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"Been, yes; but come back I don't answer for," said Johnson; "but that's no reason for not going." "Besides, if we are not mistaken in our conjectures," said Shandon, "the voyage will be undertaken under good conditions. The Forward's a bonny lass, with a good engine, and will stand wear and tear. Eighteen men are all the crew we want." "Eighteen men?" said Johnson.
The Forward's crew must be composed of Englishmen without incumbrance; they should be all bachelors and sober for no spirits, nor even beer, will be allowed on board ready to undertake anything, and to bear with anything. You will give the preference to men of a sanguine constitution, as they carry a greater amount of animal heat.
I particularly recommend you the choice of the Forward's crew; it will be composed of a captain, myself, of a second, you, of a third officer, a boatswain, two engineers, an ice pilot, eight sailors, and two others, eighteen men in all, comprising Dr. Clawbonny, of this town, who will introduce himself to you when necessary.
However, this did not prevent the Forward's mate from recognising the little man he had never seen before; a lightning flash traversed his mind, and when the other paused to take breath, Shandon made haste to get out the words, "Doctor Clawbonny!" "Himself in person, commander! I've been at least half a quarter of an hour looking for you, asking everybody everywhere!
The land was low near the coast, and at about a mile's distance became slightly elevated, sixty feet only. The Forward's boiler wanted cleaning, and the captain caused the brig to be anchored to an ice-field, and allowed the doctor and the boatswain to land. He himself cared for nothing but his pet project, and stayed in his cabin, consulting his map of the Pole.
But new obstacles were soon encountered; the paths were getting closed up in consequence of the incessant displacement of the floating masses; at every minute a failure of water in front of the Forward's prow became imminent, and if she had been nipped it would have been difficult to extricate her. They all knew it, and thought about it.
The discontented soon added to their number the first engineer, who up to now had remained a slave to his duty. On May 16th, six days after the Forward's arrival at the icebergs, Shandon had not gained two miles northward, and the ice threatened to freeze in the brig till the following season. This was becoming dangerous.
"Coal on these coasts!" said Wall, stretched on his bed of pain. "Let them go," answered Shandon mysteriously. But before Hatteras began his preparations for the journey, he wished to be exactly certain of the Forward's position. He was obliged to be mathematically accurate as to her whereabouts, because of finding her again.
Chettle put the reproduction back into the case of the watch and bestowed it safely in his pocket. "One step forward's a good deal in a case like this, Mr. Allerdyke," he said. "What are you going to do about the next step, now?" "Try to find out who made that reproduction," replied Allerdyke bluntly. "No easy job, either! The ground's continually shifting and changing under one's very feet.
A truculent-looking warrior in one of those ear-guards which are tied on by strings underneath the chin, and which add fifty per cent to the ferocity of a forward's appearance, broke away with the ball at his feet, and swept down the field with the rest of the pack at his heels.
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