ered the doctor, "and in an hour
we shall have a column ten feet high, which will be enough."

[Illustration]

The doctor went out; his companions followed him to the top of the
cone; the column was promptly built and was soon surmounted by one of
the _Porpoise's_ lanterns. Then the doctor arranged the conducting
wires which were connected with the pile; this was placed in the
parlor of the ice-house, and was preserved from the frost by the heat
of the stoves. From there the wires ran to the lantern. All this was
quickly done, and they waited till sunset to judge of the effect. At
night the two charcoal points, kept at a proper distance apart in the
lantern, were brought together, and flashes of brilliant light, which
the wind could neither make flicker nor extinguish, issued from the
lighthouse. It was a noteworthy sight, these sparkling rays, rivalling
the brilliancy of the plains, and defining sharply the outlines of the
surrounding objects. Johnson could not help clapping his hands.

"Dr. Clawbonny," he said, "has made another sun!"

"One ought to do a little of everything," answered the doctor,
modestly.

The cold put an end to the general admiration, and each man hastened
back to his coverings.

After this time life was regularly organized. During the following
days, from the 15th to the 20th of April, the weather was very
uncertain; the temperature fell suddenly twenty degrees, and the
atmosphere experienced severe changes, at times being full of snow and
squally, at other times cold and dry, so that no one could set foot
outside without precautions. However, on Saturday, the wind began to
fall; this circumstance made an expedition possible; they resolved
accordingly to devote a day to hunting, in order to renew their
provisions. In the morning, Altamont, the doctor, Bell, each one
taking a double-barrelled gun, a proper amount of food, a hatchet, a
snow-knife in case they should have to dig a shelter, set out under a
cloudy sky. During their absence Hatteras was to explore the coast and
take their bearings. The doctor took care to start the light; its rays
were very bright; in fact, the electric light, being equal to that of
three thousand candles or three hundred gas-jets, is the only one
which at all approximates to the solar light.

The cold was sharp, dry, and still. The hunters set out towards Cape
Washington, finding their way made easier over the hardened snow. In
about half an hour they had made