The Field of Ice: Part II of the Adventures of Captain HatterasVerne, Jules
Science
The Field of Ice: Part II of the Adventures of Captain Hatteras
Verne, Jules
Adventure stories; Sea stories
The English have a passion for geographical discovery, from the lord
to the cockney, from the merchant down to the dock labourer, and the
news of this grand discovery speedily flashed along the telegraph
wires, throughout the length and breadth of the kingdom. Hatteras
was lauded as a martyr by all the newspapers, and every Englishman
felt proud of him.
The Doctor and his companions had the honour of being presented to
the Queen by the Lord Chancellor, and they were feted and
"lionized" in all quarters.
The Government confirmed the names of "Queen's Island,"
"Mount Hatteras," and "Altamont Harbour."
Altamont would not part from his companions in misery and glory, but
followed them to Liverpool, where they were joyously welcomed back,
after being so long supposed dead and buried beneath the eternal
snows.
But Dr. Clawbonny would never allow that any honour was due to
himself. He claimed all the merit of the discovery for his
unfortunate captain, and in the narrative of his voyage, published
the next year under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society,
he places John Hatteras on a level with the most illustrious
navigators, and makes him the compeer of all the brave, daring men
who have sacrificed themselves for the progress of science.
The insanity of this poor victim of a sublime passion was of a mild
type, and he lived quietly at Sten Cottage, a private asylum near
Liverpool, where the Doctor himself had placed him. He never spoke,
and understood nothing that was said to him; reason and speech had
fled together. The only tie that connected him with the outside
world was his friendship for Duk, who was allowed to remain with him.
For a considerable time the captain had been in the habit of walking
in the garden for hours, accompanied by his faithful dog, who
watched him with sad, wistful eyes, but his promenade was always in
one direction in a particular part of the garden. When he got to the
end of this path, he would stop and begin to walk backwards. If
anyone stopped him he would point with his finger towards a certain
part of the sky, but let anyone attempt to turn him round, and he
became angry, while Duk, as if sharing his master's sentiments,
would bark furiously.
The Doctor, who often visited his afflicted friend, noticed this
strange proceeding one day, and soon understood the reason of it. He
saw how it was that he paced so constantly in a given direction, as
if under the influence of some magnetic force.
This was the secret: John Hatteras invariably walked towards the
North.
The End.
End of the Voyage Extraordinaire
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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