l."

"Of course not; that mountain was only a credulous hypothesis. As
you see, there isn't the least mountain capable of attracting ships,
of attracting their iron anchor after anchor and nail after nail,
and you see it respects your shoes as much as any other land on the
globe."

"Then how do you explain----"

"Nothing is explained, Johnson; we don't know enough for that yet.
But it is certain, exact, mathematical, that the magnetic pole is
in this very spot!"

"Ah, Mr. Clawbonny! how happy the captain would be to say as much
of the boreal pole!"

"He will some day, Johnson, you will see."

"I hope he will," answered the boatswain.

He and the doctor elevated a cairn on the exact spot where the
experiment had been made, and returned on board at five o'clock in
the evening.

CHAPTER XVII

THE FATE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN

The _Forward_ succeeded in cutting straight across James Ross Strait,
but not without difficulty; the crew were obliged to work the saws
and use petards, and they were worn out with fatigue. Happily the
temperature was bearable, and thirty degrees higher than that
experienced by James Ross at the same epoch. The thermometer marked
thirty-four degrees.

On Saturday they doubled Cape Felix at the northern extremity of King
William's Land, one of the middle-sized isles of the northern seas.
The crew there experienced a strong and painful sensation, and many
a sad look was turned towards the island as they sailed by the coast.
This island had been the theatre of the most terrible tragedy of modern
times. Some miles to the west the _Erebus_ and the _Terror_ had been
lost for ever. The sailors knew about the attempts made to find Admiral
Franklin and the results, but they were ignorant of the affecting
details of the catastrophe. While the doctor was following the
progress of the ship on his map, several of them, Bell, Bolton, and
Simpson, approached and entered into conversation with him. Their
comrades, animated by curiosity, soon followed them; while the brig
flew along with extreme rapidity, and the coast with its bays, capes,
and promontories passed before their eyes like a gigantic panorama.

Hatteras was marching up and down the poop with quick steps. The doctor,
on the deck, looked round, and saw himself surrounded by almost the
whole crew. He saw how powerful a recital would be in such a situation,
and he continued the conversation begun with Johnson as follows:--

"You know