t allow, other people to have the glory of pushing further
north themselves. If ever human foot can step upon the land of the
North Pole, it shall be the foot of an Englishman. Here is our
country's flag. I have equipped this vessel, and consecrated my
fortune to this enterprise, and, if necessary, I shall consecrate
to it my life and yours; for I am determined that these colours shall
float on the North Pole. Take courage. From this day, for every degree
we can gain northwards the sum of a thousand pounds will be awarded
to you. There are ninety, for we are now in the seventy-second. Count
them. Besides, my name is enough. It means energy and patriotism.
I am Captain Hatteras!"

"Captain Hatteras!" exclaimed Shandon, and that name, well known to
English sailors, was whispered amongst the crew.

"Now," continued Hatteras, "anchor the brig to the ice, put out the
fires, and each of you return to your usual work. Shandon, I wish
to hold a council with you relative to affairs on board. Join me with
the doctor, Wall, and the boatswain in my cabin. Johnson, disperse
the men."

Hatteras, calm and haughty, quietly left the poop. In the meantime
Shandon was anchoring the brig.

Who, then, was this Hatteras, and for what reason did his name make
such a profound impression upon the crew? John Hatteras was the only
son of a London brewer, who died in 1852 worth six millions of money.
Still young, he embraced the maritime career in spite of the splendid
fortune awaiting him. Not that he felt any vocation for commerce,
but the instinct of geographical discoveries was dear to him. He had
always dreamt of placing his foot where no mortal foot had yet soiled
the ground.

At the age of twenty he was already in possession of the vigorous
constitution of a thin and sanguine man; an energetic face, with lines
geometrically traced; a high and perpendicular forehead; cold but
handsome eyes; thin lips, which set off a mouth from which words rarely
issued; a middle stature; solidly-jointed limbs, put in motion by
iron muscles; the whole forming a man endowed with a temperament fit
for anything. When you saw him you felt he was daring; when you heard
him you knew he was coldly determined; his was a character that never
drew back, ready to stake the lives of others as well as his own.
It was well to think twice before following him in his expeditions.

John Hatteras was proud of being an Englishman. A Frenchman once said
to him, with wha