________________________________________________
_ It was a high-spirited and joyous party that the Dipsey now
carried; not one of them doubted that they had emerged from under
the ice into the polar sea. To the northeast they could see its
waves shining and glistening all the way to the horizon, and they
believed that beyond the cape in front of them these waters shone
and glistened to the very north. They breathed the polar air,
which, as they became used to it, was exhilarating and
enlivening, and they basked in the sunshine, which, although it
did not warm their bodies very much, cheered and brightened their
souls. But what made them happier than anything else was the
thought that they would soon start direct for the pole, on top of
the water, and with nothing in the way.
When Captain Jim Hubbell took command of the Dipsey the state of
affairs on that vessel underwent a great change. He was sharp,
exact, and severe; he appreciated the dignity of his position,
and he wished to let everybody see that he did so. The men on
board who had previously been workmen now became sailors--at
least in the eyes of Captain Hubbell. He did not know much about
the work that they had been in the habit of doing, but he
intended to teach them the duties of sailors just as soon as he
could find any such duties for them to perform. He walked about
the deck with an important air, and looked for something about
which he might give orders. There were no masts or spars or
shrouds or sheets, but there were tarpaulins on the deck, and
these were soon arranged in seamanlike fashion. A compass was
rigged up on deck, and Captain Hubbell put himself into
communication with the electric steersman.
It was morning when the Dipsey emerged from the sea, although day
and night were equally bright at that season, and at twelve
o'clock Captain Hubbell took an observation, assisted by Sammy.
The result was as follows: longitude, 69 30'; latitude, 88
42'.
"It strikes me," said Captain James Hubbell, "that that latitude
goes over anything ever set down by any skipper, ancient or
modern."
"I should say so," answered Sammy. "But that record won't be
anything compared to what we are goin' to set down."
Work went on very rapidly, in order to get the Dipsey into
regular nautical condition, and although it was out of his line,
Captain Hubbell made it a point to direct as much of it as he
could. The electric gills were packed as close to the side of
the vessel as possible, and the various contrivances for heating
and ventilation when sailing in the open air were put into
working order. At four o'clock in the afternoon our party
started to round the icy promontory ahead of them, encouraged by
a most hearty and soul-inspiring message from the hills of New
Jersey.
"It's all very fine," said Sarah Block to her husband, "for
everybody on board to be talkin' about what a splendid thing it
is to be sailin' on the surface of the sea, in the bright and
beautiful air, but I must say that I like a ship to keep quiet
when I am on board of her. I had a pretty bad time when I was
comin' up on the Go Lightly, but she was big and didn't wabble
like this little thing. We went along beautifully when we were
under the water, with the floor just as level as if we were at
home, in a house, and now I am not feelin' anything like as well
as I have been. For my part, I think it would be a great deal
better to sink down again and go the rest of the way under the
water. I am sure we found it very comfortable, and a great deal
warmer."
Sammy laughed.
"Oh, that would not do at all," he said. "You can't expect the
people on board this vessel to be willin' to scoop along under
the water when they have got a chance of sailin' like Christians
in the open air. It's the sudden change that troubles you,
Sarah; you'll soon get over it."
But Sarah was not satisfied. The Dipsey rolled a good deal, and
the good woman was frequently obliged to stop and steady herself
when crossing the little cabin.
"I feel," said she, "as if I had had a Christmas dinner yesterday
and somebody else had made the pies."
The dissatisfied condition of Mrs. Block had a cheering influence
upon Captain Hubbell when he heard of it.
"By George!" said he, "this seems like good old times. When I
was young and there was women on board, they all got a little
sea-sick; but nowadays, with these ball-and-socket ships, you
never hear of that sort of thing. A sea-sick woman is the most
natural thing I have struck yet on this cruise."
Mrs. Block's uneasiness, however, did not last very long. A few
electric capsules of half an alterative volt each soon relieved
her; but her mind was still out of order; she was not satisfied.
She had accustomed herself to submerged conditions, and ordinary
voyaging was very different.
"It wouldn't surprise me," she said, "if we should find that
there wasn't any pole; that's about the way these things
generally turn out."
In a few hours the Dipsey had rounded the cape, keeping well off
shore. In front was a clear sweep of unobstructed water. With
their telescopes they could see nothing on the horizon which
indicated the presence of land. If the sea should stretch out
before them, as they hoped and expected, a sail of about seventy
miles ought to bring them to the pole. The Dipsey did not go at
full speed; there was no hurry, and as he was in absolutely
unknown waters, Captain Hubbell wished to take no risks of sunken
reefs or barely submerged islands. Soundings were frequent, and
they found that the polar sea--at least that part over which they
were sailingwas a comparatively shallow body of water.
Before they left Sardis, preparations had been made for an
appropriate and permanent designation of the exact position of
the northern end of the earth's axis. If this should be
discovered to be on solid land, there was a great iron standard,
or column, on board, in detached parts, with all appliances for
setting it up firmly in the rocks or earth or ice; but if the end
of the said axis should be found to be covered by water of not
too great depth, a buoy had been provided which should be
anchored upon the polar point.
This buoy was a large hollow, aluminium globe, from which a tall
steel flag-post projected upward to a considerable height,
bearing a light weather-vane, which, when the buoy should be in
its intended position, would always point southward, no matter
which way the wind might blow. This great buoy contained various
appropriate articles, which
had been hermetically sealed up in it before it left
Sardis, where it was manufactured. All the documents, books,
coins, and other articles which are usually placed
in the corner-stones of important buildings were put in this,
together with the names of the persons who had gone
on this perilous expedition and those who had been its projectors
and promoters. More than this, there was an appropriate
inscription deeply cut into the metal on the upper part of the
buoy, with a space left for the date of the discovery, should it
ever take place.
But the mere ceremony of anchoring a buoy at the exact position
of the pole was not enough to satisfy the conscientious ambition
of Mr. Gibbs. He had come upon this perilous voyage with the
earnest intention of doing his duty in all respects, while
endeavoring to make the great discovery of the age; and if that
discovery should be made, he believed that his country should
share in the glory and in the material advantage, whatever that
might be, of the achievement. Consequently it was his opinion
that if the pole should be discovered, the discoverers should
take possession of it in the name of their country. Every one on
board--except Sarah Block, who had something to say about the old
proverb concerning the counting of chickens before they are
hatched--thought this a good idea, and when the plan was
submitted to Mr. Clewe and Mrs. Raleigh, they heartily approved.
Preparations were now made to take possession of the pole if they
should reach it on the water. On the after-part of the deck a
ring about three feet in diameter was marked, and it was arranged
that when they had ascertained, by the most accurate observations
and calculations, the exact position of the pole, they would so
guide their vessel that this ring should be as nearly as possible
directly over it. Then one of the party should step inside of
the ring and take possession of the pole. After this the buoy
would be anchored, and their intended scientific observations and
explorations would proceed.
It was supposed both on the Dipsey and at Sardis that Mr. Gibbs
would assume the honor of this act of taking possession, but that
gentleman declined to do so. He considered that he would no more
discover the pole, if they should reach it, than would his
companions; and he also believed that, from a broad point of
view, Mr. Roland Clewe was the real discoverer. Consequently he
considered that the direct representative of the interests of Mr.
Clewe should take possession, and it was decided that Samuel Block
should add the north pole to the territory of his native land.
When this had been settled, a very great change came over the
mind of Sarah Block. That her husband should be the man to do
this great thing filled her with pride and alert enthusiasm.
"Sammy," she exclaimed, "when you are doin' that, you will be the
greatest man in this world, and you will stand at the top of
everything."
"Suppose there should be a feller standin' on the south pole,"
said Sammy, "wouldn't he have the same right to say that he was
on top of everything?"
"No," said Sarah, sharply. "The way I look at it, the north pole
is above and the south pole is below; but there ain't any other
feller down there, so we needn't talk about it. And now, Sammy,
if you are goin' to take possession of the pole, you ought to put
on your best clothes. For one thing, you should wear a pair of
those new red flannel socks that you haven't had on yet; it will
be a good way to christen 'em. Everything on you ought to be
perfectly fresh and clean, and just as nice as you've got. This
will be the first time that anybody ever took possession of a
pole, and you ought to look your very best. I would ask you to
shave, because you would look better that way, but I suppose if
you took off your beard you would take cold in your jaws. And I
want you to stand up straight, and talk as long about it as you
can. You are too much given to cuttin' off ceremonies mighty
short, as I remember was the case when you were statin' your
'pinions about our weddin'; but I had my way then, and I want to
have it now. You are goin' to be a big man, Sammy, and your name
will go all over the world, so you must screw yourself up to as
much eminence as you think you can stand."
Sammy laughed. "Well, I will do what I can," said he; "that is,
providin' our chickens are hatched."
"Oh, they'll come out all right," said Sarah. "I haven't the
least doubt of it, now that you are to be the chief figure in the
hatchin'."
Shortly after the ordinary hour for rising, an order was issued
by Captain Hubbell, and enforced by Samuel Block, that no one
should be allowed to come on deck who had not eaten breakfast.
There were those on board that vessel who would have stayed on
deck during all the hours which should have been devoted to
sleeping, had it not been so cold. There would probably be
nothing to see when they reached the pole, but they wanted to be
on hand, that they might see for themselves that there was
nothing to see. _
Read next: CHAPTER XIII - LONGITUDE EVERYTHING
Read previous: CHAPTER XI - THEY BELIEVE IT IS THE POLAR SEA
Table of content of Great Stone of Sardis
GO TO TOP OF SCREEN
Post your review
Your review will be placed after the table of content of this book
