ember 21st, approaches within
thirteen degrees of the polar horizon; hence, every day there was a
certain twilight for a few hours. Only the mist and snow-storms often
plunged these regions in the deepest obscurity.

Still, up to this time the weather was very favorable; the partridges
and hares alone had reason to complain, for the hunters gave them no
rest; a great many traps were set for foxes, but these crafty animals
could not be caught; very often they scraped the snow away beneath the
trap and took the bait without running any risk; the doctor cursed
them, being very averse to making them such a present.

[Illustration]

October 25th, the thermometer fell as low as -4 degrees. A violent
hurricane raged; the air was filled with thick snow, which permitted
no ray of light to reach the _Forward_. For several hours there was
some anxiety about the fate of Bell and Simpson, who had gone some
distance away hunting; they did not reach the ship till the next day,
having rested for a whole day wrapped up in their furs, while the
hurricane swept over them and buried them under five feet of snow.
They were nearly frozen, and the doctor found it very hard to restore
their circulation.

The tempest lasted eight days without interruption. No one could set
foot outside. In a single day there were variations in the temperature
of fifteen or twenty degrees.

During this enforced leisure every one kept to himself, some sleeping,
others smoking, others again talking in a low tone and stopping at the
approach of Johnson or the doctor; there was no moral tie between the
men of the crew; they only met at evening prayers and at Sunday
services.

Clifton knew perfectly well that when the seventy-eighth parallel was
passed, his share of the pay would amount to three hundred and
seventy-five pounds; he thought it a good round sum, and his ambition
did not go any further. His opinion was generally shared, and all
looked forward to the day when they should enjoy this hardly-earned
fortune.

Hatteras kept almost entirely out of sight. He never took part in the
hunts or the walks from the ship. He took no interest in the
meteorological phenomena which kept the doctor in a constant state of
admiration. He lived with but a single idea; it consisted of three
words,--The North Pole. He only thought of when the _Forward_, free at
last, should resume her bold course.

In fact, the general feeling on board was one of gloom. Nothing was so