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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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