ntion of going northward without carrying some sort of a boat; a
piece of wood, something with which he could cross an arm of the sea,
if they should meet one. The captain, who was fixed in his views, had
formally vowed not to use a boat made of the fragments of the American
ship. The doctor was uncertain how to broach the subject, and yet a
speedy decision was important, for the month of June would be the time
for distant excursions. At last, after long reflection, he took
Hatteras aside one day, and with his usual air of kindness said to
him,--

"Hatteras, you know I am your friend?"

"Certainly," answered the captain, warmly, "my best friend; indeed, my
only one."

"If I give you a piece of advice," resumed the doctor, "advice which
you don't ask for, would you consider it disinterested?"

"Yes, for I know that selfish interest has never been your guide; but
what do you want to say?"

"One moment, Hatteras; I have something else to ask of you: Do you
consider me a true Englishman like yourself, and eager for the glory
of my country?"

Hatteras looked at the doctor with surprise.

"Yes," he answered, with his face expressing surprise at the question.

"You want to reach the North Pole," resumed the doctor; "I understand
your ambition, I share it, but to reach this end we need the means."

"Well, haven't I so far sacrificed everything in order to succeed?"

"No, Hatteras, you have not sacrificed your personal prejudices, and
at this moment I see that you are ready to refuse the indispensable
means of reaching the Pole."

"Ah!" answered Hatteras, "you mean the launch; this man--"

"Come, Hatteras, let us argue coolly, without passion, and look at all
sides of the question. The line of the coast on which we have wintered
may be broken; there is no proof that it runs six degrees to the
north; if the information which has brought you so far is right, we
ought to find a vast extent of open sea during the summer months. Now,
with the Arctic Ocean before us, free of ice and favorable for
navigation, what shall we do if we lack the means of crossing it?"

Hatteras made no answer.

"Do you want to be within a few miles of the Pole without being able
to reach it?"

Hatteras's head sank into his hands.

"And now," continued the doctor, "let us look at the question from a
moral point of view. I can understand that an Englishman should give
up his life and his fortune for the honor of his country. But because
a