THE APPROACH OF WINTER.

It was the 21st of September. The sun was then passing through the autumnal

equinox, that is to say, the day and night were of equal length all over the

world. These successive alternations of light and darkness were hailed with

delight by the inhabitants of the fort. It is easier to sleep in the absence of

the sun, and darkness refreshes and strengthens the eyes, weary with the

unchanging brightness of several months of daylight.

We know that during the equinox the tides are generally at their greatest

height; we have high water or flood, for the sun and moon being in conjunction,

their double influence is brought to bear upon the waters. It was, therefore,

necessary to note carefully the approaching tide at Cape Bathurst. Jaspar Hobson

had made bench marks some days before, so as to estimate exactly the amount of

vertical displacement of the waters between high and low tide; he found,

however, that in spite of all the reports of previous observers, the combined

solar and lunar influence was hardly felt in this part of the Arctic Ocean.

There was scarcely any tide at all, and the statements of navigators on the

subject were contradicted.

"There is certainly something unnatural here !" said Lieutenant Hobson to

himself.

He did not in fact know what to think, but other cares soon occupied his

mind, and he did not long endeavour to get to the rights of this singular

peculiarity.

On the 29th September the state of the atmosphere changed considerably. The

thermometer fell to 41? Fahrenheit, and the sky became covered with clouds which

were soon converted into heavy rain. The bad season was approaching.

Before the ground should be covered with snow, Mrs Joliffe was busy sowing

the seeds of Cochlearia (scurvy grass) and sorrel, in the hope that as

they were very hardy, and would be well protected from the rigour of the winter

by the snow itself, they would come up in the spring. Her garden, consisting of

several acres hidden behind the cliff of the cape, had been prepared beforehand,

and it was sown during the last days of September.

Hobson made his companions assume their winter garments before the great cold

set in, and all were soon suitably clothed in the linen under vests, deerskin

cloaks, sealskin pantaloons, fur bonnets, and waterproof boots with which they

were provided. We may also say that the rooms were suitably dressed; the wooden

walls were hung with skins, in order to prevent the formation upon them of coats

of ice in sudden falls of temperature. About this time, Rae set up his

condensers for collecting the vapour suspended in the air, which were to be

emptied twice a week. The heat of the stove was regulated according to the

variations of the external temperature, so as to keep the thermometer of the

rooms at 50? Fahrenheit. The house would soon be covered with thick snow, which

would prevent any waste of the internal warmth, and by this combination of

natural and artificial protections they hoped to be able successfully to contend

with their two most formidable enemies, cold and damp.

On the 2nd October the thermometer fell still lower, and the first snow storm

came on; there was but little wind, and there were therefore none of those

violent whirlpools of snow called drifts, but a vast white carpet of uniform

thickness soon clothed the cape, the enceinte of fort, and the coast. The

waters of the lake and sea, not yet petrified by the icy hand of winter, were of

a dull, gloomy, greyish hue, and on the northern horizon the first icebergs

stood out against the misty sky. The blockade had not yet commenced, but nature

was collecting her materials, soon to be cemented by the cold into an

impenetrable barrier.

The " young ice " was rapidly forming on the liquid surfaces of sea and lake.

The lagoon was the first to freeze over; large whitish-grey patches appeared

here and there, signs of a hard frost setting in, favoured by the calmness of

the atmosphere. and after a night during which the thermometer had remained at

15? Fahrenheit, the surface of the lake was smooth and firm enough to satisfy

the most fastidious skaters of the Serpentine. On the verge of the horizon, the

sky assumed that peculiar appearance which whalers call ice-blink, and which is

the result of the glare of light reflected obliquely from the surface of the ice

against the opposite atmosphere. Vast tracts of the ocean became gradually

solidified, the ice-fields, formed by the accumulation of icicles, became welded

to the coast, presenting a surface broken and distorted by the action of the

waves, and contrasting strongly with the smooth mirror of the lake. Here and

there floated these long pieces, scarcely cemented together at the edges, known

as " drift ice," and the " hummocks," or protuberances caused by the squeezing

of one piece against another, were also of frequent occurrence.

In a few days the aspect of Cape Bathurst and the surrounding districts was

completely changed. Mrs Barnett's delight and enthusiasm knew no bounds;

everything was new to her, and she would have thought no fatigue or suffering

too great to be endured for the sake of witnessing such a spectacle. She could

imagine nothing more sublime than this invasion of winter with all its mighty

forces, this conquest of the northern regions by the cold. All trace of the

distinctive features of the country had disappeared; the land was metamorphosed,

a new country was springing into being before her admiring eyes, a country

gifted with a grand and touching beauty. Details were lost, only the large

outlines were given, scarcely marked out against the misty sky. One

transformation scene followed another with magic rapidity. The ocean, which but

lately lifted up its mighty waves, was hushed and still; the verdant soil of

various hues was replaced by a carpet of dazzling whiteness; the woods of trees

of different kinds were converted into groups of gaunt skeletons draped in

hoar-frost; the radiant orb of day had become a pale disc, languidly running its

allotted course in the thick fog, and visible but for a few hours a day, whilst

the sea horizon, no longer clearly cut against the sky, was hidden by an endless

chain of ice-bergs, broken into countless rugged forms, and building up that

impenetrable ice-wall, which Nature has set up between the Pole and the bold

explorers who endeavour to reach it.

We can well understand to how many discussions and conversations the altered

appearance of the country gave rise. Thomas Black was the only one who remained

indifferent to the sublime beauty of the scene. But what could one expect of an

astronomer so wrapped up in his one idea, that he might be said to be present in

the little colony in the body, but absent in spirit? He lived in the

contemplation of the heavenly bodies, passing from the examination of one

constellation to that of another, roving in imagination through the vast realms

of space, peopled by countless radiant orbs, and fuming with rage when fogs or

clouds hid the objects of his devotion from his sight. Hobson consoled him by

promising him fine cold nights admirably suited to astronomical observations,

when he could watch the beautiful Aurora Borealis, the lunar halos, and other

phenomena of Polar countries worthy even of his admiration.

The cold was not at this time too intense; there was no wind, and it is the

wind which makes the cold so sharp and biting. Hunting was vigorously carried on

for some days. The magazines became stocked with new furs, and fresh stores of

provisions were laid up. Partridges and ptarmigans on their way to the south

passed over the fort in great numbers, and supplied fresh and wholesome meat.

Polar or Arctic hares were plentiful, and had already assumed their white winter

robes. About a hundred of these rodents formed a valuable addition to the

reserves of the colony.

There were also large flocks of the whistling swan or hooper, one of the

finest species of North America. The hunters killed several couples of them,

handsome birds, four or five feet in entire length, with white plumage, touched

with copper colour on the head and upper part of neck. They were on their way to

a more hospitable zone, where they could find the aquatic plants and insects

they required for food, and they sped through the air at a rapid pace, for it is

as much their native element as water. Trumpeter swans, with a cry like the

shrill tone of a clarion, which are about the same size as the hoopers, but have

black feet and beaks, also passed in great numbers, but neither Marbre nor

Sabine were fortunate enough to bring down any of them. However, they shouted

out "au revoir" in significant tones, for they knew that they would return with

the first breezes of spring and that they could then be easily caught. Their

skin, plumage, and down, are all of great value, and they are therefore eagerly

hunted. In some favourable years tens of thousands of them have been exported,

fetching half a guinea a piece.

During these excursions, which only lasted for a few hours, and were often

interrupted by bad weather, packs of wolves were often met with. There was no

need to go far to find them, for, rendered bold by hunger, they already ventured

close to the factory. Their scent is very keen, and they were attracted by the

smell from the kitchen. During the night they could be heard howling in a

threatening manner. Although not dangerous individually, these carnivorous

beasts are formidable in packs, and the hunters therefore took care to be well

armed when they went beyond the enceinte of the fort.

The bears were still more aggressive. Not a day passed without several of

these animals being seen. At night they would come close up to the enclosure,

and sane were even wounded with shot, but got off, staining the snow with their

blood, so that up to October 10th not one had left its warm and valuable fur in

the hands of the hunters. Hobson would not have them molested, rightly judging

that with such formidable creatures it was best to remain on the defensive, and

it was not improbable that, urged on by hunger, they might attack Fort Hope

before very long. Then the little colony could defend itself, and provision its

stores at the same time.

For a few days the weather continued dry and cold, the surface of the snow

was firm and suitable for walking, so that a few excursions were made without

difficulty along the coast on the south of the fort. The Lieutenant was anxious

to ascertain if the agents of the St Louis Fur Company had left the country. No

traces were, however, found of their return march, and it was therefore

concluded that they had gone down to some southern fort to pass the winter by

another route.

The few fine days were soon over, and in the first week of November the wind

veered round to the south, making the temperature warmer, it is true, but also

bringing heavy snow-storms. The ground was soon covered with a soft cushion

several feet thick, which had to be cleared away round the house every day,

whilst a lane was made through it to the postern, the shed, and the stable of

the dogs and rein-deer. Excursions became more and more rare, and it was

impossible to walk without snow-shoes.

When the snow has become hardened by frost, it easily sustains the weight of

a man; but when it is soft and yielding, and the unfortunate pedestrian sinks

into it up to his knees, the snow-shoes used by Indians are invaluable.

Lieutenant Hobson and his companions were quite accustomed to walk in them,

and could glide about over the snow as rapidly as skaters on ice; Mrs Barnett

had early practised wearing them, and was quite as expert in their use as the

rest of the party. The frozen lake as well as the coast was scoured by these

indefatigable explorers, who were even able to advance several miles from the

shore on the solid surface of the ocean now covered with ice several feet thick.

It was, however, very tiring work, for the ice-fields were rugged and uneven,

strewn with piled-up ridges of ice and hummocks which had to be turned. Further

out a chain of icebergs, some five hundred feet high, barred their progress.

These mighty icebergs, broken into fantastic and picturesque forms, were a truly

magnificent spectacle. Here they looked like the whitened ruins of a town with

curtains battered in, and monuments and columns overthrown; there like some

volcanic land torn and convulsed by earthquakes and eruptions; a confusion of

glaciers and glittering ice-peaks with snowy ramparts and buttresses, valleys,

and crevasses, mountains and hillocks, tossed and distorted like the famous Alps

of Switzerland. A few scattered birds, petrels, guillemots, and puffins,

lingering behind their fellows, still enlivened the vast solitude with their

piercing cries; huge white bears roamed about amongst the hummocks, their

dazzling coats scarcely distinguishable from the shining ice-truly there was

enough to interest and excite our adventurous lady traveller, and even Madge,

the faithful Madge, shared the enthusiasm of her mistress. How far, how very

far, were both from the tropic zones of India or Australia!

The frozen ocean was firm enough to have allowed of the passage of a park of

artillery, or the erection of a monument, and many were the excursions on its

surface until the sudden lowering of the temperature rendered all exertion so

exhausting that they had to be discontinued. The pedestrians were out of breath

after taking a few steps, and the dazzling whiteness of the glittering snow

could not be endured by the naked eye; indeed, the reverberation or

flickering glare of the undulatory reflection of the light from the surface of

the snow, has been known to cause several cases of blindness amongst the

Esquimaux.

A singular phenomenon due to the refraction of rays of light was now

observed: distances, depths, and heights lost their true proportions, five or

six yards of ice looked like two, and many were the falls and ludicrous results

of this optical illusion.

On October 14th the thermometer marked 3? Fahrenheit below zero, a severe

temperature to endure, especially when the north wind blows strongly. The air

seemed to be made of needles, and those who ventured out of the house were in

great danger of being frost-bitten, when death or mortification would ensue if

the suspended circulation of the blood were not restored by immediate friction

with snow. Garry, Belcher, Hope, and other members of the little community were

attacked by frost-bite, but the parts affected being rubbed in time they escaped

without serious injury.

It will readily be understood that all manual labour had now become

impossible. The days were extremely short, the sun was only above the horizon

for a few hours and the actual winter, implying entire confinement within doors,

was about to commence. The last Arctic birds forsook the gloomy shores of the

Polar Sea, only a few pairs of those speckled quails remained which the Indians

appropriately call " winter birds," because they wait in the Arctic regions

until the commencement of the Polar night, but they too were soon to take their

departure.

Lieutenant Hobson, therefore, urged on the setting of the traps and snares

which were to remain in different parts of Cape Bathurst throughout the

winter.

These traps consisted merely of rough joists supported on a square, formed of

three pieces of wood so balanced as to fall on the least touch--in fact, the same

sort of trap as that used for snaring birds in fields on a large scale. The end

of the horizontal piece of wood was baited with venison, and every animal of a

moderate height, a fox or a marten, for instance, which touched it with its paw,

could not fail to be crushed. Such were the traps set in the winter over a space

of several miles by the famous hunters whose adventurous life has been so

poetically described by Cooper. Some thirty of these snares were set round Fort

Hope, and were to be visited at pretty frequent intervals.

On the 12th November a new member was born to the little colony. Mrs Mac-Nab

was safely confined of a fine healthy boy, of whom the head carpenter was

extremely proud. Mrs Barnett stood god-mother to the child, which received the

name of Michael Hope. The ceremony of baptism was performed with considerable

solemnity, and a kind of fete was held in honour of the little creature

which had just come into the world beyond the 70th degree N. Lat.

A few days afterwards, on November .20th, the sun sunk below the horizon not

to appear again for two months. The Polar night had commenced!