left," said Shandon; "and besides, why might
we not make a smaller vessel out of what is left of the old one?"

"Never!" answered Hatteras.

"But--" interposed many of the men, shouting together.

"We have a large quantity of spirits of wine," suggested Hatteras;
"burn all of that."

"All right; we'll take the spirits of wine!" answered Johnson,
assuming an air of confidence which he was far from feeling.

And with the aid of long wicks, dipped into this liquid of which the
pale flame licked the walls of the stove, he was able to raise the
temperature of the room a few degrees.

In the following days the wind came from the south again and the
thermometer rose; the snow, however, kept falling. Some of the men
were able to leave the ship for the driest hours of the day; but
ophthalmia and scurvy kept most of them on board; besides, neither
hunting nor fishing was possible.

But this was only a respite in the fearful severity of the cold, and
on the 25th, after a sudden change of wind, the frozen mercury
disappeared again in the bulb of the instrument; then they had to
consult the spirit-thermometer, which does not freeze even in the most
intense colds.

The doctor, to his great surprise, found it marking -66 degrees.
Seldom has man been called upon to endure so low a temperature.

The ice stretched in long, dark lines upon the floor; a dense mist
filled the room; the dampness fell in the form of thick snow; the men
could not see one another; their extremities grew cold and blue; their
heads felt as if they wore an iron band; and their thoughts grew
confused and dull, as if they were half delirious. A terrible symptom
was that their tongues refused to articulate a sound.

[Illustration]

From the day the men threatened to burn the ship, Hatteras would walk
for hours upon the deck, keeping watch. This wood was flesh and blood
to him. Cutting a piece from it would have been like cutting off a
limb. He was armed, and he kept constant guard, without minding the
cold, the snow, or the ice, which stiffened his clothing as if it
covered it with a granite cuirass. Duke understood him, and followed
him, barking and howling.

[Illustration: "He was armed, and he kept constant guard, without
minding the cold, the snow, or the ice."]

Nevertheless, December 25th he went down into the common-room. The
doctor, with all the energy he had left, went up to him and said,--

"Hatteras, we are going to die from want of fire