly, what you
want, for my time is entirely occupied."
I answered promptly, and without preliminary explanations I said:
"I have just learned from the papers that you are about to sail for
the most thorough exploration of the Arctic regions that has yet been
attempted, and I want to go with you."
He turned up the lamp which had been burning low, and looked me full
in the face. I felt his searching gaze but withstood it, with no
exhibition of the fears I felt for the success of my plans. But with
inward tremor, I awaited his reply. After hesitating a moment, he said
deliberately:
"You do not know what you ask. You are young and refined. This
expedition must encounter dangers, known and unknown, and none but the
strong and experienced should be permitted to make the venture. It
would be wrong in me to take a young man like you from the bosom of his
family, from society, and all the opportunities for a successful and
useful life, to go with me on this perilous expedition. The fact is,
you ought to return home and leave such hazardous adventures as this
for those who have no hopes to be blasted, and who wish for reasons of
their own, to hide themselves away from the world. Please tell me your
name and where you come from."
"My name sir," I replied, "is Jack Adams, and I have just returned from
a three years cruise, during which time I visited the leading seaports
of the world. I have become familiar with a life on the high seas in
all the medial latitudes, and now propose to explore the frozen north.
As to family, I have none. I am an orphan, and all alone in the world.
I graduated from school at the head of my class and then shipped as
cabin boy and worked my way up to a position of super-cargo. I have
been a practical student of navigation--never sailing twice on the same
line of travel when I could avoid it. I now offer my services to you
because I want to go with you into the unexplored regions of the north.
I have had enough of the tropic and temperate zones. If I never return
I leave no one to mourn my loss."
He looked his astonishment and was visibly softened as he responded:
"We have no need of a super-cargo and we have all the seamen we want.
I have just formed a co-partnership with Captain Samuel Battell, who is
not only an officer of ability and long experience in the Arctics, but
an expert scientist and mathematician. Every place seems to be full."
"I am not," I replied, "seeking a position as super-cargo, nor am I
asking any position that requires pay or even board, if you can find
room in your commissary for the supplies I stand ready to furnish. I
can and will do any work that may be assigned me. All I want is to be
permitted to go with this expedition, take my own chances and pay my
own way."
"You seem very much in earnest Mr. Adams, and I am frank to admit that
I admire your courage even if I doubt your judgment in this matter.
But what can you do, and what evidence have you to offer that you can
render valuable service in an expedition of this character? As to pay,
I would not have you infer that I regarded it as any object to one of
your adventurous disposition. No one enlisted in this expedition is
promised a salary but the common sailors, and that is paid by Captain
Battell and myself."
"As to what I can do," I responded, "I am by education and experience,
qualified to navigate the vessel and make every necessary scientific
observation and calculation. I am familiar with all that has been
published on Arctic exploration and discovery. As to my ability, you
can best ascertain that by inquiring into what I know. That is the
best evidence of my training and experience on the high seas. I do not
shrink from the necessary examination."
"You are right," said he, "and I will consult my partner. If it is
agreeable to him, you may take charge of our library and scientific
instruments, assist in our observations and keep a record of the
expedition. I will summon Captain Battell."
He touched an electric button and in a moment a bell sounded at his
side. He said to me:
"Captain Battell will be here in a moment, and I will leave this matter
to him."
A moment later, the same officer I had met when I first came aboard the
ship, entered and I was formally introduced. He cordially shook my hand
and Captain Ganoe told him what I wanted, and, quite unexpectedly to
me, said:
"Mr. Adams is admirably qualified, and I think we had better place
him in charge of the scientific work of the expedition. We can assist
him as occasion requires. This will enable us to give our entire
attention to the exigencies of the situation in the dangerous waters of
the Arctic regions, while Mr. Adams will keep a record of everything
discovered that may be of value, and send out duplicates of the same by
the balloons, as we intended, so that if the expedition should be lost,
the winds may carry some account of our discoveries to the civilized
portions of the globe." Evidently in the mind of Captain Ganoe, I had
already been appointed to the position which of all others I would have
preferred, and one that would always keep me near his own quarters. And
to this, Captain Battell assented, saying:
"I met Mr. Adams on his arrival, and was favorably impressed with his
appearance and evident determination to see the senior officer of the
Ice King." And turning to me he continued, "I will now take pleasure in
showing you through the library, which will be your quarters during the
voyage."
Captain Battell was the opposite of Captain Ganoe in his personal
appearance. He was powerfully built, of medium height, dark
complexion, dark hair, and steel grey eyes set beneath a broad and
beetling brow. The general contour of his features indicated courage,
firmness, and strength of character. He was just that type of a man
who might be expected to appear to the best advantage in some great
emergency that demanded qualities of a high order.
All the appointments for the scientific work were of the first quality.
The library contained the leading scientific publications, together
with encyclopedias, and historic and general literature, carefully
catalogued for easy reference.
Every kind of scientific instruments, charts, maps, globes, cameras,
etc., had been selected with the greatest care. Among the special
supplies were the balloons to which Captain Ganoe had referred. These
were small and could be inflated at short notice. They were designed
to be sent up from time to time with accounts of the expedition, its
progress, discoveries etc., hermetically sealed. It is well known that
at the equinoxes, the heated air from the tropics ascends to the higher
altitudes and flows toward the poles, while the cold air flows toward
the equator to fill the vacuum, producing the equinoctial storms. These
little balloons were expected to be carried south by the winds, and
find a resting place on the land surface where they might be picked up
by civilized people; or if they fell into the water, the bottles would
preserve the dispatches and the ocean currents might carry them into
civilized countries. Thus every precaution was taken to secure to the
world the benefit of any discovery that might be made, even though the
expedition should be lost.
I was well pleased with my quarters. All the surroundings would be,
to me, most satisfactory, no matter what the trials and dangers that
we might encounter. I was enlisted for the expedition, and in the
position I preferred above all others, as it brought me into frequent
consultation with the commander, and I should be able to acquaint
myself with his present views and feelings and note what changes had
taken place since I saw him last.
I lost no time in having my trunks brought on board and made ready for
the voyage. The Ice King was soon at sea. We stopped at one of the
Aleutian Islands where we took on our dog teams, which were to be used
for explorations on the ice. The sledges were so constructed that they
might readily be converted into boats that would accommodate the whole
crew and a good supply of provisions, in case we should be compelled
to abandon the ship. We expected to be locked up in the ice during
the winter, but with our sledges and dog teams, we could continue our
explorations for long distances in every direction, with the ship for
headquarters. Captain Battell was a whaler and familiar with all the
methods of Arctic travel. His long experience on these northern waters
enabled him to forsee many of the dangers we were likely to meet, and
to make the needful preparations to overcome them.
From this point our voyage northward through Behring Strait and into
the Arctic Ocean, was without any incident worth recording. Our course
after passing the strait, was a little east of north to avoid the ice,
until we reached longitude 165 degrees West of Greenwich, and then
north. Captain Ganoe often came into my cabin to while away an hour in
conversation. His marked friendship seemed to increase with each visit.
He always addressed me familiarly as Jack, and in these conversations
he became more and more confidential, and revealed to me more and more
of his inner life, his early hopes and subsequent disappointments.
One evening after we had been at sea about four months, he came into
my cabin looking unusually gloomy. After the customary salutation he
lighted a cigar and fell into a brown study, not speaking to me for
several minutes, when suddenly he said:
"Jack, did you ever think what mere trifles sometimes change the whole
course of a life-time? I often wonder at myself for being out here
on this wild goose chase, with the certainty of loss of property,
business, comfort and possibly life itself, searching for something I
have no use for, and which at best if discovered, will only gratify an
idle curiosity. And yet, this has been brought about by what was only a
trifling incident. Have you ever thought of these strange effects which
flow from trivial causes?"
He spoke bitterly and I determined to take advantage of the opportunity
to draw him out. I wanted to penetrate the inmost recesses of his
being, and with this object in view I replied:
"Yes, Captain, I have often thought of it and have realized it in my
own experience. It sometimes seems little short of a miracle, that
after years of wandering, I am now here with you. In my case I was not
influenced by a mere trifle, but a stern necessity. I had absolutely
nothing to lose, and I thought I might find something which, under the
circumstances, would amply repay me for all the hardships and dangers
I might have to encounter. But you were differently situated. You were
independent. You had wealth, business and influential friends, while
I had been robbed of my patrimony, and was thrown upon the world with
nothing but my hands and brain to work with. My course was a necessity,
but it is a mystery why you should abandon a profitable business and
organize this expedition at such an enormous expenditure of labor and
money, while you regard its avowed objects as matters of such little
importance. Your course seems to involve a self-contradiction that I
cannot comprehend."
"And thereby hangs a tale," said the Captain. "As a matter of fact,
I never did attach any great importance to Arctic exploration. From
my point of view, the discovery of the Pole would be of no especial
value to mankind, as no practical use could be made of it. Even the
discovery of a productive country, which may be possible, could not
greatly benefit the world, as it would be inaccessible to the masses of
humanity whose condition would be improved by the discovery of a new
country and cheap homes. While such a successful culmination would be
of small benefit to the world, it would be of still less interest to
myself. I really care but little about what we may find at the end of
this voyage."
"Then," I said, "if such be the estimate that you place upon the
objects of this expedition, I am more than ever curious to learn what
could have impelled you to undertake it. You must have had a reason of
some kind. I cannot understand how men can act without a motive."
"Yes," said he, "I was impelled to organize this expedition by a power
stronger than myself, but when I ask myself what I expect to accomplish
by it, truth compels me to answer: 'Nothing.' As to the motive, I
suppose that I have been actuated by an all-absorbing desire to forget
the miseries of the past in the activities of the present."
"But this is not the tale that unlocks the mystery." I responded.
"You have aroused my curiosity to a fever heat, and yet you fail to
gratify it. It might be that I could pour oil on the troubled waters
and possibly enable you to discover that you have been actuated by a
mistaken conception, and that really there is nothing in the past that
you should desire to forget. It would certainly do no harm to review
the case, and it might reveal the fact that it was a source of misery,
simply because all the circumstances were not fully understood."
"I have no desire," said the Captain, "to conceal the story of my life
from you, if you care to hear it. But I fully understand it and it is
of such a nature as to admit of no remedy."
"Do not be too sure of that," I said. "But until the story is told, of
course I will not be able to form an intelligent opinion of the case.
Yet, observation and experience have convinced me that there are always
two sides to every question and that to get at the facts in all their
bearings, we must closely examine both sides."
"Well," said the captain, "I see that you were cut out for a lawyer
and the wonder is how you came to be a sailor. You certainly have a
judicial cast of mind and to while away the monotony of the hour, I
will submit the matter to you, reserving the right, however, to decide
for myself. I have always exercised my natural right to examine every
question from my own standpoint and decide it according to my own sense
of right and wrong.
"It is the same old story of an all-absorbing love and a cruel
disappointment, followed by long years of suppressed anguish, from
which I am still striving to escape. I was an orphan, living with
my bachelor uncle, Richard Sage, in one of the suburbs of New York
City. He was my guardian and the executor of the estate left me by
my father. My uncle was kind and indulgent, and my widowed aunt who
presided over his home, was to me a loving mother, and so my childhood
days were passed in happy contentment.
"One misty, dreary morning, my uncle announced at the breakfast table
that he had been called to the bedside of his old friend, James
VanNess, who was supposed to be dying. He said he would not return
until his friend was much better or dead, and not to be disappointed if
he was absent for several days, or possibly weeks.
"A week later I saw my uncle drive up to the gate and assist a very
beautiful young girl from the carriage. He beckoned me to him, and
introduced me, saying:
"'Raphael, I have brought you a little sister. This is Miss Cassie
VanNess, whose father I was called to see. I have been made her
guardian and this will be her future home. Both mother and father are
dead and she has no near relatives. Remember this, and do everything in
your power to make her home with us as happy as possible.'
"We at once became great friends. Cassie was at that time about
fourteen or fifteen years of age and I was eighteen. She proved to
be the gayest, brightest, most winsome little lady I had ever seen.
I must have fallen in love with her at first sight. I have often
thought since," he added slowly, "that even his Satanic Majesty might
look entrancingly beautiful, for to my intense sorrow, Cassie proved
herself, it seems to me, a tenfold greater hypocrite than Judas of old
who betrayed with a kiss.
"But enough of this. Our school days, lasting some five years, were
to me one ceaseless round of delightful experiences, which seemed to
fill every vein and fiber of my being with unalloyed happiness. During
our vacations Cassie and I were always together, either at home or
traveling, and many were the excursions, romps and drives we enjoyed.
"I graduated at twenty-three and we laid our plans for the future.
I had inherited an interest in a line of steamers running between
Liverpool and New York, which enabled us to frequently cross the
Atlantic during our vacations, and visit the leading points of
interest in Great Britain and on the continent. I had acquired a taste
for travel, and it was determined that I should visit the Orient,
while Cassie returned to college to complete her study of the higher
branches. I was to be gone about three years, during which time I would
circumnavigate the globe, and on my return we were to be married.
"With these objects in view I secured, through the influence of my
uncle, a lucrative position in the employ of a firm of importers, whose
trade extended to all parts of the eastern continent and Australia.
On the evening before my departure, I placed a brilliant diamond
engagement ring on Cassie's finger and a gold chain and locket of
peculiar workmanship around her neck.
"These presents were made from special designs for this purpose and
the patterns destroyed. I shall never forget the last night we spent
together. The appearance of my affianced bride in her splendid evening
dress, her diamond engagement ring sparkling on her lovely hand, the
gold chain and diamond set locket and her luxuriant suit of golden hair
handsomely ornamented, formed a picture of beauty indelibly imprinted
upon my memory.
"My ship sailed from one of the piers on the Hudson near the Battery.
We contemplated the circumnavigation of the globe by way of Cape
Horn, the Sandwich Islands, Japan, China, Australia, Africa, Europe,
and thence returning to America, stopping at all the principal seaport
cities and points of interest on our voyage. This would enable Cassie
and me to keep up our correspondence with no very long interruptions.
"For the first year of my absence, at every port I received a package
of letters from home, and this always contained letters from Cassie.
We had agreed to write to each other at least once a week without
waiting for replies, and it often occurred that I got a whole package
of letters from her at one time, and the perusal of these affectionate
missives was the one all-absorbing pleasure to which I looked forward
when we came into port. Whatever else might be lacking, Cassie's loving
letters never failed.
"At last, however, they ceased all at once. Letters from my uncle came
regularly, and through them I heard of Cassie, but I could get no
word from her. I wrote to her every week, but my letters brought no
response. I was miserable, and urged my uncle to find out what was the
matter and let me know if my letters came safely.
"My uncle's replies were at first evasive, but at last with an
expression of the most cordial sympathy for me, he informed me that my
letters came regularly, but that Cassie had changed her mind and they
remained unopened. He enclosed a draft on London for the balance due
on my estate, together with a complete statement of the account from
the date of his taking charge, and the findings of the court as to all
the property and investments that came to me from my father. Everything
was complete and duly certified, so there was nothing that demanded my
presence in New York. He advised me not to return home, but continue in
my present position, as Cassie was to be married in a short time and my
presence would be painful to her as well as to myself, and embarrassing
to everyone concerned.
"I was thunderstruck. I did not, could not, would not believe that
Cassie was false to our mutual and oft repeated pledges of love and
fidelity to each other. I could get no satisfaction from my uncle.
My aunt had been dead several years. I wrote to my lawyer to learn
if possible, the truth of the reported engagement and approaching
marriage. His reply was prompt, stating that it was not only true,
but that the marriage had already taken place. He wrote that he had
been called in by my uncle, who was in feeble health, to make out
the papers in regard to the estate of Cassie VanNess, which she was
anxious to have settled satisfactorily to herself before her marriage.
'These financial matters being arranged,' wrote my lawyer, 'what was
my surprise to be called upon to witness her marriage to Richard Sage.
Financially she did well, but it is hard for me to believe that it was
a love match. Your uncle, however, is certainly much infatuated with
her, and she is indeed beautiful.'
"This same letter contained a flattering offer from a firm of New York
importers, for my interest in the steamship line, and I advised my
attorney to close the deal at once and forward the proceeds to London
and also to dispose of all my property in and about New York, lists of
which were in his possession. I had made up my mind never to return
home, as it would be distressing to me and certainly embarrassing to my
uncle. After that my only New York correspondence was with my attorney.
"When I reached London, I found a letter from my attorney with drafts
on the bank of England for all my interests in America. This letter
also contained the information that my uncle was in great trouble,
his marriage with Cassie having resulted in much unhappiness. She
had suddenly deserted him without giving any reason for her strange
conduct. She merely left a note, stating that she would not live with
him. This was the last that had been heard from her. 'Of course,' added
my attorney, 'it would be next to impossible to find her in this large
city if she desires to keep herself concealed.'
"Since that time I have been a wanderer, caring little whither I went,
so that my mind was fully occupied. I purchased a staunch ship in which
I cruised for years, avoiding as far as practicable the regular lines
of trade and often sailing without a cargo, searching for a contentment
never to be found. At last I conceived the idea of getting away from
civilization altogether, joining in the work of Arctic exploration,
and, if possible reaching the pole. With this end in view, I had the
Ice King built according to special designs, and adapted, so far as
human foresight and ingenuity could devise, for a long sojourn in the
frozen north. And now here we are, in the Arctic Ocean, liable at any
moment to be caught between the ice fields which appear on either side,
and possibly crushed. What is to come next? God only knows.
"Such is a brief statement of the perfidy of the woman I loved, and
its consequences. And this is why I am out here on this perilous
expedition, searching for something that I care very little about. I
think you will agree with me that it admits of no remedy."
"It does not look that way to me," I responded. "I would be unwilling
to condemn your affianced bride until I had heard her side of the
story. It may be that her marriage to your uncle was secured by unfair
means, and that when she discovered the fraud, in her desperation she
started out to find you. In that case, the remedy would be for you to
find her and renew your plighted faith."
"Never!" said Captain Ganoe. "Even if your supposed case is correct,
it could not set aside the facts. She knew that, in marrying my uncle,
she was false to me, and when she deserted him with no legal cause for
separation, she was false to her husband to whom she was bound in the
holy bonds of matrimony. She acted from her own choice. She was not
compelled to engage herself to me, and no law could have forced her to
marry my uncle. Her conduct in both cases reveals her innate perfidy
of character, and under no circumstances could I, as an honorable man,
accept such a woman as my wife. Her tarnished reputation, if nothing
else, would place an insurmountable barrier between us even if she were
not legally the wife of another man."
I was paralyzed. I had indeed succeeded in getting from him an emphatic
expression of sentiment covering my own case. I had penetrated the
innermost recesses of his being, but had fanned to a flame the
slumbering fires of a volcano, only to be submerged in the eruption of
molten lava.
The blow was so unexpected and so sudden, that I was stupefied, and
my astonishment left no room for grief, which gave me a moment for
reflection. Here I was, in the ship with him, far within the Arctic
Circle, at the beginning of the Arctic winter, and with the certainty
of being locked up in the ice for months if not for years. I could
not get away from him if I would, and from his own lips I had heard
my conduct denounced as the acme of perfidy, and my love spurned as
something treacherous and vile. Bitterly and in the most emphatic
manner, had he declared that as an honorable man, he could never
associate himself in the tender relations of marital love, with one of
my tarnished reputation. In his own estimate, he had already assigned
me a place among the most debased and abandoned characters, and all
there was left for me to do was to preserve my disguise, in order to
secure even respectful treatment from the man I loved.
As the full sense of the situation dawned upon me in all its crushing
weight of humiliation and anguish, I must have fallen at his feet in a
dead faint, but for the clangor of the great bell which had been agreed
upon as the signal of immediate peril, to summon each one to the post
that had been assigned him in case of sudden emergencies. The alarm
came to me as a sweet relief from an agony tenfold more difficult to
endure than any possible hardships or dangers from an Arctic storm,
amid towering mountains of ice.
There was no time for grief. The emergency demanding prompt action
was upon us, and we hurried out upon deck. According to previous
arrangements, Captain Ganoe seized the wheel and Captain Battell, as
an experienced Arctic navigator, took command, while I, with glass and
note book, stood by the wheel to make observations and to render any
assistance to Captain Ganoe that might be required.
The cause of alarm at once became apparent. The stiff breeze that
had been blowing all day from the southwest, had now increased to a
gale, and the icebergs which for days were becoming more numerous on
our starboard quarter, had formed a solid pack, which was evidently
land-locked, as it remained stationary, while on the larboard, a solid
field of ice of vast extent was approaching. It was only a question
of a few hours at the utmost, when these two great ice walls must come
together and it would be destruction for us to be caught in their
deadly embrace.
Retreat was impossible. The only open channel was the one we were
pursuing. The walls on either side were continuous, and with my glass
I could see the channel behind us blocked with icebergs, urged on in
our wake by wind and waves as if determined not to let us escape. Our
only safety seemed to be in our being able to sail beyond these two
continuous walls of ice before they came together. Captain Battell,
with his glass kept up a rapid survey of the horizon, and gave orders
through his trumpet as calmly as if scenes like this were matters of
every day occurrence, and Captain Ganoe, at the wheel, responded as
if he was part of the machinery, which he handled with rapidity and
precision.
It was a scene never to be forgotten. The midnight sun hung just above
the horizon. Off to our larboard, an unbroken wall of ice extending as
far as the eye, assisted by a powerful glass could reach, was bearing
down upon us. On our starboard another wall of ice against which the
waves were dashing in all their fury, stood apparently as firm as the
granite shores against which it rested. Behind us, the channel was
filled with detached masses of ice, which if caught between these ice
walls might hasten the closing of the channel before us. Could we
escape? was the all pervading question that propounded itself to us.
Every sail was set and under the pressure of every pound of steam our
boilers could carry, the Ice King leaped forward like a frightened
deer, as if conscious of the doom that was impending. For hours we
kept up this reckless speed. The foam flew in blinding spray from the
ship's quarters, fretted along her sides and left a broad white line
in her wake. The whistling of the wind in her rigging and the regular
plunging of her engines, made pandemonium on board.
It was indeed a race for life, and in my perturbed state of mind I
actually enjoyed the excitement, almost hoping that it might culminate
in the destruction threatened. With the courage of despair I calmly
surveyed the scene and took my notes, occasionally assisting Captain
Ganoe at the wheel. This was the first real danger that we had
encountered, and my interview with the Captain had given me a reckless
daring to meet it without a tremor, that seems almost miraculous.
We still kept up this rapid flight, and as far as the eye could reach
the two great ice walls still confronted each other and the channel of
open water continued to grow more narrow. Soon we had to veer from side
to side to avoid collisions with the jagged shore-lines of ice, but
nowhere was there any indication that when they came together an open
space would be formed sufficient to protect the ship. We were compelled
to reduce our speed, and still the ice-fields were coming closer
together and at last we were forced to creep along a narrow, crooked
channel between two great packs of ice-mountains which often towered
far above the mainmast of the Ice King.
The outlook was desperate, but the ice on our larboard ceased to
approach, and for a moment it seemed as if we might escape into open
water. But not so. Our way was blocked. An ice-mountain loomed up
before us, and we came to a full stop. It was this that had probably
checked the advance of the moving ice-pack, and saved us from the cruel
"nip" which has crushed so many hapless vessels in these dangerous
waters.
The Ice King lay between two vast overhanging ice-mountains, which
towered high above us. In the front was the huge iceberg, which had
prevented the nearer approach of the wall of ice. The channel in which
we lay could only be closed by the breaking up of the fields of ice
behind us, and we could see no reason why this should occur. If the
ice-fields remained intact until the freezing of the channel there
would be no collision and we would be safe for the time being.
The weather had become intensely cold and we began to feel that the
danger had passed by, when an ominous roar and the sharp reports of
breaking ice, gave warning of the only thing we had to dread. A violent
earthquake was lashing the ocean into fury, and the ice pack was broken
into innumerable fragments, which were crashing against each other in
the most violent commotion. Captain Battell shouted from the lookout
where he had posted himself:
"Save yourselves if you can. The channel is closing and the ship is
lost."
I looked up, and as I did so, the lofty ice-mountains between which we
lay, seemed to be falling directly down upon us, and at the same time
a violent shock threw me upon the deck with a force that must have
rendered me unconscious for a few seconds.