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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Winter Amid the Ice, by Jules Verne
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Winter Amid the Ice
+       and Other Thrilling Stories
+
+Author: Jules Verne
+
+Release Date: May 1, 2009 [EBook #28657]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A WINTER AMID THE ICE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Alan Winterrowd from a text scanned and made
+available By Google Books
+
+
+
+
+
+A Winter Amid the Ice and Other Thrilling Stories
+
+By Jules Verne
+
+Published by:
+The World Publishing House
+New Yowk, 1877
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+DOCTOR OX'S EXPERIMENT
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+How it is useless to seek, even on the best maps, for the small
+town of Quiquendone
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+In which the Burgomaster Van Tricasse and the Counsellor
+Niklausse consult about the affairs of the town
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+In which the Commissary Passauf enters as noisily as unexpectedly
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+In which Doctor Ox reveals himself as a physiologist of the first
+rank, and as an audacious experimentalist
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+In which the burgomaster and the counsellor pay a visit to Doctor
+Ox, and what follows
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+In which Frantz Niklausse and Suzel Van Tricasse form certain
+projects for the future
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+In which the Andantes become Allegros, and the Allegros Vivaces
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+In which the ancient and solemn German waltz becomes a whirlwind
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+In which Doctor Ox and Ygène, his assistant, say a few words
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+In which it will be seen that the epidemic invades the entire
+town, and what effect it produces
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+In which the Quiquendonians adopt a heroic resolution
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+In which Ygène, the assistant, gives a reasonable piece of
+advice, which is eagerly rejected by Doctor Ox
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+In which it is once more proved that by taking high ground all
+human littlenesses may be overlooked
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+In which matters go so far that the inhabitants of Quiquendone,
+the reader, and even the author, demand an immediate dénouement
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+In which the dénouement takes place
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+In which the intelligent reader sees that he has guessed
+correctly, despite all the author's precautions
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+In which Doctor Ox's theory is explained
+
+
+
+
+MASTER ZACHARIUS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+A winter night
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+The pride of science
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A strange visit
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+The Church of St. Pierre
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+The hour of death
+
+
+
+
+A DRAMA IN THE AIR
+
+
+
+
+A WINTER AMID THE ICE
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+The black flag
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Jean Cornbutte's project
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A ray of hope
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+In the passes
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+Liverpool Island
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+The quaking of the ice
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+Settling for the winter
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+Plan of the explorations
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+The house of snow
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+Buried alive
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+A cloud of smoke
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+The return to the ship
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+The two rivals
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+Distress
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+The white bears
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+ASCENT OF MONT BLANC
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+She handed her father a pipe
+
+The worthy Madame Brigitte Van Tricasse had now her second
+husband
+
+"I have just come from Dr. Ox's"
+
+"It is in the interests of science"
+
+"The workmen, whom we have had to choose in Quiquendone, are not
+very expeditious"
+
+The young girl took the line
+
+"Good-bye, Frantz," said Suzel
+
+Fiovaranti had been achieving a brilliant success in "Les
+Huguenots"
+
+They hustle each other to get out
+
+It was no longer a waltz
+
+It required two persons to eat a strawberry
+
+"To Virgamen! to Virgamen!"
+
+"A burgomaster's place is in the front rank"
+
+The two friends, arm in arm
+
+The whole army of Quiquendone fell to the earth
+
+He would raise the trap-door constructed in the floor of his
+workshop
+
+The young girl prayed
+
+"Thou wilt see that I have discovered the secrets of existence".
+
+"Father, what is the matter?"
+
+Then he resumed, in an ironical tone
+
+From morning till night discontented purchasers besieged the
+house
+
+This proud old man remained motionless
+
+"It is there--there!"
+
+"See this man,--he is Time"
+
+He was dead
+
+"Monsieur, I salute you"
+
+"Monsieur!" cried I, in a rage
+
+"He continued his observations for seven or eight hours with
+General Morlot"
+
+"The balloon became less and less inflated"
+
+"Zambecarri fell, and was killed!"
+
+The madman disappeared in space
+
+"Monsieur the curè," said he, "stop a moment, if you please"
+
+André Vasling, the mate, apprised Jean Cornbutte of the dreadful
+event
+
+A soft voice said in his ear, "Have good courage, uncle"
+
+André Vasling showed himself more attentive than ever
+
+On the 12th September the sea consisted of one solid plain
+
+They found themselves in a most perilous position, for an
+icequake had occurred
+
+Map in hand, he clearly explained their situation
+
+The caravan set out
+
+"Thirty-two degrees below zero!"
+
+Despair and determination were struggling in his rough features
+for the mastery
+
+It was Louis Cornbutte
+
+Penellan advanced towards the Norwegians
+
+Marie begged Vasling on her knees to produce the lemons, but he
+did not reply
+
+Marie rose with cries of despair, and hurried to the bed of old
+Jean Cornbutte
+
+The bear, having descended from the mast, had fallen on the two
+men
+
+The old curè received Louis Cornbutte and Marie
+
+View of Mont Blanc from the Brevent
+
+View of Bossons glacier, near the Grands-Mulets
+
+Passage of the Bossons Glacier
+
+Crevasse and bridge
+
+View of the "Seracs"
+
+View of "Seracs"
+
+Passage of the "Junction"
+
+Hut at the Grands-Mulets
+
+View of Mont Blanc from Grands-Mulets
+
+Crossing the plateau
+
+Summit of Mont Blanc
+
+Grands-Mulets:--Party descending from the hut
+
+
+
+
+DOCTOR OX'S EXPERIMENT.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+HOW IT IS USELESS TO SEEK, EVEN ON THE BEST MAPS, FOR THE SMALL TOWN
+OF QUIQUENDONE.
+
+
+If you try to find, on any map of Flanders, ancient or modern,
+the small town of Quiquendone, probably you will not succeed. Is
+Quiquendone, then, one of those towns which have disappeared? No.
+A town of the future? By no means. It exists in spite of
+geographies, and has done so for some eight or nine hundred
+years. It even numbers two thousand three hundred and ninety-three
+souls, allowing one soul to each inhabitant. It is situated
+thirteen and a half kilometres north-west of Oudenarde, and
+fifteen and a quarter kilometres south-east of Bruges, in the
+heart of Flanders. The Vaar, a small tributary of the Scheldt,
+passes beneath its three bridges, which are still covered with a
+quaint mediæval roof, like that at Tournay. An old château is to
+be seen there, the first stone of which was laid so long ago as
+1197, by Count Baldwin, afterwards Emperor of Constantinople; and
+there is a Town Hall, with Gothic windows, crowned by a chaplet
+of battlements, and surrounded by a turreted belfry, which rises
+three hundred and fifty-seven feet above the soil. Every hour you
+may hear there a chime of five octaves, a veritable aerial piano,
+the renown of which surpasses that of the famous chimes of
+Bruges. Strangers--if any ever come to Quiquendone--do not quit
+the curious old town until they have visited its "Stadtholder's
+Hall", adorned by a full-length portrait of William of Nassau, by
+Brandon; the loft of the Church of Saint Magloire, a masterpiece
+of sixteenth century architecture; the cast-iron well in the
+spacious Place Saint Ernuph, the admirable ornamentation of which
+is attributed to the artist-blacksmith, Quentin Metsys; the tomb
+formerly erected to Mary of Burgundy, daughter of Charles the
+Bold, who now reposes in the Church of Notre Dame at Bruges; and
+so on. The principal industry of Quiquendone is the manufacture
+of whipped creams and barley-sugar on a large scale. It has been
+governed by the Van Tricasses, from father to son, for several
+centuries. And yet Quiquendone is not on the map of Flanders!
+Have the geographers forgotten it, or is it an intentional
+omission? That I cannot tell; but Quiquendone really exists; with
+its narrow streets, its fortified walls, its Spanish-looking
+houses, its market, and its burgomaster--so much so, that it has
+recently been the theatre of some surprising phenomena, as
+extraordinary and incredible as they are true, which are to be
+recounted in the present narration.
+
+Surely there is nothing to be said or thought against the
+Flemings of Western Flanders. They are a well-to-do folk, wise,
+prudent, sociable, with even tempers, hospitable, perhaps a
+little heavy in conversation as in mind; but this does not
+explain why one of the most interesting towns of their district
+has yet to appear on modern maps.
+
+This omission is certainly to be regretted. If only history, or
+in default of history the chronicles, or in default of chronicles
+the traditions of the country, made mention of Quiquendone! But
+no; neither atlases, guides, nor itineraries speak of it. M.
+Joanne himself, that energetic hunter after small towns, says not
+a word of it. It might be readily conceived that this silence
+would injure the commerce, the industries, of the town. But let
+us hasten to add that Quiquendone has neither industry nor
+commerce, and that it does very well without them. Its barley-sugar
+and whipped cream are consumed on the spot; none is exported. In
+short, the Quiquendonians have no need of anybody. Their desires are
+limited, their existence is a modest one; they are calm, moderate,
+phlegmatic--in a word, they are Flemings; such as are still to be
+met with sometimes between the Scheldt and the North Sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+IN WHICH THE BURGOMASTER VAN TRICASSE AND THE COUNSELLOR NIKLAUSSE
+CONSULT ABOUT THE AFFAIRS OF THE TOWN.
+
+
+"You think so?" asked the burgomaster.
+
+"I--think so," replied the counsellor, after some minutes of
+silence.
+
+"You see, we must not act hastily," resumed the burgomaster.
+
+"We have been talking over this grave matter for ten years,"
+replied the Counsellor Niklausse, "and I confess to you, my
+worthy Van Tricasse, that I cannot yet take it upon myself to
+come to a decision."
+
+"I quite understand your hesitation," said the burgomaster, who
+did not speak until after a good quarter of an hour of reflection,
+"I quite understand it, and I fully share it. We shall do wisely to
+decide upon nothing without a more careful examination of the
+question."
+
+"It is certain," replied Niklausse, "that this post of civil
+commissary is useless in so peaceful a town as Quiquendone."
+
+"Our predecessor," said Van Tricasse gravely, "our predecessor
+never said, never would have dared to say, that anything is
+certain. Every affirmation is subject to awkward qualifications."
+
+The counsellor nodded his head slowly in token of assent; then he
+remained silent for nearly half an hour. After this lapse of
+time, during which neither the counsellor nor the burgomaster
+moved so much as a finger, Niklausse asked Van Tricasse whether
+his predecessor--of some twenty years before--had not thought of
+suppressing this office of civil commissary, which each year cost
+the town of Quiquendone the sum of thirteen hundred and seventy-five
+francs and some centimes.
+
+"I believe he did," replied the burgomaster, carrying his hand
+with majestic deliberation to his ample brow; "but the worthy man
+died without having dared to make up his mind, either as to this
+or any other administrative measure. He was a sage. Why should I
+not do as he did?"
+
+Counsellor Niklausse was incapable of originating any objection
+to the burgomaster's opinion.
+
+"The man who dies," added Van Tricasse solemnly, "without ever
+having decided upon anything during his life, has very nearly
+attained to perfection."
+
+This said, the burgomaster pressed a bell with the end of his
+little finger, which gave forth a muffled sound, which seemed
+less a sound than a sigh. Presently some light steps glided
+softly across the tile floor. A mouse would not have made less
+noise, running over a thick carpet. The door of the room opened,
+turning on its well-oiled hinges. A young girl, with long blonde
+tresses, made her appearance. It was Suzel Van Tricasse, the
+burgomaster's only daughter. She handed her father a pipe, filled
+to the brim, and a small copper brazier, spoke not a word, and
+disappeared at once, making no more noise at her exit than at her
+entrance.
+
+[Illustration: She handed her father a pipe]
+
+The worthy burgomaster lighted his pipe, and was soon hidden in a
+cloud of bluish smoke, leaving Counsellor Niklausse plunged in
+the most absorbing thought.
+
+The room in which these two notable personages, charged with the
+government of Quiquendone, were talking, was a parlour richly
+adorned with carvings in dark wood. A lofty fireplace, in which
+an oak might have been burned or an ox roasted, occupied the
+whole of one of the sides of the room; opposite to it was a
+trellised window, the painted glass of which toned down the
+brightness of the sunbeams. In an antique frame above the
+chimney-piece appeared the portrait of some worthy man,
+attributed to Memling, which no doubt represented an ancestor of
+the Van Tricasses, whose authentic genealogy dates back to the
+fourteenth century, the period when the Flemings and Guy de
+Dampierre were engaged in wars with the Emperor Rudolph of
+Hapsburgh.
+
+This parlour was the principal apartment of the burgomaster's
+house, which was one of the pleasantest in Quiquendone. Built in
+the Flemish style, with all the abruptness, quaintness, and
+picturesqueness of Pointed architecture, it was considered one of
+the most curious monuments of the town. A Carthusian convent, or
+a deaf and dumb asylum, was not more silent than this mansion.
+Noise had no existence there; people did not walk, but glided
+about in it; they did not speak, they murmured. There was not,
+however, any lack of women in the house, which, in addition to
+the burgomaster Van Tricasse himself, sheltered his wife, Madame
+Brigitte Van Tricasse, his daughter, Suzel Van Tricasse, and his
+domestic, Lotchè Janshéu. We may also mention the burgomaster's
+sister, Aunt Hermance, an elderly maiden who still bore the
+nickname of Tatanémance, which her niece Suzel had given her when
+a child. But in spite of all these elements of discord and noise,
+the burgomaster's house was as calm as a desert.
+
+The burgomaster was some fifty years old, neither fat nor lean,
+neither short nor tall, neither rubicund nor pale, neither gay
+nor sad, neither contented nor discontented, neither energetic
+nor dull, neither proud nor humble, neither good nor bad, neither
+generous nor miserly, neither courageous nor cowardly, neither
+too much nor too little of anything--a man notably moderate in
+all respects, whose invariable slowness of motion, slightly
+hanging lower jaw, prominent eyebrows, massive forehead, smooth
+as a copper plate and without a wrinkle, would at once have
+betrayed to a physiognomist that the burgomaster Van Tricasse was
+phlegm personified. Never, either from anger or passion, had any
+emotion whatever hastened the beating of this man's heart, or
+flushed his face; never had his pupils contracted under the
+influence of any irritation, however ephemeral. He invariably
+wore good clothes, neither too large nor too small, which he
+never seemed to wear out. He was shod with large square shoes
+with triple soles and silver buckles, which lasted so long that
+his shoemaker was in despair. Upon his head he wore a large hat
+which dated from the period when Flanders was separated from
+Holland, so that this venerable masterpiece was at least forty
+years old. But what would you have? It is the passions which wear
+out body as well as soul, the clothes as well as the body; and
+our worthy burgomaster, apathetic, indolent, indifferent, was
+passionate in nothing. He wore nothing out, not even himself, and
+he considered himself the very man to administer the affairs of
+Quiquendone and its tranquil population.
+
+The town, indeed, was not less calm than the Van Tricasse
+mansion. It was in this peaceful dwelling that the burgomaster
+reckoned on attaining the utmost limit of human existence, after
+having, however, seen the good Madame Brigitte Van Tricasse, his
+wife, precede him to the tomb, where, surely, she would not find
+a more profound repose than that she had enjoyed on earth for
+sixty years.
+
+This demands explanation.
+
+The Van Tricasse family might well call itself the "Jeannot
+family." This is why:--
+
+Every one knows that the knife of this typical personage is as
+celebrated as its proprietor, and not less incapable of wearing
+out, thanks to the double operation, incessantly repeated, of
+replacing the handle when it is worn out, and the blade when it
+becomes worthless. A precisely similar operation had been going
+on from time immemorial in the Van Tricasse family, to which
+Nature had lent herself with more than usual complacency. From
+1340 it had invariably happened that a Van Tricasse, when left a
+widower, had remarried a Van Tricasse younger than himself; who,
+becoming in turn a widow, had married again a Van Tricasse
+younger than herself; and so on, without a break in the
+continuity, from generation to generation. Each died in his or
+her turn with mechanical regularity. Thus the worthy Madame
+Brigitte Van Tricasse had now her second husband; and, unless she
+violated her every duty, would precede her spouse--he being ten
+years younger than herself--to the other world, to make room for
+a new Madame Van Tricasse. Upon this the burgomaster calmly
+counted, that the family tradition might not be broken. Such was
+this mansion, peaceful and silent, of which the doors never
+creaked, the windows never rattled, the floors never groaned, the
+chimneys never roared, the weathercocks never grated, the
+furniture never squeaked, the locks never clanked, and the
+occupants never made more noise than their shadows. The god
+Harpocrates would certainly have chosen it for the Temple of
+Silence.
+
+[Illustration: the worthy Madame Brigitte Van Tricasse had now
+her second husband]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+IN WHICH THE COMMISSARY PASSAUF ENTERS AS NOISILY AS UNEXPECTEDLY.
+
+
+When the interesting conversation which has been narrated began,
+it was a quarter before three in the afternoon. It was at a
+quarter before four that Van Tricasse lighted his enormous pipe,
+which could hold a quart of tobacco, and it was at thirty-five
+minutes past five that he finished smoking it.
+
+All this time the two comrades did not exchange a single word.
+
+About six o'clock the counsellor, who had a habit of speaking in
+a very summary manner, resumed in these words,--
+
+"So we decide--"
+
+"To decide nothing," replied the burgomaster.
+
+"I think, on the whole, that you are right, Van Tricasse."
+
+"I think so too, Niklausse. We will take steps with reference to
+the civil commissary when we have more light on the subject--
+later on. There is no need for a month yet."
+
+"Nor even for a year," replied Niklausse, unfolding his
+pocket-handkerchief and calmly applying it to his nose.
+
+There was another silence of nearly a quarter of an hour. Nothing
+disturbed this repeated pause in the conversation; not even the
+appearance of the house-dog Lento, who, not less phlegmatic than
+his master, came to pay his respects in the parlour. Noble dog!--
+a model for his race. Had he been made of pasteboard, with wheels
+on his paws, he would not have made less noise during his stay.
+
+Towards eight o'clock, after Lotchè had brought the antique lamp
+of polished glass, the burgomaster said to the counsellor,--
+
+"We have no other urgent matter to consider?"
+
+"No, Van Tricasse; none that I know of."
+
+"Have I not been told, though," asked the burgomaster, "that the
+tower of the Oudenarde gate is likely to tumble down?"
+
+"Ah!" replied the counsellor; "really, I should not be astonished
+if it fell on some passer-by any day."
+
+"Oh! before such a misfortune happens I hope we shall have come
+to a decision on the subject of this tower."
+
+"I hope so, Van Tricasse."
+
+"There are more pressing matters to decide."
+
+"No doubt; the question of the leather-market, for instance."
+
+"What, is it still burning?"
+
+"Still burning, and has been for the last three weeks."
+
+"Have we not decided in council to let it burn?"
+
+"Yes, Van Tricasse--on your motion."
+
+"Was not that the surest and simplest way to deal with it?"
+
+"Without doubt."
+
+"Well, let us wait. Is that all?"
+
+"All," replied the counsellor, scratching his head, as if to
+assure himself that he had not forgotten anything important.
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed the burgomaster, "haven't you also heard
+something of an escape of water which threatens to inundate the
+low quarter of Saint Jacques?"
+
+"I have. It is indeed unfortunate that this escape of water did
+not happen above the leather-market! It would naturally have
+checked the fire, and would thus have saved us a good deal of
+discussion."
+
+"What can you expect, Niklausse? There is nothing so illogical as
+accidents. They are bound by no rules, and we cannot profit by
+one, as we might wish, to remedy another."
+
+It took Van Tricasse's companion some time to digest this fine
+observation.
+
+"Well, but," resumed the Counsellor Niklausse, after the lapse of
+some moments, "we have not spoken of our great affair!"
+
+"What great affair? Have we, then, a great affair?" asked the
+burgomaster.
+
+"No doubt. About lighting the town."
+
+"O yes. If my memory serves me, you are referring to the lighting
+plan of Doctor Ox."
+
+"Precisely."
+
+"It is going on, Niklausse," replied the burgomaster. "They are
+already laying the pipes, and the works are entirely completed."
+
+"Perhaps we have hurried a little in this matter," said the
+counsellor, shaking his head.
+
+"Perhaps. But our excuse is, that Doctor Ox bears the whole
+expense of his experiment. It will not cost us a sou."
+
+"That, true enough, is our excuse. Moreover, we must advance with
+the age. If the experiment succeeds, Quiquendone will be the
+first town in Flanders to be lighted with the oxy--What is the
+gas called?"
+
+"Oxyhydric gas."
+
+"Well, oxyhydric gas, then."
+
+At this moment the door opened, and Lotchè came in to tell the
+burgomaster that his supper was ready.
+
+Counsellor Niklausse rose to take leave of Van Tricasse, whose
+appetite had been stimulated by so many affairs discussed and
+decisions taken; and it was agreed that the council of notables
+should be convened after a reasonably long delay, to determine
+whether a decision should be provisionally arrived at with
+reference to the really urgent matter of the Oudenarde gate.
+
+The two worthy administrators then directed their steps towards
+the street-door, the one conducting the other. The counsellor,
+having reached the last step, lighted a little lantern to guide
+him through the obscure streets of Quiquendone, which Doctor Ox
+had not yet lighted. It was a dark October night, and a light fog
+overshadowed the town.
+
+Niklausse's preparations for departure consumed at least a
+quarter of an hour; for, after having lighted his lantern, he had
+to put on his big cow-skin socks and his sheep-skin gloves; then
+he put up the furred collar of his overcoat, turned the brim of
+his felt hat down over his eyes, grasped his heavy crow-beaked
+umbrella, and got ready to start.
+
+When Lotchè, however, who was lighting her master, was about to
+draw the bars of the door, an unexpected noise arose outside.
+
+Yes! Strange as the thing seems, a noise--a real noise, such as
+the town had certainly not heard since the taking of the donjon
+by the Spaniards in 1513--terrible noise, awoke the long-dormant
+echoes of the venerable Van Tricasse mansion.
+
+Some one knocked heavily upon this door, hitherto virgin to
+brutal touch! Redoubled knocks were given with some blunt
+implement, probably a knotty stick, wielded by a vigorous arm.
+With the strokes were mingled cries and calls. These words were
+distinctly heard:--
+
+"Monsieur Van Tricasse! Monsieur the burgomaster! Open, open
+quickly!"
+
+The burgomaster and the counsellor, absolutely astounded, looked
+at each other speechless.
+
+This passed their comprehension. If the old culverin of the
+château, which had not been used since 1385, had been let off in
+the parlour, the dwellers in the Van Tricasse mansion would not
+have been more dumbfoundered.
+
+Meanwhile, the blows and cries were redoubled. Lotchè, recovering
+her coolness, had plucked up courage to speak.
+
+"Who is there?"
+
+"It is I! I! I!"
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"The Commissary Passauf!"
+
+The Commissary Passauf! The very man whose office it had been
+contemplated to suppress for ten years. What had happened, then?
+Could the Burgundians have invaded Quiquendone, as they did in
+the fourteenth century? No event of less importance could have so
+moved Commissary Passauf, who in no degree yielded the palm to
+the burgomaster himself for calmness and phlegm.
+
+On a sign from Van Tricasse--for the worthy man could not have
+articulated a syllable--the bar was pushed back and the door
+opened.
+
+Commissary Passauf flung himself into the antechamber. One would
+have thought there was a hurricane.
+
+"What's the matter, Monsieur the commissary?" asked Lotchè, a
+brave woman, who did not lose her head under the most trying
+circumstances.
+
+"What's the matter!" replied Passauf, whose big round eyes
+expressed a genuine agitation. "The matter is that I have just
+come from Doctor Ox's, who has been holding a reception, and that
+there--"
+
+[Illustration: I have just come from Doctor Ox's]
+
+"There?"
+
+"There I have witnessed such an altercation as--Monsieur the
+burgomaster, they have been talking politics!"
+
+"Politics!" repeated Van Tricasse, running his fingers through
+his wig.
+
+"Politics!" resumed Commissary Passauf, "which has not been done
+for perhaps a hundred years at Quiquendone. Then the discussion
+got warm, and the advocate, André Schut, and the doctor,
+Dominique Custos, became so violent that it may be they will call
+each other out."
+
+"Call each other out!" cried the counsellor. "A duel! A duel at
+Quiquendone! And what did Advocate Schut and Doctor Gustos say?"
+
+"Just this: 'Monsieur advocate,' said the doctor to his
+adversary, 'you go too far, it seems to me, and you do not take
+sufficient care to control your words!'"
+
+The Burgomaster Van Tricasse clasped his hands--the counsellor
+turned pale and let his lantern fall--the commissary shook his
+head. That a phrase so evidently irritating should be pronounced
+by two of the principal men in the country!
+
+"This Doctor Custos," muttered Van Tricasse, "is decidedly a
+dangerous man--a hare-brained fellow! Come, gentlemen!"
+
+On this, Counsellor Niklausse and the commissary accompanied the
+burgomaster into the parlour.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+IN WHICH DOCTOR OX REVEALS HIMSELF AS A PHYSIOLOGIST OF THE FIRST
+RANK, AND AS AN AUDACIOUS EXPERIMENTALIST.
+
+
+Who, then, was this personage, known by the singular name of
+Doctor Ox?
+
+An original character for certain, but at the same time a bold
+savant, a physiologist, whose works were known and highly
+estimated throughout learned Europe, a happy rival of the Davys,
+the Daltons, the Bostocks, the Menzies, the Godwins, the
+Vierordts--of all those noble minds who have placed physiology
+among the highest of modern sciences.
+
+Doctor Ox was a man of medium size and height, aged--: but we
+cannot state his age, any more than his nationality. Besides, it
+matters little; let it suffice that he was a strange personage,
+impetuous and hot-blooded, a regular oddity out of one of
+Hoffmann's volumes, and one who contrasted amusingly enough with
+the good people of Quiquendone. He had an imperturbable
+confidence both in himself and in his doctrines. Always smiling,
+walking with head erect and shoulders thrown back in a free and
+unconstrained manner, with a steady gaze, large open nostrils, a
+vast mouth which inhaled the air in liberal draughts, his
+appearance was far from unpleasing. He was full of animation,
+well proportioned in all parts of his bodily mechanism, with
+quicksilver in his veins, and a most elastic step. He could never
+stop still in one place, and relieved himself with impetuous
+words and a superabundance of gesticulations.
+
+Was Doctor Ox rich, then, that he should undertake to light a
+whole town at his expense? Probably, as he permitted himself to
+indulge in such extravagance,--and this is the only answer we can
+give to this indiscreet question.
+
+Doctor Ox had arrived at Quiquendone five months before,
+accompanied by his assistant, who answered to the name of Gédéon
+Ygène; a tall, dried-up, thin man, haughty, but not less
+vivacious than his master.
+
+And next, why had Doctor Ox made the proposition to light the
+town at his own expense? Why had he, of all the Flemings,
+selected the peaceable Quiquendonians, to endow their town with
+the benefits of an unheard-of system of lighting? Did he not,
+under this pretext, design to make some great physiological
+experiment by operating _in anima vili?_ In short, what was this
+original personage about to attempt? We know not, as Doctor Ox
+had no confidant except his assistant Ygène, who, moreover,
+obeyed him blindly.
+
+In appearance, at least, Doctor Ox had agreed to light the town,
+which had much need of it, "especially at night," as Commissary
+Passauf wittily said. Works for producing a lighting gas had
+accordingly been established; the gasometers were ready for use,
+and the main pipes, running beneath the street pavements, would
+soon appear in the form of burners in the public edifices and the
+private houses of certain friends of progress. Van Tricasse and
+Niklausse, in their official capacity, and some other worthies,
+thought they ought to allow this modern light to be introduced
+into their dwellings.
+
+If the reader has not forgotten, it was said, during the long
+conversation of the counsellor and the burgomaster, that the
+lighting of the town was to be achieved, not by the combustion of
+common carburetted hydrogen, produced by distilling coal, but by
+the use of a more modern and twenty-fold more brilliant gas,
+oxyhydric gas, produced by mixing hydrogen and oxygen.
+
+The doctor, who was an able chemist as well as an ingenious
+physiologist, knew how to obtain this gas in great quantity and
+of good quality, not by using manganate of soda, according to the
+method of M. Tessié du Motay, but by the direct decomposition of
+slightly acidulated water, by means of a battery made of new
+elements, invented by himself. Thus there were no costly
+materials, no platinum, no retorts, no combustibles, no delicate
+machinery to produce the two gases separately. An electric
+current was sent through large basins full of water, and the
+liquid was decomposed into its two constituent parts, oxygen and
+hydrogen. The oxygen passed off at one end; the hydrogen, of
+double the volume of its late associate, at the other. As a
+necessary precaution, they were collected in separate reservoirs,
+for their mixture would have produced a frightful explosion if it
+had become ignited. Thence the pipes were to convey them
+separately to the various burners, which would be so placed as to
+prevent all chance of explosion. Thus a remarkably brilliant
+flame would be obtained, whose light would rival the electric
+light, which, as everybody knows, is, according to Cassellmann's
+experiments, equal to that of eleven hundred and seventy-one wax
+candles,--not one more, nor one less.
+
+It was certain that the town of Quiquendone would, by this
+liberal contrivance, gain a splendid lighting; but Doctor Ox and
+his assistant took little account of this, as will be seen in the
+sequel.
+
+The day after that on which Commissary Passauf had made his noisy
+entrance into the burgomaster's parlour, Gédéon Ygène and Doctor
+Ox were talking in the laboratory which both occupied in common,
+on the ground-floor of the principal building of the gas-works.
+
+"Well, Ygène, well," cried the doctor, rubbing his hands. "You
+saw, at my reception yesterday, the cool-bloodedness of these
+worthy Quiquendonians. For animation they are midway between
+sponges and coral! You saw them disputing and irritating each
+other by voice and gesture? They are already metamorphosed,
+morally and physically! And this is only the beginning. Wait till
+we treat them to a big dose!"
+
+"Indeed, master," replied Ygène, scratching his sharp nose with
+the end of his forefinger, "the experiment begins well, and if I
+had not prudently closed the supply-tap, I know not what would
+have happened."
+
+"You heard Schut, the advocate, and Custos, the doctor?" resumed
+Doctor Ox. "The phrase was by no means ill-natured in itself,
+but, in the mouth of a Quiquendonian, it is worth all the insults
+which the Homeric heroes hurled at each other before drawing
+their swords, Ah, these Flemings! You'll see what we shall do
+some day!"
+
+"We shall make them ungrateful," replied Ygène, in the tone of a
+man who esteems the human race at its just worth.
+
+"Bah!" said the doctor; "what matters it whether they think well
+or ill of us, so long as our experiment succeeds?"
+
+"Besides," returned the assistant, smiling with a malicious
+expression, "is it not to be feared that, in producing such an
+excitement in their respiratory organs, we shall somewhat injure
+the lungs of these good people of Quiquendone?"
+
+"So much the worse for them! It is in the interests of science.
+What would you say if the dogs or frogs refused to lend
+themselves to the experiments of vivisection?"
+
+[Illustration: It is in the interests of Science.]
+
+It is probable that if the frogs and dogs were consulted, they
+would offer some objection; but Doctor Ox imagined that he had
+stated an unanswerable argument, for he heaved a great sigh of
+satisfaction.
+
+"After all, master, you are right," replied Ygène, as if quite
+convinced. "We could not have hit upon better subjects than these
+people of Quiquendone for our experiment."
+
+"We--could--not," said the doctor, slowly articulating each word.
+
+"Have you felt the pulse of any of them?"
+
+"Some hundreds."
+
+"And what is the average pulsation you found?"
+
+"Not fifty per minute. See--this is a town where there has not
+been the shadow of a discussion for a century, where the carmen
+don't swear, where the coachmen don't insult each other, where
+horses don't run away, where the dogs don't bite, where the cats
+don't scratch,--a town where the police-court has nothing to do
+from one year's end to another,--a town where people do not grow
+enthusiastic about anything, either about art or business,--a
+town where the gendarmes are a sort of myth, and in which an
+indictment has not been drawn up for a hundred years,--a town, in
+short, where for three centuries nobody has struck a blow with
+his fist or so much as exchanged a slap in the face! You see,
+Ygène, that this cannot last, and that we must change it all."
+
+"Perfectly! perfectly!" cried the enthusiastic assistant; "and
+have you analyzed the air of this town, master?"
+
+"I have not failed to do so. Seventy-nine parts of azote and
+twenty-one of oxygen, carbonic acid and steam in a variable
+quantity. These are the ordinary proportions."
+
+"Good, doctor, good!" replied Ygène. "The experiment will be made
+on a large scale, and will be decisive."
+
+"And if it is decisive," added Doctor Ox triumphantly, "we shall
+reform the world!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+IN WHICH THE BURGOMASTER AND THE COUNSELLOR PAY A VISIT TO DOCTOR
+OX, AND WHAT FOLLOWS.
+
+The Counsellor Niklausse and the Burgomaster Van Tricasse at last
+knew what it was to have an agitated night. The grave event which
+had taken place at Doctor Ox's house actually kept them awake.
+What consequences was this affair destined to bring about? They
+could not imagine. Would it be necessary for them to come to a
+decision? Would the municipal authority, whom they represented,
+be compelled to interfere? Would they be obliged to order arrests
+to be made, that so great a scandal should not be repeated? All
+these doubts could not but trouble these soft natures; and on
+that evening, before separating, the two notables had "decided"
+to see each other the next day.
+
+On the next morning, then, before dinner, the Burgomaster Van
+Tricasse proceeded in person to the Counsellor Niklausse's house.
+He found his friend more calm. He himself had recovered his
+equanimity.
+
+"Nothing new?" asked Van Tricasse.
+
+"Nothing new since yesterday," replied Niklausse.
+
+"And the doctor, Dominique Custos?"
+
+"I have not heard anything, either of him or of the advocate,
+André Schut."
+
+After an hour's conversation, which consisted of three remarks
+which it is needless to repeat, the counsellor and the burgomaster
+had resolved to pay a visit to Doctor Ox, so as to draw from him,
+without seeming to do so, some details of the affair.
+
+Contrary to all their habits, after coming to this decision the
+two notables set about putting it into execution forthwith. They
+left the house and directed their steps towards Doctor Ox's
+laboratory, which was situated outside the town, near the
+Oudenarde gate--the gate whose tower threatened to fall in ruins.
+
+They did not take each other's arms, but walked side by side,
+with a slow and solemn step, which took them forward but thirteen
+inches per second. This was, indeed, the ordinary gait of the
+Quiquendonians, who had never, within the memory of man, seen any
+one run across the streets of their town.
+
+From time to time the two notables would stop at some calm and
+tranquil crossway, or at the end of a quiet street, to salute the
+passers-by.
+
+"Good morning, Monsieur the burgomaster," said one.
+
+"Good morning, my friend," responded Van Tricasse.
+
+"Anything new, Monsieur the counsellor?" asked another.
+
+"Nothing new," answered Niklausse.
+
+But by certain agitated motions and questioning looks, it was
+evident that the altercation of the evening before was known
+throughout the town. Observing the direction taken by Van
+Tricasse, the most obtuse Quiquendonians guessed that the
+burgomaster was on his way to take some important step. The
+Custos and Schut affair was talked of everywhere, but the people
+had not yet come to the point of taking the part of one or the
+other. The Advocate Schut, having never had occasion to plead in
+a town where attorneys and bailiffs only existed in tradition,
+had, consequently, never lost a suit. As for the Doctor Custos,
+he was an honourable practitioner, who, after the example of his
+fellow-doctors, cured all the illnesses of his patients, except
+those of which they died--a habit unhappily acquired by all the
+members of all the faculties in whatever country they may
+practise.
+
+On reaching the Oudenarde gate, the counsellor and the
+burgomaster prudently made a short detour, so as not to pass
+within reach of the tower, in case it should fall; then they
+turned and looked at it attentively.
+
+"I think that it will fall," said Van Tricasse.
+
+"I think so too," replied Niklausse.
+
+"Unless it is propped up," added Van Tricasse. "But must it be
+propped up? That is the question."
+
+"That is--in fact--the question."
+
+Some moments after, they reached the door of the gasworks.
+
+"Can we see Doctor Ox?" they asked.
+
+Doctor Ox could always be seen by the first authorities of the
+town, and they were at once introduced into the celebrated
+physiologist's study.
+
+Perhaps the two notables waited for the doctor at least an hour;
+at least it is reasonable to suppose so, as the burgomaster--a
+thing that had never before happened in his life--betrayed a
+certain amount of impatience, from which his companion was not
+exempt.
+
+Doctor Ox came in at last, and began to excuse himself for having
+kept them waiting; but he had to approve a plan for the
+gasometer, rectify some of the machinery--But everything was
+going on well! The pipes intended for the oxygen were already
+laid. In a few months the town would be splendidly lighted. The
+two notables might even now see the orifices of the pipes which
+were laid on in the laboratory.
+
+Then the doctor begged to know to what he was indebted for the
+honour of this visit.
+
+"Only to see you, doctor; to see you," replied Van Tricasse. "It
+is long since we have had the pleasure. We go abroad but little
+in our good town of Quiquendone. We count our steps and measure
+our walks. We are happy when nothing disturbs the uniformity of
+our habits."
+
+Niklausse looked at his friend. His friend had never said so much
+at once--at least, without taking time, and giving long intervals
+between his sentences. It seemed to him that Van Tricasse
+expressed himself with a certain volubility, which was by no
+means common with him. Niklausse himself experienced a kind of
+irresistible desire to talk.
+
+As for Doctor Ox, he looked at the burgomaster with sly
+attention.
+
+Van Tricasse, who never argued until he had snugly ensconced
+himself in a spacious armchair, had risen to his feet. I know not
+what nervous excitement, quite foreign to his temperament, had
+taken possession of him. He did not gesticulate as yet, but this
+could not be far off. As for the counsellor, he rubbed his legs,
+and breathed with slow and long gasps. His look became animated
+little by little, and he had "decided" to support at all hazards,
+if need be, his trusty friend the burgomaster.
+
+Van Tricasse got up and took several steps; then he came back,
+and stood facing the doctor.
+
+"And in how many months," he asked in a somewhat emphatic tome,
+"do you say that your work will be finished?"
+
+"In three or four months, Monsieur the burgomaster," replied
+Doctor Ox.
+
+"Three or four months,--it's a very long time!" said Van
+Tricasse.
+
+"Altogether too long!" added Niklausse, who, not being able to
+keep his seat, rose also.
+
+"This lapse of time is necessary to complete our work," returned
+Doctor Ox. "The workmen, whom we have had to choose in Quiquendone,
+are not very expeditious."
+
+[Illustration: "The workmen, whom we have had to choose in
+Quiquendone, are not very expeditious."]
+
+"How not expeditious?" cried the burgomaster, who seemed to take
+the remark as personally offensive.
+
+"No, Monsieur Van Tricasse," replied Doctor Ox obstinately. "A
+French workman would do in a day what it takes ten of your
+workmen to do; you know, they are regular Flemings!"
+
+"Flemings!" cried the counsellor, whose fingers closed together.
+"In what sense, sir, do you use that word?"
+
+"Why, in the amiable sense in which everybody uses it," replied
+Doctor Ox, smiling.
+
+"Ah, but doctor," said the burgomaster, pacing up and down the
+room, "I don't like these insinuations. The workmen of Quiquendone
+are as efficient as those of any other town in the world, you must
+know; and we shall go neither to Paris nor London for our models!
+As for your project, I beg you to hasten its execution. Our streets
+have been unpaved for the putting down of your conduit-pipes, and it
+is a hindrance to traffic. Our trade will begin to suffer, and I,
+being the responsible authority, do not propose to incur reproaches
+which will be but too just."
+
+Worthy burgomaster! He spoke of trade, of traffic, and the wonder
+was that those words, to which he was quite unaccustomed, did not
+scorch his lips. What could be passing in his mind?
+
+"Besides," added Niklausse, "the town cannot be deprived of light
+much longer."
+
+"But," urged Doctor Ox, "a town which has been un-lighted for
+eight or nine hundred years--"
+
+"All the more necessary is it," replied the burgomaster,
+emphasizing his words. "Times alter, manners alter! The world
+advances, and we do not wish to remain behind. We desire our
+streets to be lighted within a month, or you must pay a large
+indemnity for each day of delay; and what would happen if, amid
+the darkness, some affray should take place?"
+
+"No doubt," cried Niklausse. "It requires but a spark to inflame
+a Fleming! Fleming! Flame!"
+
+"Apropos of this," said the burgomaster, interrupting his friend,
+"Commissary Passauf, our chief of police, reports to us that a
+discussion took place in your drawing-room last evening, Doctor
+Ox. Was he wrong in declaring that it was a political discussion?"
+
+"By no means, Monsieur the burgomaster," replied Doctor Ox, who
+with difficulty repressed a sigh of satisfaction.
+
+"So an altercation did take place between Dominique Gustos and
+André Schut?"
+
+"Yes, counsellor; but the words which passed were not of grave
+import."
+
+"Not of grave import!" cried the burgomaster. "Not of grave
+import, when one man tells another that he does not measure the
+effect of his words! But of what stuff are you made, monsieur? Do
+you not know that in Quiquendone nothing more is needed to bring
+about extremely disastrous results? But monsieur, if you, or any
+one else, presume to speak thus to me--"
+
+"Or to me," added Niklausse.
+
+As they pronounced these words with a menacing air, the two
+notables, with folded arms and bristling air, confronted Doctor
+Ox, ready to do him some violence, if by a gesture, or even the
+expression of his eye, he manifested any intention of contradicting
+them.
+
+But the doctor did not budge.
+
+"At all events, monsieur," resumed the burgomaster, "I propose to
+hold you responsible for what passes in your house. I am bound to
+insure the tranquillity of this town, and I do not wish it to be
+disturbed. The events of last evening must not be repeated, or I
+shall do my duty, sir! Do you hear? Then reply, sir."
+
+The burgomaster, as he spoke, under the influence of
+extraordinary excitement, elevated his voice to the pitch of
+anger. He was furious, the worthy Van Tricasse, and might
+certainly be heard outside. At last, beside himself, and seeing
+that Doctor Ox did not reply to his challenge, "Come, Niklausse,"
+said he.
+
+And, slamming the door with a violence which shook the house, the
+burgomaster drew his friend after him.
+
+Little by little, when they had taken twenty steps on their road,
+the worthy notables grew more calm. Their pace slackened, their
+gait became less feverish. The flush on their faces faded away;
+from being crimson, they became rosy. A quarter of an hour after
+quitting the gasworks, Van Tricasse said softly to Niklausse, "An
+amiable man, Doctor Ox! It is always a pleasure to see him!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+IN WHICH FRANTZ NIKLAUSSE AND SUZEL VAN TRICASSE FORM CERTAIN
+PROJECTS FOR THE FUTURE.
+
+
+Our readers know that the burgomaster had a daughter, Suzel But,
+shrewd as they may be, they cannot have divined that the
+counsellor Niklausse had a son, Frantz; and had they divined
+this, nothing could have led them to imagine that Frantz was the
+betrothed lover of Suzel. We will add that these young people
+were made for each other, and that they loved each other, as
+folks did love at Quiquendone.
+
+It must not be thought that young hearts did not beat in this
+exceptional place; only they beat with a certain deliberation.
+There were marriages there, as in every other town in the world;
+but they took time about it. Betrothed couples, before engaging
+in these terrible bonds, wished to study each other; and these
+studies lasted at least ten years, as at college. It was rare
+that any one was "accepted" before this lapse of time.
+
+Yes, ten years! The courtships last ten years! And is it, after
+all, too long, when the being bound for life is in consideration?
+One studies ten years to become an engineer or physician, an
+advocate or attorney, and should less time be spent in acquiring
+the knowledge to make a good husband? Is it not reasonable? and,
+whether due to temperament or reason with them, the Quiquendonians
+seem to us to be in the right in thus prolonging their courtship.
+When marriages in other more lively and excitable cities are seen
+taking place within a few months, we must shrug our shoulders,
+and hasten to send our boys to the schools and our daughters to the
+_pensions_ of Quiquendone.
+
+For half a century but a single marriage was known to have taken
+place after the lapse of two years only of courtship, and that
+turned out badly!
+
+Frantz Niklausse, then, loved Suzel Van Tricasse, but quietly, as
+a man would love when he has ten years before him in which to
+obtain the beloved object. Once every week, at an hour agreed
+upon, Frantz went to fetch Suzel, and took a walk with her along
+the banks of the Vaar. He took good care to carry his fishing-tackle,
+and Suzel never forgot her canvas, on which her pretty hands
+embroidered the most unlikely flowers.
+
+Frantz was a young man of twenty-two, whose cheeks betrayed a
+soft, peachy down, and whose voice had scarcely a compass of one
+octave.
+
+As for Suzel, she was blonde and rosy. She was seventeen, and did
+not dislike fishing. A singular occupation this, however, which
+forces you to struggle craftily with a barbel. But Frantz loved
+it; the pastime was congenial to his temperament. As patient as
+possible, content to follow with his rather dreamy eye the cork
+which bobbed on the top of the water, he knew how to wait; and
+when, after sitting for six hours, a modest barbel, taking pity
+on him, consented at last to be caught, he was happy--but he knew
+how to control his emotion.
+
+On this day the two lovers--one might say, the two betrothed--
+were seated upon the verdant bank. The limpid Vaar murmured a few
+feet below them. Suzel quietly drew her needle across the canvas.
+Frantz automatically carried his line from left to right, then
+permitted it to descend the current from right to left. The fish
+made capricious rings in the water, which crossed each other
+around the cork, while the hook hung useless near the bottom.
+
+From time to time Frantz would say, without raising his eyes,--
+
+"I think I have a bite, Suzel."
+
+"Do you think so, Frantz?" replied Suzel, who, abandoning her
+work for an instant, followed her lover's line with earnest eye.
+
+"N-no," resumed Frantz; "I thought I felt a little twitch; I was
+mistaken."
+
+"You _will_ have a bite, Frantz," replied Suzel, in her pure,
+soft voice. "But do not forget to strike at the right moment. You
+are always a few seconds too late, and the barbel takes advantage
+to escape."
+
+"Would you like to take my line, Suzel?"
+
+"Willingly, Frantz."
+
+"Then give me your canvas. We shall see whether I am more adroit
+with the needle than with the hook."
+
+And the young girl took the line with trembling hand, while her
+swain plied the needle across the stitches of the embroidery. For
+hours together they thus exchanged soft words, and their hearts
+palpitated when the cork bobbed on the water. Ah, could they ever
+forget those charming hours, during which, seated side by side,
+they listened to the murmurs of the river?
+
+[Illustration: the young girl took the line]
+
+The sun was fast approaching the western horizon, and despite the
+combined skill of Suzel and Frantz, there had not been a bite.
+The barbels had not shown themselves complacent, and seemed to
+scoff at the two young people, who were too just to bear them
+malice.
+
+"We shall be more lucky another time, Frantz," said Suzel, as the
+young angler put up his still virgin hook.
+
+"Let us hope so," replied Frantz.
+
+Then walking side by side, they turned their steps towards the
+house, without exchanging a word, as mute as their shadows which
+stretched out before them. Suzel became very, very tall under the
+oblique rays of the setting sun. Frantz appeared very, very thin,
+like the long rod which he held in his hand.
+
+They reached the burgomaster's house. Green tufts of grass
+bordered the shining pavement, and no one would have thought of
+tearing them away, for they deadened the noise made by the
+passers-by.
+
+As they were about to open the door, Frantz thought it his duty
+to say to Suzel,--
+
+"You know, Suzel, the great day is approaching?"
+
+"It is indeed, Frantz," replied the young girl, with downcast
+eyes.
+
+"Yes," said Frantz, "in five or six years--"
+
+"Good-bye, Frantz," said Suzel.
+
+[Illustration: "Good-bye, Frantz," said Suzel.]
+
+"Good-bye, Suzel," replied Frantz.
+
+And, after the door had been closed, the young man resumed the
+way to his father's house with a calm and equal pace.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+IN WHICH THE ANDANTES BECOME ALLEGROS, AND THE ALLEGROS VIVACES.
+
+
+The agitation caused by the Schut and Custos affair had subsided.
+The affair led to no serious consequences. It appeared likely
+that Quiquendone would return to its habitual apathy, which that
+unexpected event had for a moment disturbed.
+
+Meanwhile, the laying of the pipes destined to conduct the
+oxyhydric gas into the principal edifices of the town was
+proceeding rapidly. The main pipes and branches gradually crept
+beneath the pavements. But the burners were still wanting; for,
+as it required delicate skill to make them, it was necessary that
+they should be fabricated abroad. Doctor Ox was here, there, and
+everywhere; neither he nor Ygène, his assistant, lost a moment,
+but they urged on the workmen, completed the delicate mechanism
+of the gasometer, fed day and night the immense piles which
+decomposed the water under the influence of a powerful electric
+current. Yes, the doctor was already making his gas, though the
+pipe-laying was not yet done; a fact which, between ourselves,
+might have seemed a little singular. But before long,--at least
+there was reason to hope so,--before long Doctor Ox would
+inaugurate the splendours of his invention in the theatre of the
+town.
+
+For Quiquendone possessed a theatre--a really fine edifice, in
+truth--the interior and exterior arrangement of which combined
+every style of architecture. It was at once Byzantine, Roman,
+Gothic, Renaissance, with semicircular doors, Pointed windows,
+Flamboyant rose-windows, fantastic bell-turrets,--in a word, a
+specimen of all sorts, half a Parthenon, half a Parisian Grand
+Café. Nor was this surprising, the theatre having been commenced
+under the burgomaster Ludwig Van Tricasse, in 1175, and only
+finished in 1837, under the burgomaster Natalis Van Tricasse. It
+had required seven hundred years to build it, and it had, been
+successively adapted to the architectural style in vogue in each
+period. But for all that it was an imposing structure; the Roman
+pillars and Byzantine arches of which would appear to advantage
+lit up by the oxyhydric gas.
+
+Pretty well everything was acted at the theatre of Quiquendone;
+but the opera and the opera comique were especially patronized.
+It must, however, be added that the composers would never have
+recognized their own works, so entirely changed were the
+"movements" of the music.
+
+In short, as nothing was done in a hurry at Quiquendone, the
+dramatic pieces had to be performed in harmony with the peculiar
+temperament of the Quiquendonians. Though the doors of the
+theatre were regularly thrown open at four o'clock and closed
+again at ten, it had never been known that more than two acts
+were played during the six intervening hours. "Robert le Diable,"
+"Les Huguenots," or "Guillaume Tell" usually took up three
+evenings, so slow was the execution of these masterpieces. The
+_vivaces_, at the theatre of Quiquendone, lagged like real
+_adagios_. The _allegros_ were "long-drawn out" indeed. The
+demisemiquavers were scarcely equal to the ordinary semibreves of
+other countries. The most rapid runs, performed according to
+Quiquendonian taste, had the solemn march of a chant. The gayest
+shakes were languishing and measured, that they might not shock
+the ears of the _dilettanti_. To give an example, the rapid air
+sung by Figaro, on his entrance in the first act of "Le Barbiér
+de Séville," lasted fifty-eight minutes--when the actor was
+particularly enthusiastic.
+
+Artists from abroad, as might be supposed, were forced to conform
+themselves to Quiquendonian fashions; but as they were well paid,
+they did not complain, and willingly obeyed the leader's baton,
+which never beat more than eight measures to the minute in the
+_allegros_.
+
+But what applause greeted these artists, who enchanted without
+ever wearying the audiences of Quiquendone! All hands clapped one
+after another at tolerably long intervals, which the papers
+characterized as "frantic applause;" and sometimes nothing but
+the lavish prodigality with which mortar and stone had been used
+in the twelfth century saved the roof of the hall from falling
+in.
+
+Besides, the theatre had only one performance a week, that these
+enthusiastic Flemish folk might not be too much excited; and this
+enabled the actors to study their parts more thoroughly, and the
+spectators to digest more at leisure the beauties of the
+masterpieces brought out.
+
+Such had long been the drama at Quiquendone. Foreign artists were
+in the habit of making engagements with the director of the town,
+when they wanted to rest after their exertions in other scenes;
+and it seemed as if nothing could ever change these inveterate
+customs, when, a fortnight after the Schut-Custos affair, an
+unlooked-for incident occurred to throw the population into fresh
+agitation.
+
+It was on a Saturday, an opera day. It was not yet intended, as
+may well be supposed, to inaugurate the new illumination. No; the
+pipes had reached the hall, but, for reasons indicated above, the
+burners had not yet been placed, and the wax-candles still shed
+their soft light upon the numerous spectators who filled the
+theatre. The doors had been opened to the public at one o'clock,
+and by three the hall was half full. A queue had at one time been
+formed, which extended as far as the end of the Place Saint
+Ernuph, in front of the shop of Josse Lietrinck the apothecary.
+This eagerness was significant of an unusually attractive
+performance.
+
+"Are you going to the theatre this evening?" inquired the
+counsellor the same morning of the burgomaster.
+
+"I shall not fail to do so," returned Van Tricasse, "and I shall
+take Madame Van Tricasse, as well as our daughter Suzel and our
+dear Tatanémance, who all dote on good music."
+
+"Mademoiselle Suzel is going then?"
+
+"Certainly, Niklausse."
+
+"Then my son Frantz will be one of the first to arrive," said
+Niklausse.
+
+"A spirited boy, Niklausse," replied the burgomaster
+sententiously; "but hot-headed! He will require watching!"
+
+"He loves, Van Tricasse,--he loves your charming Suzel."
+
+"Well, Niklausse, he shall marry her. Now that we have agreed on
+this marriage, what more can he desire?"
+
+"He desires nothing, Van Tricasse, the dear boy! But, in short--
+we'll say no more about it--he will not be the last to get his
+ticket at the box-office."
+
+"Ah, vivacious and ardent youth!" replied the burgomaster,
+recalling his own past. "We have also been thus, my worthy
+counsellor! We have loved--we too! We have danced attendance in
+our day! Till to-night, then, till to-night! By-the-bye, do you
+know this Fiovaranti is a great artist? And what a welcome he has
+received among us! It will be long before he will forget the
+applause of Quiquendone!"
+
+The tenor Fiovaranti was, indeed, going to sing; Fiovaranti, who,
+by his talents as a virtuoso, his perfect method, his melodious
+voice, provoked a real enthusiasm among the lovers of music in
+the town.
+
+For three weeks Fiovaranti had been achieving a brilliant success
+in "Les Huguenots." The first act, interpreted according to the
+taste of the Quiquendonians, had occupied an entire evening of
+the first week of the month.--Another evening in the second week,
+prolonged by infinite _andantes_, had elicited for the celebrated
+singer a real ovation. His success had been still more marked in
+the third act of Meyerbeer's masterpiece. But now Fiovaranti was
+to appear in the fourth act, which was to be performed on this
+evening before an impatient public. Ah, the duet between Raoul
+and Valentine, that pathetic love-song for two voices, that
+strain so full of _crescendos_, _stringendos_, and _piu
+crescendos_--all this, sung slowly, compendiously, interminably!
+Ah, how delightful!
+
+[Illustration: Fiovaranti had been achieving a brilliant success
+in "Les Huguenots."]
+
+At four o'clock the hall was full. The boxes, the orchestra, the
+pit, were overflowing. In the front stalls sat the Burgomaster
+Van Tricasse, Mademoiselle Van Tricasse, Madame Van Tricasse, and
+the amiable Tatanémance in a green bonnet; not far off were the
+Counsellor Niklausse and his family, not forgetting the amorous
+Frantz. The families of Custos the doctor, of Schut the advocate,
+of Honoré Syntax the chief judge, of Norbet Sontman the insurance
+director, of the banker Collaert, gone mad on German music, and
+himself somewhat of an amateur, and the teacher Rupp, and the
+master of the academy, Jerome Resh, and the civil commissary, and
+so many other notabilities of the town that they could not be
+enumerated here without wearying the reader's patience, were
+visible in different parts of the hall.
+
+It was customary for the Quiquendonians, while awaiting the rise
+of the curtain, to sit silent, some reading the paper, others
+whispering low to each other, some making their way to their
+seats slowly and noiselessly, others casting timid looks towards
+the bewitching beauties in the galleries.
+
+But on this evening a looker-on might have observed that, even
+before the curtain rose, there was unusual animation among the
+audience. People were restless who were never known to be
+restless before. The ladies' fans fluttered with abnormal
+rapidity. All appeared to be inhaling air of exceptional
+stimulating power. Every one breathed more freely. The eyes of
+some became unwontedly bright, and seemed to give forth a light
+equal to that of the candles, which themselves certainly threw a
+more brilliant light over the hall. It was evident that people
+saw more clearly, though the number of candles had not been
+increased. Ah, if Doctor Ox's experiment were being tried! But it
+was not being tried, as yet.
+
+The musicians of the orchestra at last took their places. The
+first violin had gone to the stand to give a modest la to his
+colleagues. The stringed instruments, the wind instruments, the
+drums and cymbals, were in accord. The conductor only waited the
+sound of the bell to beat the first bar.
+
+The bell sounds. The fourth act begins. The _allegro
+appassionato_ of the inter-act is played as usual, with a
+majestic deliberation which would have made Meyerbeer frantic,
+and all the majesty of which was appreciated by the Quiquendonian
+_dilettanti_.
+
+But soon the leader perceived that he was no longer master of his
+musicians. He found it difficult to restrain them, though usually
+so obedient and calm. The wind instruments betrayed a tendency to
+hasten the movements, and it was necessary to hold them back with
+a firm hand, for they would otherwise outstrip the stringed
+instruments; which, from a musical point of view, would have been
+disastrous. The bassoon himself, the son of Josse Lietrinck the
+apothecary, a well-bred young man, seemed to lose his self-control.
+
+Meanwhile Valentine has begun her recitative, "I am alone," &c.;
+but she hurries it.
+
+The leader and all his musicians, perhaps unconsciously, follow
+her in her _cantabile_, which should be taken deliberately, like
+a 12/8 as it is. When Raoul appears at the door at the bottom of
+the stage, between the moment when Valentine goes to him and that
+when she conceals herself in the chamber at the side, a quarter
+of an hour does not elapse; while formerly, according to the
+traditions of the Quiquendone theatre, this recitative of
+thirty-seven bars was wont to last just thirty-seven minutes.
+
+Saint Bris, Nevers, Cavannes, and the Catholic nobles have
+appeared, somewhat prematurely, perhaps, upon the scene. The
+composer has marked _allergo pomposo_ on the score. The orchestra
+and the lords proceed _allegro_ indeed, but not at all _pomposo_,
+and at the chorus, in the famous scene of the "benediction of the
+poniards," they no longer keep to the enjoined _allegro_. Singers
+and musicians broke away impetuously. The leader does not even
+attempt to restrain them. Nor do the public protest; on the
+contrary, the people find themselves carried away, and see that
+they are involved in the movement, and that the movement responds
+to the impulses of their souls.
+
+"Will you, with me, deliver the land,
+ From troubles increasing, an impious band?"
+
+They promise, they swear. Nevers has scarcely time to protest,
+and to sing that "among his ancestors were many soldiers, but
+never an assassin." He is arrested. The police and the aldermen
+rush forward and rapidly swear "to strike all at once." Saint
+Bris shouts the recitative which summons the Catholics to
+vengeance. The three monks, with white scarfs, hasten in by the
+door at the back of Nevers's room, without making any account of
+the stage directions, which enjoin on them to advance slowly.
+Already all the artists have drawn sword or poniard, which the
+three monks bless in a trice. The soprani tenors, bassos, attack
+the _allegro furioso_ with cries of rage, and of a dramatic 6/8
+time they make it 6/8 quadrille time. Then they rush out,
+bellowing,--
+
+"At midnight,
+ Noiselessly,
+ God wills it,
+    Yes,
+ At midnight."
+
+At this moment the audience start to their feet. Everybody is
+agitated--in the boxes, the pit, the galleries. It seems as if
+the spectators are about to rush upon the stage, the Burgomaster
+Van Tricasse at their head, to join with the conspirators and
+annihilate the Huguenots, whose religious opinions, however, they
+share. They applaud, call before the curtain, make loud
+acclamations! Tatanémance grasps her bonnet with feverish hand.
+The candles throw out a lurid glow of light.
+
+Raoul, instead of slowly raising the curtain, tears it apart with
+a superb gesture and finds himself confronting Valentine.
+
+At last! It is the grand duet, and it starts off _allegro
+vivace_. Raoul does not wait for Valentine's pleading, and
+Valentine does not wait for Raoul's responses.
+
+The fine passage beginning, "Danger is passing, time is flying,"
+becomes one of those rapid airs which have made Offenbach famous,
+when he composes a dance for conspirators. The _andante amoroso_,
+"Thou hast said it, aye, thou lovest me," becomes a real _vivace
+furioso_, and the violoncello ceases to imitate the inflections
+of the singer's voice, as indicated in the composer's score. In
+vain Raoul cries, "Speak on, and prolong the ineffable slumber of
+my soul." Valentine cannot "prolong." It is evident that an
+unaccustomed fire devours her. Her _b's_ and her _c's_ above the
+stave were dreadfully shrill. He struggles, he gesticulates, he
+is all in a glow.
+
+The alarum is heard; the bell resounds; but what a panting bell!
+The bell-ringer has evidently lost his self-control. It is a
+frightful tocsin, which violently struggles against the fury of
+the orchestra.
+
+Finally the air which ends this magnificent act, beginning, "No
+more love, no more intoxication, O the remorse that oppresses
+me!" which the composer marks _allegro con moto_, becomes a wild
+_prestissimo_. You would say an express-train was whirling by.
+The alarum resounds again. Valentine falls fainting. Raoul
+precipitates himself from the window.
+
+It was high time. The orchestra, really intoxicated, could not
+have gone on. The leader's baton is no longer anything but a
+broken stick on the prompter's box. The violin strings are
+broken, and their necks twisted. In his fury the drummer has
+burst his drum. The counter-bassist has perched on the top of his
+musical monster. The first clarionet has swallowed the reed of
+his instrument, and the second hautboy is chewing his reed keys.
+The groove of the trombone is strained, and finally the unhappy
+cornist cannot withdraw his hand from the bell of his horn, into
+which he had thrust it too far.
+
+And the audience! The audience, panting, all in a heat,
+gesticulates and howls. All the faces are as red as if a fire
+were burning within their bodies. They crowd each other, hustle
+each other to get out--the men without hats, the women without
+mantles! They elbow each other in the corridors, crush between
+the doors, quarrel, fight! There are no longer any officials, any
+burgomaster. All are equal amid this infernal frenzy!
+
+[Illustration: They hustle each other to get out]
+
+Some moments after, when all have reached the street, each one
+resumes his habitual tranquillity, and peaceably enters his
+house, with a confused remembrance of what he has just experienced.
+
+The fourth act of the "Huguenots," which formerly lasted six
+hours, began, on this evening at half-past four, and ended at
+twelve minutes before five.
+
+It had only lasted eighteen minutes!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+IN WHICH THE ANCIENT AND SOLEMN GERMAN WALTZ BECOMES A WHIRLWIND.
+
+
+But if the spectators, on leaving the theatre, resumed their
+customary calm, if they quietly regained their homes, preserving
+only a sort of passing stupefaction, they had none the less
+undergone a remarkable exaltation, and overcome and weary as if
+they had committed some excess of dissipation, they fell heavily
+upon their beds.
+
+The next day each Quiquendonian had a kind of recollection of
+what had occurred the evening before. One missed his hat, lost in
+the hubbub; another a coat-flap, torn in the brawl; one her
+delicately fashioned shoe, another her best mantle. Memory
+returned to these worthy people, and with it a certain shame for
+their unjustifiable agitation. It seemed to them an orgy in which
+they were the unconscious heroes and heroines. They did not speak
+of it; they did not wish to think of it. But the most astounded
+personage in the town was Van Tricasse the burgomaster.
+
+The next morning, on waking, he could not find his wig. Lotchè
+looked everywhere for it, but in vain. The wig had remained on
+the field of battle. As for having it publicly claimed by Jean
+Mistrol, the town-crier,--no, it would not do. It were better to
+lose the wig than to advertise himself thus, as he had the honour
+to be the first magistrate of Quiquendone.
+
+The worthy Van Tricasse was reflecting upon this, extended
+beneath his sheets, with bruised body, heavy head, furred tongue,
+and burning breast. He felt no desire to get up; on the contrary;
+and his brain worked more during this morning than it had
+probably worked before for forty years. The worthy magistrate
+recalled to his mind all the incidents of the incomprehensible
+performance. He connected them with the events which had taken
+place shortly before at Doctor Ox's reception. He tried to
+discover the causes of the singular excitability which, on two
+occasions, had betrayed itself in the best citizens of the town.
+
+"What _can_ be going on?" he asked himself. "What giddy spirit
+has taken possession of my peaceable town of Quiquendone? Are we
+about to go mad, and must we make the town one vast asylum? For
+yesterday we were all there, notables, counsellors, judges,
+advocates, physicians, schoolmasters; and ail, if my memory
+serves me,--all of us were assailed by this excess of furious
+folly! But what was there in that infernal music? It is
+inexplicable! Yet I certainly ate or drank nothing which could
+put me into such a state. No; yesterday I had for dinner a slice
+of overdone veal, several spoonfuls of spinach with sugar, eggs,
+and a little beer and water,--that couldn't get into my head! No!
+There is something that I cannot explain, and as, after all, I am
+responsible for the conduct of the citizens, I will have an
+investigation."
+
+But the investigation, though decided upon by the municipal
+council, produced no result. If the facts were clear, the causes
+escaped the sagacity of the magistrates. Besides, tranquillity
+had been restored in the public mind, and with tranquillity,
+forgetfulness of the strange scenes of the theatre. The
+newspapers avoided speaking of them, and the account of the
+performance which appeared in the "Quiquendone Memorial," made no
+allusion to this intoxication of the entire audience.
+
+Meanwhile, though the town resumed its habitual phlegm, and
+became apparently Flemish as before, it was observable that, at
+bottom, the character and temperament of the people changed
+little by little. One might have truly said, with Dominique
+Custos, the doctor, that "their nerves were affected."
+
+Let us explain. This undoubted change only took place under
+certain conditions. When the Quiquendonians passed through the
+streets of the town, walked in the squares or along the Vaar,
+they were always the cold and methodical people of former days.
+So, too, when they remained at home, some working with their
+hands and others with their heads,--these doing nothing, those
+thinking nothing,--their private life was silent, inert,
+vegetating as before. No quarrels, no household squabbles, no
+acceleration in the beating of the heart, no excitement of the
+brain. The mean of their pulsations remained as it was of old,
+from fifty to fifty-two per minute.
+
+But, strange and inexplicable phenomenon though it was, which
+would have defied the sagacity of the most ingenious physiologists
+of the day, if the inhabitants of Quiquendone did not change in
+their home life, they were visibly changed in their civil life
+and in their relations between man and man, to which it leads.
+
+If they met together in some public edifice, it did not "work
+well," as Commissary Passauf expressed it. On 'change, at the
+town-hall, in the amphitheatre of the academy, at the sessions of
+the council, as well as at the reunions of the _savants_, a
+strange excitement seized the assembled citizens. Their relations
+with each other became embarrassing before they had been together
+an hour. In two hours the discussion degenerated into an angry
+dispute. Heads became heated, and personalities were used. Even
+at church, during the sermon, the faithful could not listen to
+Van Stabel, the minister, in patience, and he threw himself about
+in the pulpit and lectured his flock with far more than his usual
+severity. At last this state of things brought about altercations
+more grave, alas! than that between Gustos and Schut, and if they
+did not require the interference of the authorities, it was
+because the antagonists, after returning home, found there, with
+its calm, forgetfulness of the offences offered and received.
+
+This peculiarity could not be observed by these minds, which were
+absolutely incapable of recognizing what was passing in them. One
+person only in the town, he whose office the council had thought
+of suppressing for thirty years, Michael Passauf, had remarked
+that this excitement, which was absent from private houses,
+quickly revealed itself in public edifices; and he asked himself,
+not without a certain anxiety, what would happen if this
+infection should ever develop itself in the family mansions, and
+if the epidemic--this was the word he used--should extend
+through the streets of the town. Then there would be no more
+forgetfulness of insults, no more tranquillity, no intermission
+in the delirium; but a permanent inflammation, which would
+inevitably bring the Quiquendonians into collision with each
+other.
+
+"What would happen then?" Commissary Passauf asked himself in
+terror. "How could these furious savages be arrested? How check
+these goaded temperaments? My office would be no longer a
+sinecure, and the council would be obliged to double my salary--
+unless it should arrest me myself, for disturbing the public
+peace!"
+
+These very reasonable fears began to be realized. The infection
+spread from 'change, the theatre, the church, the town-hall, the
+academy, the market, into private houses, and that in less than a
+fortnight after the terrible performance of the "Huguenots."
+
+Its first symptoms appeared in the house of Collaert, the banker.
+
+That wealthy personage gave a ball, or at least a dancing-party,
+to the notabilities of the town. He had issued, some months
+before, a loan of thirty thousand francs, three quarters of which
+had been subscribed; and to celebrate this financial success, he
+had opened his drawing-rooms, and given a party to his fellow-citizens.
+
+Everybody knows that Flemish parties are innocent and tranquil
+enough, the principal expense of which is usually in beer and
+syrups. Some conversation on the weather, the appearance of the
+crops, the fine condition of the gardens, the care of flowers,
+and especially of tulips; a slow and measured dance, from time to
+time, perhaps a minuet; sometimes a waltz, but one of those
+German waltzes which achieve a turn and a half per minute, and
+during which the dancers hold each other as far apart as their
+arms will permit,--such is the usual fashion of the balls
+attended by the aristocratic society of Quiquendone. The polka,
+after being altered to four time, had tried to become accustomed
+to it; but the dancers always lagged behind the orchestra, no
+matter how slow the measure, and it had to be abandoned.
+
+These peaceable reunions, in which the youths and maidens enjoyed
+an honest and moderate pleasure, had never been attended by any
+outburst of ill-nature. Why, then, on this evening at Collaert
+the banker's, did the syrups seem to be transformed into heady
+wines, into sparkling champagne, into heating punches? Why,
+towards the middle of the evening, did a sort of mysterious
+intoxication take possession of the guests? Why did the minuet
+become a jig? Why did the orchestra hurry with its harmonies? Why
+did the candles, just as at the theatre, burn with unwonted
+refulgence? What electric current invaded the banker's drawing-rooms?
+How happened it that the couples held each other so closely, and
+clasped each other's hands so convulsively, that the "cavaliers seuls"
+made themselves conspicuous by certain extraordinary steps in that
+figure usually so grave, so solemn, so majestic, so very proper?
+
+Alas! what OEdipus could have answered these unsolvable
+questions? Commissary Passauf, who was present at the party, saw
+the storm coming distinctly, but he could not control it or fly
+from it, and he felt a kind of intoxication entering his own
+brain. All his physical and emotional faculties increased in
+intensity. He was seen, several times, to throw himself upon the
+confectionery and devour the dishes, as if he had just broken a
+long fast.
+
+The animation of the ball was increasing all this while. A long
+murmur, like a dull buzzing, escaped from all breasts. They
+danced--really danced. The feet were agitated by increasing
+frenzy. The faces became as purple as those of Silenus. The eyes
+shone like carbuncles. The general fermentation rose to the
+highest pitch.
+
+And when the orchestra thundered out the waltz in "Der
+Freyschütz,"--when this waltz, so German, and with a movement so
+slow, was attacked with wild arms by the musicians,--ah! it was
+no longer a waltz, but an insensate whirlwind, a giddy rotation,
+a gyration worthy of being led by some Mephistopheles, beating
+the measure with a firebrand! Then a galop, an infernal galop,
+which lasted an hour without any one being able to stop it,
+whirled off, in its windings, across the halls, the drawing-rooms,
+the antechambers, by the staircases, from the cellar to the garret of
+the opulent mansion, the young men and young girls, the fathers and
+mothers, people of every age, of every weight, of both sexes;
+Collaert, the fat banker, and Madame Collaert, and the counsellors,
+and the magistrates, and the chief justice, and Niklausse, and Madame
+Van Tricasse, and the Burgomaster Van Tricasse, and the Commissary
+Passauf himself, who never could recall afterwards who had been his
+partner on that terrible evening.
+
+[Illustration: it was no longer a waltz]
+
+But she did not forget! And ever since that day she has seen in
+her dreams the fiery commissary, enfolding her in an impassioned
+embrace! And "she"--was the amiable Tatanémance!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+IN WHICH DOCTOR OX AND YGÈNE, HIS ASSISTANT, SAY A FEW WORDS.
+
+
+"Well, Ygène?"
+
+"Well, master, all is ready. The laying of the pipes is
+finished."
+
+"At last! Now, then, we are going to operate on a large scale, on
+the masses!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+IN WHICH IT WILL BE SEEN THAT THE EPIDEMIC INVADES THE ENTIRE TOWN,
+AND WHAT EFFECT IT PRODUCES.
+
+During the following months the evil, in place of subsiding,
+became more extended. From private houses the epidemic spread
+into the streets. The town of Quiquendone was no longer to be
+recognized.
+
+A phenomenon yet stranger than those which had already happened,
+now appeared; not only the animal kingdom, but the vegetable
+kingdom itself, became subject to the mysterious influence.
+
+According to the ordinary course of things, epidemics are special
+in their operation. Those which attack humanity spare the
+animals, and those which attack the animals spare the vegetables.
+A horse was never inflicted with smallpox, nor a man with the
+cattle-plague, nor do sheep suffer from the potato-rot. But here
+all the laws of nature seemed to be overturned. Not only were the
+character, temperament, and ideas of the townsfolk changed, but
+the domestic animals--dogs and cats, horses and cows, asses and
+goats--suffered from this epidemic influence, as if their
+habitual equilibrium had been changed. The plants themselves were
+infected by a similar strange metamorphosis.
+
+In the gardens and vegetable patches and orchards very curious
+symptoms manifested themselves. Climbing plants climbed more
+audaciously. Tufted plants became more tufted than ever. Shrubs
+became trees. Cereals, scarcely sown, showed their little green
+heads, and gained, in the same length of time, as much in inches
+as formerly, under the most favourable circumstances, they had
+gained in fractions. Asparagus attained the height of several
+feet; the artichokes swelled to the size of melons, the melons to
+the size of pumpkins, the pumpkins to the size of gourds, the
+gourds to the size of the belfry bell, which measured, in truth,
+nine feet in diameter. The cabbages were bushes, and the
+mushrooms umbrellas.
+
+The fruits did not lag behind the vegetables. It required two
+persons to eat a strawberry, and four to consume a pear. The
+grapes also attained the enormous proportions of those so well
+depicted by Poussin in his "Return of the Envoys to the Promised
+Land."
+
+[Illustration: It required two persons to eat a strawberry]
+
+It was the same with the flowers: immense violets spread the most
+penetrating perfumes through the air; exaggerated roses shone
+with the brightest colours; lilies formed, in a few days,
+impenetrable copses; geraniums, daisies, camelias, rhododendrons,
+invaded the garden walks, and stifled each other. And the
+tulips,--those dear liliaceous plants so dear to the Flemish
+heart, what emotion they must have caused to their zealous
+cultivators! The worthy Van Bistrom nearly fell over backwards,
+one day, on seeing in his garden an enormous "Tulipa gesneriana,"
+a gigantic monster, whose cup afforded space to a nest for a
+whole family of robins!
+
+The entire town flocked to see this floral phenomenon, and
+renamed it the "Tulipa quiquendonia".
+
+But alas! if these plants, these fruits, these flowers, grew
+visibly to the naked eye, if all the vegetables insisted on
+assuming colossal proportions, if the brilliancy of their colours
+and perfume intoxicated the smell and the sight, they quickly
+withered. The air which they absorbed rapidly exhausted them, and
+they soon died, faded, and dried up.
+
+Such was the fate of the famous tulip, which, after several days
+of splendour, became emaciated, and fell lifeless.
+
+It was soon the same with the domestic animals, from the house-dog
+to the stable pig, from the canary in its cage to the turkey
+of the back-court. It must be said that in ordinary times these
+animals were not less phlegmatic than their masters. The dogs and
+cats vegetated rather than lived. They never betrayed a wag of
+pleasure nor a snarl of wrath. Their tails moved no more than if
+they had been made of bronze. Such a thing as a bite or scratch
+from any of them had not been known from time immemorial. As for
+mad dogs, they were looked upon as imaginary beasts, like the
+griffins and the rest in the menagerie of the apocalypse.
+
+But what a change had taken place in a few months, the smallest
+incidents of which we are trying to reproduce! Dogs and cats
+began to show teeth and claws. Several executions had taken place
+after reiterated offences. A horse was seen, for the first time,
+to take his bit in his teeth and rush through the streets of
+Quiquendone; an ox was observed to precipitate itself, with
+lowered horns, upon one of his herd; an ass was seen to turn
+himself ever, with his legs in the air, in the Place Saint
+Ernuph, and bray as ass never brayed before; a sheep, actually a
+sheep, defended valiantly the cutlets within him from the
+butcher's knife.
+
+Van Tricasse, the burgomaster, was forced to make police
+regulations concerning the domestic animals, as, seized with
+lunacy, they rendered the streets of Quiquendone unsafe.
+
+But alas! if the animals were mad, the men were scarcely less so.
+No age was spared by the scourge. Babies soon became quite
+insupportable, though till now so easy to bring up; and for the
+first time Honoré Syntax, the judge, was obliged to apply the rod
+to his youthful offspring.
+
+There was a kind of insurrection at the high school, and the
+dictionaries became formidable missiles in the classes. The
+scholars would not submit to be shut in, and, besides, the
+infection took the teachers themselves, who overwhelmed the boys
+and girls with extravagant tasks and punishments.
+
+Another strange phenomenon occurred. All these Quiquendonians, so
+sober before, whose chief food had been whipped creams, committed
+wild excesses in their eating and drinking. Their usual regimen
+no longer sufficed. Each stomach was transformed into a gulf, and
+it became necessary to fill this gulf by the most energetic
+means. The consumption of the town was trebled. Instead of two
+repasts they had six. Many cases of indigestion were reported.
+The Counsellor Niklausse could not satisfy his hunger. Van
+Tricasse found it impossible to assuage his thirst, and remained
+in a state of rabid semi-intoxication.
+
+In short, the most alarming symptoms manifested themselves and
+increased from day to day. Drunken people staggered in the
+streets, and these were often citizens of high position.
+
+Dominique Custos, the physician, had plenty to do with the
+heartburns, inflammations, and nervous affections, which proved
+to what a strange degree the nerves of the people had been
+irritated.
+
+There were daily quarrels and altercations in the once deserted
+but now crowded streets of Quiquendone; for nobody could any
+longer stay at home. It was necessary to establish a new police
+force to control the disturbers of the public peace. A prison-cage
+was established in the Town Hall, and speedily became full,
+night and day, of refractory offenders. Commissary Passauf was in
+despair.
+
+A marriage was concluded in less than two months,--such a thing
+had never been seen before. Yes, the son of Rupp, the schoolmaster,
+wedded the daughter of Augustine de Rovere, and that fifty-seven
+days only after he had petitioned for her hand and heart!
+
+Other marriages were decided upon, which, in old times, would
+have remained in doubt and discussion for years. The burgomaster
+perceived that his own daughter, the charming Suzel, was escaping
+from his hands.
+
+As for dear Tatanémance, she had dared to sound Commissary
+Passauf on the subject of a union, which seemed to her to combine
+every element of happiness, fortune, honour, youth!
+
+At last,--to reach the depths of abomination,--a duel took place!
+Yes, a duel with pistols--horse-pistols--at seventy-five paces,
+with ball-cartridges. And between whom? Our readers will never
+believe!
+
+Between M. Frantz Niklausse, the gentle angler, and young Simon
+Collaert, the wealthy banker's son.
+
+And the cause of this duel was the burgomaster's daughter, for
+whom Simon discovered himself to be fired with passion, and whom
+he refused to yield to the claims of an audacious rival!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+IN WHICH THE QUIQUENDONIANS ADOPT A HEROIC RESOLUTION.
+
+
+We have seen to what a deplorable condition the people of
+Quiquendone were reduced. Their heads were in a ferment. They no
+longer knew or recognized themselves. The most peaceable citizens
+had become quarrelsome. If you looked at them askance, they would
+speedily send you a challenge. Some let their moustaches grow,
+and several--the most belligerent--curled them up at the ends.
+
+This being their condition, the administration of the town and
+the maintenance of order in the streets became difficult tasks,
+for the government had not been organized for such a state of
+things. The burgomaster--that worthy Van Tricasse whom we have
+seen so placid, so dull, so incapable of coming to any decision--
+the burgomaster became intractable. His house resounded with the
+sharpness of his voice. He made twenty decisions a day, scolding
+his officials, and himself enforcing the regulations of his
+administration.
+
+Ah, what a change! The amiable and tranquil mansion of the
+burgomaster, that good Flemish home--where was its former calm?
+What changes had taken place in your household economy! Madame
+Van Tricasse had become acrid, whimsical, harsh. Her husband
+sometimes succeeded in drowning her voice by talking louder than
+she, but could not silence her. The petulant humour of this
+worthy dame was excited by everything. Nothing went right. The
+servants offended her every moment. Tatanémance, her sister-in-law,
+who was not less irritable, replied sharply to her. M. Van
+Tricasse naturally supported Lotchè, his servant, as is the case
+in all good households; and this permanently exasperated Madame,
+who constantly disputed, discussed, and made scenes with her
+husband.
+
+"What on earth is the matter with us?" cried the unhappy
+burgomaster. "What is this fire that is devouring us? Are we
+possessed with the devil? Ah, Madame Van Tricasse, Madame Van
+Tricasse, you will end by making me die before you, and thus
+violate all the traditions of the family!"
+
+The reader will not have forgotten the strange custom by which M.
+Van Tricasse would become a widower and marry again, so as not to
+break the chain of descent.
+
+Meanwhile, this disposition of all minds produced other curious
+effects worthy of note. This excitement, the cause of which has
+so far escaped us, brought about unexpected physiological
+changes. Talents, hitherto unrecognized, betrayed themselves.
+Aptitudes were suddenly revealed. Artists, before common-place,
+displayed new ability. Politicians and authors arose. Orators
+proved themselves equal to the most arduous debates, and on every
+question inflamed audiences which were quite ready to be
+inflamed. From the sessions of the council, this movement spread
+to the public political meetings, and a club was formed at
+Quiquendone; whilst twenty newspapers, the "Quiquendone Signal,"
+the "Quiquendone Impartial," the "Quiquendone Radical," and so
+on, written in an inflammatory style, raised the most important
+questions.
+
+But what about? you will ask. Apropos of everything, and of
+nothing; apropos of the Oudenarde tower, which was falling, and
+which some wished to pull down, and others to prop up; apropos of
+the police regulations issued by the council, which some
+obstinate citizens threatened to resist; apropos of the sweeping
+of the gutters, repairing the sewers, and so on. Nor did the
+enraged orators confine themselves to the internal administration
+of the town. Carried on by the current they went further, and
+essayed to plunge their fellow-citizens into the hazards of war.
+
+Quiquendone had had for eight or nine hundred years a _casus
+belli_ of the best quality; but she had preciously laid it up
+like a relic, and there had seemed some probability that it would
+become effete, and no longer serviceable.
+
+This was what had given rise to the _casus belli_.
+
+It is not generally known that Quiquendone, in this cosy corner
+of Flanders, lies next to the little town of Virgamen. The
+territories of the two communities are contiguous.
+
+Well, in 1185, some time before Count Baldwin's departure to the
+Crusades, a Virgamen cow--not a cow belonging to a citizen, but a
+cow which was common property, let it be observed--audaciously
+ventured to pasture on the territory of Quiquendone. This
+unfortunate beast had scarcely eaten three mouthfuls; but the
+offence, the abuse, the crime--whatever you will--was committed
+and duly indicted, for the magistrates, at that time, had already
+begun to know how to write.
+
+"We will take revenge at the proper moment," said simply Natalis
+Van Tricasse, the thirty-second predecessor of the burgomaster of
+this story, "and the Virgamenians will lose nothing by waiting."
+
+The Virgamenians were forewarned. They waited thinking, without
+doubt, that the remembrance of the offence would fade away with
+the lapse of time; and really, for several centuries, they lived
+on good terms with their neighbours of Quiquendone.
+
+But they counted without their hosts, or rather without this
+strange epidemic, which, radically changing the character of the
+Quiquendonians, aroused their dormant vengeance.
+
+It was at the club of the Rue Monstrelet that the truculent
+orator Schut, abruptly introducing the subject to his hearers,
+inflamed them with the expressions and metaphors used on such
+occasions. He recalled the offence, the injury which had been
+done to Quiquendone, and which a nation "jealous of its rights"
+could not admit as a precedent; he showed the insult to be still
+existing, the wound still bleeding: he spoke of certain special
+head-shakings on the part of the people of Virgamen, which
+indicated in what degree of contempt they regarded the people of
+Quiquendone; he appealed to his fellow-citizens, who, unconsciously
+perhaps, had supported this mortal insult for long centuries; he
+adjured the "children of the ancient town" to have no other purpose
+than to obtain a substantial reparation. And, lastly, he made an
+appeal to "all the living energies of the nation!"
+
+With what enthusiasm these words, so new to Quiquendonian ears,
+were greeted, may be surmised, but cannot be told. All the
+auditors rose, and with extended arms demanded war with loud
+cries. Never had the Advocate Schut achieved such a success, and
+it must be avowed that his triumphs were not few.
+
+The burgomaster, the counsellor, all the notabilities present at
+this memorable meeting, would have vainly attempted to resist the
+popular outburst. Besides, they had no desire to do so, and cried
+as loud, if not louder, than the rest,--
+
+"To the frontier! To the frontier!"
+
+As the frontier was but three kilometers from the walls of
+Quiquendone, it is certain that the Virgamenians ran a real
+danger, for they might easily be invaded without having had time
+to look about them.
+
+Meanwhile, Josse Liefrinck, the worthy chemist, who alone had
+preserved his senses on this grave occasion, tried to make his
+fellow-citizens comprehend that guns, cannon, and generals were
+equally wanting to their design.
+
+They replied to him, not without many impatient gestures, that
+these generals, cannons, and guns would be improvised; that the
+right and love of country sufficed, and rendered a people
+irresistible.
+
+Hereupon the burgomaster himself came forward, and in a sublime
+harangue made short work of those pusillanimous people who
+disguise their fear under a veil of prudence, which veil he tore
+off with a patriotic hand.
+
+At this sally it seemed as if the hall would fall in under the
+applause.
+
+The vote was eagerly demanded, and was taken amid acclamations.
+
+The cries of "To Virgamen! to Virgamen!" redoubled.
+
+[Illustration: "To Virgamen! to Virgamen!"]
+
+The burgomaster then took it upon himself to put the armies in
+motion, and in the name of the town he promised the honours of a
+triumph, such as was given in the times of the Romans to that one
+of its generals who should return victorious.
+
+Meanwhile, Josse Liefrinck, who was an obstinate fellow, and did
+not regard himself as beaten, though he really had been, insisted
+on making another observation. He wished to remark that the
+triumph was only accorded at Rome to those victorious generals
+who had killed five thousand of the enemy.
+
+"Well, well!" cried the meeting deliriously.
+
+"And as the population of the town of Virgamen consists of but
+three thousand five hundred and seventy-five inhabitants, it
+would be difficult, unless the same person was killed several
+times--"
+
+But they did not let the luckless logician finish, and he was
+turned out, hustled and bruised.
+
+"Citizens," said Pulmacher the grocer, who usually sold groceries
+by retail, "whatever this cowardly apothecary may have said, I
+engage by myself to kill five thousand Virgamenians, if you will
+accept my services!"
+
+"Five thousand five hundred!" cried a yet more resolute patriot.
+
+"Six thousand six hundred!" retorted the grocer.
+
+"Seven thousand!" cried Jean Orbideck, the confectioner of the
+Rue Hemling, who was on the road to a fortune by making whipped
+creams.
+
+"Adjudged!" exclaimed the burgomaster Van Tricasse, on finding
+that no one else rose on the bid.
+
+And this was how Jean Orbideck the confectioner became
+general-in-chief of the forces of Quiquendone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+IN WHICH YGÈNE, THE ASSISTANT, GIVES A REASONABLE PIECE OF ADVICE,
+WHICH IS EAGERLY REJECTED BY DOCTOR OX.
+
+
+"Well, master," said Ygène next day, as he poured the pails of
+sulphuric acid into the troughs of the great battery.
+
+"Well," resumed Doctor Ox, "was I not right? See to what not only
+the physical developments of a whole nation, but its morality,
+its dignity, its talents, its political sense, have come! It is
+only a question of molecules."
+
+"No doubt; but--"
+
+"But--"
+
+"Do you not think that matters have gone far enough, and that
+these poor devils should not be excited beyond measure?"
+
+"No, no!" cried the doctor; "no! I will go on to the end!"
+
+"As you will, master; the experiment, however, seems to me
+conclusive, and I think it time to--"
+
+"To--"
+
+"To close the valve."
+
+"You'd better!" cried Doctor Ox. "If you attempt it, I'll
+throttle you!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+IN WHICH IT IS ONCE MORE PROVED THAT BY TAKING HIGH GROUND ALL HUMAN
+LITTLENESSES MAY BE OVERLOOKED.
+
+
+"You say?" asked the Burgomaster Van Tricasse of the Counsellor
+Niklausse.
+
+"I say that this war is necessary," replied Niklausse, firmly,
+"and that the time has come to avenge this insult."
+
+"Well, I repeat to you," replied the burgomaster, tartly, "that
+if the people of Quiquendone do not profit by this occasion to
+vindicate their rights, they will be unworthy of their name."
+
+"And as for me, I maintain that we ought, without delay, to
+collect our forces and lead them to the front."
+
+"Really, monsieur, really!" replied Van Tricasse. "And do you
+speak thus to _me_?"
+
+"To yourself, monsieur the burgomaster; and you shall hear the
+truth, unwelcome as it may be."
+
+"And you shall hear it yourself, counsellor," returned Van
+Tricasse in a passion, "for it will come better from my mouth
+than from yours! Yes, monsieur, yes, any delay would be
+dishonourable. The town of Quiquendone has waited nine hundred
+years for the moment to take its revenge, and whatever you may
+say, whether it pleases you or not, we shall march upon the
+enemy."
+
+"Ah, you take it thus!" replied Niklausse harshly. "Very well,
+monsieur, we will march without you, if it does not please you to
+go."
+
+"A burgomaster's place is in the front rank, monsieur!"
+
+[Illustration: "A burgomaster's place is in the front rank,
+monsieur!"]
+
+"And that of a counsellor also, monsieur."
+
+"You insult me by thwarting all my wishes," cried the
+burgomaster, whose fists seemed likely to hit out before long.
+
+"And you insult me equally by doubting my patriotism," cried
+Niklausse, who was equally ready for a tussle.
+
+"I tell you, monsieur, that the army of Quiquendone shall be put
+in motion within two days!"
+
+"And I repeat to you, monsieur, that forty-eight hours shall not
+pass before we shall have marched upon the enemy!"
+
+It is easy to see, from this fragment of conversation, that the
+two speakers supported exactly the same idea. Both wished for
+hostilities; but as their excitement disposed them to altercation,
+Niklausse would not listen to Van Tricasse, nor Van Tricasse to
+Niklausse. Had they been of contrary opinions on this grave
+question, had the burgomaster favoured war and the counsellor
+insisted on peace, the quarrel would not have been more violent.
+These two old friends gazed fiercely at each other. By the
+quickened beating of their hearts, their red faces, their
+contracted pupils, the trembling of their muscles, their harsh
+voices, it might be conjectured that they were ready to come to
+blows.
+
+But the striking of a large clock happily checked the adversaries
+at the moment when they seemed on the point of assaulting each
+other.
+
+"At last the hour has come!" cried the burgomaster.
+
+"What hour?" asked the counsellor.
+
+"The hour to go to the belfry tower."
+
+"It is true, and whether it pleases you or not, I shall go,
+monsieur."
+
+"And I too."
+
+"Let us go!"
+
+"Let us go!"
+
+It might have been supposed from these last words that a
+collision had occurred, and that the adversaries were proceeding
+to a duel; but it was not so. It had been agreed that the
+burgomaster and the counsellor, as the two principal dignitaries
+of the town, should repair to the Town Hall, and there show
+themselves on the high tower which overlooked Quiquendone; that
+they should examine the surrounding country, so as to make the
+best strategetic plan for the advance of their troops.
+
+Though they were in accord on this subject, they did not cease to
+quarrel bitterly as they went. Their loud voices were heard
+resounding in the streets; but all the passers-by were now
+accustomed to this; the exasperation of the dignitaries seemed
+quite natural, and no one took notice of it. Under the circumstances,
+a calm man would have been regarded as a monster.
+
+The burgomaster and the counsellor, having reached the porch of
+the belfry, were in a paroxysm of fury. They were no longer red,
+but pale. This terrible discussion, though they had the same
+idea, had produced internal spasms, and every one knows that
+paleness shows that anger has reached its last limits.
+
+At the foot of the narrow tower staircase there was a real
+explosion. Who should go up first? Who should first creep up the
+winding steps? Truth compels us to say that there was a tussle,
+and that the Counsellor Niklausse, forgetful of all that he owed
+to his superior, to the supreme magistrate of the town, pushed
+Van Tricasse violently back, and dashed up the staircase first.
+
+Both ascended, denouncing and raging at each other at every step.
+It was to be feared that a terrible climax would occur on the
+summit of the tower, which rose three hundred and fifty-seven
+feet above the pavement.
+
+The two enemies soon got out of breath, however, and in a little
+while, at the eightieth step, they began to move up heavily,
+breathing loud and short.
+
+Then--was it because of their being out of breath?--their wrath
+subsided, or at least only betrayed itself by a succession of
+unseemly epithets. They became silent, and, strange to say, it
+seemed as if their excitement diminished as they ascended higher
+above the town. A sort of lull took place in their minds. Their
+brains became cooler, and simmered down like a coffee-pot when
+taken away from the fire. Why?
+
+We cannot answer this "why;" but the truth is that, having
+reached a certain landing-stage, two hundred and sixty-six feet
+above ground, the two adversaries sat down and, really more calm,
+looked at each other without any anger in their faces.
+
+"How high it is!" said the burgomaster, passing his handkerchief
+over his rubicund face.
+
+"Very high!" returned the counsellor. "Do you know that we have
+gone fourteen feet higher than the Church of Saint Michael at
+Hamburg?"
+
+"I know it," replied the burgomaster, in a tone of vanity very
+pardonable in the chief magistrate of Quiquendone.
+
+The two notabilities soon resumed their ascent, casting curious
+glances through the loopholes pierced in the tower walls. The
+burgomaster had taken the head of the procession, without any
+remark on the part of the counsellor. It even happened that at
+about the three hundred and fourth step, Van Tricasse being
+completely tired out, Niklausse kindly pushed him from behind.
+The burgomaster offered no resistance to this, and, when he
+reached the platform of the tower, said graciously,--
+
+"Thanks, Niklausse; I will do the same for you one day."
+
+A little while before it had been two wild beasts, ready to tear
+each other to pieces, who had presented themselves at the foot of
+the tower; it was now two friends who reached its summit.
+
+The weather was superb. It was the month of May. The sun had
+absorbed all the vapours. What a pure and limpid atmosphere! The
+most minute objects over a broad space might be discerned. The
+walls of Virgamen, glistening in their whiteness,--its red,
+pointed roofs, its belfries shining in the sunlight--appeared a
+few miles off. And this was the town that was foredoomed to all
+the horrors of fire and pillage!
+
+The burgomaster and the counsellor sat down beside each other on
+a small stone bench, like two worthy people whose souls were in
+close sympathy. As they recovered breath, they looked around;
+then, after a brief silence,--
+
+"How fine this is!" cried the burgomaster.
+
+"Yes, it is admirable!" replied the counsellor. "Does it not
+seem to you, my good Van Tricasse, that humanity is destined to
+dwell rather at such heights, than to crawl about on the surface
+of our globe?"
+
+"I agree with you, honest Niklausse," returned the burgomaster,
+"I agree with you. You seize sentiment better when you get clear
+of nature. You breathe it in every sense! It is at such heights
+that philosophers should be formed, and that sages should live,
+above the miseries of this world!"
+
+"Shall we go around the platform?" asked the counsellor.
+
+"Let us go around the platform," replied the burgomaster.
+
+And the two friends, arm in arm, and putting, as formerly, long
+pauses between their questions and answers, examined every point
+of the horizon.
+
+[Illustration: The two friends, arm in arm]
+
+"It is at least seventeen years since I have ascended the belfry
+tower," said Van Tricasse.
+
+"I do not think I ever came up before," replied Niklausse; "and I
+regret it, for the view from this height is sublime! Do you see,
+my friend, the pretty stream of the Vaar, as it winds among the
+trees?"
+
+"And, beyond, the heights of Saint Hermandad! How gracefully they
+shut in the horizon! Observe that border of green trees, which
+Nature has so picturesquely arranged! Ah, Nature, Nature,
+Niklausse! Could the hand of man ever hope to rival her?"
+
+"It is enchanting, my excellent friend," replied the counsellor.
+"See the flocks and herds lying in the verdant pastures,--the
+oxen, the cows, the sheep!"
+
+"And the labourers going to the fields! You would say they were
+Arcadian shepherds; they only want a bagpipe!"
+
+"And over all this fertile country the beautiful blue sky, which
+no vapour dims! Ah, Niklausse, one might become a poet here! I do
+not understand why Saint Simeon Stylites was not one of the
+greatest poets of the world."
+
+"It was because, perhaps, his column was not high enough,"
+replied the counsellor, with a gentle smile.
+
+At this moment the chimes of Quiquendone rang out. The clear
+bells played one of their most melodious airs. The two friends
+listened in ecstasy.
+
+Then in his calm voice, Van Tricasse said,--
+
+"But what, friend Niklausse, did we come to the top of this tower
+to do?"
+
+"In fact," replied the counsellor, "we have permitted ourselves
+to be carried away by our reveries--"
+
+"What did we come here to do?" repeated the burgomaster.
+
+"We came," said Niklausse, "to breathe this pure air, which human
+weaknesses have not corrupted."
+
+"Well, shall we descend, friend Niklausse?"
+
+"Let us descend, friend Van Tricasse."
+
+They gave a parting glance at the splendid panorama which was
+spread before their eyes; then the burgomaster passed down first,
+and began to descend with a slow and measured pace. The
+counsellor followed a few steps behind. They reached the landing-stage
+at which they had stopped on ascending. Already their cheeks began to
+redden. They tarried a moment, then resumed their descent.
+
+In a few moments Van Tricasse begged Niklausse to go more slowly,
+as he felt him on his heels, and it "worried him." It even did
+more than worry him; for twenty steps lower down he ordered the
+counsellor to stop, that he might get on some distance ahead.
+
+The counsellor replied that he did not wish to remain with his
+leg in the air to await the good pleasure of the burgomaster, and
+kept on.
+
+Van Tricasse retorted with a rude expression.
+
+The counsellor responded by an insulting allusion to the
+burgomaster's age, destined as he was, by his family traditions,
+to marry a second time.
+
+The burgomaster went down twenty steps more, and warned Niklausse
+that this should not pass thus.
+
+Niklausse replied that, at all events, he would pass down first;
+and, the space being very narrow, the two dignitaries came into
+collision, and found themselves in utter darkness. The words
+"blockhead" and "booby" were the mildest which they now applied
+to each other.
+
+"We shall see, stupid beast!" cried the burgomaster,--"we shall
+see what figure you will make in this war, and in what rank you
+will march!"
+
+"In the rank that precedes yours, you silly old fool!" replied
+Niklausse.
+
+Then there were other cries, and it seemed as if bodies were
+rolling over each other. What was going on? Why were these
+dispositions so quickly changed? Why were the gentle sheep of the
+tower's summit metamorphosed into tigers two hundred feet below
+it?
+
+However this might be, the guardian of the tower, hearing the
+noise, opened the door, just at the moment when the two
+adversaries, bruised, and with protruding eyes, were in the act
+of tearing each other's hair,--fortunately they wore wigs.
+
+"You shall give me satisfaction for this!" cried the burgomaster,
+shaking his fist under his adversary's nose.
+
+"Whenever you please!" growled the Counsellor Niklausse,
+attempting to respond with a vigorous kick.
+
+The guardian, who was himself in a passion,--I cannot say why,--
+thought the scene a very natural one. I know not what excitement
+urged him to take part in it, but he controlled himself, and went
+off to announce throughout the neighbourhood that a hostile
+meeting was about to take place between the Burgomaster Van
+Tricasse and the Counsellor Niklausse.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+IN WHICH MATTERS GO SO FAR THAT THE INHABITANTS OF QUIQUENDONE,
+THE READER, AND EVEN THE AUTHOR, DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE DÉNOUEMENT.
+
+
+The last incident proves to what a pitch of excitement the
+Quiquendonians had been wrought. The two oldest friends in the
+town, and the most gentle--before the advent of the epidemic, to
+reach this degree of violence! And that, too, only a few minutes
+after their old mutual sympathy, their amiable instincts, their
+contemplative habit, had been restored at the summit of the
+tower!
+
+On learning what was going on, Doctor Ox could not contain his
+joy. He resisted the arguments which Ygène, who saw what a
+serious turn affairs were taking, addressed to him. Besides, both
+of them were infected by the general fury. They were not less
+excited than the rest of the population, and they ended by
+quarrelling as violently as the burgomaster and the counsellor.
+
+Besides, one question eclipsed all others, and the intended duels
+were postponed to the issue of the Virgamenian difficulty. No man
+had the right to shed his blood uselessly, when it belonged, to
+the last drop, to his country in danger. The affair was, in
+short, a grave one, and there was no withdrawing from it.
+
+The Burgomaster Van Tricasse, despite the warlike ardour with
+which he was filled, had not thought it best to throw himself
+upon the enemy without warning him. He had, therefore, through
+the medium of the rural policeman, Hottering, sent to demand
+reparation of the Virgamenians for the offence committed, in
+1195, on the Quiquendonian territory.
+
+The authorities of Virgamen could not at first imagine of what
+the envoy spoke, and the latter, despite his official character,
+was conducted back to the frontier very cavalierly.
+
+Van Tricasse then sent one of the aides-de-camp of the
+confectioner-general, citizen Hildevert Shuman, a manufacturer of
+barley-sugar, a very firm and energetic man, who carried to the
+authorities of Virgamen the original minute of the indictment
+drawn up in 1195 by order of the Burgomaster Natalís Van
+Tricasse.
+
+The authorities of Virgamen burst out laughing, and served the
+aide-de-camp in the same manner as the rural policeman.
+
+The burgomaster then assembled the dignitaries of the town.
+
+A letter, remarkably and vigorously drawn up, was written as an
+ultimatum; the cause of quarrel was plainly stated, and a delay
+of twenty-four hours was accorded to the guilty city in which to
+repair the outrage done to Quiquendone.
+
+The letter was sent off, and returned a few hours afterwards,
+torn to bits, which made so many fresh insults. The Virgamenians
+knew of old the forbearance and equanimity of the Quiquendonians,
+and made sport of them and their demand, of their _casus belli_
+and their _ultimatum_.
+
+There was only one thing left to do,--to have recourse to arms,
+to invoke the God of battles, and, after the Prussian fashion, to
+hurl themselves upon the Virgamenians before the latter could be
+prepared.
+
+This decision was made by the council in solemn conclave, in
+which cries, objurgations, and menacing gestures were mingled
+with unexampled violence. An assembly of idiots, a congress of
+madmen, a club of maniacs, would not have been more tumultuous.
+
+As soon as the declaration of war was known, General Jean
+Orbideck assembled his troops, perhaps two thousand three hundred
+and ninety-three combatants from a population of two thousand
+three hundred and ninety-three souls. The women, the children,
+the old men, were joined with the able-bodied males. The guns of
+the town had been put under requisition. Five had been found, two
+of which were without cocks, and these had been distributed to
+the advance-guard. The artillery was composed of the old culverin
+of the château, taken in 1339 at the attack on Quesnoy, one of
+the first occasions of the use of cannon in history, and which
+had not been fired off for five centuries. Happily for those who
+were appointed to take it in charge there were no projectiles
+with which to load it; but such as it was, this engine might well
+impose on the enemy. As for side-arms, they had been taken from
+the museum of antiquities,--flint hatchets, helmets, Frankish
+battle-axes, javelins, halberds, rapiers, and so on; and also in
+those domestic arsenals commonly known as "cupboards" and
+"kitchens." But courage, the right, hatred of the foreigner, the
+yearning for vengeance, were to take the place of more perfect
+engines, and to replace--at least it was hoped so--the modern
+mitrailleuses and breech-loaders.
+
+The troops were passed in review. Not a citizen failed at the
+roll-call. General Orbideck, whose seat on horseback was far from
+firm, and whose steed was a vicious beast, was thrown three times
+in front of the army; but he got up again without injury, and
+this was regarded as a favourable omen. The burgomaster, the
+counsellor, the civil commissary, the chief justice, the
+school-teacher, the banker, the rector,--in short, all the
+notabilities of the town,--marched at the head. There were no tears
+shed, either by mothers, sisters, or daughters. They urged on their
+husbands, fathers, brothers, to the combat, and even followed
+them and formed the rear-guard, under the orders of the
+courageous Madame Van Tricasse.
+
+The crier, Jean Mistrol, blew his trumpet; the army moved off,
+and directed itself, with ferocious cries, towards the Oudenarde
+gate.
+
+******
+
+At the moment when the head of the column was about to pass the
+walls of the town, a man threw himself before it.
+
+"Stop! stop! Fools that you are!" he cried. "Suspend your blows!
+Let me shut the valve! You are not changed in nature! You are
+good citizens, quiet and peaceable! If you are so excited, it is
+my master, Doctor Ox's, fault! It is an experiment! Under the
+pretext of lighting your streets with oxyhydric gas, he has
+saturated--"
+
+The assistant was beside himself; but he could not finish. At the
+instant that the doctor's secret was about to escape his lips,
+Doctor Ox himself pounced upon the unhappy Ygène in an indescribable
+rage, and shut his mouth by blows with his fist.
+
+It was a battle. The burgomaster, the counsellor, the
+dignitaries, who had stopped short on Ygène's sudden appearance,
+carried away in turn by their exasperation, rushed upon the two
+strangers, without waiting to hear either the one or the other.
+
+Doctor Ox and his assistant, beaten and lashed, were about to be
+dragged, by order of Van Tricasse, to the round-house, when,--
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+IN WHICH THE DÉNOUEMENT TAKES PLACE.
+
+
+When a formidable explosion resounded. All the atmosphere which
+enveloped Quiquendone seemed on fire. A flame of an intensity and
+vividness quite unwonted shot up into the heavens like a meteor.
+Had it been night, this flame would have been visible for ten
+leagues around.
+
+The whole army of Quiquendone fell to the earth, like an army of
+monks. Happily there were no victims; a few scratches and slight
+hurts were the only result. The confectioner, who, as chance
+would have it, had not fallen from his horse this time, had his
+plume singed, and escaped without any further injury.
+
+[Illustration: The whole army of Quiquendone fell to the earth]
+
+What had happened?
+
+Something very simple, as was soon learned; the gasworks had just
+blown up. During the absence of the doctor and his assistant,
+some careless mistake had no doubt been made. It is not known how
+or why a communication had been established between the reservoir
+which contained the oxygen and that which enclosed the hydrogen.
+An explosive mixture had resulted from the union of these two
+gases, to which fire had accidentally been applied.
+
+This changed everything; but when the army got upon its feet
+again, Doctor Ox and his assistant Ygène had disappeared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+IN WHICH THE INTELLIGENT READER SEES THAT HE HAS GUESSED CORRECTLY,
+DESPITE ALL THE AUTHOR'S PRECAUTIONS.
+
+
+After the explosion, Quiquendone immediately became the peaceable,
+phlegmatic, and Flemish town it formerly was.
+
+After the explosion, which indeed did not cause a very lively
+sensation, each one, without knowing why, mechanically took his
+way home, the burgomaster leaning on the counsellor's arm, the
+advocate Schut going arm in arm with Custos the doctor, Frantz
+Niklausse walking with equal familiarity with Simon Collaert,
+each going tranquilly, noiselessly, without even being conscious
+of what had happened, and having already forgotten Virgamen and
+their revenge. The general returned to his confections, and his
+aide-de-camp to the barley-sugar.
+
+Thus everything had become calm again; the old existence had been
+resumed by men and beasts, beasts and plants; even by the tower
+of Oudenarde gate, which the explosion--these explosions are
+sometimes astonishing--had set upright again!
+
+And from that time never a word was spoken more loudly than
+another, never a discussion took place in the town of Quiquendone.
+There were no more politics, no more clubs, no more trials, no
+more policemen! The post of the Commissary Passauf became once
+more a sinecure, and if his salary was not reduced, it was because
+the burgomaster and the counsellor could not make up their minds
+to decide upon it.
+
+From time to time, indeed, Passauf flitted, without any one
+suspecting it, through the dreams of the inconsolable Tatanémance.
+
+As for Frantz's rival, he generously abandoned the charming Suzel
+to her lover, who hastened to wed her five or six years after
+these events.
+
+And as for Madame Van Tricasse, she died ten years later, at the
+proper time, and the burgomaster married Mademoiselle Pélagie Van
+Tricasse, his cousin, under excellent conditions--for the happy
+mortal who should succeed him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+IN WHICH DOCTOR OX'S THEORY IS EXPLAINED.
+
+
+What, then, had this mysterious Doctor Ox done? Tried a fantastic
+experiment,--nothing more.
+
+After having laid down his gas-pipes, he had saturated, first the
+public buildings, then the private dwellings, finally the streets
+of Quiquendone, with pure oxygen, without letting in the least
+atom of hydrogen.
+
+This gas, tasteless and odorless, spread in generous quantity
+through the atmosphere, causes, when it is breathed, serious
+agitation to the human organism. One who lives in an air
+saturated with oxygen grows excited, frantic, burns!
+
+You scarcely return to the ordinary atmosphere before you return
+to your usual state. For instance, the counsellor and the
+burgomaster at the top of the belfry were themselves again, as
+the oxygen is kept, by its weight, in the lower strata of the
+air.
+
+But one who lives under such conditions, breathing this gas which
+transforms the body physiologically as well as the soul, dies
+speedily, like a madman.
+
+It was fortunate, then, for the Quiquendonians, that a
+providential explosion put an end to this dangerous experiment,
+and abolished Doctor Ox's gas-works.
+
+To conclude: Are virtue, courage, talent, wit, imagination,--are
+all these qualities or faculties only a question of oxygen?
+
+Such is Doctor Ox's theory; but we are not bound to accept it,
+and for ourselves we utterly reject it, in spite of the curious
+experiment of which the worthy old town of Quiquendone was the
+theatre.
+
+
+
+
+MASTER ZACHARIUS
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+A WINTER NIGHT.
+
+
+The city of Geneva lies at the west end of the lake of the same
+name. The Rhone, which passes through the town at the outlet of
+the lake, divides it into two sections, and is itself divided in
+the centre of the city by an island placed in mid-stream. A
+topographical feature like this is often found in the great
+depôts of commerce and industry. No doubt the first inhabitants
+were influenced by the easy means of transport which the swift
+currents of the rivers offered them--those "roads which walk
+along of their own accord," as Pascal puts it. In the case of the
+Rhone, it would be the road that ran along.
+
+Before new and regular buildings were constructed on this island,
+which was enclosed like a Dutch galley in the middle of the
+river, the curious mass of houses, piled one on the other,
+presented a delightfully confused _coup-d'oeil_. The small area
+of the island had compelled some of the buildings to be perched,
+as it were, on the piles, which were entangled in the rough
+currents of the river. The huge beams, blackened by time, and
+worn by the water, seemed like the claws of an enormous crab, and
+presented a fantastic appearance. The little yellow streams,
+which were like cobwebs stretched amid this ancient foundation,
+quivered in the darkness, as if they had been the leaves of some
+old oak forest, while the river engulfed in this forest of piles,
+foamed and roared most mournfully.
+
+One of the houses of the island was striking for its curiously
+aged appearance. It was the dwelling of the old clockmaker,
+Master Zacharius, whose household consisted of his daughter
+Gerande, Aubert Thun, his apprentice, and his old servant
+Scholastique.
+
+There was no man in Geneva to compare in interest with this
+Zacharius. His age was past finding out. Not the oldest
+inhabitant of the town could tell for how long his thin, pointed
+head had shaken above his shoulders, nor the day when, for the
+first time, he had-walked through the streets, with his long
+white locks floating in the wind. The man did not live; he
+vibrated like the pendulum of his clocks. His spare and
+cadaverous figure was always clothed in dark colours. Like the
+pictures of Leonardo di Vinci, he was sketched in black.
+
+Gerande had the pleasantest room in the whole house, whence,
+through a narrow window, she had the inspiriting view of the
+snowy peaks of Jura; but the bedroom and workshop of the old man
+were a kind of cavern close on to the water, the floor of which
+rested on the piles.
+
+From time immemorial Master Zacharius had never come out except
+at meal times, and when he went to regulate the different clocks
+of the town. He passed the rest of his time at his bench, which
+was covered with numerous clockwork instruments, most of which he
+had invented himself. For he was a clever man; his works were
+valued in all France and Germany. The best workers in Geneva
+readily recognized his superiority, and showed that he was an
+honour to the town, by saying, "To him belongs the glory of
+having invented the escapement." In fact, the birth of true
+clock-work dates from the invention which the talents of
+Zacharius had discovered not many years before.
+
+After he had worked hard for a long time, Zacharius would slowly
+put his tools away, cover up the delicate pieces that he had been
+adjusting with glasses, and stop the active wheel of his lathe;
+then he would raise a trap-door constructed in the floor of his
+workshop, and, stooping down, used to inhale for hours together
+the thick vapours of the Rhone, as it dashed along under his
+eyes.
+
+[Illustration: he would raise the trap door constructed in the
+floor of his workshop.]
+
+One winter's night the old servant Scholastique served the
+supper, which, according to old custom, she and the young
+mechanic shared with their master. Master Zacharius did not eat,
+though the food carefully prepared for him was offered him in a
+handsome blue and white dish. He scarcely answered the sweet
+words of Gerande, who evidently noticed her father's silence, and
+even the clatter of Scholastique herself no more struck his ear
+than the roar of the river, to which he paid no attention.
+
+After the silent meal, the old clockmaker left the table without
+embracing his daughter, or saying his usual "Good-night" to all.
+He left by the narrow door leading to his den, and the staircase
+groaned under his heavy footsteps as he went down.
+
+Gerande, Aubert, and Scholastique sat for some minutes without
+speaking. On this evening the weather was dull; the clouds
+dragged heavily on the Alps, and threatened rain; the severe
+climate of Switzerland made one feel sad, while the south wind
+swept round the house, and whistled ominously.
+
+"My dear young lady," said Scholastique, at last, "do you know
+that our master has been out of sorts for several days? Holy
+Virgin! I know he has had no appetite, because his words stick in
+his inside, and it would take a very clever devil to drag even
+one out of him."
+
+"My father has some secret cause of trouble, that I cannot even
+guess," replied Gerande, as a sad anxiety spread over her face.
+
+"Mademoiselle, don't let such sadness fill your heart. You know
+the strange habits of Master Zacharius. Who can read his secret
+thoughts in his face? No doubt some fatigue has overcome him, but
+to-morrow he will have forgotten it, and be very sorry to have
+given his daughter pain."
+
+It was Aubert who spoke thus, looking into Gerande's lovely eyes.
+Aubert was the first apprentice whom Master Zacharius had ever
+admitted to the intimacy of his labours, for he appreciated his
+intelligence, discretion, and goodness of heart; and this young
+man had attached himself to Gerande with the earnest devotion
+natural to a noble nature.
+
+Gerande was eighteen years of age. Her oval face recalled that of
+the artless Madonnas whom veneration still displays at the street
+corners of the antique towns of Brittany. Her eyes betrayed an
+infinite simplicity. One would love her as the sweetest
+realization of a poet's dream. Her apparel was of modest colours,
+and the white linen which was folded about her shoulders had the
+tint and perfume peculiar to the linen of the church. She led a
+mystical existence in Geneva, which had not as yet been delivered
+over to the dryness of Calvinism.
+
+While, night and morning, she read her Latin prayers in her
+iron-clasped missal, Gerande had also discovered a hidden sentiment in
+Aubert Thun's heart, and comprehended what a profound devotion
+the young workman had for her. Indeed, the whole world in his
+eyes was condensed into this old clockmaker's house, and he
+passed all his time near the young girl, when he left her
+father's workshop, after his work was over.
+
+Old Scholastique saw all this, but said nothing. Her loquacity
+exhausted itself in preference on the evils of the times, and the
+little worries of the household. Nobody tried to stop its course.
+It was with her as with the musical snuff-boxes which they made
+at Geneva; once wound up, you must break them before you will
+prevent their playing all their airs through.
+
+Finding Gerande absorbed in a melancholy silence, Scholastique
+left her old wooden chair, fixed a taper on the end of a
+candlestick, lit it, and placed it near a small waxen Virgin,
+sheltered in her niche of stone. It was the family custom to
+kneel before this protecting Madonna of the domestic hearth, and
+to beg her kindly watchfulness during the coming night; but on
+this evening Gerande remained silent in her seat.
+
+"Well, well, dear demoiselle," said the astonished Scholastique,
+"supper is over, and it is time to go to bed. Why do you tire your
+eyes by sitting up late? Ah, Holy Virgin! It's much better to
+sleep, and to get a little comfort from happy dreams! In these
+detestable times in which we live, who can promise herself a
+fortunate day?"
+
+"Ought we not to send for a doctor for my father?" asked Gerande.
+
+"A doctor!" cried the old domestic. "Has Master Zacharius ever
+listened to their fancies and pompous sayings? He might accept
+medicines for the watches, but not for the body!"
+
+"What shall we do?" murmured Gerande. "Has he gone to work, or to
+rest?"
+
+"Gerande," answered Aubert softly, "some mental trouble annoys
+your father, that is all."
+
+"Do you know what it is, Aubert?"
+
+"Perhaps, Gerande"
+
+"Tell us, then," cried Scholastique eagerly, economically
+extinguishing her taper.
+
+"For several days, Gerande," said the young apprentice,
+"something absolutely incomprehensible has been going on. All the
+watches which your father has made and sold for some years have
+suddenly stopped. Very many of them have been brought back to
+him. He has carefully taken them to pieces; the springs were in
+good condition, and the wheels well set. He has put them together
+yet more carefully; but, despite his skill, they will not go."
+
+"The devil's in it!" cried Scholastique.
+
+"Why say you so?" asked Gerande. "It seems very natural to me.
+Nothing lasts for ever in this world. The infinite cannot be
+fashioned by the hands of men."
+
+"It is none the less true," returned Aubert, "that there is in
+this something very mysterious and extraordinary. I have myself
+been helping Master Zacharius to search for the cause of this
+derangement of his watches; but I have not been able to find it,
+and more than once I have let my tools fall from my hands in
+despair."
+
+"But why undertake so vain a task?" resumed Scholastique. "Is it
+natural that a little copper instrument should go of itself, and
+mark the hours? We ought to have kept to the sun-dial!"
+
+"You will not talk thus, Scholastique," said Aubert, "when you
+learn that the sun-dial was invented by Cain.''
+
+"Good heavens! what are you telling me?"
+
+"Do you think," asked Gerande simply, "that we might pray to God
+to give life to my father's watches?"
+
+"Without doubt," replied Aubert.
+
+"Good! They will be useless prayers," muttered the old servant,
+"but Heaven will pardon them for their good intent."
+
+The taper was relighted. Scholastique, Gerande, and Aubert knelt
+down together upon the tiles of the room. The young girl prayed
+for her mother's soul, for a blessing for the night, for
+travellers and prisoners, for the good and the wicked, and more
+earnestly than all for the unknown misfortunes of her father.
+
+[Illustration: The young girl prayed]
+
+Then the three devout souls rose with some confidence in their
+hearts, because they had laid their sorrow on the bosom of God.
+
+Aubert repaired to his own room; Gerande sat pensively by the
+window, whilst the last lights were disappearing from the city
+streets; and Scholastique, having poured a little water on the
+flickering embers, and shut the two enormous bolts on the door,
+threw herself upon her bed, where she was soon dreaming that she
+was dying of fright.
+
+Meanwhile the terrors of this winter's night had increased.
+Sometimes, with the whirlpools of the river, the wind engulfed
+itself among the piles, and the whole house shivered and shook;
+but the young girl, absorbed in her sadness, thought only of her
+father. After hearing what Aubert told her, the malady of Master
+Zacharius took fantastic proportions in her mind; and it seemed
+to her as if his existence, so dear to her, having become purely
+mechanical, no longer moved on its worn-out pivots without
+effort.
+
+Suddenly the pent-house shutter, shaken by the squall, struck
+against the window of the room. Gerande shuddered and started up
+without understanding the cause of the noise which thus disturbed
+her reverie. When she became a little calmer she opened the sash.
+The clouds had burst, and a torrent-like rain pattered on the
+surrounding roofs. The young girl leaned out of the window to
+draw to the shutter shaken by the wind, but she feared to do so.
+It seemed to her that the rain and the river, confounding their
+tumultuous waters, were submerging the frail house, the planks of
+which creaked in every direction. She would have flown from her
+chamber, but she saw below the flickering of a light which
+appeared to come from Master Zacharius's retreat, and in one of
+those momentary calms during which the elements keep a sudden
+silence, her ear caught plaintive sounds. She tried to shut her
+window, but could not. The wind violently repelled her, like a
+thief who was breaking into a dwelling.
+
+Gerande thought she would go mad with terror. What was her father
+doing? She opened the door, and it escaped from her hands, and
+slammed loudly with the force of the tempest. Gerande then found
+herself in the dark supper-room, succeeded in gaining, on tiptoe,
+the staircase which led to her father's shop, and pale and
+fainting, glided down.
+
+The old watchmaker was upright in the middle of the room, which
+resounded with the roaring of the river. His bristling hair gave
+him a sinister aspect. He was talking and gesticulating, without
+seeing or hearing anything. Gerande stood still on the threshold.
+
+"It is death!" said Master Zacharius, in a hollow voice; "it is
+death! Why should I live longer, now that I have dispersed my
+existence over the earth? For I, Master, Zacharius, am really the
+creator of all the watches that I have fashioned! It is a part of
+my very soul that I have shut up in each of these cases of iron,
+silver, or gold! Every time that one of these accursed watches
+stops, I feel my heart cease beating, for I have regulated them
+with its pulsations!"
+
+As he spoke in this strange way, the old man cast his eyes on his
+bench. There lay all the pieces of a watch that he had carefully
+taken apart. He took up a sort of hollow cylinder, called a
+barrel, in which the spring is enclosed, and removed the steel
+spiral, but instead of relaxing itself, according to the laws of
+its elasticity, it remained coiled on itself like a sleeping
+viper. It seemed knotted, like impotent old men whose blood has
+long been congealed. Master Zacharius vainly essayed to uncoil it
+with his thin fingers, the outlines of which were exaggerated on
+the wall; but he tried in vain, and soon, with a terrible cry of
+anguish and rage, he threw it through the trap-door into the
+boiling Rhone.
+
+Gerande, her feet riveted to the floor, stood breathless and
+motionless. She wished to approach her father, but could not.
+Giddy hallucinations took possession of her. Suddenly she heard,
+in the shade, a voice murmur in her ears,--
+
+"Gerande, dear Gerande! grief still keeps you awake. Go in again,
+I beg of you; the night is cold."
+
+"Aubert!" whispered the young girl. "You!"
+
+"Ought I not to be troubled by what troubles you?"
+
+These soft words sent the blood back into the young girl's heart.
+She leaned on Aubert's arm, and said to him,--
+
+"My father is very ill, Aubert! You alone can cure him, for this
+disorder of the mind would not yield to his daughter's consolings.
+His mind is attacked by a very natural delusion, and in working with
+him, repairing the watches, you will bring him back to reason.
+Aubert," she continued, "it is not true, is it, that his life is
+mixed up with that of his watches?"
+
+Aubert did not reply.
+
+"But is my father's a trade condemned by God?" asked Gerande,
+trembling.
+
+"I know not," returned the apprentice, warming the cold hands of
+the girl with his own. "But go back to your room, my poor
+Gerande, and with sleep recover hope!"
+
+Gerande slowly returned to her chamber, and remained there till
+daylight, without sleep closing her eyelids. Meanwhile, Master
+Zacharius, always mute and motionless, gazed at the river as it
+rolled turbulently at his feet.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE PRIDE OF SCIENCE.
+
+
+The severity of the Geneva merchant in business matters has
+become proverbial. He is rigidly honourable, and excessively
+just. What must, then, have been the shame of Master Zacharius,
+when he saw these watches, which he had so carefully constructed,
+returning to him from every direction?
+
+It was certain that these watches had suddenly stopped, and
+without any apparent reason. The wheels were in a good condition
+and firmly fixed, but the springs had lost all elasticity. Vainly
+did the watchmaker try to replace them; the wheels remained
+motionless. These unaccountable derangements were greatly to the
+old man's discredit. His noble inventions had many times brought
+upon him suspicions of sorcery, which now seemed confirmed. These
+rumours reached Gerande, and she often trembled for her father,
+when she saw malicious glances directed towards him.
+
+Yet on the morning after this night of anguish, Master Zacharius
+seemed to resume work with some confidence. The morning sun
+inspired him with some courage. Aubert hastened to join him in
+the shop, and received an affable "Good-day."
+
+"I am better," said the old man. "I don't know what strange pains
+in the head attacked me yesterday, but the sun has quite chased
+them away, with the clouds of the night."
+
+"In faith, master," returned Aubert, "I don't like the night for
+either of us!"
+
+"And thou art right, Aubert. If you ever become a great man, you
+will understand that day is as necessary to you as food. A great
+savant should be always ready to receive the homage of his
+fellow-men."
+
+"Master, it seems to me that the pride of science has possessed
+you."
+
+"Pride, Aubert! Destroy my past, annihilate my present, dissipate
+my future, and then it will be permitted to me to live in
+obscurity! Poor boy, who comprehends not the sublime things to
+which my art is wholly devoted! Art thou not but a tool in my
+hands?"
+
+"Yet. Master Zacharius," resumed Aubert, "I have more than once
+merited your praise for the manner in which I adjusted the most
+delicate parts of your watches and clocks."
+
+"No doubt, Aubert; thou art a good workman, such as I love; but
+when thou workest, thou thinkest thou hast in thy hands but
+copper, silver, gold; thou dost not perceive these metals, which
+my genius animates, palpitating like living flesh! So that thou
+wilt not die, with the death of thy works!"
+
+Master Zacharius remained silent after these words; but Aubert
+essayed to keep up the conversation.
+
+"Indeed, master," said he, "I love to see you work so
+unceasingly! You will be ready for the festival of our
+corporation, for I see that the work on this crystal watch is
+going forward famously."
+
+"No doubt, Aubert," cried the old watchmaker, "and it will be no
+slight honour for me to have been able to cut and shape the
+crystal to the durability of a diamond! Ah, Louis Berghem did
+well to perfect the art of diamond-cutting, which has enabled me
+to polish and pierce the hardest stones!"
+
+Master Zacharius was holding several small watch pieces of cut
+crystal, and of exquisite workmanship. The wheels, pivots, and
+case of the watch were of the same material, and he had employed
+remarkable skill in this very difficult task.
+
+"Would it not be fine," said he, his face flushing, "to see this
+watch palpitating beneath its transparent envelope, and to be
+able to count the beatings of its heart?"
+
+"I will wager, sir," replied the young apprentice, "that it will
+not vary a second in a year."
+
+"And you would wager on a certainty! Have I not imparted to it
+all that is purest of myself? And does my heart vary? My heart, I
+say?"
+
+Aubert did not dare to lift his eyes to his master's face.
+
+"Tell me frankly," said the old man sadly. "Have you never taken
+me for a madman? Do you not think me sometimes subject to
+dangerous folly? Yes; is it not so? In my daughter's eyes and
+yours, I have often read my condemnation. Oh!" he cried, as if in
+pain, "to be misunderstood by those whom one most loves in the
+world! But I will prove victoriously to thee, Aubert, that I am
+right! Do not shake thy head, for thou wilt be astounded. The day
+on which thou understandest how to listen to and comprehend me,
+thou wilt see that I have discovered the secrets of existence,
+the secrets of the mysterious union of the soul with the body!"
+
+[Illustration: "Thou wilt see that I have discovered the secrets
+of existence."]
+
+As he spoke thus, Master Zacharius appeared superb in his vanity.
+His eyes glittered with a supernatural fire, and his pride
+illumined every feature. And truly, if ever vanity was excusable,
+it was that of Master Zacharius!
+
+The watchmaking art, indeed, down to his time, had remained
+almost in its infancy. From the day when Plato, four centuries
+before the Christian era, invented the night watch, a sort of
+clepsydra which indicated the hours of the night by the sound and
+playing of a flute, the science had continued nearly stationary.
+The masters paid more attention to the arts than to mechanics,
+and it was the period of beautiful watches of iron, copper, wood,
+silver, which were richly engraved, like one of Cellini's ewers.
+They made a masterpiece of chasing, which measured time
+imperfectly, but was still a masterpiece. When the artist's
+imagination was not directed to the perfection of modelling, it
+set to work to create clocks with moving figures and melodious
+sounds, whose appearance took all attention. Besides, who
+troubled himself, in those days, with regulating the advance of
+time? The delays of the law were not as yet invented; the
+physical and astronomical sciences had not as yet established
+their calculations on scrupulously exact measurements; there were
+neither establishments which were shut at a given hour, nor
+trains which departed at a precise moment. In the evening the
+curfew bell sounded; and at night the hours were cried amid the
+universal silence. Certainly people did not live so long, if
+existence is measured by the amount of business done; but they
+lived better. The mind was enriched with the noble sentiments
+born of the contemplation of chefs-d'oeuvré. They built a church
+in two centuries, a painter painted but few pictures in the
+course of his life, a poet only composed one great work; but
+these were so many masterpieces for after-ages to appreciate.
+
+When the exact sciences began at last to make some progress,
+watch and clock making followed in their path, though it was
+always arrested by an insurmountable difficulty,--the regular and
+continuous measurement of time.
+
+It was in the midst of this stagnation that Master Zacharius
+invented the escapement, which enabled him to obtain a mathematical
+regularity by submitting the movement of the pendulum to a sustained
+force. This invention had turned the old man's head. Pride, swelling
+in his heart, like mercury in the thermometer, had attained the
+height of transcendent folly. By analogy he had allowed himself to
+be drawn to materialistic conclusions, and as he constructed his
+watches, he fancied that he had discovered the secrets of the union
+of the soul with the body.
+
+Thus, on this day, perceiving that Aubert listened to him
+attentively, he said to him in a tone of simple conviction,--
+
+"Dost thou know what life is, my child? Hast thou comprehended
+the action of those springs which produce existence? Hast thou
+examined thyself? No. And yet, with the eyes of science, thou
+mightest have seen the intimate relation which exists between
+God's work and my own; for it is from his creature that I have
+copied the combinations of the wheels of my clocks."
+
+"Master," replied Aubert eagerly, "can you compare a copper or
+steel machine with that breath of God which is called the soul,
+which animates our bodies as the breeze stirs the flowers? What
+mechanism could be so adjusted as to inspire us with thought?"
+
+"That is not the question," responded Master Zacharius gently,
+but with all the obstinacy of a blind man walking towards an
+abyss. "In order to understand me, thou must recall the purpose
+of the escapement which I have invented. When I saw the irregular
+working of clocks, I understood that the movements shut up in
+them did not suffice, and that it was necessary to submit them to
+the regularity of some independent force. I then thought that the
+balance-wheel might accomplish this, and I succeeded in
+regulating the movement! Now, was it not a sublime idea that came
+to me, to return to it its lost force by the action of the clock
+itself, which it was charged with regulating?"
+
+Aubert made a sign of assent.
+
+"Now, Aubert," continued the old man, growing animated, "cast
+thine eyes upon thyself! Dost thou not understand that there are
+two distinct forces in us, that of the soul and that of the
+body--that is, a movement and a regulator? The soul is the
+principle of life; that is, then, the movement. Whether it is
+produced by a weight, by a spring, or by an immaterial influence,
+it is none the less in the heart. But without the body this
+movement would be unequal, irregular, impossible! Thus the body
+regulates the soul, and, like the balance-wheel, it is submitted
+to regular oscillations. And this is so true, that one falls ill
+when one's drink, food, sleep--in a word, the functions of the
+body--are not properly regulated; just as in my watches the soul
+renders to the body the force lost by its oscillations. Well, what
+produces this intimate union between soul and body, if not a
+marvellous escapement, by which the wheels of the one work into the
+wheels of the other? This is what I have discovered and applied;
+and there are no longer any secrets for me in this life, which is,
+after all, only an ingenious mechanism!"
+
+Master Zacharius looked sublime in this hallucination, which
+carried him to the ultimate mysteries of the Infinite. But his
+daughter Gerande, standing on the threshold of the door, had
+heard all. She rushed into her father's arms, and he pressed her
+convulsively to his breast.
+
+"What is the matter with thee, my daughter?" he asked.
+
+"If I had only a spring here," said she, putting her hand on her
+heart, "I would not love you as I do, father."
+
+Master Zacharius looked intently at Gerande, and did not reply.
+Suddenly he uttered a cry, carried his hand eagerly to his heart,
+and fell fainting on his old leathern chair.
+
+"Father, what is the matter?"
+
+[Illustration: "Father, what is the matter?"]
+
+"Help!" cried Aubert. "Scholastique!"
+
+But Scholastique did not come at once. Some one was knocking at
+the front door; she had gone to open it, and when she returned to
+the shop, before she could open her mouth, the old watchmaker,
+having recovered his senses, spoke:--
+
+"I divine, my old Scholastique, that you bring me still another
+of those accursed watches which have stopped."
+
+"Lord, it is true enough!" replied Scholastique, handing a watch
+to Aubert.
+
+"My heart could not be mistaken!" said the old man, with a sigh.
+
+Meanwhile Aubert carefully wound up the watch, but it would not
+go.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A STRANGE VISIT.
+
+
+Poor Gerande would have lost her life with that of her father,
+had it not been for the thought of Aubert, who still attached her
+to the world.
+
+The old watchmaker was, little by little, passing away. His
+faculties evidently grew more feeble, as he concentrated them on
+a single thought. By a sad association of ideas, he referred
+everything to his monomania, and a human existence seemed to have
+departed from him, to give place to the extra-natural existence
+of the intermediate powers. Moreover, certain malicious rivals
+revived the sinister rumours which had spread concerning his
+labours.
+
+The news of the strange derangements which his watches betrayed
+had a prodigious effect upon the master clockmakers of Geneva.
+What signified this sudden paralysis of their wheels, and why
+these strange relations which they seemed to have with the old
+man's life? These were the kind of mysteries which people never
+contemplate without a secret terror. In the various classes of
+the town, from the apprentice to the great lord who used the
+watches of the old horologist, there was no one who could not
+himself judge of the singularity of the fact. The citizens
+wished, but in vain, to get to see Master Zacharius. He fell very
+ill; and this enabled his daughter to withdraw him from those
+incessant visits which had degenerated into reproaches and
+recriminations.
+
+Medicines and physicians were powerless in presence of this
+organic wasting away, the cause of which could not be discovered.
+It sometimes seemed as if the old man's heart had ceased to beat;
+then the pulsations were resumed with an alarming irregularity.
+
+A custom existed in those days of publicly exhibiting the works
+of the masters. The heads of the various corporations sought to
+distinguish themselves by the novelty or the perfection of their
+productions; and it was among these that the condition of Master
+Zacharius excited the most lively, because most interested,
+commiseration. His rivals pitied him the more willingly because
+they feared him the less. They never forgot the old man's
+success, when he exhibited his magnificent clocks with moving
+figures, his repeaters, which provoked general admiration, and
+commanded such high prices in the cities of France, Switzerland,
+and Germany.
+
+Meanwhile, thanks to the constant and tender care of Gerande and
+Aubert, his strength seemed to return a little; and in the
+tranquillity in which his convalescence left him, he succeeded in
+detaching himself from the thoughts which had absorbed him. As
+soon as he could walk, his daughter lured him away from the
+house, which was still besieged with dissatisfied customers.
+Aubert remained in the shop, vainly adjusting and readjusting the
+rebel watches; and the poor boy, completely mystified, sometimes
+covered his face with his hands, fearful that he, like his
+master, might go mad.
+
+Gerande led her father towards the more pleasant promenades of
+the town. With his arm resting on hers, she conducted him
+sometimes through the quarter of Saint Antoine, the view from
+which extends towards the Cologny hill, and over the lake; on
+fine mornings they caught sight of the gigantic peaks of Mount
+Buet against the horizon. Gerande pointed out these spots to her
+father, who had well-nigh forgotten even their names. His memory
+wandered; and he took a childish interest in learning anew what
+had passed from his mind. Master Zacharius leaned upon his
+daughter; and the two heads, one white as snow and the other
+covered with rich golden tresses, met in the same ray of
+sunlight.
+
+So it came about that the old watchmaker at last perceived that
+he was not alone in the world. As he looked upon his young and
+lovely daughter, and on himself old and broken, he reflected that
+after his death she would be left alone without support. Many of
+the young mechanics of Geneva had already sought to win Gerande's
+love; but none of them had succeeded in gaining access to the
+impenetrable retreat of the watchmaker's household. It was
+natural, then, that during this lucid interval, the old man's
+choice should fall on Aubert Thun. Once struck with this thought,
+he remarked to himself that this young couple had been brought up
+with the same ideas and the same beliefs; and the oscillations of
+their hearts seemed to him, as he said one day to Scholastique,
+"isochronous."
+
+The old servant, literally delighted with the word, though she
+did not understand it, swore by her holy patron saint that the
+whole town should hear it within a quarter of an hour. Master
+Zacharius found it difficult to calm her; but made her promise to
+keep on this subject a silence which she never was known to
+observe.
+
+So, though Gerande and Aubert were ignorant of it, all Geneva was
+soon talking of their speedy union. But it happened also that,
+while the worthy folk were gossiping, a strange chuckle was often
+heard, and a voice saying, "Gerande will not wed Aubert."
+
+If the talkers turned round, they found themselves facing a
+little old man who was quite a stranger to them.
+
+How old was this singular being? No one could have told. People
+conjectured that he must have existed for several centuries, and
+that was all. His big flat head rested upon shoulders the width
+of which was equal to the height of his body; this was not above
+three feet. This personage would have made a good figure to
+support a pendulum, for the dial would have naturally been placed
+on his face, and the balance-wheel would have oscillated at its
+ease in his chest. His nose might readily have been taken for the
+style of a sun-dial, for it was narrow and sharp; his teeth, far
+apart, resembled the cogs of a wheel, and ground themselves
+between his lips; his voice had the metallic sound of a bell, and
+you could hear his heart beat like the tick of a clock. This
+little man, whose arms moved like the hands on a dial, walked
+with jerks, without ever turning round. If any one followed him,
+it was found that he walked a league an hour, and that his course
+was nearly circular.
+
+This strange being had not long been seen wandering, or rather
+circulating, around the town; but it had already been observed
+that, every day, at the moment when the sun passed the meridian,
+he stopped before the Cathedral of Saint Pierre, and resumed his
+course after the twelve strokes of noon had sounded. Excepting at
+this precise moment, he seemed to become a part of all the
+conversations in which the old watchmaker was talked of; and
+people asked each other, in terror, what relation could exist
+between him and Master Zacharius. It was remarked, too, that he
+never lost sight of the old man and his daughter while they were
+taking their promenades.
+
+One day Gerande perceived this monster looking at her with a
+hideous smile. She clung to her father with a frightened motion.
+
+"What is the matter, my Gerande?" asked Master Zacharius.
+
+"I do not know," replied the young girl.
+
+"But thou art changed, my child. Art thou going to fall ill in
+thy turn? Ah, well," he added, with a sad smile, "then I must
+take care of thee, and I will do it tenderly."
+
+"O father, it will be nothing. I am cold, and I imagine that it
+is--"
+
+"What, Gerande?"
+
+"The presence of that man, who always follows us," she replied in
+a low tone.
+
+Master Zacharius turned towards the little old man.
+
+"Faith, he goes well," said he, with a satisfied air, "for it is
+just four o'clock. Fear nothing, my child; it is not a man, it
+is a clock!"
+
+Gerande looked at her father in terror. How could Master
+Zacharius read the hour on this strange creature's visage?
+
+"By-the-bye," continued the old watchmaker, paying no further
+attention to the matter, "I have not seen Aubert for several
+days."
+
+"He has not left us, however, father," said Gerande, whose
+thoughts turned into a gentler channel.
+
+"What is he doing then?"
+
+"He is working."
+
+"Ah!" cried the old man. "He is at work repairing my watches, is
+he not? But he will never succeed; for it is not repair they
+need, but a resurrection!"
+
+Gerande remained silent.
+
+"I must know," added the old man, "if they have brought back any
+more of those accursed watches upon which the Devil has sent this
+epidemic!"
+
+After these words Master Zacharius fell into complete silence,
+till he knocked at the door of his house, and for the first time
+since his convalescence descended to his shop, while Gerande
+sadly repaired to her chamber.
+
+Just as Master Zacharius crossed the threshold of his shop, one
+of the many clocks suspended on the wall struck five o'clock.
+Usually the bells of these clocks--admirably regulated as they
+were--struck simultaneously, and this rejoiced the old man's
+heart; but on this day the bells struck one after another, so
+that for a quarter of an hour the ear was deafened by the
+successive noises. Master Zacharius suffered acutely; he could
+not remain still, but went from one clock to the other, and beat
+the time to them, like a conductor who no longer has control over
+his musicians.
+
+When the last had ceased striking, the door of the shop opened,
+and Master Zacharius shuddered from head to foot to see before
+him the little old man, who looked fixedly at him and said,--
+
+"Master, may I not speak with you a few moments?"
+
+"Who are you?" asked the watchmaker abruptly.
+
+"A colleague. It is my business to regulate the sun."
+
+"Ah, you regulate the sun?" replied Master Zacharius eagerly,
+without wincing. "I can scarcely compliment you upon it. Your sun
+goes badly, and in order to make ourselves agree with it, we have
+to keep putting our clocks forward so much or back so much."
+
+"And by the cloven foot," cried this weird personage, "you are
+right, my master! My sun does not always mark noon at the same
+moment as your clocks; but some day it will be known that this is
+because of the inequality of the earth's transfer, and a mean
+noon will be invented which will regulate this irregularity!"
+
+"Shall I live till then?" asked the old man, with glistening
+eyes.
+
+"Without doubt," replied the little old man, laughing. "Can you
+believe that you will ever die?"
+
+"Alas! I am very ill now."
+
+"Ah, let us talk of that. By Beelzebub! that will lead to just
+what I wish to speak to you about."
+
+Saying this, the strange being leaped upon the old leather chair,
+and carried his legs one under the other, after the fashion of
+the bones which the painters of funeral hangings cross beneath
+death's heads. Then he resumed, in an ironical tone,--
+
+[Illustration: Then he resumed, in an ironical tone]
+
+"Let us see, Master Zacharius, what is going on in this good town
+of Geneva? They say that your health is failing, that your
+watches have need of a doctor!"
+
+"Ah, do you believe that there is an intimate relation between
+their existence and mine?" cried Master Zacharius.
+
+"Why, I imagine that these watches have faults, even vices. If
+these wantons do not preserve a regular conduct, it is right that
+they should bear the consequences of their irregularity. It seems
+to me that they have need of reforming a little!"
+
+"What do you call faults?" asked Master Zacharius, reddening at
+the sarcastic tone in which these words were uttered. "Have they
+not a right to be proud of their origin?"
+
+"Not too proud, not too proud," replied the little old man. "They
+bear a celebrated name, and an illustrious signature is graven on
+their cases, it is true, and theirs is the exclusive privilege of
+being introduced among the noblest families; but for some time
+they have got out of order, and you can do nothing in the matter,
+Master Zacharius; and the stupidest apprentice in Geneva could
+prove it to you!"
+
+"To me, to me,--Master Zacharius!" cried the old man, with a
+flush of outraged pride.
+
+"To you, Master Zacharius,--you, who cannot restore life to your
+watches!"
+
+"But it is because I have a fever, and so have they also!"
+replied the old man, as a cold sweat broke out upon him.
+
+"Very well, they will die with you, since you cannot impart a
+little elasticity to their springs."
+
+"Die! No, for you yourself have said it! I cannot die,--I, the
+first watchmaker in the world; I, who, by means of these pieces
+and diverse wheels, have been able to regulate the movement with
+absolute precision! Have I not subjected time to exact laws, and
+can I not dispose of it like a despot? Before a sublime genius
+had arranged these wandering hours regularly, in what vast
+uncertainty was human destiny plunged? At what certain moment
+could the acts of life be connected with each other? But you, man
+or devil, whatever you may be, have never considered the
+magnificence of my art, which calls every science to its aid! No,
+no! I, Master Zacharius, cannot die, for, as I have regulated
+time, time would end with me! It would return to the infinite,
+whence my genius has rescued it, and it would lose itself
+irreparably in the abyss of nothingness! No, I can no more die
+than the Creator of this universe, that submitted to His laws! I
+have become His equal, and I have partaken of His power! If God
+has created eternity, Master Zacharius has created time!"
+
+The old watchmaker now resembled the fallen angel, defiant in the
+presence of the Creator. The little old man gazed at him, and
+even seemed to breathe into him this impious transport.
+
+"Well said, master," he replied. "Beelzebub had less right than
+you to compare himself with God! Your glory must not perish! So
+your servant here desires to give you the method of controlling
+these rebellious watches."
+
+"What is it? what is it?" cried Master Zacharius.
+
+"You shall know on the day after that on which you have given me
+your daughter's hand."
+
+"My Gerande?"
+
+"Herself!"
+
+"My daughter's heart is not free," replied Master Zacharius, who
+seemed neither astonished nor shocked at the strange demand.
+
+"Bah! She is not the least beautiful of watches; but she will end
+by stopping also--"
+
+"My daughter,--my Gerande! No!"
+
+"Well, return to your watches, Master Zacharius. Adjust and
+readjust them. Get ready the marriage of your daughter and your
+apprentice. Temper your springs with your best steel. Bless
+Aubert and the pretty Gerande.  But remember, your watches will
+never go, and Gerande will not wed Aubert!"
+
+Thereupon the little old man disappeared, but not so quickly that
+Master Zacharius could not hear six o'clock strike in his breast.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE CHURCH OF SAINT PIERRE.
+
+
+Meanwhile Master Zacharius became more feeble in mind and body
+every day. An unusual excitement, indeed, impelled him to
+continue his work more eagerly than ever, nor could his daughter
+entice him from it.
+
+His pride was still more aroused after the crisis to which his
+strange visitor had hurried him so treacherously, and he resolved
+to overcome, by the force of genius, the malign influence which
+weighed upon his work and himself. He first repaired to the
+various clocks of the town which were confided to his care. He
+made sure, by a scrupulous examination, that the wheels were in
+good condition, the pivots firm, the weights exactly balanced.
+Every part, even to the bells, was examined with the minute
+attention of a physician studying the breast of a patient.
+Nothing indicated that these clocks were on the point of being
+affected by inactivity.
+
+Gerande and Aubert often accompanied the old man on these visits.
+He would no doubt have been pleased to see them eager to go with
+him, and certainly he would not have been so much absorbed in his
+approaching end, had he thought that his existence was to be
+prolonged by that of these cherished ones, and had he understood
+that something of the life of a father always remains in his
+children.
+
+The old watchmaker, on returning home, resumed his labours with
+feverish zeal. Though persuaded that he would not succeed, it yet
+seemed to him impossible that this could be so, and he unceasingly
+took to pieces the watches which were brought to his shop, and put
+them together again.
+
+Aubert tortured his mind in vain to discover the causes of the
+evil.
+
+"Master," said he, "this can only come from the wear of the
+pivots and gearing."
+
+"Do you want, then, to kill me, little by little?" replied Master
+Zacharius passionately. "Are these watches child's work? Was it
+lest I should hurt my fingers that I worked the surface of these
+copper pieces in the lathe? Have I not forged these pieces of
+copper myself, so as to obtain a greater strength? Are not these
+springs tempered to a rare perfection? Could anybody have used
+finer oils than mine? You must yourself agree that it is
+impossible, and you avow, in short, that the devil is in it!"
+
+From morning till night discontented purchasers besieged the
+house, and they got access to the old watchmaker himself, who
+knew not which of them to listen to.
+
+[Illustration: From morning till night discontented purchasers
+besieged the house]
+
+"This watch loses, and I cannot succeed in regulating it," said
+one.
+
+"This," said another, "is absolutely obstinate, and stands still,
+as did Joshua's sun."
+
+"If it is true," said most of them, "that your health has an
+influence on that of your watches, Master Zacharius, get well as
+soon as possible."
+
+The old man gazed at these people with haggard eyes, and only
+replied by shaking his head, or by a few sad words,--
+
+"Wait till the first fine weather, my friends. The season is
+coming which revives existence in wearied bodies. We want the sun
+to warm us all!"
+
+"A fine thing, if my watches are to be ill through the winter!"
+said one of the most angry. "Do you know, Master Zacharius, that
+your name is inscribed in full on their faces? By the Virgin, you
+do little honour to your signature!"
+
+It happened at last that the old man, abashed by these
+reproaches, took some pieces of gold from his old trunk, and
+began to buy back the damaged watches. At news of this, the
+customers came in a crowd, and the poor watchmaker's money fast
+melted away; but his honesty remained intact. Gerande warmly
+praised his delicacy, which was leading him straight towards
+ruin; and Aubert soon offered his own savings to his master.
+
+"What will become of my daughter?" said Master Zacharius,
+clinging now and then in the shipwreck to his paternal love.
+
+Aubert dared not answer that he was full of hope for the future,
+and of deep devotion to Gerande. Master Zacharius would have that
+day called him his son-in-law, and thus refuted the sad prophecy,
+which still buzzed in his ears,--
+
+"Gerande will not wed Aubert."
+
+By this plan the watchmaker at last succeeded in entirely
+despoiling himself. His antique vases passed into the hands of
+strangers; he deprived himself of the richly-carved panels which
+adorned the walls of his house; some primitive pictures of the
+early Flemish painters soon ceased to please his daughter's eyes,
+and everything, even the precious tools that his genius had
+invented, were sold to indemnify the clamorous customers.
+
+Scholastique alone refused to listen to reason on the subject;
+but her efforts failed to prevent the unwelcome visitors from
+reaching her master, and from soon departing with some valuable
+object. Then her chattering was heard in all the streets of the
+neighbourhood, where she had long been known. She eagerly denied
+the rumours of sorcery and magic on the part of Master Zacharius,
+which gained currency; but as at bottom she was persuaded of
+their truth, she said her prayers over and over again to redeem
+her pious falsehoods.
+
+It had been noticed that for some time the old watchmaker had
+neglected his religious duties. Time was, when he had accompanied
+Gerande to church, and had seemed to find in prayer the
+intellectual charm which it imparts to thoughtful minds, since it
+is the most sublime exercise of the imagination. This voluntary
+neglect of holy practices, added to the secret habits of his
+life, had in some sort confirmed the accusations levelled against
+his labours. So, with the double purpose of drawing her father
+back to God, and to the world, Gerande resolved to call religion
+to her aid. She thought that it might give some vitality to his
+dying soul; but the dogmas of faith and humility had to combat,
+in the soul of Master Zacharius, an insurmountable pride, and
+came into collision with that vanity of science which connects
+everything with itself, without rising to the infinite source
+whence first principles flow.
+
+It was under these circumstances that the young girl undertook
+her father's conversion; and her influence was so effective that
+the old watchmaker promised to attend high mass at the cathedral
+on the following Sunday. Gerande was in an ecstasy, as if heaven
+had opened to her view. Old Scholastique could not contain her
+joy, and at last found irrefutable arguments' against the
+gossiping tongues which accused her master of impiety. She spoke
+of it to her neighbours, her friends, her enemies, to those whom
+she knew not as well as to those whom she knew.
+
+"In faith, we scarcely believe what you tell us, dame
+Scholastique," they replied; "Master Zacharius has always acted
+in concert with the devil!"
+
+"You haven't counted, then," replied the old servant, "the fine
+bells which strike for my master's clocks? How many times they
+have struck the hours of prayer and the mass!"
+
+"No doubt," they would reply. "But has he not invented machines
+which go all by themselves, and which actually do the work of a
+real man?"
+
+"Could a child of the devil," exclaimed dame Scholastique
+wrathfully, "have executed the fine iron clock of the château of
+Andernatt, which the town of Geneva was not rich enough to buy? A
+pious motto appeared at each hour, and a Christian who obeyed
+them, would have gone straight to Paradise! Is that the work of
+the devil?"
+
+This masterpiece, made twenty years before, had carried Master
+Zacharius's fame to its acme; but even then there had been
+accusations of sorcery against him. But at least the old man's
+visit to the Cathedral ought to reduce malicious tongues to
+silence.
+
+Master Zacharius, having doubtless forgotten the promise made to
+his daughter, had returned to his shop. After being convinced of
+his powerlessness to give life to his watches, he resolved to try
+if he could not make some new ones. He abandoned all those
+useless works, and devoted himself to the completion of the
+crystal watch, which he intended to be his masterpiece; but in
+vain did he use his most perfect tools, and employ rubies and
+diamonds for resisting friction. The watch fell from his hands
+the first time that he attempted to wind it up!
+
+The old man concealed this circumstance from every one, even from
+his daughter; but from that time his health rapidly declined.
+There were only the last oscillations of a pendulum, which goes
+slower when nothing restores its original force. It seemed as if
+the laws of gravity, acting directly upon him, were dragging him
+irresistibly down to the grave.
+
+The Sunday so ardently anticipated by Gerande at last arrived.
+The weather was fine, and the temperature inspiriting. The people
+of Geneva were passing quietly through the streets, gaily
+chatting about the return of spring. Gerande, tenderly taking the
+old man's arm, directed her steps towards the cathedral, while
+Scholastique followed behind with the prayer-books. People looked
+curiously at them as they passed. The old watchmaker permitted
+himself to be led like a child, or rather like a blind man. The
+faithful of Saint Pierre were almost frightened when they saw him
+cross the threshold, and shrank back at his approach.
+
+The chants of high mass were already resounding through the
+church. Gerande went to her accustomed bench, and kneeled with
+profound and simple reverence. Master Zacharius remained standing
+upright beside her.
+
+The ceremonies continued with the majestic solemnity of that
+faithful age, but the old man had no faith. He did not implore
+the pity of Heaven with cries of anguish of the "Kyrie;" he did
+not, with the "Gloria in Excelsis," sing the splendours of the
+heavenly heights; the reading of the Testament did not draw him
+from his materialistic reverie, and he forgot to join in the
+homage of the "Credo." This proud old man remained motionless, as
+insensible and silent as a stone statue; and even at the solemn
+moment when the bell announced the miracle of transubstantiation,
+he did not bow his head, but gazed directly at the sacred host
+which the priest raised above the heads of the faithful. Gerande
+looked at her father, and a flood of tears moistened her missal.
+At this moment the clock of Saint Pierre struck half-past eleven.
+Master Zacharius turned quickly towards this ancient clock which
+still spoke. It seemed to him as if its face was gazing steadily
+at him; the figures of the hours shone as if they had been
+engraved in lines of fire, and the hands shot forth electric
+sparks from their sharp points.
+
+[Illustration: This proud old man remained motionless]
+
+The mass ended. It was customary for the "Angelus" to be said at
+noon, and the priests, before leaving the altar, waited for the
+clock to strike the hour of twelve. In a few moments this prayer
+would ascend to the feet of the Virgin.
+
+But suddenly a harsh noise was heard. Master Zacharius uttered a
+piercing cry.
+
+The large hand of the clock, having reached twelve, had abruptly
+stopped, and the clock did not strike the hour.
+
+Gerande hastened to her father's aid. He had fallen down
+motionless, and they carried him outside the church.
+
+"It is the death-blow!" murmured Gerande, sobbing.
+
+When he had been borne home, Master Zacharius lay upon his bed
+utterly crushed. Life seemed only to still exist on the surface
+of his body, like the last whiffs of smoke about a lamp just
+extinguished. When he came to his senses, Aubert and Gerande were
+leaning over him. In these last moments the future took in his
+eyes the shape of the present. He saw his daughter alone, without
+a protector.
+
+"My son," said he to Aubert, "I give my daughter to thee."
+
+So saying, he stretched out his hands towards his two children,
+who were thus united at his death-bed.
+
+But soon Master Zacharius lifted himself up in a paroxysm of
+rage. The words of the little old man recurred to his mind.
+
+"I do not wish to die!" he cried; "I cannot die! I, Master
+Zacharius, ought not to die! My books--my accounts!--"
+
+With these words he sprang from his bed towards a book in which
+the names of his customers and the articles which had been sold
+to them were inscribed. He seized it and rapidly turned over its
+leaves, and his emaciated finger fixed itself on one of the
+pages.
+
+"There!" he cried, "there! this old iron clock, sold to
+Pittonaccio! It is the only one that has not been returned to me!
+It still exists--it goes--it lives! Ah, I wish for it--I must
+find it! I will take such care of it that death will no longer
+seek me!"
+
+And he fainted away.
+
+Aubert and Gerande knelt by the old man's bed-side and prayed
+together.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE HOUR OF DEATH.
+
+
+Several days passed, and Master Zacharius, though almost dead,
+rose from his bed and returned to active life under a supernatural
+excitement. He lived by pride. But Gerande did not deceive
+herself; her father's body and soul were for ever lost.
+
+The old man got together his last remaining resources, without
+thought of those who were dependent upon him. He betrayed an
+incredible energy, walking, ferreting about, and mumbling
+strange, incomprehensible words.
+
+One morning Gerande went down to his shop. Master Zacharius was
+not there. She waited for him all day. Master Zacharius did not
+return.
+
+Gerande wept bitterly, but her father did not reappear.
+
+Aubert searched everywhere through the town, and soon came to the
+sad conviction that the old man had left it.
+
+"Let us find my father!" cried Gerande, when the young apprentice
+told her this sad news.
+
+"Where can he be?" Aubert asked himself.
+
+An inspiration suddenly came to his mind. He remembered the last
+words which Master Zacharius had spoken. The old man only lived
+now in the old iron clock that had not been returned! Master
+Zacharius must have gone in search of it.
+
+Aubert spoke of this to Gerande.
+
+"Let us look at my father's book," she replied.
+
+They descended to the shop. The book was open on the bench. All
+the watches or clocks made by the old man, and which had been
+returned to him because they were out of order, were stricken out
+excepting one:--
+
+"Sold to M. Pittonaccio, an iron clock, with bell and moving
+figures; sent to his château at Andernatt."
+
+It was this "moral" clock of which Scholastique had spoken with
+so much enthusiasm.
+
+"My father is there!" cried Gerande.
+
+"Let us hasten thither," replied Aubert. "We may still save him!"
+
+"Not for this life," murmured Gerande, "but at least for the
+other."
+
+"By the mercy of God, Gerande! The château of Andernatt stands in
+the gorge of the 'Dents-du-Midi' twenty hours from Geneva. Let us
+go!"
+
+That very evening Aubert and Gerande, followed by the old
+servant, set out on foot by the road which skirts Lake Leman.
+They accomplished five leagues during the night, stopping neither
+at Bessinge nor at Ermance, where rises the famous château of the
+Mayors. They with difficulty forded the torrent of the Dranse,
+and everywhere they went they inquired for Master Zacharius, and
+were soon convinced that they were on his track.
+
+The next morning, at daybreak, having passed Thonon, they reached
+Evian, whence the Swiss territory may be seen extended over
+twelve leagues. But the two betrothed did not even perceive the
+enchanting prospect. They went straight forward, urged on by a
+supernatural force. Aubert, leaning on a knotty stick, offered
+his arm alternately to Gerande and to Scholastique, and he made
+the greatest efforts to sustain his companions. All three talked
+of their sorrow, of their hopes, and thus passed along the
+beautiful road by the water-side, and across the narrow plateau
+which unites the borders of the lake with the heights of the
+Chalais. They soon reached Bouveret, where the Rhone enters the
+Lake of Geneva.
+
+On leaving this town they diverged from the lake, and their
+weariness increased amid these mountain districts. Vionnaz,
+Chesset, Collombay, half lost villages, were soon left behind.
+Meanwhile their knees shook, their feet were lacerated by the
+sharp points which covered the ground like a brushwood of
+granite;--but no trace of Master Zacharius!
+
+He must be found, however, and the two young people did not seek
+repose either in the isolated hamlets or at the château of
+Monthay, which, with its dependencies, formed the appanage of
+Margaret of Savoy. At last, late in the day, and half dead with
+fatigue, they reached the hermitage of Notre-Dame-du-Sex, which
+is situated at the base of the Dents-du-Midi, six hundred feet
+above the Rhone.
+
+The hermit received the three wanderers as night was falling.
+They could not have gone another step, and here they must needs
+rest.
+
+The hermit could give them no news of Master Zacharius. They
+could scarcely hope to find him still living amid these sad
+solitudes. The night was dark, the wind howled amid the
+mountains, and the avalanches roared down from the summits of the
+broken crags.
+
+Aubert and Gerande, crouching before the hermit's hearth, told
+him their melancholy tale. Their mantles, covered with snow, were
+drying in a corner; and without, the hermit's dog barked
+lugubriously, and mingled his voice with that of the tempest.
+
+"Pride," said the hermit to his guests, "has destroyed an angel
+created for good. It is the stumbling-block against which the
+destinies of man strike. You cannot reason with pride, the
+principal of all the vices, since, by its very nature, the proud
+man refuses to listen to it. It only remains, then, to pray for
+your father!"
+
+All four knelt down, when the barking of the dog redoubled, and
+some one knocked at the door of the hermitage.
+
+"Open, in the devil's name!"
+
+The door yielded under the blows, and a dishevelled, haggard,
+ill-clothed man appeared.
+
+"My father!" cried Gerande.
+
+It was Master Zacharius.
+
+"Where am I?" said he. "In eternity! Time is ended--the hours no
+longer strike--the hands have stopped!"
+
+"Father!" returned Gerande, with so piteous an emotion that the
+old man seemed to return to the world of the living.
+
+"Thou here, Gerande?" he cried; "and thou, Aubert? Ah, my dear
+betrothed ones, you are going to be married in our old church!"
+
+"Father," said Gerande, seizing him by the arm, "come home to
+Geneva,--come with us!"
+
+The old man tore away from his daughter's embrace and hurried
+towards the door, on the threshold of which the snow was falling
+in large flakes.
+
+"Do not abandon your children!" cried Aubert.
+
+"Why return," replied the old man sadly, "to those places which
+my life has already quitted, and where a part of myself is for
+ever buried?"
+
+"Your soul is not dead," said the hermit solemnly.
+
+"My soul? O no,--its wheels are good! I perceive it beating
+regularly--"
+
+"Your soul is immaterial,--your soul is immortal!" replied the
+hermit sternly.
+
+"Yes--like my glory! But it is shut up in the château of
+Andernatt, and I wish to see it again!"
+
+The hermit crossed himself; Scholastique became almost inanimate.
+Aubert held Gerande in his arms.
+
+"The château of Andernatt is inhabited by one who is lost," said
+the hermit, "one who does not salute the cross of my hermitage."
+
+"My father, go not thither!"
+
+"I want my soul! My soul is mine--"
+
+"Hold him! Hold my father!" cried Gerande.
+
+But the old man had leaped across the threshold, and plunged into
+the night, crying, "Mine, mine, my soul!"
+
+Gerande, Aubert, and Scholastique hastened after him. They went
+by difficult paths, across which Master Zacharius sped like a
+tempest, urged by an irresistible force. The snow raged around
+them, and mingled its white flakes with the froth of the swollen
+torrents.
+
+As they passed the chapel erected in memory of the massacre of
+the Theban legion, they hurriedly crossed themselves. Master
+Zacharius was not to be seen.
+
+At last the village of Evionnaz appeared in the midst of this
+sterile region. The hardest heart would have been moved to see
+this hamlet, lost among these horrible solitudes. The old man
+sped on, and plunged into the deepest gorge of the Dents-du-Midi,
+which pierce the sky with their sharp peaks.
+
+Soon a ruin, old and gloomy as the rocks at its base, rose before
+him.
+
+"It is there--there!" he cried, hastening his pace still more
+frantically.
+
+[Illustration: "It is there--there!"]
+
+The château of Andernatt was a ruin even then. A thick, crumbling
+tower rose above it, and seemed to menace with its downfall the
+old gables which reared themselves below. The vast piles of
+jagged stones were gloomy to look on. Several dark halls appeared
+amid the debris, with caved-in ceilings, now become the abode of
+vipers.
+
+A low and narrow postern, opening upon a ditch choked with
+rubbish, gave access to the château. Who had dwelt there none
+knew. No doubt some margrave, half lord, half brigand, had
+sojourned in it; to the margrave had succeeded bandits or
+counterfeit coiners, who had been hanged on the scene of their
+crime. The legend went that, on winter nights, Satan came to lead
+his diabolical dances on the slope of the deep gorges in which
+the shadow of these ruins was engulfed.
+
+But Master Zacharius was not dismayed by their sinister aspect.
+He reached the postern. No one forbade him to pass. A spacious
+and gloomy court presented itself to his eyes; no one forbade him
+to cross it. He passed along the kind of inclined plane which
+conducted to one of the long corridors, whose arches seemed to
+banish daylight from beneath their heavy springings. His advance
+was unresisted. Gerande, Aubert, and Scholastique closely
+followed him.
+
+Master Zacharius, as if guided by an irresistible hand, seemed
+sure of his way, and strode along with rapid step. He reached an
+old worm-eaten door, which fell before his blows, whilst the bats
+described oblique circles around his head.
+
+An immense hall, better preserved than the rest, was soon
+reached. High sculptured panels, on which serpents, ghouls, and
+other strange figures seemed to disport themselves confusedly,
+covered its walls. Several long and narrow windows, like
+loopholes, shivered beneath the bursts of the tempest.
+
+Master Zacharius, on reaching the middle of this hall, uttered a
+cry of joy.
+
+On an iron support, fastened to the wall, stood the clock in
+which now resided his entire life. This unequalled masterpiece
+represented an ancient Roman church, with buttresses of wrought
+iron, with its heavy bell-tower, where there was a complete chime
+for the anthem of the day, the "Angelus," the mass, vespers,
+compline, and the benediction. Above the church door, which
+opened at the hour of the services, was placed a "rose," in the
+centre of which two hands moved, and the archivault of which
+reproduced the twelve hours of the face sculptured in relief.
+Between the door and the rose, just as Scholastique had said, a
+maxim, relative to the employment of every moment of the day,
+appeared on a copper plate. Master Zacharius had once regulated
+this succession of devices with a really Christian solicitude;
+the hours of prayer, of work, of repast, of recreation, and of
+repose, followed each other according to the religious discipline,
+and were to infallibly insure salvation to him who scrupulously
+observed their commands.
+
+Master Zacharius, intoxicated with joy, went forward to take
+possession of the clock, when a frightful roar of laughter
+resounded behind him.
+
+He turned, and by the light of a smoky lamp recognized the little
+old man of Geneva.
+
+"You here?" cried he.
+
+Gerande was afraid. She drew closer to Aubert.
+
+"Good-day, Master Zacharius," said the monster.
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"Signor Pittonaccio, at your service! You have come to give me
+your daughter! You have remembered my words, 'Gerande will not
+wed Aubert.'"
+
+The young apprentice rushed upon Pittonaccio, who escaped from
+him like a shadow.
+
+"Stop, Aubert!" cried Master Zacharius.
+
+"Good-night," said Pittonaccio, and he disappeared.
+
+"My father, let us fly from this hateful place!" cried Gerande.
+"My father!"
+
+Master Zacharius was no longer there. He was pursuing the phantom
+of Pittonaccio across the rickety corridors. Scholastique,
+Gerande, and Aubert remained, speechless and fainting, in the
+large gloomy hall. The young girl had fallen upon a stone seat;
+the old servant knelt beside her, and prayed; Aubert remained
+erect, watching his betrothed. Pale lights wandered in the
+darkness, and the silence was only broken by the movements of the
+little animals which live in old wood, and the noise of which
+marks the hours of "death watch."
+
+When daylight came, they ventured upon the endless staircase
+which wound beneath these ruined masses; for two hours they
+wandered thus without meeting a living soul, and hearing only a
+far-off echo responding to their cries. Sometimes they found
+themselves buried a hundred feet below the ground, and sometimes
+they reached places whence they could overlook the wild
+mountains.
+
+Chance brought them at last back again to the vast hall, which
+had sheltered them during this night of anguish. It was no longer
+empty. Master Zacharius and Pittonaccio were talking there
+together, the one upright and rigid as a corpse, the other
+crouching over a marble table.
+
+Master Zacharius, when he perceived Gerande, went forward and
+took her by the hand, and led her towards Pittonaccio, saying,
+"Behold your lord and master, my daughter. Gerande, behold your
+husband!"
+
+Gerande shuddered from head to foot.
+
+"Never!" cried Aubert, "for she is my betrothed."
+
+"Never!" responded Gerande, like a plaintive echo.
+
+Pittonaccio began to laugh.
+
+"You wish me to die, then!" exclaimed the old man. "There, in
+that clock, the last which goes of all which have gone from my
+hands, my life is shut up; and this man tells me, 'When I have
+thy daughter, this clock shall belong to thee.' And this man will
+not rewind it. He can break it, and plunge me into chaos. Ah, my
+daughter, you no longer love me!"
+
+"My father!" murmured Gerande, recovering consciousness.
+
+"If you knew what I have suffered, far away from this principle
+of my existence!" resumed the old man. "Perhaps no one looked
+after this timepiece. Perhaps its springs were left to wear out,
+its wheels to get clogged. But now, in my own hands, I can
+nourish this health so dear, for I must not die,--I, the great
+watchmaker of Geneva. Look, my daughter, how these hands advance
+with certain step. See, five o'clock is about to strike. Listen
+well, and look at the maxim which is about to be revealed."
+
+Five o'clock struck with a noise which resounded sadly in
+Gerande's soul, and these words appeared in red letters:
+
+"YOU MUST EAT OF THE FRUITS OF THE TREE OF SCIENCE."
+
+Aubert and Gerande looked at each other stupefied. These were no
+longer the pious sayings of the Catholic watchmaker. The breath
+of Satan must have passed over it. But Zacharius paid no
+attention to this, and resumed--
+
+"Dost thou hear, my Gerande? I live, I still live! Listen to my
+breathing,--see the blood circulating in my veins! No, thou
+wouldst not kill thy father, and thou wilt accept this man for
+thy husband, so that I may become immortal, and at last attain
+the power of God!"
+
+At these blasphemous words old Scholastique crossed herself, and
+Pittonaccio laughed aloud with joy.
+
+"And then, Gerande, thou wilt be happy with him. See this man,--he
+is Time! Thy existence will be regulated with absolute
+precision. Gerande, since I gave thee life, give life to thy
+father!"
+
+[Illustration: "See this man,--he is Time!"]
+
+"Gerande," murmured Aubert, "I am thy betrothed."
+
+"He is my father!" replied Gerande, fainting.
+
+"She is thine!" said Master Zacharius. "Pittonaccio, them wilt
+keep thy promise!"
+
+"Here is the key of the clock," replied the horrible man.
+
+Master Zacharius seized the long key, which resembled an uncoiled
+snake, and ran to the clock, which he hastened to wind up with
+fantastic rapidity. The creaking of the spring jarred upon the
+nerves. The old watchmaker wound and wound the key, without
+stopping a moment, and it seemed as if the movement were beyond
+his control. He wound more and more quickly, with strange
+contortions, until he fell from sheer weariness.
+
+"There, it is wound up for a century!" he cried.
+
+Aubert rushed from the hall as if he were mad. After long
+wandering, he found the outlet of the hateful château, and
+hastened into the open air. He returned to the hermitage of
+Notre-Dame-du-Sex, and talked so despairingly to the holy
+recluse, that the latter consented to return with him to the
+château of Andernatt.
+
+If, during these hours of anguish, Gerande had not wept, it was
+because her tears were exhausted.
+
+Master Zacharius had not left the hall. He ran every moment to
+listen to the regular beating of the old clock.
+
+Meanwhile the clock had struck, and to Scholastique's great
+terror, these words had appeared on the silver face:--"MAN OUGHT
+TO BECOME THE EQUAL OF GOD."
+
+The old man had not only not been shocked by these impious
+maxims, but read them deliriously, and flattered himself with
+thoughts of pride, whilst Pittonaccio kept close by him.
+
+The marriage-contract was to be signed at midnight. Gerande,
+almost unconscious, saw or heard nothing. The silence was only
+broken by the old man's words, and the chuckling of Pittonaccio.
+
+Eleven o'clock struck. Master Zacharius shuddered, and read in a
+loud voice:--
+
+"MAN SHOULD BE THE SLAVE OF SCIENCE, AND
+ SACRIFICE TO IT RELATIVES AND FAMILY."
+
+"Yes!" he cried, "there is nothing but science in this world!"
+
+The hands slipped over the face of the clock with the hiss of a
+serpent, and the pendulum beat with accelerated strokes.
+
+Master Zacharius no longer spoke. He had fallen to the floor, his
+throat rattled, and from his oppressed bosom came only these
+half-broken words: "Life--science!"
+
+The scene had now two new witnesses, the hermit and Aubert.
+Master Zacharius lay upon the floor; Gerande was praying beside
+him, more dead than alive.
+
+Of a sudden a dry, hard noise was heard, which preceded the
+strike.
+
+Master Zacharius sprang up.
+
+"Midnight!" he cried.
+
+The hermit stretched out his hand towards the old clock,--and
+midnight did not sound.
+
+Master Zacharius uttered a terrible cry, which must have been
+heard in hell, when these words appeared:--
+
+"WHO EVER SHALL ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIMSELF THE EQUAL OF GOD, SHALL
+BE FOR EVER DAMNED!"
+
+The old clock burst with a noise like thunder, and the spring,
+escaping, leaped across the hall with a thousand fantastic
+contortions; the old man rose, ran after it, trying in vain to
+seize it, and exclaiming, "My soul,--my soul!"
+
+The spring bounded before him, first on one side, then on the
+other, and he could not reach it.
+
+At last Pittonaccio seized it, and, uttering a horrible
+blasphemy, ingulfed himself in the earth.
+
+Master Zacharius fell backwards. He was dead.
+
+[Illustration: He was dead.]
+
+The old watchmaker was buried in the midst of the peaks of
+Andernatt.
+
+Then Aubert and Gerande returned to Geneva, and during the long
+life which God accorded to them, they made it a duty to redeem by
+prayer the soul of the castaway of science.
+
+
+
+
+A DRAMA IN THE AIR.
+
+
+In the month of September, 185--, I arrived at Frankfort-on-the-Maine.
+My passage through the principal German cities had been brilliantly
+marked by balloon ascents; but as yet no German had accompanied me in
+my car, and the fine experiments made at Paris by MM. Green, Eugene
+Godard, and Poitevin had not tempted the grave Teutons to essay
+aerial voyages.
+
+But scarcely had the news of my approaching ascent spread through
+Frankfort, than three of the principal citizens begged the favour
+of being allowed to ascend with me. Two days afterwards we were
+to start from the Place de la Comédie. I began at once to get my
+balloon ready. It was of silk, prepared with gutta percha, a
+substance impermeable by acids or gasses; and its volume, which
+was three thousand cubic yards, enabled it to ascend to the
+loftiest heights.
+
+The day of the ascent was that of the great September fair, which
+attracts so many people to Frankfort. Lighting gas, of a perfect
+quality and of great lifting power, had been furnished to me in
+excellent condition, and about eleven o'clock the balloon was
+filled; but only three-quarters filled,--an indispensable
+precaution, for, as one rises, the atmosphere diminishes in
+density, and the fluid enclosed within the balloon, acquiring
+more elasticity, might burst its sides. My calculations had
+furnished me with exactly the quantity of gas necessary to carry
+up my companions and myself.
+
+We were to start at noon. The impatient crowd which pressed
+around the enclosed space, filling the enclosed square,
+overflowing into the contiguous streets, and covering the houses
+from the ground-floor to the slated gables, presented a striking
+scene. The high winds of the preceding days had subsided. An
+oppressive heat fell from the cloudless sky. Scarcely a breath
+animated the atmosphere. In such weather, one might descend again
+upon the very spot whence he had risen.
+
+I carried three hundred pounds of ballast in bags; the car, quite
+round, four feet in diameter, was comfortably arranged; the
+hempen cords which supported it stretched symmetrically over the
+upper hemisphere of the balloon; the compass was in place, the
+barometer suspended in the circle which united the supporting
+cords, and the anchor carefully put in order. All was now ready
+for the ascent.
+
+Among those who pressed around the enclosure, I remarked a young
+man with a pale face and agitated features. The sight of him
+impressed me. He was an eager spectator of my ascents, whom I had
+already met in several German cities. With an uneasy air, he
+closely watched the curious machine, as it lay motionless a few
+feet above the ground; and he remained silent among those about
+him.
+
+Twelve o'clock came. The moment had arrived, but my travelling
+companions did not appear.
+
+I sent to their houses, and learnt that one had left for Hamburg,
+another for Vienna, and the third for London. Their courage had
+failed them at the moment of undertaking one of those excursions
+which, thanks to the ability of living aeronauts, are free from
+all danger. As they formed, in some sort, a part of the programme
+of the day, the fear had seized them that they might be forced to
+execute it faithfully, and they had fled far from the scene at
+the instant when the balloon was being filled. Their courage was
+evidently the inverse ratio of their speed--in decamping.
+
+The multitude, half deceived, showed not a little ill-humour. I
+did not hesitate to ascend alone. In order to re-establish the
+equilibrium between the specific gravity of the balloon and the
+weight which had thus proved wanting, I replaced my companions by
+more sacks of sand, and got into the car. The twelve men who held
+the balloon by twelve cords fastened to the equatorial circle,
+let them slip a little between their fingers, and the balloon
+rose several feet higher. There was not a breath of wind, and the
+atmosphere was so leaden that it seemed to forbid the ascent.
+
+"Is everything ready?" I cried.
+
+The men put themselves in readiness. A last glance told me that I
+might go.
+
+"Attention!"
+
+There was a movement in the crowd, which seemed to be invading
+the enclosure.
+
+"Let go!"
+
+The balloon rose slowly, but I experienced a shock which threw me
+to the bottom of the car.
+
+When I got up, I found myself face to face with an unexpected
+fellow-voyager,--the pale young man.
+
+"Monsieur, I salute you," said he, with the utmost coolness.
+
+[Illustration: "Monsieur, I salute you,"]
+
+"By what right--"
+
+"Am I here? By the right which the impossibility of your getting
+rid of me confers."
+
+I was amazed! His calmness put me out of countenance, and I had
+nothing to reply. I looked at the intruder, but he took no notice
+of my astonishment.
+
+"Does my weight disarrange your equilibrium, monsieur?" he asked.
+"You will permit me--"
+
+And without waiting for my consent, he relieved the balloon of
+two bags, which he threw into space.
+
+"Monsieur," said I, taking the only course now possible, "you
+have come; very well, you will remain; but to me alone belongs
+the management of the balloon."
+
+"Monsieur," said he, "your urbanity is French all over: it comes
+from my own country. I morally press the hand you refuse me. Make
+all precautions, and act as seems best to you. I will wait till
+you have done--"
+
+"For what?"
+
+"To talk with you."
+
+The barometer had fallen to twenty-six inches. We were nearly six
+hundred yards above the city; but nothing betrayed the horizontal
+displacement of the balloon, for the mass of air in which it is
+enclosed goes forward with it. A sort of confused glow enveloped
+the objects spread out under us, and unfortunately obscured their
+outline.
+
+I examined my companion afresh.
+
+He was a man of thirty years, simply clad. The sharpness of his
+features betrayed an indomitable energy, and he seemed very
+muscular. Indifferent to the astonishment he created, he remained
+motionless, trying to distinguish the objects which were vaguely
+confused below us.
+
+"Miserable mist!" said he, after a few moments.
+
+I did not reply.
+
+"You owe me a grudge?" he went on. "Bah! I could not pay for my
+journey, and it was necessary to take you by surprise."
+
+"Nobody asks you to descend, monsieur!"
+
+"Eh, do you not know, then, that the same thing happened to the
+Counts of Laurencin and Dampierre, when they ascended at Lyons,
+on the 15th of January, 1784? A young merchant, named Fontaine,
+scaled the gallery, at the risk of capsizing the machine. He
+accomplished the journey, and nobody died of it!"
+
+"Once on the ground, we will have an explanation," replied I,
+piqued at the light tone in which he spoke.
+
+"Bah! Do not let us think of our return."
+
+"Do you think, then, that I shall not hasten to descend?"
+
+"Descend!" said he, in surprise. "Descend? Let us begin by first
+ascending."
+
+And before I could prevent it, two more bags had been thrown over
+the car, without even having been emptied.
+
+"Monsieur!" cried I, in a rage.
+
+[Illustration: "Monsieur!" cried I, in a rage.]
+
+"I know your ability," replied the unknown quietly, "and your
+fine ascents are famous. But if Experience is the sister of
+Practice, she is also a cousin of Theory, and I have studied the
+aerial art long. It has got into my head!" he added sadly,
+falling into a silent reverie.
+
+The balloon, having risen some distance farther, now became
+stationary. The unknown consulted the barometer, and said,--
+
+"Here we are, at eight hundred yards. Men are like insects. See!
+I think we should always contemplate them from this height, to
+judge correctly of their proportions. The Place de la Comédie is
+transformed into an immense ant-hill. Observe the crowd which is
+gathered on the quays; and the mountains also get smaller and
+smaller. We are over the Cathedral. The Main is only a line,
+cutting the city in two, and the bridge seems a thread thrown
+between the two banks of the river."
+
+The atmosphere became somewhat chilly.
+
+"There is nothing I would not do for you, my host," said the
+unknown. "If you are cold, I will take off my coat and lend it to
+you."
+
+"Thanks," said I dryly.
+
+"Bah! Necessity makes law. Give me your hand. I am your
+fellow-countryman; you will learn something in my company, and my
+conversation will indemnify you for the trouble I have given
+you."
+
+I sat down, without replying, at the opposite extremity of the
+car. The young man had taken a voluminous manuscript from his
+great-coat. It was an essay on ballooning.
+
+"I possess," said he, "the most curious collection of engravings
+and caricatures extant concerning aerial manias. How people
+admired and scoffed at the same time at this precious discovery!
+We are happily no longer in the age in which Montgolfier tried to
+make artificial clouds with steam, or a gas having electrical
+properties, produced by the combustion of moist straw and
+chopped-up wool."
+
+"Do you wish to depreciate the talent of the inventors?" I asked,
+for I had resolved to enter into the adventure. "Was it not good
+to have proved by experience the possibility of rising in the
+air?"
+
+"Ah, monsieur, who denies the glory of the first aerial
+navigators? It required immense courage to rise by means of those
+frail envelopes which only contained heated air. But I ask you,
+has the aerial science made great progress since Blanchard's
+ascensions, that is, since nearly a century ago? Look here,
+monsieur."
+
+The unknown took an engraving from his portfolio.
+
+"Here," said he, "is the first aerial voyage undertaken by
+Pilâtre des Rosiers and the Marquis d'Arlandes, four months after
+the discovery of balloons. Louis XVI. refused to consent to the
+venture, and two men who were condemned to death were the first
+to attempt the aerial ascent. Pilâtre des Rosiers became
+indignant at this injustice, and, by means of intrigues, obtained
+permission to make the experiment. The car, which renders the
+management easy, had not then been invented, and a circular
+gallery was placed around the lower and contracted part of the
+Montgolfier balloon. The two aeronauts must then remain
+motionless at each extremity of this gallery, for the moist straw
+which filled it forbade them all motion. A chafing-dish with fire
+was suspended below the orifice of the balloon; when the
+aeronauts wished to rise, they threw straw upon this brazier, at
+the risk of setting fire to the balloon, and the air, more
+heated, gave it fresh ascending power. The two bold travellers
+rose, on the 21st of November, 1783, from the Muette Gardens,
+which the dauphin had put at their disposal. The balloon went up
+majestically, passed over the Isle of Swans, crossed the Seine at
+the Conference barrier, and, drifting between the dome of the
+Invalides and the Military School, approached the Church of Saint
+Sulpice. Then the aeronauts added to the fire, crossed the
+Boulevard, and descended beyond the Enfer barrier. As it touched
+the soil, the balloon collapsed, and for a few moments buried
+Pilâtre des Rosiers under its folds."
+
+"Unlucky augury," I said, interested in the story, which affected
+me nearly.
+
+"An augury of the catastrophe which was later to cost this
+unfortunate man his life," replied the unknown sadly. "Have you
+never experienced anything like it?"
+
+"Never,"
+
+"Bah! Misfortunes sometimes occur unforeshadowed!" added my
+companion.
+
+He then remained silent.
+
+Meanwhile we were advancing southward, and Frankfort had already
+passed from beneath us.
+
+"Perhaps we shall have a storm," said the young man.
+
+"We shall descend before that," I replied.
+
+"Indeed! It is better to ascend. We shall escape it more surely."
+
+And two more bags of sand were hurled into space.
+
+The balloon rose rapidly, and stopped at twelve hundred yards. I
+became colder; and yet the sun's rays, falling upon the surface,
+expanded the gas within, and gave it a greater ascending force.
+
+"Fear nothing," said the unknown. "We have still three thousand
+five hundred fathoms of breathing air. Besides, do not trouble
+yourself about what I do."
+
+I would have risen, but a vigorous hand held me to my seat.
+
+"Your name?" I asked.
+
+"My name? What matters it to you?"
+
+"I demand your name!"
+
+"My name is Erostratus or Empedocles, whichever you choose!"
+
+This reply was far from reassuring.
+
+The unknown, besides, talked with such strange coolness that I
+anxiously asked myself whom I had to deal with.
+
+"Monsieur," he continued, "nothing original has been imagined
+since the physicist Charles. Four months after the discovery of
+balloons, this able man had invented the valve, which permits the
+gas to escape when the balloon is too full, or when you wish to
+descend; the car, which aids the management of the machine; the
+netting, which holds the envelope of the balloon, and divides the
+weight over its whole surface; the ballast, which enables you to
+ascend, and to choose the place of your landing; the india-rubber
+coating, which renders the tissue impermeable; the barometer,
+which shows the height attained. Lastly, Charles used hydrogen,
+which, fourteen times lighter than air, permits you to penetrate
+to the highest atmospheric regions, and does not expose you to
+the dangers of a combustion in the air. On the 1st of December,
+1783, three hundred thousand spectators were crowded around the
+Tuileries. Charles rose, and the soldiers presented arms to him.
+He travelled nine leagues in the air, conducting his balloon with
+an ability not surpassed by modern aeronauts. The king awarded
+him a pension of two thousand livres; for then they encouraged
+new inventions."
+
+The unknown now seemed to be under the influence of considerable
+agitation.
+
+"Monsieur," he resumed, "I have studied this, and I am convinced
+that the first aeronauts guided their balloons. Without speaking
+of Blanchard, whose assertions may be received with doubt,
+Guyton-Morveaux, by the aid of oars and rudder, made his machine
+answer to the helm, and take the direction he determined on. More
+recently, M. Julien, a watchmaker, made some convincing
+experiments at the Hippodrome, in Paris; for, by a special
+mechanism, his aerial apparatus, oblong in form, went visibly
+against the wind. It occurred to M. Petin to place four hydrogen
+balloons together; and, by means of sails hung horizontally and
+partly folded, he hopes to be able to disturb the equilibrium,
+and, thus inclining the apparatus, to convey it in an oblique
+direction. They speak, also, of forces to overcome the resistance
+of currents,--for instance, the screw; but the screw, working on
+a moveable centre, will give no result. I, monsieur, have
+discovered the only means of guiding balloons; and no academy has
+come to my aid, no city has filled up subscriptions for me, no
+government has thought fit to listen to me! It is infamous!"
+
+The unknown gesticulated fiercely, and the car underwent violent
+oscillations. I had much trouble in calming him.
+
+Meanwhile the balloon had entered a more rapid current, and we
+advanced south, at fifteen hundred yards above the earth.
+
+"See, there is Darmstadt," said my companion, leaning over the
+car. "Do you perceive the château? Not very distinctly, eh? What
+would you have? The heat of the storm makes the outline of
+objects waver, and you must have a skilled eye to recognize
+localities."
+
+"Are you certain it is Darmstadt?" I asked.
+
+"I am sure of it. We are now six leagues from Frankfort."
+
+"Then we must descend."
+
+"Descend! You would not go down, on the steeples," said the
+unknown, with a chuckle.
+
+"No, but in the suburbs of the city."
+
+"Well, let us avoid the steeples!"
+
+So speaking, my companion seized some bags of ballast. I hastened
+to prevent him; but he overthrew me with one hand, and the
+unballasted balloon ascended to two thousand yards.
+
+"Rest easy," said he, "and do not forget that Brioschi, Biot,
+Gay-Lussac, Bixio, and Barral ascended to still greater heights
+to make their scientific experiments."
+
+"Monsieur, we must descend," I resumed, trying to persuade him by
+gentleness. "The storm is gathering around us. It would be more
+prudent--"
+
+"Bah! We will mount higher than the storm, and then we shall no
+longer fear it!" cried my companion. "What is nobler than to
+overlook the clouds which oppress the earth? Is it not an honour
+thus to navigate on aerial billows? The greatest men have
+travelled as we are doing. The Marchioness and Countess de
+Montalembert, the Countess of Podenas, Mademoiselle la Garde, the
+Marquis de Montalembert, rose from the Faubourg Saint-Antoine for
+these unknown regions, and the Duke de Chartres exhibited much
+skill and presence of mind in his ascent on the 15th of July,
+1784. At Lyons, the Counts of Laurencin and Dampierre; at Nantes,
+M. de Luynes; at Bordeaux, D'Arbelet des Granges; in Italy, the
+Chevalier Andreani; in our own time, the Duke of Brunswick,--have
+all left the traces of their glory in the air. To equal these
+great personages, we must penetrate still higher than they into
+the celestial depths! To approach the infinite is to comprehend
+it!"
+
+The rarefaction of the air was fast expanding the hydrogen in the
+balloon, and I saw its lower part, purposely left empty, swell
+out, so that it was absolutely necessary to open the valve; but
+my companion did not seem to intend that I should manage the
+balloon as I wished. I then resolved to pull the valve cord
+secretly, as he was excitedly talking; for I feared to guess with
+whom I had to deal. It would have been too horrible! It was
+nearly a quarter before one. We had been gone forty minutes from
+Frankfort; heavy clouds were coming against the wind from the
+south, and seemed about to burst upon us.
+
+"Have you lost all hope of succeeding in your project?" I asked
+with anxious interest.
+
+"All hope!" exclaimed the unknown in a low voice. "Wounded by
+slights and caricatures, these asses' kicks have finished me! It
+is the eternal punishment reserved for innovators! Look at these
+caricatures of all periods, of which my portfolio is full."
+
+While my companion was fumbling with his papers, I had seized the
+valve-cord without his perceiving it. I feared, however, that he
+might hear the hissing noise, like a water-course, which the gas
+makes in escaping.
+
+"How many jokes were made about the Abbé Miolan!" said he. "He
+was to go up with Janninet and Bredin. During the filling their
+balloon caught fire, and the ignorant populace tore it in pieces!
+Then this caricature of 'curious animals' appeared, giving each
+of them a punning nickname."
+
+I pulled the valve-cord, and the barometer began to ascend. It
+was time. Some far-off rumblings were heard in the south.
+
+"Here is another engraving," resumed the unknown, not suspecting
+what I was doing. "It is an immense balloon carrying a ship,
+strong castles, houses, and so on. The caricaturists did not
+suspect that their follies would one day become truths. It is
+complete, this large vessel. On the left is its helm, with the
+pilot's box; at the prow are pleasure-houses, an immense organ,
+and a cannon to call the attention of the inhabitants of the
+earth or the moon; above the poop there are the observatory and
+the balloon long-boat; in the equatorial circle, the army
+barrack; on the left, the funnel; then the upper galleries for
+promenading, sails, pinions; below, the cafés and general
+storehouse. Observe this pompous announcement: 'Invented for the
+happiness of the human race, this globe will depart at once for
+the ports of the Levant, and on its return the programme of its
+voyages to the two poles and the extreme west will be announced.
+No one need furnish himself with anything; everything is
+foreseen, and all will prosper. There will be a uniform price for
+all places of destination, but it will be the same for the most
+distant countries of our hemisphere--that is to say, a thousand
+louis for one of any of the said journeys. And it must be
+confessed that this sum is very moderate, when the speed,
+comfort, and arrangements which will be enjoyed on the balloon
+are considered--arrangements which are not to be found on land,
+while on the balloon each passenger may consult his own habits
+and tastes. This is so true that in the same place some will be
+dancing, others standing; some will be enjoying delicacies;
+others fasting. Whoever desires the society of wits may satisfy
+himself; whoever is stupid may find stupid people to keep him
+company. Thus pleasure will be the soul of the aerial company.'
+All this provoked laughter; but before long, if I am not cut off,
+they will see it all realized."
+
+We were visibly descending. He did not perceive it!
+
+"This kind of 'game at balloons,'" he resumed, spreading out
+before me some of the engravings of his valuable collection,
+"this game contains the entire history of the aerostatic art. It
+is used by elevated minds, and is played with dice and counters,
+with whatever stakes you like, to be paid or received according
+to where the player arrives."
+
+"Why," said I, "you seem to have studied the science of
+aerostation profoundly."
+
+"Yes, monsieur, yes! From Phaethon, Icarus, Architas, I have
+searched for, examined, learnt everything. I could render immense
+services to the world in this art, if God granted me life. But
+that will not be!"
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because my name is Empedocles, or Erostratus."
+
+Meanwhile, the balloon was happily approaching the earth; but
+when one is falling, the danger is as great at a hundred feet as
+at five thousand.
+
+"Do you recall the battle of Fleurus?" resumed my companion,
+whose face became more and more animated. "It was at that battle
+that Contello, by order of the Government, organized a company of
+balloonists. At the siege of Manbenge General Jourdan derived so
+much service from this new method of observation that Contello
+ascended twice a day with the general himself. The communications
+between the aeronaut and his agents who held the balloon were
+made by means of small white, red, and yellow flags. Often the
+gun and cannon shot were directed upon the balloon when he
+ascended, but without result. When General Jourdan was preparing
+to invest Charleroi, Contello went into the vicinity, ascended
+from the plain of Jumet, and continued his observations for seven
+or eight hours with General Morlot, and this no doubt aided in
+giving us the victory of Fleurus. General Jourdan publicly
+acknowledged the help which the aeronautical observations had
+afforded him. Well, despite the services rendered on that
+occasion and during the Belgian campaign, the year which had seen
+the beginning of the military career of balloons saw also its
+end. The school of Meudon, founded by the Government, was closed
+by Buonaparte on his return from Egypt. And now, what can you
+expect from the new-born infant? as Franklin said. The infant was
+born alive; it should not be stifled!"
+
+[Illustration: "He continued his observations for seven or eight
+hours with General Morlot"]
+
+The unknown bowed his head in his hands, and reflected for some
+moments; then raising his head, he said,--
+
+"Despite my prohibition, monsieur, you have opened the valve."
+
+I dropped the cord.
+
+"Happily," he resumed, "we have still three hundred pounds of
+ballast."
+
+"What is your purpose?" said I.
+
+"Have you ever crossed the seas?" he asked.
+
+I turned pale.
+
+"It is unfortunate," he went on, "that we are being driven
+towards the Adriatic. That is only a stream; but higher up we may
+find other currents."
+
+And, without taking any notice of me, he threw over several bags
+of sand; then, in a menacing voice, he said,--
+
+"I let you open the valve because the expansion of the gas
+threatened to burst the balloon; but do not do it again!"
+
+Then he went on as follows:--
+
+"You remember the voyage of Blanchard and Jeffries from Dover to
+Calais? It was magnificent! On the 7th of January, 1785, there
+being a north-west wind, their balloon was inflated with gas on
+the Dover coast. A mistake of equilibrium, just as they were
+ascending, forced them to throw out their ballast so that they
+might not go down again, and they only kept thirty pounds. It was
+too little; for, as the wind did not freshen, they only advanced
+very slowly towards the French coast. Besides, the permeability
+of the tissue served to reduce the inflation little by little,
+and in an hour and a half the aeronauts perceived that they were
+descending.
+
+"'What shall we do?' said Jeffries.
+
+"'We are only one quarter of the way over,' replied Blanchard,
+'and very low down. On rising, we shall perhaps meet more
+favourable winds.'
+
+"'Let us throw out the rest of the sand.'
+
+"The balloon acquired some ascending force, but it soon began to
+descend again. Towards the middle of the transit the aeronauts
+threw over their books and tools. A quarter of an hour after,
+Blanchard said to Jeffries,--
+
+"'The barometer?'
+
+"'It is going up! We are lost, and yet there is the French
+coast.'
+
+"A loud noise was heard.
+
+"'Has the balloon burst?' asked Jeffries.
+
+"'No. The loss of the gas has reduced the inflation of the lower
+part of the balloon. But we are still descending. We are lost!
+Out with everything useless!'
+
+"Provisions, oars, and rudder were thrown into the sea. The
+aeronauts were only one hundred yards high.
+
+"'We are going up again,' said the doctor.
+
+"'No. It is the spurt caused by the diminution of the weight, and
+not a ship in sight, not a bark on the horizon! To the sea with
+our clothing!'
+
+"The unfortunates stripped themselves, but the balloon continued
+to descend.
+
+"'Blanchard,' said Jeffries, 'you should have made this voyage
+alone; you consented to take me; I will sacrifice myself! I am
+going to throw myself into the water, and the balloon, relieved
+of my weight, will mount again.'
+
+"'No, no! It is frightful!'
+
+"The balloon became less and less inflated, and as it doubled up
+its concavity pressed the gas against the sides, and hastened its
+downward course.
+
+[Illustration: The balloon became less and less inflated]
+
+"'Adieu, my friend," said the doctor. 'God preserve you!'
+
+"He was about to throw himself over, when Blanchard held him
+back.
+
+"'There is one more chance,' said he. 'We can cut the cords which
+hold the car, and cling to the net! Perhaps the balloon will
+rise. Let us hold ourselves ready. But--the barometer is going
+down! The wind is freshening! We are saved!'
+
+"The aeronauts perceived Calais. Their joy was delirious. A few
+moments more, and they had fallen in the forest of Guines. I do
+not doubt," added the unknown, "that, under similar circumstances,
+you would have followed Doctor Jeffries' example!"
+
+The clouds rolled in glittering masses beneath us. The balloon
+threw large shadows on this heap of clouds, and was surrounded as
+by an aureola. The thunder rumbled below the car. All this was
+terrifying.
+
+"Let us descend!" I cried.
+
+"Descend, when the sun is up there, waiting for us? Out with more
+bags!"
+
+And more than fifty pounds of ballast were cast over.
+
+At a height of three thousand five hundred yards we remained
+stationary.
+
+The unknown talked unceasingly. I was in a state of complete
+prostration, while he seemed to be in his element.
+
+"With a good wind, we shall go far," he cried. "In the Antilles
+there are currents of air which have a speed of a hundred leagues
+an hour. When Napoleon was crowned, Garnerin sent up a balloon
+with coloured lamps, at eleven o'clock at night. The wind was
+blowing north-north-west. The next morning, at daybreak, the
+inhabitants of Rome greeted its passage over the dome of St.
+Peter's. We shall go farther and higher!"
+
+I scarcely heard him. Everything whirled around me. An opening
+appeared in the clouds.
+
+"See that city," said the unknown. "It is Spires!"
+
+I leaned over the car and perceived a small blackish mass. It was
+Spires. The Rhine, which is so large, seemed an unrolled ribbon.
+The sky was a deep blue over our heads. The birds had long
+abandoned us, for in that rarefied air they could not have flown.
+We were alone in space, and I in presence of this unknown!
+
+"It is useless for you to know whither I am leading you," he
+said, as he threw the compass among the clouds. "Ah! a fall is a
+grand thing! You know that but few victims of ballooning are to
+be reckoned, from Pilâtre des Rosiers to Lieutenant Gale, and
+that the accidents have always been the result of imprudence.
+Pilâtre des Rosiers set out with Romain of Boulogne, on the 13th
+of June, 1785. To his gas balloon he had affixed a Montgolfier
+apparatus of hot air, so as to dispense, no doubt, with the
+necessity of losing gas or throwing out ballast. It was putting a
+torch under a powder-barrel. When they had ascended four hundred
+yards, and were taken by opposing winds, they were driven over
+the open sea. Pilâtre, in order to descend, essayed to open the
+valve, but the valve-cord became entangled in the balloon, and
+tore it so badly that it became empty in an instant. It fell upon
+the Montgolfier apparatus, overturned it, and dragged down the
+unfortunates, who were soon shattered to pieces! It is frightful,
+is it not?"
+
+I could only reply, "For pity's sake, let us descend!"
+
+The clouds gathered around us on every side, and dreadful
+detonations, which reverberated in the cavity of the balloon,
+took place beneath us.
+
+"You provoke me," cried the unknown, "and you shall no longer
+know whether we are rising or falling!"
+
+The barometer went the way of the compass, accompanied by several
+more bags of sand. We must have been 5000 yards high. Some
+icicles had already attached themselves to the sides of the car,
+and a kind of fine snow seemed to penetrate to my very bones.
+Meanwhile a frightful tempest was raging under us, but we were
+above it.
+
+"Do not be afraid," said the unknown. "It is only the imprudent
+who are lost. Olivari, who perished at Orleans, rose in a paper
+'Montgolfier;' his car, suspended below the chafing-dish, and
+ballasted with combustible materials, caught fire; Olivari fell,
+and was killed! Mosment rose, at Lille, on a light tray; an
+oscillation disturbed his equilibrium; Mosment fell, and was
+killed! Bittorf, at Mannheim, saw his balloon catch fire in the
+air; and he, too, fell, and was killed! Harris rose in a badly
+constructed balloon, the valve of which was too large and would
+not shut; Harris fell, and was killed! Sadler, deprived of
+ballast by his long sojourn in the air, was dragged over the town
+of Boston and dashed against the chimneys; Sadler fell, and was
+killed! Cokling descended with a convex parachute which he
+pretended to have perfected; Cokling fell, and was killed! Well,
+I love them, these victims of their own imprudence, and I shall
+die as they did. Higher! still higher!"
+
+All the phantoms of this necrology passed before my eyes. The
+rarefaction of the air and the sun's rays added to the expansion
+of the gas, and the balloon continued to mount. I tried
+mechanically to open the valve, but the unknown cut the cord
+several feet above my head. I was lost!
+
+"Did you see Madame Blanchard fall?" said he. "I saw her; yes, I!
+I was at Tivoli on the 6th of July, 1819. Madame Blanchard rose
+in a small sized balloon, to avoid the expense of filling, and
+she was forced to entirely inflate it. The gas leaked out below,
+and left a regular train of hydrogen in its path. She carried
+with her a sort of pyrotechnic aureola, suspended below her car
+by a wire, which she was to set off in the air. This she had done
+many times before. On this day she also carried up a small
+parachute ballasted by a firework contrivance, that would go off
+in a shower of silver. She was to start this contrivance after
+having lighted it with a port-fire made on purpose. She set out;
+the night was gloomy. At the moment of lighting her fireworks she
+was so imprudent as to pass the taper under the column of
+hydrogen which was leaking from the balloon. My eyes were fixed
+upon her. Suddenly an unexpected gleam lit up the darkness. I
+thought she was preparing a surprise. The light flashed out,
+suddenly disappeared and reappeared, and gave the summit of the
+balloon the shape of an immense jet of ignited gas. This sinister
+glow shed itself over the Boulevard and the whole Montmartre
+quarter. Then I saw the unhappy woman rise, try twice to close
+the appendage of the balloon, so as to put out the fire, then sit
+down in her car and try to guide her descent; for she did not
+fall. The combustion of the gas lasted for several minutes. The
+balloon, becoming gradually less, continued to descend, but it
+was not a fall. The wind blew from the north-west and drove it
+towards Paris. There were then some large gardens just by the
+house No. 16, Rue de Provence. Madame Blanchard essayed to fall
+there without danger: but the balloon and the car struck on the
+roof of the house with a light shock. 'Save me!' cried the
+wretched woman. I got into the street at this moment. The car
+slid along the roof, and encountered an iron cramp. At this
+concussion, Madame Blanchard was thrown out of her car and
+precipitated upon the pavement. She was killed!"
+
+These stories froze me with horror. The unknown was standing with
+bare head, dishevelled hair, haggard eyes!
+
+There was no longer any illusion possible. I at last recognized
+the horrible truth. I was in the presence of a madman!
+
+He threw out the rest of the ballast, and we must have now
+reached a height of at least nine thousand yards. Blood spurted
+from my nose and mouth!
+
+"Who are nobler than the martyrs of science?" cried the lunatic.
+"They are canonized by posterity."
+
+But I no longer heard him. He looked about him, and, bending down
+to my ear, muttered,--
+
+"And have you forgotten Zambecarri's catastrophe? Listen. On the
+7th of October, 1804, the clouds seemed to lift a little. On the
+preceding days, the wind and rain had not ceased; but the
+announced ascension of Zambecarri could not be postponed. His
+enemies were already bantering him. It was necessary to ascend,
+to save the science and himself from becoming a public jest. It
+was at Boulogne. No one helped him to inflate his balloon.
+
+"He rose at midnight, accompanied by Andreoli and Grossetti. The
+balloon mounted slowly, for it had been perforated by the rain,
+and the gas was leaking out. The three intrepid aeronauts could
+only observe the state of the barometer by aid of a dark lantern.
+Zambecarri had eaten nothing for twenty-four hours. Grossetti was
+also fasting.
+
+"'My friends,' said Zambecarri, 'I am overcome by cold, and
+exhausted. I am dying.'
+
+"He fell inanimate in the gallery. It was the same with
+Grossetti. Andreoli alone remained conscious. After long efforts,
+he succeeded in reviving Zambecarri.
+
+"'What news? Whither are we going? How is the wind? What time is
+it?'
+
+"'It is two o'clock.'
+
+"'Where is the compass?'
+
+"'Upset!'
+
+"'Great God! The lantern has gone out!'
+
+"'It cannot burn in this rarefied air,' said Zambecarri.
+
+"The moon had not risen, and the atmosphere was plunged in murky
+darkness.
+
+"'I am cold, Andreoli. What shall I do?'
+
+"They slowly descended through a layer of whitish clouds.
+
+"'Sh!' said Andreoli. 'Do you hear?'
+
+"'What?' asked Zambecarri.
+
+"'A strange noise.'
+
+"'You are mistaken.'
+
+"'No.'
+
+"Consider these travellers, in the middle of the night, listening
+to that unaccountable noise! Are they going to knock against a
+tower? Are they about to be precipitated on the roofs?
+
+"'Do you hear? One would say it was the noise of the sea.'
+
+"'Impossible!'
+
+"'It is the groaning of the waves!'
+
+"'It is true.'
+
+"'Light! light!'
+
+"After five fruitless attempts, Andreoli succeeded in obtaining
+light. It was three o'clock.
+
+"The voice of violent waves was heard. They were almost touching
+the surface of the sea!
+
+"'We are lost!' cried Zambecarri, seizing a large bag of sand.
+
+"'Help!' cried Andreoli.
+
+"The car touched the water, and the waves came up to their
+breasts.
+
+"'Throw out the instruments, clothes, money!'
+
+"The aeronauts completely stripped themselves. The balloon,
+relieved, rose with frightful rapidity. Zambecarri was taken with
+vomiting. Grossetti bled profusely. The unfortunate men could not
+speak, so short was their breathing. They were taken with cold,
+and they were soon crusted over with ice. The moon looked as red
+as blood.
+
+"After traversing the high regions for a half-hour, the balloon
+again fell into the sea. It was four in the morning. They were
+half submerged in the water, and the balloon dragged them along,
+as if under sail, for several hours.
+
+"At daybreak they found themselves opposite Pesaro, four miles
+from the coast. They were about to reach it, when a gale blew
+them back into the open sea. They were lost! The frightened boats
+fled at their approach. Happily, a more intelligent boatman
+accosted them, hoisted them on board, and they landed at Ferrada.
+
+"A frightful journey, was it not? But Zambecarri was a brave and
+energetic man. Scarcely recovered from his sufferings, he resumed
+his ascensions. During one of them he struck against a tree; his
+spirit-lamp was broken on his clothes; he was enveloped in fire,
+his balloon began to catch the flames, and he came down half
+consumed.
+
+"At last, on the 21st of September, 1812, he made another
+ascension at Boulogne. The balloon clung to a tree, and his lamp
+again set it on fire. Zambecarri fell, and was killed! And in
+presence of these facts, we would still hesitate! No. The higher
+we go, the more glorious will be our death!"
+
+[Illustration: "Zambecarri fell, and was killed!"]
+
+The balloon being now entirely relieved of ballast and of all it
+contained, we were carried to an enormous height. It vibrated in
+the atmosphere. The least noise resounded in the vaults of
+heaven. Our globe, the only object which caught my view in
+immensity, seemed ready to be annihilated, and above us the
+depths of the starry skies were lost in thick darkness.
+
+I saw my companion rise up before me.
+
+"The hour is come!" he said. "We must die. We are rejected of
+men. They despise us. Let us crush them!"
+
+"Mercy!" I cried.
+
+"Let us cut these cords! Let this car be abandoned in space. The
+attractive force will change its direction, and we shall approach
+the sun!"
+
+Despair galvanized me. I threw myself upon the madman, we
+struggled together, and a terrible conflict took place. But I was
+thrown down, and while he held me under his knee, the madman was
+cutting the cords of the car.
+
+"One!" he cried.
+
+"My God!"
+
+"Two! Three!"
+
+I made a superhuman effort, rose up, and violently repulsed the
+madman.
+
+"Four!"
+
+The car fell, but I instinctively clung to the cords and hoisted
+myself into the meshes of the netting.
+
+The madman disappeared in space!
+
+[Illustration: The madman disappeared in space!]
+
+The balloon was raised to an immeasurable height. A horrible
+cracking was heard. The gas, too much dilated, had burst the
+balloon. I shut my eyes--
+
+Some instants after, a damp warmth revived me. I was in the midst
+of clouds on fire. The balloon turned over with dizzy velocity.
+Taken by the wind, it made a hundred leagues an hour in a
+horizontal course, the lightning flashing around it.
+
+Meanwhile my fall was not a very rapid one. When I opened my
+eyes, I saw the country. I was two miles from the sea, and the
+tempest was driving me violently towards it, when an abrupt shock
+forced me to loosen my hold. My hands opened, a cord slipped
+swiftly between my fingers, and I found myself on the solid
+earth!
+
+It was the cord of the anchor, which, sweeping along the surface
+of the ground, was caught in a crevice; and my balloon,
+unballasted for the last time, careered off to lose itself beyond
+the sea.
+
+When I came to myself, I was in bed in a peasant's cottage, at
+Harderwick, a village of La Gueldre, fifteen leagues from
+Amsterdam, on the shores of the Zuyder-Zee.
+
+A miracle had saved my life, but my voyage had been a series of
+imprudences, committed by a lunatic, and I had not been able to
+prevent them.
+
+May this terrible narrative, though instructing those who read
+it, not discourage the explorers of the air.
+
+
+
+
+A WINTER AMID THE ICE.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE BLACK FLAG.
+
+
+The curé of the ancient church of Dunkirk rose at five o'clock on
+the 12th of May, 18--, to perform, according to his custom, low
+mass for the benefit of a few pious sinners.
+
+Attired in his priestly robes, he was about to proceed to the
+altar, when a man entered the sacristy, at once joyous and
+frightened. He was a sailor of some sixty years, but still
+vigorous and sturdy, with, an open, honest countenance.
+
+"Monsieur the curé," said he, "stop a moment, if you please."
+
+[Illustration: "Monsieur the curé," said he, "stop a moment, if
+you please."]
+
+"What do you want so early in the morning, Jean Cornbutte?" asked
+the curé.
+
+"What do I want? Why, to embrace you in my arms, i' faith!"
+
+"Well, after the mass at which you are going to be present--"
+
+"The mass?" returned the old sailor, laughing. "Do you think you
+are going to say your mass now, and that I will let you do so?"
+
+"And why should I not say my mass?" asked the curé. "Explain
+yourself. The third bell has sounded--"
+
+"Whether it has or not," replied Jean Cornbutte, "it will sound
+many more times to-day, monsieur the curé, for you have promised
+me that you will bless, with your own hands, the marriage of my
+son Louis and my niece Marie!"
+
+"He has arrived, then," said the curé "joyfully.
+
+"It is nearly the same thing," replied Cornbutte, rubbing his
+hands. "Our brig was signalled from the look out at sunrise,--our
+brig, which you yourself christened by the good name of the
+'Jeune-Hardie'!"
+
+"I congratulate you with all my heart, Cornbutte," said the curé,
+taking off his chasuble and stole. "I remember our agreement. The
+vicar will take my place, and I will put myself at your disposal
+against your dear son's arrival."
+
+"And I promise you that he will not make you fast long," replied
+the sailor. "You have already published the banns, and you will
+only have to absolve him from the sins he may have committed
+between sky and water, in the Northern Ocean. I had a good idea,
+that the marriage should be celebrated the very day he arrived,
+and that my son Louis should leave his ship to repair at once to
+the church."
+
+"Go, then, and arrange everything, Cornbutte."
+
+"I fly, monsieur the curé. Good morning!"
+
+The sailor hastened with rapid steps to his house, which stood on
+the quay, whence could be seen the Northern Ocean, of which he
+seemed so proud.
+
+Jean Cornbutte had amassed a comfortable sum at his calling.
+After having long commanded the vessels of a rich shipowner of
+Havre, he had settled down in his native town, where he had
+caused the brig "Jeune-Hardie" to be constructed at his own
+expense. Several successful voyages had been made in the North,
+and the ship always found a good sale for its cargoes of wood,
+iron, and tar. Jean Cornbutte then gave up the command of her to
+his son Louis, a fine sailor of thirty, who, according to all the
+coasting captains, was the boldest mariner in Dunkirk.
+
+Louis Cornbutte had gone away deeply attached to Marie, his
+father's niece, who found the time of his absence very long and
+weary. Marie was scarcely twenty. She was a pretty Flemish girl,
+with some Dutch blood in her veins. Her mother, when she was
+dying, had confided her to her brother, Jean Cornbutte. The brave
+old sailor loved her as a daughter, and saw in her proposed union
+with Louis a source of real and durable happiness.
+
+The arrival of the ship, already signalled off the coast,
+completed an important business operation, from which Jean
+Cornbutte expected large profits. The "Jeune-Hardie," which had
+left three months before, came last from Bodoë, on the west coast
+of Norway, and had made a quick voyage thence.
+
+On returning home, Jean Cornbutte found the whole house alive.
+Marie, with radiant face, had assumed her wedding-dress.
+
+"I hope the ship will not arrive before we are ready!" she said.
+
+"Hurry, little one," replied Jean Cornbutte, "for the wind is
+north, and she sails well, you know, when she goes freely."
+
+"Have our friends been told, uncle?" asked Marie.
+
+"They have."
+
+"The notary, and the curé?"
+
+"Rest easy. You alone are keeping us waiting."
+
+At this moment Clerbaut, an old crony, came in.
+
+"Well, old Cornbutte," cried he, "here's luck! Your ship has
+arrived at the very moment that the government has decided to
+contract for a large quantity of wood for the navy!"
+
+"What is that to me?" replied Jean Cornbutte. "What care I for
+the government?"
+
+"You see, Monsieur Clerbaut," said Marie, "one thing only absorbs
+us,--Louis's return."
+
+"I don't dispute that," replied Clerbaut. "But--in short--this
+purchase of wood--"
+
+"And you shall be at the wedding," replied Jean Cornbutte,
+interrupting the merchant, and shaking his hand as if he would
+crush it.
+
+"This purchase of wood--"
+
+"And with all our friends, landsmen and seamen, Clerbaut. I have
+already informed everybody, and I shall invite the whole crew of
+the ship."
+
+"And shall we go and await them on the pier?" asked Marie.
+
+"Indeed we will," replied Jean Cornbutte. "We will defile, two by
+two, with the violins at the head."
+
+Jean Cornbutte's invited guests soon arrived. Though it was very
+early, not a single one failed to appear. All congratulated the
+honest old sailor whom they loved. Meanwhile Marie, kneeling
+down, changed her prayers to God into thanksgivings. She soon
+returned, lovely and decked out, to the company; and all the
+women kissed her on the check, while the men vigorously grasped
+her by the hand. Then Jean Cornbutte gave the signal of
+departure.
+
+It was a curious sight to see this joyous group taking its way,
+at sunrise, towards the sea. The news of the ship's arrival had
+spread through the port, and many heads, in nightcaps, appeared
+at the windows and at the half-opened doors. Sincere compliments
+and pleasant nods came from every side.
+
+The party reached the pier in the midst of a concert of praise
+and blessings. The weather was magnificent, and the sun seemed to
+take part in the festivity. A fresh north wind made the waves
+foam; and some fishing-smacks, their sails trimmed for leaving
+port, streaked the sea with their rapid wakes between the
+breakwaters.
+
+The two piers of Dunkirk stretch far out into the sea. The
+wedding-party occupied the whole width of the northern pier, and
+soon reached a small house situated at its extremity, inhabited
+by the harbour-master. The wind freshened, and the "Jeune-Hardie"
+ran swiftly under her topsails, mizzen, brigantine, gallant, and
+royal. There was evidently rejoicing on board as well as on land.
+Jean Cornbutte, spy-glass in hand, responded merrily to the
+questions of his friends.
+
+"See my ship!" he cried; "clean and steady as if she had been
+rigged at Dunkirk! Not a bit of damage done,--not a rope
+wanting!"
+
+"Do you see your son, the captain?" asked one.
+
+"No, not yet. Why, he's at his business!"
+
+"Why doesn't he run up his flag?" asked Clerbaut.
+
+"I scarcely know, old friend. He has a reason for it, no doubt."
+
+"Your spy-glass, uncle?" said Marie, taking it from him. "I want
+to be the first to see him."
+
+"But he is my son, mademoiselle!"
+
+"He has been your son for thirty years," answered the young girl,
+laughing, "and he has only been my betrothed for two!"
+
+The "Jeune-Hardie" was now entirely visible. Already the crew
+were preparing to cast anchor. The upper sails had been reefed.
+The sailors who were among the rigging might be recognized. But
+neither Marie nor Jean Cornbutte had yet been able to wave their
+hands at the captain of the ship.
+
+"Faith! there's the first mate, André Vasling," cried Clerbaut.
+
+"And there's Fidèle Misonne, the carpenter," said another.
+
+"And our friend Penellan," said a third, saluting the sailor
+named.
+
+The "Jeune-Hardie" was only three cables' lengths from the shore,
+when a black flag ascended to the gaff of the brigantine. There
+was mourning on board!
+
+A shudder of terror seized the party and the heart of the young
+girl.
+
+The ship sadly swayed into port, and an icy silence reigned on
+its deck. Soon it had passed the end of the pier. Marie, Jean
+Cornbutte, and all their friends hurried towards the quay at
+which she was to anchor, and in a moment found themselves on
+board.
+
+"My son!" said Jean Cornbutte, who could only articulate these
+words.
+
+The sailors, with uncovered heads, pointed to the mourning flag.
+
+Marie uttered a cry of anguish, and fell into old Cornbutte's
+arms.
+
+André Vasling had brought back the "Jeune-Hardie," but Louis
+Cornbutte, Marie's betrothed, was not on board.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Jean Cornbutte's Project.
+
+
+As soon as the young girl, confided to the care of the
+sympathizing friends, had left the ship, André Vasling, the mate,
+apprised Jean Cornbutte of the dreadful event which had deprived
+him of his son, narrated in the ship's journal as follows:--
+
+[Illustration: André Vasling, the mate, apprised Jean Cornbutte
+of the dreadful event]
+
+"At the height of the Maëlstrom, on the 26th of April, the ship,
+putting for the cape, by reason of bad weather and south-west
+winds, perceived signals of distress made by a schooner to the
+leeward. This schooner, deprived of its mizzen-mast, was running
+towards the whirlpool, under bare poles. Captain Louis Cornbutte,
+seeing that this vessel was hastening into imminent danger,
+resolved to go on board her. Despite the remonstrances of his
+crew, he had the long-boat lowered into the sea, and got into it,
+with the sailor Courtois and the helmsman Pierre Nouquet. The
+crew watched them until they disappeared in the fog. Night came
+on. The sea became more and more boisterous. The "Jeune-Hardie",
+drawn by the currents in those parts, was in danger of being
+engulfed by the Maëlstrom. She was obliged to fly before the
+wind. For several days she hovered near the place of the
+disaster, but in vain. The long-boat, the schooner, Captain
+Louis, and the two sailors did not reappear. André Vasling then
+called the crew together, took command of the ship, and set sail
+for Dunkirk."
+
+After reading this dry narrative, Jean Cornbutte wept for a long
+time; and if he had any consolation, it was the thought that his
+son had died in attempting to save his fellow-men. Then the poor
+father left the ship, the sight of which made him wretched, and
+returned to his desolate home.
+
+The sad news soon spread throughout Dunkirk. The many friends of
+the old sailor came to bring him their cordial and sincere
+sympathy. Then the sailors of the "Jeune-Hardie" gave a more
+particular account of the event, and André Vasling told Marie, at
+great length, of the devotion of her betrothed to the last.
+
+When he ceased weeping, Jean Cornbutte thought over the matter,
+and the next day after the ship's arrival, when Andre came to see
+him, said,--
+
+"Are you very sure, André, that my son has perished?"
+
+"Alas, yes, Monsieur Jean," replied the mate.
+
+"And you made all possible search for him?"
+
+"All, Monsieur Cornbutte. But it is unhappily but too certain
+that he and the two sailors were sucked down in the whirlpool of
+the Maëlstrom."
+
+"Would you like, André, to keep the second command of the ship?"
+
+"That will depend upon the captain, Monsieur Cornbutte."
+
+"I shall be the captain," replied the old sailor. "I am going to
+discharge the cargo with all speed, make up my crew, and sail in
+search of my son."
+
+"Your son is dead!" said André obstinately.
+
+"It is possible, Andre," replied Jean Cornbutte sharply, "but it
+is also possible that he saved himself. I am going to rummage all
+the ports of Norway whither he might have been driven, and when I
+am fully convinced that I shall never see him again, I will
+return here to die!"
+
+André Vasling, seeing that this decision was irrevocable, did not
+insist further, but went away.
+
+Jean Cornbutte at once apprised his niece of his intention, and
+he saw a few rays of hope glisten across her tears. It had not
+seemed to the young girl that her lover's death might be
+doubtful; but scarcely had this new hope entered her heart, than
+she embraced it without reserve.
+
+The old sailor determined that the "Jeune-Hardie" should put to
+sea without delay. The solidly built ship had no need of repairs.
+Jean Cornbutte gave his sailors notice that if they wished to
+re-embark, no change in the crew would be made. He alone replaced
+his son in the command of the brig. None of the comrades of Louis
+Cornbutte failed to respond to his call, and there were hardy
+tars among them,--Alaine Turquiette, Fidèle Misonne the
+carpenter, Penellan the Breton, who replaced Pierre Nouquet as
+helmsman, and Gradlin, Aupic, and Gervique, courageous and well-tried
+mariners.
+
+Jean Cornbutte again offered André Vasling his old rank on board.
+The first mate was an able officer, who had proved his skill in
+bringing the "Jeune-Hardie" into port. Yet, from what motive
+could not be told, André made some difficulties and asked time
+for reflection.
+
+"As you will, André Vasling," replied Cornbutte. "Only remember
+that if you accept, you will be welcome among us."
+
+Jean had a devoted sailor in Penellan the Breton, who had long
+been his fellow-voyager. In times gone by, little Marie was wont
+to pass the long winter evenings in the helmsman's arms, when he
+was on shore. He felt a fatherly friendship for her, and she had
+for him ah affection quite filial. Penellan hastened the fitting
+out of the ship with all his energy, all the more because,
+according to his opinion, André Vasling had not perhaps made
+every effort possible to find the castaways, although he was
+excusable from the responsibility which weighed upon him as
+captain.
+
+Within a week the "Jeune-Hardie" was ready to put to sea. Instead
+of merchandise, she was completely provided with salt meats,
+biscuits, barrels of flour, potatoes, pork, wine, brandy, coffee,
+tea, and tobacco.
+
+The departure was fixed for the 22nd of May. On the evening
+before, André Vasling, who had not yet given his answer to Jean
+Cornbutte, came to his house. He was still undecided, and did not
+know which course to take.
+
+Jean was not at home, though the house-door was open. André went
+into the passage, next to Marie's chamber, where the sound of an
+animated conversation struck his ear. He listened attentively,
+and recognized the voices of Penellan and Marie.
+
+The discussion had no doubt been going on for some time, for the
+young girl seemed to be stoutly opposing what the Breton sailor
+said.
+
+"How old is my uncle Cornbutte?" said Marie.
+
+"Something about sixty years," replied Penellan.
+
+"Well, is he not going to brave danger to find his son?"
+
+"Our captain is still a sturdy man," returned the sailor. "He has
+a body of oak and muscles as hard as a spare spar. So I am not
+afraid to have him go to sea again!'"
+
+"My good Penellan," said Marie, "one is strong when one loves!
+Besides, I have full confidence in the aid of Heaven. You
+understand me, and will help me."
+
+"No!" said Penellan. "It is impossible, Marie. Who knows whither
+we shall drift, or what we must suffer? How many vigorous men
+have I seen lose their lives in these seas!"
+
+"Penellan," returned the young girl, "if you refuse me, I shall
+believe that you do not love me any longer."
+
+André Vasling understood the young girl's resolution. He
+reflected a moment, and his course was determined on.
+
+"Jean Cornbutte," said he, advancing towards the old sailor, who
+now entered, "I will go with you. The cause of my hesitation has
+disappeared, and you may count upon my devotion."
+
+"I have never doubted you, André Vasling," replied Jean
+Cornbutte, grasping him by the hand. "Marie, my child!" he added,
+calling in a loud voice.
+
+Marie and Penellan made their appearance.
+
+"We shall set sail to-morrow at daybreak, with the outgoing
+tide," said Jean. "My poor Marie, this is the last evening that
+we shall pass together.
+
+"Uncle!" cried Marie, throwing herself into his arms.
+
+"Marie, by the help of God, I will bring your lover back to you!"
+
+"Yes, we will find Louis," added André Vasling.
+
+"You are going with us, then?" asked Penellan quickly.
+
+"Yes, Penellan, André Vasling is to be my first mate," answered
+Jean.
+
+"Oh, oh!" ejaculated the Breton, in a singular tone.
+
+"And his advice will be useful to us, for he is able and
+enterprising.
+
+"And yourself, captain," said André. "You will set us all a good
+example, for you have still as much vigour as experience."
+
+"Well, my friends, good-bye till to-morrow. Go on board and make
+the final arrangements. Good-bye, André; good-bye, Penellan."
+
+The mate and the sailor went out together, and Jean and Marie
+remained alone. Many bitter tears were shed during that sad
+evening. Jean Cornbutte, seeing Marie so wretched, resolved to
+spare her the pain of separation by leaving the house on the
+morrow without her knowledge. So he gave her a last kiss that
+evening, and at three o'clock next morning was up and away.
+
+The departure of the brig had attracted all the old sailor's
+friends to the pier. The curé, who was to have blessed Marie's
+union with Louis, came to give a last benediction on the ship.
+Rough grasps of the hand were silently exchanged, and Jean went
+on board.
+
+The crew were all there. André Vasling gave the last orders. The
+sails were spread, and the brig rapidly passed out under a stiff
+north-west breeze, whilst the cure, upright in the midst of the
+kneeling spectators, committed the vessel to the hands of God.
+
+Whither goes this ship? She follows the perilous route upon which
+so many castaways have been lost! She has no certain destination.
+She must expect every peril, and be able to brave them without
+hesitating. God alone knows where it will be her fate to anchor.
+May God guide her!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A RAY OF HOPE.
+
+
+At that time of the year the season was favourable, and the crew
+might hope promptly to reach the scene of the shipwreck.
+
+Jean Cornbutte's plan was naturally traced out. He counted on
+stopping at the Feroë Islands, whither the north wind might have
+carried the castaways; then, if he was convinced that they had
+not been received in any of the ports of that locality, he would
+continue his search beyond the Northern Ocean, ransack the whole
+western coast of Norway as far as Bodoë, the place nearest the
+scene of the shipwreck; and, if necessary, farther still.
+
+André Vasling thought, contrary to the captain's opinion, that
+the coast of Iceland should be explored; but Penellan observed
+that, at the time of the catastrophe, the gale came from the
+west; which, while it gave hope that the unfortunates had not
+been forced towards the gulf of the Maëlstrom, gave ground for
+supposing that they might have been thrown on the Norwegian
+coast.
+
+It was determined, then, that this coast should be followed as
+closely as possible, so as to recognize any traces of them that
+might appear.
+
+The day after sailing, Jean Cornbutte, intent upon a map, was
+absorbed in reflection, when a small hand touched his shoulder,
+and a soft voice said in his ear,--
+
+"Have good courage, uncle."
+
+[Illustration: A soft voice said in his ear, "Have good courage,
+uncle."]
+
+He turned, and was stupefied. Marie embraced him.
+
+"Marie, my daughter, on board!" he cried.
+
+"The wife may well go in search of her husband, when the father
+embarks to save his child."
+
+"Unhappy Marie! How wilt thou support our fatigues! Dost thou
+know that thy presence may be injurious to our search?"
+
+"No, uncle, for I am strong."
+
+"Who knows whither we shall be forced to go, Marie? Look at this
+map. We are approaching places dangerous even for us sailors,
+hardened though we are to the difficulties of the sea. And thou,
+frail child?"
+
+"But, uncle, I come from a family of sailors. I am used to
+stories of combats and tempests. I am with you and my old friend
+Penellan!"
+
+"Penellan! It was he who concealed you on board?"
+
+"Yes, uncle; but only when he saw that I was determined to come
+without his help."
+
+"Penellan!" cried Jean.
+
+Penellan entered.
+
+"It is not possible to undo what you have done, Penellan; but
+remember that you are responsible for Marie's life."
+
+"Rest easy, captain," replied Penellan. "The little one has force
+and courage, and will be our guardian angel. And then, captain,
+you know it is my theory, that all in this world happens for the
+best."
+
+The young girl was installed in a cabin, which the sailors soon
+got ready for her, and which they made as comfortable as
+possible.
+
+A week later the "Jeune-Hardie" stopped at the Feroë Islands, but
+the most minute search was fruitless. No wreck, or fragments of a
+ship had come upon these coasts. Even the news of the event was
+quite unknown. The brig resumed its voyage, after a stay of ten
+days, about the 10th of June. The sea was calm, and the winds
+were favourable. The ship sped rapidly towards the Norwegian
+coast, which it explored without better result.
+
+Jean Cornbutte determined to proceed to Bodoë. Perhaps he would
+there learn the name of the shipwrecked schooner to succour which
+Louis and the sailors had sacrificed themselves.
+
+On the 30th of June the brig cast anchor in that port.
+
+The authorities of Bodoë gave Jean Cornbutte a bottle found on
+the coast, which contained a document bearing these words:--
+
+"This 26th April, on board the 'Froöern,' after being accosted by
+the long-boat of the 'Jeune-Hardie,' we were drawn by the
+currents towards the ice. God have pity on us!"
+
+Jean Cornbutte's first impulse was to thank Heaven. He thought
+himself on his son's track. The "Froöern" was a Norwegian sloop
+of which there had been no news, but which had evidently been
+drawn northward.
+
+Not a day was to be lost. The "Jeune-Hardie" was at once put in
+condition to brave the perils of the polar seas. Fidèle Misonne,
+the carpenter, carefully examined her, and assured himself that
+her solid construction might resist the shock of the ice-masses.
+
+Penellan, who had already engaged in whale-fishing in the arctic
+waters, took care that woollen and fur coverings, many sealskin
+moccassins, and wood for the making of sledges with which to
+cross the ice-fields were put on board. The amount of provisions
+was increased, and spirits and charcoal were added; for it might
+be that they would have to winter at some point on the Greenland
+coast. They also procured, with much difficulty and at a high
+price, a quantity of lemons, for preventing or curing the scurvy,
+that terrible disease which decimates crews in the icy regions.
+The ship's hold was filled with salt meat, biscuits, brandy, &c.,
+as the steward's room no longer sufficed. They provided
+themselves, moreover, with a large quantity of "pemmican," an
+Indian preparation which concentrates a great deal of nutrition
+within a small volume.
+
+By order of the captain, some saws were put on board for cutting
+the ice-fields, as well as picks and wedges for separating them.
+The captain determined to procure some dogs for drawing the
+sledges on the Greenland coast.
+
+The whole crew was engaged in these preparations, and displayed
+great activity. The sailors Aupic, Gervique, and Gradlin
+zealously obeyed Penellan's orders; and he admonished them not to
+accustom themselves to woollen garments, though the temperature
+in this latitude, situated just beyond the polar circle, was very
+low.
+
+Penellan, though he said nothing, narrowly watched every action
+of André Vasling. This man was Dutch by birth, came from no one
+knew whither, but was at least a good sailor, having made two
+voyages on board the "Jeune-Hardie". Penellan would not as yet
+accuse him of anything, unless it was that he kept near Marie too
+constantly, but he did not let him out of his sight.
+
+Thanks to the energy of the crew, the brig was equipped by the
+16th of July, a fortnight after its arrival at Bodoë. It was then
+the favourable season for attempting explorations in the Arctic
+Seas. The thaw had been going on for two months, and the search
+might be carried farther north. The "Jeune-Hardie" set sail, and
+directed her way towards Cape Brewster, on the eastern coast of
+Greenland, near the 70th degree of latitude.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+IN THE PASSES.
+
+
+About the 23rd of July a reflection, raised above the sea,
+announced the presence of the first icebergs, which, emerging
+from Davis' Straits, advanced into the ocean. From this moment a
+vigilant watch was ordered to the look-out men, for it was
+important not to come into collision with these enormous masses.
+
+The crew was divided into two watches. The first was composed of
+Fidèle Misonne, Gradlin, and Gervique; and the second of Andre
+Vasling, Aupic, and Penellan. These watches were to last only two
+hours, for in those cold regions a man's strength is diminished
+one-half. Though the "Jeune-Hardie" was not yet beyond the 63rd
+degree of latitude, the thermometer already stood at nine degrees
+centigrade below zero.
+
+Rain and snow often fell abundantly. On fair days, when the wind
+was not too violent, Marie remained on deck, and her eyes became
+accustomed to the uncouth scenes of the Polar Seas.
+
+On the 1st of August she was promenading aft, and talking with
+her uncle, Penellan, and André Vasling. The ship was then
+entering a channel three miles wide, across which broken masses
+of ice were rapidly descending southwards.
+
+"When shall we see land?" asked the young girl.
+
+"In three or four days at the latest," replied Jean Cornbutte.
+
+"But shall we find there fresh traces of my poor Louis?"
+
+"Perhaps so, my daughter; but I fear that we are still far from
+the end of our voyage. It is to be feared that the 'Froöern' was
+driven farther northward."
+
+"That may be," added André Vasling, "for the squall which
+separated us from the Norwegian boat lasted three days, and in
+three days a ship makes good headway when it is no longer able to
+resist the wind."
+
+"Permit me to tell you, Monsieur Vasling." replied Penellan,
+"that that was in April, that the thaw had not then begun, and
+that therefore the 'Froöern' must have been soon arrested by the
+ice."
+
+"And no doubt dashed into a thousand pieces," said the mate, "as
+her crew could not manage her."
+
+"But these ice-fields," returned Penellan, "gave her an easy
+means of reaching land, from which she could not have been far
+distant."
+
+"Let us hope so," said Jean Cornbutte, interrupting the
+discussion, which was daily renewed between the mate and the
+helmsman. "I think we shall see land before long."
+
+"There it is!" cried Marie. "See those mountains!"
+
+"No, my child," replied her uncle. "Those are mountains of ice,
+the first we have met with. They would shatter us like glass if
+we got entangled between them. Penellan and Vasling, overlook the
+men."
+
+These floating masses, more than fifty of which now appeared at
+the horizon, came nearer and nearer to the brig. Penellan took
+the helm, and Jean Cornbutte, mounted on the gallant, indicated
+the route to take.
+
+Towards evening the brig was entirely surrounded by these moving
+rocks, the crushing force of which is irresistible. It was
+necessary, then, to cross this fleet of mountains, for prudence
+prompted them to keep straight ahead. Another difficulty was
+added to these perils. The direction of the ship could not be
+accurately determined, as all the surrounding points constantly
+changed position, and thus failed to afford a fixed perspective.
+The darkness soon increased with the fog. Marie descended to her
+cabin, and the whole crew, by the captain's orders, remained on
+deck. They were armed with long boat-poles, with iron spikes, to
+preserve the ship from collision with the ice.
+
+The ship soon entered a strait so narrow that often the ends of
+her yards were grazed by the drifting mountains, and her booms
+seemed about to be driven in. They were even forced to trim the
+mainyard so as to touch the shrouds. Happily these precautions
+did not deprive, the vessel of any of its speed, for the wind
+could only reach the upper sails, and these sufficed to carry her
+forward rapidly. Thanks to her slender hull, she passed through
+these valleys, which were filled with whirlpools of rain, whilst
+the icebergs crushed against each other with sharp cracking and
+splitting.
+
+Jean Cornbutte returned to the deck. His eyes could not penetrate
+the surrounding darkness. It became necessary to furl the upper
+sails, for the ship threatened to ground, and if she did so she
+was lost.
+
+"Cursed voyage!" growled André Vasling among the sailors, who,
+forward, were avoiding the most menacing ice-blocks with their
+boat-hooks.
+
+"Truly, if we escape we shall owe a fine candle to Our Lady of
+the Ice!" replied Aupic.
+
+"Who knows how many floating mountains we have got to pass
+through yet?" added the mate.
+
+"And who can guess what we shall find beyond them?" replied the
+sailor.
+
+"Don't talk so much, prattler," said Gervique, "and look out on
+your side. When we have got by them, it'll be time to grumble.
+Look out for your boat-hook!"
+
+At this moment an enormous block of ice, in the narrow strait
+through which the brig was passing, came rapidly down upon her,
+and it seemed impossible to avoid it, for it barred the whole
+width of the channel, and the brig could not heave-to.
+
+"Do you feel the tiller?" asked Cornbutte of Penellan.
+
+"No, captain. The ship does not answer the helm any longer."
+
+"_Ohé_, boys!" cried the captain to the crew; "don't be afraid,
+and buttress your hooks against the gunwale."
+
+The block was nearly sixty feet high, and if it threw itself upon
+the brig she would be crushed. There was an undefinable moment of
+suspense, and the crew retreated backward, abandoning their posts
+despite the captain's orders.
+
+But at the instant when the block was not more than half a
+cable's length from the "Jeune-Hardie," a dull sound was heard,
+and a veritable waterspout fell upon the bow of the vessel, which
+then rose on the back of an enormous billow.
+
+The sailors uttered a cry of terror; but when they looked before
+them the block had disappeared, the passage was free, and beyond
+an immense plain of water, illumined by the rays of the declining
+sun, assured them of an easy navigation.
+
+"All's well!" cried Penellan. "Let's trim our topsails and
+mizzen!"
+
+An incident very common in those parts had just occurred. When
+these masses are detached from one another in the thawing season,
+they float in a perfect equilibrium; but on reaching the ocean,
+where the water is relatively warmer, they are speedily
+undermined at the base, which melts little by little, and which
+is also shaken by the shock of other ice-masses. A moment comes
+when the centre of gravity of these masses is displaced, and then
+they are completely overturned. Only, if this block had turned
+over two minutes later, it would have fallen on the brig and
+carried her down in its fall.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+LIVERPOOL ISLAND.
+
+
+The brig now sailed in a sea which was almost entirely open. At
+the horizon only, a whitish light, this time motionless,
+indicated the presence of fixed plains of ice.
+
+Jean Cornbutte now directed the "Jeune-Hardie" towards Cape
+Brewster. They were already approaching the regions where the
+temperature is excessively cold, for the sun's rays, owing to
+their obliquity when they reach them, are very feeble.
+
+On the 3rd of August the brig confronted immoveable and united
+ice-masses. The passages were seldom more than a cable's length
+in width, and the ship was forced to make many turnings, which
+sometimes placed her heading the wind.
+
+Penellan watched over Marie with paternal care, and, despite the
+cold, prevailed upon her to spend two or three hours every day on
+deck, for exercise had become one of the indispensable conditions
+of health.
+
+Marie's courage did not falter. She even comforted the sailors
+with her cheerful talk, and all of them became warmly attached to
+her. André Vasling showed himself more attentive than ever, and
+seized every occasion to be in her company; but the young girl,
+with a sort of presentiment, accepted his services with some
+coldness. It may be easily conjectured that André's conversation
+referred more to the future than to the present, and that he did
+not conceal the slight probability there was of saving the
+castaways. He was convinced that they were lost, and the young
+girl ought thenceforth to confide her existence to some one else.
+
+[Illustration: André Vasling showed himself more attentive than
+ever.]
+
+Marie had not as yet comprehended André's designs, for, to his
+great disgust, he could never find an opportunity to talk long
+with her alone. Penellan had always an excuse for interfering,
+and destroying the effect of Andre's words by the hopeful
+opinions he expressed.
+
+Marie, meanwhile, did not remain idle. Acting on the helmsman's
+advice, she set to work on her winter garments; for it was
+necessary that she should completely change her clothing. The cut
+of her dresses was not suitable for these cold latitudes. She
+made, therefore, a sort of furred pantaloons, the ends of which
+were lined with seal-skin; and her narrow skirts came only to her
+knees, so as not to be in contact with the layers of snow with
+which the winter would cover the ice-fields. A fur mantle,
+fitting closely to the figure and supplied with a hood, protected
+the upper part of her body.
+
+In the intervals of their work, the sailors, too, prepared
+clothing with which to shelter themselves from the cold. They
+made a quantity of high seal-skin boots, with which to cross the
+snow during their explorations. They worked thus all the time
+that the navigation in the straits lasted.
+
+André Vasling, who was an excellent shot, several times brought
+down aquatic birds with his gun; innumerable flocks of these were
+always careering about the ship. A kind of eider-duck provided
+the crew with very palatable food, which relieved the monotony of
+the salt meat.
+
+At last the brig, after many turnings, came in sight of Cape
+Brewster. A long-boat was put to sea. Jean Cornbutte and Penellan
+reached the coast, which was entirely deserted.
+
+The ship at once directed its course towards Liverpool Island,
+discovered in 1821 by Captain Scoresby, and the crew gave a
+hearty cheer when they saw the natives running along the shore.
+Communication was speedily established with them, thanks to
+Penellan's knowledge of a few words of their language, and some
+phrases which the natives themselves had learnt of the whalers who
+frequented those parts.
+
+These Greenlanders were small and squat; they were not more than
+four feet ten inches high; they had red, round faces, and low
+foreheads; their hair, flat and black, fell over their shoulders;
+their teeth were decayed, and they seemed to be affected by the
+sort of leprosy which is peculiar to ichthyophagous tribes.
+
+In exchange for pieces of iron and brass, of which they are
+extremely covetous, these poor creatures brought bear furs, the
+skins of sea-calves, sea-dogs, sea-wolves, and all the animals
+generally known as seals. Jean Cornbutte obtained these at a low
+price, and they were certain to become most useful.
+
+The captain then made the natives understand that he was in
+search of a shipwrecked vessel, and asked them if they had heard
+of it. One of them immediately drew something like a ship on the
+snow, and indicated that a vessel of that sort had been carried
+northward three months before: he also managed to make it
+understood that the thaw and breaking up of the ice-fields had
+prevented the Greenlanders from going in search of it; and,
+indeed, their very light canoes, which they managed with paddles,
+could not go to sea at that time.
+
+This news, though meagre, restored hope to the hearts of the
+sailors, and Jean Cornbutte had no difficulty in persuading them
+to advance farther in the polar seas.
+
+Before quitting Liverpool Island, the captain purchased a pack of
+six Esquimaux dogs, which were soon acclimatised on board. The
+ship weighed anchor on the morning of the 10th of August, and
+entered the northern straits under a brisk wind.
+
+The longest days of the year had now arrived; that is, the sun,
+in these high latitudes, did not set, and reached the highest
+point of the spirals which it described above the horizon.
+
+This total absence of night was not, however, very apparent, for
+the fog, rain, and snow sometimes enveloped the ship in real
+darkness.
+
+Jean Cornbutte, who was resolved to advance as far as possible,
+began to take measures of health. The space between decks was
+securely enclosed, and every morning care was taken to ventilate
+it with fresh air. The stoves were installed, and the pipes so
+disposed as to yield as much heat as possible. The sailors were
+advised to wear only one woollen shirt over their cotton shirts,
+and to hermetically close their seal cloaks. The fires were not
+yet lighted, for it was important to reserve the wood and
+charcoal for the most intense cold.
+
+Warm beverages, such as coffee and tea, were regularly
+distributed to the sailors morning and evening; and as it was
+important to live on meat, they shot ducks and teal, which
+abounded in these parts.
+
+Jean Cornbutte also placed at the summit of the mainmast a
+"crow's nest," a sort of cask staved in at one end, in which a
+look-out remained constantly, to observe the icefields.
+
+Two days after the brig had lost sight of Liverpool Island the
+temperature became suddenly colder under the influence of a dry
+wind. Some indications of winter were perceived. The ship had not
+a moment to lose, for soon the way would be entirely closed to
+her. She advanced across the straits, among which lay ice-plains
+thirty feet thick.
+
+On the morning of the 3rd of September the "Jeune-Hardie" reached
+the head of Gaël-Hamkes Bay. Land was then thirty miles to the
+leeward. It was the first time that the brig had stopped before a
+mass of ice which offered no outlet, and which was at least a
+mile wide. The saws must now be used to cut the ice. Penellan,
+Aupic, Gradlin, and Turquiette were chosen to work the saws,
+which had been carried outside the ship. The direction of the
+cutting was so determined that the current might carry off the
+pieces detached from the mass. The whole crew worked at this task
+for nearly twenty hours. They found it very painful to remain on
+the ice, and were often obliged to plunge into the water up to
+their middle; their seal-skin garments protected them but
+imperfectly from the damp.
+
+Moreover all excessive toil in those high latitudes is soon
+followed by an overwhelming weariness; for the breath soon fails,
+and the strongest are forced to rest at frequent intervals.
+
+At last the navigation became free, and the brig was towed beyond
+the mass which had so long obstructed her course.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE QUAKING OF THE ICE.
+
+
+For several days the "Jeune-Hardie" struggled against formidable
+obstacles. The crew were almost all the time at work with the
+saws, and often powder had to be used to blow up the enormous
+blocks of ice which closed the way.
+
+On the 12th of September the sea consisted of one solid plain,
+without outlet or passage, surrounding the vessel on all sides,
+so that she could neither advance nor retreat. The temperature
+remained at an average of sixteen degrees below zero. The winter
+season had come on, with its sufferings and dangers.
+
+[Illustration: On the 12th of September the sea consisted of one
+solid plain.]
+
+The "Jeune-Hardie" was then near the 21st degree of longitude
+west and the 76th degree of latitude north, at the entrance of
+Gaël-Hamkes Bay.
+
+Jean Cornbutte made his preliminary preparations for wintering.
+He first searched for a creek whose position would shelter the
+ship from the wind and breaking up of the ice. Land, which was
+probably thirty miles west, could alone offer him secure shelter,
+and he resolved to attempt to reach it.
+
+He set out on the 12th of September, accompanied by André
+Vasling, Penellan, and the two sailors Gradlin and Turquiette.
+Each man carried provisions for two days, for it was not likely
+that their expedition would occupy a longer time, and they were
+supplied with skins on which to sleep.
+
+Snow had fallen in great abundance and was not yet frozen over;
+and this delayed them seriously. They often sank to their waists,
+and could only advance very cautiously, for fear of falling into
+crevices. Penellan, who walked in front, carefully sounded each
+depression with his iron-pointed staff.
+
+About five in the evening the fog began to thicken, and the
+little band were forced to stop. Penellan looked about for an
+iceberg which might shelter them from the wind, and after
+refreshing themselves, with regrets that they had no warm drink,
+they spread their skins on the snow, wrapped themselves up, lay
+close to each other, and soon dropped asleep from sheer fatigue.
+
+The next morning Jean Cornbutte and his companions were buried
+beneath a bed of snow more than a foot deep. Happily their skins,
+perfectly impermeable, had preserved them, and the snow itself
+had aided in retaining their heat, which it prevented from
+escaping.
+
+The captain gave the signal of departure, and about noon they at
+last descried the coast, which at first they could scarcely
+distinguish. High ledges of ice, cut perpendicularly, rose on the
+shore; their variegated summits, of all forms and shapes,
+reproduced on a large scale the phenomena of crystallization.
+Myriads of aquatic fowl flew about at the approach of the party,
+and the seals, lazily lying on the ice, plunged hurriedly into
+the depths.
+
+"I' faith!" said Penellan, "we shall not want for either furs or
+game!"
+
+"Those animals," returned Cornbutte, "give every evidence of
+having been already visited by men; for in places totally
+uninhabited they would not be so wild."
+
+"None but Greenlanders frequent these parts," said André Vasling.
+
+"I see no trace of their passage, however; neither any encampment
+nor the smallest hut," said Penellan, who had climbed up a high
+peak. "O captain!" he continued, "come here! I see a point of
+land which will shelter us splendidly from the north-east wind."
+
+"Come along, boys!" said Jean Cornbutte.
+
+His companions followed him, and they soon rejoined Penellan. The
+sailor had said what was true. An elevated point of land jutted
+out like a promontory, and curving towards the coast, formed a
+little inlet of a mile in width at most. Some moving ice-blocks,
+broken by this point, floated in the midst, and the sea,
+sheltered from the colder winds, was not yet entirely frozen
+over.
+
+This was an excellent spot for wintering, and it only remained to
+get the ship thither. Jean Cornbutte remarked that the neighbouring
+ice-field was very thick, and it seemed very difficult to cut a canal
+to bring the brig to its destination. Some other creek, then, must be
+found; it was in vain that he explored northward. The coast remained
+steep and abrupt for a long distance, and beyond the point it was
+directly exposed to the attacks of the east-wind. The circumstance
+disconcerted the captain all the more because André Vasling used
+strong arguments to show how bad the situation was. Penellan, in
+this dilemma, found it difficult to convince himself that all was
+for the best.
+
+But one chance remained--to seek a shelter on the southern side
+of the coast. This was to return on their path, but hesitation
+was useless. The little band returned rapidly in the direction of
+the ship, as their provisions had begun to run short. Jean
+Cornbutte searched for some practicable passage, or at least some
+fissure by which a canal might be cut across the ice-fields, all
+along the route, but in vain.
+
+Towards evening the sailors came to the same place where they had
+encamped over night. There had been no snow during the day, and
+they could recognize the imprint of their bodies on the ice. They
+again disposed themselves to sleep with their furs.
+
+Penellan, much disturbed by the bad success of the expedition,
+was sleeping restlessly, when, at a waking moment, his attention
+was attracted by a dull rumbling. He listened attentively, and
+the rumbling seemed so strange that he nudged Jean Cornbutte with
+his elbow.
+
+"What is that?" said the latter, whose mind, according to a
+sailor's habit, was awake as soon as his body.
+
+"Listen, captain."
+
+The noise increased, with perceptible violence.
+
+"It cannot be thunder, in so high a latitude," said Cornbutte,
+rising.
+
+"I think we have come across some white bears," replied Penellan.
+
+"The devil! We have not seen any yet."
+
+"Sooner or later, we must have expected a visit from them. Let us
+give them a good reception."
+
+Penellan, armed with a gun, lightly crossed the ledge which
+sheltered them. The darkness was very dense; he could discover
+nothing; but a new incident soon showed him that the cause of the
+noise did not proceed from around them.
+
+Jean Cornbutte rejoined him, and they observed with terror that
+this rumbling, which awakened their companions, came from beneath
+them.
+
+A new kind of peril menaced them. To the noise, which resembled
+peals of thunder, was added a distinct undulating motion of the
+ice-field. Several of the party lost their balance and fell.
+
+"Attention!" cried Penellan.
+
+"Yes!" some one responded.
+
+"Turquiette! Gradlin! where are you?"
+
+"Here I am!" responded Turquiette, shaking off the snow with
+which he was covered.
+
+"This way, Vasling," cried Cornbutte to the mate. "And Gradlin?"
+
+"Present, captain. But we are lost!" shouted Gradlin, in fright.
+
+"No!" said Penellan. "Perhaps we are saved!"
+
+Hardly had he uttered these words when a frightful cracking noise
+was heard. The ice-field broke clear through, and the sailors
+were forced to cling to the block which was quivering just by
+them. Despite the helmsman's words, they found themselves in a
+most perilous position, for an ice-quake had occurred. The ice
+masses had just "weighed anchor," as the sailors say. The
+movement lasted nearly two minutes, and it was to be feared that
+the crevice would yawn at the very feet of the unhappy sailors.
+They anxiously awaited daylight in the midst of continuous
+shocks, for they could not, without risk of death, move a step,
+and had to remain stretched out at full length to avoid being
+engulfed.
+
+[Illustration: they found themselves in a most perilous position,
+for an ice-quake had occurred.]
+
+As soon as it was daylight a very different aspect presented
+itself to their eyes. The vast plain, a compact mass the evening
+before, was now separated in a thousand places, and the waves,
+raised by some submarine commotion, had broken the thick layer
+which sheltered them.
+
+The thought of his ship occurred to Jean Cornbutte's mind.
+
+"My poor brig!" he cried. "It must have perished!"
+
+The deepest despair began to overcast the faces of his
+companions. The loss of the ship inevitably preceded their own
+deaths.
+
+"Courage, friends," said Penellan. "Reflect that this night's
+disaster has opened us a path across the ice, which will enable
+us to bring our ship to the bay for wintering! And, stop! I am
+not mistaken. There is the 'Jeune-Hardie,' a mile nearer to us!"
+
+All hurried forward, and so imprudently, that Turquiette slipped
+into a fissure, and would have certainly perished, had not Jean
+Cornbutte seized him by his hood. He got off with a rather cold
+bath.
+
+The brig was indeed floating two miles away. After infinite
+trouble, the little band reached her. She was in good condition;
+but her rudder, which they had neglected to lift, had been broken
+by the ice.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+SETTLING FOR THE WINTER.
+
+
+Penellan was once more right; all was for the best, and this ice-quake
+had opened a practicable channel for the ship to the bay.
+The sailors had only to make skilful use of the currents to
+conduct her thither.
+
+On the 19th of September the brig was at last moored in her bay
+for wintering, two cables' lengths from the shore, securely
+anchored on a good bottom. The ice began the next day to form
+around her hull; it soon became strong enough to bear a man's
+weight, and they could establish a communication with land.
+
+The rigging, as is customary in arctic navigation, remained as it
+was; the sails were carefully furled on the yards and covered
+with their casings, and the "crow's-nest" remained in place, as
+much to enable them to make distant observations as to attract
+attention to the ship.
+
+The sun now scarcely rose above the horizon. Since the June
+solstice, the spirals which it had described descended lower and
+lower; and it would soon disappear altogether.
+
+The crew hastened to make the necessary preparations. Penellan
+supervised the whole. The ice was soon thick around the ship, and
+it was to be feared that its pressure might become dangerous; but
+Penellan waited until, by reason of the going and coming of the
+floating ice-masses and their adherence, it had reached a
+thickness of twenty feet; he then had it cut around the hull, so
+that it united under the ship, the form of which it assumed;
+thus enclosed in a mould, the brig had no longer to fear the
+pressure of the ice, which could make no movement.
+
+The sailors then elevated along the wales, to the height of the
+nettings, a snow wall five or six feet thick, which soon froze as
+hard as a rock. This envelope did not allow the interior heat to
+escape outside. A canvas tent, covered with skins and hermetically
+closed, was stretched aver the whole length of the deck, and formed
+a sort of walk for the sailors.
+
+They also constructed on the ice a storehouse of snow, in which
+articles which embarrassed the ship were stowed away. The
+partitions of the cabins were taken down, so as to form a single
+vast apartment forward, as well as aft. This single room,
+besides, was more easy to warm, as the ice and damp found fewer
+corners in which to take refuge. It was also less difficult to
+ventilate it, by means of canvas funnels which opened without.
+
+Each sailor exerted great energy in these preparations, and about
+the 25th of September they were completed. André Vasling had not
+shown himself the least active in this task. He devoted himself
+with especial zeal to the young girl's comfort, and if she,
+absorbed in thoughts of her poor Louis, did not perceive this,
+Jean Cornbutte did not fail soon to remark it. He spoke of it to
+Penellan; he recalled several incidents which completely
+enlightened him regarding his mate's intentions; André Vasling
+loved Marie, and reckoned on asking her uncle for her hand, as
+soon as it was proved beyond doubt that the castaways were
+irrevocably lost; they would return then to Dunkirk, and André
+Vasling would be well satisfied to wed a rich and pretty girl,
+who would then be the sole heiress of Jean Cornbutte.
+
+
+But André, in his impatience, was often imprudent. He had several
+times declared that the search for the castaways was useless,
+when some new trace contradicted him, and enabled Penellan to
+exult over him. The mate, therefore, cordially detested the
+helmsman, who returned his dislike heartily. Penellan only feared
+that André might sow seeds of dissension among the crew, and
+persuaded Jean Cornbutte to answer him evasively on the first
+occasion.
+
+When the preparations for the winter were completed, the captain
+took measures to preserve the health of the crew. Every morning
+the men were ordered to air their berths, and carefully clean the
+interior walls, to get rid of the night's dampness. They received
+boiling tea or coffee, which are excellent cordials to use
+against the cold, morning and evening; then they were divided
+into hunting-parties, who should procure as much fresh nourishment
+as possible for every day.
+
+Each one also took healthy exercise every day, so as not to
+expose himself without motion to the cold; for in a temperature
+thirty degrees below zero, some part of the body might suddenly
+become frozen. In such cases friction of the snow was used, which
+alone could heal the affected part.
+
+Penellan also strongly advised cold ablutions every morning. It
+required some courage to plunge the hands and face in the snow,
+which had to be melted within. But Penellan bravely set the
+example, and Marie was not the last to imitate him.
+
+Jean Cornbutte did not forget to have readings and prayers, for
+it was needful that the hearts of his comrades should not give
+way to despair or weariness. Nothing is more dangerous in these
+desolate latitudes.
+
+The sky, always gloomy, filled the soul with sadness. A thick
+snow, lashed by violent winds, added to the horrors of their
+situation. The sun would soon altogether disappear. Had the
+clouds not gathered in masses above their heads, they might have
+enjoyed the moonlight, which was about to become really their sun
+during the long polar night; but, with the west winds, the snow
+did not cease to fall. Every morning it was necessary to clear
+off the sides of the ship, and to cut a new stairway in the ice
+to enable them to reach the ice-field. They easily succeeded in
+doing this with snow-knives; the steps once cut, a little water
+was thrown over them, and they at once hardened.
+
+Penellan had a hole cut in the ice, not far from the ship. Every
+day the new crust which formed over its top was broken, and the
+water which was drawn thence, from a certain depth, was less cold
+than that at the surface.
+
+All these preparations occupied about three weeks. It was then
+time to go forward with the search. The ship was imprisoned for
+six or seven months, and only the next thaw could open a new
+route across the ice. It was wise, then, to profit by this delay,
+and extend their explorations northward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+PLAN OF THE EXPLORATIONS.
+
+
+On the 9th of October, Jean Cornbutte held a council to settle
+the plan of his operations, to which, that there might be union,
+zeal, and courage on the part of every one, he admitted the whole
+crew. Map in hand, he clearly explained their situation.
+
+[Illustration: Map in hand, he clearly explained their
+situation.]
+
+The eastern coast of Greenland advances perpendicularly
+northward. The discoveries of the navigators have given the exact
+boundaries of those parts. In the extent of five hundred leagues,
+which separates Greenland from Spitzbergen, no land has been
+found. An island (Shannon Island) lay a hundred miles north of
+Gaël-Hamkes Bay, where the "Jeune-Hardie" was wintering.
+
+If the Norwegian schooner, as was most probable, had been driven
+in this direction, supposing that she could not reach Shannon
+Island, it was here that Louis Cornbutte and his comrades must
+have sought for a winter asylum.
+
+This opinion prevailed, despite André Vasling's opposition; and
+it was decided to direct the explorations on the side towards
+Shannon Island.
+
+Arrangements for this were at once begun. A sledge like that used
+by the Esquimaux had been procured on the Norwegian coast. This
+was constructed of planks curved before and behind, and was made
+to slide over the snow and ice. It was twelve feet long and four
+wide, and could therefore carry provisions, if need were, for
+several weeks. Fidèle Misonne soon put it in order, working upon
+it in the snow storehouse, whither his tools had been carried.
+For the first time a coal-stove was set up in this storehouse,
+without which all labour there would have been impossible. The
+pipe was carried out through one of the lateral walls, by a hole
+pierced in the snow; but a grave inconvenience resulted from
+this,--for the heat of the stove, little by little, melted the
+snow where it came in contact with it; and the opening visibly
+increased. Jean Cornbutte contrived to surround this part of the
+pipe with some metallic canvas, which is impermeable by heat.
+This succeeded completely.
+
+While Misonne was at work upon the sledge, Penellan, aided by
+Marie, was preparing the clothing necessary for the expedition.
+Seal-skin boots they had, fortunately, in plenty. Jean Cornbutte
+and André Vasling occupied themselves with the provisions. They
+chose a small barrel of spirits-of-wine for heating a portable
+chafing-dish; reserves of coffee and tea in ample quantity were
+packed; a small box of biscuits, two hundred pounds of pemmican,
+and some gourds of brandy completed the stock of viands. The guns
+would bring down some fresh game every day. A quantity of powder
+was divided between several bags; the compass, sextant, and spy-glass
+were put carefully out of the way of injury.
+
+On the 11th of October the sun no longer appeared above the
+horizon. They were obliged to keep a lighted lamp in the lodgings
+of the crew all the time. There was no time to lose; the
+explorations must be begun. For this reason: in the month of
+January it would become so cold that it would be impossible to
+venture out without peril of life. For two months at least the
+crew would be condemned to the most complete imprisonment; then
+the thaw would begin, and continue till the time when the ship
+should quit the ice. This thaw would, of course, prevent any
+explorations. On the other hand, if Louis Cornbutte and his
+comrades were still in existence, it was not probable that they
+would be able to resist the severities of the arctic winter. They
+must therefore be saved beforehand, or all hope would be lost.
+André Vasling knew all this better than any one. He therefore
+resolved to put every possible obstacle in the way of the
+expedition.
+
+The preparations for the journey were completed about the 20th of
+October. It remained to select the men who should compose the
+party. The young girl could not be deprived of the protection of
+Jean Cornbutte or of Penellan; neither of these could, on the
+other hand, be spared from the expedition.
+
+The question, then, was whether Marie could bear the fatigues of
+such a journey. She had already passed through rough experiences
+without seeming to suffer from them, for she was a sailor's
+daughter, used from infancy to the fatigues of the sea, and even
+Penellan was not dismayed to see her struggling in the midst of
+this severe climate, against the dangers of the polar seas.
+
+It was decided, therefore, after a long discussion, that she
+should go with them, and that a place should be reserved for her,
+at need, on the sledge, on which a little wooden hut was
+constructed, closed in hermetically. As for Marie, she was
+delighted, for she dreaded to be left alone without her two
+protectors.
+
+The expedition was thus formed: Marie, Jean Cornbutte, Penellan,
+André Vasling, Aupic, and Fidèle Misonne were to go. Alaine
+Turquiette remained in charge of the brig, and Gervique and
+Gradlin stayed behind with him. New provisions of all kinds were
+carried; for Jean Cornbutte, in order to carry the exploration as
+far as possible, had resolved to establish depôts along the
+route, at each seven or eight days' march. When the sledge was
+ready it was at once fitted up, and covered with a skin tent. The
+whole weighed some seven hundred pounds, which a pack of five
+dogs might easily carry over the ice.
+
+On the 22nd of October, as the captain had foretold, a sudden
+change took place in the temperature. The sky cleared, the stars
+emitted an extraordinary light, and the moon shone above the
+horizon, no longer to leave the heavens for a fortnight. The
+thermometer descended to twenty-five degrees below zero.
+
+The departure was fixed for the following day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE HOUSE OF SNOW.
+
+
+On the 23rd of October, at eleven in the morning, in a fine
+moonlight, the caravan set out. Precautions were this time taken
+that the journey might be a long one, if necessary. Jean
+Cornbutte followed the coast, and ascended northward. The steps
+of the travellers made no impression on the hard ice. Jean was
+forced to guide himself by points which he selected at a
+distance; sometimes he fixed upon a hill bristling with peaks;
+sometimes on a vast iceberg which pressure had raised above the
+plain.
+
+[Illustration: The caravan set out]
+
+At the first halt, after going fifteen miles, Penellan prepared
+to encamp. The tent was erected against an ice-block. Marie had
+not suffered seriously with the extreme cold, for luckily the
+breeze had subsided, and was much more bearable; but the young
+girl had several times been obliged to descend from her sledge to
+avert numbness from impeding the circulation of her blood.
+Otherwise, her little hut, hung with skins, afforded her all the
+comfort possible under the circumstances.
+
+When night, or rather sleeping-time, came, the little hut was
+carried under the tent, where it served as a bed-room for Marie.
+The evening repast was composed of fresh meat, pemmican, and hot
+tea. Jean Cornbutte, to avert danger of the scurvy, distributed
+to each of the party a few drops of lemon-juice. Then all slept
+under God's protection.
+
+After eight hours of repose, they got ready to resume their
+march. A substantial breakfast was provided to the men and the
+dogs; then they set out. The ice, exceedingly compact, enabled
+these animals to draw the sledge easily. The party sometimes
+found it difficult to keep up with them.
+
+But the sailors soon began to suffer one discomfort--that of
+being dazzled. Ophthalmia betrayed itself in Aupic and Misonne.
+The moon's light, striking on these vast white plains, burnt the
+eyesight, and gave the eyes insupportable pain.
+
+There was thus produced a very singular effect of refraction. As
+they walked, when they thought they were about to put foot on a
+hillock, they stepped down lower, which often occasioned falls,
+happily so little serious that Penellan made them occasions for
+bantering. Still, he told them never to take a step without
+sounding the ground with the ferruled staff with which each was
+equipped.
+
+About the 1st of November, ten days after they had set out, the
+caravan had gone fifty leagues to the northward. Weariness
+pressed heavily on all. Jean Cornbutte was painfully dazzled, and
+his sight sensibly changed. Aupic and Misonne had to feel their
+way: for their eyes, rimmed with red, seemed burnt by the white
+reflection. Marie had been preserved from this misfortune by
+remaining within her hut, to which she confined herself as much
+as possible. Penellan, sustained by an indomitable courage,
+resisted all fatigue. But it was André Vasling who bore himself
+best, and upon whom the cold and dazzling seemed to produce no
+effect. His iron frame was equal to every hardship; and he was
+secretly pleased to see the most robust of his companions
+becoming discouraged, and already foresaw the moment when they
+would be forced to retreat to the ship again.
+
+On the 1st of November it became absolutely necessary to halt for
+a day or two. As soon as the place for the encampment had been
+selected, they proceeded to arrange it. It was determined to
+erect a house of snow, which should be supported against one of
+the rocks of the promontory. Misonne at once marked out the
+foundations, which measured fifteen feet long by five wide.
+Penellan, Aupic, and Misonne, by aid of their knives, cut out
+great blocks of ice, which they carried to the chosen spot and
+set up, as masons would have built stone walls. The sides of the
+foundation were soon raised to a height and thickness of about
+five feet; for the materials were abundant, and the structure was
+intended to be sufficiently solid to last several days. The four
+walls were completed in eight hours; an opening had been left on
+the southern side, and the canvas of the tent, placed on these
+four walls, fell over the opening and sheltered it. It only
+remained to cover the whole with large blocks, to form the roof
+of this temporary structure.
+
+After three more hours of hard work, the house was done; and they
+all went into it, overcome with weariness and discouragement.
+Jean Cornbutte suffered so much that he could not walk, and André
+Vasling so skilfully aggravated his gloomy feelings, that he
+forced from him a promise not to pursue his search farther in
+those frightful solitudes. Penellan did not know which saint to
+invoke. He thought it unworthy and craven to give up his
+companions for reasons which had little weight, and tried to
+upset them; but in vain.
+
+Meanwhile, though it had been decided to return, rest had become
+so necessary that for three days no preparations for departure
+were made.
+
+On the 4th of November, Jean Cornbutte began to bury on a point
+of the coast the provisions for which there was no use. A stake
+indicated the place of the deposit, in the improbable event that
+new explorations should be made in that direction. Every day
+since they had set out similar deposits had been made, so that
+they were assured of ample sustenance on the return, without the
+trouble of carrying them on the sledge.
+
+The departure was fixed for ten in the morning, on the 5th. The
+most profound sadness filled the little band. Marie with
+difficulty restrained her tears, when she saw her uncle so
+completely discouraged. So many useless sufferings! so much
+labour lost! Penellan himself became ferocious in his ill-humour;
+he consigned everybody to the nether regions, and did not cease
+to wax angry at the weakness and cowardice of his comrades, who
+were more timid and tired, he said, than Marie, who would have
+gone to the end of the world without complaint.
+
+André Vasling could not disguise the pleasure which this decision
+gave him. He showed himself more attentive than ever to the young
+girl, to whom he even held out hopes that a new search should be
+made when the winter was over; knowing well that it would then be
+too late!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+BURIED ALIVE.
+
+
+The evening before the departure, just as they were about to take
+supper, Penellan was breaking up some empty casks for firewood,
+when he was suddenly suffocated by a thick smoke. At the same
+instant the snow-house was shaken as if by an earthquake. The
+party uttered a cry of terror, and Penellan hurried outside.
+
+It was entirely dark. A frightful tempest--for it was not a
+thaw--was raging, whirlwinds of snow careered around, and it was
+so exceedingly cold that the helmsman felt his hands rapidly
+freezing. He was obliged to go in again, after rubbing himself
+violently with snow.
+
+"It is a tempest," said he. "May heaven grant that our house may
+withstand it, for, if the storm should destroy it, we should be
+lost!"
+
+At the same time with the gusts of wind a noise was heard beneath
+the frozen soil; icebergs, broken from the promontory, dashed
+away noisily, and fell upon one another; the wind blew with such
+violence that it seemed sometimes as if the whole house moved
+from its foundation; phosphorescent lights, inexplicable in that
+latitude, flashed across the whirlwinds of the snow.
+
+"Marie! Marie!" cried Penellan, seizing the young girl's hands.
+
+"We are in a bad case!" said Misonne.
+
+"And I know not whether we shall escape," replied Aupic.
+
+"Let us quit this snow-house!" said André Vasling.
+
+"Impossible!" returned Penellan. "The cold outside is terrible;
+perhaps we can bear it by staying here."
+
+"Give me the thermometer," demanded Vasling.
+
+Aupic handed it to him. It showed ten degrees below zero inside
+the house, though the fire was lighted. Vasling raised the canvas
+which covered the opening, and pushed it aside hastily; for he
+would have been lacerated by the fall of ice which the wind
+hurled around, and which fell in a perfect hail-storm.
+
+"Well, Vasling," said Penellan, "will you go out, then? You see
+that we are more safe here."
+
+"Yes," said Jean Cornbutte; "and we must use every effort to
+strengthen the house in the interior."
+
+"But a still more terrible danger menaces us," said Vasling.
+
+"What?" asked Jean.
+
+"The wind is breaking the ice against which we are propped, just
+as it has that of the promontory, and we shall be either driven
+out or buried!"
+
+"That seems doubtful," said Penellan, "for it is freezing hard
+enough to ice over all liquid surfaces. Let us see what the
+temperature is."
+
+He raised the canvas so as to pass out his arm, and with
+difficulty found the thermometer again, in the midst of the snow;
+but he at last succeeded in seizing it, and, holding the lamp to
+it, said,--
+
+"Thirty-two degrees below zero! It is the coldest we have seen
+here yet!"
+
+[Illustration: "Thirty-two degrees below zero!"]
+
+"Ten degrees more," said Vasling, "and the mercury will freeze!"
+
+A mournful silence followed this remark.
+
+About eight in the morning Penellan essayed a second time to go
+out to judge of their situation. It was necessary to give an
+escape to the smoke, which the wind had several times repelled
+into the hut. The sailor wrapped his cloak tightly about him,
+made sure of his hood by fastening it to his head with a
+handkerchief, and raised the canvas.
+
+The opening was entirely obstructed by a resisting snow. Penellan
+took his staff, and succeeded in plunging it into the compact
+mass; but terror froze his blood when he perceived that the end
+of the staff was not free, and was checked by a hard body!
+
+"Cornbutte," said he to the captain, who had come up to him, "we
+are buried under this snow!"
+
+"What say you?" cried Jean Cornbutte.
+
+"I say that the snow is massed and frozen around us and over us,
+and that we are buried alive!"
+
+"Let us try to clear this mass of snow away," replied the
+captain.
+
+The two friends buttressed themselves against the obstacle which
+obstructed the opening, but they could not move it. The snow
+formed an iceberg more than five feet thick, and had become
+literally a part of the house. Jean could not suppress a cry,
+which awoke Misonne and Vasling. An oath burst from the latter,
+whose features contracted. At this moment the smoke, thicker than
+ever, poured into the house, for it could not find an issue.
+
+"Malediction!" cried Misonne. "The pipe of the stove is sealed up
+by the ice!"
+
+Penellan resumed his staff, and took down the pipe, after
+throwing snow on the embers to extinguish them, which produced
+such a smoke that the light of the lamp could scarcely be seen;
+then he tried with his staff to clear out the orifice, but he
+only encountered a rock of ice! A frightful end, preceded by a
+terrible agony, seemed to be their doom! The smoke, penetrating
+the throats of the unfortunate party, caused an insufferable
+pain, and air would soon fail them altogether!
+
+Marie here rose, and her presence, which inspired Cornbutte with
+despair, imparted some courage to Penellan. He said to himself
+that it could not be that the poor girl was destined to so
+horrible a death.
+
+"Ah!" said she, "you have made too much fire. The room is full of
+smoke!"
+
+"Yes, yes," stammered Penellan.
+
+"It is evident," resumed Marie, "for it is not cold, and it is
+long since we have felt too much heat."
+
+No one dared to tell her the truth.
+
+"See, Marie," said Penellan bluntly, "help us get breakfast
+ready. It is too cold to go out. Here is the chafing-dish, the
+spirit, and the coffee. Come, you others, a little pemmican
+first, as this wretched storm forbids us from hunting."
+
+These words stirred up his comrades.
+
+"Let us first eat," added Penellan, "and then we shall see about
+getting off."
+
+Penellan set the example and devoured his share of the breakfast.
+His comrades imitated him, and then drank a cup of boiling
+coffee, which somewhat restored their spirits. Then Jean
+Cornbutte decided energetically that they should at once set
+about devising means of safety.
+
+André Vasling now said,--
+
+"If the storm is still raging, which is probable, we must be
+buried ten feet under the ice, for we can hear no noise outside."
+
+Penellan looked at Marie, who now understood the truth, and did
+not tremble. The helmsman first heated, by the flame of the
+spirit, the iron point of his staff, and successfully introduced
+it into the four walls of ice, but he could find no issue in
+either. Cornbutte then resolved to cut out an opening in the door
+itself. The ice was so hard that it was difficult for the knives
+to make the least impression on it. The pieces which were cut off
+soon encumbered the hut. After working hard for two hours, they
+had only hollowed out a space three feet deep.
+
+Some more rapid method, and one which was less likely to demolish
+the house, must be thought of; for the farther they advanced the
+more violent became the effort to break off the compact ice. It
+occurred to Penellan to make use of the chafing-dish to melt the
+ice in the direction they wanted. It was a hazardous method, for,
+if their imprisonment lasted long, the spirit, of which they had
+but little, would be wanting when needed to prepare the meals.
+Nevertheless, the idea was welcomed on all hands, and was put in
+execution. They first cut a hole three feet deep by one in
+diameter, to receive the water which would result from the
+melting of the ice; and it was well that they took this
+precaution, for the water soon dripped under the action of the
+flames, which Penellan moved about under the mass of ice. The
+opening widened little by little, but this kind of work could not
+be continued long, for the water, covering their clothes,
+penetrated to their bodies here and there. Penellan was obliged
+to pause in a quarter of an hour, and to withdraw the chafing-dish
+in order to dry himself. Misonne then took his place, and worked
+sturdily at the task.
+
+In two hours, though the opening was five feet deep, the points
+of the staffs could not yet find an issue without.
+
+"It is not possible," said Jean Cornbutte, "that snow could have
+fallen in such abundance. It must have been gathered on this
+point by the wind. Perhaps we had better think of escaping in
+some other direction."
+
+"I don't know," replied Penellan; "but if it were only for the
+sake of not discouraging our comrades, we ought to continue to
+pierce the wall where we have begun. We must find an issue ere
+long."
+
+"Will not the spirit fail us?" asked the captain.
+
+"I hope not. But let us, if necessary, dispense with coffee and
+hot drinks. Besides, that is not what most alarms me."
+
+"What is it, then, Penellan?"
+
+"Our lamp is going out, for want of oil, and we are fast
+exhausting our provisions.--At last, thank God!"
+
+Penellan went to replace André Vasling, who was vigorously
+working for the common deliverance.
+
+"Monsieur Vasling," said he, "I am going to take your place; but
+look out well, I beg of you, for every tendency of the house to
+fall, so that we may have time to prevent it."
+
+The time for rest had come, and when Penellan had added one more
+foot to the opening, he lay down beside his comrades.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+A CLOUD OF SMOKE.
+
+
+The next day, when the sailors awoke, they were surrounded by
+complete darkness. The lamp had gone out. Jean Cornbutte roused
+Penellan to ask him for the tinder-box, which was passed to him.
+Penellan rose to light the fire, but in getting up, his head
+struck against the ice ceiling. He was horrified, for on the
+evening before he could still stand upright. The chafing-dish
+being lighted up by the dim rays of the spirit, he perceived that
+the ceiling was a foot lower than before.
+
+Penellan resumed work with desperation.
+
+At this moment the young girl observed, by the light which the
+chafing-dish cast upon Penellan's face, that despair and
+determination were struggling in his rough features for the
+mastery. She went to him, took his hands, and tenderly pressed
+them.
+
+[Illustration: despair and determination were struggling in his
+rough features for the mastery.]
+
+"She cannot, must not die thus!" he cried.
+
+He took his chafing-dish, and once more attacked the narrow
+opening. He plunged in his staff, and felt no resistance. Had he
+reached the soft layers of the snow? He drew out his staff, and a
+bright ray penetrated to the house of ice!
+
+"Here, my friends!" he shouted.
+
+He pushed back the snow with his hands and feet, but the exterior
+surface was not thawed, as he had thought. With the ray of light,
+a violent cold entered the cabin and seized upon everything
+moist, to freeze it in an instant. Penellan enlarged the opening
+with his cutlass, and at last was able to breathe the free air.
+He fell on his knees to thank God, and was soon joined by Marie
+and his comrades.
+
+A magnificent moon lit up the sky, but the cold was so extreme
+that they could not bear it. They re-entered their retreat; but
+Penellan first looked about him. The promontory was no longer
+there, and the hut was now in the midst of a vast plain of ice.
+Penellan thought he would go to the sledge, where the provisions
+were. The sledge had disappeared!
+
+The cold forced him to return. He said nothing to his companions.
+It was necessary, before all, to dry their clothing, which was
+done with the chafing-dish. The thermometer, held for an instant
+in the air, descended to thirty degrees below zero.
+
+An hour after, Vasling and Penellan resolved to venture outside.
+They wrapped themselves up in their still wet garments, and went
+out by the opening, the sides of which had become as hard as a
+rock.
+
+"We have been driven towards the north-east," said Vasling,
+reckoning by the stars, which shone with wonderful brilliancy.
+
+"That would not be bad," said Penellan, "if our sledge had come
+with us."
+
+"Is not the sledge there?" cried Vasling. "Then we are lost!"
+
+"Let us look for it," replied Penellan.
+
+They went around the hut, which formed a block more than fifteen
+feet high. An immense quantity of snow had fallen during the
+whole of the storm, and the wind had massed it against the only
+elevation which the plain presented. The entire block had been
+driven by the wind, in the midst of the broken icebergs, more
+than twenty-five miles to the north-east, and the prisoners had
+suffered the same fate as their floating prison. The sledge,
+supported by another iceberg, had been turned another way, for no
+trace of it was to be seen, and the dogs must have perished amid
+the frightful tempest.
+
+André Vasling and Penellan felt despair taking possession of
+them. They did not dare to return to their companions. They did
+not dare to announce this fatal news to their comrades in
+misfortune. They climbed upon the block of ice in which the hut
+was hollowed, and could perceive nothing but the white immensity
+which encompassed them on all sides. Already the cold was
+beginning to stiffen their limbs, and the damp of their garments
+was being transformed into icicles which hung about them.
+
+Just as Penellan was about to descend, he looked towards André.
+He saw him suddenly gaze in one direction, then shudder and turn
+pale.
+
+"What is the matter, Vasling?" he asked.
+
+"Nothing," replied the other. "Let us go down and urge the
+captain to leave these parts, where we ought never to have come,
+at once!"
+
+Instead of obeying, Penellan ascended again, and looked in the
+direction which had drawn the mate's attention. A very different
+effect was produced on him, for he uttered a shout of joy, and
+cried,--
+
+"Blessed be God!"
+
+A light smoke was rising in the north-east. There was no
+possibility of deception. It indicated the presence of human
+beings. Penellan's cries of joy reached the rest below, and all
+were able to convince themselves with their eyes that he was not
+mistaken.
+
+Without thinking of their want of provisions or the severity of
+the temperature, wrapped in their hoods, they were all soon
+advancing towards the spot whence the smoke arose in the north-east.
+This was evidently five or six miles off, and it was very
+difficult to take exactly the right direction. The smoke now
+disappeared, and no elevation served as a guiding mark, for the
+ice-plain was one united level. It was important, nevertheless,
+not to diverge from a straight line.
+
+"Since we cannot guide ourselves by distant objects," said Jean
+Cornbutte, "we must use this method. Penellan will go ahead,
+Vasling twenty steps behind him, and I twenty steps behind
+Vasling. I can then judge whether or not Penellan diverges from
+the straight line."
+
+They had gone on thus for half an hour, when Penellan suddenly
+stopped and listened. The party hurried up to him.
+
+"Did you hear nothing?" he asked.
+
+"Nothing!" replied Misonne.
+
+"It is strange," said Penellan. "It seemed to me I heard cries
+from this direction."
+
+"Cries?" replied Marie. "Perhaps we are near our destination,
+then."
+
+"That is no reason," said André Vasling. "In these high latitudes
+and cold regions sounds may be heard to a great distance."
+
+"However that may be," replied Jean Cornbutte, "let us go
+forward, or we shall be frozen."
+
+"No!" cried Penellan. "Listen!"
+
+Some feeble sounds--quite perceptible, however--were heard. They
+seemed to be cries of distress. They were twice repeated. They
+seemed like cries for help. Then all became silent again.
+
+"I was not mistaken," said Penellan. "Forward!"
+
+He began to run in the direction whence the cries had proceeded.
+He went thus two miles, when, to his utter stupefaction, he saw a
+man lying on the ice. He went up to him, raised him, and lifted
+his arms to heaven in despair.
+
+André Vasling, who was following close behind with the rest of
+the sailors, ran up and cried,--
+
+"It is one of the castaways! It is our sailor Courtois!"
+
+"He is dead!" replied Penellan. "Frozen to death!"
+
+Jean Cornbutte and Marie came up beside the corpse, which was
+already stiffened by the ice. Despair was written on every face.
+The dead man was one of the comrades of Louis Cornbutte!
+
+"Forward!" cried Penellan.
+
+They went on for half an hour in perfect silence, and perceived
+an elevation which seemed without doubt to be land.
+
+"It is Shannon Island," said Jean Cornbutte.
+
+A mile farther on they distinctly perceived smoke escaping from a
+snow-hut, closed by a wooden door. They shouted. Two men rushed
+out of the hut, and Penellan recognized one of them as Pierre
+Nouquet.
+
+"Pierre!" he cried.
+
+Pierre stood still as if stunned, and unconscious of what was
+going on around him. André Vasling looked at Pierre Nouquet's
+companion with anxiety mingled with a cruel joy, for he did not
+recognize Louis Cornbutte in him.
+
+"Pierre! it is I!" cried Penellan. "These are all your friends!"
+
+Pierre Nouquet recovered his senses, and fell into his old
+comrade's arms.
+
+"And my son--and Louis!" cried Jean Cornbutte, in an accent of the
+most profound despair.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE RETURN TO THE SHIP.
+
+
+At this moment a man, almost dead, dragged himself out of the hut
+and along the ice.
+
+It was Louis Cornbutte.
+
+[Illustration: It was Louis Cornbutte.]
+
+"My son!"
+
+"My beloved!"
+
+These two cries were uttered at the same time, and Louis
+Cornbutte fell fainting into the arms of his father and Marie,
+who drew him towards the hut, where their tender care soon
+revived him.
+
+"My father! Marie!" cried Louis; "I shall not die without having
+seen you!"
+
+"You will not die!" replied Penellan, "for all your friends are
+near you."
+
+André Vasling must have hated Louis Cornbutte bitterly not to
+extend his hand to him, but he did not.
+
+Pierre Nouquet was wild with joy. He embraced every body; then he
+threw some wood into the stove, and soon a comfortable temperature
+was felt in the cabin.
+
+There were two men there whom neither Jean Cornbutte nor Penellan
+recognized.
+
+They were Jocki and Herming, the only two sailors of the crew of
+the Norwegian schooner who were left.
+
+"My friends, we are saved!" said Louis. "My father! Marie! You
+have exposed yourselves to so many perils!"
+
+"We do not regret it, my Louis," replied the father. "Your brig,
+the 'Jeune-Hardie,' is securely anchored in the ice sixty leagues
+from here. We will rejoin her all together."
+
+"When Courtois comes back he'll be mightily pleased," said Pierre
+Nouquet.
+
+A mournful silence followed this, and Penellan apprised Pierre
+and Louis of their comrade's death by cold.
+
+"My friends," said Penellan, "we will wait here until the cold
+decreases. Have you provisions and wood?"
+
+"Yes; and we will burn what is left of the 'Froöern.'"
+
+The "Froöern" had indeed been driven to a place forty miles from
+where Louis Cornbutte had taken up his winter quarters. There she
+was broken up by the icebergs floated by the thaw, and the
+castaways were carried, with a part of the _débris_ of their
+cabin, on the southern shores of Shannon Island.
+
+They were then five in number--Louis Cornbutte, Courtois, Pierre
+Nouquet, Jocki, and Herming. As for the rest of the Norwegian
+crew, they had been submerged with the long-boat at the moment of
+the wreck.
+
+When Louis Cornbutte, shut in among the ice, realized what must
+happen, he took every precaution for passing the winter. He was
+an energetic man, very active and courageous; but, despite his
+firmness, he had been subdued by this horrible climate, and when
+his father found him he had given up all hope of life. He had not
+only had to contend with the elements, but with the ugly temper
+of the two Norwegian sailors, who owed him their existence. They
+were like savages, almost inaccessible to the most natural
+emotions. When Louis had the opportunity to talk to Penellan, he
+advised him to watch them carefully. In return, Penellan told him
+of André Vasling's conduct. Louis could not believe it, but
+Penellan convinced him that after his disappearance Vasling had
+always acted so as to secure Marie's hand.
+
+The whole day was employed in rest and the pleasures of reunion.
+Misonne and Pierre Nouquet killed some sea-birds near the hut,
+whence it was not prudent to stray far. These fresh provisions
+and the replenished fire raised the spirits of the weakest. Louis
+Cornbutte got visibly better. It was the first moment of
+happiness these brave people had experienced. They celebrated it
+with enthusiasm in this wretched hut, six hundred leagues from
+the North Sea, in a temperature of thirty degrees below zero!
+
+This temperature lasted till the end of the moon, and it was not
+until about the 17th of November, a week after their meeting,
+that Jean Cornbutte and his party could think of setting out.
+They only had the light of the stars to guide them; but the cold
+was less extreme, and even some snow fell.
+
+Before quitting this place a grave was dug for poor Courtois. It
+was a sad ceremony, which deeply affected his comrades. He was
+the first of them who would not again see his native land.
+
+Misonne had constructed, with the planks of the cabin, a sort of
+sledge for carrying the provisions, and the sailors drew it by
+turns. Jean Cornbutte led the expedition by the ways already
+traversed. Camps were established with great promptness when the
+times for repose came. Jean Cornbutte hoped to find his deposits
+of provisions again, as they had become well-nigh indispensable
+by the addition of four persons to the party. He was therefore
+very careful not to diverge from the route by which he had come.
+
+By good fortune he recovered his sledge, which had stranded near
+the promontory where they had all run so many dangers. The dogs,
+after eating their straps to satisfy their hunger, had attacked
+the provisions in the sledge. These had sustained them, and they
+served to guide the party to the sledge, where there was a
+considerable quantity of provisions left. The little band resumed
+its march towards the bay. The dogs were harnessed to the sleigh,
+and no event of interest attended the return.
+
+It was observed that Aupic, André Vasling, and the Norwegians
+kept aloof, and did not mingle with the others; but, unbeknown to
+themselves, they were narrowly watched. This germ of dissension
+more than once aroused the fears of Louis Cornbutte and Penellan.
+
+About the 7th of December, twenty days after the discovery of the
+castaways, they perceived the bay where the "Jeune-Hardie" was
+lying. What was their astonishment to see the brig perched four
+yards in the air on blocks of ice! They hurried forward, much
+alarmed for their companions, and were received with joyous cries
+by Gervique, Turquiette, and Gradlin. All of them were in good
+health, though they too had been subjected to formidable dangers.
+
+The tempest had made itself felt throughout the polar sea. The
+ice had been broken and displaced, crushed one piece against
+another, and had seized the bed on which the ship rested. Though
+its specific weight tended to carry it under water, the ice had
+acquired an incalculable force, and the brig had been suddenly
+raised up out of the sea.
+
+The first moments were given up to the happiness inspired by the
+safe return. The exploring party were rejoiced to find everything
+in good condition, which assured them a supportable though it
+might be a rough winter. The ship had not been shaken by her
+sudden elevation, and was perfectly tight. When the season of
+thawing came, they would only have to slide her down an inclined
+plane, to launch her, in a word, in the once more open sea.
+
+But a bad piece of news spread gloom on the faces of Jean
+Cornbutte and his comrades. During the terrible gale the snow
+storehouse on the coast had been quite demolished; the provisions
+which it contained were scattered, and it had not been possible
+to save a morsel of them. When Jean and Louis Cornbutte learnt
+this, they visited the hold and steward's room, to ascertain the
+quantity of provisions which still remained.
+
+The thaw would not come until May, and the brig could not leave
+the bay before that period. They had therefore five winter months
+before them to pass amid the ice, during which fourteen persons
+were to be fed. Having made his calculations, Jean Cornbutte
+found that he would at most be able to keep them alive till the
+time for departure, by putting each and all on half rations.
+Hunting for game became compulsory to procure food in larger
+quantity.
+
+For fear that they might again run short of provisions, it was
+decided to deposit them no longer in the ground. All of them were
+kept on board, and beds were disposed for the new comers in the
+common lodging. Turquiette, Gervique, and Gradlin, during the
+absence of the others, had hollowed out a flight of steps in the
+ice, which enabled them easily to reach the ship's deck.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE TWO RIVALS.
+
+
+André Vasling had been cultivating the good-will of the two
+Norwegian sailors. Aupic also made one of their band, and held
+himself apart, with loud disapproval of all the new measures
+taken; but Louis Cornbutte, to whom his father had transferred
+the command of the ship, and who had become once more master on
+board, would listen to no objections from that quarter, and in
+spite of Marie's advice to act gently, made it known that he
+intended to be obeyed on all points.
+
+Nevertheless, the two Norwegians succeeded, two days after, in
+getting possession of a box of salt meat. Louis ordered them to
+return it to him on the spot, but Aupic took their part, and
+André Vasling declared that the precautions about the food could
+not be any longer enforced.
+
+It was useless to attempt to show these men that these measures
+were for the common interest, for they knew it well, and only
+sought a pretext to revolt.
+
+Penellan advanced towards the Norwegians, who drew their
+cutlasses; but, aided by Misonne and Turquiette, he succeeded in
+snatching the weapons from their hands, and gained possession of
+the salt meat. André Vasling and Aupic, seeing that matters were
+going against them, did not interfere. Louis Cornbutte, however,
+took the mate aside, and said to him,--
+
+[Illustration: Penellan advanced towards the Norwegians.]
+
+"André Vasling, you are a wretch! I know your whole conduct, and
+I know what you are aiming at, but as the safety of the whole
+crew is confided to me, if any man of you thinks of conspiring to
+destroy them, I will stab him with my own hand!"
+
+"Louis Cornbutte," replied the mate, "it is allowable for you to
+act the master; but remember that absolute obedience does not
+exist here, and that here the strongest alone makes the law."
+
+Marie had never trembled before the dangers of the polar seas;
+but she was terrified by this hatred, of which she was the cause,
+and the captain's vigour hardly reassured her.
+
+Despite this declaration of war, the meals were partaken of in
+common and at the same hours. Hunting furnished some ptarmigans
+and white hares; but this resource would soon fail them, with the
+approach of the terrible cold weather. This began at the
+solstice, on the 22nd of December, on which day the thermometer
+fell to thirty-five degrees below zero. The men experienced pain
+in their ears, noses, and the extremities of their bodies. They
+were seized with a mortal torpor combined with headache, and
+their breathing became more and more difficult.
+
+In this state they had no longer any courage to go hunting or to
+take any exercise. They remained crouched around the stove, which
+gave them but a meagre heat; and when they went away from it,
+they perceived that their blood suddenly cooled.
+
+Jean Cornbutte's health was seriously impaired, and he could no
+longer quit his lodging. Symptoms of scurvy manifested themselves
+in him, and his legs were soon covered with white spots. Marie
+was well, however, and occupied herself tending the sick ones
+with the zeal of a sister of charity. The honest fellows blessed
+her from the bottom of their hearts.
+
+The 1st of January was one of the gloomiest of these winter days.
+The wind was violent, and the cold insupportable. They could not
+go out, except at the risk of being frozen. The most courageous
+were fain to limit themselves to walking on deck, sheltered by
+the tent. Jean Cornbutte, Gervique, and Gradlin did not leave
+their beds. The two Norwegians, Aupic, and André Vasling, whose
+health was good, cast ferocious looks at their companions, whom
+they saw wasting away.
+
+Louis Cornbutte led Penellan on deck, and asked him how much
+firing was left.
+
+"The coal was exhausted long ago," replied Penellan, "and we are
+about to burn our last pieces of wood."
+
+"If we are not able to keep off this cold, we are lost," said
+Louis.
+
+"There still remains a way--" said Penellan, "to burn what we can
+of the brig, from the barricading to the water-line; and we can
+even, if need be, demolish her entirely, and rebuild a smaller
+craft."
+
+"That is an extreme means," replied Louis, "which it will be full
+time to employ when our men are well. For," he added in a low
+voice, "our force is diminishing, and that of our enemies seems
+to be increasing. That is extraordinary."
+
+"It is true," said Penellan; "and unless we took the precaution
+to watch night and day, I know not what would happen to us."
+
+"Let us take our hatchets," returned Louis, "and make our harvest
+of wood."
+
+Despite the cold, they mounted on the forward barricading, and
+cut off all the wood which was not indispensably necessary to the
+ship; then they returned with this new provision. The fire was
+started afresh, and a man remained on guard to prevent it from
+going out.
+
+Meanwhile Louis Cornbutte and his friends were soon tired out.
+They could not confide any detail of the life in common to their
+enemies. Charged with all the domestic cares, their powers were
+soon exhausted. The scurvy betrayed itself in Jean Cornbutte, who
+suffered intolerable pain. Gervique and Gradlin showed symptoms
+of the same disease. Had it not been for the lemon-juice with
+which they were abundantly furnished, they would have speedily
+succumbed to their sufferings. This remedy was not spared in
+relieving them.
+
+But one day, the 15th of January, when Louis Cornbutte was going
+down into the steward's room to get some lemons, he was stupefied
+to find that the barrels in which they were kept had disappeared.
+He hurried up and told Penellan of this misfortune. A theft had
+been committed, and it was easy to recognize its authors. Louis
+Cornbutte then understood why the health of his enemies continued
+so good! His friends were no longer strong enough to take the
+lemons away from them, though his life and that of his comrades
+depended on the fruit; and he now sank, for the first time, into
+a gloomy state of despair.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+DISTRESS.
+
+
+On the 20th of January most of the crew had not the strength to
+leave their beds. Each, independently of his woollen coverings,
+had a buffalo-skin to protect him against the cold; but as soon
+as he put his arms outside the clothes, he felt a pain which
+obliged him quickly to cover them again.
+
+Meanwhile, Louis having lit the stove fire, Penellan, Misonne,
+and André Vasling left their beds and crouched around it.
+Penellan prepared some boiling coffee, which gave them some
+strength, as well as Marie, who joined them in partaking of it.
+
+Louis Cornbutte approached his father's bedside; the old man was
+almost motionless, and his limbs were helpless from disease. He
+muttered some disconnected words, which carried grief to his
+son's heart.
+
+"Louis," said he, "I am dying. O, how I suffer! Save me!"
+
+Louis took a decisive resolution. He went up to the mate, and,
+controlling himself with difficulty, said,--
+
+"Do you know where the lemons are, Vasling?"
+
+"In the steward's room, I suppose," returned the mate, without
+stirring.
+
+"You know they are not there, as you have stolen them!"
+
+"You are master, Louis Cornbutte, and may say and do anything."
+
+"For pity's sake, André Vasling, my father is dying! You can save
+him,--answer!"
+
+"I have nothing to answer," replied André Vasling.
+
+"Wretch!" cried Penellan, throwing himself, cutlass in hand, on
+the mate.
+
+"Help, friends!" shouted Vasling, retreating.
+
+Aupic and the two Norwegian sailors jumped from their beds and
+placed themselves behind him. Turquiette, Penellan, and Louis
+prepared to defend themselves. Pierre Nouquet and Gradlin, though
+suffering much, rose to second them.
+
+"You are still too strong for us," said Vasling. "We do not wish
+to fight on an uncertainty."
+
+The sailors were so weak that they dared not attack the four
+rebels, for, had they failed, they would have been lost.
+
+"André Vasling!" said Louis Cornbutte, in a gloomy tone, "if my
+father dies, you will have murdered him; and I will kill you like
+a dog!"
+
+Vasling and his confederates retired to the other end of the
+cabin, and did not reply.
+
+It was then necessary to renew the supply of wood, and, in spite
+of the cold, Louis went on deck and began to cut away a part of
+the barricading, but was obliged to retreat in a quarter of an
+hour, for he was in danger of falling, overcome by the freezing
+air. As he passed, he cast a glance at the thermometer left
+outside, and saw that the mercury was frozen. The cold, then,
+exceeded forty-two degrees below zero. The weather was dry, and
+the wind blew from the north.
+
+On the 26th the wind changed to the north-east, and the
+thermometer outside stood at thirty-five degrees. Jean Cornbutte
+was in agony, and his son had searched in vain for some remedy
+with which to relieve his pain. On this day, however, throwing
+himself suddenly on Vasling, he managed to snatch a lemon from
+him which he was about to suck.
+
+Vasling made no attempt to recover it. He seemed to be awaiting
+an opportunity to accomplish his wicked designs.
+
+The lemon-juice somewhat relieved old Cornbutte, but it was
+necessary to continue the remedy. Marie begged Vasling on her
+knees to produce the lemons, but he did not reply, and soon
+Penellan heard the wretch say to his accomplices,--
+
+[Illustration: Marie begged Vasling on her knees to produce the
+lemons, but he did not reply.]
+
+"The old fellow is dying. Gervique, Gradlin, and Nouquet are not
+much better. The others are daily losing their strength. The time
+is near when their lives will belong to us!"
+
+It was then resolved by Louis Cornbutte and his adherents not to
+wait, and to profit by the little strength which still remained
+to them. They determined to act the next night, and to kill these
+wretches, so as not to be killed by them.
+
+The temperature rose a little. Louis Cornbutte ventured to go out
+with his gun in search of some game.
+
+He proceeded some three miles from the ship, and often, deceived
+by the effects of the mirage and refraction, he went farther away
+than he intended. It was imprudent, for recent tracts of
+ferocious animals were to be seen. He did not wish, however, to
+return without some fresh meat, and continued on his route; but
+he then experienced a strange feeling, which turned his head. It
+was what is called "white vertigo."
+
+The reflection of the ice hillocks and fields affected him from
+head to foot, and it seemed to him that the dazzling colour
+penetrated him and caused an irresistible nausea. His eye was
+attacked. His sight became uncertain. He thought he should go mad
+with the glare. Without fully understanding this terrible effect,
+he advanced on his way, and soon put up a ptarmigan, which he
+eagerly pursued. The bird soon fell, and in order to reach it
+Louis leaped from an ice-block and fell heavily; for the leap was
+at least ten feet, and the refraction made him think it was only
+two. The vertigo then seized him, and, without knowing why, he
+began to call for help, though he had not been injured by the
+fall. The cold began to take him, and he rose with pain, urged by
+the sense of self-preservation.
+
+Suddenly, without being able to account for it, he smelt an odour
+of boiling fat. As the ship was between him and the wind, he
+supposed that this odour proceeded from her, and could not
+imagine why they should be cooking fat, this being a dangerous
+thing to do, as it was likely to attract the white bears.
+
+Louis returned towards the ship, absorbed in reflections which
+soon inspired his excited mind with terror. It seemed to him as
+if colossal masses were moving on the horizon, and he asked
+himself if there was not another ice-quake. Several of these
+masses interposed themselves between him and the ship, and
+appeared to rise about its sides. He stopped to gaze at them more
+attentively, when to his horror he recognized a herd of gigantic
+bears.
+
+These animals had been attracted by the odour of grease which had
+surprised Lonis. He sheltered himself behind a hillock, and
+counted three, which were scaling the blocks on which the
+"Jeune-Hardie" was resting.
+
+Nothing led him to suppose that this danger was known in the
+interior of the ship, and a terrible anguish oppressed his heart.
+How resist these redoubtable enemies? Would André Vasling and his
+confederates unite with the rest on board in the common peril?
+Could Penellan and the others, half starved, benumbed with cold,
+resist these formidable animals, made wild by unassuaged hunger?
+Would they not be surprised by an unlooked-for attack?
+
+Louis made these reflections rapidly. The bears had crossed the
+blocks, and were mounting to the assault of the ship. He might
+then quit the block which protected him; he went nearer, clinging
+to the ice, and could soon see the enormous animals tearing the
+tent with their paws, and leaping on the deck. He thought of
+firing his gun to give his comrades notice; but if these came up
+without arms, they would inevitably be torn in pieces, and
+nothing showed as yet that they were even aware of their new
+danger.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+THE WHITE BEARS.
+
+
+After Louis Cornbutte's departure, Penellan had carefully shut
+the cabin door, which opened at the foot of the deck steps. He
+returned to the stove, which he took it upon himself to watch,
+whilst his companions regained their berths in search of a little
+warmth.
+
+It was then six in the evening, and Penellan set about preparing
+supper. He went down into the steward's room for some salt meat,
+which he wished to soak in the boiling water. When he returned,
+he found André Vasling in his place, cooking some pieces of
+grease in a basin.
+
+"I was there before you," said Penellan roughly; "why have you
+taken my place?"
+
+"For the same reason that you claim it," returned Vasling:
+"because I want to cook my supper."
+
+"You will take that off at once, or we shall see!"
+
+"We shall see nothing," said Vasling; "my supper shall be cooked
+in spite of you."
+
+"You shall not eat it, then," cried Penellan, rushing upon
+Vasling, who seized his cutlass, crying,--
+
+"Help, Norwegians! Help, Aupic!"
+
+These, in the twinkling of an eye, sprang to their feet, armed
+with pistols and daggers. The crisis had come.
+
+Penellan precipitated himself upon Vasling, to whom, no doubt,
+was confided the task to fight him alone; for his accomplices
+rushed to the beds where lay Misonne, Turquiette, and Nouquet.
+The latter, ill and defenceless, was delivered over to Herming's
+ferocity. The carpenter seized a hatchet, and, leaving his berth,
+hurried up to encounter Aupic. Turquiette and Jocki, the
+Norwegian, struggled fiercely. Gervique and Gradlin, suffering
+horribly, were not even conscious of what was passing around
+them.
+
+Nouquet soon received a stab in the side, and Herming turned to
+Penellan, who was fighting desperately. André Vasling had seized
+him round the body.
+
+At the beginning of the affray the basin had been upset on the
+stove, and the grease running over the burning coals, impregnated
+the atmosphere with its odour. Marie rose with cries of despair,
+and hurried to the bed of old Jean Cornbutte.
+
+[Illustration: Marie rose with cries of despair, and hurried to
+the bed of old Jean Cornbutte.]
+
+Vasling, less strong than Penellan, soon perceived that the
+latter was getting the better of him. They were too close
+together to make use of their weapons. The mate, seeing Herming,
+cried out,--
+
+"Help, Herming!"
+
+"Help, Misonne!" shouted Penellan, in his turn.
+
+But Misonne was rolling on the ground with Aupic, who was trying
+to stab him with his cutlass. The carpenter's hatchet was of
+little use to him, for he could not wield it, and it was with the
+greatest difficulty that he parried the lunges which Aupic made
+with his knife.
+
+Meanwhile blood flowed amid the groans and cries. Turquiette,
+thrown down by Jocki, a man of immense strength, had received a
+wound in the shoulder, and he tried in vain to clutch a pistol
+which hung in the Norwegian's belt. The latter held him as in a
+vice, and it was impossible for him to move.
+
+At Vasling's cry for help, who was being held by Penellan close
+against the door, Herming rushed up. As he was about to stab the
+Breton's back with his cutlass, the latter felled him to the
+earth with a vigorous kick. His effort to do this enabled Vasling
+to disengage his right arm; but the door, against which they
+pressed with all their weight, suddenly yielded, and Vasling fell
+over.
+
+Of a sudden a terrible growl was heard, and a gigantic bear
+appeared on the steps. Vasling saw him first. He was not four
+feet away from him. At the same moment a shot was heard, and the
+bear, wounded or frightened, retreated. Vasling, who had
+succeeded in regaining his feet, set-out in pursuit of him,
+abandoning Penellan.
+
+Penellan then replaced the door, and looked around him. Misonne
+and Turquiette, tightly garrotted by their antagonists, had been
+thrown into a corner, and made vain efforts to break loose.
+Penellan rushed to their assistance, but was overturned by the
+two Norwegians and Aupic. His exhausted strength did not permit
+him to resist these three men, who so clung to him as to hold him
+motionless Then, at the cries of the mate, they hurried on deck,
+thinking that Louis Cornbutte was to be encountered.
+
+André Vasling was struggling with a bear, which he had already
+twice stabbed with his knife. The animal, beating the air with
+his heavy paws, was trying to clutch Vasling; he retiring little
+by little on the barricading, was apparently doomed, when a
+second shot was heard. The bear fell. André Vasling raised his
+head and saw Louis Cornbutte in the ratlines of the mizen-mast,
+his gun in his hand. Louis had shot the bear in the heart, and he
+was dead.
+
+Hate overcame gratitude in Vasling's breast; but before
+satisfying it, he looked around him. Aupic's head was broken by a
+paw-stroke, and he lay lifeless on deck. Jocki, hatchet in hand,
+was with difficulty parrying the blows of the second bear which
+had just killed Aupic. The animal had received two wounds, and
+still struggled desperately. A third bear was directing his way
+towards the ship's prow. Vasling paid no attention to him, but,
+followed by Herming, went to the aid of Jocki; but Jocki, seized
+by the beast's paws, was crushed, and when the bear fell under
+the shots of the other two men, he held only a corpse in his
+shaggy arms.
+
+"We are only two, now" said Vasling, with gloomy ferocity, "but
+if we yield, it will not be without vengeance!"
+
+Herming reloaded his pistol without replying. Before all, the
+third bear must be got rid of. Vasling looked forward, but did
+not see him. On raising his eyes, he perceived him erect on the
+barricading, clinging to the ratlines and trying to reach Louis.
+Vasling let his gun fall, which he had aimed at the animal, while
+a fierce joy glittered in his eyes.
+
+"Ah," he cried, "you owe me that vengeance!"
+
+Louis took refuge in the top of the mast. The bear kept mounting,
+and was not more than six feet from Louis, when he raised his gun
+and pointed it at the animal's heart.
+
+Vasling raised his weapon to shoot Louis if the bear fell.
+
+Louis fired, but the bear did not appear to be hit, for he leaped
+with a bound towards the top. The whole mast shook.
+
+Vasling uttered a shout of exultation.
+
+"Herming," he cried, "go and find Marie! Go and find my
+betrothed!"
+
+Herming descended the cabin stairs.
+
+Meanwhile the furious beast had thrown himself upon Louis, who
+was trying to shelter himself on the other side of the mast; but
+at the moment that his enormous paw was raised to break his head,
+Louis, seizing one of the backstays, let himself slip down to the
+deck, not without danger, for a ball hissed by his ear when he
+was half-way down. Vasling had shot at him, and missed him. The
+two adversaries now confronted each other, cutlass in hand.
+
+The combat was about to become decisive. To entirely glut his
+vengeance, and to have the young girl witness her lover's death,
+Vasling had deprived himself of Herming's aid. He could now
+reckon only on himself.
+
+Louis and Vasling seized each other by the collar, and held each
+other with iron grip. One of them must fall. They struck each
+other violently. The blows were only half parried, for blood soon
+flowed from both. Vasling tried to clasp his adversary about the
+neck with his arm, to bring him to the ground. Louis, knowing
+that he who fell was lost, prevented him, and succeeded in
+grasping his two arms; but in doing this he let fall his cutlass.
+
+Piteous cries now assailed his ears; it was Marie's voice.
+Herming was trying to drag her up. Louis was seized with a
+desperate rage. He stiffened himself to bend Vasling's loins; but
+at this moment the combatants felt themselves seized in a
+powerful embrace. The bear, having descended from the mast, had
+fallen upon the two men. Vasling was pressed against the animal's
+body. Louis felt his claws entering his flesh. The bear, was
+strangling both of them.
+
+[Illustration: The bear, having descended from the mast, had
+fallen upon the two men.]
+
+"Help! help! Herming!" cried the mate.
+
+"Help! Penellan!" cried Louis.
+
+Steps were heard on the stairs. Penellan appeared, loaded his
+pistol, and discharged it in the bear's ear; he roared; the pain
+made him relax his paws for a moment, and Louis, exhausted, fell
+motionless on the deck; but the bear, closing his paws tightly
+in a supreme agony, fell, dragging down the wretched Vasling,
+whose body was crushed under him.
+
+Penellan hurried to Louis Cornbutte's assistance. No serious
+wound endangered his life: he had only lost his breath for a
+moment.
+
+"Marie!" he said, opening his eyes.
+
+"Saved!" replied Perfellan. "Herming is lying there with a knife-wound
+in his stomach."
+
+"And the bears--"
+
+"Dead, Louis; dead, like our enemies! But for those beasts we
+should have been lost. Truly, they came to our succour. Let us
+thank Heaven!"
+
+Louis and Penellan descended to the cabin, and Marie fell into
+their arms.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+Herming, mortally wounded, had been carried to a berth by Misonne
+and Turquiette, who had succeeded in getting free. He was already
+at the last gasp of death; and the two sailors occupied themselves
+with Nouquet, whose wound was not, happily, a serious one.
+
+But a greater misfortune had overtaken Louis Cornbutte. His
+father no longer gave any signs of life. Had he died of anxiety
+for his son, delivered over to his enemies? Had he succumbed in
+presence of these terrible events? They could not tell. But the
+poor old sailor, broken by disease, had ceased to live!
+
+At this unexpected blow, Louis and Marie fell into a sad despair;
+then they knelt at the bedside and wept, as they prayed for Jean
+Cornbutte's soul, Penellan, Misonne, and Turquiette left them
+alone in the cabin, and went on deck. The bodies of the three
+bears were carried forward. Penellan decided to keep their skins,
+which would be of no little use; but he did not think for a
+moment of eating their flesh. Besides, the number of men to feed
+was now much decreased. The bodies of Vasling, Aupic, and Jocki,
+thrown into a hole dug on the coast, were soon rejoined by that
+of Herming. The Norwegian died during the night, without
+repentance or remorse, foaming at the mouth with rage.
+
+The three sailors repaired the tent, which, torn in several
+places, permitted the snow to fall on the deck. The temperature
+was exceedingly cold, and kept so till the return of the sun,
+which did not reappear above the horizon till the 8th of January.
+
+Jean Cornbutte was buried on the coast. He had left his native
+land to find his son, and had died in these terrible regions! His
+grave was dug on an eminence, and the sailors placed over it a
+simple wooden cross.
+
+From that day, Louis Cornbutte and his comrades passed through
+many other trials; but the lemons, which they found, restored
+them to health.
+
+Gervique, Gradlin, and Nouquet were able to rise from their
+berths a fortnight after these terrible events, and to take a
+little exercise.
+
+Soon hunting for game became more easy and its results more
+abundant. The water-birds returned in large numbers. They often
+brought down a kind of wild duck which made excellent food. The
+hunters had no other deprivation to deplore than that of two
+dogs, which they lost in an expedition to reconnoitre the state
+of the icefields, twenty-five miles to the southward.
+
+The month of February was signalized by violent tempests and
+abundant snows. The mean temperature was still twenty-five
+degrees below zero, but they did not suffer in comparison with
+past hardships. Besides, the sight of the sun, which rose higher
+and higher above the horizon, rejoiced them, as it forecast the
+end of their torments. Heaven had pity on them, for warmth came
+sooner than usual that year. The ravens appeared in March,
+careering about the ship. Louis Cornbutte captured some cranes
+which had wandered thus far northward. Flocks of wild birds were
+also seen in the south.
+
+The return of the birds indicated a diminution of the cold; but
+it was not safe to rely upon this, for with a change of wind, or
+in the new or full moons, the temperature suddenly fell; and the
+sailors were forced to resort to their most careful precautions
+to protect themselves against it. They had already burned all the
+barricading, the bulkheads, and a large portion of the bridge. It
+was time, then, that their wintering was over. Happily, the mean
+temperature of March was not over sixteen degrees below zero.
+Marie occupied herself with preparing new clothing for the
+advanced season of the year.
+
+After the equinox, the sun had remained constantly above the
+horizon. The eight months of perpetual daylight had begun. This
+continual sunlight, with the increasing though still quite feeble
+heat, soon began to act upon the ice.
+
+Great precautions were necessary in launching the ship from the
+lofty layer of ice which surrounded her. She was therefore
+securely propped up, and it seemed best to await the breaking up
+of the ice; but the lower mass, resting on a bed of already warm
+water, detached itself little by little, and the ship gradually
+descended with it. Early in April she had reached her natural
+level.
+
+Torrents of rain came with April, which, extending in waves over
+the ice-plain, hastened still more its breaking up. The
+thermometer rose to ten degrees below zero. Some of the men took
+off their seal-skin clothes, and it was no longer necessary to
+keep a fire in the cabin stove day and night. The provision of
+spirit, which was not exhausted, was used only for cooking the
+food.
+
+Soon the ice began to break up rapidly, and it became imprudent
+to venture upon the plain without a staff to sound the passages;
+for fissures wound in spirals here and there. Some of the sailors
+fell into the water, with no worse result, however, than a pretty
+cold bath.
+
+The seals returned, and they were often hunted, and their grease
+utilized.
+
+The health of the crew was fully restored, and the time was
+employed in hunting and preparations for departure. Louis Cornbutte
+often examined the channels, and decided, in consequence of the shape
+of the southern coast, to attempt a passage in that direction. The
+breaking up had already begun here and there, and the floating ice
+began to pass off towards the high seas. On the 25th of April the
+ship was put in readiness. The sails, taken from their sheaths, were
+found to be perfectly preserved, and it was with real delight that
+the sailors saw them once more swaying in the wind. The ship gave a
+lurch, for she had found her floating line, and though she would not
+yet move forward, she lay quietly and easily in her natural element.
+
+In May the thaw became very rapid. The snow which covered the
+coast melted on every hand, and formed a thick mud, which made it
+well-nigh impossible to land. Small heathers, rosy and white,
+peeped out timidly above the lingering snow, and seemed to smile
+at the little heat they received. The thermometer at last rose
+above zero.
+
+Twenty miles off, the ice masses, entirely separated, floated
+towards the Atlantic Ocean. Though the sea was not quite free
+around the ship, channels opened by which Louis Cornbutte wished
+to profit.
+
+On the 21st of May, after a parting visit to his father's grave,
+Louis at last set out from the bay. The hearts of the honest
+sailors were filled at once with joy and sadness, for one does
+not leave without regret a place where a friend has died. The
+wind blew from the north, and favoured their departure. The ship
+was often arrested by ice-banks, which were cut with the saws;
+icebergs not seldom confronted her, and it was necessary to blow
+them up with powder. For a month the way was full of perils,
+which sometimes brought the ship to the verge of destruction; but
+the crew were sturdy, and used to these dangerous exigencies.
+Penellan, Pierre Nouquet, Turquiette, Fidèle Misonne, did the
+work of ten sailors, and Marie had smiles of gratitude for each.
+
+The "Jeune-Hardie" at last passed beyond the ice in the latitude
+of Jean-Mayer Island. About the 25th of June she met ships going
+northward for seals and whales. She had been nearly a month
+emerging from the Polar Sea.
+
+On the 16th of August she came in view of Dunkirk. She had been
+signalled by the look-out, and the whole population flocked to
+the jetty. The sailors of the ship were soon clasped in the arms
+of their friends. The old curé received Louis Cornbutte and Marie
+with patriarchal arms, and of the two masses which he said on the
+following day, the first was for the repose of Jean Cornbutte's
+soul, and the second to bless these two lovers, so long united in
+misfortune.
+
+[Illustration: The old curé received Louis Cornbutte and Marie.]
+
+
+
+
+THE FORTIETH FRENCH ASCENT OF MONT BLANC
+
+BY PAUL VERNE.
+
+
+I arrived at Chamonix on the 18th of August, 1871, fully decided
+to make the ascent of Mont Blanc, cost what it might. My first
+attempt in August, 1869, was not successful. Bad weather had
+prevented me from mounting beyond the Grands-Mulets. This time
+circumstances seemed scarcely more favourable, for the weather,
+which had promised to be fine on the morning of the 18th,
+suddenly changed towards noon. Mont Blanc, as they say in its
+neighbourhood, "put on its cap and began to smoke its pipe,"
+which, to speak more plainly, means that it is covered with
+clouds, and that the snow, driven upon it by a south-west wind,
+formed a long crest on its summit in the direction of the
+unfathomable precipices of the Brenva glaciers. This crest
+betrayed to imprudent tourists the route they would have taken,
+had they had the temerity to venture upon the mountain.
+
+The next night was very inclement. The rain and wind were
+violent, and the barometer, below the "change," remained
+stationary.
+
+Towards daybreak, however, several thunder-claps announced a
+change in the state of the atmosphere. Soon the clouds broke. The
+chain of the Brevent and the Aiguilles-Rouges betrayed itself.
+The wind, turning to the north-west, brought into view above the
+Col de Balme, which shuts in the valley of Chamonix on the north,
+some light, isolated, fleecy clouds, which I hailed as the
+heralds of fine weather.
+
+Despite this happy augury and a slight rise in the barometer, M.
+Balmat, chief guide of Chamonix, declared to me that I must not
+yet think of attempting the ascent.
+
+"If the barometer continues to rise," he added, "and the weather
+holds good, I promise you guides for the day after to-morrow--
+perhaps for to-morrow. Meanwhile, have patience and stretch your
+legs; I will take you up the Brevent. The clouds are clearing
+away, and you will be able to exactly distinguish the path you
+will have to go over to reach the summit of Mont Blanc. If, in
+spite of this, you are determined to go, you may try it!"
+
+This speech, uttered in a certain tone, was not very reassuring,
+and gave food for reflection. Still, I accepted his proposition,
+and he chose as my companion the guide Edward Ravanel, a very
+sedate and devoted fellow, who perfectly knew his business.
+
+M. Donatien Levesque, an enthusiastic tourist and an intrepid
+pedestrian, who had made early in the previous year an interesting
+and difficult trip in North America, was with me. He had already
+visited the greater part of America, and was about to descend the
+Mississippi to New Orleans, when the war cut short his projects and
+recalled him to France. We had met at Aix-les-Bains, and we had
+determined to make an excursion together in Savoy and Switzerland.
+
+Donatien Levesque knew my intentions, and, as he thought that his
+health would not permit him to attempt so long a journey over the
+glaciers, it had been agreed that he should await my return from
+Mont Blanc at Chamonix, and should make the traditional visit to
+the Mer-de-Glace by the Montanvers during my absence.
+
+On learning that I was going to ascend the Brevent, my friend did
+not hesitate to accompany me thither. The ascent of the Brevent
+is one of the most interesting trips that can be made from
+Chamonix. This mountain, about seven thousand six hundred feet
+high, is only the prolongation of the chain for the Aiguilles-Rouges,
+which runs from the south-west to the north-east, parallel with that
+of Mont Blanc, and forms with it the narrow valley of Chamonix. The
+Brevent, by its central position, exactly opposite the Bossons
+glacier, enables one to watch the parties which undertake the ascent
+of the giant of the Alps nearly throughout their journey. It is
+therefore much frequented.
+
+We started about seven o'clock in the morning. As we went along,
+I thought of the mysterious words of the master-guide; they
+annoyed me a little. Addressing Ravanel, I said,--
+
+"Have you made the ascent of Mont Blanc?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur," he replied, "once; and that's enough. I am not
+anxious to do it again."
+
+"The deuce!" said I. "I am going to try it."
+
+"You are free, monsieur; but I shall not go with you. The
+mountain is not good this year. Several attempts have already
+been made; two only have succeeded. As for the second, the party
+tried the ascent twice. Besides, the accident last year has
+rather cooled the amateurs."
+
+"An accident! What accident?"
+
+"Did not monsieur hear of it? This is how it happened. A party,
+consisting of ten guides and porters and two Englishmen, started
+about the middle of September for Mont Blanc. They were seen to
+reach the summit; then, some minutes after, they disappeared in a
+cloud. When the cloud passed over no one was visible. The two
+travellers, with seven guides and porters, had been blown off by
+the wind and precipitated on the Cormayeur side, doubtless into
+the Brenva glacier. Despite the most vigilant search, their
+bodies could not be found. The other three were found one hundred
+and fifty yards below the summit, near the Petits-Mulets. They
+had become blocks of ice."
+
+"But these travellers must have been imprudent," said I to
+Ravanel. "What folly it was to start off so late in the year on
+such an expedition! They should have gone up in August."
+
+I vainly tried to keep up my courage; this lugubrious story would
+haunt me in spite of myself. Happily the weather soon cleared,
+and the rays of a bright sun dissipated the clouds which still
+veiled Mont Blanc, and, at the same time, those which overshadowed
+my thoughts.
+
+Our ascent was satisfactorily accomplished. On leaving the
+chalets of Planpraz, situated at a height of two thousand and
+sixty-two yards, you ascend, on ragged masses of rock and pools
+of snow, to the foot of a rock called "The Chimney," which is
+scaled with the feet and hands. Twenty minutes after, you reach
+the summit of the Brevent, whence the view is very fine. The
+chain of Mont Blanc appears in all its majesty. The gigantic
+mountain, firmly established on its powerful strata, seems to
+defy the tempests which sweep across its icy shield without ever
+impairing it; whilst the crowd of icy needles, peaks, mountains,
+which form its cortege and rise everywhere around it, without
+equalling its noble height, carry the evident traces of a slow
+wasting away.
+
+[Illustration: View of Mont Blanc from the Brevent.]
+
+From the excellent look-out which we occupied, we could reckon,
+though still imperfectly, the distance to be gone over in order
+to attain the summit. This summit, which from Chamonix appears so
+near the dome of the Goûter, now took its true position. The
+various plateaus which form so many degrees which must be
+crossed, and which are not visible from below, appeared from the
+Brevent, and threw the so-much-desired summit, by the laws of
+perspective, still farther in the background. The Bossons
+glacier, in all its splendour, bristled with icy needles and
+blocks (blocks sometimes ten yards square), which seemed, like
+the waves of an angry sea, to beat against the sides of the rocks
+of the Grands-Mulets, the base of which disappeared in their
+midst.
+
+This marvellous spectacle was not likely to cool my impatience,
+and I more eagerly than ever promised myself to explore this
+hitherto unknown world.
+
+My companion was equally inspired by the scene, and from this
+moment I began to think that I should not have to ascend Mont
+Blanc alone.
+
+We descended again to Chamonix; the weather became milder every
+hour; the barometer continued to ascend; everything seemed to
+promise well.
+
+The next day at sunrise I hastened to the master-guide. The sky
+was cloudless; the wind, almost imperceptible, was north-east.
+The chain of Mont Blanc, the higher summits of which were gilded
+by the rising sun, seemed to invite the many tourists to ascend
+it. One could not, in all politeness, refuse so kindly an
+invitation.
+
+M. Balmat, after consulting his barometer, declared the ascent to
+be practicable, and promised me the two guides and the porter
+prescribed in our agreement. I left the selection of these to
+him. But an unexpected incident disturbed my preparations for
+departure.
+
+As I came out of M. Balmat's office, I met Ravanel, my guide of
+the day before.
+
+"Is monsieur going to Mont Blanc?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, certainly," said I. "Is it not a favourable time to go?"
+
+He reflected a few moments, and then said with an embarrassed
+air,--
+
+"Monsieur, you are my traveller; I accompanied you yesterday to
+the Brevent, so I cannot leave you now; and, since you are going
+up, I will go with you, if you will kindly accept my services. It
+is your right, for on all dangerous journeys the traveller can
+choose his own guides. Only, if you accept my offer, I ask that
+you will also take my brother, Ambrose Ravanel, and my cousin,
+Gaspard Simon. These are young, vigorous fellows; they do not
+like the ascent of Mont Blanc better than I do; but they will not
+shirk it, and I answer for them to you as I would for myself."
+
+This young man inspired me with all confidence. I accepted his
+proposition, and hastened to apprise M. Balmat of the choice I
+had made. But M. Balmat had meanwhile been selecting guides for
+me according to their turn on his list. One only had accepted,
+Edward Simon; the answer of another, Jean Carrier, had not yet
+been received, though it was scarcely doubtful, as this man had
+already made the ascent of Mont Blanc twenty-nine times. I thus
+found myself in an embarrassing position. The guides I had chosen
+were all from Argentière, a village six kilometres from Chamonix.
+Those of Chamonix accused Ravanel of having influenced me in
+favour of his family, which was contrary to the regulations.
+
+To cut the discussion short, I took Edward Simon, who had already
+made his preparations as a third guide. He would be useless if I
+went up alone, but would become indispensable if my friend also
+ascended.
+
+This settled, I went to tell Donatien Levesque. I found him
+sleeping the sleep of the just, for he had walked over sixteen
+kilometres on a mountain the evening before. I had some
+difficulty in waking him; but on removing first his sheets, then
+his pillows, and finally his mattress, I obtained some result,
+and succeeded in making him understand that I was preparing for
+the hazardous trip.
+
+"Well," said he, yawning, "I will go with you as far as the
+Grands-Mulets, and await your return there."
+
+"Bravo!" I replied. "I have just one guide too many, and I will
+attach him to your person."
+
+We bought the various articles indispensable to a journey across
+the glaciers. Iron-spiked alpenstocks, coarse cloth leggings,
+green spectacles fitting tightly to the eyes, furred gloves,
+green veils,--nothing was forgotten. We each had excellent
+triple-soled shoes, which our guides roughed for the ice. This
+last is an important detail, for there are moments in such an
+expedition when the least slip is fatal, not only to yourself,
+but to the whole party with you.
+
+Our preparations and those of the guides occupied nearly two
+hours. About eight o'clock our mules were brought; and we set out
+at last for the chalet of the Pierre-Pointue, situated at a
+height of six thousand five hundred feet, or three thousand above
+the valley of Chamonix, not far from eight thousand five hundred
+feet below the summit of Mont Blanc.
+
+On reaching the Pierre-Pointue, about ten o'clock, we found there
+a Spanish tourist, M. N----, accompanied by two guides and a
+porter. His principal guide, Paccard, a relative of the Doctor
+Paccard who made, with Jacques Balmat, the first ascent of Mont
+Blanc, had already been to the summit eighteen times. M. N----
+was also getting himself ready for the ascent. He had travelled
+much in America, and had crossed the Cordilleras to Quito,
+passing through snow at the highest points. He therefore thought
+that he could, without great difficulty, carry through his new
+enterprise; but in this he was mistaken. He had reckoned without
+the steepness of the inclinations which he had to cross, and the
+rarefaction of the air. I hasten to add, to his honour, that,
+since he succeeded in reaching the summit of Mont Blanc, it was
+due to a rare moral energy, for his physical energies had long
+before deserted him.
+
+We breakfasted as heartily as possible at the Pierre-Pointue;
+this being a prudent precaution, as the appetite usually fails
+higher up among the ice.
+
+[Illustration: View Of Bossons Glacier, Near The Grands-Mulets.]
+
+M. N---- set out at eleven, with his guides, for the Grands-Mulets.
+We did not start until noon. The mule-road ceases at the
+Pierre-Pointue. We had then to go up a very narrow zigzag path,
+which follows the edge of the Bossons glacier, and along the base
+of the Aiguille-du-Midi. After an hour of difficult climbing in
+an intense heat, we reached a point called the Pierre-a-l'Echelle,
+eight thousand one hundred feet high. The guides and travellers
+were then bound together by a strong rope, with three or four yards
+between each. We were about to advance upon the Bossons glacier.
+This glacier, difficult at first, presents yawning and apparently
+bottomless crevasses on every hand. The vertical sides of these
+crevasses are of a glaucous and uncertain colour, but too seducing
+to the eye; when, approaching closely, you succeed in looking into
+their mysterious depths, you feel yourself irresistibly drawn
+towards them, and nothing seems more natural than to go down into
+them.
+
+[Illustration: Passage Of The Bossons Glacier.]
+
+You advance slowly, passing round the crevasses, or on the snow
+bridges of dubious strength. Then the rope plays its part. It is
+stretched out over these dangerous transits; if the snow bridge
+yields, the guide or traveller remains hanging over the abyss. He
+is drawn beyond it, and gets off with a few bruises. Sometimes,
+if the crevasse is very wide but not deep, he descends to the
+bottom and goes up on the other side. In this case it is
+necessary to cut steps in the ice, and the two leading guides,
+armed with a sort of hatchet, perform this difficult and perilous
+task. A special circumstance makes the entrance on the Bossons
+dangerous. You go upon the glacier at the base of the
+Aiguille-du-Midi, opposite a passage whence stone avalanches often
+descend. This passage is nearly six hundred feet wide. It must be
+crossed quickly, and as you pass, a guide stands on guard to
+avert the danger from you if it presents itself. In 1869 a guide
+was killed on this spot, and his body, hurled into space by a
+stone, was dashed to pieces on the rocks nine hundred feet below.
+
+[Illustration: Crevasse and Bridge.]
+
+We were warned, and hastened our steps as fast as our
+inexperience would permit; but on leaving this dangerous zone,
+another, not less dangerous, awaited us. This was the region of
+the "seracs,"--immense blocks of ice, the formation of which is
+not as yet explained.
+
+[Illustration: View of the "Seracs".]
+
+These are usually situated on the edge of a plateau, and menace
+the whole valley beneath them. A slight movement of the glacier,
+or even a light vibration of the temperature, impels their fall,
+and occasions the most serious accidents.
+
+[Illustration: View of the "Seracs".]
+
+"Messieurs, keep quiet, and let us pass over quickly." These
+words, roughly spoken by one of the guides, checked our conversation.
+We went across rapidly and in silence. We finally reached what is
+called the "Junction" (which might more properly be called the
+violent "Separation"), by the Côte Mountain, the Bossons and
+Tacconay glaciers. At this point the scene assumes an indescribable
+character; crevasses with changing colours, ice-needles with sharp
+forms, seracs suspended and pierced with the light, little green
+lakes compose a chaos which surpasses everything that one can
+imagine. Added to this, the rush of the torrents at the foot of the
+glaciers, the sinister and repeated crackings of the blocks which
+detached themselves and fell in avalanches down the crevasses, the
+trembling of the ground which opened beneath our feet, gave a
+singular idea of those desolate places the existence of which only
+betrays itself by destruction and death.
+
+[Illustration: Passage of the "Junction".]
+
+After passing the "Junction" you follow the Tacconay glacier for
+awhile, and reach the side which leads to the Grands-Mulets. This
+part, which is very sloping, is traversed in zigzags. The leading
+guide takes care to trace them at an angle of thirty degrees,
+when there is fresh snow, to avoid the avalanches.
+
+After crossing for three hours on the ice and snow, we reach the
+Grands-Mulets, rocks six hundred feet high, overlooking on one
+side the Bossons glacier, and on the other the sloping plains
+which extend to the base of the Goûter dome.
+
+[Illustration: Hut At The Grands-Mulets.]
+
+A small hut, constructed by the guides near the summit of the
+first rock, gives a shelter to travellers, and enables them to
+await a favourable moment for setting out for the summit of Mont
+Blanc.
+
+They dine there as well as they can, and sleep too; but the
+proverb, "He who sleeps dines," does not apply to this elevation,
+for one cannot seriously do the one or the other.
+
+"Well," said I to Levesque, after a pretence of a meal, "did I
+exaggerate the splendour of the landscape, and do you regret
+having come thus far?"
+
+"I regret it so little," he replied, "that I am determined to go
+on to the summit. You may count on me."
+
+"Very good," said I. "But you know the worst is yet to come."
+
+"Nonsense!" he exclaimed, "we will go to the end. Meanwhile, let
+us observe the sunset, which must be magnificent."
+
+The heavens had remained wonderfully clear. The chain of the
+Brevent and the Aiguilles-Rouges stretched out at our feet.
+Beyond, the Fiz rocks and the Aiguille-de-Varan rose above the
+Sallanche Valley, and the whole chains of Mont Fleury and the
+Reposoir appeared in the background. More to the right we could
+descry the snowy summit of the Buet, and farther off the
+Dents-du-Midi, with its five tusks, overhanging the valley of the
+Rhone. Behind us were the eternal snows of the Goûter, Mont
+Maudit, and, lastly, Mont Blanc.
+
+Little by little the shadows invaded the valley of Chamonix, and
+gradually each of the summits which overlook it on the west. The
+chain of Mont Blanc alone remained luminous, and seemed encircled
+by a golden halo. Soon the shadows crept up the Goûter and Mont
+Maudit. They still respected the giant of the Alps. We watched
+this gradual disappearance of the light with admiration. It
+lingered awhile on the highest summit, and gave us the foolish
+hope that it would not depart thence. But in a few moments all
+was shrouded in gloom, and the livid and ghastly colours of death
+succeeded the living hues. I do not exaggerate. Those who love
+mountains will comprehend me.
+
+[Illustration: View of Mont Blanc from Grands-Mulets.]
+
+After witnessing this sublime scene, we had only to await the
+moment of departure. We were to set out again at two in the
+morning. Now, therefore, we stretched ourselves upon our
+mattresses.
+
+It was useless to think of sleeping, much more of talking. We
+were absorbed by more or less gloomy thoughts. It was the night
+before the battle, with the difference that nothing forced us to
+engage in the struggle. Two sorts of ideas struggled in the mind.
+It was the ebb and flow of the sea, each in its turn. Objections
+to the venture were not wanting. Why run so much danger? If we
+succeeded, of what advantage would it be? If an accident
+happened, how we should regret it! Then the imagination set to
+work; all the mountain catastrophes rose in the fancy. I dreamed
+of snow bridges giving way under my feet, of being precipitated
+in the yawning crevasses, of hearing the terrible noises of the
+avalanches detaching themselves and burying me, of disappearing,
+of cold and death seizing upon me, and of struggling with
+desperate effort, but in vain!
+
+A sharp, horrible noise is heard at this moment
+
+"The avalanche! the avalanche!" I cry.
+
+"What is the matter with you?" asks Levesque, starting up.
+
+Alas! It is a piece of furniture which, in the struggles of my
+nightmare, I have just broken. This very prosaic avalanche
+recalls me to the reality. I laugh at my terrors, a contrary
+current of thought gets the upper hand, and with it ambitious
+ideas. I need only use a little effort to reach this summit, so
+seldom attained. It is a victory, as others are. Accidents are
+rare--very rare! Do they ever take place at all? The spectacle
+from the summit must be so marvellous! And then what satisfaction
+there would be in having accomplished what so many others dared
+not undertake!
+
+My courage was restored by these thoughts, and I calmly awaited
+the moment of departure.
+
+About one o'clock the steps and voices of the guides, and the
+noise of opening doors, indicated that that moment was approaching.
+Soon Ravanel came in and said, "Come, messieurs, get up; the weather
+is magnificent. By ten o'clock we shall be at the summit."
+
+At these words we leaped from our beds, and hurried to make our
+toilet. Two of the guides, Ambrose Ravanel and his cousin Simon,
+went on ahead to explore the road. They were provided with a
+lantern, which was to show us the way to go, and with hatchets to
+make the path and cut steps in the very difficult spots. At two
+o'clock we tied ourselves one to another: the order of march was,
+Edward Ravanel before me, and at the head; behind me Edward
+Simon, then Donatien Levesque; after him our two porters (for we
+took along with us the domestic of the Grands-Mulets hut as a
+second), and M. N----'s party.
+
+The guides and porters having distributed the provisions between
+them, the signal for departure was given, and we set off in the
+midst of profound darkness, directing ourselves according to the
+lantern held up at some distance ahead.
+
+There was something solemn in this setting out. But few words
+were spoken; the vagueness of the unknown impressed us, but the
+new and strange situation excited us, and rendered us insensible
+to its dangers. The landscape around was fantastic. But few
+outlines were distinguishable. Great white confused masses, with
+blackish spots here and there, closed the horizon. The celestial
+vault shone with remarkable brilliancy. We could perceive, at an
+uncertain distance, the lantern of the guides who were ahead, and
+the mournful silence of the night was only disturbed by the dry,
+distant noise of the hatchet cutting steps in the ice.
+
+We crept slowly and cautiously over the first ascent, going
+towards the base of the Goûter. After ascending laboriously for
+two hours, we reached the first plateau, called the "Petit-Plateau,"
+at the foot of the Goûter, at a height of about eleven thousand feet.
+We rested a few moments and then proceeded, turning now to the left
+and going towards the edge which conducts to the "Grand-Plateau."
+
+But our party had already lessened in number: M. N----, with his
+guides, had stopped; his fatigue obliged him to take a longer
+rest.
+
+About half-past four dawn began to whiten the horizon. At this
+moment we were ascending the slope which leads to the Grand-Plateau,
+which we soon safely reached. We were eleven thousand eight hundred
+feet high. We had well earned our breakfast. Wonderful to relate,
+Levesque and I had a good appetite. It was a good sign. We therefore
+installed ourselves on the snow, and made such a repast as we could.
+Our guides joyfully declared that success was certain. As for me, I
+thought they resumed work too quickly.
+
+M. N---- rejoined us before long. We urged him to take some
+nourishment. He peremptorily refused. He felt the contraction of
+the stomach which is so common in those parts, and was almost
+broken down.
+
+The Grand-Plateau deserves a special description. On the right
+rises the dome of the Goûter. Opposite it is Mont Blanc, rearing
+itself two thousand seven hundred feet above it. On the left are
+the "Rouges" rocks and Mont Maudit. This immense circle is one
+mass of glittering whiteness. On every side are vast crevasses.
+It was in one of these that three of the guides who accompanied
+Dr. Hamel and Colonel Anderson, in 1820, were swallowed up. In
+1864 another guide met his death there.
+
+This plateau must be crossed with great caution, as the crevasses
+are often hidden by the snow; besides, it is often swept by
+avalanches. On the 13th of October, 1866, an English traveller
+and three of his guides were buried under a mass of ice that fell
+from Mont Blanc. After a perilous search, the bodies of the three
+guides were found. They were expecting every moment to find that
+of the Englishman, when a fresh avalanche fell upon the first,
+and forced the searchers to abandon their task.
+
+[Illustration: Crossing the Plateau.]
+
+Three routes presented themselves to us. The ordinary route,
+which passes entirely to the left, by the base of Mont Maudit,
+through a sort of valley called the "Corridor," leads by gentle
+ascents to the top of the first escarpment of the Rouges rocks.
+
+The second, less frequented, turns to the right by the Goûter,
+and leads to the summit of Mont Blanc by the ridge which unites
+these two mountains. You must pursue for three hours a giddy
+path, and scale a height of moving ice, called the "Camel's
+Hump."
+
+The third route consists in ascending directly to the summit of
+the Corridor, crossing an ice-wall seven hundred and fifty feet
+high, which extends along the first escarpment of the Rouges
+rocks.
+
+The guides declared the first route impracticable, on account of
+the recent crevasses which entirely obstructed it; the choice
+between the two others remained. I thought the second, by the
+"Camel's Hump," the best; but it was regarded as too dangerous,
+and it was decided that we should attack the ice-wall conducting
+to the summit of the Corridor.
+
+When a decision is made, it is best to execute it without delay.
+We crossed the Grand-Plateau, and reached the foot of this really
+formidable obstacle.
+
+The nearer we approached the more nearly vertical became its
+slope. Besides, several crevasses which we had not perceived
+yawned at its base.
+
+We nevertheless began the difficult ascent. Steps were begun by
+the foremost guide, and completed by the next. We ascended two
+steps a minute. The higher we went the more the steepness
+increased. Our guides themselves discussed what route to follow;
+they spoke in patois, and did not always agree, which was not a
+good sign. At last the slope became such that our hats touched
+the legs of the guide just before us.
+
+A hailstorm of pieces of ice, produced by the cutting of the
+steps, blinded us, and made our progress still more difficult.
+Addressing one of the foremost guides, I said,--
+
+"Ah, it's very well going up this way! It is not an open road, I
+admit: still, it is practicable. Only how are you going to get us
+down again?"
+
+"O monsieur," replied Ambrose Ravanel, "we will take another
+route going back."
+
+At last, after violent effort for two hours, and after having cut
+more than four hundred steps in this terrible mass, we reached
+the summit of the Corridor completely exhausted.
+
+We then crossed a slightly sloping plateau of snow, and passed
+along the side of an immense crevasse which obstructed our way.
+We had scarcely turned it when we uttered a cry of admiration. On
+the right, Piedmont and the plains of Lombardy were at our feet.
+On the left, the Pennine Alps and the Oberland, crowned with
+snow, raised their magnificent crests. Monte Rosa and the Cervin
+alone still rose above us, but soon we should overlook them in
+our turn.
+
+This reflection recalled us to the end of our expedition. We
+turned our gaze towards Mont Blanc, and stood stupefied.
+
+"Heavens! how far off it is still!" cried Levesque.
+
+"And how high!" I added.
+
+It was a discouraging sight. The famous wall of the ridge, so
+much feared, but which must be crossed, was before us, with its
+slope of fifty degrees. But after scaling the wall of the
+Corridor, it did not terrify us. We rested for half an hour and
+then continued our tramp; but we soon perceived that the
+atmospheric conditions were no longer the same. The sun shed his
+warm rays upon us; and their reflection on the snow added to our
+discomfort. The rarefaction of the air began to be severely felt.
+We advanced slowly, making frequent halts, and at last reached
+the plateau which overlooks the second escarpment of the Rouges
+rocks. We were at the foot of Mont Blanc. It rose, alone and
+majestic, at a height of six hundred feet above us. Monte Rosa
+itself had lowered its flag!
+
+Levesque and I were completely exhausted. As for M. N----, who
+had rejoined us at the summit of the Corridor, it might be said
+that he was insensible to the rarefaction of the air, for he no
+longer breathed, so to speak.
+
+We began at last to scale the last stage. We made ten steps and
+then stopped, finding it absolutely impossible to proceed. A
+painful contraction of the throat made our breathing exceedingly
+difficult. Our legs refused to carry us; and I then understood
+the picturesque expression of Jacques Balmat, when, in narrating
+his first ascent, he said that "his legs seemed only to be kept
+up by his trousers!" But our mental was superior to our physical
+force; and if the body faltered, the heart, responding "Excelsior!"
+stifled its desperate complaint, and urged forward our poor worn-out
+mechanism, despite itself. We thus passed the Petits-Mulets, and
+after two hours of superhuman efforts finally overlooked the entire
+chain. Mont Blanc was under our feet!
+
+[Illustration: Summit of Mont Blanc.]
+
+It was fifteen minutes after twelve.
+
+The pride of success soon dissipated our fatigue. We had at last
+conquered this formidable crest. We overlooked all the others,
+and the thoughts which Mont Blanc alone can inspire affected us
+with a deep emotion. It was ambition satisfied; and to me, at
+least, a dream realized!
+
+Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe. Several mountains
+in Asia and America are higher; but of what use would it be to
+attempt them, if, in the absolute impossibility of reaching their
+summit, you must be content to remain at a lesser height?
+
+Others, such as Mont Cervin, are more difficult of access; but we
+perceived the summit of Mont Cervin twelve hundred feet below us!
+
+And then, what a view to reward us for our troubles and dangers!
+
+The sky, still pure, had assumed a deep-blue tint. The sun,
+despoiled of a part of his rays, had lost his brilliancy, as if
+in a partial eclipse. This effect, due to the rarefaction of the
+air, was all the more apparent as the surrounding eminences and
+plains were inundated with light. No detail of the scene,
+therefore, escaped our notice.
+
+In the south-east, the mountains of Piedmont, and farther off the
+plains of Lombardy, shut in our horizon. Towards the west, the
+mountains of Savoy and Dauphiné; beyond, the valley of the Rhone.
+In the north-west, the Lake of Geneva and the Jura; then,
+descending towards the south, a chaos of mountains and glaciers,
+beyond description, overlooked by the masses of Monte Rosa, the
+Mischabelhoerner, the Cervin, the Weishorn--the most beautiful of
+crests, as Tyndall calls it--and farther off by the Jungfrau, the
+Monck, the Eiger, and the Finsteraarhorn.
+
+The extent of our range of vision was not less than sixty
+leagues. We therefore saw at least one hundred and twenty leagues
+of country.
+
+A special circumstance happened to enhance the beauty of the
+scene. Clouds formed on the Italian side and invaded the valleys
+of the Pennine Alps without veiling their summits. We soon had
+under our eyes a second sky, a lower sky, a sea of clouds, whence
+emerged a perfect archipelago of peaks and snow-wrapped
+mountains. There was something magical in it, which the greatest
+poets could scarcely describe.
+
+The summit of Mont Blanc forms a ridge from southwest to north-east,
+two hundred paces long and a yard wide at the culminating
+point. It seemed like a ship's hull overturned, the keel in the
+air.
+
+Strangely enough, the temperature was very high--ten degrees above
+zero. The air was almost still. Sometimes we felt a light breeze.
+
+The first care of our guides was to place us all in a line on the
+crest opposite Chamonix, that we might be easily counted from
+below, and thus make it known that no one of us had been lost.
+Many of the tourists had ascended the Brevent and the Jardin to
+watch our ascent. They might now be assured of its success.
+
+But to ascend was not all; we must think also of going down. The
+most difficult, if not most wearisome, task remained; and then
+one quits with regret a summit attained at the price of so much
+toil. The energy which urges you to ascend, the need, so natural
+and imperious, of overcoming, now fails you. You go forward
+listlessly, often looking behind you!
+
+It was necessary, however, to decide, and, after a last
+traditional libation of champagne, we put ourselves in motion. We
+had remained on the summit an hour. The order of march was now
+changed. M. N----'s party led off; and, at the suggestion of his
+guide Paccard, we were all tied together with a rope. M. N----'s
+fatigue, which his strength, but not his will, betrayed, made us
+fear falls on his part which would require the help of the whole
+party to arrest. The event justified our foreboding. On
+descending the side of the wall, M. N---- made several false
+steps. His guides, very vigorous and skilful, were happily able
+to check him; but ours, feeling, with reason, that the whole
+party might be dragged down, wished to detach us from the rope.
+Levesque and I opposed this; and, by taking great precautions, we
+safely reached the base of this giddy ledge. There was no room
+for illusions. The almost bottomless abyss was before us, and the
+pieces of detached ice, which bounded by us with the rapidity of
+an arrow, clearly showed us the route which the party would take
+if a slip were made.
+
+Once this terrible gap crossed, I began to breathe again. We
+descended the gradual slopes which led to the summit of the
+Corridor. The snow, softened by the heat, yielded beneath our
+feet; we sank in it to the knees, which made our progress very
+fatiguing. We steadily followed the path by which we ascended in
+the morning, and I was astonished when Gaspard Simon, turning
+towards me, said,--
+
+"Monsieur, we cannot take any other road, for the Corridor is
+impracticable, and we must descend by the wall which we climbed
+up this morning."
+
+I told Levesque this disagreeable news.
+
+"Only," added Gaspard Simon, "I do not think we can all remain
+tied together. However, we will see how M. N---- bears it at
+first."
+
+We advanced towards this terrible wall! M. N----'s party began to
+descend, and we heard Paccard talking rapidly to him. The
+inclination became so steep that we perceived neither him nor his
+guides, though we were bound together by the same rope.
+
+As soon as Gaspard Simon, who went before me, could comprehend
+what was passing, he stopped, and after exchanging' some words in
+_patois_ with his comrades, declared that we must detach
+ourselves from M. N----'s party.
+
+"We are responsible for you," he added, "but we cannot be
+responsible for others; and if they slip, they will drag us after
+them."
+
+Saying this, he got loose from the rope. We were very unwilling
+to take this step; but our guides were inflexible.
+
+We then proposed to send two of them to help M. N----'s guides.
+They eagerly consented; but having no rope they could not put
+this plan into execution.
+
+We then began this terrible descent. Only one of us moved at a
+time, and when each took a step the others buttressed themselves
+ready to sustain the shock if he slipped. The foremost guide,
+Edward Ravanel, had the most perilous task; it was for him to
+make the steps over again, now more or less worn away by the
+ascending caravan.
+
+We progressed slowly, taking the most careful precautions. Our
+route led us in a right line to one of the crevasses which opened
+at the base of the escarpment. When we were going up we could not
+look at this crevasse, but in descending we were fascinated by
+its green and yawning sides. All the blocks of ice detached by
+our passage went the same way, and after two or three bounds,
+ingulfed themselves in the crevasse, as in the jaws of the
+minotaur, only the jaws of the minotaur closed after each morsel,
+while the unsatiated crevasse yawned perpetually, and seemed to
+await, before closing, a larger mouthful. It was for us to take
+care that we should not be this mouthful, and all our efforts
+were made for this end. In order to withdraw ourselves from this
+fascination, this moral giddiness, if I may so express myself, we
+tried to joke about the dangerous position in which we found
+ourselves, and which even a chamois would not have envied us. We
+even got so far as to hum one of Offenbach's couplets; but I must
+confess that our jokes were feeble, and that we did not sing the
+airs correctly.
+
+I even thought I discovered Levesque obstinately setting the
+words of "Barbe-Bleue" to one of the airs in "Il Trovatore,"
+which rather indicated some grave preoccupation of the mind. In
+short, in order to keep up our spirits, we did as do those brave
+cowards who sing in the dark to forget their fright.
+
+We remained thus, suspended between life and death, for an hour,
+which seemed an eternity; at last we reached the bottom of this
+terrible escarpment. We there found M. N---- and his party, safe
+and sound.
+
+After resting a little while, we continued our journey.
+
+As we were approaching the Petit-Plateau, Edward Ravanel suddenly
+stopped, and, turning towards us, said,--
+
+"See what an avalanche! It has covered our tracks."
+
+An immense avalanche of ice had indeed fallen from the Goûter,
+and entirely buried the path we had followed in the morning
+across the Petit-Plateau.
+
+I estimated that the mass of this avalanche could not comprise
+less than five hundred cubic yards. If it had fallen while we
+were passing, one more catastrophe would no doubt have been added
+to the list, already too long, of the necrology of Mont Blanc.
+
+This fresh obstacle forced us to seek a new road, or to pass
+around the foot of the avalanche. As we were much fatigued, the
+latter course was assuredly the simplest; but it involved a
+serious danger. A wall of ice more than sixty feet high, already
+partly detached from the Goûter, to which it only clung by one of
+its angles, overhung the path which we should follow. This great
+mass seemed to hold itself in equilibrium. What if our passing,
+by disturbing the air, should hasten its fall? Our guides held a
+consultation. Each of them examined with a spy-glass the fissure
+which had been formed between the mountain and this alarming ice-mass.
+The sharp and clear edges of the cleft betrayed a recent breaking off,
+evidently caused by the fall of the avalanche.
+
+After a brief discussion, our guides, recognizing the
+impossibility of finding another road, decided to attempt this
+dangerous passage.
+
+"We must walk very fast,--even run, if possible," said they, "and
+we shall be in safety in five minutes. Come, messieurs, a last
+effort!"
+
+A run of five minutes is a small matter for people who are only
+tired; but for us, who were absolutely exhausted, to run even for
+so short a time on soft snow, in which we sank up to the knees,
+seemed an impossibility. Nevertheless, we made an urgent appeal
+to our energies, and after two or three tumbles, drawn forward by
+one, pushed by another, we finally reached a snow hillock, on
+which we fell breathless. We were out of danger.
+
+It required some time to recover ourselves. We stretched out on
+the snow with a feeling of comfort which every one will
+understand. The greatest difficulties had been surmounted, and
+though there were still dangers to brave, we could confront them
+with comparatively little apprehension.
+
+We prolonged our halt in the hope of witnessing the fall of the
+avalanche, but in vain. As the day was advancing, and it was not
+prudent to tarry in these icy solitudes, we decided to continue
+on our way, and about five o'clock we reached the hut of the
+Grands-Mulets.
+
+After a bad night, attended by fever caused by the sunstrokes
+encountered in our expedition, we made ready to return to
+Chamonix; but, before setting out, we inscribed the names of our
+guides and the principal events of our journey, according to the
+custom, on the register kept for this purpose at the Grands-Mulets.
+
+About eight o'clock we started for Chamonix. The passage of the
+Bossons was difficult, but we accomplished it without accident.
+
+[Illustration: Grands-Mulets.--Party Descending From The Hut.]
+
+Half an hour before reaching Chamonix, we met, at the chalet of
+the Dard falls, some English tourists, who seemed to be watching
+our progress. When they perceived us, they hurried up eagerly to
+congratulate us on our success. One of them presented us to his
+wife, a charming person, with a well-bred air. After we had given
+them a sketch of our perilous peregrinations, she said to us, in
+earnest accents,--
+
+"How much you are envied here by everybody! Let me touch your
+alpenstocks!"
+
+These words seemed to interpret the general feeling.
+
+The ascent of Mont Blanc is a very painful one. It is asserted
+that the celebrated naturalist of Geneva, De Saussure, acquired
+there the seeds of the disease of which he died in a few months
+after his return from the summit. I cannot better close this
+narrative than by quoting the words of M. Markham Sherwell:--
+
+"However it may be," he says, in describing his ascent of Mont
+Blanc, "I would not advise any one to undertake this ascent, the
+rewards of which can never have an importance proportionate to
+the dangers encountered by the tourist, and by those who
+accompany him."
+
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Winter Amid the Ice, by Jules Verne
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Winter Amid the Ice
+       and Other Thrilling Stories
+
+Author: Jules Verne
+
+Release Date: May 1, 2009 [EBook #28657]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A WINTER AMID THE ICE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Alan Winterrowd from a text scanned and made
+available By Google Books
+
+
+
+
+
+A Winter Amid the Ice and Other Thrilling Stories
+
+By Jules Verne
+
+Published by:
+The World Publishing House
+New Yowk, 1877
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+DOCTOR OX'S EXPERIMENT
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+How it is useless to seek, even on the best maps, for the small
+town of Quiquendone
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+In which the Burgomaster Van Tricasse and the Counsellor
+Niklausse consult about the affairs of the town
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+In which the Commissary Passauf enters as noisily as unexpectedly
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+In which Doctor Ox reveals himself as a physiologist of the first
+rank, and as an audacious experimentalist
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+In which the burgomaster and the counsellor pay a visit to Doctor
+Ox, and what follows
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+In which Frantz Niklausse and Suzel Van Tricasse form certain
+projects for the future
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+In which the Andantes become Allegros, and the Allegros Vivaces
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+In which the ancient and solemn German waltz becomes a whirlwind
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+In which Doctor Ox and Ygene, his assistant, say a few words
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+In which it will be seen that the epidemic invades the entire
+town, and what effect it produces
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+In which the Quiquendonians adopt a heroic resolution
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+In which Ygene, the assistant, gives a reasonable piece of
+advice, which is eagerly rejected by Doctor Ox
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+In which it is once more proved that by taking high ground all
+human littlenesses may be overlooked
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+In which matters go so far that the inhabitants of Quiquendone,
+the reader, and even the author, demand an immediate denouement
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+In which the denouement takes place
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+In which the intelligent reader sees that he has guessed
+correctly, despite all the author's precautions
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+In which Doctor Ox's theory is explained
+
+
+
+
+MASTER ZACHARIUS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+A winter night
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+The pride of science
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A strange visit
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+The Church of St. Pierre
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+The hour of death
+
+
+
+
+A DRAMA IN THE AIR
+
+
+
+
+A WINTER AMID THE ICE
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+The black flag
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Jean Cornbutte's project
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A ray of hope
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+In the passes
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+Liverpool Island
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+The quaking of the ice
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+Settling for the winter
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+Plan of the explorations
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+The house of snow
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+Buried alive
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+A cloud of smoke
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+The return to the ship
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+The two rivals
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+Distress
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+The white bears
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+ASCENT OF MONT BLANC
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+She handed her father a pipe
+
+The worthy Madame Brigitte Van Tricasse had now her second
+husband
+
+"I have just come from Dr. Ox's"
+
+"It is in the interests of science"
+
+"The workmen, whom we have had to choose in Quiquendone, are not
+very expeditious"
+
+The young girl took the line
+
+"Good-bye, Frantz," said Suzel
+
+Fiovaranti had been achieving a brilliant success in "Les
+Huguenots"
+
+They hustle each other to get out
+
+It was no longer a waltz
+
+It required two persons to eat a strawberry
+
+"To Virgamen! to Virgamen!"
+
+"A burgomaster's place is in the front rank"
+
+The two friends, arm in arm
+
+The whole army of Quiquendone fell to the earth
+
+He would raise the trap-door constructed in the floor of his
+workshop
+
+The young girl prayed
+
+"Thou wilt see that I have discovered the secrets of existence".
+
+"Father, what is the matter?"
+
+Then he resumed, in an ironical tone
+
+From morning till night discontented purchasers besieged the
+house
+
+This proud old man remained motionless
+
+"It is there--there!"
+
+"See this man,--he is Time"
+
+He was dead
+
+"Monsieur, I salute you"
+
+"Monsieur!" cried I, in a rage
+
+"He continued his observations for seven or eight hours with
+General Morlot"
+
+"The balloon became less and less inflated"
+
+"Zambecarri fell, and was killed!"
+
+The madman disappeared in space
+
+"Monsieur the cure," said he, "stop a moment, if you please"
+
+Andre Vasling, the mate, apprised Jean Cornbutte of the dreadful
+event
+
+A soft voice said in his ear, "Have good courage, uncle"
+
+Andre Vasling showed himself more attentive than ever
+
+On the 12th September the sea consisted of one solid plain
+
+They found themselves in a most perilous position, for an
+icequake had occurred
+
+Map in hand, he clearly explained their situation
+
+The caravan set out
+
+"Thirty-two degrees below zero!"
+
+Despair and determination were struggling in his rough features
+for the mastery
+
+It was Louis Cornbutte
+
+Penellan advanced towards the Norwegians
+
+Marie begged Vasling on her knees to produce the lemons, but he
+did not reply
+
+Marie rose with cries of despair, and hurried to the bed of old
+Jean Cornbutte
+
+The bear, having descended from the mast, had fallen on the two
+men
+
+The old cure received Louis Cornbutte and Marie
+
+View of Mont Blanc from the Brevent
+
+View of Bossons glacier, near the Grands-Mulets
+
+Passage of the Bossons Glacier
+
+Crevasse and bridge
+
+View of the "Seracs"
+
+View of "Seracs"
+
+Passage of the "Junction"
+
+Hut at the Grands-Mulets
+
+View of Mont Blanc from Grands-Mulets
+
+Crossing the plateau
+
+Summit of Mont Blanc
+
+Grands-Mulets:--Party descending from the hut
+
+
+
+
+DOCTOR OX'S EXPERIMENT.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+HOW IT IS USELESS TO SEEK, EVEN ON THE BEST MAPS, FOR THE SMALL TOWN
+OF QUIQUENDONE.
+
+
+If you try to find, on any map of Flanders, ancient or modern,
+the small town of Quiquendone, probably you will not succeed. Is
+Quiquendone, then, one of those towns which have disappeared? No.
+A town of the future? By no means. It exists in spite of
+geographies, and has done so for some eight or nine hundred
+years. It even numbers two thousand three hundred and ninety-three
+souls, allowing one soul to each inhabitant. It is situated
+thirteen and a half kilometres north-west of Oudenarde, and
+fifteen and a quarter kilometres south-east of Bruges, in the
+heart of Flanders. The Vaar, a small tributary of the Scheldt,
+passes beneath its three bridges, which are still covered with a
+quaint mediaeval roof, like that at Tournay. An old chateau is to
+be seen there, the first stone of which was laid so long ago as
+1197, by Count Baldwin, afterwards Emperor of Constantinople; and
+there is a Town Hall, with Gothic windows, crowned by a chaplet
+of battlements, and surrounded by a turreted belfry, which rises
+three hundred and fifty-seven feet above the soil. Every hour you
+may hear there a chime of five octaves, a veritable aerial piano,
+the renown of which surpasses that of the famous chimes of
+Bruges. Strangers--if any ever come to Quiquendone--do not quit
+the curious old town until they have visited its "Stadtholder's
+Hall", adorned by a full-length portrait of William of Nassau, by
+Brandon; the loft of the Church of Saint Magloire, a masterpiece
+of sixteenth century architecture; the cast-iron well in the
+spacious Place Saint Ernuph, the admirable ornamentation of which
+is attributed to the artist-blacksmith, Quentin Metsys; the tomb
+formerly erected to Mary of Burgundy, daughter of Charles the
+Bold, who now reposes in the Church of Notre Dame at Bruges; and
+so on. The principal industry of Quiquendone is the manufacture
+of whipped creams and barley-sugar on a large scale. It has been
+governed by the Van Tricasses, from father to son, for several
+centuries. And yet Quiquendone is not on the map of Flanders!
+Have the geographers forgotten it, or is it an intentional
+omission? That I cannot tell; but Quiquendone really exists; with
+its narrow streets, its fortified walls, its Spanish-looking
+houses, its market, and its burgomaster--so much so, that it has
+recently been the theatre of some surprising phenomena, as
+extraordinary and incredible as they are true, which are to be
+recounted in the present narration.
+
+Surely there is nothing to be said or thought against the
+Flemings of Western Flanders. They are a well-to-do folk, wise,
+prudent, sociable, with even tempers, hospitable, perhaps a
+little heavy in conversation as in mind; but this does not
+explain why one of the most interesting towns of their district
+has yet to appear on modern maps.
+
+This omission is certainly to be regretted. If only history, or
+in default of history the chronicles, or in default of chronicles
+the traditions of the country, made mention of Quiquendone! But
+no; neither atlases, guides, nor itineraries speak of it. M.
+Joanne himself, that energetic hunter after small towns, says not
+a word of it. It might be readily conceived that this silence
+would injure the commerce, the industries, of the town. But let
+us hasten to add that Quiquendone has neither industry nor
+commerce, and that it does very well without them. Its barley-sugar
+and whipped cream are consumed on the spot; none is exported. In
+short, the Quiquendonians have no need of anybody. Their desires are
+limited, their existence is a modest one; they are calm, moderate,
+phlegmatic--in a word, they are Flemings; such as are still to be
+met with sometimes between the Scheldt and the North Sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+IN WHICH THE BURGOMASTER VAN TRICASSE AND THE COUNSELLOR NIKLAUSSE
+CONSULT ABOUT THE AFFAIRS OF THE TOWN.
+
+
+"You think so?" asked the burgomaster.
+
+"I--think so," replied the counsellor, after some minutes of
+silence.
+
+"You see, we must not act hastily," resumed the burgomaster.
+
+"We have been talking over this grave matter for ten years,"
+replied the Counsellor Niklausse, "and I confess to you, my
+worthy Van Tricasse, that I cannot yet take it upon myself to
+come to a decision."
+
+"I quite understand your hesitation," said the burgomaster, who
+did not speak until after a good quarter of an hour of reflection,
+"I quite understand it, and I fully share it. We shall do wisely to
+decide upon nothing without a more careful examination of the
+question."
+
+"It is certain," replied Niklausse, "that this post of civil
+commissary is useless in so peaceful a town as Quiquendone."
+
+"Our predecessor," said Van Tricasse gravely, "our predecessor
+never said, never would have dared to say, that anything is
+certain. Every affirmation is subject to awkward qualifications."
+
+The counsellor nodded his head slowly in token of assent; then he
+remained silent for nearly half an hour. After this lapse of
+time, during which neither the counsellor nor the burgomaster
+moved so much as a finger, Niklausse asked Van Tricasse whether
+his predecessor--of some twenty years before--had not thought of
+suppressing this office of civil commissary, which each year cost
+the town of Quiquendone the sum of thirteen hundred and seventy-five
+francs and some centimes.
+
+"I believe he did," replied the burgomaster, carrying his hand
+with majestic deliberation to his ample brow; "but the worthy man
+died without having dared to make up his mind, either as to this
+or any other administrative measure. He was a sage. Why should I
+not do as he did?"
+
+Counsellor Niklausse was incapable of originating any objection
+to the burgomaster's opinion.
+
+"The man who dies," added Van Tricasse solemnly, "without ever
+having decided upon anything during his life, has very nearly
+attained to perfection."
+
+This said, the burgomaster pressed a bell with the end of his
+little finger, which gave forth a muffled sound, which seemed
+less a sound than a sigh. Presently some light steps glided
+softly across the tile floor. A mouse would not have made less
+noise, running over a thick carpet. The door of the room opened,
+turning on its well-oiled hinges. A young girl, with long blonde
+tresses, made her appearance. It was Suzel Van Tricasse, the
+burgomaster's only daughter. She handed her father a pipe, filled
+to the brim, and a small copper brazier, spoke not a word, and
+disappeared at once, making no more noise at her exit than at her
+entrance.
+
+[Illustration: She handed her father a pipe]
+
+The worthy burgomaster lighted his pipe, and was soon hidden in a
+cloud of bluish smoke, leaving Counsellor Niklausse plunged in
+the most absorbing thought.
+
+The room in which these two notable personages, charged with the
+government of Quiquendone, were talking, was a parlour richly
+adorned with carvings in dark wood. A lofty fireplace, in which
+an oak might have been burned or an ox roasted, occupied the
+whole of one of the sides of the room; opposite to it was a
+trellised window, the painted glass of which toned down the
+brightness of the sunbeams. In an antique frame above the
+chimney-piece appeared the portrait of some worthy man,
+attributed to Memling, which no doubt represented an ancestor of
+the Van Tricasses, whose authentic genealogy dates back to the
+fourteenth century, the period when the Flemings and Guy de
+Dampierre were engaged in wars with the Emperor Rudolph of
+Hapsburgh.
+
+This parlour was the principal apartment of the burgomaster's
+house, which was one of the pleasantest in Quiquendone. Built in
+the Flemish style, with all the abruptness, quaintness, and
+picturesqueness of Pointed architecture, it was considered one of
+the most curious monuments of the town. A Carthusian convent, or
+a deaf and dumb asylum, was not more silent than this mansion.
+Noise had no existence there; people did not walk, but glided
+about in it; they did not speak, they murmured. There was not,
+however, any lack of women in the house, which, in addition to
+the burgomaster Van Tricasse himself, sheltered his wife, Madame
+Brigitte Van Tricasse, his daughter, Suzel Van Tricasse, and his
+domestic, Lotche Jansheu. We may also mention the burgomaster's
+sister, Aunt Hermance, an elderly maiden who still bore the
+nickname of Tatanemance, which her niece Suzel had given her when
+a child. But in spite of all these elements of discord and noise,
+the burgomaster's house was as calm as a desert.
+
+The burgomaster was some fifty years old, neither fat nor lean,
+neither short nor tall, neither rubicund nor pale, neither gay
+nor sad, neither contented nor discontented, neither energetic
+nor dull, neither proud nor humble, neither good nor bad, neither
+generous nor miserly, neither courageous nor cowardly, neither
+too much nor too little of anything--a man notably moderate in
+all respects, whose invariable slowness of motion, slightly
+hanging lower jaw, prominent eyebrows, massive forehead, smooth
+as a copper plate and without a wrinkle, would at once have
+betrayed to a physiognomist that the burgomaster Van Tricasse was
+phlegm personified. Never, either from anger or passion, had any
+emotion whatever hastened the beating of this man's heart, or
+flushed his face; never had his pupils contracted under the
+influence of any irritation, however ephemeral. He invariably
+wore good clothes, neither too large nor too small, which he
+never seemed to wear out. He was shod with large square shoes
+with triple soles and silver buckles, which lasted so long that
+his shoemaker was in despair. Upon his head he wore a large hat
+which dated from the period when Flanders was separated from
+Holland, so that this venerable masterpiece was at least forty
+years old. But what would you have? It is the passions which wear
+out body as well as soul, the clothes as well as the body; and
+our worthy burgomaster, apathetic, indolent, indifferent, was
+passionate in nothing. He wore nothing out, not even himself, and
+he considered himself the very man to administer the affairs of
+Quiquendone and its tranquil population.
+
+The town, indeed, was not less calm than the Van Tricasse
+mansion. It was in this peaceful dwelling that the burgomaster
+reckoned on attaining the utmost limit of human existence, after
+having, however, seen the good Madame Brigitte Van Tricasse, his
+wife, precede him to the tomb, where, surely, she would not find
+a more profound repose than that she had enjoyed on earth for
+sixty years.
+
+This demands explanation.
+
+The Van Tricasse family might well call itself the "Jeannot
+family." This is why:--
+
+Every one knows that the knife of this typical personage is as
+celebrated as its proprietor, and not less incapable of wearing
+out, thanks to the double operation, incessantly repeated, of
+replacing the handle when it is worn out, and the blade when it
+becomes worthless. A precisely similar operation had been going
+on from time immemorial in the Van Tricasse family, to which
+Nature had lent herself with more than usual complacency. From
+1340 it had invariably happened that a Van Tricasse, when left a
+widower, had remarried a Van Tricasse younger than himself; who,
+becoming in turn a widow, had married again a Van Tricasse
+younger than herself; and so on, without a break in the
+continuity, from generation to generation. Each died in his or
+her turn with mechanical regularity. Thus the worthy Madame
+Brigitte Van Tricasse had now her second husband; and, unless she
+violated her every duty, would precede her spouse--he being ten
+years younger than herself--to the other world, to make room for
+a new Madame Van Tricasse. Upon this the burgomaster calmly
+counted, that the family tradition might not be broken. Such was
+this mansion, peaceful and silent, of which the doors never
+creaked, the windows never rattled, the floors never groaned, the
+chimneys never roared, the weathercocks never grated, the
+furniture never squeaked, the locks never clanked, and the
+occupants never made more noise than their shadows. The god
+Harpocrates would certainly have chosen it for the Temple of
+Silence.
+
+[Illustration: the worthy Madame Brigitte Van Tricasse had now
+her second husband]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+IN WHICH THE COMMISSARY PASSAUF ENTERS AS NOISILY AS UNEXPECTEDLY.
+
+
+When the interesting conversation which has been narrated began,
+it was a quarter before three in the afternoon. It was at a
+quarter before four that Van Tricasse lighted his enormous pipe,
+which could hold a quart of tobacco, and it was at thirty-five
+minutes past five that he finished smoking it.
+
+All this time the two comrades did not exchange a single word.
+
+About six o'clock the counsellor, who had a habit of speaking in
+a very summary manner, resumed in these words,--
+
+"So we decide--"
+
+"To decide nothing," replied the burgomaster.
+
+"I think, on the whole, that you are right, Van Tricasse."
+
+"I think so too, Niklausse. We will take steps with reference to
+the civil commissary when we have more light on the subject--
+later on. There is no need for a month yet."
+
+"Nor even for a year," replied Niklausse, unfolding his
+pocket-handkerchief and calmly applying it to his nose.
+
+There was another silence of nearly a quarter of an hour. Nothing
+disturbed this repeated pause in the conversation; not even the
+appearance of the house-dog Lento, who, not less phlegmatic than
+his master, came to pay his respects in the parlour. Noble dog!--
+a model for his race. Had he been made of pasteboard, with wheels
+on his paws, he would not have made less noise during his stay.
+
+Towards eight o'clock, after Lotche had brought the antique lamp
+of polished glass, the burgomaster said to the counsellor,--
+
+"We have no other urgent matter to consider?"
+
+"No, Van Tricasse; none that I know of."
+
+"Have I not been told, though," asked the burgomaster, "that the
+tower of the Oudenarde gate is likely to tumble down?"
+
+"Ah!" replied the counsellor; "really, I should not be astonished
+if it fell on some passer-by any day."
+
+"Oh! before such a misfortune happens I hope we shall have come
+to a decision on the subject of this tower."
+
+"I hope so, Van Tricasse."
+
+"There are more pressing matters to decide."
+
+"No doubt; the question of the leather-market, for instance."
+
+"What, is it still burning?"
+
+"Still burning, and has been for the last three weeks."
+
+"Have we not decided in council to let it burn?"
+
+"Yes, Van Tricasse--on your motion."
+
+"Was not that the surest and simplest way to deal with it?"
+
+"Without doubt."
+
+"Well, let us wait. Is that all?"
+
+"All," replied the counsellor, scratching his head, as if to
+assure himself that he had not forgotten anything important.
+
+"Ah!" exclaimed the burgomaster, "haven't you also heard
+something of an escape of water which threatens to inundate the
+low quarter of Saint Jacques?"
+
+"I have. It is indeed unfortunate that this escape of water did
+not happen above the leather-market! It would naturally have
+checked the fire, and would thus have saved us a good deal of
+discussion."
+
+"What can you expect, Niklausse? There is nothing so illogical as
+accidents. They are bound by no rules, and we cannot profit by
+one, as we might wish, to remedy another."
+
+It took Van Tricasse's companion some time to digest this fine
+observation.
+
+"Well, but," resumed the Counsellor Niklausse, after the lapse of
+some moments, "we have not spoken of our great affair!"
+
+"What great affair? Have we, then, a great affair?" asked the
+burgomaster.
+
+"No doubt. About lighting the town."
+
+"O yes. If my memory serves me, you are referring to the lighting
+plan of Doctor Ox."
+
+"Precisely."
+
+"It is going on, Niklausse," replied the burgomaster. "They are
+already laying the pipes, and the works are entirely completed."
+
+"Perhaps we have hurried a little in this matter," said the
+counsellor, shaking his head.
+
+"Perhaps. But our excuse is, that Doctor Ox bears the whole
+expense of his experiment. It will not cost us a sou."
+
+"That, true enough, is our excuse. Moreover, we must advance with
+the age. If the experiment succeeds, Quiquendone will be the
+first town in Flanders to be lighted with the oxy--What is the
+gas called?"
+
+"Oxyhydric gas."
+
+"Well, oxyhydric gas, then."
+
+At this moment the door opened, and Lotche came in to tell the
+burgomaster that his supper was ready.
+
+Counsellor Niklausse rose to take leave of Van Tricasse, whose
+appetite had been stimulated by so many affairs discussed and
+decisions taken; and it was agreed that the council of notables
+should be convened after a reasonably long delay, to determine
+whether a decision should be provisionally arrived at with
+reference to the really urgent matter of the Oudenarde gate.
+
+The two worthy administrators then directed their steps towards
+the street-door, the one conducting the other. The counsellor,
+having reached the last step, lighted a little lantern to guide
+him through the obscure streets of Quiquendone, which Doctor Ox
+had not yet lighted. It was a dark October night, and a light fog
+overshadowed the town.
+
+Niklausse's preparations for departure consumed at least a
+quarter of an hour; for, after having lighted his lantern, he had
+to put on his big cow-skin socks and his sheep-skin gloves; then
+he put up the furred collar of his overcoat, turned the brim of
+his felt hat down over his eyes, grasped his heavy crow-beaked
+umbrella, and got ready to start.
+
+When Lotche, however, who was lighting her master, was about to
+draw the bars of the door, an unexpected noise arose outside.
+
+Yes! Strange as the thing seems, a noise--a real noise, such as
+the town had certainly not heard since the taking of the donjon
+by the Spaniards in 1513--terrible noise, awoke the long-dormant
+echoes of the venerable Van Tricasse mansion.
+
+Some one knocked heavily upon this door, hitherto virgin to
+brutal touch! Redoubled knocks were given with some blunt
+implement, probably a knotty stick, wielded by a vigorous arm.
+With the strokes were mingled cries and calls. These words were
+distinctly heard:--
+
+"Monsieur Van Tricasse! Monsieur the burgomaster! Open, open
+quickly!"
+
+The burgomaster and the counsellor, absolutely astounded, looked
+at each other speechless.
+
+This passed their comprehension. If the old culverin of the
+chateau, which had not been used since 1385, had been let off in
+the parlour, the dwellers in the Van Tricasse mansion would not
+have been more dumbfoundered.
+
+Meanwhile, the blows and cries were redoubled. Lotche, recovering
+her coolness, had plucked up courage to speak.
+
+"Who is there?"
+
+"It is I! I! I!"
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"The Commissary Passauf!"
+
+The Commissary Passauf! The very man whose office it had been
+contemplated to suppress for ten years. What had happened, then?
+Could the Burgundians have invaded Quiquendone, as they did in
+the fourteenth century? No event of less importance could have so
+moved Commissary Passauf, who in no degree yielded the palm to
+the burgomaster himself for calmness and phlegm.
+
+On a sign from Van Tricasse--for the worthy man could not have
+articulated a syllable--the bar was pushed back and the door
+opened.
+
+Commissary Passauf flung himself into the antechamber. One would
+have thought there was a hurricane.
+
+"What's the matter, Monsieur the commissary?" asked Lotche, a
+brave woman, who did not lose her head under the most trying
+circumstances.
+
+"What's the matter!" replied Passauf, whose big round eyes
+expressed a genuine agitation. "The matter is that I have just
+come from Doctor Ox's, who has been holding a reception, and that
+there--"
+
+[Illustration: I have just come from Doctor Ox's]
+
+"There?"
+
+"There I have witnessed such an altercation as--Monsieur the
+burgomaster, they have been talking politics!"
+
+"Politics!" repeated Van Tricasse, running his fingers through
+his wig.
+
+"Politics!" resumed Commissary Passauf, "which has not been done
+for perhaps a hundred years at Quiquendone. Then the discussion
+got warm, and the advocate, Andre Schut, and the doctor,
+Dominique Custos, became so violent that it may be they will call
+each other out."
+
+"Call each other out!" cried the counsellor. "A duel! A duel at
+Quiquendone! And what did Advocate Schut and Doctor Gustos say?"
+
+"Just this: 'Monsieur advocate,' said the doctor to his
+adversary, 'you go too far, it seems to me, and you do not take
+sufficient care to control your words!'"
+
+The Burgomaster Van Tricasse clasped his hands--the counsellor
+turned pale and let his lantern fall--the commissary shook his
+head. That a phrase so evidently irritating should be pronounced
+by two of the principal men in the country!
+
+"This Doctor Custos," muttered Van Tricasse, "is decidedly a
+dangerous man--a hare-brained fellow! Come, gentlemen!"
+
+On this, Counsellor Niklausse and the commissary accompanied the
+burgomaster into the parlour.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+IN WHICH DOCTOR OX REVEALS HIMSELF AS A PHYSIOLOGIST OF THE FIRST
+RANK, AND AS AN AUDACIOUS EXPERIMENTALIST.
+
+
+Who, then, was this personage, known by the singular name of
+Doctor Ox?
+
+An original character for certain, but at the same time a bold
+savant, a physiologist, whose works were known and highly
+estimated throughout learned Europe, a happy rival of the Davys,
+the Daltons, the Bostocks, the Menzies, the Godwins, the
+Vierordts--of all those noble minds who have placed physiology
+among the highest of modern sciences.
+
+Doctor Ox was a man of medium size and height, aged--: but we
+cannot state his age, any more than his nationality. Besides, it
+matters little; let it suffice that he was a strange personage,
+impetuous and hot-blooded, a regular oddity out of one of
+Hoffmann's volumes, and one who contrasted amusingly enough with
+the good people of Quiquendone. He had an imperturbable
+confidence both in himself and in his doctrines. Always smiling,
+walking with head erect and shoulders thrown back in a free and
+unconstrained manner, with a steady gaze, large open nostrils, a
+vast mouth which inhaled the air in liberal draughts, his
+appearance was far from unpleasing. He was full of animation,
+well proportioned in all parts of his bodily mechanism, with
+quicksilver in his veins, and a most elastic step. He could never
+stop still in one place, and relieved himself with impetuous
+words and a superabundance of gesticulations.
+
+Was Doctor Ox rich, then, that he should undertake to light a
+whole town at his expense? Probably, as he permitted himself to
+indulge in such extravagance,--and this is the only answer we can
+give to this indiscreet question.
+
+Doctor Ox had arrived at Quiquendone five months before,
+accompanied by his assistant, who answered to the name of Gedeon
+Ygene; a tall, dried-up, thin man, haughty, but not less
+vivacious than his master.
+
+And next, why had Doctor Ox made the proposition to light the
+town at his own expense? Why had he, of all the Flemings,
+selected the peaceable Quiquendonians, to endow their town with
+the benefits of an unheard-of system of lighting? Did he not,
+under this pretext, design to make some great physiological
+experiment by operating _in anima vili?_ In short, what was this
+original personage about to attempt? We know not, as Doctor Ox
+had no confidant except his assistant Ygene, who, moreover,
+obeyed him blindly.
+
+In appearance, at least, Doctor Ox had agreed to light the town,
+which had much need of it, "especially at night," as Commissary
+Passauf wittily said. Works for producing a lighting gas had
+accordingly been established; the gasometers were ready for use,
+and the main pipes, running beneath the street pavements, would
+soon appear in the form of burners in the public edifices and the
+private houses of certain friends of progress. Van Tricasse and
+Niklausse, in their official capacity, and some other worthies,
+thought they ought to allow this modern light to be introduced
+into their dwellings.
+
+If the reader has not forgotten, it was said, during the long
+conversation of the counsellor and the burgomaster, that the
+lighting of the town was to be achieved, not by the combustion of
+common carburetted hydrogen, produced by distilling coal, but by
+the use of a more modern and twenty-fold more brilliant gas,
+oxyhydric gas, produced by mixing hydrogen and oxygen.
+
+The doctor, who was an able chemist as well as an ingenious
+physiologist, knew how to obtain this gas in great quantity and
+of good quality, not by using manganate of soda, according to the
+method of M. Tessie du Motay, but by the direct decomposition of
+slightly acidulated water, by means of a battery made of new
+elements, invented by himself. Thus there were no costly
+materials, no platinum, no retorts, no combustibles, no delicate
+machinery to produce the two gases separately. An electric
+current was sent through large basins full of water, and the
+liquid was decomposed into its two constituent parts, oxygen and
+hydrogen. The oxygen passed off at one end; the hydrogen, of
+double the volume of its late associate, at the other. As a
+necessary precaution, they were collected in separate reservoirs,
+for their mixture would have produced a frightful explosion if it
+had become ignited. Thence the pipes were to convey them
+separately to the various burners, which would be so placed as to
+prevent all chance of explosion. Thus a remarkably brilliant
+flame would be obtained, whose light would rival the electric
+light, which, as everybody knows, is, according to Cassellmann's
+experiments, equal to that of eleven hundred and seventy-one wax
+candles,--not one more, nor one less.
+
+It was certain that the town of Quiquendone would, by this
+liberal contrivance, gain a splendid lighting; but Doctor Ox and
+his assistant took little account of this, as will be seen in the
+sequel.
+
+The day after that on which Commissary Passauf had made his noisy
+entrance into the burgomaster's parlour, Gedeon Ygene and Doctor
+Ox were talking in the laboratory which both occupied in common,
+on the ground-floor of the principal building of the gas-works.
+
+"Well, Ygene, well," cried the doctor, rubbing his hands. "You
+saw, at my reception yesterday, the cool-bloodedness of these
+worthy Quiquendonians. For animation they are midway between
+sponges and coral! You saw them disputing and irritating each
+other by voice and gesture? They are already metamorphosed,
+morally and physically! And this is only the beginning. Wait till
+we treat them to a big dose!"
+
+"Indeed, master," replied Ygene, scratching his sharp nose with
+the end of his forefinger, "the experiment begins well, and if I
+had not prudently closed the supply-tap, I know not what would
+have happened."
+
+"You heard Schut, the advocate, and Custos, the doctor?" resumed
+Doctor Ox. "The phrase was by no means ill-natured in itself,
+but, in the mouth of a Quiquendonian, it is worth all the insults
+which the Homeric heroes hurled at each other before drawing
+their swords, Ah, these Flemings! You'll see what we shall do
+some day!"
+
+"We shall make them ungrateful," replied Ygene, in the tone of a
+man who esteems the human race at its just worth.
+
+"Bah!" said the doctor; "what matters it whether they think well
+or ill of us, so long as our experiment succeeds?"
+
+"Besides," returned the assistant, smiling with a malicious
+expression, "is it not to be feared that, in producing such an
+excitement in their respiratory organs, we shall somewhat injure
+the lungs of these good people of Quiquendone?"
+
+"So much the worse for them! It is in the interests of science.
+What would you say if the dogs or frogs refused to lend
+themselves to the experiments of vivisection?"
+
+[Illustration: It is in the interests of Science.]
+
+It is probable that if the frogs and dogs were consulted, they
+would offer some objection; but Doctor Ox imagined that he had
+stated an unanswerable argument, for he heaved a great sigh of
+satisfaction.
+
+"After all, master, you are right," replied Ygene, as if quite
+convinced. "We could not have hit upon better subjects than these
+people of Quiquendone for our experiment."
+
+"We--could--not," said the doctor, slowly articulating each word.
+
+"Have you felt the pulse of any of them?"
+
+"Some hundreds."
+
+"And what is the average pulsation you found?"
+
+"Not fifty per minute. See--this is a town where there has not
+been the shadow of a discussion for a century, where the carmen
+don't swear, where the coachmen don't insult each other, where
+horses don't run away, where the dogs don't bite, where the cats
+don't scratch,--a town where the police-court has nothing to do
+from one year's end to another,--a town where people do not grow
+enthusiastic about anything, either about art or business,--a
+town where the gendarmes are a sort of myth, and in which an
+indictment has not been drawn up for a hundred years,--a town, in
+short, where for three centuries nobody has struck a blow with
+his fist or so much as exchanged a slap in the face! You see,
+Ygene, that this cannot last, and that we must change it all."
+
+"Perfectly! perfectly!" cried the enthusiastic assistant; "and
+have you analyzed the air of this town, master?"
+
+"I have not failed to do so. Seventy-nine parts of azote and
+twenty-one of oxygen, carbonic acid and steam in a variable
+quantity. These are the ordinary proportions."
+
+"Good, doctor, good!" replied Ygene. "The experiment will be made
+on a large scale, and will be decisive."
+
+"And if it is decisive," added Doctor Ox triumphantly, "we shall
+reform the world!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+IN WHICH THE BURGOMASTER AND THE COUNSELLOR PAY A VISIT TO DOCTOR
+OX, AND WHAT FOLLOWS.
+
+The Counsellor Niklausse and the Burgomaster Van Tricasse at last
+knew what it was to have an agitated night. The grave event which
+had taken place at Doctor Ox's house actually kept them awake.
+What consequences was this affair destined to bring about? They
+could not imagine. Would it be necessary for them to come to a
+decision? Would the municipal authority, whom they represented,
+be compelled to interfere? Would they be obliged to order arrests
+to be made, that so great a scandal should not be repeated? All
+these doubts could not but trouble these soft natures; and on
+that evening, before separating, the two notables had "decided"
+to see each other the next day.
+
+On the next morning, then, before dinner, the Burgomaster Van
+Tricasse proceeded in person to the Counsellor Niklausse's house.
+He found his friend more calm. He himself had recovered his
+equanimity.
+
+"Nothing new?" asked Van Tricasse.
+
+"Nothing new since yesterday," replied Niklausse.
+
+"And the doctor, Dominique Custos?"
+
+"I have not heard anything, either of him or of the advocate,
+Andre Schut."
+
+After an hour's conversation, which consisted of three remarks
+which it is needless to repeat, the counsellor and the burgomaster
+had resolved to pay a visit to Doctor Ox, so as to draw from him,
+without seeming to do so, some details of the affair.
+
+Contrary to all their habits, after coming to this decision the
+two notables set about putting it into execution forthwith. They
+left the house and directed their steps towards Doctor Ox's
+laboratory, which was situated outside the town, near the
+Oudenarde gate--the gate whose tower threatened to fall in ruins.
+
+They did not take each other's arms, but walked side by side,
+with a slow and solemn step, which took them forward but thirteen
+inches per second. This was, indeed, the ordinary gait of the
+Quiquendonians, who had never, within the memory of man, seen any
+one run across the streets of their town.
+
+From time to time the two notables would stop at some calm and
+tranquil crossway, or at the end of a quiet street, to salute the
+passers-by.
+
+"Good morning, Monsieur the burgomaster," said one.
+
+"Good morning, my friend," responded Van Tricasse.
+
+"Anything new, Monsieur the counsellor?" asked another.
+
+"Nothing new," answered Niklausse.
+
+But by certain agitated motions and questioning looks, it was
+evident that the altercation of the evening before was known
+throughout the town. Observing the direction taken by Van
+Tricasse, the most obtuse Quiquendonians guessed that the
+burgomaster was on his way to take some important step. The
+Custos and Schut affair was talked of everywhere, but the people
+had not yet come to the point of taking the part of one or the
+other. The Advocate Schut, having never had occasion to plead in
+a town where attorneys and bailiffs only existed in tradition,
+had, consequently, never lost a suit. As for the Doctor Custos,
+he was an honourable practitioner, who, after the example of his
+fellow-doctors, cured all the illnesses of his patients, except
+those of which they died--a habit unhappily acquired by all the
+members of all the faculties in whatever country they may
+practise.
+
+On reaching the Oudenarde gate, the counsellor and the
+burgomaster prudently made a short detour, so as not to pass
+within reach of the tower, in case it should fall; then they
+turned and looked at it attentively.
+
+"I think that it will fall," said Van Tricasse.
+
+"I think so too," replied Niklausse.
+
+"Unless it is propped up," added Van Tricasse. "But must it be
+propped up? That is the question."
+
+"That is--in fact--the question."
+
+Some moments after, they reached the door of the gasworks.
+
+"Can we see Doctor Ox?" they asked.
+
+Doctor Ox could always be seen by the first authorities of the
+town, and they were at once introduced into the celebrated
+physiologist's study.
+
+Perhaps the two notables waited for the doctor at least an hour;
+at least it is reasonable to suppose so, as the burgomaster--a
+thing that had never before happened in his life--betrayed a
+certain amount of impatience, from which his companion was not
+exempt.
+
+Doctor Ox came in at last, and began to excuse himself for having
+kept them waiting; but he had to approve a plan for the
+gasometer, rectify some of the machinery--But everything was
+going on well! The pipes intended for the oxygen were already
+laid. In a few months the town would be splendidly lighted. The
+two notables might even now see the orifices of the pipes which
+were laid on in the laboratory.
+
+Then the doctor begged to know to what he was indebted for the
+honour of this visit.
+
+"Only to see you, doctor; to see you," replied Van Tricasse. "It
+is long since we have had the pleasure. We go abroad but little
+in our good town of Quiquendone. We count our steps and measure
+our walks. We are happy when nothing disturbs the uniformity of
+our habits."
+
+Niklausse looked at his friend. His friend had never said so much
+at once--at least, without taking time, and giving long intervals
+between his sentences. It seemed to him that Van Tricasse
+expressed himself with a certain volubility, which was by no
+means common with him. Niklausse himself experienced a kind of
+irresistible desire to talk.
+
+As for Doctor Ox, he looked at the burgomaster with sly
+attention.
+
+Van Tricasse, who never argued until he had snugly ensconced
+himself in a spacious armchair, had risen to his feet. I know not
+what nervous excitement, quite foreign to his temperament, had
+taken possession of him. He did not gesticulate as yet, but this
+could not be far off. As for the counsellor, he rubbed his legs,
+and breathed with slow and long gasps. His look became animated
+little by little, and he had "decided" to support at all hazards,
+if need be, his trusty friend the burgomaster.
+
+Van Tricasse got up and took several steps; then he came back,
+and stood facing the doctor.
+
+"And in how many months," he asked in a somewhat emphatic tome,
+"do you say that your work will be finished?"
+
+"In three or four months, Monsieur the burgomaster," replied
+Doctor Ox.
+
+"Three or four months,--it's a very long time!" said Van
+Tricasse.
+
+"Altogether too long!" added Niklausse, who, not being able to
+keep his seat, rose also.
+
+"This lapse of time is necessary to complete our work," returned
+Doctor Ox. "The workmen, whom we have had to choose in Quiquendone,
+are not very expeditious."
+
+[Illustration: "The workmen, whom we have had to choose in
+Quiquendone, are not very expeditious."]
+
+"How not expeditious?" cried the burgomaster, who seemed to take
+the remark as personally offensive.
+
+"No, Monsieur Van Tricasse," replied Doctor Ox obstinately. "A
+French workman would do in a day what it takes ten of your
+workmen to do; you know, they are regular Flemings!"
+
+"Flemings!" cried the counsellor, whose fingers closed together.
+"In what sense, sir, do you use that word?"
+
+"Why, in the amiable sense in which everybody uses it," replied
+Doctor Ox, smiling.
+
+"Ah, but doctor," said the burgomaster, pacing up and down the
+room, "I don't like these insinuations. The workmen of Quiquendone
+are as efficient as those of any other town in the world, you must
+know; and we shall go neither to Paris nor London for our models!
+As for your project, I beg you to hasten its execution. Our streets
+have been unpaved for the putting down of your conduit-pipes, and it
+is a hindrance to traffic. Our trade will begin to suffer, and I,
+being the responsible authority, do not propose to incur reproaches
+which will be but too just."
+
+Worthy burgomaster! He spoke of trade, of traffic, and the wonder
+was that those words, to which he was quite unaccustomed, did not
+scorch his lips. What could be passing in his mind?
+
+"Besides," added Niklausse, "the town cannot be deprived of light
+much longer."
+
+"But," urged Doctor Ox, "a town which has been un-lighted for
+eight or nine hundred years--"
+
+"All the more necessary is it," replied the burgomaster,
+emphasizing his words. "Times alter, manners alter! The world
+advances, and we do not wish to remain behind. We desire our
+streets to be lighted within a month, or you must pay a large
+indemnity for each day of delay; and what would happen if, amid
+the darkness, some affray should take place?"
+
+"No doubt," cried Niklausse. "It requires but a spark to inflame
+a Fleming! Fleming! Flame!"
+
+"Apropos of this," said the burgomaster, interrupting his friend,
+"Commissary Passauf, our chief of police, reports to us that a
+discussion took place in your drawing-room last evening, Doctor
+Ox. Was he wrong in declaring that it was a political discussion?"
+
+"By no means, Monsieur the burgomaster," replied Doctor Ox, who
+with difficulty repressed a sigh of satisfaction.
+
+"So an altercation did take place between Dominique Gustos and
+Andre Schut?"
+
+"Yes, counsellor; but the words which passed were not of grave
+import."
+
+"Not of grave import!" cried the burgomaster. "Not of grave
+import, when one man tells another that he does not measure the
+effect of his words! But of what stuff are you made, monsieur? Do
+you not know that in Quiquendone nothing more is needed to bring
+about extremely disastrous results? But monsieur, if you, or any
+one else, presume to speak thus to me--"
+
+"Or to me," added Niklausse.
+
+As they pronounced these words with a menacing air, the two
+notables, with folded arms and bristling air, confronted Doctor
+Ox, ready to do him some violence, if by a gesture, or even the
+expression of his eye, he manifested any intention of contradicting
+them.
+
+But the doctor did not budge.
+
+"At all events, monsieur," resumed the burgomaster, "I propose to
+hold you responsible for what passes in your house. I am bound to
+insure the tranquillity of this town, and I do not wish it to be
+disturbed. The events of last evening must not be repeated, or I
+shall do my duty, sir! Do you hear? Then reply, sir."
+
+The burgomaster, as he spoke, under the influence of
+extraordinary excitement, elevated his voice to the pitch of
+anger. He was furious, the worthy Van Tricasse, and might
+certainly be heard outside. At last, beside himself, and seeing
+that Doctor Ox did not reply to his challenge, "Come, Niklausse,"
+said he.
+
+And, slamming the door with a violence which shook the house, the
+burgomaster drew his friend after him.
+
+Little by little, when they had taken twenty steps on their road,
+the worthy notables grew more calm. Their pace slackened, their
+gait became less feverish. The flush on their faces faded away;
+from being crimson, they became rosy. A quarter of an hour after
+quitting the gasworks, Van Tricasse said softly to Niklausse, "An
+amiable man, Doctor Ox! It is always a pleasure to see him!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+IN WHICH FRANTZ NIKLAUSSE AND SUZEL VAN TRICASSE FORM CERTAIN
+PROJECTS FOR THE FUTURE.
+
+
+Our readers know that the burgomaster had a daughter, Suzel But,
+shrewd as they may be, they cannot have divined that the
+counsellor Niklausse had a son, Frantz; and had they divined
+this, nothing could have led them to imagine that Frantz was the
+betrothed lover of Suzel. We will add that these young people
+were made for each other, and that they loved each other, as
+folks did love at Quiquendone.
+
+It must not be thought that young hearts did not beat in this
+exceptional place; only they beat with a certain deliberation.
+There were marriages there, as in every other town in the world;
+but they took time about it. Betrothed couples, before engaging
+in these terrible bonds, wished to study each other; and these
+studies lasted at least ten years, as at college. It was rare
+that any one was "accepted" before this lapse of time.
+
+Yes, ten years! The courtships last ten years! And is it, after
+all, too long, when the being bound for life is in consideration?
+One studies ten years to become an engineer or physician, an
+advocate or attorney, and should less time be spent in acquiring
+the knowledge to make a good husband? Is it not reasonable? and,
+whether due to temperament or reason with them, the Quiquendonians
+seem to us to be in the right in thus prolonging their courtship.
+When marriages in other more lively and excitable cities are seen
+taking place within a few months, we must shrug our shoulders,
+and hasten to send our boys to the schools and our daughters to the
+_pensions_ of Quiquendone.
+
+For half a century but a single marriage was known to have taken
+place after the lapse of two years only of courtship, and that
+turned out badly!
+
+Frantz Niklausse, then, loved Suzel Van Tricasse, but quietly, as
+a man would love when he has ten years before him in which to
+obtain the beloved object. Once every week, at an hour agreed
+upon, Frantz went to fetch Suzel, and took a walk with her along
+the banks of the Vaar. He took good care to carry his fishing-tackle,
+and Suzel never forgot her canvas, on which her pretty hands
+embroidered the most unlikely flowers.
+
+Frantz was a young man of twenty-two, whose cheeks betrayed a
+soft, peachy down, and whose voice had scarcely a compass of one
+octave.
+
+As for Suzel, she was blonde and rosy. She was seventeen, and did
+not dislike fishing. A singular occupation this, however, which
+forces you to struggle craftily with a barbel. But Frantz loved
+it; the pastime was congenial to his temperament. As patient as
+possible, content to follow with his rather dreamy eye the cork
+which bobbed on the top of the water, he knew how to wait; and
+when, after sitting for six hours, a modest barbel, taking pity
+on him, consented at last to be caught, he was happy--but he knew
+how to control his emotion.
+
+On this day the two lovers--one might say, the two betrothed--
+were seated upon the verdant bank. The limpid Vaar murmured a few
+feet below them. Suzel quietly drew her needle across the canvas.
+Frantz automatically carried his line from left to right, then
+permitted it to descend the current from right to left. The fish
+made capricious rings in the water, which crossed each other
+around the cork, while the hook hung useless near the bottom.
+
+From time to time Frantz would say, without raising his eyes,--
+
+"I think I have a bite, Suzel."
+
+"Do you think so, Frantz?" replied Suzel, who, abandoning her
+work for an instant, followed her lover's line with earnest eye.
+
+"N-no," resumed Frantz; "I thought I felt a little twitch; I was
+mistaken."
+
+"You _will_ have a bite, Frantz," replied Suzel, in her pure,
+soft voice. "But do not forget to strike at the right moment. You
+are always a few seconds too late, and the barbel takes advantage
+to escape."
+
+"Would you like to take my line, Suzel?"
+
+"Willingly, Frantz."
+
+"Then give me your canvas. We shall see whether I am more adroit
+with the needle than with the hook."
+
+And the young girl took the line with trembling hand, while her
+swain plied the needle across the stitches of the embroidery. For
+hours together they thus exchanged soft words, and their hearts
+palpitated when the cork bobbed on the water. Ah, could they ever
+forget those charming hours, during which, seated side by side,
+they listened to the murmurs of the river?
+
+[Illustration: the young girl took the line]
+
+The sun was fast approaching the western horizon, and despite the
+combined skill of Suzel and Frantz, there had not been a bite.
+The barbels had not shown themselves complacent, and seemed to
+scoff at the two young people, who were too just to bear them
+malice.
+
+"We shall be more lucky another time, Frantz," said Suzel, as the
+young angler put up his still virgin hook.
+
+"Let us hope so," replied Frantz.
+
+Then walking side by side, they turned their steps towards the
+house, without exchanging a word, as mute as their shadows which
+stretched out before them. Suzel became very, very tall under the
+oblique rays of the setting sun. Frantz appeared very, very thin,
+like the long rod which he held in his hand.
+
+They reached the burgomaster's house. Green tufts of grass
+bordered the shining pavement, and no one would have thought of
+tearing them away, for they deadened the noise made by the
+passers-by.
+
+As they were about to open the door, Frantz thought it his duty
+to say to Suzel,--
+
+"You know, Suzel, the great day is approaching?"
+
+"It is indeed, Frantz," replied the young girl, with downcast
+eyes.
+
+"Yes," said Frantz, "in five or six years--"
+
+"Good-bye, Frantz," said Suzel.
+
+[Illustration: "Good-bye, Frantz," said Suzel.]
+
+"Good-bye, Suzel," replied Frantz.
+
+And, after the door had been closed, the young man resumed the
+way to his father's house with a calm and equal pace.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+IN WHICH THE ANDANTES BECOME ALLEGROS, AND THE ALLEGROS VIVACES.
+
+
+The agitation caused by the Schut and Custos affair had subsided.
+The affair led to no serious consequences. It appeared likely
+that Quiquendone would return to its habitual apathy, which that
+unexpected event had for a moment disturbed.
+
+Meanwhile, the laying of the pipes destined to conduct the
+oxyhydric gas into the principal edifices of the town was
+proceeding rapidly. The main pipes and branches gradually crept
+beneath the pavements. But the burners were still wanting; for,
+as it required delicate skill to make them, it was necessary that
+they should be fabricated abroad. Doctor Ox was here, there, and
+everywhere; neither he nor Ygene, his assistant, lost a moment,
+but they urged on the workmen, completed the delicate mechanism
+of the gasometer, fed day and night the immense piles which
+decomposed the water under the influence of a powerful electric
+current. Yes, the doctor was already making his gas, though the
+pipe-laying was not yet done; a fact which, between ourselves,
+might have seemed a little singular. But before long,--at least
+there was reason to hope so,--before long Doctor Ox would
+inaugurate the splendours of his invention in the theatre of the
+town.
+
+For Quiquendone possessed a theatre--a really fine edifice, in
+truth--the interior and exterior arrangement of which combined
+every style of architecture. It was at once Byzantine, Roman,
+Gothic, Renaissance, with semicircular doors, Pointed windows,
+Flamboyant rose-windows, fantastic bell-turrets,--in a word, a
+specimen of all sorts, half a Parthenon, half a Parisian Grand
+Cafe. Nor was this surprising, the theatre having been commenced
+under the burgomaster Ludwig Van Tricasse, in 1175, and only
+finished in 1837, under the burgomaster Natalis Van Tricasse. It
+had required seven hundred years to build it, and it had, been
+successively adapted to the architectural style in vogue in each
+period. But for all that it was an imposing structure; the Roman
+pillars and Byzantine arches of which would appear to advantage
+lit up by the oxyhydric gas.
+
+Pretty well everything was acted at the theatre of Quiquendone;
+but the opera and the opera comique were especially patronized.
+It must, however, be added that the composers would never have
+recognized their own works, so entirely changed were the
+"movements" of the music.
+
+In short, as nothing was done in a hurry at Quiquendone, the
+dramatic pieces had to be performed in harmony with the peculiar
+temperament of the Quiquendonians. Though the doors of the
+theatre were regularly thrown open at four o'clock and closed
+again at ten, it had never been known that more than two acts
+were played during the six intervening hours. "Robert le Diable,"
+"Les Huguenots," or "Guillaume Tell" usually took up three
+evenings, so slow was the execution of these masterpieces. The
+_vivaces_, at the theatre of Quiquendone, lagged like real
+_adagios_. The _allegros_ were "long-drawn out" indeed. The
+demisemiquavers were scarcely equal to the ordinary semibreves of
+other countries. The most rapid runs, performed according to
+Quiquendonian taste, had the solemn march of a chant. The gayest
+shakes were languishing and measured, that they might not shock
+the ears of the _dilettanti_. To give an example, the rapid air
+sung by Figaro, on his entrance in the first act of "Le Barbier
+de Seville," lasted fifty-eight minutes--when the actor was
+particularly enthusiastic.
+
+Artists from abroad, as might be supposed, were forced to conform
+themselves to Quiquendonian fashions; but as they were well paid,
+they did not complain, and willingly obeyed the leader's baton,
+which never beat more than eight measures to the minute in the
+_allegros_.
+
+But what applause greeted these artists, who enchanted without
+ever wearying the audiences of Quiquendone! All hands clapped one
+after another at tolerably long intervals, which the papers
+characterized as "frantic applause;" and sometimes nothing but
+the lavish prodigality with which mortar and stone had been used
+in the twelfth century saved the roof of the hall from falling
+in.
+
+Besides, the theatre had only one performance a week, that these
+enthusiastic Flemish folk might not be too much excited; and this
+enabled the actors to study their parts more thoroughly, and the
+spectators to digest more at leisure the beauties of the
+masterpieces brought out.
+
+Such had long been the drama at Quiquendone. Foreign artists were
+in the habit of making engagements with the director of the town,
+when they wanted to rest after their exertions in other scenes;
+and it seemed as if nothing could ever change these inveterate
+customs, when, a fortnight after the Schut-Custos affair, an
+unlooked-for incident occurred to throw the population into fresh
+agitation.
+
+It was on a Saturday, an opera day. It was not yet intended, as
+may well be supposed, to inaugurate the new illumination. No; the
+pipes had reached the hall, but, for reasons indicated above, the
+burners had not yet been placed, and the wax-candles still shed
+their soft light upon the numerous spectators who filled the
+theatre. The doors had been opened to the public at one o'clock,
+and by three the hall was half full. A queue had at one time been
+formed, which extended as far as the end of the Place Saint
+Ernuph, in front of the shop of Josse Lietrinck the apothecary.
+This eagerness was significant of an unusually attractive
+performance.
+
+"Are you going to the theatre this evening?" inquired the
+counsellor the same morning of the burgomaster.
+
+"I shall not fail to do so," returned Van Tricasse, "and I shall
+take Madame Van Tricasse, as well as our daughter Suzel and our
+dear Tatanemance, who all dote on good music."
+
+"Mademoiselle Suzel is going then?"
+
+"Certainly, Niklausse."
+
+"Then my son Frantz will be one of the first to arrive," said
+Niklausse.
+
+"A spirited boy, Niklausse," replied the burgomaster
+sententiously; "but hot-headed! He will require watching!"
+
+"He loves, Van Tricasse,--he loves your charming Suzel."
+
+"Well, Niklausse, he shall marry her. Now that we have agreed on
+this marriage, what more can he desire?"
+
+"He desires nothing, Van Tricasse, the dear boy! But, in short--
+we'll say no more about it--he will not be the last to get his
+ticket at the box-office."
+
+"Ah, vivacious and ardent youth!" replied the burgomaster,
+recalling his own past. "We have also been thus, my worthy
+counsellor! We have loved--we too! We have danced attendance in
+our day! Till to-night, then, till to-night! By-the-bye, do you
+know this Fiovaranti is a great artist? And what a welcome he has
+received among us! It will be long before he will forget the
+applause of Quiquendone!"
+
+The tenor Fiovaranti was, indeed, going to sing; Fiovaranti, who,
+by his talents as a virtuoso, his perfect method, his melodious
+voice, provoked a real enthusiasm among the lovers of music in
+the town.
+
+For three weeks Fiovaranti had been achieving a brilliant success
+in "Les Huguenots." The first act, interpreted according to the
+taste of the Quiquendonians, had occupied an entire evening of
+the first week of the month.--Another evening in the second week,
+prolonged by infinite _andantes_, had elicited for the celebrated
+singer a real ovation. His success had been still more marked in
+the third act of Meyerbeer's masterpiece. But now Fiovaranti was
+to appear in the fourth act, which was to be performed on this
+evening before an impatient public. Ah, the duet between Raoul
+and Valentine, that pathetic love-song for two voices, that
+strain so full of _crescendos_, _stringendos_, and _piu
+crescendos_--all this, sung slowly, compendiously, interminably!
+Ah, how delightful!
+
+[Illustration: Fiovaranti had been achieving a brilliant success
+in "Les Huguenots."]
+
+At four o'clock the hall was full. The boxes, the orchestra, the
+pit, were overflowing. In the front stalls sat the Burgomaster
+Van Tricasse, Mademoiselle Van Tricasse, Madame Van Tricasse, and
+the amiable Tatanemance in a green bonnet; not far off were the
+Counsellor Niklausse and his family, not forgetting the amorous
+Frantz. The families of Custos the doctor, of Schut the advocate,
+of Honore Syntax the chief judge, of Norbet Sontman the insurance
+director, of the banker Collaert, gone mad on German music, and
+himself somewhat of an amateur, and the teacher Rupp, and the
+master of the academy, Jerome Resh, and the civil commissary, and
+so many other notabilities of the town that they could not be
+enumerated here without wearying the reader's patience, were
+visible in different parts of the hall.
+
+It was customary for the Quiquendonians, while awaiting the rise
+of the curtain, to sit silent, some reading the paper, others
+whispering low to each other, some making their way to their
+seats slowly and noiselessly, others casting timid looks towards
+the bewitching beauties in the galleries.
+
+But on this evening a looker-on might have observed that, even
+before the curtain rose, there was unusual animation among the
+audience. People were restless who were never known to be
+restless before. The ladies' fans fluttered with abnormal
+rapidity. All appeared to be inhaling air of exceptional
+stimulating power. Every one breathed more freely. The eyes of
+some became unwontedly bright, and seemed to give forth a light
+equal to that of the candles, which themselves certainly threw a
+more brilliant light over the hall. It was evident that people
+saw more clearly, though the number of candles had not been
+increased. Ah, if Doctor Ox's experiment were being tried! But it
+was not being tried, as yet.
+
+The musicians of the orchestra at last took their places. The
+first violin had gone to the stand to give a modest la to his
+colleagues. The stringed instruments, the wind instruments, the
+drums and cymbals, were in accord. The conductor only waited the
+sound of the bell to beat the first bar.
+
+The bell sounds. The fourth act begins. The _allegro
+appassionato_ of the inter-act is played as usual, with a
+majestic deliberation which would have made Meyerbeer frantic,
+and all the majesty of which was appreciated by the Quiquendonian
+_dilettanti_.
+
+But soon the leader perceived that he was no longer master of his
+musicians. He found it difficult to restrain them, though usually
+so obedient and calm. The wind instruments betrayed a tendency to
+hasten the movements, and it was necessary to hold them back with
+a firm hand, for they would otherwise outstrip the stringed
+instruments; which, from a musical point of view, would have been
+disastrous. The bassoon himself, the son of Josse Lietrinck the
+apothecary, a well-bred young man, seemed to lose his self-control.
+
+Meanwhile Valentine has begun her recitative, "I am alone," &c.;
+but she hurries it.
+
+The leader and all his musicians, perhaps unconsciously, follow
+her in her _cantabile_, which should be taken deliberately, like
+a 12/8 as it is. When Raoul appears at the door at the bottom of
+the stage, between the moment when Valentine goes to him and that
+when she conceals herself in the chamber at the side, a quarter
+of an hour does not elapse; while formerly, according to the
+traditions of the Quiquendone theatre, this recitative of
+thirty-seven bars was wont to last just thirty-seven minutes.
+
+Saint Bris, Nevers, Cavannes, and the Catholic nobles have
+appeared, somewhat prematurely, perhaps, upon the scene. The
+composer has marked _allergo pomposo_ on the score. The orchestra
+and the lords proceed _allegro_ indeed, but not at all _pomposo_,
+and at the chorus, in the famous scene of the "benediction of the
+poniards," they no longer keep to the enjoined _allegro_. Singers
+and musicians broke away impetuously. The leader does not even
+attempt to restrain them. Nor do the public protest; on the
+contrary, the people find themselves carried away, and see that
+they are involved in the movement, and that the movement responds
+to the impulses of their souls.
+
+"Will you, with me, deliver the land,
+ From troubles increasing, an impious band?"
+
+They promise, they swear. Nevers has scarcely time to protest,
+and to sing that "among his ancestors were many soldiers, but
+never an assassin." He is arrested. The police and the aldermen
+rush forward and rapidly swear "to strike all at once." Saint
+Bris shouts the recitative which summons the Catholics to
+vengeance. The three monks, with white scarfs, hasten in by the
+door at the back of Nevers's room, without making any account of
+the stage directions, which enjoin on them to advance slowly.
+Already all the artists have drawn sword or poniard, which the
+three monks bless in a trice. The soprani tenors, bassos, attack
+the _allegro furioso_ with cries of rage, and of a dramatic 6/8
+time they make it 6/8 quadrille time. Then they rush out,
+bellowing,--
+
+"At midnight,
+ Noiselessly,
+ God wills it,
+    Yes,
+ At midnight."
+
+At this moment the audience start to their feet. Everybody is
+agitated--in the boxes, the pit, the galleries. It seems as if
+the spectators are about to rush upon the stage, the Burgomaster
+Van Tricasse at their head, to join with the conspirators and
+annihilate the Huguenots, whose religious opinions, however, they
+share. They applaud, call before the curtain, make loud
+acclamations! Tatanemance grasps her bonnet with feverish hand.
+The candles throw out a lurid glow of light.
+
+Raoul, instead of slowly raising the curtain, tears it apart with
+a superb gesture and finds himself confronting Valentine.
+
+At last! It is the grand duet, and it starts off _allegro
+vivace_. Raoul does not wait for Valentine's pleading, and
+Valentine does not wait for Raoul's responses.
+
+The fine passage beginning, "Danger is passing, time is flying,"
+becomes one of those rapid airs which have made Offenbach famous,
+when he composes a dance for conspirators. The _andante amoroso_,
+"Thou hast said it, aye, thou lovest me," becomes a real _vivace
+furioso_, and the violoncello ceases to imitate the inflections
+of the singer's voice, as indicated in the composer's score. In
+vain Raoul cries, "Speak on, and prolong the ineffable slumber of
+my soul." Valentine cannot "prolong." It is evident that an
+unaccustomed fire devours her. Her _b's_ and her _c's_ above the
+stave were dreadfully shrill. He struggles, he gesticulates, he
+is all in a glow.
+
+The alarum is heard; the bell resounds; but what a panting bell!
+The bell-ringer has evidently lost his self-control. It is a
+frightful tocsin, which violently struggles against the fury of
+the orchestra.
+
+Finally the air which ends this magnificent act, beginning, "No
+more love, no more intoxication, O the remorse that oppresses
+me!" which the composer marks _allegro con moto_, becomes a wild
+_prestissimo_. You would say an express-train was whirling by.
+The alarum resounds again. Valentine falls fainting. Raoul
+precipitates himself from the window.
+
+It was high time. The orchestra, really intoxicated, could not
+have gone on. The leader's baton is no longer anything but a
+broken stick on the prompter's box. The violin strings are
+broken, and their necks twisted. In his fury the drummer has
+burst his drum. The counter-bassist has perched on the top of his
+musical monster. The first clarionet has swallowed the reed of
+his instrument, and the second hautboy is chewing his reed keys.
+The groove of the trombone is strained, and finally the unhappy
+cornist cannot withdraw his hand from the bell of his horn, into
+which he had thrust it too far.
+
+And the audience! The audience, panting, all in a heat,
+gesticulates and howls. All the faces are as red as if a fire
+were burning within their bodies. They crowd each other, hustle
+each other to get out--the men without hats, the women without
+mantles! They elbow each other in the corridors, crush between
+the doors, quarrel, fight! There are no longer any officials, any
+burgomaster. All are equal amid this infernal frenzy!
+
+[Illustration: They hustle each other to get out]
+
+Some moments after, when all have reached the street, each one
+resumes his habitual tranquillity, and peaceably enters his
+house, with a confused remembrance of what he has just experienced.
+
+The fourth act of the "Huguenots," which formerly lasted six
+hours, began, on this evening at half-past four, and ended at
+twelve minutes before five.
+
+It had only lasted eighteen minutes!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+IN WHICH THE ANCIENT AND SOLEMN GERMAN WALTZ BECOMES A WHIRLWIND.
+
+
+But if the spectators, on leaving the theatre, resumed their
+customary calm, if they quietly regained their homes, preserving
+only a sort of passing stupefaction, they had none the less
+undergone a remarkable exaltation, and overcome and weary as if
+they had committed some excess of dissipation, they fell heavily
+upon their beds.
+
+The next day each Quiquendonian had a kind of recollection of
+what had occurred the evening before. One missed his hat, lost in
+the hubbub; another a coat-flap, torn in the brawl; one her
+delicately fashioned shoe, another her best mantle. Memory
+returned to these worthy people, and with it a certain shame for
+their unjustifiable agitation. It seemed to them an orgy in which
+they were the unconscious heroes and heroines. They did not speak
+of it; they did not wish to think of it. But the most astounded
+personage in the town was Van Tricasse the burgomaster.
+
+The next morning, on waking, he could not find his wig. Lotche
+looked everywhere for it, but in vain. The wig had remained on
+the field of battle. As for having it publicly claimed by Jean
+Mistrol, the town-crier,--no, it would not do. It were better to
+lose the wig than to advertise himself thus, as he had the honour
+to be the first magistrate of Quiquendone.
+
+The worthy Van Tricasse was reflecting upon this, extended
+beneath his sheets, with bruised body, heavy head, furred tongue,
+and burning breast. He felt no desire to get up; on the contrary;
+and his brain worked more during this morning than it had
+probably worked before for forty years. The worthy magistrate
+recalled to his mind all the incidents of the incomprehensible
+performance. He connected them with the events which had taken
+place shortly before at Doctor Ox's reception. He tried to
+discover the causes of the singular excitability which, on two
+occasions, had betrayed itself in the best citizens of the town.
+
+"What _can_ be going on?" he asked himself. "What giddy spirit
+has taken possession of my peaceable town of Quiquendone? Are we
+about to go mad, and must we make the town one vast asylum? For
+yesterday we were all there, notables, counsellors, judges,
+advocates, physicians, schoolmasters; and ail, if my memory
+serves me,--all of us were assailed by this excess of furious
+folly! But what was there in that infernal music? It is
+inexplicable! Yet I certainly ate or drank nothing which could
+put me into such a state. No; yesterday I had for dinner a slice
+of overdone veal, several spoonfuls of spinach with sugar, eggs,
+and a little beer and water,--that couldn't get into my head! No!
+There is something that I cannot explain, and as, after all, I am
+responsible for the conduct of the citizens, I will have an
+investigation."
+
+But the investigation, though decided upon by the municipal
+council, produced no result. If the facts were clear, the causes
+escaped the sagacity of the magistrates. Besides, tranquillity
+had been restored in the public mind, and with tranquillity,
+forgetfulness of the strange scenes of the theatre. The
+newspapers avoided speaking of them, and the account of the
+performance which appeared in the "Quiquendone Memorial," made no
+allusion to this intoxication of the entire audience.
+
+Meanwhile, though the town resumed its habitual phlegm, and
+became apparently Flemish as before, it was observable that, at
+bottom, the character and temperament of the people changed
+little by little. One might have truly said, with Dominique
+Custos, the doctor, that "their nerves were affected."
+
+Let us explain. This undoubted change only took place under
+certain conditions. When the Quiquendonians passed through the
+streets of the town, walked in the squares or along the Vaar,
+they were always the cold and methodical people of former days.
+So, too, when they remained at home, some working with their
+hands and others with their heads,--these doing nothing, those
+thinking nothing,--their private life was silent, inert,
+vegetating as before. No quarrels, no household squabbles, no
+acceleration in the beating of the heart, no excitement of the
+brain. The mean of their pulsations remained as it was of old,
+from fifty to fifty-two per minute.
+
+But, strange and inexplicable phenomenon though it was, which
+would have defied the sagacity of the most ingenious physiologists
+of the day, if the inhabitants of Quiquendone did not change in
+their home life, they were visibly changed in their civil life
+and in their relations between man and man, to which it leads.
+
+If they met together in some public edifice, it did not "work
+well," as Commissary Passauf expressed it. On 'change, at the
+town-hall, in the amphitheatre of the academy, at the sessions of
+the council, as well as at the reunions of the _savants_, a
+strange excitement seized the assembled citizens. Their relations
+with each other became embarrassing before they had been together
+an hour. In two hours the discussion degenerated into an angry
+dispute. Heads became heated, and personalities were used. Even
+at church, during the sermon, the faithful could not listen to
+Van Stabel, the minister, in patience, and he threw himself about
+in the pulpit and lectured his flock with far more than his usual
+severity. At last this state of things brought about altercations
+more grave, alas! than that between Gustos and Schut, and if they
+did not require the interference of the authorities, it was
+because the antagonists, after returning home, found there, with
+its calm, forgetfulness of the offences offered and received.
+
+This peculiarity could not be observed by these minds, which were
+absolutely incapable of recognizing what was passing in them. One
+person only in the town, he whose office the council had thought
+of suppressing for thirty years, Michael Passauf, had remarked
+that this excitement, which was absent from private houses,
+quickly revealed itself in public edifices; and he asked himself,
+not without a certain anxiety, what would happen if this
+infection should ever develop itself in the family mansions, and
+if the epidemic--this was the word he used--should extend
+through the streets of the town. Then there would be no more
+forgetfulness of insults, no more tranquillity, no intermission
+in the delirium; but a permanent inflammation, which would
+inevitably bring the Quiquendonians into collision with each
+other.
+
+"What would happen then?" Commissary Passauf asked himself in
+terror. "How could these furious savages be arrested? How check
+these goaded temperaments? My office would be no longer a
+sinecure, and the council would be obliged to double my salary--
+unless it should arrest me myself, for disturbing the public
+peace!"
+
+These very reasonable fears began to be realized. The infection
+spread from 'change, the theatre, the church, the town-hall, the
+academy, the market, into private houses, and that in less than a
+fortnight after the terrible performance of the "Huguenots."
+
+Its first symptoms appeared in the house of Collaert, the banker.
+
+That wealthy personage gave a ball, or at least a dancing-party,
+to the notabilities of the town. He had issued, some months
+before, a loan of thirty thousand francs, three quarters of which
+had been subscribed; and to celebrate this financial success, he
+had opened his drawing-rooms, and given a party to his fellow-citizens.
+
+Everybody knows that Flemish parties are innocent and tranquil
+enough, the principal expense of which is usually in beer and
+syrups. Some conversation on the weather, the appearance of the
+crops, the fine condition of the gardens, the care of flowers,
+and especially of tulips; a slow and measured dance, from time to
+time, perhaps a minuet; sometimes a waltz, but one of those
+German waltzes which achieve a turn and a half per minute, and
+during which the dancers hold each other as far apart as their
+arms will permit,--such is the usual fashion of the balls
+attended by the aristocratic society of Quiquendone. The polka,
+after being altered to four time, had tried to become accustomed
+to it; but the dancers always lagged behind the orchestra, no
+matter how slow the measure, and it had to be abandoned.
+
+These peaceable reunions, in which the youths and maidens enjoyed
+an honest and moderate pleasure, had never been attended by any
+outburst of ill-nature. Why, then, on this evening at Collaert
+the banker's, did the syrups seem to be transformed into heady
+wines, into sparkling champagne, into heating punches? Why,
+towards the middle of the evening, did a sort of mysterious
+intoxication take possession of the guests? Why did the minuet
+become a jig? Why did the orchestra hurry with its harmonies? Why
+did the candles, just as at the theatre, burn with unwonted
+refulgence? What electric current invaded the banker's drawing-rooms?
+How happened it that the couples held each other so closely, and
+clasped each other's hands so convulsively, that the "cavaliers seuls"
+made themselves conspicuous by certain extraordinary steps in that
+figure usually so grave, so solemn, so majestic, so very proper?
+
+Alas! what OEdipus could have answered these unsolvable
+questions? Commissary Passauf, who was present at the party, saw
+the storm coming distinctly, but he could not control it or fly
+from it, and he felt a kind of intoxication entering his own
+brain. All his physical and emotional faculties increased in
+intensity. He was seen, several times, to throw himself upon the
+confectionery and devour the dishes, as if he had just broken a
+long fast.
+
+The animation of the ball was increasing all this while. A long
+murmur, like a dull buzzing, escaped from all breasts. They
+danced--really danced. The feet were agitated by increasing
+frenzy. The faces became as purple as those of Silenus. The eyes
+shone like carbuncles. The general fermentation rose to the
+highest pitch.
+
+And when the orchestra thundered out the waltz in "Der
+Freyschuetz,"--when this waltz, so German, and with a movement so
+slow, was attacked with wild arms by the musicians,--ah! it was
+no longer a waltz, but an insensate whirlwind, a giddy rotation,
+a gyration worthy of being led by some Mephistopheles, beating
+the measure with a firebrand! Then a galop, an infernal galop,
+which lasted an hour without any one being able to stop it,
+whirled off, in its windings, across the halls, the drawing-rooms,
+the antechambers, by the staircases, from the cellar to the garret of
+the opulent mansion, the young men and young girls, the fathers and
+mothers, people of every age, of every weight, of both sexes;
+Collaert, the fat banker, and Madame Collaert, and the counsellors,
+and the magistrates, and the chief justice, and Niklausse, and Madame
+Van Tricasse, and the Burgomaster Van Tricasse, and the Commissary
+Passauf himself, who never could recall afterwards who had been his
+partner on that terrible evening.
+
+[Illustration: it was no longer a waltz]
+
+But she did not forget! And ever since that day she has seen in
+her dreams the fiery commissary, enfolding her in an impassioned
+embrace! And "she"--was the amiable Tatanemance!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+IN WHICH DOCTOR OX AND YGENE, HIS ASSISTANT, SAY A FEW WORDS.
+
+
+"Well, Ygene?"
+
+"Well, master, all is ready. The laying of the pipes is
+finished."
+
+"At last! Now, then, we are going to operate on a large scale, on
+the masses!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+IN WHICH IT WILL BE SEEN THAT THE EPIDEMIC INVADES THE ENTIRE TOWN,
+AND WHAT EFFECT IT PRODUCES.
+
+During the following months the evil, in place of subsiding,
+became more extended. From private houses the epidemic spread
+into the streets. The town of Quiquendone was no longer to be
+recognized.
+
+A phenomenon yet stranger than those which had already happened,
+now appeared; not only the animal kingdom, but the vegetable
+kingdom itself, became subject to the mysterious influence.
+
+According to the ordinary course of things, epidemics are special
+in their operation. Those which attack humanity spare the
+animals, and those which attack the animals spare the vegetables.
+A horse was never inflicted with smallpox, nor a man with the
+cattle-plague, nor do sheep suffer from the potato-rot. But here
+all the laws of nature seemed to be overturned. Not only were the
+character, temperament, and ideas of the townsfolk changed, but
+the domestic animals--dogs and cats, horses and cows, asses and
+goats--suffered from this epidemic influence, as if their
+habitual equilibrium had been changed. The plants themselves were
+infected by a similar strange metamorphosis.
+
+In the gardens and vegetable patches and orchards very curious
+symptoms manifested themselves. Climbing plants climbed more
+audaciously. Tufted plants became more tufted than ever. Shrubs
+became trees. Cereals, scarcely sown, showed their little green
+heads, and gained, in the same length of time, as much in inches
+as formerly, under the most favourable circumstances, they had
+gained in fractions. Asparagus attained the height of several
+feet; the artichokes swelled to the size of melons, the melons to
+the size of pumpkins, the pumpkins to the size of gourds, the
+gourds to the size of the belfry bell, which measured, in truth,
+nine feet in diameter. The cabbages were bushes, and the
+mushrooms umbrellas.
+
+The fruits did not lag behind the vegetables. It required two
+persons to eat a strawberry, and four to consume a pear. The
+grapes also attained the enormous proportions of those so well
+depicted by Poussin in his "Return of the Envoys to the Promised
+Land."
+
+[Illustration: It required two persons to eat a strawberry]
+
+It was the same with the flowers: immense violets spread the most
+penetrating perfumes through the air; exaggerated roses shone
+with the brightest colours; lilies formed, in a few days,
+impenetrable copses; geraniums, daisies, camelias, rhododendrons,
+invaded the garden walks, and stifled each other. And the
+tulips,--those dear liliaceous plants so dear to the Flemish
+heart, what emotion they must have caused to their zealous
+cultivators! The worthy Van Bistrom nearly fell over backwards,
+one day, on seeing in his garden an enormous "Tulipa gesneriana,"
+a gigantic monster, whose cup afforded space to a nest for a
+whole family of robins!
+
+The entire town flocked to see this floral phenomenon, and
+renamed it the "Tulipa quiquendonia".
+
+But alas! if these plants, these fruits, these flowers, grew
+visibly to the naked eye, if all the vegetables insisted on
+assuming colossal proportions, if the brilliancy of their colours
+and perfume intoxicated the smell and the sight, they quickly
+withered. The air which they absorbed rapidly exhausted them, and
+they soon died, faded, and dried up.
+
+Such was the fate of the famous tulip, which, after several days
+of splendour, became emaciated, and fell lifeless.
+
+It was soon the same with the domestic animals, from the house-dog
+to the stable pig, from the canary in its cage to the turkey
+of the back-court. It must be said that in ordinary times these
+animals were not less phlegmatic than their masters. The dogs and
+cats vegetated rather than lived. They never betrayed a wag of
+pleasure nor a snarl of wrath. Their tails moved no more than if
+they had been made of bronze. Such a thing as a bite or scratch
+from any of them had not been known from time immemorial. As for
+mad dogs, they were looked upon as imaginary beasts, like the
+griffins and the rest in the menagerie of the apocalypse.
+
+But what a change had taken place in a few months, the smallest
+incidents of which we are trying to reproduce! Dogs and cats
+began to show teeth and claws. Several executions had taken place
+after reiterated offences. A horse was seen, for the first time,
+to take his bit in his teeth and rush through the streets of
+Quiquendone; an ox was observed to precipitate itself, with
+lowered horns, upon one of his herd; an ass was seen to turn
+himself ever, with his legs in the air, in the Place Saint
+Ernuph, and bray as ass never brayed before; a sheep, actually a
+sheep, defended valiantly the cutlets within him from the
+butcher's knife.
+
+Van Tricasse, the burgomaster, was forced to make police
+regulations concerning the domestic animals, as, seized with
+lunacy, they rendered the streets of Quiquendone unsafe.
+
+But alas! if the animals were mad, the men were scarcely less so.
+No age was spared by the scourge. Babies soon became quite
+insupportable, though till now so easy to bring up; and for the
+first time Honore Syntax, the judge, was obliged to apply the rod
+to his youthful offspring.
+
+There was a kind of insurrection at the high school, and the
+dictionaries became formidable missiles in the classes. The
+scholars would not submit to be shut in, and, besides, the
+infection took the teachers themselves, who overwhelmed the boys
+and girls with extravagant tasks and punishments.
+
+Another strange phenomenon occurred. All these Quiquendonians, so
+sober before, whose chief food had been whipped creams, committed
+wild excesses in their eating and drinking. Their usual regimen
+no longer sufficed. Each stomach was transformed into a gulf, and
+it became necessary to fill this gulf by the most energetic
+means. The consumption of the town was trebled. Instead of two
+repasts they had six. Many cases of indigestion were reported.
+The Counsellor Niklausse could not satisfy his hunger. Van
+Tricasse found it impossible to assuage his thirst, and remained
+in a state of rabid semi-intoxication.
+
+In short, the most alarming symptoms manifested themselves and
+increased from day to day. Drunken people staggered in the
+streets, and these were often citizens of high position.
+
+Dominique Custos, the physician, had plenty to do with the
+heartburns, inflammations, and nervous affections, which proved
+to what a strange degree the nerves of the people had been
+irritated.
+
+There were daily quarrels and altercations in the once deserted
+but now crowded streets of Quiquendone; for nobody could any
+longer stay at home. It was necessary to establish a new police
+force to control the disturbers of the public peace. A prison-cage
+was established in the Town Hall, and speedily became full,
+night and day, of refractory offenders. Commissary Passauf was in
+despair.
+
+A marriage was concluded in less than two months,--such a thing
+had never been seen before. Yes, the son of Rupp, the schoolmaster,
+wedded the daughter of Augustine de Rovere, and that fifty-seven
+days only after he had petitioned for her hand and heart!
+
+Other marriages were decided upon, which, in old times, would
+have remained in doubt and discussion for years. The burgomaster
+perceived that his own daughter, the charming Suzel, was escaping
+from his hands.
+
+As for dear Tatanemance, she had dared to sound Commissary
+Passauf on the subject of a union, which seemed to her to combine
+every element of happiness, fortune, honour, youth!
+
+At last,--to reach the depths of abomination,--a duel took place!
+Yes, a duel with pistols--horse-pistols--at seventy-five paces,
+with ball-cartridges. And between whom? Our readers will never
+believe!
+
+Between M. Frantz Niklausse, the gentle angler, and young Simon
+Collaert, the wealthy banker's son.
+
+And the cause of this duel was the burgomaster's daughter, for
+whom Simon discovered himself to be fired with passion, and whom
+he refused to yield to the claims of an audacious rival!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+IN WHICH THE QUIQUENDONIANS ADOPT A HEROIC RESOLUTION.
+
+
+We have seen to what a deplorable condition the people of
+Quiquendone were reduced. Their heads were in a ferment. They no
+longer knew or recognized themselves. The most peaceable citizens
+had become quarrelsome. If you looked at them askance, they would
+speedily send you a challenge. Some let their moustaches grow,
+and several--the most belligerent--curled them up at the ends.
+
+This being their condition, the administration of the town and
+the maintenance of order in the streets became difficult tasks,
+for the government had not been organized for such a state of
+things. The burgomaster--that worthy Van Tricasse whom we have
+seen so placid, so dull, so incapable of coming to any decision--
+the burgomaster became intractable. His house resounded with the
+sharpness of his voice. He made twenty decisions a day, scolding
+his officials, and himself enforcing the regulations of his
+administration.
+
+Ah, what a change! The amiable and tranquil mansion of the
+burgomaster, that good Flemish home--where was its former calm?
+What changes had taken place in your household economy! Madame
+Van Tricasse had become acrid, whimsical, harsh. Her husband
+sometimes succeeded in drowning her voice by talking louder than
+she, but could not silence her. The petulant humour of this
+worthy dame was excited by everything. Nothing went right. The
+servants offended her every moment. Tatanemance, her sister-in-law,
+who was not less irritable, replied sharply to her. M. Van
+Tricasse naturally supported Lotche, his servant, as is the case
+in all good households; and this permanently exasperated Madame,
+who constantly disputed, discussed, and made scenes with her
+husband.
+
+"What on earth is the matter with us?" cried the unhappy
+burgomaster. "What is this fire that is devouring us? Are we
+possessed with the devil? Ah, Madame Van Tricasse, Madame Van
+Tricasse, you will end by making me die before you, and thus
+violate all the traditions of the family!"
+
+The reader will not have forgotten the strange custom by which M.
+Van Tricasse would become a widower and marry again, so as not to
+break the chain of descent.
+
+Meanwhile, this disposition of all minds produced other curious
+effects worthy of note. This excitement, the cause of which has
+so far escaped us, brought about unexpected physiological
+changes. Talents, hitherto unrecognized, betrayed themselves.
+Aptitudes were suddenly revealed. Artists, before common-place,
+displayed new ability. Politicians and authors arose. Orators
+proved themselves equal to the most arduous debates, and on every
+question inflamed audiences which were quite ready to be
+inflamed. From the sessions of the council, this movement spread
+to the public political meetings, and a club was formed at
+Quiquendone; whilst twenty newspapers, the "Quiquendone Signal,"
+the "Quiquendone Impartial," the "Quiquendone Radical," and so
+on, written in an inflammatory style, raised the most important
+questions.
+
+But what about? you will ask. Apropos of everything, and of
+nothing; apropos of the Oudenarde tower, which was falling, and
+which some wished to pull down, and others to prop up; apropos of
+the police regulations issued by the council, which some
+obstinate citizens threatened to resist; apropos of the sweeping
+of the gutters, repairing the sewers, and so on. Nor did the
+enraged orators confine themselves to the internal administration
+of the town. Carried on by the current they went further, and
+essayed to plunge their fellow-citizens into the hazards of war.
+
+Quiquendone had had for eight or nine hundred years a _casus
+belli_ of the best quality; but she had preciously laid it up
+like a relic, and there had seemed some probability that it would
+become effete, and no longer serviceable.
+
+This was what had given rise to the _casus belli_.
+
+It is not generally known that Quiquendone, in this cosy corner
+of Flanders, lies next to the little town of Virgamen. The
+territories of the two communities are contiguous.
+
+Well, in 1185, some time before Count Baldwin's departure to the
+Crusades, a Virgamen cow--not a cow belonging to a citizen, but a
+cow which was common property, let it be observed--audaciously
+ventured to pasture on the territory of Quiquendone. This
+unfortunate beast had scarcely eaten three mouthfuls; but the
+offence, the abuse, the crime--whatever you will--was committed
+and duly indicted, for the magistrates, at that time, had already
+begun to know how to write.
+
+"We will take revenge at the proper moment," said simply Natalis
+Van Tricasse, the thirty-second predecessor of the burgomaster of
+this story, "and the Virgamenians will lose nothing by waiting."
+
+The Virgamenians were forewarned. They waited thinking, without
+doubt, that the remembrance of the offence would fade away with
+the lapse of time; and really, for several centuries, they lived
+on good terms with their neighbours of Quiquendone.
+
+But they counted without their hosts, or rather without this
+strange epidemic, which, radically changing the character of the
+Quiquendonians, aroused their dormant vengeance.
+
+It was at the club of the Rue Monstrelet that the truculent
+orator Schut, abruptly introducing the subject to his hearers,
+inflamed them with the expressions and metaphors used on such
+occasions. He recalled the offence, the injury which had been
+done to Quiquendone, and which a nation "jealous of its rights"
+could not admit as a precedent; he showed the insult to be still
+existing, the wound still bleeding: he spoke of certain special
+head-shakings on the part of the people of Virgamen, which
+indicated in what degree of contempt they regarded the people of
+Quiquendone; he appealed to his fellow-citizens, who, unconsciously
+perhaps, had supported this mortal insult for long centuries; he
+adjured the "children of the ancient town" to have no other purpose
+than to obtain a substantial reparation. And, lastly, he made an
+appeal to "all the living energies of the nation!"
+
+With what enthusiasm these words, so new to Quiquendonian ears,
+were greeted, may be surmised, but cannot be told. All the
+auditors rose, and with extended arms demanded war with loud
+cries. Never had the Advocate Schut achieved such a success, and
+it must be avowed that his triumphs were not few.
+
+The burgomaster, the counsellor, all the notabilities present at
+this memorable meeting, would have vainly attempted to resist the
+popular outburst. Besides, they had no desire to do so, and cried
+as loud, if not louder, than the rest,--
+
+"To the frontier! To the frontier!"
+
+As the frontier was but three kilometers from the walls of
+Quiquendone, it is certain that the Virgamenians ran a real
+danger, for they might easily be invaded without having had time
+to look about them.
+
+Meanwhile, Josse Liefrinck, the worthy chemist, who alone had
+preserved his senses on this grave occasion, tried to make his
+fellow-citizens comprehend that guns, cannon, and generals were
+equally wanting to their design.
+
+They replied to him, not without many impatient gestures, that
+these generals, cannons, and guns would be improvised; that the
+right and love of country sufficed, and rendered a people
+irresistible.
+
+Hereupon the burgomaster himself came forward, and in a sublime
+harangue made short work of those pusillanimous people who
+disguise their fear under a veil of prudence, which veil he tore
+off with a patriotic hand.
+
+At this sally it seemed as if the hall would fall in under the
+applause.
+
+The vote was eagerly demanded, and was taken amid acclamations.
+
+The cries of "To Virgamen! to Virgamen!" redoubled.
+
+[Illustration: "To Virgamen! to Virgamen!"]
+
+The burgomaster then took it upon himself to put the armies in
+motion, and in the name of the town he promised the honours of a
+triumph, such as was given in the times of the Romans to that one
+of its generals who should return victorious.
+
+Meanwhile, Josse Liefrinck, who was an obstinate fellow, and did
+not regard himself as beaten, though he really had been, insisted
+on making another observation. He wished to remark that the
+triumph was only accorded at Rome to those victorious generals
+who had killed five thousand of the enemy.
+
+"Well, well!" cried the meeting deliriously.
+
+"And as the population of the town of Virgamen consists of but
+three thousand five hundred and seventy-five inhabitants, it
+would be difficult, unless the same person was killed several
+times--"
+
+But they did not let the luckless logician finish, and he was
+turned out, hustled and bruised.
+
+"Citizens," said Pulmacher the grocer, who usually sold groceries
+by retail, "whatever this cowardly apothecary may have said, I
+engage by myself to kill five thousand Virgamenians, if you will
+accept my services!"
+
+"Five thousand five hundred!" cried a yet more resolute patriot.
+
+"Six thousand six hundred!" retorted the grocer.
+
+"Seven thousand!" cried Jean Orbideck, the confectioner of the
+Rue Hemling, who was on the road to a fortune by making whipped
+creams.
+
+"Adjudged!" exclaimed the burgomaster Van Tricasse, on finding
+that no one else rose on the bid.
+
+And this was how Jean Orbideck the confectioner became
+general-in-chief of the forces of Quiquendone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+IN WHICH YGENE, THE ASSISTANT, GIVES A REASONABLE PIECE OF ADVICE,
+WHICH IS EAGERLY REJECTED BY DOCTOR OX.
+
+
+"Well, master," said Ygene next day, as he poured the pails of
+sulphuric acid into the troughs of the great battery.
+
+"Well," resumed Doctor Ox, "was I not right? See to what not only
+the physical developments of a whole nation, but its morality,
+its dignity, its talents, its political sense, have come! It is
+only a question of molecules."
+
+"No doubt; but--"
+
+"But--"
+
+"Do you not think that matters have gone far enough, and that
+these poor devils should not be excited beyond measure?"
+
+"No, no!" cried the doctor; "no! I will go on to the end!"
+
+"As you will, master; the experiment, however, seems to me
+conclusive, and I think it time to--"
+
+"To--"
+
+"To close the valve."
+
+"You'd better!" cried Doctor Ox. "If you attempt it, I'll
+throttle you!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+IN WHICH IT IS ONCE MORE PROVED THAT BY TAKING HIGH GROUND ALL HUMAN
+LITTLENESSES MAY BE OVERLOOKED.
+
+
+"You say?" asked the Burgomaster Van Tricasse of the Counsellor
+Niklausse.
+
+"I say that this war is necessary," replied Niklausse, firmly,
+"and that the time has come to avenge this insult."
+
+"Well, I repeat to you," replied the burgomaster, tartly, "that
+if the people of Quiquendone do not profit by this occasion to
+vindicate their rights, they will be unworthy of their name."
+
+"And as for me, I maintain that we ought, without delay, to
+collect our forces and lead them to the front."
+
+"Really, monsieur, really!" replied Van Tricasse. "And do you
+speak thus to _me_?"
+
+"To yourself, monsieur the burgomaster; and you shall hear the
+truth, unwelcome as it may be."
+
+"And you shall hear it yourself, counsellor," returned Van
+Tricasse in a passion, "for it will come better from my mouth
+than from yours! Yes, monsieur, yes, any delay would be
+dishonourable. The town of Quiquendone has waited nine hundred
+years for the moment to take its revenge, and whatever you may
+say, whether it pleases you or not, we shall march upon the
+enemy."
+
+"Ah, you take it thus!" replied Niklausse harshly. "Very well,
+monsieur, we will march without you, if it does not please you to
+go."
+
+"A burgomaster's place is in the front rank, monsieur!"
+
+[Illustration: "A burgomaster's place is in the front rank,
+monsieur!"]
+
+"And that of a counsellor also, monsieur."
+
+"You insult me by thwarting all my wishes," cried the
+burgomaster, whose fists seemed likely to hit out before long.
+
+"And you insult me equally by doubting my patriotism," cried
+Niklausse, who was equally ready for a tussle.
+
+"I tell you, monsieur, that the army of Quiquendone shall be put
+in motion within two days!"
+
+"And I repeat to you, monsieur, that forty-eight hours shall not
+pass before we shall have marched upon the enemy!"
+
+It is easy to see, from this fragment of conversation, that the
+two speakers supported exactly the same idea. Both wished for
+hostilities; but as their excitement disposed them to altercation,
+Niklausse would not listen to Van Tricasse, nor Van Tricasse to
+Niklausse. Had they been of contrary opinions on this grave
+question, had the burgomaster favoured war and the counsellor
+insisted on peace, the quarrel would not have been more violent.
+These two old friends gazed fiercely at each other. By the
+quickened beating of their hearts, their red faces, their
+contracted pupils, the trembling of their muscles, their harsh
+voices, it might be conjectured that they were ready to come to
+blows.
+
+But the striking of a large clock happily checked the adversaries
+at the moment when they seemed on the point of assaulting each
+other.
+
+"At last the hour has come!" cried the burgomaster.
+
+"What hour?" asked the counsellor.
+
+"The hour to go to the belfry tower."
+
+"It is true, and whether it pleases you or not, I shall go,
+monsieur."
+
+"And I too."
+
+"Let us go!"
+
+"Let us go!"
+
+It might have been supposed from these last words that a
+collision had occurred, and that the adversaries were proceeding
+to a duel; but it was not so. It had been agreed that the
+burgomaster and the counsellor, as the two principal dignitaries
+of the town, should repair to the Town Hall, and there show
+themselves on the high tower which overlooked Quiquendone; that
+they should examine the surrounding country, so as to make the
+best strategetic plan for the advance of their troops.
+
+Though they were in accord on this subject, they did not cease to
+quarrel bitterly as they went. Their loud voices were heard
+resounding in the streets; but all the passers-by were now
+accustomed to this; the exasperation of the dignitaries seemed
+quite natural, and no one took notice of it. Under the circumstances,
+a calm man would have been regarded as a monster.
+
+The burgomaster and the counsellor, having reached the porch of
+the belfry, were in a paroxysm of fury. They were no longer red,
+but pale. This terrible discussion, though they had the same
+idea, had produced internal spasms, and every one knows that
+paleness shows that anger has reached its last limits.
+
+At the foot of the narrow tower staircase there was a real
+explosion. Who should go up first? Who should first creep up the
+winding steps? Truth compels us to say that there was a tussle,
+and that the Counsellor Niklausse, forgetful of all that he owed
+to his superior, to the supreme magistrate of the town, pushed
+Van Tricasse violently back, and dashed up the staircase first.
+
+Both ascended, denouncing and raging at each other at every step.
+It was to be feared that a terrible climax would occur on the
+summit of the tower, which rose three hundred and fifty-seven
+feet above the pavement.
+
+The two enemies soon got out of breath, however, and in a little
+while, at the eightieth step, they began to move up heavily,
+breathing loud and short.
+
+Then--was it because of their being out of breath?--their wrath
+subsided, or at least only betrayed itself by a succession of
+unseemly epithets. They became silent, and, strange to say, it
+seemed as if their excitement diminished as they ascended higher
+above the town. A sort of lull took place in their minds. Their
+brains became cooler, and simmered down like a coffee-pot when
+taken away from the fire. Why?
+
+We cannot answer this "why;" but the truth is that, having
+reached a certain landing-stage, two hundred and sixty-six feet
+above ground, the two adversaries sat down and, really more calm,
+looked at each other without any anger in their faces.
+
+"How high it is!" said the burgomaster, passing his handkerchief
+over his rubicund face.
+
+"Very high!" returned the counsellor. "Do you know that we have
+gone fourteen feet higher than the Church of Saint Michael at
+Hamburg?"
+
+"I know it," replied the burgomaster, in a tone of vanity very
+pardonable in the chief magistrate of Quiquendone.
+
+The two notabilities soon resumed their ascent, casting curious
+glances through the loopholes pierced in the tower walls. The
+burgomaster had taken the head of the procession, without any
+remark on the part of the counsellor. It even happened that at
+about the three hundred and fourth step, Van Tricasse being
+completely tired out, Niklausse kindly pushed him from behind.
+The burgomaster offered no resistance to this, and, when he
+reached the platform of the tower, said graciously,--
+
+"Thanks, Niklausse; I will do the same for you one day."
+
+A little while before it had been two wild beasts, ready to tear
+each other to pieces, who had presented themselves at the foot of
+the tower; it was now two friends who reached its summit.
+
+The weather was superb. It was the month of May. The sun had
+absorbed all the vapours. What a pure and limpid atmosphere! The
+most minute objects over a broad space might be discerned. The
+walls of Virgamen, glistening in their whiteness,--its red,
+pointed roofs, its belfries shining in the sunlight--appeared a
+few miles off. And this was the town that was foredoomed to all
+the horrors of fire and pillage!
+
+The burgomaster and the counsellor sat down beside each other on
+a small stone bench, like two worthy people whose souls were in
+close sympathy. As they recovered breath, they looked around;
+then, after a brief silence,--
+
+"How fine this is!" cried the burgomaster.
+
+"Yes, it is admirable!" replied the counsellor. "Does it not
+seem to you, my good Van Tricasse, that humanity is destined to
+dwell rather at such heights, than to crawl about on the surface
+of our globe?"
+
+"I agree with you, honest Niklausse," returned the burgomaster,
+"I agree with you. You seize sentiment better when you get clear
+of nature. You breathe it in every sense! It is at such heights
+that philosophers should be formed, and that sages should live,
+above the miseries of this world!"
+
+"Shall we go around the platform?" asked the counsellor.
+
+"Let us go around the platform," replied the burgomaster.
+
+And the two friends, arm in arm, and putting, as formerly, long
+pauses between their questions and answers, examined every point
+of the horizon.
+
+[Illustration: The two friends, arm in arm]
+
+"It is at least seventeen years since I have ascended the belfry
+tower," said Van Tricasse.
+
+"I do not think I ever came up before," replied Niklausse; "and I
+regret it, for the view from this height is sublime! Do you see,
+my friend, the pretty stream of the Vaar, as it winds among the
+trees?"
+
+"And, beyond, the heights of Saint Hermandad! How gracefully they
+shut in the horizon! Observe that border of green trees, which
+Nature has so picturesquely arranged! Ah, Nature, Nature,
+Niklausse! Could the hand of man ever hope to rival her?"
+
+"It is enchanting, my excellent friend," replied the counsellor.
+"See the flocks and herds lying in the verdant pastures,--the
+oxen, the cows, the sheep!"
+
+"And the labourers going to the fields! You would say they were
+Arcadian shepherds; they only want a bagpipe!"
+
+"And over all this fertile country the beautiful blue sky, which
+no vapour dims! Ah, Niklausse, one might become a poet here! I do
+not understand why Saint Simeon Stylites was not one of the
+greatest poets of the world."
+
+"It was because, perhaps, his column was not high enough,"
+replied the counsellor, with a gentle smile.
+
+At this moment the chimes of Quiquendone rang out. The clear
+bells played one of their most melodious airs. The two friends
+listened in ecstasy.
+
+Then in his calm voice, Van Tricasse said,--
+
+"But what, friend Niklausse, did we come to the top of this tower
+to do?"
+
+"In fact," replied the counsellor, "we have permitted ourselves
+to be carried away by our reveries--"
+
+"What did we come here to do?" repeated the burgomaster.
+
+"We came," said Niklausse, "to breathe this pure air, which human
+weaknesses have not corrupted."
+
+"Well, shall we descend, friend Niklausse?"
+
+"Let us descend, friend Van Tricasse."
+
+They gave a parting glance at the splendid panorama which was
+spread before their eyes; then the burgomaster passed down first,
+and began to descend with a slow and measured pace. The
+counsellor followed a few steps behind. They reached the landing-stage
+at which they had stopped on ascending. Already their cheeks began to
+redden. They tarried a moment, then resumed their descent.
+
+In a few moments Van Tricasse begged Niklausse to go more slowly,
+as he felt him on his heels, and it "worried him." It even did
+more than worry him; for twenty steps lower down he ordered the
+counsellor to stop, that he might get on some distance ahead.
+
+The counsellor replied that he did not wish to remain with his
+leg in the air to await the good pleasure of the burgomaster, and
+kept on.
+
+Van Tricasse retorted with a rude expression.
+
+The counsellor responded by an insulting allusion to the
+burgomaster's age, destined as he was, by his family traditions,
+to marry a second time.
+
+The burgomaster went down twenty steps more, and warned Niklausse
+that this should not pass thus.
+
+Niklausse replied that, at all events, he would pass down first;
+and, the space being very narrow, the two dignitaries came into
+collision, and found themselves in utter darkness. The words
+"blockhead" and "booby" were the mildest which they now applied
+to each other.
+
+"We shall see, stupid beast!" cried the burgomaster,--"we shall
+see what figure you will make in this war, and in what rank you
+will march!"
+
+"In the rank that precedes yours, you silly old fool!" replied
+Niklausse.
+
+Then there were other cries, and it seemed as if bodies were
+rolling over each other. What was going on? Why were these
+dispositions so quickly changed? Why were the gentle sheep of the
+tower's summit metamorphosed into tigers two hundred feet below
+it?
+
+However this might be, the guardian of the tower, hearing the
+noise, opened the door, just at the moment when the two
+adversaries, bruised, and with protruding eyes, were in the act
+of tearing each other's hair,--fortunately they wore wigs.
+
+"You shall give me satisfaction for this!" cried the burgomaster,
+shaking his fist under his adversary's nose.
+
+"Whenever you please!" growled the Counsellor Niklausse,
+attempting to respond with a vigorous kick.
+
+The guardian, who was himself in a passion,--I cannot say why,--
+thought the scene a very natural one. I know not what excitement
+urged him to take part in it, but he controlled himself, and went
+off to announce throughout the neighbourhood that a hostile
+meeting was about to take place between the Burgomaster Van
+Tricasse and the Counsellor Niklausse.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+IN WHICH MATTERS GO SO FAR THAT THE INHABITANTS OF QUIQUENDONE,
+THE READER, AND EVEN THE AUTHOR, DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE DENOUEMENT.
+
+
+The last incident proves to what a pitch of excitement the
+Quiquendonians had been wrought. The two oldest friends in the
+town, and the most gentle--before the advent of the epidemic, to
+reach this degree of violence! And that, too, only a few minutes
+after their old mutual sympathy, their amiable instincts, their
+contemplative habit, had been restored at the summit of the
+tower!
+
+On learning what was going on, Doctor Ox could not contain his
+joy. He resisted the arguments which Ygene, who saw what a
+serious turn affairs were taking, addressed to him. Besides, both
+of them were infected by the general fury. They were not less
+excited than the rest of the population, and they ended by
+quarrelling as violently as the burgomaster and the counsellor.
+
+Besides, one question eclipsed all others, and the intended duels
+were postponed to the issue of the Virgamenian difficulty. No man
+had the right to shed his blood uselessly, when it belonged, to
+the last drop, to his country in danger. The affair was, in
+short, a grave one, and there was no withdrawing from it.
+
+The Burgomaster Van Tricasse, despite the warlike ardour with
+which he was filled, had not thought it best to throw himself
+upon the enemy without warning him. He had, therefore, through
+the medium of the rural policeman, Hottering, sent to demand
+reparation of the Virgamenians for the offence committed, in
+1195, on the Quiquendonian territory.
+
+The authorities of Virgamen could not at first imagine of what
+the envoy spoke, and the latter, despite his official character,
+was conducted back to the frontier very cavalierly.
+
+Van Tricasse then sent one of the aides-de-camp of the
+confectioner-general, citizen Hildevert Shuman, a manufacturer of
+barley-sugar, a very firm and energetic man, who carried to the
+authorities of Virgamen the original minute of the indictment
+drawn up in 1195 by order of the Burgomaster Natalis Van
+Tricasse.
+
+The authorities of Virgamen burst out laughing, and served the
+aide-de-camp in the same manner as the rural policeman.
+
+The burgomaster then assembled the dignitaries of the town.
+
+A letter, remarkably and vigorously drawn up, was written as an
+ultimatum; the cause of quarrel was plainly stated, and a delay
+of twenty-four hours was accorded to the guilty city in which to
+repair the outrage done to Quiquendone.
+
+The letter was sent off, and returned a few hours afterwards,
+torn to bits, which made so many fresh insults. The Virgamenians
+knew of old the forbearance and equanimity of the Quiquendonians,
+and made sport of them and their demand, of their _casus belli_
+and their _ultimatum_.
+
+There was only one thing left to do,--to have recourse to arms,
+to invoke the God of battles, and, after the Prussian fashion, to
+hurl themselves upon the Virgamenians before the latter could be
+prepared.
+
+This decision was made by the council in solemn conclave, in
+which cries, objurgations, and menacing gestures were mingled
+with unexampled violence. An assembly of idiots, a congress of
+madmen, a club of maniacs, would not have been more tumultuous.
+
+As soon as the declaration of war was known, General Jean
+Orbideck assembled his troops, perhaps two thousand three hundred
+and ninety-three combatants from a population of two thousand
+three hundred and ninety-three souls. The women, the children,
+the old men, were joined with the able-bodied males. The guns of
+the town had been put under requisition. Five had been found, two
+of which were without cocks, and these had been distributed to
+the advance-guard. The artillery was composed of the old culverin
+of the chateau, taken in 1339 at the attack on Quesnoy, one of
+the first occasions of the use of cannon in history, and which
+had not been fired off for five centuries. Happily for those who
+were appointed to take it in charge there were no projectiles
+with which to load it; but such as it was, this engine might well
+impose on the enemy. As for side-arms, they had been taken from
+the museum of antiquities,--flint hatchets, helmets, Frankish
+battle-axes, javelins, halberds, rapiers, and so on; and also in
+those domestic arsenals commonly known as "cupboards" and
+"kitchens." But courage, the right, hatred of the foreigner, the
+yearning for vengeance, were to take the place of more perfect
+engines, and to replace--at least it was hoped so--the modern
+mitrailleuses and breech-loaders.
+
+The troops were passed in review. Not a citizen failed at the
+roll-call. General Orbideck, whose seat on horseback was far from
+firm, and whose steed was a vicious beast, was thrown three times
+in front of the army; but he got up again without injury, and
+this was regarded as a favourable omen. The burgomaster, the
+counsellor, the civil commissary, the chief justice, the
+school-teacher, the banker, the rector,--in short, all the
+notabilities of the town,--marched at the head. There were no tears
+shed, either by mothers, sisters, or daughters. They urged on their
+husbands, fathers, brothers, to the combat, and even followed
+them and formed the rear-guard, under the orders of the
+courageous Madame Van Tricasse.
+
+The crier, Jean Mistrol, blew his trumpet; the army moved off,
+and directed itself, with ferocious cries, towards the Oudenarde
+gate.
+
+******
+
+At the moment when the head of the column was about to pass the
+walls of the town, a man threw himself before it.
+
+"Stop! stop! Fools that you are!" he cried. "Suspend your blows!
+Let me shut the valve! You are not changed in nature! You are
+good citizens, quiet and peaceable! If you are so excited, it is
+my master, Doctor Ox's, fault! It is an experiment! Under the
+pretext of lighting your streets with oxyhydric gas, he has
+saturated--"
+
+The assistant was beside himself; but he could not finish. At the
+instant that the doctor's secret was about to escape his lips,
+Doctor Ox himself pounced upon the unhappy Ygene in an indescribable
+rage, and shut his mouth by blows with his fist.
+
+It was a battle. The burgomaster, the counsellor, the
+dignitaries, who had stopped short on Ygene's sudden appearance,
+carried away in turn by their exasperation, rushed upon the two
+strangers, without waiting to hear either the one or the other.
+
+Doctor Ox and his assistant, beaten and lashed, were about to be
+dragged, by order of Van Tricasse, to the round-house, when,--
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+IN WHICH THE DENOUEMENT TAKES PLACE.
+
+
+When a formidable explosion resounded. All the atmosphere which
+enveloped Quiquendone seemed on fire. A flame of an intensity and
+vividness quite unwonted shot up into the heavens like a meteor.
+Had it been night, this flame would have been visible for ten
+leagues around.
+
+The whole army of Quiquendone fell to the earth, like an army of
+monks. Happily there were no victims; a few scratches and slight
+hurts were the only result. The confectioner, who, as chance
+would have it, had not fallen from his horse this time, had his
+plume singed, and escaped without any further injury.
+
+[Illustration: The whole army of Quiquendone fell to the earth]
+
+What had happened?
+
+Something very simple, as was soon learned; the gasworks had just
+blown up. During the absence of the doctor and his assistant,
+some careless mistake had no doubt been made. It is not known how
+or why a communication had been established between the reservoir
+which contained the oxygen and that which enclosed the hydrogen.
+An explosive mixture had resulted from the union of these two
+gases, to which fire had accidentally been applied.
+
+This changed everything; but when the army got upon its feet
+again, Doctor Ox and his assistant Ygene had disappeared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+IN WHICH THE INTELLIGENT READER SEES THAT HE HAS GUESSED CORRECTLY,
+DESPITE ALL THE AUTHOR'S PRECAUTIONS.
+
+
+After the explosion, Quiquendone immediately became the peaceable,
+phlegmatic, and Flemish town it formerly was.
+
+After the explosion, which indeed did not cause a very lively
+sensation, each one, without knowing why, mechanically took his
+way home, the burgomaster leaning on the counsellor's arm, the
+advocate Schut going arm in arm with Custos the doctor, Frantz
+Niklausse walking with equal familiarity with Simon Collaert,
+each going tranquilly, noiselessly, without even being conscious
+of what had happened, and having already forgotten Virgamen and
+their revenge. The general returned to his confections, and his
+aide-de-camp to the barley-sugar.
+
+Thus everything had become calm again; the old existence had been
+resumed by men and beasts, beasts and plants; even by the tower
+of Oudenarde gate, which the explosion--these explosions are
+sometimes astonishing--had set upright again!
+
+And from that time never a word was spoken more loudly than
+another, never a discussion took place in the town of Quiquendone.
+There were no more politics, no more clubs, no more trials, no
+more policemen! The post of the Commissary Passauf became once
+more a sinecure, and if his salary was not reduced, it was because
+the burgomaster and the counsellor could not make up their minds
+to decide upon it.
+
+From time to time, indeed, Passauf flitted, without any one
+suspecting it, through the dreams of the inconsolable Tatanemance.
+
+As for Frantz's rival, he generously abandoned the charming Suzel
+to her lover, who hastened to wed her five or six years after
+these events.
+
+And as for Madame Van Tricasse, she died ten years later, at the
+proper time, and the burgomaster married Mademoiselle Pelagie Van
+Tricasse, his cousin, under excellent conditions--for the happy
+mortal who should succeed him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+IN WHICH DOCTOR OX'S THEORY IS EXPLAINED.
+
+
+What, then, had this mysterious Doctor Ox done? Tried a fantastic
+experiment,--nothing more.
+
+After having laid down his gas-pipes, he had saturated, first the
+public buildings, then the private dwellings, finally the streets
+of Quiquendone, with pure oxygen, without letting in the least
+atom of hydrogen.
+
+This gas, tasteless and odorless, spread in generous quantity
+through the atmosphere, causes, when it is breathed, serious
+agitation to the human organism. One who lives in an air
+saturated with oxygen grows excited, frantic, burns!
+
+You scarcely return to the ordinary atmosphere before you return
+to your usual state. For instance, the counsellor and the
+burgomaster at the top of the belfry were themselves again, as
+the oxygen is kept, by its weight, in the lower strata of the
+air.
+
+But one who lives under such conditions, breathing this gas which
+transforms the body physiologically as well as the soul, dies
+speedily, like a madman.
+
+It was fortunate, then, for the Quiquendonians, that a
+providential explosion put an end to this dangerous experiment,
+and abolished Doctor Ox's gas-works.
+
+To conclude: Are virtue, courage, talent, wit, imagination,--are
+all these qualities or faculties only a question of oxygen?
+
+Such is Doctor Ox's theory; but we are not bound to accept it,
+and for ourselves we utterly reject it, in spite of the curious
+experiment of which the worthy old town of Quiquendone was the
+theatre.
+
+
+
+
+MASTER ZACHARIUS
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+A WINTER NIGHT.
+
+
+The city of Geneva lies at the west end of the lake of the same
+name. The Rhone, which passes through the town at the outlet of
+the lake, divides it into two sections, and is itself divided in
+the centre of the city by an island placed in mid-stream. A
+topographical feature like this is often found in the great
+depots of commerce and industry. No doubt the first inhabitants
+were influenced by the easy means of transport which the swift
+currents of the rivers offered them--those "roads which walk
+along of their own accord," as Pascal puts it. In the case of the
+Rhone, it would be the road that ran along.
+
+Before new and regular buildings were constructed on this island,
+which was enclosed like a Dutch galley in the middle of the
+river, the curious mass of houses, piled one on the other,
+presented a delightfully confused _coup-d'oeil_. The small area
+of the island had compelled some of the buildings to be perched,
+as it were, on the piles, which were entangled in the rough
+currents of the river. The huge beams, blackened by time, and
+worn by the water, seemed like the claws of an enormous crab, and
+presented a fantastic appearance. The little yellow streams,
+which were like cobwebs stretched amid this ancient foundation,
+quivered in the darkness, as if they had been the leaves of some
+old oak forest, while the river engulfed in this forest of piles,
+foamed and roared most mournfully.
+
+One of the houses of the island was striking for its curiously
+aged appearance. It was the dwelling of the old clockmaker,
+Master Zacharius, whose household consisted of his daughter
+Gerande, Aubert Thun, his apprentice, and his old servant
+Scholastique.
+
+There was no man in Geneva to compare in interest with this
+Zacharius. His age was past finding out. Not the oldest
+inhabitant of the town could tell for how long his thin, pointed
+head had shaken above his shoulders, nor the day when, for the
+first time, he had-walked through the streets, with his long
+white locks floating in the wind. The man did not live; he
+vibrated like the pendulum of his clocks. His spare and
+cadaverous figure was always clothed in dark colours. Like the
+pictures of Leonardo di Vinci, he was sketched in black.
+
+Gerande had the pleasantest room in the whole house, whence,
+through a narrow window, she had the inspiriting view of the
+snowy peaks of Jura; but the bedroom and workshop of the old man
+were a kind of cavern close on to the water, the floor of which
+rested on the piles.
+
+From time immemorial Master Zacharius had never come out except
+at meal times, and when he went to regulate the different clocks
+of the town. He passed the rest of his time at his bench, which
+was covered with numerous clockwork instruments, most of which he
+had invented himself. For he was a clever man; his works were
+valued in all France and Germany. The best workers in Geneva
+readily recognized his superiority, and showed that he was an
+honour to the town, by saying, "To him belongs the glory of
+having invented the escapement." In fact, the birth of true
+clock-work dates from the invention which the talents of
+Zacharius had discovered not many years before.
+
+After he had worked hard for a long time, Zacharius would slowly
+put his tools away, cover up the delicate pieces that he had been
+adjusting with glasses, and stop the active wheel of his lathe;
+then he would raise a trap-door constructed in the floor of his
+workshop, and, stooping down, used to inhale for hours together
+the thick vapours of the Rhone, as it dashed along under his
+eyes.
+
+[Illustration: he would raise the trap door constructed in the
+floor of his workshop.]
+
+One winter's night the old servant Scholastique served the
+supper, which, according to old custom, she and the young
+mechanic shared with their master. Master Zacharius did not eat,
+though the food carefully prepared for him was offered him in a
+handsome blue and white dish. He scarcely answered the sweet
+words of Gerande, who evidently noticed her father's silence, and
+even the clatter of Scholastique herself no more struck his ear
+than the roar of the river, to which he paid no attention.
+
+After the silent meal, the old clockmaker left the table without
+embracing his daughter, or saying his usual "Good-night" to all.
+He left by the narrow door leading to his den, and the staircase
+groaned under his heavy footsteps as he went down.
+
+Gerande, Aubert, and Scholastique sat for some minutes without
+speaking. On this evening the weather was dull; the clouds
+dragged heavily on the Alps, and threatened rain; the severe
+climate of Switzerland made one feel sad, while the south wind
+swept round the house, and whistled ominously.
+
+"My dear young lady," said Scholastique, at last, "do you know
+that our master has been out of sorts for several days? Holy
+Virgin! I know he has had no appetite, because his words stick in
+his inside, and it would take a very clever devil to drag even
+one out of him."
+
+"My father has some secret cause of trouble, that I cannot even
+guess," replied Gerande, as a sad anxiety spread over her face.
+
+"Mademoiselle, don't let such sadness fill your heart. You know
+the strange habits of Master Zacharius. Who can read his secret
+thoughts in his face? No doubt some fatigue has overcome him, but
+to-morrow he will have forgotten it, and be very sorry to have
+given his daughter pain."
+
+It was Aubert who spoke thus, looking into Gerande's lovely eyes.
+Aubert was the first apprentice whom Master Zacharius had ever
+admitted to the intimacy of his labours, for he appreciated his
+intelligence, discretion, and goodness of heart; and this young
+man had attached himself to Gerande with the earnest devotion
+natural to a noble nature.
+
+Gerande was eighteen years of age. Her oval face recalled that of
+the artless Madonnas whom veneration still displays at the street
+corners of the antique towns of Brittany. Her eyes betrayed an
+infinite simplicity. One would love her as the sweetest
+realization of a poet's dream. Her apparel was of modest colours,
+and the white linen which was folded about her shoulders had the
+tint and perfume peculiar to the linen of the church. She led a
+mystical existence in Geneva, which had not as yet been delivered
+over to the dryness of Calvinism.
+
+While, night and morning, she read her Latin prayers in her
+iron-clasped missal, Gerande had also discovered a hidden sentiment in
+Aubert Thun's heart, and comprehended what a profound devotion
+the young workman had for her. Indeed, the whole world in his
+eyes was condensed into this old clockmaker's house, and he
+passed all his time near the young girl, when he left her
+father's workshop, after his work was over.
+
+Old Scholastique saw all this, but said nothing. Her loquacity
+exhausted itself in preference on the evils of the times, and the
+little worries of the household. Nobody tried to stop its course.
+It was with her as with the musical snuff-boxes which they made
+at Geneva; once wound up, you must break them before you will
+prevent their playing all their airs through.
+
+Finding Gerande absorbed in a melancholy silence, Scholastique
+left her old wooden chair, fixed a taper on the end of a
+candlestick, lit it, and placed it near a small waxen Virgin,
+sheltered in her niche of stone. It was the family custom to
+kneel before this protecting Madonna of the domestic hearth, and
+to beg her kindly watchfulness during the coming night; but on
+this evening Gerande remained silent in her seat.
+
+"Well, well, dear demoiselle," said the astonished Scholastique,
+"supper is over, and it is time to go to bed. Why do you tire your
+eyes by sitting up late? Ah, Holy Virgin! It's much better to
+sleep, and to get a little comfort from happy dreams! In these
+detestable times in which we live, who can promise herself a
+fortunate day?"
+
+"Ought we not to send for a doctor for my father?" asked Gerande.
+
+"A doctor!" cried the old domestic. "Has Master Zacharius ever
+listened to their fancies and pompous sayings? He might accept
+medicines for the watches, but not for the body!"
+
+"What shall we do?" murmured Gerande. "Has he gone to work, or to
+rest?"
+
+"Gerande," answered Aubert softly, "some mental trouble annoys
+your father, that is all."
+
+"Do you know what it is, Aubert?"
+
+"Perhaps, Gerande"
+
+"Tell us, then," cried Scholastique eagerly, economically
+extinguishing her taper.
+
+"For several days, Gerande," said the young apprentice,
+"something absolutely incomprehensible has been going on. All the
+watches which your father has made and sold for some years have
+suddenly stopped. Very many of them have been brought back to
+him. He has carefully taken them to pieces; the springs were in
+good condition, and the wheels well set. He has put them together
+yet more carefully; but, despite his skill, they will not go."
+
+"The devil's in it!" cried Scholastique.
+
+"Why say you so?" asked Gerande. "It seems very natural to me.
+Nothing lasts for ever in this world. The infinite cannot be
+fashioned by the hands of men."
+
+"It is none the less true," returned Aubert, "that there is in
+this something very mysterious and extraordinary. I have myself
+been helping Master Zacharius to search for the cause of this
+derangement of his watches; but I have not been able to find it,
+and more than once I have let my tools fall from my hands in
+despair."
+
+"But why undertake so vain a task?" resumed Scholastique. "Is it
+natural that a little copper instrument should go of itself, and
+mark the hours? We ought to have kept to the sun-dial!"
+
+"You will not talk thus, Scholastique," said Aubert, "when you
+learn that the sun-dial was invented by Cain.''
+
+"Good heavens! what are you telling me?"
+
+"Do you think," asked Gerande simply, "that we might pray to God
+to give life to my father's watches?"
+
+"Without doubt," replied Aubert.
+
+"Good! They will be useless prayers," muttered the old servant,
+"but Heaven will pardon them for their good intent."
+
+The taper was relighted. Scholastique, Gerande, and Aubert knelt
+down together upon the tiles of the room. The young girl prayed
+for her mother's soul, for a blessing for the night, for
+travellers and prisoners, for the good and the wicked, and more
+earnestly than all for the unknown misfortunes of her father.
+
+[Illustration: The young girl prayed]
+
+Then the three devout souls rose with some confidence in their
+hearts, because they had laid their sorrow on the bosom of God.
+
+Aubert repaired to his own room; Gerande sat pensively by the
+window, whilst the last lights were disappearing from the city
+streets; and Scholastique, having poured a little water on the
+flickering embers, and shut the two enormous bolts on the door,
+threw herself upon her bed, where she was soon dreaming that she
+was dying of fright.
+
+Meanwhile the terrors of this winter's night had increased.
+Sometimes, with the whirlpools of the river, the wind engulfed
+itself among the piles, and the whole house shivered and shook;
+but the young girl, absorbed in her sadness, thought only of her
+father. After hearing what Aubert told her, the malady of Master
+Zacharius took fantastic proportions in her mind; and it seemed
+to her as if his existence, so dear to her, having become purely
+mechanical, no longer moved on its worn-out pivots without
+effort.
+
+Suddenly the pent-house shutter, shaken by the squall, struck
+against the window of the room. Gerande shuddered and started up
+without understanding the cause of the noise which thus disturbed
+her reverie. When she became a little calmer she opened the sash.
+The clouds had burst, and a torrent-like rain pattered on the
+surrounding roofs. The young girl leaned out of the window to
+draw to the shutter shaken by the wind, but she feared to do so.
+It seemed to her that the rain and the river, confounding their
+tumultuous waters, were submerging the frail house, the planks of
+which creaked in every direction. She would have flown from her
+chamber, but she saw below the flickering of a light which
+appeared to come from Master Zacharius's retreat, and in one of
+those momentary calms during which the elements keep a sudden
+silence, her ear caught plaintive sounds. She tried to shut her
+window, but could not. The wind violently repelled her, like a
+thief who was breaking into a dwelling.
+
+Gerande thought she would go mad with terror. What was her father
+doing? She opened the door, and it escaped from her hands, and
+slammed loudly with the force of the tempest. Gerande then found
+herself in the dark supper-room, succeeded in gaining, on tiptoe,
+the staircase which led to her father's shop, and pale and
+fainting, glided down.
+
+The old watchmaker was upright in the middle of the room, which
+resounded with the roaring of the river. His bristling hair gave
+him a sinister aspect. He was talking and gesticulating, without
+seeing or hearing anything. Gerande stood still on the threshold.
+
+"It is death!" said Master Zacharius, in a hollow voice; "it is
+death! Why should I live longer, now that I have dispersed my
+existence over the earth? For I, Master, Zacharius, am really the
+creator of all the watches that I have fashioned! It is a part of
+my very soul that I have shut up in each of these cases of iron,
+silver, or gold! Every time that one of these accursed watches
+stops, I feel my heart cease beating, for I have regulated them
+with its pulsations!"
+
+As he spoke in this strange way, the old man cast his eyes on his
+bench. There lay all the pieces of a watch that he had carefully
+taken apart. He took up a sort of hollow cylinder, called a
+barrel, in which the spring is enclosed, and removed the steel
+spiral, but instead of relaxing itself, according to the laws of
+its elasticity, it remained coiled on itself like a sleeping
+viper. It seemed knotted, like impotent old men whose blood has
+long been congealed. Master Zacharius vainly essayed to uncoil it
+with his thin fingers, the outlines of which were exaggerated on
+the wall; but he tried in vain, and soon, with a terrible cry of
+anguish and rage, he threw it through the trap-door into the
+boiling Rhone.
+
+Gerande, her feet riveted to the floor, stood breathless and
+motionless. She wished to approach her father, but could not.
+Giddy hallucinations took possession of her. Suddenly she heard,
+in the shade, a voice murmur in her ears,--
+
+"Gerande, dear Gerande! grief still keeps you awake. Go in again,
+I beg of you; the night is cold."
+
+"Aubert!" whispered the young girl. "You!"
+
+"Ought I not to be troubled by what troubles you?"
+
+These soft words sent the blood back into the young girl's heart.
+She leaned on Aubert's arm, and said to him,--
+
+"My father is very ill, Aubert! You alone can cure him, for this
+disorder of the mind would not yield to his daughter's consolings.
+His mind is attacked by a very natural delusion, and in working with
+him, repairing the watches, you will bring him back to reason.
+Aubert," she continued, "it is not true, is it, that his life is
+mixed up with that of his watches?"
+
+Aubert did not reply.
+
+"But is my father's a trade condemned by God?" asked Gerande,
+trembling.
+
+"I know not," returned the apprentice, warming the cold hands of
+the girl with his own. "But go back to your room, my poor
+Gerande, and with sleep recover hope!"
+
+Gerande slowly returned to her chamber, and remained there till
+daylight, without sleep closing her eyelids. Meanwhile, Master
+Zacharius, always mute and motionless, gazed at the river as it
+rolled turbulently at his feet.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE PRIDE OF SCIENCE.
+
+
+The severity of the Geneva merchant in business matters has
+become proverbial. He is rigidly honourable, and excessively
+just. What must, then, have been the shame of Master Zacharius,
+when he saw these watches, which he had so carefully constructed,
+returning to him from every direction?
+
+It was certain that these watches had suddenly stopped, and
+without any apparent reason. The wheels were in a good condition
+and firmly fixed, but the springs had lost all elasticity. Vainly
+did the watchmaker try to replace them; the wheels remained
+motionless. These unaccountable derangements were greatly to the
+old man's discredit. His noble inventions had many times brought
+upon him suspicions of sorcery, which now seemed confirmed. These
+rumours reached Gerande, and she often trembled for her father,
+when she saw malicious glances directed towards him.
+
+Yet on the morning after this night of anguish, Master Zacharius
+seemed to resume work with some confidence. The morning sun
+inspired him with some courage. Aubert hastened to join him in
+the shop, and received an affable "Good-day."
+
+"I am better," said the old man. "I don't know what strange pains
+in the head attacked me yesterday, but the sun has quite chased
+them away, with the clouds of the night."
+
+"In faith, master," returned Aubert, "I don't like the night for
+either of us!"
+
+"And thou art right, Aubert. If you ever become a great man, you
+will understand that day is as necessary to you as food. A great
+savant should be always ready to receive the homage of his
+fellow-men."
+
+"Master, it seems to me that the pride of science has possessed
+you."
+
+"Pride, Aubert! Destroy my past, annihilate my present, dissipate
+my future, and then it will be permitted to me to live in
+obscurity! Poor boy, who comprehends not the sublime things to
+which my art is wholly devoted! Art thou not but a tool in my
+hands?"
+
+"Yet. Master Zacharius," resumed Aubert, "I have more than once
+merited your praise for the manner in which I adjusted the most
+delicate parts of your watches and clocks."
+
+"No doubt, Aubert; thou art a good workman, such as I love; but
+when thou workest, thou thinkest thou hast in thy hands but
+copper, silver, gold; thou dost not perceive these metals, which
+my genius animates, palpitating like living flesh! So that thou
+wilt not die, with the death of thy works!"
+
+Master Zacharius remained silent after these words; but Aubert
+essayed to keep up the conversation.
+
+"Indeed, master," said he, "I love to see you work so
+unceasingly! You will be ready for the festival of our
+corporation, for I see that the work on this crystal watch is
+going forward famously."
+
+"No doubt, Aubert," cried the old watchmaker, "and it will be no
+slight honour for me to have been able to cut and shape the
+crystal to the durability of a diamond! Ah, Louis Berghem did
+well to perfect the art of diamond-cutting, which has enabled me
+to polish and pierce the hardest stones!"
+
+Master Zacharius was holding several small watch pieces of cut
+crystal, and of exquisite workmanship. The wheels, pivots, and
+case of the watch were of the same material, and he had employed
+remarkable skill in this very difficult task.
+
+"Would it not be fine," said he, his face flushing, "to see this
+watch palpitating beneath its transparent envelope, and to be
+able to count the beatings of its heart?"
+
+"I will wager, sir," replied the young apprentice, "that it will
+not vary a second in a year."
+
+"And you would wager on a certainty! Have I not imparted to it
+all that is purest of myself? And does my heart vary? My heart, I
+say?"
+
+Aubert did not dare to lift his eyes to his master's face.
+
+"Tell me frankly," said the old man sadly. "Have you never taken
+me for a madman? Do you not think me sometimes subject to
+dangerous folly? Yes; is it not so? In my daughter's eyes and
+yours, I have often read my condemnation. Oh!" he cried, as if in
+pain, "to be misunderstood by those whom one most loves in the
+world! But I will prove victoriously to thee, Aubert, that I am
+right! Do not shake thy head, for thou wilt be astounded. The day
+on which thou understandest how to listen to and comprehend me,
+thou wilt see that I have discovered the secrets of existence,
+the secrets of the mysterious union of the soul with the body!"
+
+[Illustration: "Thou wilt see that I have discovered the secrets
+of existence."]
+
+As he spoke thus, Master Zacharius appeared superb in his vanity.
+His eyes glittered with a supernatural fire, and his pride
+illumined every feature. And truly, if ever vanity was excusable,
+it was that of Master Zacharius!
+
+The watchmaking art, indeed, down to his time, had remained
+almost in its infancy. From the day when Plato, four centuries
+before the Christian era, invented the night watch, a sort of
+clepsydra which indicated the hours of the night by the sound and
+playing of a flute, the science had continued nearly stationary.
+The masters paid more attention to the arts than to mechanics,
+and it was the period of beautiful watches of iron, copper, wood,
+silver, which were richly engraved, like one of Cellini's ewers.
+They made a masterpiece of chasing, which measured time
+imperfectly, but was still a masterpiece. When the artist's
+imagination was not directed to the perfection of modelling, it
+set to work to create clocks with moving figures and melodious
+sounds, whose appearance took all attention. Besides, who
+troubled himself, in those days, with regulating the advance of
+time? The delays of the law were not as yet invented; the
+physical and astronomical sciences had not as yet established
+their calculations on scrupulously exact measurements; there were
+neither establishments which were shut at a given hour, nor
+trains which departed at a precise moment. In the evening the
+curfew bell sounded; and at night the hours were cried amid the
+universal silence. Certainly people did not live so long, if
+existence is measured by the amount of business done; but they
+lived better. The mind was enriched with the noble sentiments
+born of the contemplation of chefs-d'oeuvre. They built a church
+in two centuries, a painter painted but few pictures in the
+course of his life, a poet only composed one great work; but
+these were so many masterpieces for after-ages to appreciate.
+
+When the exact sciences began at last to make some progress,
+watch and clock making followed in their path, though it was
+always arrested by an insurmountable difficulty,--the regular and
+continuous measurement of time.
+
+It was in the midst of this stagnation that Master Zacharius
+invented the escapement, which enabled him to obtain a mathematical
+regularity by submitting the movement of the pendulum to a sustained
+force. This invention had turned the old man's head. Pride, swelling
+in his heart, like mercury in the thermometer, had attained the
+height of transcendent folly. By analogy he had allowed himself to
+be drawn to materialistic conclusions, and as he constructed his
+watches, he fancied that he had discovered the secrets of the union
+of the soul with the body.
+
+Thus, on this day, perceiving that Aubert listened to him
+attentively, he said to him in a tone of simple conviction,--
+
+"Dost thou know what life is, my child? Hast thou comprehended
+the action of those springs which produce existence? Hast thou
+examined thyself? No. And yet, with the eyes of science, thou
+mightest have seen the intimate relation which exists between
+God's work and my own; for it is from his creature that I have
+copied the combinations of the wheels of my clocks."
+
+"Master," replied Aubert eagerly, "can you compare a copper or
+steel machine with that breath of God which is called the soul,
+which animates our bodies as the breeze stirs the flowers? What
+mechanism could be so adjusted as to inspire us with thought?"
+
+"That is not the question," responded Master Zacharius gently,
+but with all the obstinacy of a blind man walking towards an
+abyss. "In order to understand me, thou must recall the purpose
+of the escapement which I have invented. When I saw the irregular
+working of clocks, I understood that the movements shut up in
+them did not suffice, and that it was necessary to submit them to
+the regularity of some independent force. I then thought that the
+balance-wheel might accomplish this, and I succeeded in
+regulating the movement! Now, was it not a sublime idea that came
+to me, to return to it its lost force by the action of the clock
+itself, which it was charged with regulating?"
+
+Aubert made a sign of assent.
+
+"Now, Aubert," continued the old man, growing animated, "cast
+thine eyes upon thyself! Dost thou not understand that there are
+two distinct forces in us, that of the soul and that of the
+body--that is, a movement and a regulator? The soul is the
+principle of life; that is, then, the movement. Whether it is
+produced by a weight, by a spring, or by an immaterial influence,
+it is none the less in the heart. But without the body this
+movement would be unequal, irregular, impossible! Thus the body
+regulates the soul, and, like the balance-wheel, it is submitted
+to regular oscillations. And this is so true, that one falls ill
+when one's drink, food, sleep--in a word, the functions of the
+body--are not properly regulated; just as in my watches the soul
+renders to the body the force lost by its oscillations. Well, what
+produces this intimate union between soul and body, if not a
+marvellous escapement, by which the wheels of the one work into the
+wheels of the other? This is what I have discovered and applied;
+and there are no longer any secrets for me in this life, which is,
+after all, only an ingenious mechanism!"
+
+Master Zacharius looked sublime in this hallucination, which
+carried him to the ultimate mysteries of the Infinite. But his
+daughter Gerande, standing on the threshold of the door, had
+heard all. She rushed into her father's arms, and he pressed her
+convulsively to his breast.
+
+"What is the matter with thee, my daughter?" he asked.
+
+"If I had only a spring here," said she, putting her hand on her
+heart, "I would not love you as I do, father."
+
+Master Zacharius looked intently at Gerande, and did not reply.
+Suddenly he uttered a cry, carried his hand eagerly to his heart,
+and fell fainting on his old leathern chair.
+
+"Father, what is the matter?"
+
+[Illustration: "Father, what is the matter?"]
+
+"Help!" cried Aubert. "Scholastique!"
+
+But Scholastique did not come at once. Some one was knocking at
+the front door; she had gone to open it, and when she returned to
+the shop, before she could open her mouth, the old watchmaker,
+having recovered his senses, spoke:--
+
+"I divine, my old Scholastique, that you bring me still another
+of those accursed watches which have stopped."
+
+"Lord, it is true enough!" replied Scholastique, handing a watch
+to Aubert.
+
+"My heart could not be mistaken!" said the old man, with a sigh.
+
+Meanwhile Aubert carefully wound up the watch, but it would not
+go.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A STRANGE VISIT.
+
+
+Poor Gerande would have lost her life with that of her father,
+had it not been for the thought of Aubert, who still attached her
+to the world.
+
+The old watchmaker was, little by little, passing away. His
+faculties evidently grew more feeble, as he concentrated them on
+a single thought. By a sad association of ideas, he referred
+everything to his monomania, and a human existence seemed to have
+departed from him, to give place to the extra-natural existence
+of the intermediate powers. Moreover, certain malicious rivals
+revived the sinister rumours which had spread concerning his
+labours.
+
+The news of the strange derangements which his watches betrayed
+had a prodigious effect upon the master clockmakers of Geneva.
+What signified this sudden paralysis of their wheels, and why
+these strange relations which they seemed to have with the old
+man's life? These were the kind of mysteries which people never
+contemplate without a secret terror. In the various classes of
+the town, from the apprentice to the great lord who used the
+watches of the old horologist, there was no one who could not
+himself judge of the singularity of the fact. The citizens
+wished, but in vain, to get to see Master Zacharius. He fell very
+ill; and this enabled his daughter to withdraw him from those
+incessant visits which had degenerated into reproaches and
+recriminations.
+
+Medicines and physicians were powerless in presence of this
+organic wasting away, the cause of which could not be discovered.
+It sometimes seemed as if the old man's heart had ceased to beat;
+then the pulsations were resumed with an alarming irregularity.
+
+A custom existed in those days of publicly exhibiting the works
+of the masters. The heads of the various corporations sought to
+distinguish themselves by the novelty or the perfection of their
+productions; and it was among these that the condition of Master
+Zacharius excited the most lively, because most interested,
+commiseration. His rivals pitied him the more willingly because
+they feared him the less. They never forgot the old man's
+success, when he exhibited his magnificent clocks with moving
+figures, his repeaters, which provoked general admiration, and
+commanded such high prices in the cities of France, Switzerland,
+and Germany.
+
+Meanwhile, thanks to the constant and tender care of Gerande and
+Aubert, his strength seemed to return a little; and in the
+tranquillity in which his convalescence left him, he succeeded in
+detaching himself from the thoughts which had absorbed him. As
+soon as he could walk, his daughter lured him away from the
+house, which was still besieged with dissatisfied customers.
+Aubert remained in the shop, vainly adjusting and readjusting the
+rebel watches; and the poor boy, completely mystified, sometimes
+covered his face with his hands, fearful that he, like his
+master, might go mad.
+
+Gerande led her father towards the more pleasant promenades of
+the town. With his arm resting on hers, she conducted him
+sometimes through the quarter of Saint Antoine, the view from
+which extends towards the Cologny hill, and over the lake; on
+fine mornings they caught sight of the gigantic peaks of Mount
+Buet against the horizon. Gerande pointed out these spots to her
+father, who had well-nigh forgotten even their names. His memory
+wandered; and he took a childish interest in learning anew what
+had passed from his mind. Master Zacharius leaned upon his
+daughter; and the two heads, one white as snow and the other
+covered with rich golden tresses, met in the same ray of
+sunlight.
+
+So it came about that the old watchmaker at last perceived that
+he was not alone in the world. As he looked upon his young and
+lovely daughter, and on himself old and broken, he reflected that
+after his death she would be left alone without support. Many of
+the young mechanics of Geneva had already sought to win Gerande's
+love; but none of them had succeeded in gaining access to the
+impenetrable retreat of the watchmaker's household. It was
+natural, then, that during this lucid interval, the old man's
+choice should fall on Aubert Thun. Once struck with this thought,
+he remarked to himself that this young couple had been brought up
+with the same ideas and the same beliefs; and the oscillations of
+their hearts seemed to him, as he said one day to Scholastique,
+"isochronous."
+
+The old servant, literally delighted with the word, though she
+did not understand it, swore by her holy patron saint that the
+whole town should hear it within a quarter of an hour. Master
+Zacharius found it difficult to calm her; but made her promise to
+keep on this subject a silence which she never was known to
+observe.
+
+So, though Gerande and Aubert were ignorant of it, all Geneva was
+soon talking of their speedy union. But it happened also that,
+while the worthy folk were gossiping, a strange chuckle was often
+heard, and a voice saying, "Gerande will not wed Aubert."
+
+If the talkers turned round, they found themselves facing a
+little old man who was quite a stranger to them.
+
+How old was this singular being? No one could have told. People
+conjectured that he must have existed for several centuries, and
+that was all. His big flat head rested upon shoulders the width
+of which was equal to the height of his body; this was not above
+three feet. This personage would have made a good figure to
+support a pendulum, for the dial would have naturally been placed
+on his face, and the balance-wheel would have oscillated at its
+ease in his chest. His nose might readily have been taken for the
+style of a sun-dial, for it was narrow and sharp; his teeth, far
+apart, resembled the cogs of a wheel, and ground themselves
+between his lips; his voice had the metallic sound of a bell, and
+you could hear his heart beat like the tick of a clock. This
+little man, whose arms moved like the hands on a dial, walked
+with jerks, without ever turning round. If any one followed him,
+it was found that he walked a league an hour, and that his course
+was nearly circular.
+
+This strange being had not long been seen wandering, or rather
+circulating, around the town; but it had already been observed
+that, every day, at the moment when the sun passed the meridian,
+he stopped before the Cathedral of Saint Pierre, and resumed his
+course after the twelve strokes of noon had sounded. Excepting at
+this precise moment, he seemed to become a part of all the
+conversations in which the old watchmaker was talked of; and
+people asked each other, in terror, what relation could exist
+between him and Master Zacharius. It was remarked, too, that he
+never lost sight of the old man and his daughter while they were
+taking their promenades.
+
+One day Gerande perceived this monster looking at her with a
+hideous smile. She clung to her father with a frightened motion.
+
+"What is the matter, my Gerande?" asked Master Zacharius.
+
+"I do not know," replied the young girl.
+
+"But thou art changed, my child. Art thou going to fall ill in
+thy turn? Ah, well," he added, with a sad smile, "then I must
+take care of thee, and I will do it tenderly."
+
+"O father, it will be nothing. I am cold, and I imagine that it
+is--"
+
+"What, Gerande?"
+
+"The presence of that man, who always follows us," she replied in
+a low tone.
+
+Master Zacharius turned towards the little old man.
+
+"Faith, he goes well," said he, with a satisfied air, "for it is
+just four o'clock. Fear nothing, my child; it is not a man, it
+is a clock!"
+
+Gerande looked at her father in terror. How could Master
+Zacharius read the hour on this strange creature's visage?
+
+"By-the-bye," continued the old watchmaker, paying no further
+attention to the matter, "I have not seen Aubert for several
+days."
+
+"He has not left us, however, father," said Gerande, whose
+thoughts turned into a gentler channel.
+
+"What is he doing then?"
+
+"He is working."
+
+"Ah!" cried the old man. "He is at work repairing my watches, is
+he not? But he will never succeed; for it is not repair they
+need, but a resurrection!"
+
+Gerande remained silent.
+
+"I must know," added the old man, "if they have brought back any
+more of those accursed watches upon which the Devil has sent this
+epidemic!"
+
+After these words Master Zacharius fell into complete silence,
+till he knocked at the door of his house, and for the first time
+since his convalescence descended to his shop, while Gerande
+sadly repaired to her chamber.
+
+Just as Master Zacharius crossed the threshold of his shop, one
+of the many clocks suspended on the wall struck five o'clock.
+Usually the bells of these clocks--admirably regulated as they
+were--struck simultaneously, and this rejoiced the old man's
+heart; but on this day the bells struck one after another, so
+that for a quarter of an hour the ear was deafened by the
+successive noises. Master Zacharius suffered acutely; he could
+not remain still, but went from one clock to the other, and beat
+the time to them, like a conductor who no longer has control over
+his musicians.
+
+When the last had ceased striking, the door of the shop opened,
+and Master Zacharius shuddered from head to foot to see before
+him the little old man, who looked fixedly at him and said,--
+
+"Master, may I not speak with you a few moments?"
+
+"Who are you?" asked the watchmaker abruptly.
+
+"A colleague. It is my business to regulate the sun."
+
+"Ah, you regulate the sun?" replied Master Zacharius eagerly,
+without wincing. "I can scarcely compliment you upon it. Your sun
+goes badly, and in order to make ourselves agree with it, we have
+to keep putting our clocks forward so much or back so much."
+
+"And by the cloven foot," cried this weird personage, "you are
+right, my master! My sun does not always mark noon at the same
+moment as your clocks; but some day it will be known that this is
+because of the inequality of the earth's transfer, and a mean
+noon will be invented which will regulate this irregularity!"
+
+"Shall I live till then?" asked the old man, with glistening
+eyes.
+
+"Without doubt," replied the little old man, laughing. "Can you
+believe that you will ever die?"
+
+"Alas! I am very ill now."
+
+"Ah, let us talk of that. By Beelzebub! that will lead to just
+what I wish to speak to you about."
+
+Saying this, the strange being leaped upon the old leather chair,
+and carried his legs one under the other, after the fashion of
+the bones which the painters of funeral hangings cross beneath
+death's heads. Then he resumed, in an ironical tone,--
+
+[Illustration: Then he resumed, in an ironical tone]
+
+"Let us see, Master Zacharius, what is going on in this good town
+of Geneva? They say that your health is failing, that your
+watches have need of a doctor!"
+
+"Ah, do you believe that there is an intimate relation between
+their existence and mine?" cried Master Zacharius.
+
+"Why, I imagine that these watches have faults, even vices. If
+these wantons do not preserve a regular conduct, it is right that
+they should bear the consequences of their irregularity. It seems
+to me that they have need of reforming a little!"
+
+"What do you call faults?" asked Master Zacharius, reddening at
+the sarcastic tone in which these words were uttered. "Have they
+not a right to be proud of their origin?"
+
+"Not too proud, not too proud," replied the little old man. "They
+bear a celebrated name, and an illustrious signature is graven on
+their cases, it is true, and theirs is the exclusive privilege of
+being introduced among the noblest families; but for some time
+they have got out of order, and you can do nothing in the matter,
+Master Zacharius; and the stupidest apprentice in Geneva could
+prove it to you!"
+
+"To me, to me,--Master Zacharius!" cried the old man, with a
+flush of outraged pride.
+
+"To you, Master Zacharius,--you, who cannot restore life to your
+watches!"
+
+"But it is because I have a fever, and so have they also!"
+replied the old man, as a cold sweat broke out upon him.
+
+"Very well, they will die with you, since you cannot impart a
+little elasticity to their springs."
+
+"Die! No, for you yourself have said it! I cannot die,--I, the
+first watchmaker in the world; I, who, by means of these pieces
+and diverse wheels, have been able to regulate the movement with
+absolute precision! Have I not subjected time to exact laws, and
+can I not dispose of it like a despot? Before a sublime genius
+had arranged these wandering hours regularly, in what vast
+uncertainty was human destiny plunged? At what certain moment
+could the acts of life be connected with each other? But you, man
+or devil, whatever you may be, have never considered the
+magnificence of my art, which calls every science to its aid! No,
+no! I, Master Zacharius, cannot die, for, as I have regulated
+time, time would end with me! It would return to the infinite,
+whence my genius has rescued it, and it would lose itself
+irreparably in the abyss of nothingness! No, I can no more die
+than the Creator of this universe, that submitted to His laws! I
+have become His equal, and I have partaken of His power! If God
+has created eternity, Master Zacharius has created time!"
+
+The old watchmaker now resembled the fallen angel, defiant in the
+presence of the Creator. The little old man gazed at him, and
+even seemed to breathe into him this impious transport.
+
+"Well said, master," he replied. "Beelzebub had less right than
+you to compare himself with God! Your glory must not perish! So
+your servant here desires to give you the method of controlling
+these rebellious watches."
+
+"What is it? what is it?" cried Master Zacharius.
+
+"You shall know on the day after that on which you have given me
+your daughter's hand."
+
+"My Gerande?"
+
+"Herself!"
+
+"My daughter's heart is not free," replied Master Zacharius, who
+seemed neither astonished nor shocked at the strange demand.
+
+"Bah! She is not the least beautiful of watches; but she will end
+by stopping also--"
+
+"My daughter,--my Gerande! No!"
+
+"Well, return to your watches, Master Zacharius. Adjust and
+readjust them. Get ready the marriage of your daughter and your
+apprentice. Temper your springs with your best steel. Bless
+Aubert and the pretty Gerande.  But remember, your watches will
+never go, and Gerande will not wed Aubert!"
+
+Thereupon the little old man disappeared, but not so quickly that
+Master Zacharius could not hear six o'clock strike in his breast.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE CHURCH OF SAINT PIERRE.
+
+
+Meanwhile Master Zacharius became more feeble in mind and body
+every day. An unusual excitement, indeed, impelled him to
+continue his work more eagerly than ever, nor could his daughter
+entice him from it.
+
+His pride was still more aroused after the crisis to which his
+strange visitor had hurried him so treacherously, and he resolved
+to overcome, by the force of genius, the malign influence which
+weighed upon his work and himself. He first repaired to the
+various clocks of the town which were confided to his care. He
+made sure, by a scrupulous examination, that the wheels were in
+good condition, the pivots firm, the weights exactly balanced.
+Every part, even to the bells, was examined with the minute
+attention of a physician studying the breast of a patient.
+Nothing indicated that these clocks were on the point of being
+affected by inactivity.
+
+Gerande and Aubert often accompanied the old man on these visits.
+He would no doubt have been pleased to see them eager to go with
+him, and certainly he would not have been so much absorbed in his
+approaching end, had he thought that his existence was to be
+prolonged by that of these cherished ones, and had he understood
+that something of the life of a father always remains in his
+children.
+
+The old watchmaker, on returning home, resumed his labours with
+feverish zeal. Though persuaded that he would not succeed, it yet
+seemed to him impossible that this could be so, and he unceasingly
+took to pieces the watches which were brought to his shop, and put
+them together again.
+
+Aubert tortured his mind in vain to discover the causes of the
+evil.
+
+"Master," said he, "this can only come from the wear of the
+pivots and gearing."
+
+"Do you want, then, to kill me, little by little?" replied Master
+Zacharius passionately. "Are these watches child's work? Was it
+lest I should hurt my fingers that I worked the surface of these
+copper pieces in the lathe? Have I not forged these pieces of
+copper myself, so as to obtain a greater strength? Are not these
+springs tempered to a rare perfection? Could anybody have used
+finer oils than mine? You must yourself agree that it is
+impossible, and you avow, in short, that the devil is in it!"
+
+From morning till night discontented purchasers besieged the
+house, and they got access to the old watchmaker himself, who
+knew not which of them to listen to.
+
+[Illustration: From morning till night discontented purchasers
+besieged the house]
+
+"This watch loses, and I cannot succeed in regulating it," said
+one.
+
+"This," said another, "is absolutely obstinate, and stands still,
+as did Joshua's sun."
+
+"If it is true," said most of them, "that your health has an
+influence on that of your watches, Master Zacharius, get well as
+soon as possible."
+
+The old man gazed at these people with haggard eyes, and only
+replied by shaking his head, or by a few sad words,--
+
+"Wait till the first fine weather, my friends. The season is
+coming which revives existence in wearied bodies. We want the sun
+to warm us all!"
+
+"A fine thing, if my watches are to be ill through the winter!"
+said one of the most angry. "Do you know, Master Zacharius, that
+your name is inscribed in full on their faces? By the Virgin, you
+do little honour to your signature!"
+
+It happened at last that the old man, abashed by these
+reproaches, took some pieces of gold from his old trunk, and
+began to buy back the damaged watches. At news of this, the
+customers came in a crowd, and the poor watchmaker's money fast
+melted away; but his honesty remained intact. Gerande warmly
+praised his delicacy, which was leading him straight towards
+ruin; and Aubert soon offered his own savings to his master.
+
+"What will become of my daughter?" said Master Zacharius,
+clinging now and then in the shipwreck to his paternal love.
+
+Aubert dared not answer that he was full of hope for the future,
+and of deep devotion to Gerande. Master Zacharius would have that
+day called him his son-in-law, and thus refuted the sad prophecy,
+which still buzzed in his ears,--
+
+"Gerande will not wed Aubert."
+
+By this plan the watchmaker at last succeeded in entirely
+despoiling himself. His antique vases passed into the hands of
+strangers; he deprived himself of the richly-carved panels which
+adorned the walls of his house; some primitive pictures of the
+early Flemish painters soon ceased to please his daughter's eyes,
+and everything, even the precious tools that his genius had
+invented, were sold to indemnify the clamorous customers.
+
+Scholastique alone refused to listen to reason on the subject;
+but her efforts failed to prevent the unwelcome visitors from
+reaching her master, and from soon departing with some valuable
+object. Then her chattering was heard in all the streets of the
+neighbourhood, where she had long been known. She eagerly denied
+the rumours of sorcery and magic on the part of Master Zacharius,
+which gained currency; but as at bottom she was persuaded of
+their truth, she said her prayers over and over again to redeem
+her pious falsehoods.
+
+It had been noticed that for some time the old watchmaker had
+neglected his religious duties. Time was, when he had accompanied
+Gerande to church, and had seemed to find in prayer the
+intellectual charm which it imparts to thoughtful minds, since it
+is the most sublime exercise of the imagination. This voluntary
+neglect of holy practices, added to the secret habits of his
+life, had in some sort confirmed the accusations levelled against
+his labours. So, with the double purpose of drawing her father
+back to God, and to the world, Gerande resolved to call religion
+to her aid. She thought that it might give some vitality to his
+dying soul; but the dogmas of faith and humility had to combat,
+in the soul of Master Zacharius, an insurmountable pride, and
+came into collision with that vanity of science which connects
+everything with itself, without rising to the infinite source
+whence first principles flow.
+
+It was under these circumstances that the young girl undertook
+her father's conversion; and her influence was so effective that
+the old watchmaker promised to attend high mass at the cathedral
+on the following Sunday. Gerande was in an ecstasy, as if heaven
+had opened to her view. Old Scholastique could not contain her
+joy, and at last found irrefutable arguments' against the
+gossiping tongues which accused her master of impiety. She spoke
+of it to her neighbours, her friends, her enemies, to those whom
+she knew not as well as to those whom she knew.
+
+"In faith, we scarcely believe what you tell us, dame
+Scholastique," they replied; "Master Zacharius has always acted
+in concert with the devil!"
+
+"You haven't counted, then," replied the old servant, "the fine
+bells which strike for my master's clocks? How many times they
+have struck the hours of prayer and the mass!"
+
+"No doubt," they would reply. "But has he not invented machines
+which go all by themselves, and which actually do the work of a
+real man?"
+
+"Could a child of the devil," exclaimed dame Scholastique
+wrathfully, "have executed the fine iron clock of the chateau of
+Andernatt, which the town of Geneva was not rich enough to buy? A
+pious motto appeared at each hour, and a Christian who obeyed
+them, would have gone straight to Paradise! Is that the work of
+the devil?"
+
+This masterpiece, made twenty years before, had carried Master
+Zacharius's fame to its acme; but even then there had been
+accusations of sorcery against him. But at least the old man's
+visit to the Cathedral ought to reduce malicious tongues to
+silence.
+
+Master Zacharius, having doubtless forgotten the promise made to
+his daughter, had returned to his shop. After being convinced of
+his powerlessness to give life to his watches, he resolved to try
+if he could not make some new ones. He abandoned all those
+useless works, and devoted himself to the completion of the
+crystal watch, which he intended to be his masterpiece; but in
+vain did he use his most perfect tools, and employ rubies and
+diamonds for resisting friction. The watch fell from his hands
+the first time that he attempted to wind it up!
+
+The old man concealed this circumstance from every one, even from
+his daughter; but from that time his health rapidly declined.
+There were only the last oscillations of a pendulum, which goes
+slower when nothing restores its original force. It seemed as if
+the laws of gravity, acting directly upon him, were dragging him
+irresistibly down to the grave.
+
+The Sunday so ardently anticipated by Gerande at last arrived.
+The weather was fine, and the temperature inspiriting. The people
+of Geneva were passing quietly through the streets, gaily
+chatting about the return of spring. Gerande, tenderly taking the
+old man's arm, directed her steps towards the cathedral, while
+Scholastique followed behind with the prayer-books. People looked
+curiously at them as they passed. The old watchmaker permitted
+himself to be led like a child, or rather like a blind man. The
+faithful of Saint Pierre were almost frightened when they saw him
+cross the threshold, and shrank back at his approach.
+
+The chants of high mass were already resounding through the
+church. Gerande went to her accustomed bench, and kneeled with
+profound and simple reverence. Master Zacharius remained standing
+upright beside her.
+
+The ceremonies continued with the majestic solemnity of that
+faithful age, but the old man had no faith. He did not implore
+the pity of Heaven with cries of anguish of the "Kyrie;" he did
+not, with the "Gloria in Excelsis," sing the splendours of the
+heavenly heights; the reading of the Testament did not draw him
+from his materialistic reverie, and he forgot to join in the
+homage of the "Credo." This proud old man remained motionless, as
+insensible and silent as a stone statue; and even at the solemn
+moment when the bell announced the miracle of transubstantiation,
+he did not bow his head, but gazed directly at the sacred host
+which the priest raised above the heads of the faithful. Gerande
+looked at her father, and a flood of tears moistened her missal.
+At this moment the clock of Saint Pierre struck half-past eleven.
+Master Zacharius turned quickly towards this ancient clock which
+still spoke. It seemed to him as if its face was gazing steadily
+at him; the figures of the hours shone as if they had been
+engraved in lines of fire, and the hands shot forth electric
+sparks from their sharp points.
+
+[Illustration: This proud old man remained motionless]
+
+The mass ended. It was customary for the "Angelus" to be said at
+noon, and the priests, before leaving the altar, waited for the
+clock to strike the hour of twelve. In a few moments this prayer
+would ascend to the feet of the Virgin.
+
+But suddenly a harsh noise was heard. Master Zacharius uttered a
+piercing cry.
+
+The large hand of the clock, having reached twelve, had abruptly
+stopped, and the clock did not strike the hour.
+
+Gerande hastened to her father's aid. He had fallen down
+motionless, and they carried him outside the church.
+
+"It is the death-blow!" murmured Gerande, sobbing.
+
+When he had been borne home, Master Zacharius lay upon his bed
+utterly crushed. Life seemed only to still exist on the surface
+of his body, like the last whiffs of smoke about a lamp just
+extinguished. When he came to his senses, Aubert and Gerande were
+leaning over him. In these last moments the future took in his
+eyes the shape of the present. He saw his daughter alone, without
+a protector.
+
+"My son," said he to Aubert, "I give my daughter to thee."
+
+So saying, he stretched out his hands towards his two children,
+who were thus united at his death-bed.
+
+But soon Master Zacharius lifted himself up in a paroxysm of
+rage. The words of the little old man recurred to his mind.
+
+"I do not wish to die!" he cried; "I cannot die! I, Master
+Zacharius, ought not to die! My books--my accounts!--"
+
+With these words he sprang from his bed towards a book in which
+the names of his customers and the articles which had been sold
+to them were inscribed. He seized it and rapidly turned over its
+leaves, and his emaciated finger fixed itself on one of the
+pages.
+
+"There!" he cried, "there! this old iron clock, sold to
+Pittonaccio! It is the only one that has not been returned to me!
+It still exists--it goes--it lives! Ah, I wish for it--I must
+find it! I will take such care of it that death will no longer
+seek me!"
+
+And he fainted away.
+
+Aubert and Gerande knelt by the old man's bed-side and prayed
+together.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE HOUR OF DEATH.
+
+
+Several days passed, and Master Zacharius, though almost dead,
+rose from his bed and returned to active life under a supernatural
+excitement. He lived by pride. But Gerande did not deceive
+herself; her father's body and soul were for ever lost.
+
+The old man got together his last remaining resources, without
+thought of those who were dependent upon him. He betrayed an
+incredible energy, walking, ferreting about, and mumbling
+strange, incomprehensible words.
+
+One morning Gerande went down to his shop. Master Zacharius was
+not there. She waited for him all day. Master Zacharius did not
+return.
+
+Gerande wept bitterly, but her father did not reappear.
+
+Aubert searched everywhere through the town, and soon came to the
+sad conviction that the old man had left it.
+
+"Let us find my father!" cried Gerande, when the young apprentice
+told her this sad news.
+
+"Where can he be?" Aubert asked himself.
+
+An inspiration suddenly came to his mind. He remembered the last
+words which Master Zacharius had spoken. The old man only lived
+now in the old iron clock that had not been returned! Master
+Zacharius must have gone in search of it.
+
+Aubert spoke of this to Gerande.
+
+"Let us look at my father's book," she replied.
+
+They descended to the shop. The book was open on the bench. All
+the watches or clocks made by the old man, and which had been
+returned to him because they were out of order, were stricken out
+excepting one:--
+
+"Sold to M. Pittonaccio, an iron clock, with bell and moving
+figures; sent to his chateau at Andernatt."
+
+It was this "moral" clock of which Scholastique had spoken with
+so much enthusiasm.
+
+"My father is there!" cried Gerande.
+
+"Let us hasten thither," replied Aubert. "We may still save him!"
+
+"Not for this life," murmured Gerande, "but at least for the
+other."
+
+"By the mercy of God, Gerande! The chateau of Andernatt stands in
+the gorge of the 'Dents-du-Midi' twenty hours from Geneva. Let us
+go!"
+
+That very evening Aubert and Gerande, followed by the old
+servant, set out on foot by the road which skirts Lake Leman.
+They accomplished five leagues during the night, stopping neither
+at Bessinge nor at Ermance, where rises the famous chateau of the
+Mayors. They with difficulty forded the torrent of the Dranse,
+and everywhere they went they inquired for Master Zacharius, and
+were soon convinced that they were on his track.
+
+The next morning, at daybreak, having passed Thonon, they reached
+Evian, whence the Swiss territory may be seen extended over
+twelve leagues. But the two betrothed did not even perceive the
+enchanting prospect. They went straight forward, urged on by a
+supernatural force. Aubert, leaning on a knotty stick, offered
+his arm alternately to Gerande and to Scholastique, and he made
+the greatest efforts to sustain his companions. All three talked
+of their sorrow, of their hopes, and thus passed along the
+beautiful road by the water-side, and across the narrow plateau
+which unites the borders of the lake with the heights of the
+Chalais. They soon reached Bouveret, where the Rhone enters the
+Lake of Geneva.
+
+On leaving this town they diverged from the lake, and their
+weariness increased amid these mountain districts. Vionnaz,
+Chesset, Collombay, half lost villages, were soon left behind.
+Meanwhile their knees shook, their feet were lacerated by the
+sharp points which covered the ground like a brushwood of
+granite;--but no trace of Master Zacharius!
+
+He must be found, however, and the two young people did not seek
+repose either in the isolated hamlets or at the chateau of
+Monthay, which, with its dependencies, formed the appanage of
+Margaret of Savoy. At last, late in the day, and half dead with
+fatigue, they reached the hermitage of Notre-Dame-du-Sex, which
+is situated at the base of the Dents-du-Midi, six hundred feet
+above the Rhone.
+
+The hermit received the three wanderers as night was falling.
+They could not have gone another step, and here they must needs
+rest.
+
+The hermit could give them no news of Master Zacharius. They
+could scarcely hope to find him still living amid these sad
+solitudes. The night was dark, the wind howled amid the
+mountains, and the avalanches roared down from the summits of the
+broken crags.
+
+Aubert and Gerande, crouching before the hermit's hearth, told
+him their melancholy tale. Their mantles, covered with snow, were
+drying in a corner; and without, the hermit's dog barked
+lugubriously, and mingled his voice with that of the tempest.
+
+"Pride," said the hermit to his guests, "has destroyed an angel
+created for good. It is the stumbling-block against which the
+destinies of man strike. You cannot reason with pride, the
+principal of all the vices, since, by its very nature, the proud
+man refuses to listen to it. It only remains, then, to pray for
+your father!"
+
+All four knelt down, when the barking of the dog redoubled, and
+some one knocked at the door of the hermitage.
+
+"Open, in the devil's name!"
+
+The door yielded under the blows, and a dishevelled, haggard,
+ill-clothed man appeared.
+
+"My father!" cried Gerande.
+
+It was Master Zacharius.
+
+"Where am I?" said he. "In eternity! Time is ended--the hours no
+longer strike--the hands have stopped!"
+
+"Father!" returned Gerande, with so piteous an emotion that the
+old man seemed to return to the world of the living.
+
+"Thou here, Gerande?" he cried; "and thou, Aubert? Ah, my dear
+betrothed ones, you are going to be married in our old church!"
+
+"Father," said Gerande, seizing him by the arm, "come home to
+Geneva,--come with us!"
+
+The old man tore away from his daughter's embrace and hurried
+towards the door, on the threshold of which the snow was falling
+in large flakes.
+
+"Do not abandon your children!" cried Aubert.
+
+"Why return," replied the old man sadly, "to those places which
+my life has already quitted, and where a part of myself is for
+ever buried?"
+
+"Your soul is not dead," said the hermit solemnly.
+
+"My soul? O no,--its wheels are good! I perceive it beating
+regularly--"
+
+"Your soul is immaterial,--your soul is immortal!" replied the
+hermit sternly.
+
+"Yes--like my glory! But it is shut up in the chateau of
+Andernatt, and I wish to see it again!"
+
+The hermit crossed himself; Scholastique became almost inanimate.
+Aubert held Gerande in his arms.
+
+"The chateau of Andernatt is inhabited by one who is lost," said
+the hermit, "one who does not salute the cross of my hermitage."
+
+"My father, go not thither!"
+
+"I want my soul! My soul is mine--"
+
+"Hold him! Hold my father!" cried Gerande.
+
+But the old man had leaped across the threshold, and plunged into
+the night, crying, "Mine, mine, my soul!"
+
+Gerande, Aubert, and Scholastique hastened after him. They went
+by difficult paths, across which Master Zacharius sped like a
+tempest, urged by an irresistible force. The snow raged around
+them, and mingled its white flakes with the froth of the swollen
+torrents.
+
+As they passed the chapel erected in memory of the massacre of
+the Theban legion, they hurriedly crossed themselves. Master
+Zacharius was not to be seen.
+
+At last the village of Evionnaz appeared in the midst of this
+sterile region. The hardest heart would have been moved to see
+this hamlet, lost among these horrible solitudes. The old man
+sped on, and plunged into the deepest gorge of the Dents-du-Midi,
+which pierce the sky with their sharp peaks.
+
+Soon a ruin, old and gloomy as the rocks at its base, rose before
+him.
+
+"It is there--there!" he cried, hastening his pace still more
+frantically.
+
+[Illustration: "It is there--there!"]
+
+The chateau of Andernatt was a ruin even then. A thick, crumbling
+tower rose above it, and seemed to menace with its downfall the
+old gables which reared themselves below. The vast piles of
+jagged stones were gloomy to look on. Several dark halls appeared
+amid the debris, with caved-in ceilings, now become the abode of
+vipers.
+
+A low and narrow postern, opening upon a ditch choked with
+rubbish, gave access to the chateau. Who had dwelt there none
+knew. No doubt some margrave, half lord, half brigand, had
+sojourned in it; to the margrave had succeeded bandits or
+counterfeit coiners, who had been hanged on the scene of their
+crime. The legend went that, on winter nights, Satan came to lead
+his diabolical dances on the slope of the deep gorges in which
+the shadow of these ruins was engulfed.
+
+But Master Zacharius was not dismayed by their sinister aspect.
+He reached the postern. No one forbade him to pass. A spacious
+and gloomy court presented itself to his eyes; no one forbade him
+to cross it. He passed along the kind of inclined plane which
+conducted to one of the long corridors, whose arches seemed to
+banish daylight from beneath their heavy springings. His advance
+was unresisted. Gerande, Aubert, and Scholastique closely
+followed him.
+
+Master Zacharius, as if guided by an irresistible hand, seemed
+sure of his way, and strode along with rapid step. He reached an
+old worm-eaten door, which fell before his blows, whilst the bats
+described oblique circles around his head.
+
+An immense hall, better preserved than the rest, was soon
+reached. High sculptured panels, on which serpents, ghouls, and
+other strange figures seemed to disport themselves confusedly,
+covered its walls. Several long and narrow windows, like
+loopholes, shivered beneath the bursts of the tempest.
+
+Master Zacharius, on reaching the middle of this hall, uttered a
+cry of joy.
+
+On an iron support, fastened to the wall, stood the clock in
+which now resided his entire life. This unequalled masterpiece
+represented an ancient Roman church, with buttresses of wrought
+iron, with its heavy bell-tower, where there was a complete chime
+for the anthem of the day, the "Angelus," the mass, vespers,
+compline, and the benediction. Above the church door, which
+opened at the hour of the services, was placed a "rose," in the
+centre of which two hands moved, and the archivault of which
+reproduced the twelve hours of the face sculptured in relief.
+Between the door and the rose, just as Scholastique had said, a
+maxim, relative to the employment of every moment of the day,
+appeared on a copper plate. Master Zacharius had once regulated
+this succession of devices with a really Christian solicitude;
+the hours of prayer, of work, of repast, of recreation, and of
+repose, followed each other according to the religious discipline,
+and were to infallibly insure salvation to him who scrupulously
+observed their commands.
+
+Master Zacharius, intoxicated with joy, went forward to take
+possession of the clock, when a frightful roar of laughter
+resounded behind him.
+
+He turned, and by the light of a smoky lamp recognized the little
+old man of Geneva.
+
+"You here?" cried he.
+
+Gerande was afraid. She drew closer to Aubert.
+
+"Good-day, Master Zacharius," said the monster.
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"Signor Pittonaccio, at your service! You have come to give me
+your daughter! You have remembered my words, 'Gerande will not
+wed Aubert.'"
+
+The young apprentice rushed upon Pittonaccio, who escaped from
+him like a shadow.
+
+"Stop, Aubert!" cried Master Zacharius.
+
+"Good-night," said Pittonaccio, and he disappeared.
+
+"My father, let us fly from this hateful place!" cried Gerande.
+"My father!"
+
+Master Zacharius was no longer there. He was pursuing the phantom
+of Pittonaccio across the rickety corridors. Scholastique,
+Gerande, and Aubert remained, speechless and fainting, in the
+large gloomy hall. The young girl had fallen upon a stone seat;
+the old servant knelt beside her, and prayed; Aubert remained
+erect, watching his betrothed. Pale lights wandered in the
+darkness, and the silence was only broken by the movements of the
+little animals which live in old wood, and the noise of which
+marks the hours of "death watch."
+
+When daylight came, they ventured upon the endless staircase
+which wound beneath these ruined masses; for two hours they
+wandered thus without meeting a living soul, and hearing only a
+far-off echo responding to their cries. Sometimes they found
+themselves buried a hundred feet below the ground, and sometimes
+they reached places whence they could overlook the wild
+mountains.
+
+Chance brought them at last back again to the vast hall, which
+had sheltered them during this night of anguish. It was no longer
+empty. Master Zacharius and Pittonaccio were talking there
+together, the one upright and rigid as a corpse, the other
+crouching over a marble table.
+
+Master Zacharius, when he perceived Gerande, went forward and
+took her by the hand, and led her towards Pittonaccio, saying,
+"Behold your lord and master, my daughter. Gerande, behold your
+husband!"
+
+Gerande shuddered from head to foot.
+
+"Never!" cried Aubert, "for she is my betrothed."
+
+"Never!" responded Gerande, like a plaintive echo.
+
+Pittonaccio began to laugh.
+
+"You wish me to die, then!" exclaimed the old man. "There, in
+that clock, the last which goes of all which have gone from my
+hands, my life is shut up; and this man tells me, 'When I have
+thy daughter, this clock shall belong to thee.' And this man will
+not rewind it. He can break it, and plunge me into chaos. Ah, my
+daughter, you no longer love me!"
+
+"My father!" murmured Gerande, recovering consciousness.
+
+"If you knew what I have suffered, far away from this principle
+of my existence!" resumed the old man. "Perhaps no one looked
+after this timepiece. Perhaps its springs were left to wear out,
+its wheels to get clogged. But now, in my own hands, I can
+nourish this health so dear, for I must not die,--I, the great
+watchmaker of Geneva. Look, my daughter, how these hands advance
+with certain step. See, five o'clock is about to strike. Listen
+well, and look at the maxim which is about to be revealed."
+
+Five o'clock struck with a noise which resounded sadly in
+Gerande's soul, and these words appeared in red letters:
+
+"YOU MUST EAT OF THE FRUITS OF THE TREE OF SCIENCE."
+
+Aubert and Gerande looked at each other stupefied. These were no
+longer the pious sayings of the Catholic watchmaker. The breath
+of Satan must have passed over it. But Zacharius paid no
+attention to this, and resumed--
+
+"Dost thou hear, my Gerande? I live, I still live! Listen to my
+breathing,--see the blood circulating in my veins! No, thou
+wouldst not kill thy father, and thou wilt accept this man for
+thy husband, so that I may become immortal, and at last attain
+the power of God!"
+
+At these blasphemous words old Scholastique crossed herself, and
+Pittonaccio laughed aloud with joy.
+
+"And then, Gerande, thou wilt be happy with him. See this man,--he
+is Time! Thy existence will be regulated with absolute
+precision. Gerande, since I gave thee life, give life to thy
+father!"
+
+[Illustration: "See this man,--he is Time!"]
+
+"Gerande," murmured Aubert, "I am thy betrothed."
+
+"He is my father!" replied Gerande, fainting.
+
+"She is thine!" said Master Zacharius. "Pittonaccio, them wilt
+keep thy promise!"
+
+"Here is the key of the clock," replied the horrible man.
+
+Master Zacharius seized the long key, which resembled an uncoiled
+snake, and ran to the clock, which he hastened to wind up with
+fantastic rapidity. The creaking of the spring jarred upon the
+nerves. The old watchmaker wound and wound the key, without
+stopping a moment, and it seemed as if the movement were beyond
+his control. He wound more and more quickly, with strange
+contortions, until he fell from sheer weariness.
+
+"There, it is wound up for a century!" he cried.
+
+Aubert rushed from the hall as if he were mad. After long
+wandering, he found the outlet of the hateful chateau, and
+hastened into the open air. He returned to the hermitage of
+Notre-Dame-du-Sex, and talked so despairingly to the holy
+recluse, that the latter consented to return with him to the
+chateau of Andernatt.
+
+If, during these hours of anguish, Gerande had not wept, it was
+because her tears were exhausted.
+
+Master Zacharius had not left the hall. He ran every moment to
+listen to the regular beating of the old clock.
+
+Meanwhile the clock had struck, and to Scholastique's great
+terror, these words had appeared on the silver face:--"MAN OUGHT
+TO BECOME THE EQUAL OF GOD."
+
+The old man had not only not been shocked by these impious
+maxims, but read them deliriously, and flattered himself with
+thoughts of pride, whilst Pittonaccio kept close by him.
+
+The marriage-contract was to be signed at midnight. Gerande,
+almost unconscious, saw or heard nothing. The silence was only
+broken by the old man's words, and the chuckling of Pittonaccio.
+
+Eleven o'clock struck. Master Zacharius shuddered, and read in a
+loud voice:--
+
+"MAN SHOULD BE THE SLAVE OF SCIENCE, AND
+ SACRIFICE TO IT RELATIVES AND FAMILY."
+
+"Yes!" he cried, "there is nothing but science in this world!"
+
+The hands slipped over the face of the clock with the hiss of a
+serpent, and the pendulum beat with accelerated strokes.
+
+Master Zacharius no longer spoke. He had fallen to the floor, his
+throat rattled, and from his oppressed bosom came only these
+half-broken words: "Life--science!"
+
+The scene had now two new witnesses, the hermit and Aubert.
+Master Zacharius lay upon the floor; Gerande was praying beside
+him, more dead than alive.
+
+Of a sudden a dry, hard noise was heard, which preceded the
+strike.
+
+Master Zacharius sprang up.
+
+"Midnight!" he cried.
+
+The hermit stretched out his hand towards the old clock,--and
+midnight did not sound.
+
+Master Zacharius uttered a terrible cry, which must have been
+heard in hell, when these words appeared:--
+
+"WHO EVER SHALL ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIMSELF THE EQUAL OF GOD, SHALL
+BE FOR EVER DAMNED!"
+
+The old clock burst with a noise like thunder, and the spring,
+escaping, leaped across the hall with a thousand fantastic
+contortions; the old man rose, ran after it, trying in vain to
+seize it, and exclaiming, "My soul,--my soul!"
+
+The spring bounded before him, first on one side, then on the
+other, and he could not reach it.
+
+At last Pittonaccio seized it, and, uttering a horrible
+blasphemy, ingulfed himself in the earth.
+
+Master Zacharius fell backwards. He was dead.
+
+[Illustration: He was dead.]
+
+The old watchmaker was buried in the midst of the peaks of
+Andernatt.
+
+Then Aubert and Gerande returned to Geneva, and during the long
+life which God accorded to them, they made it a duty to redeem by
+prayer the soul of the castaway of science.
+
+
+
+
+A DRAMA IN THE AIR.
+
+
+In the month of September, 185--, I arrived at Frankfort-on-the-Maine.
+My passage through the principal German cities had been brilliantly
+marked by balloon ascents; but as yet no German had accompanied me in
+my car, and the fine experiments made at Paris by MM. Green, Eugene
+Godard, and Poitevin had not tempted the grave Teutons to essay
+aerial voyages.
+
+But scarcely had the news of my approaching ascent spread through
+Frankfort, than three of the principal citizens begged the favour
+of being allowed to ascend with me. Two days afterwards we were
+to start from the Place de la Comedie. I began at once to get my
+balloon ready. It was of silk, prepared with gutta percha, a
+substance impermeable by acids or gasses; and its volume, which
+was three thousand cubic yards, enabled it to ascend to the
+loftiest heights.
+
+The day of the ascent was that of the great September fair, which
+attracts so many people to Frankfort. Lighting gas, of a perfect
+quality and of great lifting power, had been furnished to me in
+excellent condition, and about eleven o'clock the balloon was
+filled; but only three-quarters filled,--an indispensable
+precaution, for, as one rises, the atmosphere diminishes in
+density, and the fluid enclosed within the balloon, acquiring
+more elasticity, might burst its sides. My calculations had
+furnished me with exactly the quantity of gas necessary to carry
+up my companions and myself.
+
+We were to start at noon. The impatient crowd which pressed
+around the enclosed space, filling the enclosed square,
+overflowing into the contiguous streets, and covering the houses
+from the ground-floor to the slated gables, presented a striking
+scene. The high winds of the preceding days had subsided. An
+oppressive heat fell from the cloudless sky. Scarcely a breath
+animated the atmosphere. In such weather, one might descend again
+upon the very spot whence he had risen.
+
+I carried three hundred pounds of ballast in bags; the car, quite
+round, four feet in diameter, was comfortably arranged; the
+hempen cords which supported it stretched symmetrically over the
+upper hemisphere of the balloon; the compass was in place, the
+barometer suspended in the circle which united the supporting
+cords, and the anchor carefully put in order. All was now ready
+for the ascent.
+
+Among those who pressed around the enclosure, I remarked a young
+man with a pale face and agitated features. The sight of him
+impressed me. He was an eager spectator of my ascents, whom I had
+already met in several German cities. With an uneasy air, he
+closely watched the curious machine, as it lay motionless a few
+feet above the ground; and he remained silent among those about
+him.
+
+Twelve o'clock came. The moment had arrived, but my travelling
+companions did not appear.
+
+I sent to their houses, and learnt that one had left for Hamburg,
+another for Vienna, and the third for London. Their courage had
+failed them at the moment of undertaking one of those excursions
+which, thanks to the ability of living aeronauts, are free from
+all danger. As they formed, in some sort, a part of the programme
+of the day, the fear had seized them that they might be forced to
+execute it faithfully, and they had fled far from the scene at
+the instant when the balloon was being filled. Their courage was
+evidently the inverse ratio of their speed--in decamping.
+
+The multitude, half deceived, showed not a little ill-humour. I
+did not hesitate to ascend alone. In order to re-establish the
+equilibrium between the specific gravity of the balloon and the
+weight which had thus proved wanting, I replaced my companions by
+more sacks of sand, and got into the car. The twelve men who held
+the balloon by twelve cords fastened to the equatorial circle,
+let them slip a little between their fingers, and the balloon
+rose several feet higher. There was not a breath of wind, and the
+atmosphere was so leaden that it seemed to forbid the ascent.
+
+"Is everything ready?" I cried.
+
+The men put themselves in readiness. A last glance told me that I
+might go.
+
+"Attention!"
+
+There was a movement in the crowd, which seemed to be invading
+the enclosure.
+
+"Let go!"
+
+The balloon rose slowly, but I experienced a shock which threw me
+to the bottom of the car.
+
+When I got up, I found myself face to face with an unexpected
+fellow-voyager,--the pale young man.
+
+"Monsieur, I salute you," said he, with the utmost coolness.
+
+[Illustration: "Monsieur, I salute you,"]
+
+"By what right--"
+
+"Am I here? By the right which the impossibility of your getting
+rid of me confers."
+
+I was amazed! His calmness put me out of countenance, and I had
+nothing to reply. I looked at the intruder, but he took no notice
+of my astonishment.
+
+"Does my weight disarrange your equilibrium, monsieur?" he asked.
+"You will permit me--"
+
+And without waiting for my consent, he relieved the balloon of
+two bags, which he threw into space.
+
+"Monsieur," said I, taking the only course now possible, "you
+have come; very well, you will remain; but to me alone belongs
+the management of the balloon."
+
+"Monsieur," said he, "your urbanity is French all over: it comes
+from my own country. I morally press the hand you refuse me. Make
+all precautions, and act as seems best to you. I will wait till
+you have done--"
+
+"For what?"
+
+"To talk with you."
+
+The barometer had fallen to twenty-six inches. We were nearly six
+hundred yards above the city; but nothing betrayed the horizontal
+displacement of the balloon, for the mass of air in which it is
+enclosed goes forward with it. A sort of confused glow enveloped
+the objects spread out under us, and unfortunately obscured their
+outline.
+
+I examined my companion afresh.
+
+He was a man of thirty years, simply clad. The sharpness of his
+features betrayed an indomitable energy, and he seemed very
+muscular. Indifferent to the astonishment he created, he remained
+motionless, trying to distinguish the objects which were vaguely
+confused below us.
+
+"Miserable mist!" said he, after a few moments.
+
+I did not reply.
+
+"You owe me a grudge?" he went on. "Bah! I could not pay for my
+journey, and it was necessary to take you by surprise."
+
+"Nobody asks you to descend, monsieur!"
+
+"Eh, do you not know, then, that the same thing happened to the
+Counts of Laurencin and Dampierre, when they ascended at Lyons,
+on the 15th of January, 1784? A young merchant, named Fontaine,
+scaled the gallery, at the risk of capsizing the machine. He
+accomplished the journey, and nobody died of it!"
+
+"Once on the ground, we will have an explanation," replied I,
+piqued at the light tone in which he spoke.
+
+"Bah! Do not let us think of our return."
+
+"Do you think, then, that I shall not hasten to descend?"
+
+"Descend!" said he, in surprise. "Descend? Let us begin by first
+ascending."
+
+And before I could prevent it, two more bags had been thrown over
+the car, without even having been emptied.
+
+"Monsieur!" cried I, in a rage.
+
+[Illustration: "Monsieur!" cried I, in a rage.]
+
+"I know your ability," replied the unknown quietly, "and your
+fine ascents are famous. But if Experience is the sister of
+Practice, she is also a cousin of Theory, and I have studied the
+aerial art long. It has got into my head!" he added sadly,
+falling into a silent reverie.
+
+The balloon, having risen some distance farther, now became
+stationary. The unknown consulted the barometer, and said,--
+
+"Here we are, at eight hundred yards. Men are like insects. See!
+I think we should always contemplate them from this height, to
+judge correctly of their proportions. The Place de la Comedie is
+transformed into an immense ant-hill. Observe the crowd which is
+gathered on the quays; and the mountains also get smaller and
+smaller. We are over the Cathedral. The Main is only a line,
+cutting the city in two, and the bridge seems a thread thrown
+between the two banks of the river."
+
+The atmosphere became somewhat chilly.
+
+"There is nothing I would not do for you, my host," said the
+unknown. "If you are cold, I will take off my coat and lend it to
+you."
+
+"Thanks," said I dryly.
+
+"Bah! Necessity makes law. Give me your hand. I am your
+fellow-countryman; you will learn something in my company, and my
+conversation will indemnify you for the trouble I have given
+you."
+
+I sat down, without replying, at the opposite extremity of the
+car. The young man had taken a voluminous manuscript from his
+great-coat. It was an essay on ballooning.
+
+"I possess," said he, "the most curious collection of engravings
+and caricatures extant concerning aerial manias. How people
+admired and scoffed at the same time at this precious discovery!
+We are happily no longer in the age in which Montgolfier tried to
+make artificial clouds with steam, or a gas having electrical
+properties, produced by the combustion of moist straw and
+chopped-up wool."
+
+"Do you wish to depreciate the talent of the inventors?" I asked,
+for I had resolved to enter into the adventure. "Was it not good
+to have proved by experience the possibility of rising in the
+air?"
+
+"Ah, monsieur, who denies the glory of the first aerial
+navigators? It required immense courage to rise by means of those
+frail envelopes which only contained heated air. But I ask you,
+has the aerial science made great progress since Blanchard's
+ascensions, that is, since nearly a century ago? Look here,
+monsieur."
+
+The unknown took an engraving from his portfolio.
+
+"Here," said he, "is the first aerial voyage undertaken by
+Pilatre des Rosiers and the Marquis d'Arlandes, four months after
+the discovery of balloons. Louis XVI. refused to consent to the
+venture, and two men who were condemned to death were the first
+to attempt the aerial ascent. Pilatre des Rosiers became
+indignant at this injustice, and, by means of intrigues, obtained
+permission to make the experiment. The car, which renders the
+management easy, had not then been invented, and a circular
+gallery was placed around the lower and contracted part of the
+Montgolfier balloon. The two aeronauts must then remain
+motionless at each extremity of this gallery, for the moist straw
+which filled it forbade them all motion. A chafing-dish with fire
+was suspended below the orifice of the balloon; when the
+aeronauts wished to rise, they threw straw upon this brazier, at
+the risk of setting fire to the balloon, and the air, more
+heated, gave it fresh ascending power. The two bold travellers
+rose, on the 21st of November, 1783, from the Muette Gardens,
+which the dauphin had put at their disposal. The balloon went up
+majestically, passed over the Isle of Swans, crossed the Seine at
+the Conference barrier, and, drifting between the dome of the
+Invalides and the Military School, approached the Church of Saint
+Sulpice. Then the aeronauts added to the fire, crossed the
+Boulevard, and descended beyond the Enfer barrier. As it touched
+the soil, the balloon collapsed, and for a few moments buried
+Pilatre des Rosiers under its folds."
+
+"Unlucky augury," I said, interested in the story, which affected
+me nearly.
+
+"An augury of the catastrophe which was later to cost this
+unfortunate man his life," replied the unknown sadly. "Have you
+never experienced anything like it?"
+
+"Never,"
+
+"Bah! Misfortunes sometimes occur unforeshadowed!" added my
+companion.
+
+He then remained silent.
+
+Meanwhile we were advancing southward, and Frankfort had already
+passed from beneath us.
+
+"Perhaps we shall have a storm," said the young man.
+
+"We shall descend before that," I replied.
+
+"Indeed! It is better to ascend. We shall escape it more surely."
+
+And two more bags of sand were hurled into space.
+
+The balloon rose rapidly, and stopped at twelve hundred yards. I
+became colder; and yet the sun's rays, falling upon the surface,
+expanded the gas within, and gave it a greater ascending force.
+
+"Fear nothing," said the unknown. "We have still three thousand
+five hundred fathoms of breathing air. Besides, do not trouble
+yourself about what I do."
+
+I would have risen, but a vigorous hand held me to my seat.
+
+"Your name?" I asked.
+
+"My name? What matters it to you?"
+
+"I demand your name!"
+
+"My name is Erostratus or Empedocles, whichever you choose!"
+
+This reply was far from reassuring.
+
+The unknown, besides, talked with such strange coolness that I
+anxiously asked myself whom I had to deal with.
+
+"Monsieur," he continued, "nothing original has been imagined
+since the physicist Charles. Four months after the discovery of
+balloons, this able man had invented the valve, which permits the
+gas to escape when the balloon is too full, or when you wish to
+descend; the car, which aids the management of the machine; the
+netting, which holds the envelope of the balloon, and divides the
+weight over its whole surface; the ballast, which enables you to
+ascend, and to choose the place of your landing; the india-rubber
+coating, which renders the tissue impermeable; the barometer,
+which shows the height attained. Lastly, Charles used hydrogen,
+which, fourteen times lighter than air, permits you to penetrate
+to the highest atmospheric regions, and does not expose you to
+the dangers of a combustion in the air. On the 1st of December,
+1783, three hundred thousand spectators were crowded around the
+Tuileries. Charles rose, and the soldiers presented arms to him.
+He travelled nine leagues in the air, conducting his balloon with
+an ability not surpassed by modern aeronauts. The king awarded
+him a pension of two thousand livres; for then they encouraged
+new inventions."
+
+The unknown now seemed to be under the influence of considerable
+agitation.
+
+"Monsieur," he resumed, "I have studied this, and I am convinced
+that the first aeronauts guided their balloons. Without speaking
+of Blanchard, whose assertions may be received with doubt,
+Guyton-Morveaux, by the aid of oars and rudder, made his machine
+answer to the helm, and take the direction he determined on. More
+recently, M. Julien, a watchmaker, made some convincing
+experiments at the Hippodrome, in Paris; for, by a special
+mechanism, his aerial apparatus, oblong in form, went visibly
+against the wind. It occurred to M. Petin to place four hydrogen
+balloons together; and, by means of sails hung horizontally and
+partly folded, he hopes to be able to disturb the equilibrium,
+and, thus inclining the apparatus, to convey it in an oblique
+direction. They speak, also, of forces to overcome the resistance
+of currents,--for instance, the screw; but the screw, working on
+a moveable centre, will give no result. I, monsieur, have
+discovered the only means of guiding balloons; and no academy has
+come to my aid, no city has filled up subscriptions for me, no
+government has thought fit to listen to me! It is infamous!"
+
+The unknown gesticulated fiercely, and the car underwent violent
+oscillations. I had much trouble in calming him.
+
+Meanwhile the balloon had entered a more rapid current, and we
+advanced south, at fifteen hundred yards above the earth.
+
+"See, there is Darmstadt," said my companion, leaning over the
+car. "Do you perceive the chateau? Not very distinctly, eh? What
+would you have? The heat of the storm makes the outline of
+objects waver, and you must have a skilled eye to recognize
+localities."
+
+"Are you certain it is Darmstadt?" I asked.
+
+"I am sure of it. We are now six leagues from Frankfort."
+
+"Then we must descend."
+
+"Descend! You would not go down, on the steeples," said the
+unknown, with a chuckle.
+
+"No, but in the suburbs of the city."
+
+"Well, let us avoid the steeples!"
+
+So speaking, my companion seized some bags of ballast. I hastened
+to prevent him; but he overthrew me with one hand, and the
+unballasted balloon ascended to two thousand yards.
+
+"Rest easy," said he, "and do not forget that Brioschi, Biot,
+Gay-Lussac, Bixio, and Barral ascended to still greater heights
+to make their scientific experiments."
+
+"Monsieur, we must descend," I resumed, trying to persuade him by
+gentleness. "The storm is gathering around us. It would be more
+prudent--"
+
+"Bah! We will mount higher than the storm, and then we shall no
+longer fear it!" cried my companion. "What is nobler than to
+overlook the clouds which oppress the earth? Is it not an honour
+thus to navigate on aerial billows? The greatest men have
+travelled as we are doing. The Marchioness and Countess de
+Montalembert, the Countess of Podenas, Mademoiselle la Garde, the
+Marquis de Montalembert, rose from the Faubourg Saint-Antoine for
+these unknown regions, and the Duke de Chartres exhibited much
+skill and presence of mind in his ascent on the 15th of July,
+1784. At Lyons, the Counts of Laurencin and Dampierre; at Nantes,
+M. de Luynes; at Bordeaux, D'Arbelet des Granges; in Italy, the
+Chevalier Andreani; in our own time, the Duke of Brunswick,--have
+all left the traces of their glory in the air. To equal these
+great personages, we must penetrate still higher than they into
+the celestial depths! To approach the infinite is to comprehend
+it!"
+
+The rarefaction of the air was fast expanding the hydrogen in the
+balloon, and I saw its lower part, purposely left empty, swell
+out, so that it was absolutely necessary to open the valve; but
+my companion did not seem to intend that I should manage the
+balloon as I wished. I then resolved to pull the valve cord
+secretly, as he was excitedly talking; for I feared to guess with
+whom I had to deal. It would have been too horrible! It was
+nearly a quarter before one. We had been gone forty minutes from
+Frankfort; heavy clouds were coming against the wind from the
+south, and seemed about to burst upon us.
+
+"Have you lost all hope of succeeding in your project?" I asked
+with anxious interest.
+
+"All hope!" exclaimed the unknown in a low voice. "Wounded by
+slights and caricatures, these asses' kicks have finished me! It
+is the eternal punishment reserved for innovators! Look at these
+caricatures of all periods, of which my portfolio is full."
+
+While my companion was fumbling with his papers, I had seized the
+valve-cord without his perceiving it. I feared, however, that he
+might hear the hissing noise, like a water-course, which the gas
+makes in escaping.
+
+"How many jokes were made about the Abbe Miolan!" said he. "He
+was to go up with Janninet and Bredin. During the filling their
+balloon caught fire, and the ignorant populace tore it in pieces!
+Then this caricature of 'curious animals' appeared, giving each
+of them a punning nickname."
+
+I pulled the valve-cord, and the barometer began to ascend. It
+was time. Some far-off rumblings were heard in the south.
+
+"Here is another engraving," resumed the unknown, not suspecting
+what I was doing. "It is an immense balloon carrying a ship,
+strong castles, houses, and so on. The caricaturists did not
+suspect that their follies would one day become truths. It is
+complete, this large vessel. On the left is its helm, with the
+pilot's box; at the prow are pleasure-houses, an immense organ,
+and a cannon to call the attention of the inhabitants of the
+earth or the moon; above the poop there are the observatory and
+the balloon long-boat; in the equatorial circle, the army
+barrack; on the left, the funnel; then the upper galleries for
+promenading, sails, pinions; below, the cafes and general
+storehouse. Observe this pompous announcement: 'Invented for the
+happiness of the human race, this globe will depart at once for
+the ports of the Levant, and on its return the programme of its
+voyages to the two poles and the extreme west will be announced.
+No one need furnish himself with anything; everything is
+foreseen, and all will prosper. There will be a uniform price for
+all places of destination, but it will be the same for the most
+distant countries of our hemisphere--that is to say, a thousand
+louis for one of any of the said journeys. And it must be
+confessed that this sum is very moderate, when the speed,
+comfort, and arrangements which will be enjoyed on the balloon
+are considered--arrangements which are not to be found on land,
+while on the balloon each passenger may consult his own habits
+and tastes. This is so true that in the same place some will be
+dancing, others standing; some will be enjoying delicacies;
+others fasting. Whoever desires the society of wits may satisfy
+himself; whoever is stupid may find stupid people to keep him
+company. Thus pleasure will be the soul of the aerial company.'
+All this provoked laughter; but before long, if I am not cut off,
+they will see it all realized."
+
+We were visibly descending. He did not perceive it!
+
+"This kind of 'game at balloons,'" he resumed, spreading out
+before me some of the engravings of his valuable collection,
+"this game contains the entire history of the aerostatic art. It
+is used by elevated minds, and is played with dice and counters,
+with whatever stakes you like, to be paid or received according
+to where the player arrives."
+
+"Why," said I, "you seem to have studied the science of
+aerostation profoundly."
+
+"Yes, monsieur, yes! From Phaethon, Icarus, Architas, I have
+searched for, examined, learnt everything. I could render immense
+services to the world in this art, if God granted me life. But
+that will not be!"
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because my name is Empedocles, or Erostratus."
+
+Meanwhile, the balloon was happily approaching the earth; but
+when one is falling, the danger is as great at a hundred feet as
+at five thousand.
+
+"Do you recall the battle of Fleurus?" resumed my companion,
+whose face became more and more animated. "It was at that battle
+that Contello, by order of the Government, organized a company of
+balloonists. At the siege of Manbenge General Jourdan derived so
+much service from this new method of observation that Contello
+ascended twice a day with the general himself. The communications
+between the aeronaut and his agents who held the balloon were
+made by means of small white, red, and yellow flags. Often the
+gun and cannon shot were directed upon the balloon when he
+ascended, but without result. When General Jourdan was preparing
+to invest Charleroi, Contello went into the vicinity, ascended
+from the plain of Jumet, and continued his observations for seven
+or eight hours with General Morlot, and this no doubt aided in
+giving us the victory of Fleurus. General Jourdan publicly
+acknowledged the help which the aeronautical observations had
+afforded him. Well, despite the services rendered on that
+occasion and during the Belgian campaign, the year which had seen
+the beginning of the military career of balloons saw also its
+end. The school of Meudon, founded by the Government, was closed
+by Buonaparte on his return from Egypt. And now, what can you
+expect from the new-born infant? as Franklin said. The infant was
+born alive; it should not be stifled!"
+
+[Illustration: "He continued his observations for seven or eight
+hours with General Morlot"]
+
+The unknown bowed his head in his hands, and reflected for some
+moments; then raising his head, he said,--
+
+"Despite my prohibition, monsieur, you have opened the valve."
+
+I dropped the cord.
+
+"Happily," he resumed, "we have still three hundred pounds of
+ballast."
+
+"What is your purpose?" said I.
+
+"Have you ever crossed the seas?" he asked.
+
+I turned pale.
+
+"It is unfortunate," he went on, "that we are being driven
+towards the Adriatic. That is only a stream; but higher up we may
+find other currents."
+
+And, without taking any notice of me, he threw over several bags
+of sand; then, in a menacing voice, he said,--
+
+"I let you open the valve because the expansion of the gas
+threatened to burst the balloon; but do not do it again!"
+
+Then he went on as follows:--
+
+"You remember the voyage of Blanchard and Jeffries from Dover to
+Calais? It was magnificent! On the 7th of January, 1785, there
+being a north-west wind, their balloon was inflated with gas on
+the Dover coast. A mistake of equilibrium, just as they were
+ascending, forced them to throw out their ballast so that they
+might not go down again, and they only kept thirty pounds. It was
+too little; for, as the wind did not freshen, they only advanced
+very slowly towards the French coast. Besides, the permeability
+of the tissue served to reduce the inflation little by little,
+and in an hour and a half the aeronauts perceived that they were
+descending.
+
+"'What shall we do?' said Jeffries.
+
+"'We are only one quarter of the way over,' replied Blanchard,
+'and very low down. On rising, we shall perhaps meet more
+favourable winds.'
+
+"'Let us throw out the rest of the sand.'
+
+"The balloon acquired some ascending force, but it soon began to
+descend again. Towards the middle of the transit the aeronauts
+threw over their books and tools. A quarter of an hour after,
+Blanchard said to Jeffries,--
+
+"'The barometer?'
+
+"'It is going up! We are lost, and yet there is the French
+coast.'
+
+"A loud noise was heard.
+
+"'Has the balloon burst?' asked Jeffries.
+
+"'No. The loss of the gas has reduced the inflation of the lower
+part of the balloon. But we are still descending. We are lost!
+Out with everything useless!'
+
+"Provisions, oars, and rudder were thrown into the sea. The
+aeronauts were only one hundred yards high.
+
+"'We are going up again,' said the doctor.
+
+"'No. It is the spurt caused by the diminution of the weight, and
+not a ship in sight, not a bark on the horizon! To the sea with
+our clothing!'
+
+"The unfortunates stripped themselves, but the balloon continued
+to descend.
+
+"'Blanchard,' said Jeffries, 'you should have made this voyage
+alone; you consented to take me; I will sacrifice myself! I am
+going to throw myself into the water, and the balloon, relieved
+of my weight, will mount again.'
+
+"'No, no! It is frightful!'
+
+"The balloon became less and less inflated, and as it doubled up
+its concavity pressed the gas against the sides, and hastened its
+downward course.
+
+[Illustration: The balloon became less and less inflated]
+
+"'Adieu, my friend," said the doctor. 'God preserve you!'
+
+"He was about to throw himself over, when Blanchard held him
+back.
+
+"'There is one more chance,' said he. 'We can cut the cords which
+hold the car, and cling to the net! Perhaps the balloon will
+rise. Let us hold ourselves ready. But--the barometer is going
+down! The wind is freshening! We are saved!'
+
+"The aeronauts perceived Calais. Their joy was delirious. A few
+moments more, and they had fallen in the forest of Guines. I do
+not doubt," added the unknown, "that, under similar circumstances,
+you would have followed Doctor Jeffries' example!"
+
+The clouds rolled in glittering masses beneath us. The balloon
+threw large shadows on this heap of clouds, and was surrounded as
+by an aureola. The thunder rumbled below the car. All this was
+terrifying.
+
+"Let us descend!" I cried.
+
+"Descend, when the sun is up there, waiting for us? Out with more
+bags!"
+
+And more than fifty pounds of ballast were cast over.
+
+At a height of three thousand five hundred yards we remained
+stationary.
+
+The unknown talked unceasingly. I was in a state of complete
+prostration, while he seemed to be in his element.
+
+"With a good wind, we shall go far," he cried. "In the Antilles
+there are currents of air which have a speed of a hundred leagues
+an hour. When Napoleon was crowned, Garnerin sent up a balloon
+with coloured lamps, at eleven o'clock at night. The wind was
+blowing north-north-west. The next morning, at daybreak, the
+inhabitants of Rome greeted its passage over the dome of St.
+Peter's. We shall go farther and higher!"
+
+I scarcely heard him. Everything whirled around me. An opening
+appeared in the clouds.
+
+"See that city," said the unknown. "It is Spires!"
+
+I leaned over the car and perceived a small blackish mass. It was
+Spires. The Rhine, which is so large, seemed an unrolled ribbon.
+The sky was a deep blue over our heads. The birds had long
+abandoned us, for in that rarefied air they could not have flown.
+We were alone in space, and I in presence of this unknown!
+
+"It is useless for you to know whither I am leading you," he
+said, as he threw the compass among the clouds. "Ah! a fall is a
+grand thing! You know that but few victims of ballooning are to
+be reckoned, from Pilatre des Rosiers to Lieutenant Gale, and
+that the accidents have always been the result of imprudence.
+Pilatre des Rosiers set out with Romain of Boulogne, on the 13th
+of June, 1785. To his gas balloon he had affixed a Montgolfier
+apparatus of hot air, so as to dispense, no doubt, with the
+necessity of losing gas or throwing out ballast. It was putting a
+torch under a powder-barrel. When they had ascended four hundred
+yards, and were taken by opposing winds, they were driven over
+the open sea. Pilatre, in order to descend, essayed to open the
+valve, but the valve-cord became entangled in the balloon, and
+tore it so badly that it became empty in an instant. It fell upon
+the Montgolfier apparatus, overturned it, and dragged down the
+unfortunates, who were soon shattered to pieces! It is frightful,
+is it not?"
+
+I could only reply, "For pity's sake, let us descend!"
+
+The clouds gathered around us on every side, and dreadful
+detonations, which reverberated in the cavity of the balloon,
+took place beneath us.
+
+"You provoke me," cried the unknown, "and you shall no longer
+know whether we are rising or falling!"
+
+The barometer went the way of the compass, accompanied by several
+more bags of sand. We must have been 5000 yards high. Some
+icicles had already attached themselves to the sides of the car,
+and a kind of fine snow seemed to penetrate to my very bones.
+Meanwhile a frightful tempest was raging under us, but we were
+above it.
+
+"Do not be afraid," said the unknown. "It is only the imprudent
+who are lost. Olivari, who perished at Orleans, rose in a paper
+'Montgolfier;' his car, suspended below the chafing-dish, and
+ballasted with combustible materials, caught fire; Olivari fell,
+and was killed! Mosment rose, at Lille, on a light tray; an
+oscillation disturbed his equilibrium; Mosment fell, and was
+killed! Bittorf, at Mannheim, saw his balloon catch fire in the
+air; and he, too, fell, and was killed! Harris rose in a badly
+constructed balloon, the valve of which was too large and would
+not shut; Harris fell, and was killed! Sadler, deprived of
+ballast by his long sojourn in the air, was dragged over the town
+of Boston and dashed against the chimneys; Sadler fell, and was
+killed! Cokling descended with a convex parachute which he
+pretended to have perfected; Cokling fell, and was killed! Well,
+I love them, these victims of their own imprudence, and I shall
+die as they did. Higher! still higher!"
+
+All the phantoms of this necrology passed before my eyes. The
+rarefaction of the air and the sun's rays added to the expansion
+of the gas, and the balloon continued to mount. I tried
+mechanically to open the valve, but the unknown cut the cord
+several feet above my head. I was lost!
+
+"Did you see Madame Blanchard fall?" said he. "I saw her; yes, I!
+I was at Tivoli on the 6th of July, 1819. Madame Blanchard rose
+in a small sized balloon, to avoid the expense of filling, and
+she was forced to entirely inflate it. The gas leaked out below,
+and left a regular train of hydrogen in its path. She carried
+with her a sort of pyrotechnic aureola, suspended below her car
+by a wire, which she was to set off in the air. This she had done
+many times before. On this day she also carried up a small
+parachute ballasted by a firework contrivance, that would go off
+in a shower of silver. She was to start this contrivance after
+having lighted it with a port-fire made on purpose. She set out;
+the night was gloomy. At the moment of lighting her fireworks she
+was so imprudent as to pass the taper under the column of
+hydrogen which was leaking from the balloon. My eyes were fixed
+upon her. Suddenly an unexpected gleam lit up the darkness. I
+thought she was preparing a surprise. The light flashed out,
+suddenly disappeared and reappeared, and gave the summit of the
+balloon the shape of an immense jet of ignited gas. This sinister
+glow shed itself over the Boulevard and the whole Montmartre
+quarter. Then I saw the unhappy woman rise, try twice to close
+the appendage of the balloon, so as to put out the fire, then sit
+down in her car and try to guide her descent; for she did not
+fall. The combustion of the gas lasted for several minutes. The
+balloon, becoming gradually less, continued to descend, but it
+was not a fall. The wind blew from the north-west and drove it
+towards Paris. There were then some large gardens just by the
+house No. 16, Rue de Provence. Madame Blanchard essayed to fall
+there without danger: but the balloon and the car struck on the
+roof of the house with a light shock. 'Save me!' cried the
+wretched woman. I got into the street at this moment. The car
+slid along the roof, and encountered an iron cramp. At this
+concussion, Madame Blanchard was thrown out of her car and
+precipitated upon the pavement. She was killed!"
+
+These stories froze me with horror. The unknown was standing with
+bare head, dishevelled hair, haggard eyes!
+
+There was no longer any illusion possible. I at last recognized
+the horrible truth. I was in the presence of a madman!
+
+He threw out the rest of the ballast, and we must have now
+reached a height of at least nine thousand yards. Blood spurted
+from my nose and mouth!
+
+"Who are nobler than the martyrs of science?" cried the lunatic.
+"They are canonized by posterity."
+
+But I no longer heard him. He looked about him, and, bending down
+to my ear, muttered,--
+
+"And have you forgotten Zambecarri's catastrophe? Listen. On the
+7th of October, 1804, the clouds seemed to lift a little. On the
+preceding days, the wind and rain had not ceased; but the
+announced ascension of Zambecarri could not be postponed. His
+enemies were already bantering him. It was necessary to ascend,
+to save the science and himself from becoming a public jest. It
+was at Boulogne. No one helped him to inflate his balloon.
+
+"He rose at midnight, accompanied by Andreoli and Grossetti. The
+balloon mounted slowly, for it had been perforated by the rain,
+and the gas was leaking out. The three intrepid aeronauts could
+only observe the state of the barometer by aid of a dark lantern.
+Zambecarri had eaten nothing for twenty-four hours. Grossetti was
+also fasting.
+
+"'My friends,' said Zambecarri, 'I am overcome by cold, and
+exhausted. I am dying.'
+
+"He fell inanimate in the gallery. It was the same with
+Grossetti. Andreoli alone remained conscious. After long efforts,
+he succeeded in reviving Zambecarri.
+
+"'What news? Whither are we going? How is the wind? What time is
+it?'
+
+"'It is two o'clock.'
+
+"'Where is the compass?'
+
+"'Upset!'
+
+"'Great God! The lantern has gone out!'
+
+"'It cannot burn in this rarefied air,' said Zambecarri.
+
+"The moon had not risen, and the atmosphere was plunged in murky
+darkness.
+
+"'I am cold, Andreoli. What shall I do?'
+
+"They slowly descended through a layer of whitish clouds.
+
+"'Sh!' said Andreoli. 'Do you hear?'
+
+"'What?' asked Zambecarri.
+
+"'A strange noise.'
+
+"'You are mistaken.'
+
+"'No.'
+
+"Consider these travellers, in the middle of the night, listening
+to that unaccountable noise! Are they going to knock against a
+tower? Are they about to be precipitated on the roofs?
+
+"'Do you hear? One would say it was the noise of the sea.'
+
+"'Impossible!'
+
+"'It is the groaning of the waves!'
+
+"'It is true.'
+
+"'Light! light!'
+
+"After five fruitless attempts, Andreoli succeeded in obtaining
+light. It was three o'clock.
+
+"The voice of violent waves was heard. They were almost touching
+the surface of the sea!
+
+"'We are lost!' cried Zambecarri, seizing a large bag of sand.
+
+"'Help!' cried Andreoli.
+
+"The car touched the water, and the waves came up to their
+breasts.
+
+"'Throw out the instruments, clothes, money!'
+
+"The aeronauts completely stripped themselves. The balloon,
+relieved, rose with frightful rapidity. Zambecarri was taken with
+vomiting. Grossetti bled profusely. The unfortunate men could not
+speak, so short was their breathing. They were taken with cold,
+and they were soon crusted over with ice. The moon looked as red
+as blood.
+
+"After traversing the high regions for a half-hour, the balloon
+again fell into the sea. It was four in the morning. They were
+half submerged in the water, and the balloon dragged them along,
+as if under sail, for several hours.
+
+"At daybreak they found themselves opposite Pesaro, four miles
+from the coast. They were about to reach it, when a gale blew
+them back into the open sea. They were lost! The frightened boats
+fled at their approach. Happily, a more intelligent boatman
+accosted them, hoisted them on board, and they landed at Ferrada.
+
+"A frightful journey, was it not? But Zambecarri was a brave and
+energetic man. Scarcely recovered from his sufferings, he resumed
+his ascensions. During one of them he struck against a tree; his
+spirit-lamp was broken on his clothes; he was enveloped in fire,
+his balloon began to catch the flames, and he came down half
+consumed.
+
+"At last, on the 21st of September, 1812, he made another
+ascension at Boulogne. The balloon clung to a tree, and his lamp
+again set it on fire. Zambecarri fell, and was killed! And in
+presence of these facts, we would still hesitate! No. The higher
+we go, the more glorious will be our death!"
+
+[Illustration: "Zambecarri fell, and was killed!"]
+
+The balloon being now entirely relieved of ballast and of all it
+contained, we were carried to an enormous height. It vibrated in
+the atmosphere. The least noise resounded in the vaults of
+heaven. Our globe, the only object which caught my view in
+immensity, seemed ready to be annihilated, and above us the
+depths of the starry skies were lost in thick darkness.
+
+I saw my companion rise up before me.
+
+"The hour is come!" he said. "We must die. We are rejected of
+men. They despise us. Let us crush them!"
+
+"Mercy!" I cried.
+
+"Let us cut these cords! Let this car be abandoned in space. The
+attractive force will change its direction, and we shall approach
+the sun!"
+
+Despair galvanized me. I threw myself upon the madman, we
+struggled together, and a terrible conflict took place. But I was
+thrown down, and while he held me under his knee, the madman was
+cutting the cords of the car.
+
+"One!" he cried.
+
+"My God!"
+
+"Two! Three!"
+
+I made a superhuman effort, rose up, and violently repulsed the
+madman.
+
+"Four!"
+
+The car fell, but I instinctively clung to the cords and hoisted
+myself into the meshes of the netting.
+
+The madman disappeared in space!
+
+[Illustration: The madman disappeared in space!]
+
+The balloon was raised to an immeasurable height. A horrible
+cracking was heard. The gas, too much dilated, had burst the
+balloon. I shut my eyes--
+
+Some instants after, a damp warmth revived me. I was in the midst
+of clouds on fire. The balloon turned over with dizzy velocity.
+Taken by the wind, it made a hundred leagues an hour in a
+horizontal course, the lightning flashing around it.
+
+Meanwhile my fall was not a very rapid one. When I opened my
+eyes, I saw the country. I was two miles from the sea, and the
+tempest was driving me violently towards it, when an abrupt shock
+forced me to loosen my hold. My hands opened, a cord slipped
+swiftly between my fingers, and I found myself on the solid
+earth!
+
+It was the cord of the anchor, which, sweeping along the surface
+of the ground, was caught in a crevice; and my balloon,
+unballasted for the last time, careered off to lose itself beyond
+the sea.
+
+When I came to myself, I was in bed in a peasant's cottage, at
+Harderwick, a village of La Gueldre, fifteen leagues from
+Amsterdam, on the shores of the Zuyder-Zee.
+
+A miracle had saved my life, but my voyage had been a series of
+imprudences, committed by a lunatic, and I had not been able to
+prevent them.
+
+May this terrible narrative, though instructing those who read
+it, not discourage the explorers of the air.
+
+
+
+
+A WINTER AMID THE ICE.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE BLACK FLAG.
+
+
+The cure of the ancient church of Dunkirk rose at five o'clock on
+the 12th of May, 18--, to perform, according to his custom, low
+mass for the benefit of a few pious sinners.
+
+Attired in his priestly robes, he was about to proceed to the
+altar, when a man entered the sacristy, at once joyous and
+frightened. He was a sailor of some sixty years, but still
+vigorous and sturdy, with, an open, honest countenance.
+
+"Monsieur the cure," said he, "stop a moment, if you please."
+
+[Illustration: "Monsieur the cure," said he, "stop a moment, if
+you please."]
+
+"What do you want so early in the morning, Jean Cornbutte?" asked
+the cure.
+
+"What do I want? Why, to embrace you in my arms, i' faith!"
+
+"Well, after the mass at which you are going to be present--"
+
+"The mass?" returned the old sailor, laughing. "Do you think you
+are going to say your mass now, and that I will let you do so?"
+
+"And why should I not say my mass?" asked the cure. "Explain
+yourself. The third bell has sounded--"
+
+"Whether it has or not," replied Jean Cornbutte, "it will sound
+many more times to-day, monsieur the cure, for you have promised
+me that you will bless, with your own hands, the marriage of my
+son Louis and my niece Marie!"
+
+"He has arrived, then," said the cure "joyfully.
+
+"It is nearly the same thing," replied Cornbutte, rubbing his
+hands. "Our brig was signalled from the look out at sunrise,--our
+brig, which you yourself christened by the good name of the
+'Jeune-Hardie'!"
+
+"I congratulate you with all my heart, Cornbutte," said the cure,
+taking off his chasuble and stole. "I remember our agreement. The
+vicar will take my place, and I will put myself at your disposal
+against your dear son's arrival."
+
+"And I promise you that he will not make you fast long," replied
+the sailor. "You have already published the banns, and you will
+only have to absolve him from the sins he may have committed
+between sky and water, in the Northern Ocean. I had a good idea,
+that the marriage should be celebrated the very day he arrived,
+and that my son Louis should leave his ship to repair at once to
+the church."
+
+"Go, then, and arrange everything, Cornbutte."
+
+"I fly, monsieur the cure. Good morning!"
+
+The sailor hastened with rapid steps to his house, which stood on
+the quay, whence could be seen the Northern Ocean, of which he
+seemed so proud.
+
+Jean Cornbutte had amassed a comfortable sum at his calling.
+After having long commanded the vessels of a rich shipowner of
+Havre, he had settled down in his native town, where he had
+caused the brig "Jeune-Hardie" to be constructed at his own
+expense. Several successful voyages had been made in the North,
+and the ship always found a good sale for its cargoes of wood,
+iron, and tar. Jean Cornbutte then gave up the command of her to
+his son Louis, a fine sailor of thirty, who, according to all the
+coasting captains, was the boldest mariner in Dunkirk.
+
+Louis Cornbutte had gone away deeply attached to Marie, his
+father's niece, who found the time of his absence very long and
+weary. Marie was scarcely twenty. She was a pretty Flemish girl,
+with some Dutch blood in her veins. Her mother, when she was
+dying, had confided her to her brother, Jean Cornbutte. The brave
+old sailor loved her as a daughter, and saw in her proposed union
+with Louis a source of real and durable happiness.
+
+The arrival of the ship, already signalled off the coast,
+completed an important business operation, from which Jean
+Cornbutte expected large profits. The "Jeune-Hardie," which had
+left three months before, came last from Bodoe, on the west coast
+of Norway, and had made a quick voyage thence.
+
+On returning home, Jean Cornbutte found the whole house alive.
+Marie, with radiant face, had assumed her wedding-dress.
+
+"I hope the ship will not arrive before we are ready!" she said.
+
+"Hurry, little one," replied Jean Cornbutte, "for the wind is
+north, and she sails well, you know, when she goes freely."
+
+"Have our friends been told, uncle?" asked Marie.
+
+"They have."
+
+"The notary, and the cure?"
+
+"Rest easy. You alone are keeping us waiting."
+
+At this moment Clerbaut, an old crony, came in.
+
+"Well, old Cornbutte," cried he, "here's luck! Your ship has
+arrived at the very moment that the government has decided to
+contract for a large quantity of wood for the navy!"
+
+"What is that to me?" replied Jean Cornbutte. "What care I for
+the government?"
+
+"You see, Monsieur Clerbaut," said Marie, "one thing only absorbs
+us,--Louis's return."
+
+"I don't dispute that," replied Clerbaut. "But--in short--this
+purchase of wood--"
+
+"And you shall be at the wedding," replied Jean Cornbutte,
+interrupting the merchant, and shaking his hand as if he would
+crush it.
+
+"This purchase of wood--"
+
+"And with all our friends, landsmen and seamen, Clerbaut. I have
+already informed everybody, and I shall invite the whole crew of
+the ship."
+
+"And shall we go and await them on the pier?" asked Marie.
+
+"Indeed we will," replied Jean Cornbutte. "We will defile, two by
+two, with the violins at the head."
+
+Jean Cornbutte's invited guests soon arrived. Though it was very
+early, not a single one failed to appear. All congratulated the
+honest old sailor whom they loved. Meanwhile Marie, kneeling
+down, changed her prayers to God into thanksgivings. She soon
+returned, lovely and decked out, to the company; and all the
+women kissed her on the check, while the men vigorously grasped
+her by the hand. Then Jean Cornbutte gave the signal of
+departure.
+
+It was a curious sight to see this joyous group taking its way,
+at sunrise, towards the sea. The news of the ship's arrival had
+spread through the port, and many heads, in nightcaps, appeared
+at the windows and at the half-opened doors. Sincere compliments
+and pleasant nods came from every side.
+
+The party reached the pier in the midst of a concert of praise
+and blessings. The weather was magnificent, and the sun seemed to
+take part in the festivity. A fresh north wind made the waves
+foam; and some fishing-smacks, their sails trimmed for leaving
+port, streaked the sea with their rapid wakes between the
+breakwaters.
+
+The two piers of Dunkirk stretch far out into the sea. The
+wedding-party occupied the whole width of the northern pier, and
+soon reached a small house situated at its extremity, inhabited
+by the harbour-master. The wind freshened, and the "Jeune-Hardie"
+ran swiftly under her topsails, mizzen, brigantine, gallant, and
+royal. There was evidently rejoicing on board as well as on land.
+Jean Cornbutte, spy-glass in hand, responded merrily to the
+questions of his friends.
+
+"See my ship!" he cried; "clean and steady as if she had been
+rigged at Dunkirk! Not a bit of damage done,--not a rope
+wanting!"
+
+"Do you see your son, the captain?" asked one.
+
+"No, not yet. Why, he's at his business!"
+
+"Why doesn't he run up his flag?" asked Clerbaut.
+
+"I scarcely know, old friend. He has a reason for it, no doubt."
+
+"Your spy-glass, uncle?" said Marie, taking it from him. "I want
+to be the first to see him."
+
+"But he is my son, mademoiselle!"
+
+"He has been your son for thirty years," answered the young girl,
+laughing, "and he has only been my betrothed for two!"
+
+The "Jeune-Hardie" was now entirely visible. Already the crew
+were preparing to cast anchor. The upper sails had been reefed.
+The sailors who were among the rigging might be recognized. But
+neither Marie nor Jean Cornbutte had yet been able to wave their
+hands at the captain of the ship.
+
+"Faith! there's the first mate, Andre Vasling," cried Clerbaut.
+
+"And there's Fidele Misonne, the carpenter," said another.
+
+"And our friend Penellan," said a third, saluting the sailor
+named.
+
+The "Jeune-Hardie" was only three cables' lengths from the shore,
+when a black flag ascended to the gaff of the brigantine. There
+was mourning on board!
+
+A shudder of terror seized the party and the heart of the young
+girl.
+
+The ship sadly swayed into port, and an icy silence reigned on
+its deck. Soon it had passed the end of the pier. Marie, Jean
+Cornbutte, and all their friends hurried towards the quay at
+which she was to anchor, and in a moment found themselves on
+board.
+
+"My son!" said Jean Cornbutte, who could only articulate these
+words.
+
+The sailors, with uncovered heads, pointed to the mourning flag.
+
+Marie uttered a cry of anguish, and fell into old Cornbutte's
+arms.
+
+Andre Vasling had brought back the "Jeune-Hardie," but Louis
+Cornbutte, Marie's betrothed, was not on board.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Jean Cornbutte's Project.
+
+
+As soon as the young girl, confided to the care of the
+sympathizing friends, had left the ship, Andre Vasling, the mate,
+apprised Jean Cornbutte of the dreadful event which had deprived
+him of his son, narrated in the ship's journal as follows:--
+
+[Illustration: Andre Vasling, the mate, apprised Jean Cornbutte
+of the dreadful event]
+
+"At the height of the Maelstrom, on the 26th of April, the ship,
+putting for the cape, by reason of bad weather and south-west
+winds, perceived signals of distress made by a schooner to the
+leeward. This schooner, deprived of its mizzen-mast, was running
+towards the whirlpool, under bare poles. Captain Louis Cornbutte,
+seeing that this vessel was hastening into imminent danger,
+resolved to go on board her. Despite the remonstrances of his
+crew, he had the long-boat lowered into the sea, and got into it,
+with the sailor Courtois and the helmsman Pierre Nouquet. The
+crew watched them until they disappeared in the fog. Night came
+on. The sea became more and more boisterous. The "Jeune-Hardie",
+drawn by the currents in those parts, was in danger of being
+engulfed by the Maelstrom. She was obliged to fly before the
+wind. For several days she hovered near the place of the
+disaster, but in vain. The long-boat, the schooner, Captain
+Louis, and the two sailors did not reappear. Andre Vasling then
+called the crew together, took command of the ship, and set sail
+for Dunkirk."
+
+After reading this dry narrative, Jean Cornbutte wept for a long
+time; and if he had any consolation, it was the thought that his
+son had died in attempting to save his fellow-men. Then the poor
+father left the ship, the sight of which made him wretched, and
+returned to his desolate home.
+
+The sad news soon spread throughout Dunkirk. The many friends of
+the old sailor came to bring him their cordial and sincere
+sympathy. Then the sailors of the "Jeune-Hardie" gave a more
+particular account of the event, and Andre Vasling told Marie, at
+great length, of the devotion of her betrothed to the last.
+
+When he ceased weeping, Jean Cornbutte thought over the matter,
+and the next day after the ship's arrival, when Andre came to see
+him, said,--
+
+"Are you very sure, Andre, that my son has perished?"
+
+"Alas, yes, Monsieur Jean," replied the mate.
+
+"And you made all possible search for him?"
+
+"All, Monsieur Cornbutte. But it is unhappily but too certain
+that he and the two sailors were sucked down in the whirlpool of
+the Maelstrom."
+
+"Would you like, Andre, to keep the second command of the ship?"
+
+"That will depend upon the captain, Monsieur Cornbutte."
+
+"I shall be the captain," replied the old sailor. "I am going to
+discharge the cargo with all speed, make up my crew, and sail in
+search of my son."
+
+"Your son is dead!" said Andre obstinately.
+
+"It is possible, Andre," replied Jean Cornbutte sharply, "but it
+is also possible that he saved himself. I am going to rummage all
+the ports of Norway whither he might have been driven, and when I
+am fully convinced that I shall never see him again, I will
+return here to die!"
+
+Andre Vasling, seeing that this decision was irrevocable, did not
+insist further, but went away.
+
+Jean Cornbutte at once apprised his niece of his intention, and
+he saw a few rays of hope glisten across her tears. It had not
+seemed to the young girl that her lover's death might be
+doubtful; but scarcely had this new hope entered her heart, than
+she embraced it without reserve.
+
+The old sailor determined that the "Jeune-Hardie" should put to
+sea without delay. The solidly built ship had no need of repairs.
+Jean Cornbutte gave his sailors notice that if they wished to
+re-embark, no change in the crew would be made. He alone replaced
+his son in the command of the brig. None of the comrades of Louis
+Cornbutte failed to respond to his call, and there were hardy
+tars among them,--Alaine Turquiette, Fidele Misonne the
+carpenter, Penellan the Breton, who replaced Pierre Nouquet as
+helmsman, and Gradlin, Aupic, and Gervique, courageous and well-tried
+mariners.
+
+Jean Cornbutte again offered Andre Vasling his old rank on board.
+The first mate was an able officer, who had proved his skill in
+bringing the "Jeune-Hardie" into port. Yet, from what motive
+could not be told, Andre made some difficulties and asked time
+for reflection.
+
+"As you will, Andre Vasling," replied Cornbutte. "Only remember
+that if you accept, you will be welcome among us."
+
+Jean had a devoted sailor in Penellan the Breton, who had long
+been his fellow-voyager. In times gone by, little Marie was wont
+to pass the long winter evenings in the helmsman's arms, when he
+was on shore. He felt a fatherly friendship for her, and she had
+for him ah affection quite filial. Penellan hastened the fitting
+out of the ship with all his energy, all the more because,
+according to his opinion, Andre Vasling had not perhaps made
+every effort possible to find the castaways, although he was
+excusable from the responsibility which weighed upon him as
+captain.
+
+Within a week the "Jeune-Hardie" was ready to put to sea. Instead
+of merchandise, she was completely provided with salt meats,
+biscuits, barrels of flour, potatoes, pork, wine, brandy, coffee,
+tea, and tobacco.
+
+The departure was fixed for the 22nd of May. On the evening
+before, Andre Vasling, who had not yet given his answer to Jean
+Cornbutte, came to his house. He was still undecided, and did not
+know which course to take.
+
+Jean was not at home, though the house-door was open. Andre went
+into the passage, next to Marie's chamber, where the sound of an
+animated conversation struck his ear. He listened attentively,
+and recognized the voices of Penellan and Marie.
+
+The discussion had no doubt been going on for some time, for the
+young girl seemed to be stoutly opposing what the Breton sailor
+said.
+
+"How old is my uncle Cornbutte?" said Marie.
+
+"Something about sixty years," replied Penellan.
+
+"Well, is he not going to brave danger to find his son?"
+
+"Our captain is still a sturdy man," returned the sailor. "He has
+a body of oak and muscles as hard as a spare spar. So I am not
+afraid to have him go to sea again!'"
+
+"My good Penellan," said Marie, "one is strong when one loves!
+Besides, I have full confidence in the aid of Heaven. You
+understand me, and will help me."
+
+"No!" said Penellan. "It is impossible, Marie. Who knows whither
+we shall drift, or what we must suffer? How many vigorous men
+have I seen lose their lives in these seas!"
+
+"Penellan," returned the young girl, "if you refuse me, I shall
+believe that you do not love me any longer."
+
+Andre Vasling understood the young girl's resolution. He
+reflected a moment, and his course was determined on.
+
+"Jean Cornbutte," said he, advancing towards the old sailor, who
+now entered, "I will go with you. The cause of my hesitation has
+disappeared, and you may count upon my devotion."
+
+"I have never doubted you, Andre Vasling," replied Jean
+Cornbutte, grasping him by the hand. "Marie, my child!" he added,
+calling in a loud voice.
+
+Marie and Penellan made their appearance.
+
+"We shall set sail to-morrow at daybreak, with the outgoing
+tide," said Jean. "My poor Marie, this is the last evening that
+we shall pass together.
+
+"Uncle!" cried Marie, throwing herself into his arms.
+
+"Marie, by the help of God, I will bring your lover back to you!"
+
+"Yes, we will find Louis," added Andre Vasling.
+
+"You are going with us, then?" asked Penellan quickly.
+
+"Yes, Penellan, Andre Vasling is to be my first mate," answered
+Jean.
+
+"Oh, oh!" ejaculated the Breton, in a singular tone.
+
+"And his advice will be useful to us, for he is able and
+enterprising.
+
+"And yourself, captain," said Andre. "You will set us all a good
+example, for you have still as much vigour as experience."
+
+"Well, my friends, good-bye till to-morrow. Go on board and make
+the final arrangements. Good-bye, Andre; good-bye, Penellan."
+
+The mate and the sailor went out together, and Jean and Marie
+remained alone. Many bitter tears were shed during that sad
+evening. Jean Cornbutte, seeing Marie so wretched, resolved to
+spare her the pain of separation by leaving the house on the
+morrow without her knowledge. So he gave her a last kiss that
+evening, and at three o'clock next morning was up and away.
+
+The departure of the brig had attracted all the old sailor's
+friends to the pier. The cure, who was to have blessed Marie's
+union with Louis, came to give a last benediction on the ship.
+Rough grasps of the hand were silently exchanged, and Jean went
+on board.
+
+The crew were all there. Andre Vasling gave the last orders. The
+sails were spread, and the brig rapidly passed out under a stiff
+north-west breeze, whilst the cure, upright in the midst of the
+kneeling spectators, committed the vessel to the hands of God.
+
+Whither goes this ship? She follows the perilous route upon which
+so many castaways have been lost! She has no certain destination.
+She must expect every peril, and be able to brave them without
+hesitating. God alone knows where it will be her fate to anchor.
+May God guide her!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A RAY OF HOPE.
+
+
+At that time of the year the season was favourable, and the crew
+might hope promptly to reach the scene of the shipwreck.
+
+Jean Cornbutte's plan was naturally traced out. He counted on
+stopping at the Feroe Islands, whither the north wind might have
+carried the castaways; then, if he was convinced that they had
+not been received in any of the ports of that locality, he would
+continue his search beyond the Northern Ocean, ransack the whole
+western coast of Norway as far as Bodoe, the place nearest the
+scene of the shipwreck; and, if necessary, farther still.
+
+Andre Vasling thought, contrary to the captain's opinion, that
+the coast of Iceland should be explored; but Penellan observed
+that, at the time of the catastrophe, the gale came from the
+west; which, while it gave hope that the unfortunates had not
+been forced towards the gulf of the Maelstrom, gave ground for
+supposing that they might have been thrown on the Norwegian
+coast.
+
+It was determined, then, that this coast should be followed as
+closely as possible, so as to recognize any traces of them that
+might appear.
+
+The day after sailing, Jean Cornbutte, intent upon a map, was
+absorbed in reflection, when a small hand touched his shoulder,
+and a soft voice said in his ear,--
+
+"Have good courage, uncle."
+
+[Illustration: A soft voice said in his ear, "Have good courage,
+uncle."]
+
+He turned, and was stupefied. Marie embraced him.
+
+"Marie, my daughter, on board!" he cried.
+
+"The wife may well go in search of her husband, when the father
+embarks to save his child."
+
+"Unhappy Marie! How wilt thou support our fatigues! Dost thou
+know that thy presence may be injurious to our search?"
+
+"No, uncle, for I am strong."
+
+"Who knows whither we shall be forced to go, Marie? Look at this
+map. We are approaching places dangerous even for us sailors,
+hardened though we are to the difficulties of the sea. And thou,
+frail child?"
+
+"But, uncle, I come from a family of sailors. I am used to
+stories of combats and tempests. I am with you and my old friend
+Penellan!"
+
+"Penellan! It was he who concealed you on board?"
+
+"Yes, uncle; but only when he saw that I was determined to come
+without his help."
+
+"Penellan!" cried Jean.
+
+Penellan entered.
+
+"It is not possible to undo what you have done, Penellan; but
+remember that you are responsible for Marie's life."
+
+"Rest easy, captain," replied Penellan. "The little one has force
+and courage, and will be our guardian angel. And then, captain,
+you know it is my theory, that all in this world happens for the
+best."
+
+The young girl was installed in a cabin, which the sailors soon
+got ready for her, and which they made as comfortable as
+possible.
+
+A week later the "Jeune-Hardie" stopped at the Feroe Islands, but
+the most minute search was fruitless. No wreck, or fragments of a
+ship had come upon these coasts. Even the news of the event was
+quite unknown. The brig resumed its voyage, after a stay of ten
+days, about the 10th of June. The sea was calm, and the winds
+were favourable. The ship sped rapidly towards the Norwegian
+coast, which it explored without better result.
+
+Jean Cornbutte determined to proceed to Bodoe. Perhaps he would
+there learn the name of the shipwrecked schooner to succour which
+Louis and the sailors had sacrificed themselves.
+
+On the 30th of June the brig cast anchor in that port.
+
+The authorities of Bodoe gave Jean Cornbutte a bottle found on
+the coast, which contained a document bearing these words:--
+
+"This 26th April, on board the 'Frooeern,' after being accosted by
+the long-boat of the 'Jeune-Hardie,' we were drawn by the
+currents towards the ice. God have pity on us!"
+
+Jean Cornbutte's first impulse was to thank Heaven. He thought
+himself on his son's track. The "Frooeern" was a Norwegian sloop
+of which there had been no news, but which had evidently been
+drawn northward.
+
+Not a day was to be lost. The "Jeune-Hardie" was at once put in
+condition to brave the perils of the polar seas. Fidele Misonne,
+the carpenter, carefully examined her, and assured himself that
+her solid construction might resist the shock of the ice-masses.
+
+Penellan, who had already engaged in whale-fishing in the arctic
+waters, took care that woollen and fur coverings, many sealskin
+moccassins, and wood for the making of sledges with which to
+cross the ice-fields were put on board. The amount of provisions
+was increased, and spirits and charcoal were added; for it might
+be that they would have to winter at some point on the Greenland
+coast. They also procured, with much difficulty and at a high
+price, a quantity of lemons, for preventing or curing the scurvy,
+that terrible disease which decimates crews in the icy regions.
+The ship's hold was filled with salt meat, biscuits, brandy, &c.,
+as the steward's room no longer sufficed. They provided
+themselves, moreover, with a large quantity of "pemmican," an
+Indian preparation which concentrates a great deal of nutrition
+within a small volume.
+
+By order of the captain, some saws were put on board for cutting
+the ice-fields, as well as picks and wedges for separating them.
+The captain determined to procure some dogs for drawing the
+sledges on the Greenland coast.
+
+The whole crew was engaged in these preparations, and displayed
+great activity. The sailors Aupic, Gervique, and Gradlin
+zealously obeyed Penellan's orders; and he admonished them not to
+accustom themselves to woollen garments, though the temperature
+in this latitude, situated just beyond the polar circle, was very
+low.
+
+Penellan, though he said nothing, narrowly watched every action
+of Andre Vasling. This man was Dutch by birth, came from no one
+knew whither, but was at least a good sailor, having made two
+voyages on board the "Jeune-Hardie". Penellan would not as yet
+accuse him of anything, unless it was that he kept near Marie too
+constantly, but he did not let him out of his sight.
+
+Thanks to the energy of the crew, the brig was equipped by the
+16th of July, a fortnight after its arrival at Bodoe. It was then
+the favourable season for attempting explorations in the Arctic
+Seas. The thaw had been going on for two months, and the search
+might be carried farther north. The "Jeune-Hardie" set sail, and
+directed her way towards Cape Brewster, on the eastern coast of
+Greenland, near the 70th degree of latitude.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+IN THE PASSES.
+
+
+About the 23rd of July a reflection, raised above the sea,
+announced the presence of the first icebergs, which, emerging
+from Davis' Straits, advanced into the ocean. From this moment a
+vigilant watch was ordered to the look-out men, for it was
+important not to come into collision with these enormous masses.
+
+The crew was divided into two watches. The first was composed of
+Fidele Misonne, Gradlin, and Gervique; and the second of Andre
+Vasling, Aupic, and Penellan. These watches were to last only two
+hours, for in those cold regions a man's strength is diminished
+one-half. Though the "Jeune-Hardie" was not yet beyond the 63rd
+degree of latitude, the thermometer already stood at nine degrees
+centigrade below zero.
+
+Rain and snow often fell abundantly. On fair days, when the wind
+was not too violent, Marie remained on deck, and her eyes became
+accustomed to the uncouth scenes of the Polar Seas.
+
+On the 1st of August she was promenading aft, and talking with
+her uncle, Penellan, and Andre Vasling. The ship was then
+entering a channel three miles wide, across which broken masses
+of ice were rapidly descending southwards.
+
+"When shall we see land?" asked the young girl.
+
+"In three or four days at the latest," replied Jean Cornbutte.
+
+"But shall we find there fresh traces of my poor Louis?"
+
+"Perhaps so, my daughter; but I fear that we are still far from
+the end of our voyage. It is to be feared that the 'Frooeern' was
+driven farther northward."
+
+"That may be," added Andre Vasling, "for the squall which
+separated us from the Norwegian boat lasted three days, and in
+three days a ship makes good headway when it is no longer able to
+resist the wind."
+
+"Permit me to tell you, Monsieur Vasling." replied Penellan,
+"that that was in April, that the thaw had not then begun, and
+that therefore the 'Frooeern' must have been soon arrested by the
+ice."
+
+"And no doubt dashed into a thousand pieces," said the mate, "as
+her crew could not manage her."
+
+"But these ice-fields," returned Penellan, "gave her an easy
+means of reaching land, from which she could not have been far
+distant."
+
+"Let us hope so," said Jean Cornbutte, interrupting the
+discussion, which was daily renewed between the mate and the
+helmsman. "I think we shall see land before long."
+
+"There it is!" cried Marie. "See those mountains!"
+
+"No, my child," replied her uncle. "Those are mountains of ice,
+the first we have met with. They would shatter us like glass if
+we got entangled between them. Penellan and Vasling, overlook the
+men."
+
+These floating masses, more than fifty of which now appeared at
+the horizon, came nearer and nearer to the brig. Penellan took
+the helm, and Jean Cornbutte, mounted on the gallant, indicated
+the route to take.
+
+Towards evening the brig was entirely surrounded by these moving
+rocks, the crushing force of which is irresistible. It was
+necessary, then, to cross this fleet of mountains, for prudence
+prompted them to keep straight ahead. Another difficulty was
+added to these perils. The direction of the ship could not be
+accurately determined, as all the surrounding points constantly
+changed position, and thus failed to afford a fixed perspective.
+The darkness soon increased with the fog. Marie descended to her
+cabin, and the whole crew, by the captain's orders, remained on
+deck. They were armed with long boat-poles, with iron spikes, to
+preserve the ship from collision with the ice.
+
+The ship soon entered a strait so narrow that often the ends of
+her yards were grazed by the drifting mountains, and her booms
+seemed about to be driven in. They were even forced to trim the
+mainyard so as to touch the shrouds. Happily these precautions
+did not deprive, the vessel of any of its speed, for the wind
+could only reach the upper sails, and these sufficed to carry her
+forward rapidly. Thanks to her slender hull, she passed through
+these valleys, which were filled with whirlpools of rain, whilst
+the icebergs crushed against each other with sharp cracking and
+splitting.
+
+Jean Cornbutte returned to the deck. His eyes could not penetrate
+the surrounding darkness. It became necessary to furl the upper
+sails, for the ship threatened to ground, and if she did so she
+was lost.
+
+"Cursed voyage!" growled Andre Vasling among the sailors, who,
+forward, were avoiding the most menacing ice-blocks with their
+boat-hooks.
+
+"Truly, if we escape we shall owe a fine candle to Our Lady of
+the Ice!" replied Aupic.
+
+"Who knows how many floating mountains we have got to pass
+through yet?" added the mate.
+
+"And who can guess what we shall find beyond them?" replied the
+sailor.
+
+"Don't talk so much, prattler," said Gervique, "and look out on
+your side. When we have got by them, it'll be time to grumble.
+Look out for your boat-hook!"
+
+At this moment an enormous block of ice, in the narrow strait
+through which the brig was passing, came rapidly down upon her,
+and it seemed impossible to avoid it, for it barred the whole
+width of the channel, and the brig could not heave-to.
+
+"Do you feel the tiller?" asked Cornbutte of Penellan.
+
+"No, captain. The ship does not answer the helm any longer."
+
+"_Ohe_, boys!" cried the captain to the crew; "don't be afraid,
+and buttress your hooks against the gunwale."
+
+The block was nearly sixty feet high, and if it threw itself upon
+the brig she would be crushed. There was an undefinable moment of
+suspense, and the crew retreated backward, abandoning their posts
+despite the captain's orders.
+
+But at the instant when the block was not more than half a
+cable's length from the "Jeune-Hardie," a dull sound was heard,
+and a veritable waterspout fell upon the bow of the vessel, which
+then rose on the back of an enormous billow.
+
+The sailors uttered a cry of terror; but when they looked before
+them the block had disappeared, the passage was free, and beyond
+an immense plain of water, illumined by the rays of the declining
+sun, assured them of an easy navigation.
+
+"All's well!" cried Penellan. "Let's trim our topsails and
+mizzen!"
+
+An incident very common in those parts had just occurred. When
+these masses are detached from one another in the thawing season,
+they float in a perfect equilibrium; but on reaching the ocean,
+where the water is relatively warmer, they are speedily
+undermined at the base, which melts little by little, and which
+is also shaken by the shock of other ice-masses. A moment comes
+when the centre of gravity of these masses is displaced, and then
+they are completely overturned. Only, if this block had turned
+over two minutes later, it would have fallen on the brig and
+carried her down in its fall.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+LIVERPOOL ISLAND.
+
+
+The brig now sailed in a sea which was almost entirely open. At
+the horizon only, a whitish light, this time motionless,
+indicated the presence of fixed plains of ice.
+
+Jean Cornbutte now directed the "Jeune-Hardie" towards Cape
+Brewster. They were already approaching the regions where the
+temperature is excessively cold, for the sun's rays, owing to
+their obliquity when they reach them, are very feeble.
+
+On the 3rd of August the brig confronted immoveable and united
+ice-masses. The passages were seldom more than a cable's length
+in width, and the ship was forced to make many turnings, which
+sometimes placed her heading the wind.
+
+Penellan watched over Marie with paternal care, and, despite the
+cold, prevailed upon her to spend two or three hours every day on
+deck, for exercise had become one of the indispensable conditions
+of health.
+
+Marie's courage did not falter. She even comforted the sailors
+with her cheerful talk, and all of them became warmly attached to
+her. Andre Vasling showed himself more attentive than ever, and
+seized every occasion to be in her company; but the young girl,
+with a sort of presentiment, accepted his services with some
+coldness. It may be easily conjectured that Andre's conversation
+referred more to the future than to the present, and that he did
+not conceal the slight probability there was of saving the
+castaways. He was convinced that they were lost, and the young
+girl ought thenceforth to confide her existence to some one else.
+
+[Illustration: Andre Vasling showed himself more attentive than
+ever.]
+
+Marie had not as yet comprehended Andre's designs, for, to his
+great disgust, he could never find an opportunity to talk long
+with her alone. Penellan had always an excuse for interfering,
+and destroying the effect of Andre's words by the hopeful
+opinions he expressed.
+
+Marie, meanwhile, did not remain idle. Acting on the helmsman's
+advice, she set to work on her winter garments; for it was
+necessary that she should completely change her clothing. The cut
+of her dresses was not suitable for these cold latitudes. She
+made, therefore, a sort of furred pantaloons, the ends of which
+were lined with seal-skin; and her narrow skirts came only to her
+knees, so as not to be in contact with the layers of snow with
+which the winter would cover the ice-fields. A fur mantle,
+fitting closely to the figure and supplied with a hood, protected
+the upper part of her body.
+
+In the intervals of their work, the sailors, too, prepared
+clothing with which to shelter themselves from the cold. They
+made a quantity of high seal-skin boots, with which to cross the
+snow during their explorations. They worked thus all the time
+that the navigation in the straits lasted.
+
+Andre Vasling, who was an excellent shot, several times brought
+down aquatic birds with his gun; innumerable flocks of these were
+always careering about the ship. A kind of eider-duck provided
+the crew with very palatable food, which relieved the monotony of
+the salt meat.
+
+At last the brig, after many turnings, came in sight of Cape
+Brewster. A long-boat was put to sea. Jean Cornbutte and Penellan
+reached the coast, which was entirely deserted.
+
+The ship at once directed its course towards Liverpool Island,
+discovered in 1821 by Captain Scoresby, and the crew gave a
+hearty cheer when they saw the natives running along the shore.
+Communication was speedily established with them, thanks to
+Penellan's knowledge of a few words of their language, and some
+phrases which the natives themselves had learnt of the whalers who
+frequented those parts.
+
+These Greenlanders were small and squat; they were not more than
+four feet ten inches high; they had red, round faces, and low
+foreheads; their hair, flat and black, fell over their shoulders;
+their teeth were decayed, and they seemed to be affected by the
+sort of leprosy which is peculiar to ichthyophagous tribes.
+
+In exchange for pieces of iron and brass, of which they are
+extremely covetous, these poor creatures brought bear furs, the
+skins of sea-calves, sea-dogs, sea-wolves, and all the animals
+generally known as seals. Jean Cornbutte obtained these at a low
+price, and they were certain to become most useful.
+
+The captain then made the natives understand that he was in
+search of a shipwrecked vessel, and asked them if they had heard
+of it. One of them immediately drew something like a ship on the
+snow, and indicated that a vessel of that sort had been carried
+northward three months before: he also managed to make it
+understood that the thaw and breaking up of the ice-fields had
+prevented the Greenlanders from going in search of it; and,
+indeed, their very light canoes, which they managed with paddles,
+could not go to sea at that time.
+
+This news, though meagre, restored hope to the hearts of the
+sailors, and Jean Cornbutte had no difficulty in persuading them
+to advance farther in the polar seas.
+
+Before quitting Liverpool Island, the captain purchased a pack of
+six Esquimaux dogs, which were soon acclimatised on board. The
+ship weighed anchor on the morning of the 10th of August, and
+entered the northern straits under a brisk wind.
+
+The longest days of the year had now arrived; that is, the sun,
+in these high latitudes, did not set, and reached the highest
+point of the spirals which it described above the horizon.
+
+This total absence of night was not, however, very apparent, for
+the fog, rain, and snow sometimes enveloped the ship in real
+darkness.
+
+Jean Cornbutte, who was resolved to advance as far as possible,
+began to take measures of health. The space between decks was
+securely enclosed, and every morning care was taken to ventilate
+it with fresh air. The stoves were installed, and the pipes so
+disposed as to yield as much heat as possible. The sailors were
+advised to wear only one woollen shirt over their cotton shirts,
+and to hermetically close their seal cloaks. The fires were not
+yet lighted, for it was important to reserve the wood and
+charcoal for the most intense cold.
+
+Warm beverages, such as coffee and tea, were regularly
+distributed to the sailors morning and evening; and as it was
+important to live on meat, they shot ducks and teal, which
+abounded in these parts.
+
+Jean Cornbutte also placed at the summit of the mainmast a
+"crow's nest," a sort of cask staved in at one end, in which a
+look-out remained constantly, to observe the icefields.
+
+Two days after the brig had lost sight of Liverpool Island the
+temperature became suddenly colder under the influence of a dry
+wind. Some indications of winter were perceived. The ship had not
+a moment to lose, for soon the way would be entirely closed to
+her. She advanced across the straits, among which lay ice-plains
+thirty feet thick.
+
+On the morning of the 3rd of September the "Jeune-Hardie" reached
+the head of Gael-Hamkes Bay. Land was then thirty miles to the
+leeward. It was the first time that the brig had stopped before a
+mass of ice which offered no outlet, and which was at least a
+mile wide. The saws must now be used to cut the ice. Penellan,
+Aupic, Gradlin, and Turquiette were chosen to work the saws,
+which had been carried outside the ship. The direction of the
+cutting was so determined that the current might carry off the
+pieces detached from the mass. The whole crew worked at this task
+for nearly twenty hours. They found it very painful to remain on
+the ice, and were often obliged to plunge into the water up to
+their middle; their seal-skin garments protected them but
+imperfectly from the damp.
+
+Moreover all excessive toil in those high latitudes is soon
+followed by an overwhelming weariness; for the breath soon fails,
+and the strongest are forced to rest at frequent intervals.
+
+At last the navigation became free, and the brig was towed beyond
+the mass which had so long obstructed her course.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE QUAKING OF THE ICE.
+
+
+For several days the "Jeune-Hardie" struggled against formidable
+obstacles. The crew were almost all the time at work with the
+saws, and often powder had to be used to blow up the enormous
+blocks of ice which closed the way.
+
+On the 12th of September the sea consisted of one solid plain,
+without outlet or passage, surrounding the vessel on all sides,
+so that she could neither advance nor retreat. The temperature
+remained at an average of sixteen degrees below zero. The winter
+season had come on, with its sufferings and dangers.
+
+[Illustration: On the 12th of September the sea consisted of one
+solid plain.]
+
+The "Jeune-Hardie" was then near the 21st degree of longitude
+west and the 76th degree of latitude north, at the entrance of
+Gael-Hamkes Bay.
+
+Jean Cornbutte made his preliminary preparations for wintering.
+He first searched for a creek whose position would shelter the
+ship from the wind and breaking up of the ice. Land, which was
+probably thirty miles west, could alone offer him secure shelter,
+and he resolved to attempt to reach it.
+
+He set out on the 12th of September, accompanied by Andre
+Vasling, Penellan, and the two sailors Gradlin and Turquiette.
+Each man carried provisions for two days, for it was not likely
+that their expedition would occupy a longer time, and they were
+supplied with skins on which to sleep.
+
+Snow had fallen in great abundance and was not yet frozen over;
+and this delayed them seriously. They often sank to their waists,
+and could only advance very cautiously, for fear of falling into
+crevices. Penellan, who walked in front, carefully sounded each
+depression with his iron-pointed staff.
+
+About five in the evening the fog began to thicken, and the
+little band were forced to stop. Penellan looked about for an
+iceberg which might shelter them from the wind, and after
+refreshing themselves, with regrets that they had no warm drink,
+they spread their skins on the snow, wrapped themselves up, lay
+close to each other, and soon dropped asleep from sheer fatigue.
+
+The next morning Jean Cornbutte and his companions were buried
+beneath a bed of snow more than a foot deep. Happily their skins,
+perfectly impermeable, had preserved them, and the snow itself
+had aided in retaining their heat, which it prevented from
+escaping.
+
+The captain gave the signal of departure, and about noon they at
+last descried the coast, which at first they could scarcely
+distinguish. High ledges of ice, cut perpendicularly, rose on the
+shore; their variegated summits, of all forms and shapes,
+reproduced on a large scale the phenomena of crystallization.
+Myriads of aquatic fowl flew about at the approach of the party,
+and the seals, lazily lying on the ice, plunged hurriedly into
+the depths.
+
+"I' faith!" said Penellan, "we shall not want for either furs or
+game!"
+
+"Those animals," returned Cornbutte, "give every evidence of
+having been already visited by men; for in places totally
+uninhabited they would not be so wild."
+
+"None but Greenlanders frequent these parts," said Andre Vasling.
+
+"I see no trace of their passage, however; neither any encampment
+nor the smallest hut," said Penellan, who had climbed up a high
+peak. "O captain!" he continued, "come here! I see a point of
+land which will shelter us splendidly from the north-east wind."
+
+"Come along, boys!" said Jean Cornbutte.
+
+His companions followed him, and they soon rejoined Penellan. The
+sailor had said what was true. An elevated point of land jutted
+out like a promontory, and curving towards the coast, formed a
+little inlet of a mile in width at most. Some moving ice-blocks,
+broken by this point, floated in the midst, and the sea,
+sheltered from the colder winds, was not yet entirely frozen
+over.
+
+This was an excellent spot for wintering, and it only remained to
+get the ship thither. Jean Cornbutte remarked that the neighbouring
+ice-field was very thick, and it seemed very difficult to cut a canal
+to bring the brig to its destination. Some other creek, then, must be
+found; it was in vain that he explored northward. The coast remained
+steep and abrupt for a long distance, and beyond the point it was
+directly exposed to the attacks of the east-wind. The circumstance
+disconcerted the captain all the more because Andre Vasling used
+strong arguments to show how bad the situation was. Penellan, in
+this dilemma, found it difficult to convince himself that all was
+for the best.
+
+But one chance remained--to seek a shelter on the southern side
+of the coast. This was to return on their path, but hesitation
+was useless. The little band returned rapidly in the direction of
+the ship, as their provisions had begun to run short. Jean
+Cornbutte searched for some practicable passage, or at least some
+fissure by which a canal might be cut across the ice-fields, all
+along the route, but in vain.
+
+Towards evening the sailors came to the same place where they had
+encamped over night. There had been no snow during the day, and
+they could recognize the imprint of their bodies on the ice. They
+again disposed themselves to sleep with their furs.
+
+Penellan, much disturbed by the bad success of the expedition,
+was sleeping restlessly, when, at a waking moment, his attention
+was attracted by a dull rumbling. He listened attentively, and
+the rumbling seemed so strange that he nudged Jean Cornbutte with
+his elbow.
+
+"What is that?" said the latter, whose mind, according to a
+sailor's habit, was awake as soon as his body.
+
+"Listen, captain."
+
+The noise increased, with perceptible violence.
+
+"It cannot be thunder, in so high a latitude," said Cornbutte,
+rising.
+
+"I think we have come across some white bears," replied Penellan.
+
+"The devil! We have not seen any yet."
+
+"Sooner or later, we must have expected a visit from them. Let us
+give them a good reception."
+
+Penellan, armed with a gun, lightly crossed the ledge which
+sheltered them. The darkness was very dense; he could discover
+nothing; but a new incident soon showed him that the cause of the
+noise did not proceed from around them.
+
+Jean Cornbutte rejoined him, and they observed with terror that
+this rumbling, which awakened their companions, came from beneath
+them.
+
+A new kind of peril menaced them. To the noise, which resembled
+peals of thunder, was added a distinct undulating motion of the
+ice-field. Several of the party lost their balance and fell.
+
+"Attention!" cried Penellan.
+
+"Yes!" some one responded.
+
+"Turquiette! Gradlin! where are you?"
+
+"Here I am!" responded Turquiette, shaking off the snow with
+which he was covered.
+
+"This way, Vasling," cried Cornbutte to the mate. "And Gradlin?"
+
+"Present, captain. But we are lost!" shouted Gradlin, in fright.
+
+"No!" said Penellan. "Perhaps we are saved!"
+
+Hardly had he uttered these words when a frightful cracking noise
+was heard. The ice-field broke clear through, and the sailors
+were forced to cling to the block which was quivering just by
+them. Despite the helmsman's words, they found themselves in a
+most perilous position, for an ice-quake had occurred. The ice
+masses had just "weighed anchor," as the sailors say. The
+movement lasted nearly two minutes, and it was to be feared that
+the crevice would yawn at the very feet of the unhappy sailors.
+They anxiously awaited daylight in the midst of continuous
+shocks, for they could not, without risk of death, move a step,
+and had to remain stretched out at full length to avoid being
+engulfed.
+
+[Illustration: they found themselves in a most perilous position,
+for an ice-quake had occurred.]
+
+As soon as it was daylight a very different aspect presented
+itself to their eyes. The vast plain, a compact mass the evening
+before, was now separated in a thousand places, and the waves,
+raised by some submarine commotion, had broken the thick layer
+which sheltered them.
+
+The thought of his ship occurred to Jean Cornbutte's mind.
+
+"My poor brig!" he cried. "It must have perished!"
+
+The deepest despair began to overcast the faces of his
+companions. The loss of the ship inevitably preceded their own
+deaths.
+
+"Courage, friends," said Penellan. "Reflect that this night's
+disaster has opened us a path across the ice, which will enable
+us to bring our ship to the bay for wintering! And, stop! I am
+not mistaken. There is the 'Jeune-Hardie,' a mile nearer to us!"
+
+All hurried forward, and so imprudently, that Turquiette slipped
+into a fissure, and would have certainly perished, had not Jean
+Cornbutte seized him by his hood. He got off with a rather cold
+bath.
+
+The brig was indeed floating two miles away. After infinite
+trouble, the little band reached her. She was in good condition;
+but her rudder, which they had neglected to lift, had been broken
+by the ice.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+SETTLING FOR THE WINTER.
+
+
+Penellan was once more right; all was for the best, and this ice-quake
+had opened a practicable channel for the ship to the bay.
+The sailors had only to make skilful use of the currents to
+conduct her thither.
+
+On the 19th of September the brig was at last moored in her bay
+for wintering, two cables' lengths from the shore, securely
+anchored on a good bottom. The ice began the next day to form
+around her hull; it soon became strong enough to bear a man's
+weight, and they could establish a communication with land.
+
+The rigging, as is customary in arctic navigation, remained as it
+was; the sails were carefully furled on the yards and covered
+with their casings, and the "crow's-nest" remained in place, as
+much to enable them to make distant observations as to attract
+attention to the ship.
+
+The sun now scarcely rose above the horizon. Since the June
+solstice, the spirals which it had described descended lower and
+lower; and it would soon disappear altogether.
+
+The crew hastened to make the necessary preparations. Penellan
+supervised the whole. The ice was soon thick around the ship, and
+it was to be feared that its pressure might become dangerous; but
+Penellan waited until, by reason of the going and coming of the
+floating ice-masses and their adherence, it had reached a
+thickness of twenty feet; he then had it cut around the hull, so
+that it united under the ship, the form of which it assumed;
+thus enclosed in a mould, the brig had no longer to fear the
+pressure of the ice, which could make no movement.
+
+The sailors then elevated along the wales, to the height of the
+nettings, a snow wall five or six feet thick, which soon froze as
+hard as a rock. This envelope did not allow the interior heat to
+escape outside. A canvas tent, covered with skins and hermetically
+closed, was stretched aver the whole length of the deck, and formed
+a sort of walk for the sailors.
+
+They also constructed on the ice a storehouse of snow, in which
+articles which embarrassed the ship were stowed away. The
+partitions of the cabins were taken down, so as to form a single
+vast apartment forward, as well as aft. This single room,
+besides, was more easy to warm, as the ice and damp found fewer
+corners in which to take refuge. It was also less difficult to
+ventilate it, by means of canvas funnels which opened without.
+
+Each sailor exerted great energy in these preparations, and about
+the 25th of September they were completed. Andre Vasling had not
+shown himself the least active in this task. He devoted himself
+with especial zeal to the young girl's comfort, and if she,
+absorbed in thoughts of her poor Louis, did not perceive this,
+Jean Cornbutte did not fail soon to remark it. He spoke of it to
+Penellan; he recalled several incidents which completely
+enlightened him regarding his mate's intentions; Andre Vasling
+loved Marie, and reckoned on asking her uncle for her hand, as
+soon as it was proved beyond doubt that the castaways were
+irrevocably lost; they would return then to Dunkirk, and Andre
+Vasling would be well satisfied to wed a rich and pretty girl,
+who would then be the sole heiress of Jean Cornbutte.
+
+
+But Andre, in his impatience, was often imprudent. He had several
+times declared that the search for the castaways was useless,
+when some new trace contradicted him, and enabled Penellan to
+exult over him. The mate, therefore, cordially detested the
+helmsman, who returned his dislike heartily. Penellan only feared
+that Andre might sow seeds of dissension among the crew, and
+persuaded Jean Cornbutte to answer him evasively on the first
+occasion.
+
+When the preparations for the winter were completed, the captain
+took measures to preserve the health of the crew. Every morning
+the men were ordered to air their berths, and carefully clean the
+interior walls, to get rid of the night's dampness. They received
+boiling tea or coffee, which are excellent cordials to use
+against the cold, morning and evening; then they were divided
+into hunting-parties, who should procure as much fresh nourishment
+as possible for every day.
+
+Each one also took healthy exercise every day, so as not to
+expose himself without motion to the cold; for in a temperature
+thirty degrees below zero, some part of the body might suddenly
+become frozen. In such cases friction of the snow was used, which
+alone could heal the affected part.
+
+Penellan also strongly advised cold ablutions every morning. It
+required some courage to plunge the hands and face in the snow,
+which had to be melted within. But Penellan bravely set the
+example, and Marie was not the last to imitate him.
+
+Jean Cornbutte did not forget to have readings and prayers, for
+it was needful that the hearts of his comrades should not give
+way to despair or weariness. Nothing is more dangerous in these
+desolate latitudes.
+
+The sky, always gloomy, filled the soul with sadness. A thick
+snow, lashed by violent winds, added to the horrors of their
+situation. The sun would soon altogether disappear. Had the
+clouds not gathered in masses above their heads, they might have
+enjoyed the moonlight, which was about to become really their sun
+during the long polar night; but, with the west winds, the snow
+did not cease to fall. Every morning it was necessary to clear
+off the sides of the ship, and to cut a new stairway in the ice
+to enable them to reach the ice-field. They easily succeeded in
+doing this with snow-knives; the steps once cut, a little water
+was thrown over them, and they at once hardened.
+
+Penellan had a hole cut in the ice, not far from the ship. Every
+day the new crust which formed over its top was broken, and the
+water which was drawn thence, from a certain depth, was less cold
+than that at the surface.
+
+All these preparations occupied about three weeks. It was then
+time to go forward with the search. The ship was imprisoned for
+six or seven months, and only the next thaw could open a new
+route across the ice. It was wise, then, to profit by this delay,
+and extend their explorations northward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+PLAN OF THE EXPLORATIONS.
+
+
+On the 9th of October, Jean Cornbutte held a council to settle
+the plan of his operations, to which, that there might be union,
+zeal, and courage on the part of every one, he admitted the whole
+crew. Map in hand, he clearly explained their situation.
+
+[Illustration: Map in hand, he clearly explained their
+situation.]
+
+The eastern coast of Greenland advances perpendicularly
+northward. The discoveries of the navigators have given the exact
+boundaries of those parts. In the extent of five hundred leagues,
+which separates Greenland from Spitzbergen, no land has been
+found. An island (Shannon Island) lay a hundred miles north of
+Gael-Hamkes Bay, where the "Jeune-Hardie" was wintering.
+
+If the Norwegian schooner, as was most probable, had been driven
+in this direction, supposing that she could not reach Shannon
+Island, it was here that Louis Cornbutte and his comrades must
+have sought for a winter asylum.
+
+This opinion prevailed, despite Andre Vasling's opposition; and
+it was decided to direct the explorations on the side towards
+Shannon Island.
+
+Arrangements for this were at once begun. A sledge like that used
+by the Esquimaux had been procured on the Norwegian coast. This
+was constructed of planks curved before and behind, and was made
+to slide over the snow and ice. It was twelve feet long and four
+wide, and could therefore carry provisions, if need were, for
+several weeks. Fidele Misonne soon put it in order, working upon
+it in the snow storehouse, whither his tools had been carried.
+For the first time a coal-stove was set up in this storehouse,
+without which all labour there would have been impossible. The
+pipe was carried out through one of the lateral walls, by a hole
+pierced in the snow; but a grave inconvenience resulted from
+this,--for the heat of the stove, little by little, melted the
+snow where it came in contact with it; and the opening visibly
+increased. Jean Cornbutte contrived to surround this part of the
+pipe with some metallic canvas, which is impermeable by heat.
+This succeeded completely.
+
+While Misonne was at work upon the sledge, Penellan, aided by
+Marie, was preparing the clothing necessary for the expedition.
+Seal-skin boots they had, fortunately, in plenty. Jean Cornbutte
+and Andre Vasling occupied themselves with the provisions. They
+chose a small barrel of spirits-of-wine for heating a portable
+chafing-dish; reserves of coffee and tea in ample quantity were
+packed; a small box of biscuits, two hundred pounds of pemmican,
+and some gourds of brandy completed the stock of viands. The guns
+would bring down some fresh game every day. A quantity of powder
+was divided between several bags; the compass, sextant, and spy-glass
+were put carefully out of the way of injury.
+
+On the 11th of October the sun no longer appeared above the
+horizon. They were obliged to keep a lighted lamp in the lodgings
+of the crew all the time. There was no time to lose; the
+explorations must be begun. For this reason: in the month of
+January it would become so cold that it would be impossible to
+venture out without peril of life. For two months at least the
+crew would be condemned to the most complete imprisonment; then
+the thaw would begin, and continue till the time when the ship
+should quit the ice. This thaw would, of course, prevent any
+explorations. On the other hand, if Louis Cornbutte and his
+comrades were still in existence, it was not probable that they
+would be able to resist the severities of the arctic winter. They
+must therefore be saved beforehand, or all hope would be lost.
+Andre Vasling knew all this better than any one. He therefore
+resolved to put every possible obstacle in the way of the
+expedition.
+
+The preparations for the journey were completed about the 20th of
+October. It remained to select the men who should compose the
+party. The young girl could not be deprived of the protection of
+Jean Cornbutte or of Penellan; neither of these could, on the
+other hand, be spared from the expedition.
+
+The question, then, was whether Marie could bear the fatigues of
+such a journey. She had already passed through rough experiences
+without seeming to suffer from them, for she was a sailor's
+daughter, used from infancy to the fatigues of the sea, and even
+Penellan was not dismayed to see her struggling in the midst of
+this severe climate, against the dangers of the polar seas.
+
+It was decided, therefore, after a long discussion, that she
+should go with them, and that a place should be reserved for her,
+at need, on the sledge, on which a little wooden hut was
+constructed, closed in hermetically. As for Marie, she was
+delighted, for she dreaded to be left alone without her two
+protectors.
+
+The expedition was thus formed: Marie, Jean Cornbutte, Penellan,
+Andre Vasling, Aupic, and Fidele Misonne were to go. Alaine
+Turquiette remained in charge of the brig, and Gervique and
+Gradlin stayed behind with him. New provisions of all kinds were
+carried; for Jean Cornbutte, in order to carry the exploration as
+far as possible, had resolved to establish depots along the
+route, at each seven or eight days' march. When the sledge was
+ready it was at once fitted up, and covered with a skin tent. The
+whole weighed some seven hundred pounds, which a pack of five
+dogs might easily carry over the ice.
+
+On the 22nd of October, as the captain had foretold, a sudden
+change took place in the temperature. The sky cleared, the stars
+emitted an extraordinary light, and the moon shone above the
+horizon, no longer to leave the heavens for a fortnight. The
+thermometer descended to twenty-five degrees below zero.
+
+The departure was fixed for the following day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE HOUSE OF SNOW.
+
+
+On the 23rd of October, at eleven in the morning, in a fine
+moonlight, the caravan set out. Precautions were this time taken
+that the journey might be a long one, if necessary. Jean
+Cornbutte followed the coast, and ascended northward. The steps
+of the travellers made no impression on the hard ice. Jean was
+forced to guide himself by points which he selected at a
+distance; sometimes he fixed upon a hill bristling with peaks;
+sometimes on a vast iceberg which pressure had raised above the
+plain.
+
+[Illustration: The caravan set out]
+
+At the first halt, after going fifteen miles, Penellan prepared
+to encamp. The tent was erected against an ice-block. Marie had
+not suffered seriously with the extreme cold, for luckily the
+breeze had subsided, and was much more bearable; but the young
+girl had several times been obliged to descend from her sledge to
+avert numbness from impeding the circulation of her blood.
+Otherwise, her little hut, hung with skins, afforded her all the
+comfort possible under the circumstances.
+
+When night, or rather sleeping-time, came, the little hut was
+carried under the tent, where it served as a bed-room for Marie.
+The evening repast was composed of fresh meat, pemmican, and hot
+tea. Jean Cornbutte, to avert danger of the scurvy, distributed
+to each of the party a few drops of lemon-juice. Then all slept
+under God's protection.
+
+After eight hours of repose, they got ready to resume their
+march. A substantial breakfast was provided to the men and the
+dogs; then they set out. The ice, exceedingly compact, enabled
+these animals to draw the sledge easily. The party sometimes
+found it difficult to keep up with them.
+
+But the sailors soon began to suffer one discomfort--that of
+being dazzled. Ophthalmia betrayed itself in Aupic and Misonne.
+The moon's light, striking on these vast white plains, burnt the
+eyesight, and gave the eyes insupportable pain.
+
+There was thus produced a very singular effect of refraction. As
+they walked, when they thought they were about to put foot on a
+hillock, they stepped down lower, which often occasioned falls,
+happily so little serious that Penellan made them occasions for
+bantering. Still, he told them never to take a step without
+sounding the ground with the ferruled staff with which each was
+equipped.
+
+About the 1st of November, ten days after they had set out, the
+caravan had gone fifty leagues to the northward. Weariness
+pressed heavily on all. Jean Cornbutte was painfully dazzled, and
+his sight sensibly changed. Aupic and Misonne had to feel their
+way: for their eyes, rimmed with red, seemed burnt by the white
+reflection. Marie had been preserved from this misfortune by
+remaining within her hut, to which she confined herself as much
+as possible. Penellan, sustained by an indomitable courage,
+resisted all fatigue. But it was Andre Vasling who bore himself
+best, and upon whom the cold and dazzling seemed to produce no
+effect. His iron frame was equal to every hardship; and he was
+secretly pleased to see the most robust of his companions
+becoming discouraged, and already foresaw the moment when they
+would be forced to retreat to the ship again.
+
+On the 1st of November it became absolutely necessary to halt for
+a day or two. As soon as the place for the encampment had been
+selected, they proceeded to arrange it. It was determined to
+erect a house of snow, which should be supported against one of
+the rocks of the promontory. Misonne at once marked out the
+foundations, which measured fifteen feet long by five wide.
+Penellan, Aupic, and Misonne, by aid of their knives, cut out
+great blocks of ice, which they carried to the chosen spot and
+set up, as masons would have built stone walls. The sides of the
+foundation were soon raised to a height and thickness of about
+five feet; for the materials were abundant, and the structure was
+intended to be sufficiently solid to last several days. The four
+walls were completed in eight hours; an opening had been left on
+the southern side, and the canvas of the tent, placed on these
+four walls, fell over the opening and sheltered it. It only
+remained to cover the whole with large blocks, to form the roof
+of this temporary structure.
+
+After three more hours of hard work, the house was done; and they
+all went into it, overcome with weariness and discouragement.
+Jean Cornbutte suffered so much that he could not walk, and Andre
+Vasling so skilfully aggravated his gloomy feelings, that he
+forced from him a promise not to pursue his search farther in
+those frightful solitudes. Penellan did not know which saint to
+invoke. He thought it unworthy and craven to give up his
+companions for reasons which had little weight, and tried to
+upset them; but in vain.
+
+Meanwhile, though it had been decided to return, rest had become
+so necessary that for three days no preparations for departure
+were made.
+
+On the 4th of November, Jean Cornbutte began to bury on a point
+of the coast the provisions for which there was no use. A stake
+indicated the place of the deposit, in the improbable event that
+new explorations should be made in that direction. Every day
+since they had set out similar deposits had been made, so that
+they were assured of ample sustenance on the return, without the
+trouble of carrying them on the sledge.
+
+The departure was fixed for ten in the morning, on the 5th. The
+most profound sadness filled the little band. Marie with
+difficulty restrained her tears, when she saw her uncle so
+completely discouraged. So many useless sufferings! so much
+labour lost! Penellan himself became ferocious in his ill-humour;
+he consigned everybody to the nether regions, and did not cease
+to wax angry at the weakness and cowardice of his comrades, who
+were more timid and tired, he said, than Marie, who would have
+gone to the end of the world without complaint.
+
+Andre Vasling could not disguise the pleasure which this decision
+gave him. He showed himself more attentive than ever to the young
+girl, to whom he even held out hopes that a new search should be
+made when the winter was over; knowing well that it would then be
+too late!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+BURIED ALIVE.
+
+
+The evening before the departure, just as they were about to take
+supper, Penellan was breaking up some empty casks for firewood,
+when he was suddenly suffocated by a thick smoke. At the same
+instant the snow-house was shaken as if by an earthquake. The
+party uttered a cry of terror, and Penellan hurried outside.
+
+It was entirely dark. A frightful tempest--for it was not a
+thaw--was raging, whirlwinds of snow careered around, and it was
+so exceedingly cold that the helmsman felt his hands rapidly
+freezing. He was obliged to go in again, after rubbing himself
+violently with snow.
+
+"It is a tempest," said he. "May heaven grant that our house may
+withstand it, for, if the storm should destroy it, we should be
+lost!"
+
+At the same time with the gusts of wind a noise was heard beneath
+the frozen soil; icebergs, broken from the promontory, dashed
+away noisily, and fell upon one another; the wind blew with such
+violence that it seemed sometimes as if the whole house moved
+from its foundation; phosphorescent lights, inexplicable in that
+latitude, flashed across the whirlwinds of the snow.
+
+"Marie! Marie!" cried Penellan, seizing the young girl's hands.
+
+"We are in a bad case!" said Misonne.
+
+"And I know not whether we shall escape," replied Aupic.
+
+"Let us quit this snow-house!" said Andre Vasling.
+
+"Impossible!" returned Penellan. "The cold outside is terrible;
+perhaps we can bear it by staying here."
+
+"Give me the thermometer," demanded Vasling.
+
+Aupic handed it to him. It showed ten degrees below zero inside
+the house, though the fire was lighted. Vasling raised the canvas
+which covered the opening, and pushed it aside hastily; for he
+would have been lacerated by the fall of ice which the wind
+hurled around, and which fell in a perfect hail-storm.
+
+"Well, Vasling," said Penellan, "will you go out, then? You see
+that we are more safe here."
+
+"Yes," said Jean Cornbutte; "and we must use every effort to
+strengthen the house in the interior."
+
+"But a still more terrible danger menaces us," said Vasling.
+
+"What?" asked Jean.
+
+"The wind is breaking the ice against which we are propped, just
+as it has that of the promontory, and we shall be either driven
+out or buried!"
+
+"That seems doubtful," said Penellan, "for it is freezing hard
+enough to ice over all liquid surfaces. Let us see what the
+temperature is."
+
+He raised the canvas so as to pass out his arm, and with
+difficulty found the thermometer again, in the midst of the snow;
+but he at last succeeded in seizing it, and, holding the lamp to
+it, said,--
+
+"Thirty-two degrees below zero! It is the coldest we have seen
+here yet!"
+
+[Illustration: "Thirty-two degrees below zero!"]
+
+"Ten degrees more," said Vasling, "and the mercury will freeze!"
+
+A mournful silence followed this remark.
+
+About eight in the morning Penellan essayed a second time to go
+out to judge of their situation. It was necessary to give an
+escape to the smoke, which the wind had several times repelled
+into the hut. The sailor wrapped his cloak tightly about him,
+made sure of his hood by fastening it to his head with a
+handkerchief, and raised the canvas.
+
+The opening was entirely obstructed by a resisting snow. Penellan
+took his staff, and succeeded in plunging it into the compact
+mass; but terror froze his blood when he perceived that the end
+of the staff was not free, and was checked by a hard body!
+
+"Cornbutte," said he to the captain, who had come up to him, "we
+are buried under this snow!"
+
+"What say you?" cried Jean Cornbutte.
+
+"I say that the snow is massed and frozen around us and over us,
+and that we are buried alive!"
+
+"Let us try to clear this mass of snow away," replied the
+captain.
+
+The two friends buttressed themselves against the obstacle which
+obstructed the opening, but they could not move it. The snow
+formed an iceberg more than five feet thick, and had become
+literally a part of the house. Jean could not suppress a cry,
+which awoke Misonne and Vasling. An oath burst from the latter,
+whose features contracted. At this moment the smoke, thicker than
+ever, poured into the house, for it could not find an issue.
+
+"Malediction!" cried Misonne. "The pipe of the stove is sealed up
+by the ice!"
+
+Penellan resumed his staff, and took down the pipe, after
+throwing snow on the embers to extinguish them, which produced
+such a smoke that the light of the lamp could scarcely be seen;
+then he tried with his staff to clear out the orifice, but he
+only encountered a rock of ice! A frightful end, preceded by a
+terrible agony, seemed to be their doom! The smoke, penetrating
+the throats of the unfortunate party, caused an insufferable
+pain, and air would soon fail them altogether!
+
+Marie here rose, and her presence, which inspired Cornbutte with
+despair, imparted some courage to Penellan. He said to himself
+that it could not be that the poor girl was destined to so
+horrible a death.
+
+"Ah!" said she, "you have made too much fire. The room is full of
+smoke!"
+
+"Yes, yes," stammered Penellan.
+
+"It is evident," resumed Marie, "for it is not cold, and it is
+long since we have felt too much heat."
+
+No one dared to tell her the truth.
+
+"See, Marie," said Penellan bluntly, "help us get breakfast
+ready. It is too cold to go out. Here is the chafing-dish, the
+spirit, and the coffee. Come, you others, a little pemmican
+first, as this wretched storm forbids us from hunting."
+
+These words stirred up his comrades.
+
+"Let us first eat," added Penellan, "and then we shall see about
+getting off."
+
+Penellan set the example and devoured his share of the breakfast.
+His comrades imitated him, and then drank a cup of boiling
+coffee, which somewhat restored their spirits. Then Jean
+Cornbutte decided energetically that they should at once set
+about devising means of safety.
+
+Andre Vasling now said,--
+
+"If the storm is still raging, which is probable, we must be
+buried ten feet under the ice, for we can hear no noise outside."
+
+Penellan looked at Marie, who now understood the truth, and did
+not tremble. The helmsman first heated, by the flame of the
+spirit, the iron point of his staff, and successfully introduced
+it into the four walls of ice, but he could find no issue in
+either. Cornbutte then resolved to cut out an opening in the door
+itself. The ice was so hard that it was difficult for the knives
+to make the least impression on it. The pieces which were cut off
+soon encumbered the hut. After working hard for two hours, they
+had only hollowed out a space three feet deep.
+
+Some more rapid method, and one which was less likely to demolish
+the house, must be thought of; for the farther they advanced the
+more violent became the effort to break off the compact ice. It
+occurred to Penellan to make use of the chafing-dish to melt the
+ice in the direction they wanted. It was a hazardous method, for,
+if their imprisonment lasted long, the spirit, of which they had
+but little, would be wanting when needed to prepare the meals.
+Nevertheless, the idea was welcomed on all hands, and was put in
+execution. They first cut a hole three feet deep by one in
+diameter, to receive the water which would result from the
+melting of the ice; and it was well that they took this
+precaution, for the water soon dripped under the action of the
+flames, which Penellan moved about under the mass of ice. The
+opening widened little by little, but this kind of work could not
+be continued long, for the water, covering their clothes,
+penetrated to their bodies here and there. Penellan was obliged
+to pause in a quarter of an hour, and to withdraw the chafing-dish
+in order to dry himself. Misonne then took his place, and worked
+sturdily at the task.
+
+In two hours, though the opening was five feet deep, the points
+of the staffs could not yet find an issue without.
+
+"It is not possible," said Jean Cornbutte, "that snow could have
+fallen in such abundance. It must have been gathered on this
+point by the wind. Perhaps we had better think of escaping in
+some other direction."
+
+"I don't know," replied Penellan; "but if it were only for the
+sake of not discouraging our comrades, we ought to continue to
+pierce the wall where we have begun. We must find an issue ere
+long."
+
+"Will not the spirit fail us?" asked the captain.
+
+"I hope not. But let us, if necessary, dispense with coffee and
+hot drinks. Besides, that is not what most alarms me."
+
+"What is it, then, Penellan?"
+
+"Our lamp is going out, for want of oil, and we are fast
+exhausting our provisions.--At last, thank God!"
+
+Penellan went to replace Andre Vasling, who was vigorously
+working for the common deliverance.
+
+"Monsieur Vasling," said he, "I am going to take your place; but
+look out well, I beg of you, for every tendency of the house to
+fall, so that we may have time to prevent it."
+
+The time for rest had come, and when Penellan had added one more
+foot to the opening, he lay down beside his comrades.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+A CLOUD OF SMOKE.
+
+
+The next day, when the sailors awoke, they were surrounded by
+complete darkness. The lamp had gone out. Jean Cornbutte roused
+Penellan to ask him for the tinder-box, which was passed to him.
+Penellan rose to light the fire, but in getting up, his head
+struck against the ice ceiling. He was horrified, for on the
+evening before he could still stand upright. The chafing-dish
+being lighted up by the dim rays of the spirit, he perceived that
+the ceiling was a foot lower than before.
+
+Penellan resumed work with desperation.
+
+At this moment the young girl observed, by the light which the
+chafing-dish cast upon Penellan's face, that despair and
+determination were struggling in his rough features for the
+mastery. She went to him, took his hands, and tenderly pressed
+them.
+
+[Illustration: despair and determination were struggling in his
+rough features for the mastery.]
+
+"She cannot, must not die thus!" he cried.
+
+He took his chafing-dish, and once more attacked the narrow
+opening. He plunged in his staff, and felt no resistance. Had he
+reached the soft layers of the snow? He drew out his staff, and a
+bright ray penetrated to the house of ice!
+
+"Here, my friends!" he shouted.
+
+He pushed back the snow with his hands and feet, but the exterior
+surface was not thawed, as he had thought. With the ray of light,
+a violent cold entered the cabin and seized upon everything
+moist, to freeze it in an instant. Penellan enlarged the opening
+with his cutlass, and at last was able to breathe the free air.
+He fell on his knees to thank God, and was soon joined by Marie
+and his comrades.
+
+A magnificent moon lit up the sky, but the cold was so extreme
+that they could not bear it. They re-entered their retreat; but
+Penellan first looked about him. The promontory was no longer
+there, and the hut was now in the midst of a vast plain of ice.
+Penellan thought he would go to the sledge, where the provisions
+were. The sledge had disappeared!
+
+The cold forced him to return. He said nothing to his companions.
+It was necessary, before all, to dry their clothing, which was
+done with the chafing-dish. The thermometer, held for an instant
+in the air, descended to thirty degrees below zero.
+
+An hour after, Vasling and Penellan resolved to venture outside.
+They wrapped themselves up in their still wet garments, and went
+out by the opening, the sides of which had become as hard as a
+rock.
+
+"We have been driven towards the north-east," said Vasling,
+reckoning by the stars, which shone with wonderful brilliancy.
+
+"That would not be bad," said Penellan, "if our sledge had come
+with us."
+
+"Is not the sledge there?" cried Vasling. "Then we are lost!"
+
+"Let us look for it," replied Penellan.
+
+They went around the hut, which formed a block more than fifteen
+feet high. An immense quantity of snow had fallen during the
+whole of the storm, and the wind had massed it against the only
+elevation which the plain presented. The entire block had been
+driven by the wind, in the midst of the broken icebergs, more
+than twenty-five miles to the north-east, and the prisoners had
+suffered the same fate as their floating prison. The sledge,
+supported by another iceberg, had been turned another way, for no
+trace of it was to be seen, and the dogs must have perished amid
+the frightful tempest.
+
+Andre Vasling and Penellan felt despair taking possession of
+them. They did not dare to return to their companions. They did
+not dare to announce this fatal news to their comrades in
+misfortune. They climbed upon the block of ice in which the hut
+was hollowed, and could perceive nothing but the white immensity
+which encompassed them on all sides. Already the cold was
+beginning to stiffen their limbs, and the damp of their garments
+was being transformed into icicles which hung about them.
+
+Just as Penellan was about to descend, he looked towards Andre.
+He saw him suddenly gaze in one direction, then shudder and turn
+pale.
+
+"What is the matter, Vasling?" he asked.
+
+"Nothing," replied the other. "Let us go down and urge the
+captain to leave these parts, where we ought never to have come,
+at once!"
+
+Instead of obeying, Penellan ascended again, and looked in the
+direction which had drawn the mate's attention. A very different
+effect was produced on him, for he uttered a shout of joy, and
+cried,--
+
+"Blessed be God!"
+
+A light smoke was rising in the north-east. There was no
+possibility of deception. It indicated the presence of human
+beings. Penellan's cries of joy reached the rest below, and all
+were able to convince themselves with their eyes that he was not
+mistaken.
+
+Without thinking of their want of provisions or the severity of
+the temperature, wrapped in their hoods, they were all soon
+advancing towards the spot whence the smoke arose in the north-east.
+This was evidently five or six miles off, and it was very
+difficult to take exactly the right direction. The smoke now
+disappeared, and no elevation served as a guiding mark, for the
+ice-plain was one united level. It was important, nevertheless,
+not to diverge from a straight line.
+
+"Since we cannot guide ourselves by distant objects," said Jean
+Cornbutte, "we must use this method. Penellan will go ahead,
+Vasling twenty steps behind him, and I twenty steps behind
+Vasling. I can then judge whether or not Penellan diverges from
+the straight line."
+
+They had gone on thus for half an hour, when Penellan suddenly
+stopped and listened. The party hurried up to him.
+
+"Did you hear nothing?" he asked.
+
+"Nothing!" replied Misonne.
+
+"It is strange," said Penellan. "It seemed to me I heard cries
+from this direction."
+
+"Cries?" replied Marie. "Perhaps we are near our destination,
+then."
+
+"That is no reason," said Andre Vasling. "In these high latitudes
+and cold regions sounds may be heard to a great distance."
+
+"However that may be," replied Jean Cornbutte, "let us go
+forward, or we shall be frozen."
+
+"No!" cried Penellan. "Listen!"
+
+Some feeble sounds--quite perceptible, however--were heard. They
+seemed to be cries of distress. They were twice repeated. They
+seemed like cries for help. Then all became silent again.
+
+"I was not mistaken," said Penellan. "Forward!"
+
+He began to run in the direction whence the cries had proceeded.
+He went thus two miles, when, to his utter stupefaction, he saw a
+man lying on the ice. He went up to him, raised him, and lifted
+his arms to heaven in despair.
+
+Andre Vasling, who was following close behind with the rest of
+the sailors, ran up and cried,--
+
+"It is one of the castaways! It is our sailor Courtois!"
+
+"He is dead!" replied Penellan. "Frozen to death!"
+
+Jean Cornbutte and Marie came up beside the corpse, which was
+already stiffened by the ice. Despair was written on every face.
+The dead man was one of the comrades of Louis Cornbutte!
+
+"Forward!" cried Penellan.
+
+They went on for half an hour in perfect silence, and perceived
+an elevation which seemed without doubt to be land.
+
+"It is Shannon Island," said Jean Cornbutte.
+
+A mile farther on they distinctly perceived smoke escaping from a
+snow-hut, closed by a wooden door. They shouted. Two men rushed
+out of the hut, and Penellan recognized one of them as Pierre
+Nouquet.
+
+"Pierre!" he cried.
+
+Pierre stood still as if stunned, and unconscious of what was
+going on around him. Andre Vasling looked at Pierre Nouquet's
+companion with anxiety mingled with a cruel joy, for he did not
+recognize Louis Cornbutte in him.
+
+"Pierre! it is I!" cried Penellan. "These are all your friends!"
+
+Pierre Nouquet recovered his senses, and fell into his old
+comrade's arms.
+
+"And my son--and Louis!" cried Jean Cornbutte, in an accent of the
+most profound despair.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE RETURN TO THE SHIP.
+
+
+At this moment a man, almost dead, dragged himself out of the hut
+and along the ice.
+
+It was Louis Cornbutte.
+
+[Illustration: It was Louis Cornbutte.]
+
+"My son!"
+
+"My beloved!"
+
+These two cries were uttered at the same time, and Louis
+Cornbutte fell fainting into the arms of his father and Marie,
+who drew him towards the hut, where their tender care soon
+revived him.
+
+"My father! Marie!" cried Louis; "I shall not die without having
+seen you!"
+
+"You will not die!" replied Penellan, "for all your friends are
+near you."
+
+Andre Vasling must have hated Louis Cornbutte bitterly not to
+extend his hand to him, but he did not.
+
+Pierre Nouquet was wild with joy. He embraced every body; then he
+threw some wood into the stove, and soon a comfortable temperature
+was felt in the cabin.
+
+There were two men there whom neither Jean Cornbutte nor Penellan
+recognized.
+
+They were Jocki and Herming, the only two sailors of the crew of
+the Norwegian schooner who were left.
+
+"My friends, we are saved!" said Louis. "My father! Marie! You
+have exposed yourselves to so many perils!"
+
+"We do not regret it, my Louis," replied the father. "Your brig,
+the 'Jeune-Hardie,' is securely anchored in the ice sixty leagues
+from here. We will rejoin her all together."
+
+"When Courtois comes back he'll be mightily pleased," said Pierre
+Nouquet.
+
+A mournful silence followed this, and Penellan apprised Pierre
+and Louis of their comrade's death by cold.
+
+"My friends," said Penellan, "we will wait here until the cold
+decreases. Have you provisions and wood?"
+
+"Yes; and we will burn what is left of the 'Frooeern.'"
+
+The "Frooeern" had indeed been driven to a place forty miles from
+where Louis Cornbutte had taken up his winter quarters. There she
+was broken up by the icebergs floated by the thaw, and the
+castaways were carried, with a part of the _debris_ of their
+cabin, on the southern shores of Shannon Island.
+
+They were then five in number--Louis Cornbutte, Courtois, Pierre
+Nouquet, Jocki, and Herming. As for the rest of the Norwegian
+crew, they had been submerged with the long-boat at the moment of
+the wreck.
+
+When Louis Cornbutte, shut in among the ice, realized what must
+happen, he took every precaution for passing the winter. He was
+an energetic man, very active and courageous; but, despite his
+firmness, he had been subdued by this horrible climate, and when
+his father found him he had given up all hope of life. He had not
+only had to contend with the elements, but with the ugly temper
+of the two Norwegian sailors, who owed him their existence. They
+were like savages, almost inaccessible to the most natural
+emotions. When Louis had the opportunity to talk to Penellan, he
+advised him to watch them carefully. In return, Penellan told him
+of Andre Vasling's conduct. Louis could not believe it, but
+Penellan convinced him that after his disappearance Vasling had
+always acted so as to secure Marie's hand.
+
+The whole day was employed in rest and the pleasures of reunion.
+Misonne and Pierre Nouquet killed some sea-birds near the hut,
+whence it was not prudent to stray far. These fresh provisions
+and the replenished fire raised the spirits of the weakest. Louis
+Cornbutte got visibly better. It was the first moment of
+happiness these brave people had experienced. They celebrated it
+with enthusiasm in this wretched hut, six hundred leagues from
+the North Sea, in a temperature of thirty degrees below zero!
+
+This temperature lasted till the end of the moon, and it was not
+until about the 17th of November, a week after their meeting,
+that Jean Cornbutte and his party could think of setting out.
+They only had the light of the stars to guide them; but the cold
+was less extreme, and even some snow fell.
+
+Before quitting this place a grave was dug for poor Courtois. It
+was a sad ceremony, which deeply affected his comrades. He was
+the first of them who would not again see his native land.
+
+Misonne had constructed, with the planks of the cabin, a sort of
+sledge for carrying the provisions, and the sailors drew it by
+turns. Jean Cornbutte led the expedition by the ways already
+traversed. Camps were established with great promptness when the
+times for repose came. Jean Cornbutte hoped to find his deposits
+of provisions again, as they had become well-nigh indispensable
+by the addition of four persons to the party. He was therefore
+very careful not to diverge from the route by which he had come.
+
+By good fortune he recovered his sledge, which had stranded near
+the promontory where they had all run so many dangers. The dogs,
+after eating their straps to satisfy their hunger, had attacked
+the provisions in the sledge. These had sustained them, and they
+served to guide the party to the sledge, where there was a
+considerable quantity of provisions left. The little band resumed
+its march towards the bay. The dogs were harnessed to the sleigh,
+and no event of interest attended the return.
+
+It was observed that Aupic, Andre Vasling, and the Norwegians
+kept aloof, and did not mingle with the others; but, unbeknown to
+themselves, they were narrowly watched. This germ of dissension
+more than once aroused the fears of Louis Cornbutte and Penellan.
+
+About the 7th of December, twenty days after the discovery of the
+castaways, they perceived the bay where the "Jeune-Hardie" was
+lying. What was their astonishment to see the brig perched four
+yards in the air on blocks of ice! They hurried forward, much
+alarmed for their companions, and were received with joyous cries
+by Gervique, Turquiette, and Gradlin. All of them were in good
+health, though they too had been subjected to formidable dangers.
+
+The tempest had made itself felt throughout the polar sea. The
+ice had been broken and displaced, crushed one piece against
+another, and had seized the bed on which the ship rested. Though
+its specific weight tended to carry it under water, the ice had
+acquired an incalculable force, and the brig had been suddenly
+raised up out of the sea.
+
+The first moments were given up to the happiness inspired by the
+safe return. The exploring party were rejoiced to find everything
+in good condition, which assured them a supportable though it
+might be a rough winter. The ship had not been shaken by her
+sudden elevation, and was perfectly tight. When the season of
+thawing came, they would only have to slide her down an inclined
+plane, to launch her, in a word, in the once more open sea.
+
+But a bad piece of news spread gloom on the faces of Jean
+Cornbutte and his comrades. During the terrible gale the snow
+storehouse on the coast had been quite demolished; the provisions
+which it contained were scattered, and it had not been possible
+to save a morsel of them. When Jean and Louis Cornbutte learnt
+this, they visited the hold and steward's room, to ascertain the
+quantity of provisions which still remained.
+
+The thaw would not come until May, and the brig could not leave
+the bay before that period. They had therefore five winter months
+before them to pass amid the ice, during which fourteen persons
+were to be fed. Having made his calculations, Jean Cornbutte
+found that he would at most be able to keep them alive till the
+time for departure, by putting each and all on half rations.
+Hunting for game became compulsory to procure food in larger
+quantity.
+
+For fear that they might again run short of provisions, it was
+decided to deposit them no longer in the ground. All of them were
+kept on board, and beds were disposed for the new comers in the
+common lodging. Turquiette, Gervique, and Gradlin, during the
+absence of the others, had hollowed out a flight of steps in the
+ice, which enabled them easily to reach the ship's deck.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE TWO RIVALS.
+
+
+Andre Vasling had been cultivating the good-will of the two
+Norwegian sailors. Aupic also made one of their band, and held
+himself apart, with loud disapproval of all the new measures
+taken; but Louis Cornbutte, to whom his father had transferred
+the command of the ship, and who had become once more master on
+board, would listen to no objections from that quarter, and in
+spite of Marie's advice to act gently, made it known that he
+intended to be obeyed on all points.
+
+Nevertheless, the two Norwegians succeeded, two days after, in
+getting possession of a box of salt meat. Louis ordered them to
+return it to him on the spot, but Aupic took their part, and
+Andre Vasling declared that the precautions about the food could
+not be any longer enforced.
+
+It was useless to attempt to show these men that these measures
+were for the common interest, for they knew it well, and only
+sought a pretext to revolt.
+
+Penellan advanced towards the Norwegians, who drew their
+cutlasses; but, aided by Misonne and Turquiette, he succeeded in
+snatching the weapons from their hands, and gained possession of
+the salt meat. Andre Vasling and Aupic, seeing that matters were
+going against them, did not interfere. Louis Cornbutte, however,
+took the mate aside, and said to him,--
+
+[Illustration: Penellan advanced towards the Norwegians.]
+
+"Andre Vasling, you are a wretch! I know your whole conduct, and
+I know what you are aiming at, but as the safety of the whole
+crew is confided to me, if any man of you thinks of conspiring to
+destroy them, I will stab him with my own hand!"
+
+"Louis Cornbutte," replied the mate, "it is allowable for you to
+act the master; but remember that absolute obedience does not
+exist here, and that here the strongest alone makes the law."
+
+Marie had never trembled before the dangers of the polar seas;
+but she was terrified by this hatred, of which she was the cause,
+and the captain's vigour hardly reassured her.
+
+Despite this declaration of war, the meals were partaken of in
+common and at the same hours. Hunting furnished some ptarmigans
+and white hares; but this resource would soon fail them, with the
+approach of the terrible cold weather. This began at the
+solstice, on the 22nd of December, on which day the thermometer
+fell to thirty-five degrees below zero. The men experienced pain
+in their ears, noses, and the extremities of their bodies. They
+were seized with a mortal torpor combined with headache, and
+their breathing became more and more difficult.
+
+In this state they had no longer any courage to go hunting or to
+take any exercise. They remained crouched around the stove, which
+gave them but a meagre heat; and when they went away from it,
+they perceived that their blood suddenly cooled.
+
+Jean Cornbutte's health was seriously impaired, and he could no
+longer quit his lodging. Symptoms of scurvy manifested themselves
+in him, and his legs were soon covered with white spots. Marie
+was well, however, and occupied herself tending the sick ones
+with the zeal of a sister of charity. The honest fellows blessed
+her from the bottom of their hearts.
+
+The 1st of January was one of the gloomiest of these winter days.
+The wind was violent, and the cold insupportable. They could not
+go out, except at the risk of being frozen. The most courageous
+were fain to limit themselves to walking on deck, sheltered by
+the tent. Jean Cornbutte, Gervique, and Gradlin did not leave
+their beds. The two Norwegians, Aupic, and Andre Vasling, whose
+health was good, cast ferocious looks at their companions, whom
+they saw wasting away.
+
+Louis Cornbutte led Penellan on deck, and asked him how much
+firing was left.
+
+"The coal was exhausted long ago," replied Penellan, "and we are
+about to burn our last pieces of wood."
+
+"If we are not able to keep off this cold, we are lost," said
+Louis.
+
+"There still remains a way--" said Penellan, "to burn what we can
+of the brig, from the barricading to the water-line; and we can
+even, if need be, demolish her entirely, and rebuild a smaller
+craft."
+
+"That is an extreme means," replied Louis, "which it will be full
+time to employ when our men are well. For," he added in a low
+voice, "our force is diminishing, and that of our enemies seems
+to be increasing. That is extraordinary."
+
+"It is true," said Penellan; "and unless we took the precaution
+to watch night and day, I know not what would happen to us."
+
+"Let us take our hatchets," returned Louis, "and make our harvest
+of wood."
+
+Despite the cold, they mounted on the forward barricading, and
+cut off all the wood which was not indispensably necessary to the
+ship; then they returned with this new provision. The fire was
+started afresh, and a man remained on guard to prevent it from
+going out.
+
+Meanwhile Louis Cornbutte and his friends were soon tired out.
+They could not confide any detail of the life in common to their
+enemies. Charged with all the domestic cares, their powers were
+soon exhausted. The scurvy betrayed itself in Jean Cornbutte, who
+suffered intolerable pain. Gervique and Gradlin showed symptoms
+of the same disease. Had it not been for the lemon-juice with
+which they were abundantly furnished, they would have speedily
+succumbed to their sufferings. This remedy was not spared in
+relieving them.
+
+But one day, the 15th of January, when Louis Cornbutte was going
+down into the steward's room to get some lemons, he was stupefied
+to find that the barrels in which they were kept had disappeared.
+He hurried up and told Penellan of this misfortune. A theft had
+been committed, and it was easy to recognize its authors. Louis
+Cornbutte then understood why the health of his enemies continued
+so good! His friends were no longer strong enough to take the
+lemons away from them, though his life and that of his comrades
+depended on the fruit; and he now sank, for the first time, into
+a gloomy state of despair.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+DISTRESS.
+
+
+On the 20th of January most of the crew had not the strength to
+leave their beds. Each, independently of his woollen coverings,
+had a buffalo-skin to protect him against the cold; but as soon
+as he put his arms outside the clothes, he felt a pain which
+obliged him quickly to cover them again.
+
+Meanwhile, Louis having lit the stove fire, Penellan, Misonne,
+and Andre Vasling left their beds and crouched around it.
+Penellan prepared some boiling coffee, which gave them some
+strength, as well as Marie, who joined them in partaking of it.
+
+Louis Cornbutte approached his father's bedside; the old man was
+almost motionless, and his limbs were helpless from disease. He
+muttered some disconnected words, which carried grief to his
+son's heart.
+
+"Louis," said he, "I am dying. O, how I suffer! Save me!"
+
+Louis took a decisive resolution. He went up to the mate, and,
+controlling himself with difficulty, said,--
+
+"Do you know where the lemons are, Vasling?"
+
+"In the steward's room, I suppose," returned the mate, without
+stirring.
+
+"You know they are not there, as you have stolen them!"
+
+"You are master, Louis Cornbutte, and may say and do anything."
+
+"For pity's sake, Andre Vasling, my father is dying! You can save
+him,--answer!"
+
+"I have nothing to answer," replied Andre Vasling.
+
+"Wretch!" cried Penellan, throwing himself, cutlass in hand, on
+the mate.
+
+"Help, friends!" shouted Vasling, retreating.
+
+Aupic and the two Norwegian sailors jumped from their beds and
+placed themselves behind him. Turquiette, Penellan, and Louis
+prepared to defend themselves. Pierre Nouquet and Gradlin, though
+suffering much, rose to second them.
+
+"You are still too strong for us," said Vasling. "We do not wish
+to fight on an uncertainty."
+
+The sailors were so weak that they dared not attack the four
+rebels, for, had they failed, they would have been lost.
+
+"Andre Vasling!" said Louis Cornbutte, in a gloomy tone, "if my
+father dies, you will have murdered him; and I will kill you like
+a dog!"
+
+Vasling and his confederates retired to the other end of the
+cabin, and did not reply.
+
+It was then necessary to renew the supply of wood, and, in spite
+of the cold, Louis went on deck and began to cut away a part of
+the barricading, but was obliged to retreat in a quarter of an
+hour, for he was in danger of falling, overcome by the freezing
+air. As he passed, he cast a glance at the thermometer left
+outside, and saw that the mercury was frozen. The cold, then,
+exceeded forty-two degrees below zero. The weather was dry, and
+the wind blew from the north.
+
+On the 26th the wind changed to the north-east, and the
+thermometer outside stood at thirty-five degrees. Jean Cornbutte
+was in agony, and his son had searched in vain for some remedy
+with which to relieve his pain. On this day, however, throwing
+himself suddenly on Vasling, he managed to snatch a lemon from
+him which he was about to suck.
+
+Vasling made no attempt to recover it. He seemed to be awaiting
+an opportunity to accomplish his wicked designs.
+
+The lemon-juice somewhat relieved old Cornbutte, but it was
+necessary to continue the remedy. Marie begged Vasling on her
+knees to produce the lemons, but he did not reply, and soon
+Penellan heard the wretch say to his accomplices,--
+
+[Illustration: Marie begged Vasling on her knees to produce the
+lemons, but he did not reply.]
+
+"The old fellow is dying. Gervique, Gradlin, and Nouquet are not
+much better. The others are daily losing their strength. The time
+is near when their lives will belong to us!"
+
+It was then resolved by Louis Cornbutte and his adherents not to
+wait, and to profit by the little strength which still remained
+to them. They determined to act the next night, and to kill these
+wretches, so as not to be killed by them.
+
+The temperature rose a little. Louis Cornbutte ventured to go out
+with his gun in search of some game.
+
+He proceeded some three miles from the ship, and often, deceived
+by the effects of the mirage and refraction, he went farther away
+than he intended. It was imprudent, for recent tracts of
+ferocious animals were to be seen. He did not wish, however, to
+return without some fresh meat, and continued on his route; but
+he then experienced a strange feeling, which turned his head. It
+was what is called "white vertigo."
+
+The reflection of the ice hillocks and fields affected him from
+head to foot, and it seemed to him that the dazzling colour
+penetrated him and caused an irresistible nausea. His eye was
+attacked. His sight became uncertain. He thought he should go mad
+with the glare. Without fully understanding this terrible effect,
+he advanced on his way, and soon put up a ptarmigan, which he
+eagerly pursued. The bird soon fell, and in order to reach it
+Louis leaped from an ice-block and fell heavily; for the leap was
+at least ten feet, and the refraction made him think it was only
+two. The vertigo then seized him, and, without knowing why, he
+began to call for help, though he had not been injured by the
+fall. The cold began to take him, and he rose with pain, urged by
+the sense of self-preservation.
+
+Suddenly, without being able to account for it, he smelt an odour
+of boiling fat. As the ship was between him and the wind, he
+supposed that this odour proceeded from her, and could not
+imagine why they should be cooking fat, this being a dangerous
+thing to do, as it was likely to attract the white bears.
+
+Louis returned towards the ship, absorbed in reflections which
+soon inspired his excited mind with terror. It seemed to him as
+if colossal masses were moving on the horizon, and he asked
+himself if there was not another ice-quake. Several of these
+masses interposed themselves between him and the ship, and
+appeared to rise about its sides. He stopped to gaze at them more
+attentively, when to his horror he recognized a herd of gigantic
+bears.
+
+These animals had been attracted by the odour of grease which had
+surprised Lonis. He sheltered himself behind a hillock, and
+counted three, which were scaling the blocks on which the
+"Jeune-Hardie" was resting.
+
+Nothing led him to suppose that this danger was known in the
+interior of the ship, and a terrible anguish oppressed his heart.
+How resist these redoubtable enemies? Would Andre Vasling and his
+confederates unite with the rest on board in the common peril?
+Could Penellan and the others, half starved, benumbed with cold,
+resist these formidable animals, made wild by unassuaged hunger?
+Would they not be surprised by an unlooked-for attack?
+
+Louis made these reflections rapidly. The bears had crossed the
+blocks, and were mounting to the assault of the ship. He might
+then quit the block which protected him; he went nearer, clinging
+to the ice, and could soon see the enormous animals tearing the
+tent with their paws, and leaping on the deck. He thought of
+firing his gun to give his comrades notice; but if these came up
+without arms, they would inevitably be torn in pieces, and
+nothing showed as yet that they were even aware of their new
+danger.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+THE WHITE BEARS.
+
+
+After Louis Cornbutte's departure, Penellan had carefully shut
+the cabin door, which opened at the foot of the deck steps. He
+returned to the stove, which he took it upon himself to watch,
+whilst his companions regained their berths in search of a little
+warmth.
+
+It was then six in the evening, and Penellan set about preparing
+supper. He went down into the steward's room for some salt meat,
+which he wished to soak in the boiling water. When he returned,
+he found Andre Vasling in his place, cooking some pieces of
+grease in a basin.
+
+"I was there before you," said Penellan roughly; "why have you
+taken my place?"
+
+"For the same reason that you claim it," returned Vasling:
+"because I want to cook my supper."
+
+"You will take that off at once, or we shall see!"
+
+"We shall see nothing," said Vasling; "my supper shall be cooked
+in spite of you."
+
+"You shall not eat it, then," cried Penellan, rushing upon
+Vasling, who seized his cutlass, crying,--
+
+"Help, Norwegians! Help, Aupic!"
+
+These, in the twinkling of an eye, sprang to their feet, armed
+with pistols and daggers. The crisis had come.
+
+Penellan precipitated himself upon Vasling, to whom, no doubt,
+was confided the task to fight him alone; for his accomplices
+rushed to the beds where lay Misonne, Turquiette, and Nouquet.
+The latter, ill and defenceless, was delivered over to Herming's
+ferocity. The carpenter seized a hatchet, and, leaving his berth,
+hurried up to encounter Aupic. Turquiette and Jocki, the
+Norwegian, struggled fiercely. Gervique and Gradlin, suffering
+horribly, were not even conscious of what was passing around
+them.
+
+Nouquet soon received a stab in the side, and Herming turned to
+Penellan, who was fighting desperately. Andre Vasling had seized
+him round the body.
+
+At the beginning of the affray the basin had been upset on the
+stove, and the grease running over the burning coals, impregnated
+the atmosphere with its odour. Marie rose with cries of despair,
+and hurried to the bed of old Jean Cornbutte.
+
+[Illustration: Marie rose with cries of despair, and hurried to
+the bed of old Jean Cornbutte.]
+
+Vasling, less strong than Penellan, soon perceived that the
+latter was getting the better of him. They were too close
+together to make use of their weapons. The mate, seeing Herming,
+cried out,--
+
+"Help, Herming!"
+
+"Help, Misonne!" shouted Penellan, in his turn.
+
+But Misonne was rolling on the ground with Aupic, who was trying
+to stab him with his cutlass. The carpenter's hatchet was of
+little use to him, for he could not wield it, and it was with the
+greatest difficulty that he parried the lunges which Aupic made
+with his knife.
+
+Meanwhile blood flowed amid the groans and cries. Turquiette,
+thrown down by Jocki, a man of immense strength, had received a
+wound in the shoulder, and he tried in vain to clutch a pistol
+which hung in the Norwegian's belt. The latter held him as in a
+vice, and it was impossible for him to move.
+
+At Vasling's cry for help, who was being held by Penellan close
+against the door, Herming rushed up. As he was about to stab the
+Breton's back with his cutlass, the latter felled him to the
+earth with a vigorous kick. His effort to do this enabled Vasling
+to disengage his right arm; but the door, against which they
+pressed with all their weight, suddenly yielded, and Vasling fell
+over.
+
+Of a sudden a terrible growl was heard, and a gigantic bear
+appeared on the steps. Vasling saw him first. He was not four
+feet away from him. At the same moment a shot was heard, and the
+bear, wounded or frightened, retreated. Vasling, who had
+succeeded in regaining his feet, set-out in pursuit of him,
+abandoning Penellan.
+
+Penellan then replaced the door, and looked around him. Misonne
+and Turquiette, tightly garrotted by their antagonists, had been
+thrown into a corner, and made vain efforts to break loose.
+Penellan rushed to their assistance, but was overturned by the
+two Norwegians and Aupic. His exhausted strength did not permit
+him to resist these three men, who so clung to him as to hold him
+motionless Then, at the cries of the mate, they hurried on deck,
+thinking that Louis Cornbutte was to be encountered.
+
+Andre Vasling was struggling with a bear, which he had already
+twice stabbed with his knife. The animal, beating the air with
+his heavy paws, was trying to clutch Vasling; he retiring little
+by little on the barricading, was apparently doomed, when a
+second shot was heard. The bear fell. Andre Vasling raised his
+head and saw Louis Cornbutte in the ratlines of the mizen-mast,
+his gun in his hand. Louis had shot the bear in the heart, and he
+was dead.
+
+Hate overcame gratitude in Vasling's breast; but before
+satisfying it, he looked around him. Aupic's head was broken by a
+paw-stroke, and he lay lifeless on deck. Jocki, hatchet in hand,
+was with difficulty parrying the blows of the second bear which
+had just killed Aupic. The animal had received two wounds, and
+still struggled desperately. A third bear was directing his way
+towards the ship's prow. Vasling paid no attention to him, but,
+followed by Herming, went to the aid of Jocki; but Jocki, seized
+by the beast's paws, was crushed, and when the bear fell under
+the shots of the other two men, he held only a corpse in his
+shaggy arms.
+
+"We are only two, now" said Vasling, with gloomy ferocity, "but
+if we yield, it will not be without vengeance!"
+
+Herming reloaded his pistol without replying. Before all, the
+third bear must be got rid of. Vasling looked forward, but did
+not see him. On raising his eyes, he perceived him erect on the
+barricading, clinging to the ratlines and trying to reach Louis.
+Vasling let his gun fall, which he had aimed at the animal, while
+a fierce joy glittered in his eyes.
+
+"Ah," he cried, "you owe me that vengeance!"
+
+Louis took refuge in the top of the mast. The bear kept mounting,
+and was not more than six feet from Louis, when he raised his gun
+and pointed it at the animal's heart.
+
+Vasling raised his weapon to shoot Louis if the bear fell.
+
+Louis fired, but the bear did not appear to be hit, for he leaped
+with a bound towards the top. The whole mast shook.
+
+Vasling uttered a shout of exultation.
+
+"Herming," he cried, "go and find Marie! Go and find my
+betrothed!"
+
+Herming descended the cabin stairs.
+
+Meanwhile the furious beast had thrown himself upon Louis, who
+was trying to shelter himself on the other side of the mast; but
+at the moment that his enormous paw was raised to break his head,
+Louis, seizing one of the backstays, let himself slip down to the
+deck, not without danger, for a ball hissed by his ear when he
+was half-way down. Vasling had shot at him, and missed him. The
+two adversaries now confronted each other, cutlass in hand.
+
+The combat was about to become decisive. To entirely glut his
+vengeance, and to have the young girl witness her lover's death,
+Vasling had deprived himself of Herming's aid. He could now
+reckon only on himself.
+
+Louis and Vasling seized each other by the collar, and held each
+other with iron grip. One of them must fall. They struck each
+other violently. The blows were only half parried, for blood soon
+flowed from both. Vasling tried to clasp his adversary about the
+neck with his arm, to bring him to the ground. Louis, knowing
+that he who fell was lost, prevented him, and succeeded in
+grasping his two arms; but in doing this he let fall his cutlass.
+
+Piteous cries now assailed his ears; it was Marie's voice.
+Herming was trying to drag her up. Louis was seized with a
+desperate rage. He stiffened himself to bend Vasling's loins; but
+at this moment the combatants felt themselves seized in a
+powerful embrace. The bear, having descended from the mast, had
+fallen upon the two men. Vasling was pressed against the animal's
+body. Louis felt his claws entering his flesh. The bear, was
+strangling both of them.
+
+[Illustration: The bear, having descended from the mast, had
+fallen upon the two men.]
+
+"Help! help! Herming!" cried the mate.
+
+"Help! Penellan!" cried Louis.
+
+Steps were heard on the stairs. Penellan appeared, loaded his
+pistol, and discharged it in the bear's ear; he roared; the pain
+made him relax his paws for a moment, and Louis, exhausted, fell
+motionless on the deck; but the bear, closing his paws tightly
+in a supreme agony, fell, dragging down the wretched Vasling,
+whose body was crushed under him.
+
+Penellan hurried to Louis Cornbutte's assistance. No serious
+wound endangered his life: he had only lost his breath for a
+moment.
+
+"Marie!" he said, opening his eyes.
+
+"Saved!" replied Perfellan. "Herming is lying there with a knife-wound
+in his stomach."
+
+"And the bears--"
+
+"Dead, Louis; dead, like our enemies! But for those beasts we
+should have been lost. Truly, they came to our succour. Let us
+thank Heaven!"
+
+Louis and Penellan descended to the cabin, and Marie fell into
+their arms.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+Herming, mortally wounded, had been carried to a berth by Misonne
+and Turquiette, who had succeeded in getting free. He was already
+at the last gasp of death; and the two sailors occupied themselves
+with Nouquet, whose wound was not, happily, a serious one.
+
+But a greater misfortune had overtaken Louis Cornbutte. His
+father no longer gave any signs of life. Had he died of anxiety
+for his son, delivered over to his enemies? Had he succumbed in
+presence of these terrible events? They could not tell. But the
+poor old sailor, broken by disease, had ceased to live!
+
+At this unexpected blow, Louis and Marie fell into a sad despair;
+then they knelt at the bedside and wept, as they prayed for Jean
+Cornbutte's soul, Penellan, Misonne, and Turquiette left them
+alone in the cabin, and went on deck. The bodies of the three
+bears were carried forward. Penellan decided to keep their skins,
+which would be of no little use; but he did not think for a
+moment of eating their flesh. Besides, the number of men to feed
+was now much decreased. The bodies of Vasling, Aupic, and Jocki,
+thrown into a hole dug on the coast, were soon rejoined by that
+of Herming. The Norwegian died during the night, without
+repentance or remorse, foaming at the mouth with rage.
+
+The three sailors repaired the tent, which, torn in several
+places, permitted the snow to fall on the deck. The temperature
+was exceedingly cold, and kept so till the return of the sun,
+which did not reappear above the horizon till the 8th of January.
+
+Jean Cornbutte was buried on the coast. He had left his native
+land to find his son, and had died in these terrible regions! His
+grave was dug on an eminence, and the sailors placed over it a
+simple wooden cross.
+
+From that day, Louis Cornbutte and his comrades passed through
+many other trials; but the lemons, which they found, restored
+them to health.
+
+Gervique, Gradlin, and Nouquet were able to rise from their
+berths a fortnight after these terrible events, and to take a
+little exercise.
+
+Soon hunting for game became more easy and its results more
+abundant. The water-birds returned in large numbers. They often
+brought down a kind of wild duck which made excellent food. The
+hunters had no other deprivation to deplore than that of two
+dogs, which they lost in an expedition to reconnoitre the state
+of the icefields, twenty-five miles to the southward.
+
+The month of February was signalized by violent tempests and
+abundant snows. The mean temperature was still twenty-five
+degrees below zero, but they did not suffer in comparison with
+past hardships. Besides, the sight of the sun, which rose higher
+and higher above the horizon, rejoiced them, as it forecast the
+end of their torments. Heaven had pity on them, for warmth came
+sooner than usual that year. The ravens appeared in March,
+careering about the ship. Louis Cornbutte captured some cranes
+which had wandered thus far northward. Flocks of wild birds were
+also seen in the south.
+
+The return of the birds indicated a diminution of the cold; but
+it was not safe to rely upon this, for with a change of wind, or
+in the new or full moons, the temperature suddenly fell; and the
+sailors were forced to resort to their most careful precautions
+to protect themselves against it. They had already burned all the
+barricading, the bulkheads, and a large portion of the bridge. It
+was time, then, that their wintering was over. Happily, the mean
+temperature of March was not over sixteen degrees below zero.
+Marie occupied herself with preparing new clothing for the
+advanced season of the year.
+
+After the equinox, the sun had remained constantly above the
+horizon. The eight months of perpetual daylight had begun. This
+continual sunlight, with the increasing though still quite feeble
+heat, soon began to act upon the ice.
+
+Great precautions were necessary in launching the ship from the
+lofty layer of ice which surrounded her. She was therefore
+securely propped up, and it seemed best to await the breaking up
+of the ice; but the lower mass, resting on a bed of already warm
+water, detached itself little by little, and the ship gradually
+descended with it. Early in April she had reached her natural
+level.
+
+Torrents of rain came with April, which, extending in waves over
+the ice-plain, hastened still more its breaking up. The
+thermometer rose to ten degrees below zero. Some of the men took
+off their seal-skin clothes, and it was no longer necessary to
+keep a fire in the cabin stove day and night. The provision of
+spirit, which was not exhausted, was used only for cooking the
+food.
+
+Soon the ice began to break up rapidly, and it became imprudent
+to venture upon the plain without a staff to sound the passages;
+for fissures wound in spirals here and there. Some of the sailors
+fell into the water, with no worse result, however, than a pretty
+cold bath.
+
+The seals returned, and they were often hunted, and their grease
+utilized.
+
+The health of the crew was fully restored, and the time was
+employed in hunting and preparations for departure. Louis Cornbutte
+often examined the channels, and decided, in consequence of the shape
+of the southern coast, to attempt a passage in that direction. The
+breaking up had already begun here and there, and the floating ice
+began to pass off towards the high seas. On the 25th of April the
+ship was put in readiness. The sails, taken from their sheaths, were
+found to be perfectly preserved, and it was with real delight that
+the sailors saw them once more swaying in the wind. The ship gave a
+lurch, for she had found her floating line, and though she would not
+yet move forward, she lay quietly and easily in her natural element.
+
+In May the thaw became very rapid. The snow which covered the
+coast melted on every hand, and formed a thick mud, which made it
+well-nigh impossible to land. Small heathers, rosy and white,
+peeped out timidly above the lingering snow, and seemed to smile
+at the little heat they received. The thermometer at last rose
+above zero.
+
+Twenty miles off, the ice masses, entirely separated, floated
+towards the Atlantic Ocean. Though the sea was not quite free
+around the ship, channels opened by which Louis Cornbutte wished
+to profit.
+
+On the 21st of May, after a parting visit to his father's grave,
+Louis at last set out from the bay. The hearts of the honest
+sailors were filled at once with joy and sadness, for one does
+not leave without regret a place where a friend has died. The
+wind blew from the north, and favoured their departure. The ship
+was often arrested by ice-banks, which were cut with the saws;
+icebergs not seldom confronted her, and it was necessary to blow
+them up with powder. For a month the way was full of perils,
+which sometimes brought the ship to the verge of destruction; but
+the crew were sturdy, and used to these dangerous exigencies.
+Penellan, Pierre Nouquet, Turquiette, Fidele Misonne, did the
+work of ten sailors, and Marie had smiles of gratitude for each.
+
+The "Jeune-Hardie" at last passed beyond the ice in the latitude
+of Jean-Mayer Island. About the 25th of June she met ships going
+northward for seals and whales. She had been nearly a month
+emerging from the Polar Sea.
+
+On the 16th of August she came in view of Dunkirk. She had been
+signalled by the look-out, and the whole population flocked to
+the jetty. The sailors of the ship were soon clasped in the arms
+of their friends. The old cure received Louis Cornbutte and Marie
+with patriarchal arms, and of the two masses which he said on the
+following day, the first was for the repose of Jean Cornbutte's
+soul, and the second to bless these two lovers, so long united in
+misfortune.
+
+[Illustration: The old cure received Louis Cornbutte and Marie.]
+
+
+
+
+THE FORTIETH FRENCH ASCENT OF MONT BLANC
+
+BY PAUL VERNE.
+
+
+I arrived at Chamonix on the 18th of August, 1871, fully decided
+to make the ascent of Mont Blanc, cost what it might. My first
+attempt in August, 1869, was not successful. Bad weather had
+prevented me from mounting beyond the Grands-Mulets. This time
+circumstances seemed scarcely more favourable, for the weather,
+which had promised to be fine on the morning of the 18th,
+suddenly changed towards noon. Mont Blanc, as they say in its
+neighbourhood, "put on its cap and began to smoke its pipe,"
+which, to speak more plainly, means that it is covered with
+clouds, and that the snow, driven upon it by a south-west wind,
+formed a long crest on its summit in the direction of the
+unfathomable precipices of the Brenva glaciers. This crest
+betrayed to imprudent tourists the route they would have taken,
+had they had the temerity to venture upon the mountain.
+
+The next night was very inclement. The rain and wind were
+violent, and the barometer, below the "change," remained
+stationary.
+
+Towards daybreak, however, several thunder-claps announced a
+change in the state of the atmosphere. Soon the clouds broke. The
+chain of the Brevent and the Aiguilles-Rouges betrayed itself.
+The wind, turning to the north-west, brought into view above the
+Col de Balme, which shuts in the valley of Chamonix on the north,
+some light, isolated, fleecy clouds, which I hailed as the
+heralds of fine weather.
+
+Despite this happy augury and a slight rise in the barometer, M.
+Balmat, chief guide of Chamonix, declared to me that I must not
+yet think of attempting the ascent.
+
+"If the barometer continues to rise," he added, "and the weather
+holds good, I promise you guides for the day after to-morrow--
+perhaps for to-morrow. Meanwhile, have patience and stretch your
+legs; I will take you up the Brevent. The clouds are clearing
+away, and you will be able to exactly distinguish the path you
+will have to go over to reach the summit of Mont Blanc. If, in
+spite of this, you are determined to go, you may try it!"
+
+This speech, uttered in a certain tone, was not very reassuring,
+and gave food for reflection. Still, I accepted his proposition,
+and he chose as my companion the guide Edward Ravanel, a very
+sedate and devoted fellow, who perfectly knew his business.
+
+M. Donatien Levesque, an enthusiastic tourist and an intrepid
+pedestrian, who had made early in the previous year an interesting
+and difficult trip in North America, was with me. He had already
+visited the greater part of America, and was about to descend the
+Mississippi to New Orleans, when the war cut short his projects and
+recalled him to France. We had met at Aix-les-Bains, and we had
+determined to make an excursion together in Savoy and Switzerland.
+
+Donatien Levesque knew my intentions, and, as he thought that his
+health would not permit him to attempt so long a journey over the
+glaciers, it had been agreed that he should await my return from
+Mont Blanc at Chamonix, and should make the traditional visit to
+the Mer-de-Glace by the Montanvers during my absence.
+
+On learning that I was going to ascend the Brevent, my friend did
+not hesitate to accompany me thither. The ascent of the Brevent
+is one of the most interesting trips that can be made from
+Chamonix. This mountain, about seven thousand six hundred feet
+high, is only the prolongation of the chain for the Aiguilles-Rouges,
+which runs from the south-west to the north-east, parallel with that
+of Mont Blanc, and forms with it the narrow valley of Chamonix. The
+Brevent, by its central position, exactly opposite the Bossons
+glacier, enables one to watch the parties which undertake the ascent
+of the giant of the Alps nearly throughout their journey. It is
+therefore much frequented.
+
+We started about seven o'clock in the morning. As we went along,
+I thought of the mysterious words of the master-guide; they
+annoyed me a little. Addressing Ravanel, I said,--
+
+"Have you made the ascent of Mont Blanc?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur," he replied, "once; and that's enough. I am not
+anxious to do it again."
+
+"The deuce!" said I. "I am going to try it."
+
+"You are free, monsieur; but I shall not go with you. The
+mountain is not good this year. Several attempts have already
+been made; two only have succeeded. As for the second, the party
+tried the ascent twice. Besides, the accident last year has
+rather cooled the amateurs."
+
+"An accident! What accident?"
+
+"Did not monsieur hear of it? This is how it happened. A party,
+consisting of ten guides and porters and two Englishmen, started
+about the middle of September for Mont Blanc. They were seen to
+reach the summit; then, some minutes after, they disappeared in a
+cloud. When the cloud passed over no one was visible. The two
+travellers, with seven guides and porters, had been blown off by
+the wind and precipitated on the Cormayeur side, doubtless into
+the Brenva glacier. Despite the most vigilant search, their
+bodies could not be found. The other three were found one hundred
+and fifty yards below the summit, near the Petits-Mulets. They
+had become blocks of ice."
+
+"But these travellers must have been imprudent," said I to
+Ravanel. "What folly it was to start off so late in the year on
+such an expedition! They should have gone up in August."
+
+I vainly tried to keep up my courage; this lugubrious story would
+haunt me in spite of myself. Happily the weather soon cleared,
+and the rays of a bright sun dissipated the clouds which still
+veiled Mont Blanc, and, at the same time, those which overshadowed
+my thoughts.
+
+Our ascent was satisfactorily accomplished. On leaving the
+chalets of Planpraz, situated at a height of two thousand and
+sixty-two yards, you ascend, on ragged masses of rock and pools
+of snow, to the foot of a rock called "The Chimney," which is
+scaled with the feet and hands. Twenty minutes after, you reach
+the summit of the Brevent, whence the view is very fine. The
+chain of Mont Blanc appears in all its majesty. The gigantic
+mountain, firmly established on its powerful strata, seems to
+defy the tempests which sweep across its icy shield without ever
+impairing it; whilst the crowd of icy needles, peaks, mountains,
+which form its cortege and rise everywhere around it, without
+equalling its noble height, carry the evident traces of a slow
+wasting away.
+
+[Illustration: View of Mont Blanc from the Brevent.]
+
+From the excellent look-out which we occupied, we could reckon,
+though still imperfectly, the distance to be gone over in order
+to attain the summit. This summit, which from Chamonix appears so
+near the dome of the Gouter, now took its true position. The
+various plateaus which form so many degrees which must be
+crossed, and which are not visible from below, appeared from the
+Brevent, and threw the so-much-desired summit, by the laws of
+perspective, still farther in the background. The Bossons
+glacier, in all its splendour, bristled with icy needles and
+blocks (blocks sometimes ten yards square), which seemed, like
+the waves of an angry sea, to beat against the sides of the rocks
+of the Grands-Mulets, the base of which disappeared in their
+midst.
+
+This marvellous spectacle was not likely to cool my impatience,
+and I more eagerly than ever promised myself to explore this
+hitherto unknown world.
+
+My companion was equally inspired by the scene, and from this
+moment I began to think that I should not have to ascend Mont
+Blanc alone.
+
+We descended again to Chamonix; the weather became milder every
+hour; the barometer continued to ascend; everything seemed to
+promise well.
+
+The next day at sunrise I hastened to the master-guide. The sky
+was cloudless; the wind, almost imperceptible, was north-east.
+The chain of Mont Blanc, the higher summits of which were gilded
+by the rising sun, seemed to invite the many tourists to ascend
+it. One could not, in all politeness, refuse so kindly an
+invitation.
+
+M. Balmat, after consulting his barometer, declared the ascent to
+be practicable, and promised me the two guides and the porter
+prescribed in our agreement. I left the selection of these to
+him. But an unexpected incident disturbed my preparations for
+departure.
+
+As I came out of M. Balmat's office, I met Ravanel, my guide of
+the day before.
+
+"Is monsieur going to Mont Blanc?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, certainly," said I. "Is it not a favourable time to go?"
+
+He reflected a few moments, and then said with an embarrassed
+air,--
+
+"Monsieur, you are my traveller; I accompanied you yesterday to
+the Brevent, so I cannot leave you now; and, since you are going
+up, I will go with you, if you will kindly accept my services. It
+is your right, for on all dangerous journeys the traveller can
+choose his own guides. Only, if you accept my offer, I ask that
+you will also take my brother, Ambrose Ravanel, and my cousin,
+Gaspard Simon. These are young, vigorous fellows; they do not
+like the ascent of Mont Blanc better than I do; but they will not
+shirk it, and I answer for them to you as I would for myself."
+
+This young man inspired me with all confidence. I accepted his
+proposition, and hastened to apprise M. Balmat of the choice I
+had made. But M. Balmat had meanwhile been selecting guides for
+me according to their turn on his list. One only had accepted,
+Edward Simon; the answer of another, Jean Carrier, had not yet
+been received, though it was scarcely doubtful, as this man had
+already made the ascent of Mont Blanc twenty-nine times. I thus
+found myself in an embarrassing position. The guides I had chosen
+were all from Argentiere, a village six kilometres from Chamonix.
+Those of Chamonix accused Ravanel of having influenced me in
+favour of his family, which was contrary to the regulations.
+
+To cut the discussion short, I took Edward Simon, who had already
+made his preparations as a third guide. He would be useless if I
+went up alone, but would become indispensable if my friend also
+ascended.
+
+This settled, I went to tell Donatien Levesque. I found him
+sleeping the sleep of the just, for he had walked over sixteen
+kilometres on a mountain the evening before. I had some
+difficulty in waking him; but on removing first his sheets, then
+his pillows, and finally his mattress, I obtained some result,
+and succeeded in making him understand that I was preparing for
+the hazardous trip.
+
+"Well," said he, yawning, "I will go with you as far as the
+Grands-Mulets, and await your return there."
+
+"Bravo!" I replied. "I have just one guide too many, and I will
+attach him to your person."
+
+We bought the various articles indispensable to a journey across
+the glaciers. Iron-spiked alpenstocks, coarse cloth leggings,
+green spectacles fitting tightly to the eyes, furred gloves,
+green veils,--nothing was forgotten. We each had excellent
+triple-soled shoes, which our guides roughed for the ice. This
+last is an important detail, for there are moments in such an
+expedition when the least slip is fatal, not only to yourself,
+but to the whole party with you.
+
+Our preparations and those of the guides occupied nearly two
+hours. About eight o'clock our mules were brought; and we set out
+at last for the chalet of the Pierre-Pointue, situated at a
+height of six thousand five hundred feet, or three thousand above
+the valley of Chamonix, not far from eight thousand five hundred
+feet below the summit of Mont Blanc.
+
+On reaching the Pierre-Pointue, about ten o'clock, we found there
+a Spanish tourist, M. N----, accompanied by two guides and a
+porter. His principal guide, Paccard, a relative of the Doctor
+Paccard who made, with Jacques Balmat, the first ascent of Mont
+Blanc, had already been to the summit eighteen times. M. N----
+was also getting himself ready for the ascent. He had travelled
+much in America, and had crossed the Cordilleras to Quito,
+passing through snow at the highest points. He therefore thought
+that he could, without great difficulty, carry through his new
+enterprise; but in this he was mistaken. He had reckoned without
+the steepness of the inclinations which he had to cross, and the
+rarefaction of the air. I hasten to add, to his honour, that,
+since he succeeded in reaching the summit of Mont Blanc, it was
+due to a rare moral energy, for his physical energies had long
+before deserted him.
+
+We breakfasted as heartily as possible at the Pierre-Pointue;
+this being a prudent precaution, as the appetite usually fails
+higher up among the ice.
+
+[Illustration: View Of Bossons Glacier, Near The Grands-Mulets.]
+
+M. N---- set out at eleven, with his guides, for the Grands-Mulets.
+We did not start until noon. The mule-road ceases at the
+Pierre-Pointue. We had then to go up a very narrow zigzag path,
+which follows the edge of the Bossons glacier, and along the base
+of the Aiguille-du-Midi. After an hour of difficult climbing in
+an intense heat, we reached a point called the Pierre-a-l'Echelle,
+eight thousand one hundred feet high. The guides and travellers
+were then bound together by a strong rope, with three or four yards
+between each. We were about to advance upon the Bossons glacier.
+This glacier, difficult at first, presents yawning and apparently
+bottomless crevasses on every hand. The vertical sides of these
+crevasses are of a glaucous and uncertain colour, but too seducing
+to the eye; when, approaching closely, you succeed in looking into
+their mysterious depths, you feel yourself irresistibly drawn
+towards them, and nothing seems more natural than to go down into
+them.
+
+[Illustration: Passage Of The Bossons Glacier.]
+
+You advance slowly, passing round the crevasses, or on the snow
+bridges of dubious strength. Then the rope plays its part. It is
+stretched out over these dangerous transits; if the snow bridge
+yields, the guide or traveller remains hanging over the abyss. He
+is drawn beyond it, and gets off with a few bruises. Sometimes,
+if the crevasse is very wide but not deep, he descends to the
+bottom and goes up on the other side. In this case it is
+necessary to cut steps in the ice, and the two leading guides,
+armed with a sort of hatchet, perform this difficult and perilous
+task. A special circumstance makes the entrance on the Bossons
+dangerous. You go upon the glacier at the base of the
+Aiguille-du-Midi, opposite a passage whence stone avalanches often
+descend. This passage is nearly six hundred feet wide. It must be
+crossed quickly, and as you pass, a guide stands on guard to
+avert the danger from you if it presents itself. In 1869 a guide
+was killed on this spot, and his body, hurled into space by a
+stone, was dashed to pieces on the rocks nine hundred feet below.
+
+[Illustration: Crevasse and Bridge.]
+
+We were warned, and hastened our steps as fast as our
+inexperience would permit; but on leaving this dangerous zone,
+another, not less dangerous, awaited us. This was the region of
+the "seracs,"--immense blocks of ice, the formation of which is
+not as yet explained.
+
+[Illustration: View of the "Seracs".]
+
+These are usually situated on the edge of a plateau, and menace
+the whole valley beneath them. A slight movement of the glacier,
+or even a light vibration of the temperature, impels their fall,
+and occasions the most serious accidents.
+
+[Illustration: View of the "Seracs".]
+
+"Messieurs, keep quiet, and let us pass over quickly." These
+words, roughly spoken by one of the guides, checked our conversation.
+We went across rapidly and in silence. We finally reached what is
+called the "Junction" (which might more properly be called the
+violent "Separation"), by the Cote Mountain, the Bossons and
+Tacconay glaciers. At this point the scene assumes an indescribable
+character; crevasses with changing colours, ice-needles with sharp
+forms, seracs suspended and pierced with the light, little green
+lakes compose a chaos which surpasses everything that one can
+imagine. Added to this, the rush of the torrents at the foot of the
+glaciers, the sinister and repeated crackings of the blocks which
+detached themselves and fell in avalanches down the crevasses, the
+trembling of the ground which opened beneath our feet, gave a
+singular idea of those desolate places the existence of which only
+betrays itself by destruction and death.
+
+[Illustration: Passage of the "Junction".]
+
+After passing the "Junction" you follow the Tacconay glacier for
+awhile, and reach the side which leads to the Grands-Mulets. This
+part, which is very sloping, is traversed in zigzags. The leading
+guide takes care to trace them at an angle of thirty degrees,
+when there is fresh snow, to avoid the avalanches.
+
+After crossing for three hours on the ice and snow, we reach the
+Grands-Mulets, rocks six hundred feet high, overlooking on one
+side the Bossons glacier, and on the other the sloping plains
+which extend to the base of the Gouter dome.
+
+[Illustration: Hut At The Grands-Mulets.]
+
+A small hut, constructed by the guides near the summit of the
+first rock, gives a shelter to travellers, and enables them to
+await a favourable moment for setting out for the summit of Mont
+Blanc.
+
+They dine there as well as they can, and sleep too; but the
+proverb, "He who sleeps dines," does not apply to this elevation,
+for one cannot seriously do the one or the other.
+
+"Well," said I to Levesque, after a pretence of a meal, "did I
+exaggerate the splendour of the landscape, and do you regret
+having come thus far?"
+
+"I regret it so little," he replied, "that I am determined to go
+on to the summit. You may count on me."
+
+"Very good," said I. "But you know the worst is yet to come."
+
+"Nonsense!" he exclaimed, "we will go to the end. Meanwhile, let
+us observe the sunset, which must be magnificent."
+
+The heavens had remained wonderfully clear. The chain of the
+Brevent and the Aiguilles-Rouges stretched out at our feet.
+Beyond, the Fiz rocks and the Aiguille-de-Varan rose above the
+Sallanche Valley, and the whole chains of Mont Fleury and the
+Reposoir appeared in the background. More to the right we could
+descry the snowy summit of the Buet, and farther off the
+Dents-du-Midi, with its five tusks, overhanging the valley of the
+Rhone. Behind us were the eternal snows of the Gouter, Mont
+Maudit, and, lastly, Mont Blanc.
+
+Little by little the shadows invaded the valley of Chamonix, and
+gradually each of the summits which overlook it on the west. The
+chain of Mont Blanc alone remained luminous, and seemed encircled
+by a golden halo. Soon the shadows crept up the Gouter and Mont
+Maudit. They still respected the giant of the Alps. We watched
+this gradual disappearance of the light with admiration. It
+lingered awhile on the highest summit, and gave us the foolish
+hope that it would not depart thence. But in a few moments all
+was shrouded in gloom, and the livid and ghastly colours of death
+succeeded the living hues. I do not exaggerate. Those who love
+mountains will comprehend me.
+
+[Illustration: View of Mont Blanc from Grands-Mulets.]
+
+After witnessing this sublime scene, we had only to await the
+moment of departure. We were to set out again at two in the
+morning. Now, therefore, we stretched ourselves upon our
+mattresses.
+
+It was useless to think of sleeping, much more of talking. We
+were absorbed by more or less gloomy thoughts. It was the night
+before the battle, with the difference that nothing forced us to
+engage in the struggle. Two sorts of ideas struggled in the mind.
+It was the ebb and flow of the sea, each in its turn. Objections
+to the venture were not wanting. Why run so much danger? If we
+succeeded, of what advantage would it be? If an accident
+happened, how we should regret it! Then the imagination set to
+work; all the mountain catastrophes rose in the fancy. I dreamed
+of snow bridges giving way under my feet, of being precipitated
+in the yawning crevasses, of hearing the terrible noises of the
+avalanches detaching themselves and burying me, of disappearing,
+of cold and death seizing upon me, and of struggling with
+desperate effort, but in vain!
+
+A sharp, horrible noise is heard at this moment
+
+"The avalanche! the avalanche!" I cry.
+
+"What is the matter with you?" asks Levesque, starting up.
+
+Alas! It is a piece of furniture which, in the struggles of my
+nightmare, I have just broken. This very prosaic avalanche
+recalls me to the reality. I laugh at my terrors, a contrary
+current of thought gets the upper hand, and with it ambitious
+ideas. I need only use a little effort to reach this summit, so
+seldom attained. It is a victory, as others are. Accidents are
+rare--very rare! Do they ever take place at all? The spectacle
+from the summit must be so marvellous! And then what satisfaction
+there would be in having accomplished what so many others dared
+not undertake!
+
+My courage was restored by these thoughts, and I calmly awaited
+the moment of departure.
+
+About one o'clock the steps and voices of the guides, and the
+noise of opening doors, indicated that that moment was approaching.
+Soon Ravanel came in and said, "Come, messieurs, get up; the weather
+is magnificent. By ten o'clock we shall be at the summit."
+
+At these words we leaped from our beds, and hurried to make our
+toilet. Two of the guides, Ambrose Ravanel and his cousin Simon,
+went on ahead to explore the road. They were provided with a
+lantern, which was to show us the way to go, and with hatchets to
+make the path and cut steps in the very difficult spots. At two
+o'clock we tied ourselves one to another: the order of march was,
+Edward Ravanel before me, and at the head; behind me Edward
+Simon, then Donatien Levesque; after him our two porters (for we
+took along with us the domestic of the Grands-Mulets hut as a
+second), and M. N----'s party.
+
+The guides and porters having distributed the provisions between
+them, the signal for departure was given, and we set off in the
+midst of profound darkness, directing ourselves according to the
+lantern held up at some distance ahead.
+
+There was something solemn in this setting out. But few words
+were spoken; the vagueness of the unknown impressed us, but the
+new and strange situation excited us, and rendered us insensible
+to its dangers. The landscape around was fantastic. But few
+outlines were distinguishable. Great white confused masses, with
+blackish spots here and there, closed the horizon. The celestial
+vault shone with remarkable brilliancy. We could perceive, at an
+uncertain distance, the lantern of the guides who were ahead, and
+the mournful silence of the night was only disturbed by the dry,
+distant noise of the hatchet cutting steps in the ice.
+
+We crept slowly and cautiously over the first ascent, going
+towards the base of the Gouter. After ascending laboriously for
+two hours, we reached the first plateau, called the "Petit-Plateau,"
+at the foot of the Gouter, at a height of about eleven thousand feet.
+We rested a few moments and then proceeded, turning now to the left
+and going towards the edge which conducts to the "Grand-Plateau."
+
+But our party had already lessened in number: M. N----, with his
+guides, had stopped; his fatigue obliged him to take a longer
+rest.
+
+About half-past four dawn began to whiten the horizon. At this
+moment we were ascending the slope which leads to the Grand-Plateau,
+which we soon safely reached. We were eleven thousand eight hundred
+feet high. We had well earned our breakfast. Wonderful to relate,
+Levesque and I had a good appetite. It was a good sign. We therefore
+installed ourselves on the snow, and made such a repast as we could.
+Our guides joyfully declared that success was certain. As for me, I
+thought they resumed work too quickly.
+
+M. N---- rejoined us before long. We urged him to take some
+nourishment. He peremptorily refused. He felt the contraction of
+the stomach which is so common in those parts, and was almost
+broken down.
+
+The Grand-Plateau deserves a special description. On the right
+rises the dome of the Gouter. Opposite it is Mont Blanc, rearing
+itself two thousand seven hundred feet above it. On the left are
+the "Rouges" rocks and Mont Maudit. This immense circle is one
+mass of glittering whiteness. On every side are vast crevasses.
+It was in one of these that three of the guides who accompanied
+Dr. Hamel and Colonel Anderson, in 1820, were swallowed up. In
+1864 another guide met his death there.
+
+This plateau must be crossed with great caution, as the crevasses
+are often hidden by the snow; besides, it is often swept by
+avalanches. On the 13th of October, 1866, an English traveller
+and three of his guides were buried under a mass of ice that fell
+from Mont Blanc. After a perilous search, the bodies of the three
+guides were found. They were expecting every moment to find that
+of the Englishman, when a fresh avalanche fell upon the first,
+and forced the searchers to abandon their task.
+
+[Illustration: Crossing the Plateau.]
+
+Three routes presented themselves to us. The ordinary route,
+which passes entirely to the left, by the base of Mont Maudit,
+through a sort of valley called the "Corridor," leads by gentle
+ascents to the top of the first escarpment of the Rouges rocks.
+
+The second, less frequented, turns to the right by the Gouter,
+and leads to the summit of Mont Blanc by the ridge which unites
+these two mountains. You must pursue for three hours a giddy
+path, and scale a height of moving ice, called the "Camel's
+Hump."
+
+The third route consists in ascending directly to the summit of
+the Corridor, crossing an ice-wall seven hundred and fifty feet
+high, which extends along the first escarpment of the Rouges
+rocks.
+
+The guides declared the first route impracticable, on account of
+the recent crevasses which entirely obstructed it; the choice
+between the two others remained. I thought the second, by the
+"Camel's Hump," the best; but it was regarded as too dangerous,
+and it was decided that we should attack the ice-wall conducting
+to the summit of the Corridor.
+
+When a decision is made, it is best to execute it without delay.
+We crossed the Grand-Plateau, and reached the foot of this really
+formidable obstacle.
+
+The nearer we approached the more nearly vertical became its
+slope. Besides, several crevasses which we had not perceived
+yawned at its base.
+
+We nevertheless began the difficult ascent. Steps were begun by
+the foremost guide, and completed by the next. We ascended two
+steps a minute. The higher we went the more the steepness
+increased. Our guides themselves discussed what route to follow;
+they spoke in patois, and did not always agree, which was not a
+good sign. At last the slope became such that our hats touched
+the legs of the guide just before us.
+
+A hailstorm of pieces of ice, produced by the cutting of the
+steps, blinded us, and made our progress still more difficult.
+Addressing one of the foremost guides, I said,--
+
+"Ah, it's very well going up this way! It is not an open road, I
+admit: still, it is practicable. Only how are you going to get us
+down again?"
+
+"O monsieur," replied Ambrose Ravanel, "we will take another
+route going back."
+
+At last, after violent effort for two hours, and after having cut
+more than four hundred steps in this terrible mass, we reached
+the summit of the Corridor completely exhausted.
+
+We then crossed a slightly sloping plateau of snow, and passed
+along the side of an immense crevasse which obstructed our way.
+We had scarcely turned it when we uttered a cry of admiration. On
+the right, Piedmont and the plains of Lombardy were at our feet.
+On the left, the Pennine Alps and the Oberland, crowned with
+snow, raised their magnificent crests. Monte Rosa and the Cervin
+alone still rose above us, but soon we should overlook them in
+our turn.
+
+This reflection recalled us to the end of our expedition. We
+turned our gaze towards Mont Blanc, and stood stupefied.
+
+"Heavens! how far off it is still!" cried Levesque.
+
+"And how high!" I added.
+
+It was a discouraging sight. The famous wall of the ridge, so
+much feared, but which must be crossed, was before us, with its
+slope of fifty degrees. But after scaling the wall of the
+Corridor, it did not terrify us. We rested for half an hour and
+then continued our tramp; but we soon perceived that the
+atmospheric conditions were no longer the same. The sun shed his
+warm rays upon us; and their reflection on the snow added to our
+discomfort. The rarefaction of the air began to be severely felt.
+We advanced slowly, making frequent halts, and at last reached
+the plateau which overlooks the second escarpment of the Rouges
+rocks. We were at the foot of Mont Blanc. It rose, alone and
+majestic, at a height of six hundred feet above us. Monte Rosa
+itself had lowered its flag!
+
+Levesque and I were completely exhausted. As for M. N----, who
+had rejoined us at the summit of the Corridor, it might be said
+that he was insensible to the rarefaction of the air, for he no
+longer breathed, so to speak.
+
+We began at last to scale the last stage. We made ten steps and
+then stopped, finding it absolutely impossible to proceed. A
+painful contraction of the throat made our breathing exceedingly
+difficult. Our legs refused to carry us; and I then understood
+the picturesque expression of Jacques Balmat, when, in narrating
+his first ascent, he said that "his legs seemed only to be kept
+up by his trousers!" But our mental was superior to our physical
+force; and if the body faltered, the heart, responding "Excelsior!"
+stifled its desperate complaint, and urged forward our poor worn-out
+mechanism, despite itself. We thus passed the Petits-Mulets, and
+after two hours of superhuman efforts finally overlooked the entire
+chain. Mont Blanc was under our feet!
+
+[Illustration: Summit of Mont Blanc.]
+
+It was fifteen minutes after twelve.
+
+The pride of success soon dissipated our fatigue. We had at last
+conquered this formidable crest. We overlooked all the others,
+and the thoughts which Mont Blanc alone can inspire affected us
+with a deep emotion. It was ambition satisfied; and to me, at
+least, a dream realized!
+
+Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe. Several mountains
+in Asia and America are higher; but of what use would it be to
+attempt them, if, in the absolute impossibility of reaching their
+summit, you must be content to remain at a lesser height?
+
+Others, such as Mont Cervin, are more difficult of access; but we
+perceived the summit of Mont Cervin twelve hundred feet below us!
+
+And then, what a view to reward us for our troubles and dangers!
+
+The sky, still pure, had assumed a deep-blue tint. The sun,
+despoiled of a part of his rays, had lost his brilliancy, as if
+in a partial eclipse. This effect, due to the rarefaction of the
+air, was all the more apparent as the surrounding eminences and
+plains were inundated with light. No detail of the scene,
+therefore, escaped our notice.
+
+In the south-east, the mountains of Piedmont, and farther off the
+plains of Lombardy, shut in our horizon. Towards the west, the
+mountains of Savoy and Dauphine; beyond, the valley of the Rhone.
+In the north-west, the Lake of Geneva and the Jura; then,
+descending towards the south, a chaos of mountains and glaciers,
+beyond description, overlooked by the masses of Monte Rosa, the
+Mischabelhoerner, the Cervin, the Weishorn--the most beautiful of
+crests, as Tyndall calls it--and farther off by the Jungfrau, the
+Monck, the Eiger, and the Finsteraarhorn.
+
+The extent of our range of vision was not less than sixty
+leagues. We therefore saw at least one hundred and twenty leagues
+of country.
+
+A special circumstance happened to enhance the beauty of the
+scene. Clouds formed on the Italian side and invaded the valleys
+of the Pennine Alps without veiling their summits. We soon had
+under our eyes a second sky, a lower sky, a sea of clouds, whence
+emerged a perfect archipelago of peaks and snow-wrapped
+mountains. There was something magical in it, which the greatest
+poets could scarcely describe.
+
+The summit of Mont Blanc forms a ridge from southwest to north-east,
+two hundred paces long and a yard wide at the culminating
+point. It seemed like a ship's hull overturned, the keel in the
+air.
+
+Strangely enough, the temperature was very high--ten degrees above
+zero. The air was almost still. Sometimes we felt a light breeze.
+
+The first care of our guides was to place us all in a line on the
+crest opposite Chamonix, that we might be easily counted from
+below, and thus make it known that no one of us had been lost.
+Many of the tourists had ascended the Brevent and the Jardin to
+watch our ascent. They might now be assured of its success.
+
+But to ascend was not all; we must think also of going down. The
+most difficult, if not most wearisome, task remained; and then
+one quits with regret a summit attained at the price of so much
+toil. The energy which urges you to ascend, the need, so natural
+and imperious, of overcoming, now fails you. You go forward
+listlessly, often looking behind you!
+
+It was necessary, however, to decide, and, after a last
+traditional libation of champagne, we put ourselves in motion. We
+had remained on the summit an hour. The order of march was now
+changed. M. N----'s party led off; and, at the suggestion of his
+guide Paccard, we were all tied together with a rope. M. N----'s
+fatigue, which his strength, but not his will, betrayed, made us
+fear falls on his part which would require the help of the whole
+party to arrest. The event justified our foreboding. On
+descending the side of the wall, M. N---- made several false
+steps. His guides, very vigorous and skilful, were happily able
+to check him; but ours, feeling, with reason, that the whole
+party might be dragged down, wished to detach us from the rope.
+Levesque and I opposed this; and, by taking great precautions, we
+safely reached the base of this giddy ledge. There was no room
+for illusions. The almost bottomless abyss was before us, and the
+pieces of detached ice, which bounded by us with the rapidity of
+an arrow, clearly showed us the route which the party would take
+if a slip were made.
+
+Once this terrible gap crossed, I began to breathe again. We
+descended the gradual slopes which led to the summit of the
+Corridor. The snow, softened by the heat, yielded beneath our
+feet; we sank in it to the knees, which made our progress very
+fatiguing. We steadily followed the path by which we ascended in
+the morning, and I was astonished when Gaspard Simon, turning
+towards me, said,--
+
+"Monsieur, we cannot take any other road, for the Corridor is
+impracticable, and we must descend by the wall which we climbed
+up this morning."
+
+I told Levesque this disagreeable news.
+
+"Only," added Gaspard Simon, "I do not think we can all remain
+tied together. However, we will see how M. N---- bears it at
+first."
+
+We advanced towards this terrible wall! M. N----'s party began to
+descend, and we heard Paccard talking rapidly to him. The
+inclination became so steep that we perceived neither him nor his
+guides, though we were bound together by the same rope.
+
+As soon as Gaspard Simon, who went before me, could comprehend
+what was passing, he stopped, and after exchanging' some words in
+_patois_ with his comrades, declared that we must detach
+ourselves from M. N----'s party.
+
+"We are responsible for you," he added, "but we cannot be
+responsible for others; and if they slip, they will drag us after
+them."
+
+Saying this, he got loose from the rope. We were very unwilling
+to take this step; but our guides were inflexible.
+
+We then proposed to send two of them to help M. N----'s guides.
+They eagerly consented; but having no rope they could not put
+this plan into execution.
+
+We then began this terrible descent. Only one of us moved at a
+time, and when each took a step the others buttressed themselves
+ready to sustain the shock if he slipped. The foremost guide,
+Edward Ravanel, had the most perilous task; it was for him to
+make the steps over again, now more or less worn away by the
+ascending caravan.
+
+We progressed slowly, taking the most careful precautions. Our
+route led us in a right line to one of the crevasses which opened
+at the base of the escarpment. When we were going up we could not
+look at this crevasse, but in descending we were fascinated by
+its green and yawning sides. All the blocks of ice detached by
+our passage went the same way, and after two or three bounds,
+ingulfed themselves in the crevasse, as in the jaws of the
+minotaur, only the jaws of the minotaur closed after each morsel,
+while the unsatiated crevasse yawned perpetually, and seemed to
+await, before closing, a larger mouthful. It was for us to take
+care that we should not be this mouthful, and all our efforts
+were made for this end. In order to withdraw ourselves from this
+fascination, this moral giddiness, if I may so express myself, we
+tried to joke about the dangerous position in which we found
+ourselves, and which even a chamois would not have envied us. We
+even got so far as to hum one of Offenbach's couplets; but I must
+confess that our jokes were feeble, and that we did not sing the
+airs correctly.
+
+I even thought I discovered Levesque obstinately setting the
+words of "Barbe-Bleue" to one of the airs in "Il Trovatore,"
+which rather indicated some grave preoccupation of the mind. In
+short, in order to keep up our spirits, we did as do those brave
+cowards who sing in the dark to forget their fright.
+
+We remained thus, suspended between life and death, for an hour,
+which seemed an eternity; at last we reached the bottom of this
+terrible escarpment. We there found M. N---- and his party, safe
+and sound.
+
+After resting a little while, we continued our journey.
+
+As we were approaching the Petit-Plateau, Edward Ravanel suddenly
+stopped, and, turning towards us, said,--
+
+"See what an avalanche! It has covered our tracks."
+
+An immense avalanche of ice had indeed fallen from the Gouter,
+and entirely buried the path we had followed in the morning
+across the Petit-Plateau.
+
+I estimated that the mass of this avalanche could not comprise
+less than five hundred cubic yards. If it had fallen while we
+were passing, one more catastrophe would no doubt have been added
+to the list, already too long, of the necrology of Mont Blanc.
+
+This fresh obstacle forced us to seek a new road, or to pass
+around the foot of the avalanche. As we were much fatigued, the
+latter course was assuredly the simplest; but it involved a
+serious danger. A wall of ice more than sixty feet high, already
+partly detached from the Gouter, to which it only clung by one of
+its angles, overhung the path which we should follow. This great
+mass seemed to hold itself in equilibrium. What if our passing,
+by disturbing the air, should hasten its fall? Our guides held a
+consultation. Each of them examined with a spy-glass the fissure
+which had been formed between the mountain and this alarming ice-mass.
+The sharp and clear edges of the cleft betrayed a recent breaking off,
+evidently caused by the fall of the avalanche.
+
+After a brief discussion, our guides, recognizing the
+impossibility of finding another road, decided to attempt this
+dangerous passage.
+
+"We must walk very fast,--even run, if possible," said they, "and
+we shall be in safety in five minutes. Come, messieurs, a last
+effort!"
+
+A run of five minutes is a small matter for people who are only
+tired; but for us, who were absolutely exhausted, to run even for
+so short a time on soft snow, in which we sank up to the knees,
+seemed an impossibility. Nevertheless, we made an urgent appeal
+to our energies, and after two or three tumbles, drawn forward by
+one, pushed by another, we finally reached a snow hillock, on
+which we fell breathless. We were out of danger.
+
+It required some time to recover ourselves. We stretched out on
+the snow with a feeling of comfort which every one will
+understand. The greatest difficulties had been surmounted, and
+though there were still dangers to brave, we could confront them
+with comparatively little apprehension.
+
+We prolonged our halt in the hope of witnessing the fall of the
+avalanche, but in vain. As the day was advancing, and it was not
+prudent to tarry in these icy solitudes, we decided to continue
+on our way, and about five o'clock we reached the hut of the
+Grands-Mulets.
+
+After a bad night, attended by fever caused by the sunstrokes
+encountered in our expedition, we made ready to return to
+Chamonix; but, before setting out, we inscribed the names of our
+guides and the principal events of our journey, according to the
+custom, on the register kept for this purpose at the Grands-Mulets.
+
+About eight o'clock we started for Chamonix. The passage of the
+Bossons was difficult, but we accomplished it without accident.
+
+[Illustration: Grands-Mulets.--Party Descending From The Hut.]
+
+Half an hour before reaching Chamonix, we met, at the chalet of
+the Dard falls, some English tourists, who seemed to be watching
+our progress. When they perceived us, they hurried up eagerly to
+congratulate us on our success. One of them presented us to his
+wife, a charming person, with a well-bred air. After we had given
+them a sketch of our perilous peregrinations, she said to us, in
+earnest accents,--
+
+"How much you are envied here by everybody! Let me touch your
+alpenstocks!"
+
+These words seemed to interpret the general feeling.
+
+The ascent of Mont Blanc is a very painful one. It is asserted
+that the celebrated naturalist of Geneva, De Saussure, acquired
+there the seeds of the disease of which he died in a few months
+after his return from the summit. I cannot better close this
+narrative than by quoting the words of M. Markham Sherwell:--
+
+"However it may be," he says, in describing his ascent of Mont
+Blanc, "I would not advise any one to undertake this ascent, the
+rewards of which can never have an importance proportionate to
+the dangers encountered by the tourist, and by those who
+accompany him."
+
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Winter Amid the Ice, by Jules Verne
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