n tossed into the earth
brings forth a bounteous return a few months later. There, outside of
society, everything is found to make man happy. And then these happy
isles lie in the path of ships; the castaway can hope to be picked up,
and he can wait in patience.

But here on the coast of New America how great is the difference! This
comparison would continually occur to the doctor, but he never
mentioned it to the others, and he struggled against the enforced
idleness.

He yearned ardently for the spring, in order to resume his excursions;
and yet he was anxious about it, for he foresaw difficulties between
Hatteras and Altamont. If they pushed on to the Pole, there would
necessarily be rivalry between the two men. Hence he had to prepare
for the worst, and still, as far as he could, to try to pacify these
rivals; but to reconcile an American and an Englishman, two men
hostile to one another from their birth, one endowed with real insular
prejudice, the other with the adventurous, irreverent spirit of his
country, was no easy task. When the doctor thought of their eager
rivalry, which in fact was one of nationalities, he could not help,
not shrugging his shoulders, but lamenting human weakness. He would
often talk to Johnson on this subject; he and the old sailor agreed in
the matter; they were uncertain what view to take, and they foresaw
complications in the future.

Still, the bad weather continued; they could not leave Fort Providence
even for an hour. Night and day they had to remain in the snow-house.
They all found it tedious, except the doctor, who found diversion for
himself.

"Isn't there any way we can amuse ourselves?" said Altamont one
evening. "This isn't really living, lying here like sluggish reptiles
all winter."

"It's a pity," said the doctor, "that we are too few to organize any
system of distractions."

"Do you mean it would be easier for us to combat idleness if there
were more of us?" asked the American.

"Yes; when whole crews have wintered in boreal regions, they have
found out the way to avoid idleness."

"To tell the truth," said Altamont, "I should like to know how they
did; they must have been very ingenious to get any fun out of these
surroundings. They didn't ask one another riddles, I suppose?"

"No," answered the doctor, "but they introduced into these lands two
great means of amusement, the press and the theatre."

"What! did they have a newspaper?" asked the American.