The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-03-25
|FEf3f16!E}EE;pO
-F>BY JULES VERNE.

| ignition in his eye. 1t was the eye Of
blind man, who gazes without see
| ing.
Good heavens!" exclaimed Johnson.
''he is blind"
Mo-" replied Clawbonny, mo! My
poor friends. we have only saved the
| body Of Hatteras; his soul Is left be-
| hind on the top Of the volcano. His
reason Is gone!"
Three hours after the whole party
were back once more In the grotto.
well. friends" said the doctor. I'VE
cannot stay longer in this island; the
sea is open. and we have enough pro-
visions. We ought to start at once.
and get back without the least delay to
Fort Providence. where we must win
ter"
The day passed in profound dejec-
ton. The insanity Of the captain was
a bad omen, and when they began to
talk over the return voyage, their
hearts failed them for fear. They
missed the intrepid spirit of their
| leader.
Next morning they made all ready
belongings on board.
But before leaving these rocks. never
to return, the DOCTOR carrying out the
intentions of Hatteras, had a ca1rn
erected on the very spot where the
poor fellow had jumped ashore. 1t was
made of great blocks placed one on the
top of the other, so as to be land
mark perfectly visible while the erup-
lions of the volcano left it undisturb-
ed On one of the side stones, Bell
chiseled the simple inscription:
JOHN HATTERAS.
The duplicate of the document at
testing the discovery of the north pole
was inclosed in a timed iron cylinder,
and deposited in the cairn, to remain a
silent witness among those desert
rocks.
This done, the four men and the cap
tain, poor body without sOut, set
out on the return voyage.
On the 18th they sighted Altamont
harbor, but as the sea was open all
along the coast, they determined to go
round to Victoria bay by water, in
stead of crossing New America in the
sledge.
AS the sloop made Victoria bay they
all fastened to Fort Providence. But
what a scene Of devastation met their
eyes! Doctors house. stores, powder
Magazine, Notifications, all had melted
| away, and the provisions had been ran
sacked by devouring animals.
After a thorough search, few cases
of pemmican were found scattered here
nd fvxrn ha ".
| ed meat, altogether enough for six
weeks, and a good supply of powder.
| 1t was soon collected and brought on
| board
At last, after thirty days tolerably
quick sailing, and after battling for
| forty Eight hours against the increas-
| ing drift ice, and risking the frail sloop
| hundred times, the navigators saw
| themselves blocked in on all sides.
Altamont make a reckoning with
scrupulous precision, and found they
were in II degrees Is minutes latitude
and IS degrees minutes longitude.
This is our exact position. then"
| said the doctor. I'VE are in South
| Lincoln. just at Cape Eden, and are
entering Jones sound. With a little
more good luck we should have found
| open water right to Baff1ns bay.
It suppose, them" said Altamont.
"our only course is to leave the sloop.
and get by sledge to the east coast Of
| Lincoln"
The rest agreed.
The little vessel was unloaded and
| the sledge put together again. At last.
on the oath, they set foot on North
| Devon.
| It was not till the Goth of August
| that they emerged from those wild
| mountains into plain, which seemed
| to have been upturned and convulsed
| by volcanic action at some distant pc
| riod.
Altamont, who had displayed great
unselfshness and devotion to the 9TH
ers, reused his sinking energies. and
determined to go out ar End food for
| his comrades.
He had been absent about an hour,
and only once during that time had
they heard the report Of his gun; and
now he was coming back empty-hand-
| ed, but running as If terrified.
| Down there. under the snow!" cried
/! Altamont. speaking as II scared. and
| pointing in a particular direction.
| "What?"
| "A whole party Of men,"
"Alive?"
| "Dead-frozen-and even"
He did not finish the sentence, but a
look of unspeakable horror came over
his face.
The doctor and the others were so
reused by this incident that they man
aged to get up and drag themselves
after Altamont towards the place he
indicated.
They soon arrived at a narrow part
at the bottom of ravine, and what a
spectacle met their gaze! Dead bodies
already stiff, lay half buried in a wind
ing sheet Of snow.
1t was evident this ravine had been
but recently the scene of a fearful
struggle. that the poor wretches had
been feeding on human flesh, perhaps
while still warm. And among them
the doctor recognized Shandon. Pen
and others of the Inflated crew Of the
Forward!