Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-11-02

and began to urge and entreat Hatteras
to renounce his project. But sort of
! frenzy had come over the captain, an abb
solute monomania about the pole.
Very WE'LL" he said, finally, 'since
you are bent on it, we'll go too
Yes" replied Hatteras halfway UP
the mountain, but not a step beyond.
! You know you have to carry back to
England the duplicate of the document in
! the cairn'-
"Yos but
| lit is settled" said Hatteras, in an i'm
perious tone; land since the prayers OF
friend will not suffice, the captain COM
mands."
The doctor did not argue longer, and a
few minutes after the little band set out,
accompanied by Duke.
! It was about o'clock when they com.
menced their difficult ascent; the sky
was splendid, and the thermometer stood
at 50 degrees. .
Hat,eras and his dog went first, closely
| followed by the others.
II am afraid" said Johnson to the doc
! tor.
mo, no, there's nothing to be afraid of
we are here"
! But as they got higher the ascent be-
came more and more difficult for the
flanks of the mountain were almost per
pendicular, and it required the utmost
care to keep from falling. Clouds Of
ashes whirled round them repeatedly, and
torrents of lava barred their passage.
In parts where these torrents ran hori-
zontally. the outside had become hard
ened; while underneath was the boiling
lava. and every step the travellers tool
had first TO be tested with the iron-tppe6
d nj nj
the scalding liquid
/ At intervals large fragments of red-hot
rock were thrown up from the crater, and
burst in the air like bomb-shells, scatter
/ ing the debris to enormous distances in al
/ directions.
! Hatteras, however, climbed up the
steepest ascents with surprising agility
disdaining the help of his staff
He arrived before long at a circular
rock, a sort of plateau about 10 feet
wide. A river of boiling lava surrounded
it, except in one part, where it forke6
away to a higher rock, leaving a narrow
passage, through which Hatteras fearless
ly passed.
Here he stopped, and his companions
managed to rejoin him. He seemed to be
measuring with his eye the distance he
had yet to get over. Horizontally. he was
not more than 200 yards from the top Of
| the cratet but vertically he had nearly
1 three times that distance to traverse.
The ascent had occupied three hours al
ready Hatteras showed no signs OF
fatigue, while the others were almost
spent.
The summit of the volcano appeared
inaccessible, and the doctor determined
at any price to prevent Hatteras from
attempting to proceed.
"Hatteras," said the doctor, cit is
enough; we cannot go further!"
Stop then" he replied, in a strangely
altered voice; I am going higher"
mo 1t is useless; you are at the pole
already"
No, no. higher higher!'
1--WE shall not allow it-that is ALL"
He had hardly uttered the words before
] Hetteras, by a superhuman effort. spranG
over the boiling lava, and was beyond the
reach of his companions.
A cry of horror burst from every lip,
! for they thought the poor captain must
have per1shed in that fiery gulf; but there
he was safe on the other side. accom-
panied by his faithful Duke, who would
| not leave him.
| He speedily disappeared behind cur
tain of smoke, and they heard his voice
growing fainter in the distance, shout
| ing: