Hatteras saw that he could no longer count upon his crew; reasoning and kindness were ineffectual, so he resolved to employ severity for the future; he suspected Shandon and Wall, though they dare not speak out openly. Hatteras had the doctor, Johnson, Bell, and Simpson for him; they were devoted to him body and soul; amongst the undecided were Foker, Bolton, Wolsten the gunsmith, and Brunton the first engineer; and they might turn against the captain at any moment; as to Pen, Gripper, Clifton, and Warren, they were in open revolt; they wished to persuade their comrades to force the captain to return to England. Hatteras soon saw that he could not continue to work his ship with such a crew. He remained twenty-four hours at Baring Island without taking a step forward. The weather grew cooler still, for winter begins to be felt in July in these high latitudes. On the 24th the thermometer fell to 22 degrees. Young ice formed during the night, and if snow fell it would soon be thick enough to bear the weight of a man. The sea began already to have that dirty colour which precedes the formation of the first crystals. Hatteras could not mistake these alarming symptoms; if the channels got blocked up, he should be obliged to winter there at a great distance from the point he had undertaken the voyage in order to reach, without having caught a glimpse of that open sea which his predecessors made out was so near. He resolved, then, to gain several degrees further north, at whatever cost; seeing that he could not employ oars without the rowers were willing, nor sail in a contrary wind, he gave orders to put steam on again. CHAPTER XXII BEGINNING OF REVOLT At this unexpected command, the surprise was great on board the _Forward_. "Light the fires!" exclaimed some. "What with?" asked others. "When we've only two months' coal in the hold!" said Pen. "What shall we warm ourselves with in the winter?" asked Clifton. "We shall be obliged to burn the brig down to her water-line," answered Gripper. "And stuff the stove with the masts," added Warren. Shandon looked at Wall. The stupefied engineers hesitated to go down to the machine-room. "Did you hear me?" cried the captain in an irritated tone. Brunton made for the hatchway, but before going down he stopped. "Don't go, Brunton!" called out a voice. "Who spoke?" cried Hatteras. "I did," said Pen, advancing towards the captain. "And what did you say?" asked Hatteras. "I say," answered Pen with an oath--"I say, we've had enough of it, and we won't go any further. You shan't kill us with hunger and work in the winter, and they shan't light the fires!" "Mr. Shandon," answered Hatteras calmly, "have that man put in irons!" "But, captain," replied Shandon, "what the man says----"