The English at the North Pole Read online

  CHAPTER III

  DR. CLAWBONNY

  Richard Shandon was a good sailor; he had been commander of whalersin the Arctic seas for many years, and had a wide reputation for skill.He might well be astonished at such a letter, and so he was, butastonished like a man used to astonishments. He fulfilled, too, allthe required conditions: he had no wife, children, or relations; hewas as free as a man could be. Having no one to consult, he went straightto Messrs. Marcuart's bank.

  "If the money is there," he said to himself, "I'll undertake the rest."

  He was received by the firm with all the attention due to a man withsixteen thousand pounds in their safes. Sure of that fact, Shandonasked for a sheet of letter-paper, and sent his acceptance in a largesailor's hand to the address indicated. The same day he put himselfin communication with the Birkenhead shipbuilders, and twenty-fourhours later the keel of the _Forward_ lay on the stocks in thedockyard.

  Richard Shandon was a bachelor of forty, robust, energetic, and brave,three sailor-like qualities, giving their possessor confidence,vigour, and _sang-froid_. He was reputed jealous and hard to bepleased, so he was more feared than loved by his sailors. But thisreputation did not increase the difficulty of finding a crew, forhe was known to be a clever commander. He was afraid that the mysteryof the enterprise would embarrass his movements, and he said tohimself, "The best thing I can do is to say nothing at all; thereare sea-dogs who will want to know the why and the wherefore of thebusiness, and as I know nothing myself, I can't tell them. K. Z. isa queer fish, but after all he knows me, and has confidence in me;that's enough. As to the ship, she will be a handsome lass, and myname isn't Richard Shandon if she is not destined for the Frozen Seas.But I shall keep that to myself and my officers."

  Upon which Richard Shandon set about recruiting his crew upon theconditions of family and health exacted by the captain. He knew abrave fellow and capital sailor, named James Wall. Wall was aboutthirty, and had made more than one trip to the North Seas. Shandonoffered him the post of third officer, and he accepted blindly; allhe cared for was to sail, as he was devoted to his profession. Shandontold him and Johnson (whom he engaged as boatswain) all he knew aboutthe business.

  "Just as soon go there as anywhere else," answered Wall. "If it'sto seek the North-West passage, many have been and come back."

  "Been, yes; but come back I don't answer for," said Johnson; "butthat's no reason for not going."

  "Besides, if we are not mistaken in our conjectures," said Shandon,"the voyage will be undertaken under good conditions. The _Forward's_a bonny lass, with a good engine, and will stand wear and tear.Eighteen men are all the crew we want."

  "Eighteen men?" said Johnson. "That's just the number that theAmerican, Kane, had on board when he made his famous voyage towardsthe North Pole."

  "It's a singular fact that there's always some private individualtrying to cross the sea from Davis's Straits to Behring's Straits.The Franklin expeditions have already cost England more than sevenhundred and sixty thousand pounds without producing any practicalresult. Who the devil means to risk his fortune in such an enterprise?"

  "We are reasoning now on a simple hypothesis," said Shandon. "I don'tknow if we are really going to the Northern or Southern Seas. Perhapswe are going on a voyage of discovery. We shall know more when Dr.Clawbonny comes; I daresay he will tell us all about it."

  "There's nothing for it but to wait," answered Johnson; "I'll go andhunt up some solid subjects, captain; and as to their animal heat,I guarantee beforehand you can trust me for that."

  Johnson was a valuable acquisition; he understood the navigation ofthese high latitudes. He was quartermaster on board the _Phoenix_,one of the vessels of the Franklin expedition of 1853. He was witnessof the death of the French lieutenant Bellot, whom he had accompaniedin his expedition across the ice. Johnson knew the maritime populationof Liverpool, and started at once on his recruiting expedition.Shandon, Wall, and he did their work so well that the crew was completein the beginning of December. It had been a difficult task; many,tempted by the high pay, felt frightened at the risk, and more thanone enlisted boldly who came afterwards to take back his word andenlistment money, dissuaded by his friends from undertaking such anenterprise. All of them tried to pierce the mystery, and worriedShandon with questions; he sent them to Johnson.

  "I can't tell you what I don't know," he answered invariably; "you'llbe in good company, that's all I can tell you. You can take it orleave it alone."

  And the greater number took it.

  "I have only to choose," added the boatswain; "such salary has neverbeen heard of in the memory of sailors, and then the certainty offinding a handsome capital when we come back. Only think: it'stempting enough."

  "The fact is," answered the sailor, "it is tempting; enough to liveon till the end of one's days."

  "I don't hide from you," continued Johnson, "that the cruise willbe long, painful, and perilous; that is formally stated in ourinstructions, and you ought to know what you undertake; you will verylikely be required to attempt all that it is possible for human beingsto do, and perhaps more. If you are the least bit frightened, if youdon't think you may just as well finish yonder as here, you'd betternot enlist, but give way to a bolder man."

  "But, Mr. Johnson," continued the sailor, for the want of somethingbetter to say, "at least you know the captain?"

  "The captain is Richard Shandon till another comes."

  Richard Shandon, in his secret heart, hoped that the command wouldremain with him, and that at the last moment he should receive preciseinstructions as to the destination of the _Forward_. He did all hecould to spread the report in his conversations with his officers,or when following the construction of the brig as it grew in theBirkenhead dockyard, looking like the ribs of a whale turned upsidedown. Shandon and Johnson kept strictly to their instructionstouching the health of the sailors who were to form the crew; theyall looked hale and hearty, and had enough heat in their bodies tosuffice for the engine of the _Forward_; their supple limbs, theirclear and florid complexions were fit to react against the actionof intense cold. They were confident and resolute men, energeticallyand solidly constituted. Of course they were not all equally vigorous;Shandon had even hesitated about taking some of them, such as thesailors Gripper and Garry, and the harpooner Simpson, because theylooked rather thin; but, on the whole, their build was good; theywere a warm-hearted lot, and their engagement was signed.

  All the crew belonged to the same sect of the Protestant religion;during these long campaigns prayer in common and the reading of theBible have a good influence over the men and sustain them in the hourof discouragement; it was therefore important that they should beall of the same way of thinking. Shandon knew by experience the utilityof these practices, and their influence on the mind of the crew; theyare always employed on board ships that are intended to winter inthe Polar Seas. The crew once got together, Shandon and his twoofficers set about the provisions; they strictly followed theinstructions of the captain; these instructions were clear, precise,and detailed, and the least articles were put down with their qualityand quantity. Thanks to the cheques at the commander's disposition,every article was paid for at once with a discount of 8 per cent,which Richard carefully placed to the credit of K. Z.

  Crew, provisions, and cargo were ready by January, 1860; the _Forward_began to look shipshape, and Shandon went daily to Birkenhead. Onthe morning of the 23rd of January he was, as usual, on board oneof the Mersey ferry-boats with a helm at either end to prevent havingto turn it; there was a thick fog, and the sailors of the river wereobliged to direct their course by means of the compass, though thepassage lasts scarcely ten minutes. But the thickness of the fog didnot prevent Shandon seeing a man of short stature, rather fat, withan intelligent and merry face and an amiable look, who came up tohim, took him by the two hands, and shook them with an ardour, apetulance, and a familiarity "quite meridional," as a Frenchman wouldhave said. But if this person did not come from the South, he hadgot
his temperament there; he talked and gesticulated withvolubility; his thought must come out or the machine would burst.His eyes, small as those of witty men generally are, his mouth, largeand mobile, were safety-pipes which allowed him to give passage tohis overflowing thoughts; he talked, and talked, and talked so muchand so fast that Shandon couldn't understand a word he said. However,this did not prevent the _Forward's_ mate from recognising the littleman he had never seen before; a lightning flash traversed his mind,and when the other paused to take breath, Shandon made haste to getout the words, "Doctor Clawbonny!"

  "Himself in person, commander! I've been at least half a quarter ofan hour looking for you, asking everybody everywhere! Just think howimpatient I got; five minutes more and I should have lost my head!And so you are the commander Richard? You really exist? You are nota myth? Your hand, your hand! I want to shake it again. It is RichardShandon's hand, and if there is a commander Shandon, there's a brig_Forward_ to command; and if he commands he will start, and if hestarts he'll take Dr. Clawbonny on board."

  "Well, yes, doctor, I am Richard Shandon; there is a brig _Forward_,and it will start."

  "That's logic," answered the doctor, after taking in a large provisionof breathing air--"that's logic. And I am ready to jump for joy athaving my dearest wishes gratified. I've wanted to undertake sucha voyage. Now with you, commander----"

  "I don't----" began Shandon.

  "With you," continued Clawbonny, without hearing him, "we are sureto go far and not to draw back for a trifle."

  "But----" began Shandon again.

  "For you have shown what you are made of, commander; I know your deedsof service. You are a fine sailor!"

  "If you will allow me----"

  "No, I won't have your bravery, audacity, and skill put an instantin doubt, even by you! The captain who chose you for his mate is aman who knows what he's about, I can tell you."

  "But that's nothing to do with it," said Shandon, impatient.

  "What is it, then? Don't keep me in suspense another minute."

  "You don't give me time to speak. Tell me, if you please, doctor,how it comes that you are to take part in the expedition of the_Forward_."

  "Read this letter, this worthy letter, the letter of a bravecaptain--very laconic, but quite sufficient."

  Saying which the doctor held out the following letter to Shandon:--

  "INVERNESS,

  "Jan. 22nd, 1860.

  "To Dr. Clawbonny.

  "If Dr. Clawbonny wishes to embark on board the _Forward_ for a longcruise, he may introduce himself to the commander, Richard Shandon,who has received orders concerning him.

  "THE CAPTAIN OF THE 'FORWARD,'

  "K. Z."

  "This letter reached me this morning, and here I am, ready to embark."

  "But, doctor, do you know where we are going to?"

  "I haven't the slightest idea, and I do not care so that it is somewhere.They pretend that I am learned; they are mistaken, commander. I knownothing, and if I have published a few books that don't sell badly,I ought not to have done it; the public is silly for buying them.I know nothing, I tell you. I am only an ignorant man. When I havethe offer of completing, or rather of going over again, my knowledgeof medicine, surgery, history, geography, botany, mineralogy,conchology, geodesy, chemistry, natural philosophy, mechanics, andhydrography, why I accept, of course."

  "Then," said Shandon, disappointed, "you do not know where the_Forward_ is bound for?"

  "Yes, I do; it is bound for where there is something to learn, todiscover, and to compare--where we shall meet with other customs,other countries, other nations, to study in the exercise of theirfunctions; it is going, in short, where I have never been."

  "But I want to know something more definite than that," cried Shandon.

  "Well, I have heard that we are bound for the Northern Seas."

  "At least," asked Shandon, "you know the captain?"

  "Not the least bit in the world! But he is an honest fellow, you maybelieve me."

  The commander and the doctor disembarked at Birkenhead; the formertold the doctor all he knew about the situation of things, and themystery inflamed the imagination of the doctor. The sight of the brigcaused him transports of joy. From that day he stopped with Shandon,and went every day to pay a visit to the shell of the _Forward_. Besides,he was specially appointed to overlook the installation of the ship'smedicine-chest. For Dr. Clawbonny was a doctor, and a good one, thoughpractising little. At the age of twenty-five he was an ordinarypractitioner; at the age of forty he was a _savant_, well known inthe town; he was an influential member of all the literary andscientific institutions of Liverpool. His fortune allowed him todistribute counsels which were none the worse for being gratuitous;beloved as a man eminently lovable must always be, he had never wrongedany one, not even himself; lively and talkative, he carried his heartin his hand, and put his hand into that of everybody. When it wasknown in Liverpool that he was going to embark on board the _Forward_his friends did all they could to dissuade him, and only fixed himmore completely in his determination, and when the doctor wasdetermined to do anything no one could prevent him. From that timethe suppositions and apprehensions increased, but did not preventthe _Forward_ being launched on the 5th of February, 1860. Two monthslater she was ready to put to sea. On the 15th of March, as the letterof the captain had announced, a dog of Danish breed was sent by railwayfrom Edinburgh to Liverpool, addressed to Richard Shandon. The animalseemed surly, peevish, and even sinister, with quite a singular lookin his eyes. The name of the _Forward_ was engraved on his brass collar.The commander installed it on board the same day, and acknowledgedits reception to K. Z. at Leghorn. Thus, with the exception of thecaptain, the crew was complete. It was composed as follows:--

  1. K. Z., captain; 2. Richard Shandon, commander; 3. James Wall, thirdofficer; 4. Dr. Clawbonny; 5. Johnson, boatswain; 6. Simpson,harpooner; 7. Bell, carpenter; 8. Brunton, chief engineer; 9. Plover,second engineer; 10. Strong (negro), cook; 11. Foker, ice-master;12. Wolsten, smith; 13. Bolton, sailor; 14. Garry, sailor; 15. Clifton,sailor; 16. Gripper, sailor; 17. Pen, sailor; 18. Warren, stoker.