CHAPTER ELEVEN.
ANOTHER ISLAND DISCOVERED--THE ENGLISHMEN AND ESKIMOS ALIKE AREASTONISHED IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
As Chingatok had predicted, on the sixth day from Home-in-sight Islandthe party came to another island, where the great pack abruptlyterminated. It was not large, probably ten or twelve miles in length,from the Eskimo account, but the ends of it could not be seen from thespot where they landed. At that point it was only two miles wide, andon the opposite side its shores were laved by an open sea, which wasquite free from ice, with the exception of a few scattered floes andbergs--a sea whose waves fell in slow regular cadence on a pebbly beach,and whose horizon was an unbroken line barely distinguishable from thesky.
Close to it a few black rocks showed above the water, around which greatnumbers of gulls, puffins, and other sea-birds disported themselves inclamorous joy; sometimes flying to the shore as if to have a look at thenewcomers, and then sheering off with a scream--it might be a laugh--totell their comrades what they had seen.
"Here, then, at last, is the open Polar Sea," said Captain Vane, afterthe first long silent gaze of joy and admiration. "I have no doubt ofit whatever. And now we shall proceed, I hope without interruption, tothe Pole!"
"Of course you do not intend that we should swim there, do you, uncle?"said Leo.
"Of course not, my boy. In those big cases, which have cost us so muchlabour to bring here, I have three large and stout india-rubber boats--"
"Ha! I guessed as much," exclaimed Alf.
"No doubt," returned the Captain, "but you did not guess all."
"I hope not," said Leo, "for to say truth I don't much relish the ideaof rowing over an unknown sea an unknown distance at the rate of threeor four miles an hour. I hope you have a patent steam-engine that willdrive us along somewhat faster."
"No, lad, no, I have no such steam-engine or any other miraculouscontrivance that sets the laws of nature at defiance, and appears onlyin nursery tales. This expedition has been undertaken on no haphazardor insane plan. It was all cut and dry before we left Old England, andit is much simpler than you suppose."
"What, then, is to be your motive power, if not oars or sails--whichlast would not work well, I fear, in an india-rubber boat?" asked Leo.
"Kites," replied the Captain.
"Kites!" repeated both Alf and Leo in surprise.
"Not paper ones, surely," said Benjy, in a tone of disappointment, notunmingled with contempt.
"No, Ben, not paper ones," said the Captain, "but you shall see. Letthe boxes be unlashed and carried into yonder cave. I'll unpack thempresently. Meanwhile, Anders, I want you to interpret for me. Go, tellChingatok I wish to have a talk with him."
While the brothers went to obey their leader's order, and Benjy tosuperintend the pitching of the camp, Captain Vane walked along theshore with Anders and the giant.
"Are you sure, Chingatok, that there is no more ice in this sea?" askedthe Captain.
"No more great packs; only a little here and there, and a fewice-mountains," answered the Eskimo.
"And no more islands?"
"No more islands till you come to the land where I and my people dwell.There are more islands beyond that with people on them--people who arenot friendly to us."
"How far off, now, is your land from this island?" continued theCaptain, with a grave nod to Leo, who joined them at the moment.
"About three days with a kayak."
The Captain pondered for a few minutes.
"Leo," he said, "the observation which I took yesterday enables me toplace this island in latitude 86 degrees 40 minutes. I judge that akayak may travel at the rate of three miles an hour, which, makingallowance for sleep and rests, gives the distance of this island fromChingatok's native land approximately at about 100 miles, so that thehome of this giant and his tribe is actually in the near neighbourhoodof the Pole itself. If this be so, we may consider that our success,wind, weather, etcetera, permitting, is absolutely certain."
The Captain spoke in the deep earnest tones of one under the influenceof powerful but suppressed enthusiasm.
"Now then, Leo," he continued, "we will go and take formal possession ofthis new discovery. What shall we call it? Good Hope is too familiaras a cape."
"Why not Great Hope?" asked Leo.
"Good! That will do well."
So Captain Vane took possession of Great Hope Island; having fixed itsposition in latitude 86 degrees 40 minutes north, and longitude 60degrees west.
After that he proceeded to open the cases which had so long been objectsof interest to his own party, and objects of intense curiosity to theEskimos, who crowded round the entrance of the shallow cavern with eagerlooks, while their leader went to work with hammer and chisel on thecopper fastenings.
"Wugh! Huk! hi! hosh! ho!" were something like the exclamations utteredby the Eskimos when the lid of the first case flew up and revealed onlya mass of brown paper wrappings.
It was interesting to observe the utter self-oblivion of these childrenof nature! Of course the eyes and mouths of all opened wider and widerwhile the work went on. We can understand this, for it ischaracteristic of the simple in all nations, but it was not so easy tounderstand why shoulders should slowly rise and elbows be slightly bent,and the ten fingers gradually expand like claws. Anxiety might accountfor the way in which some of them softly lifted one foot and then theother; but why did little Oblooria raise her left foot by imperceptibledegrees, and remain poised upon the other as if she were a bird, excepton the supposition that she was unconsciously imitating Tekkona, who wasdoing the same thing?
It was interesting, also, to note the slight substratum of consciousnessthat displayed itself in Oolichuk, who, while regarding the Captain inglaring expectancy, put his arm, inadvertently as it were, roundOblooria's waist--also the complete absence of consciousness in thelatter, who was so engrossed with the Captain, that she did not appearto feel the touch of Oolichuk! These little peculiarities, however,although extremely interesting, were not observed by any of the actorson that occasion--except, perhaps, by Benjy, who, being sharp-witted,had a knack of seeing round a corner at times!
When the contents of the case were turned out, they proved to consist ofseveral coils of rope, and a large square bundle. The uncording of thelatter intensified the expectation of the Eskimo to boiling point, andwhen the brown paper was removed, and a roll of something with astrange, not to say bad, smell was displayed, they boiled over in aseries of exclamations to which the former "huks" and "hos" were merechild's play. But when the roll was unrolled, and assumed a flat shapenot unlike the skin of a huge walrus, they gave a shout. Then, when theCaptain, opening a smaller package, displayed a pair of bellows like aconcertina, they gave a gasp. When he applied these to a hole in theflat object, and caused it slowly to swell, they uttered a roar, andwhen, finally, they saw the flat thing transformed into a goodly-sizedboat, they absolutely squealed with delight, and began to caper about inchildlike joy.
In this manner, three cases were opened, and three boats produced. Thenthe Magician, who went about his work in perfect silence, with a knowingsmile on his lips, opened several longish boxes, which Leo had guessedto be filled with fishing-rods or spare rifles, but which, it turnedout, contained oars for the india-rubber boats. After that, the Captainopened another large case, which roused the surprise of his whitefollowers as much as that of the natives.
"It looks like one of mother's silk dresses," remarked Benjy, as the newwonder was dragged forth.
"Too voluminous for that," said Alf.
"A balloon!" exclaimed Leo.
"No, boys, it's only a kite," said the Captain, unfolding it. "Iconfess it does not look very like one, but its appearance will changeby and by."
And its appearance did change remarkably as it was opened out and puttogether.
The construction of this kite was peculiar. In the first place, it wassquare in form, or, rather, diamond-shaped, and its size, when fullydistended, wa
s eighteen feet by fourteen.
"The simplicity of it, you see," said the Captain, as he put ittogether, "is its great recommendation."
He ceased to speak for a few moments, while engaged with a troublesomejoint, and Benjy took advantage of the pause to express a hope thatsimplicity was not its _greatest_ recommendation, because he had neverheard of any one attempting to reach the Pole on the strength ofsimplicity.
Without noticing this remark, the Captain went on--
"You see it would be troublesome to carry distending sticks of greatlength, because they would be in the way, and apt to get broken. Eachstick, therefore, has a joint in the middle like that of a fishing-rod.There are four such sticks, fastened to, or radiating from, a strongsteel central hinge, so that they can be folded together, or opened outinto the form of a cross. A small but very strong cross of bamboo fitson the machine, behind the central hinge, and locks it in a distendedposition, after the silk has been placed on it. Strong cords run roundthe outer edges of the silk, and there are loops at the corners toattach it to the distenders. Thus, you see, the kite can be put up, orfolded into a portable form like an umbrella, though not of course asquickly, nor yet as easily, owing to its great size."
While he was speaking, the Captain was busily putting the several partsof the kite together.
As he concluded, he laid the machine on its face, locked it with thelittle bamboo cross, and then held it up in triumph, to the delight ofhis white observers, and the blank astonishment of the Eskimos. We sayblank, because, unlike the boat, the nature of which they understoodbefore it had been quite inflated, this machine was to them an absolutemystery, and seemed to be of no use at all.
Their opinion of it was not improved when a sudden puff of wind blew itflat on the ground, causing the Captain to fall on the top of it.
"It's a little awkward in handling," he growled, unlocking thecentre-cross. "Hold the points down, lads, till I drag it into theumbrella form. There; it's all safe now. The truth is,unmanageableness when in hand is the only fault of my kite. Once in theair, it's as tractable as a lamb; getting it up is the chief difficulty,but that is not too great to be overcome."
"Besides, you know, nothing's perfect in this world, father," saidBenjy, with a wink at Butterface, who, having acute risible tendencies,exploded. Some of the Eskimos, whose sympathies were strong, joined inthe laugh by way of relief to their feelings.
When the Captain had wound a strap round the closed kite, to restrainits volatile nature, he opened another large case which containedseveral reels of strong cord, somewhat resembling log-lines, but withthis peculiarity, that, alongside of each thick cord there ran a thinred line of twine, connected with though not bound to the other by meansof little loops or rings of twine fixed about six feet apart throughoutits entire length.
"These are the cords to fly the kites," said the Captain, taking up oneof the reels, which was as large as a man's hat. "You see I have threesets of silk in that box, and six sets of reels and sticks, besides afew spare pieces of the latter, so that we can afford to suffer a littledamage. Now, the use of this peculiar sort of double line will be clearwhen in action, but I may as well explain it. The end of this stoutline is to be made fast to the band which you saw on the kite, and theend of this thin red line to the top of its upright stick. You rememberwell enough how independent ordinary kites are. You cannot cause themto descend except by hauling them in by main force, and you cannotmoderate their pull. This kite of mine is capable of exerting a pullequal to six horses, with a sufficiently strong wind. So, you see, itwould be impossible for a dozen men to hold it without some check on itspower. This check is supplied by the thin red line, which is made ofthe strongest silk. By pulling it gently you bend the head of the kiteforward, so that it ceases to present a flat surface to the wind, whichflies off it more or less at the tail. By pulling still more on the redline, the traction-power is still further reduced, and, with a goodpull, the kite can be made to present its head altogether to the wind,and thus to lie flat on it, when, of course, it will descend slowly tothe ground, waving from side to side, like a dropped sheet of paper."
"Are you going to try it, father?" asked Benjy eagerly.
The Captain looked up at the clouds with a critical glance. "There'shardly enough of wind to-day, boy. Nevertheless we will try."
In a very short time the kite was again extended, the centre locked, thethick cord fixed to a loop in the band, and the thin cord to the head ofthe main stick. While this was being done, the corners were held downby Leo, Benjy, Anders, and Butterface.
"How about a tail, father?" asked Benjy, with sudden animation.
"Ha! I forgot the tail. I've got several tails. It's well youreminded me."
"It is indeed," responded the boy, "for I remember well that when mykites lost their tails they used to whirl wildly about until they dashedtheir heads on the ground. This kite would be little better than a madelephant without its tail!"
A short tail, made of the strongest cat-gut, was now fixed to the lowerextremity of the kite. It had a bag at the end, to be weighted withstones as required.
"Now, then, Alf, do you carry the reel away fifty yards or so, and payout the line as you go. Make a dozen of the Eskimos hold on with youtill I come and regulate the pull. I must remain here to set it off."
Alf did as he was ordered. When he was far enough out, the Captain andLeo raised the aerial monster with caution, grasping it by theshoulders, while Benjy held on to the tail. Their great care was tokeep it flat, so that it presented nothing but its thin head to thewind, but this was a difficulty, for it kept fluttering as if anxious toget away, catching a slant of wind underneath now and then, which causedboth Leo and the Captain to stagger.
"Don't hold down the tail, Benjy," cried the Captain, looking anxiouslyover his shoulder.
Unfortunately Ben did not hear the "don't." Not only did he hold onwith increased vigour, but he gave the tail an energetic pull downwards.The result was that the wind got fairly underneath, and the head wasjerked upward. Leo, fearing to tear the silk, let go, and the Captainwas thrown violently off. Benjy alone stood to his guns--or to histail--with loyal heroism for a moment, but when he felt himself liftedoff the ground a few inches, a feeling of horror seized him. He let go,and came down with a whack.
Free at last, the huge kite shot upwards like a rocket, and a terriblehowl from the Eskimo showed that all was not right at their end of theline. The truth was that none of them were impressed with theimportance of the duty required of them. The sudden strain jerked theline out of the hands of some, and threw others to the ground, and Alf,who had for greater security taken a turn of the line round his rightarm, was dragged forward at full racing speed. Indeed he was beginningto take those tremendous bounds called "giant strides," which were sureto terminate in his being dragged along the ground.
Captain Vane saw the danger, and was equal to the occasion. There waslittle time for thought or action. Another moment and Alf would be offthe beach into the sea.
"Let go! Alf; let go!" cried Leo, in an agony of alarm.
"No, no! hold on!" shouted the Captain.
Poor Alf could not help holding on. The turns of the line round his armheld him fast.
Another moment, and he was abreast of the Captain who sprang at him ashe passed like a leopard on his prey and held on. But the pace waslittle checked with this additional weight. It was beyond the Captain'srunning powers, and both he and Alf would have been thrown violently tothe ground had it not happened that they had reached the water, intowhich they plunged with a tremendous splash. They were dragged throughit, however, only for a few seconds, for by that time the Captain hadsucceeded in getting hold of the red line and pulling it separately.The result was immediate and satisfactory. The head of the kite wasthrown forward, acting somewhat as a sail does when a ship is throwninto the wind, and the two unfortunates came to an anchor in four feetof water.
"We must not let it into the water,
Alf," gasped the Captain, clearingthe water from his eyes.
"How can we prevent it?" spluttered Alf, shaking the wet hair off hisface.
"Ease your fingers a bit. There; hold on." As he spoke the Captaingave a slight pull on the regulating line. The kite at once caught thewind and soared, giving the two operators an awful tug, which nearlyoverturned them again.
"Too much," growled the Captain. "You see it takes some experience toregulate the excitable thing properly. There, now, haul away for theshore."
By this time they were joined by Leo and Chingatok, who ran into thewater and aided them in dragging the refractory machine ashore.
"That's a vigorous beginning, father," remarked Benjy as they came toland.
"It is, my boy. Go and fetch me dry clothes while we haul in the kiteand make her snug."
"When do you mean to start?" asked Leo, as he coiled away the slack ofthe line on the reel.
"The first steady fair wind that blows from the south," answered theCaptain, "but we must have one or two experimental trials of the kitesand boats together, before we set out on the real voyage."
"It's a capital idea," returned Leo enthusiastically. "There's a sortof neck-or-nothing dash about it that quite suits me. But, uncle, whatof the Eskimos? The three boats won't carry the half of them."
"I know that, lad, and shall get over the difficulty by leaving some ofthem behind. Chingatok says they are quite able to take care ofthemselves; can easily regain the Greenland shore, find their canoes, ormake new ones, and return to their own land if they choose."
"But, uncle," said Alf, who was by no means as reckless as his brother,"don't you think it's rather risky to go off into an unknown sea in openboats, for no one knows how long, to go no one knows exactly where?"
"Why, Alf," returned the Captain with a laugh, "if you were as stupidabout your scientific pursuits as you are about geographical affairs,you would not be worth your salt. A sea's a sea, isn't it, whetherknown or unknown, and the laws that affect all seas are pretty muchalike. Of course it is risky. So is going on a forlorn hope. So isshooting with a set of fellows who don't know how to manage their guns.So is getting on a horse, for it may kick you off or run away. So iseating fish, for you may choke yourself. Everything, almost, is more orless risky. You _must_ risk something if you'd discover the North Pole,which has baffled adventurers from the days of Adam till now. And youare wrong in saying that we shall go off for no one knows how long. Thedistance from this island to the Pole is pretty nearly 200 miles. Ifour kites carry us along at the rate of ten miles an hour, we shallcover the distance in 20 hours. If we have calms or contrary winds wemay take 20 days. If storms come, we have not much to fear, for theweather is warm,--so, too,--is the water. Then, our boats arelifeboats--they cannot sink. As to not knowing where exactly we aregoing, why, man, we're going to the North Pole. Everybody knows wherethat is, and we are going to the home of Chingatok, which cannot be veryfar from it."
"There, Alf, I hope you are sufficiently answered," said Leo, as heundid the locking-gear of the kite, which by that time lay prone on itsface, as peaceful as a lamb.
The next three days were spent in flying the other kites, tying them onthe boats, acquiring experience, and making preparations for the voyage.It was found that, with a moderate breeze, the kites towed the boats atthe rate of ten miles an hour, which was beyond the most sanguine hopesof the Captain. Of course they could not beat to windward with them,but they could sail with a considerable slant, and they prevented theboats, while thus advancing, from making much leeway by means of deep_leeboards_, such as are used even at the present day by Dutch ships.
"But I can't understand," said Benjy, after several trials had beenmade, "why you should not have fitted sails to the boats, instead ofkites."
"Because a sail only a quarter the size of a kite would upset the boat,"said the Captain, "and one small enough to suit it would be littlebetter than a pair of oars. This kite system is like fitting a giganticsail to a lilliputian boat, d'ye see?"
"I see, father. But I wish it had been a balloon. It would have beengreater fun to have gone to the Pole in a balloon!"
"A balloon will never go there, nor anywhere else, Benjy, except wherethe wind carries it, for a balloon cannot be steered. It's impossiblein the nature of things--as much so as that dream of the visionary,perpetual motion."
On the fourth day after their arrival at Great Hope Island the wind blewstrong and steady from the south, and the explorers prepared to start.The Eskimos had been told that they were to remain behind and shift forthemselves--a piece of news which did not seem to affect them at all,one way or other. Those who were selected to go with the explorers wereperfectly willing to do so. Chingatok, of course, was particularlyready. So were his corpulent mother and Tekkona and Oblooria; so alsowere Oolichuk, Ivitchuk, and Akeetolik.
It was a splendid sunny afternoon when the kites were finally flown andattached to the three boats which were commanded respectively by theCaptain Leo, and Alf. These three sat at the bow of each boatmanipulating the regulators, and keeping the kites fluttering, while thegoods and provisions were put on board. Then the Eskimo women and crewsstepped in, and the stern ropes were cast loose.
"Let go the check-strings!" shouted the Captain.
This was done. The huge kites began to strain at once, and theindia-rubber boats went rushing out to sea, leaving the remainder of theEskimo band speechless on the shore. They stood there motionless, withopen mouths and eyes, the very embodiment of unbelieving wonder, tillthe boats had disappeared on the horizon.