Chapter IV: The Camp--Sledging on the Tableland

Yes, everybody was busy. From the captains themselves down to Jack and Gill, the Shetland ponies, and the little mongrel seal that the boys had made a pet of.

The Eskimo dogs had got their summer clothes on; the Eskimos themselves, especially Slap-dash, were very lively. The bears wanted to go on prowl at once. Gruff, Grumpey, Growley, and Meg were excited by the shimmer of the snow. It reminded them of their dear native land.

Sheelah and Taffy were exceedingly gay and droll. But they were useful. When they had some lessons in cooking, Sheelah excelled the cook, and Dr. Wright turned Taffy into a really good and practical nurse.

The ships were just as one at present. But a camp was being formed on shore in a ravine betwixt two hills to the north of Mount Murchison, so the forces would soon be divided.

A whole month was to be spent in this camp making preparations for the grand dash into the interior.

This was imperative; both Curtis and Dr. Wright insisted on it.

These officers had to consider what men and animals were to be included in the land expeditionary force. Oh, it wasn’t to be all fun, I do assure you.

There was an excellent landing here, for they had found a fiord, a deep arm of the sea, that the scientists believed would be more open as summer advanced, and form an excellent harbour where the _Walrus_ could lie in open water as the base of the undertaking, and if ice-bound in autumn, it would be but pancake--so they thought--through which they could saw their way to clear water.

As for the _Sea Elephant_, she would remain at sea and continue to explore.

Ingomar was not certain in his own mind whether he had not been guilty of an act of cruelty in bringing the Shetland ponies into Polar waters. They had been on shore many times, it is true, and had never been a day ailing; but, on the whole, they had not had very much exercise.

Well, the camp here was commenced. It was to be only a trial one, for those whom Ingomar and his brave companions should leave behind there when they made their dash, would live on board ship.

Everything to be taken into the interior was to be light, but strong; and during their many months of camping out here, they would doubtless gain experience of what would be wanted.

There were sledges of “burden and baggage,” that were to be drawn by the bears, under the care of Slap-dash; the Shetland ponies, with a good man, would greatly assist the heavy work. The dog-sledges would be driven by some of Slap-dash’s men. These sleighs would carry light baggage and camp-gear. They were called the “dash-aways.”

The whole was put under the charge of Dr. Wright. He was a hardy, bold fellow, and determined to make all the rest like him.

“I’ll make you all athletes before you start,” he said; “every man Jack of you. And you won’t need any dumb-bells or chest-developers either.”

“They shall all do as you tell them,” said Lieutenant Curtis. “They shall, indeed, doctor.”

“By Gordon!” cried Wright, flinging his brawny right arm straight out from the shoulder, as only a good pugilist can. “And don’t you say ‘they’ again, old man, Curtis. Say ‘_we_ will do all that you tell us, doctor.’ ’Cause I’m your medical manager. Just you look after your meteorological apparatus--your lenses, your magnetic machinery, your anemometers, your thingummyometers, and all the rest of your paraphernalia, and leave all other matters to me--Dr. Wright of Edinboro toon.”

“Bravo, my friend!” cried Ingomar, coming up at the time. “Just you keep Curtis under and well in hand, Wright. Curtis would kick over the traces if Curtis could, you bet.”

So Dr. Wright proclaimed martial law; and soon the portable bungalow and the tents were up and ready.

There is a lot to be done in camps even by the seashore in old England, and in regularity alone, combined with method, lies their comfort.

Taffy was the good doctor’s loblolly boy. In her care were the medicine wallet and surgical instruments. But the doctor had also taught her the bugle-calls, for Wright himself was a musician and a volunteer officer at home. She was also cook’s assistant, Sheelah being cook supreme.

Taffy and Sheelah slept together in one bag. These were excellent bags, too. Wright and Slap-dash had spent a good deal of time over their making. You popped in or wriggled in, and when your head was easy, simply drew the lid over your head. No fear of smothering in your own carbonic acid in ordinary weather. Taffy sounded the first bugle at 6 a.m., or, in easier language, four bells; and if some one wasn’t astir five minutes after, that “some one” heard of it. You had just five minutes, or, say six, to rub your eyes and say your prayers, then you began to kick yourself clear of the bag and commence ablutions forthwith.

The doctor insisted upon these being conducted _secundum artem_ and in a perfect way.

There was no hot water, and there was no cold, but there were snow and an easily dissolvable soap, and towels galore. Your very face would shine after this, and your spirits rise.

Then exercise for half an hour. Walking, running, leaping, or dancing, or boxing, or fencing.

The doctor had an eagle eye, and no one must shirk this.

The breakfast bugle went at seven, “Too--too--tootitty--tootitty--too.” Taffy had splendid lungs.

Every one was hungry, and the food was satisfying, if not over-refined.

After a rest, the day’s work was begun. At first the packing and surveying of the sledge contents and baggage generally were almost exercise enough till dinner-time. They were kept hard at this every forenoon till every one knew the duty perfectly, and could have told where everything was packed and how to get at it without the slightest confusion.

This was the drill for three or four days, and once a week after this.

The dogs and bears were very tractable, and evinced no inclination at present to go far from camp. But Gruff and his ursine companions soon came to think penguin food the best they ever tasted. They stalked the birds and they stalked seals just as they did in their own Northern home.

The boys and Ingomar did pretty much as they pleased all the afternoon, and Curtis was busy almost from morn till night with his studies.

The ponies did not at all object to go on a “cruise” with Charlie, Walt, and the pet Newfoundlands and Collie, away up through the rough ice in the glen or valley, up and up to a smooth, white, all-too-breezy tableland which stretched in a westerly and southerly direction as far as they could see.

Oh, the delightfulness of their first bareback ride across this snowy plain! Blue, blue the sky, and speckled with fleecelets and feathers; bright the sun at one moment, clouded the next; to the left, Ben-Murchison; far, far to the left, Ben-Sabine, sullenly smoking, his black, bare head silhouetted against the sky. Keen the air. Had to ride with gloves and masks. Cared nothing for that. Knapsacks crammed with biscuits for dogs and ponies, and pork sandwiches for themselves. I don’t think boys were ever more happy, and I’m sure they didn’t draw rein till they had cantered and galloped nine good miles.

“Make a note of this, Walt, old man. We’ve forgotten to bring our compasses.”

So they had.

It didn’t seem to trouble them much, however. They threw themselves down on their backs to enjoy a sun-bath before luncheon. The dogs, too, lay down to chew snow, and the ponies began to graze upon it, if that isn’t an Irish bull.

The ponies had already been taught to come to whistle, and to do many pretty tricks. A Shetland pony can be largely evoluted. I have had them beg like dogs. These did; and they also took bits of biscuits from the boys’ lips, and took their fur caps off. This last was a coaxy kind of trick. The ponies improved upon it to-day, though, by running off with them to present to Nick and Nora.

Nick and Nora, caps in mouth, with Wallace at their side, went racing round and round like circus horses, Charlie and Walt, bareheaded, in the centre. Cold work standing thus, but the lads’ faces were all aglow now, and they cared not.

Then that simple luncheon. Dry biscuits and pony “bix” galore, cold coffee, and more snow. The coffee was frozen in scales, so they had to put the flasks into their bosoms before they could shake it out, a few brown scales at a time, to eat off their palms.

A white spot on Walter’s face!

“Rub it out,” said Charlie, and put his finger on it, for Walt felt nothing.

Rubbed out with snow.

Remount, and a slower ride back to camp in time for tea.

And weren’t they hungry, too! This was only the first of many such scampers.

That great snowy tableland came now to be the regular exercising ground for all the animals.

A squad of men were first requisitioned from the ships to do some work in the glen.

Not navy work, but na_v_vy work. They were set to form a better road up to the tableland by levering the big blocks out of the way, and sledgehammering the smaller. It was by no means a difficult task, and was completed in a day and a half, with the exception of one great fellow of a berg, which they didn’t know how to tackle; but MacDonald, captain of explosives, came to the rescue, and in less than an hour he had literally blown it to smithereens.

The roar of that explosion reverberated from the hills here and there for many seconds after.

The seals on the ice raised themselves to listen, and the penguins looked up in the air as ducks do in a thunderstorm.

The road was complete.

Ingomar and Slap-dash wondered if the bears had forgotten their cunning.

They came to whistle as the dogs did. The dogs were told go about their business and not hustle. Their time would come next.

Gruff and his wife seemed puzzled at first. But soon they remembered things, and when they were put to the very heaviest sledge of all and harnessed, Gruff yawned and gaped, and finally knocked Slap-dash down. But it was done merely as a matter of form; a blow, in Pickwickian sense, meant for a caress. Slap-dash only laughed, and put a handful of snow on Gruff’s nose.

Then he mounted. No whip, only his voice. The bears went away as easily with their load as you or I could with an empty barrow.

The boys rode behind, then came Ingomar and Curtis in furs, with poles in their hands, with their snow-shoes over their shoulders; and half a dozen Yak-Yaks brought up the rear.

Snow-shoes were put on by the infantry when the tableland was gained. After this it was all plain sailing.

When tired of talking, Ingomar and Curtis started a song--a song to suit the pace, but one with melody in it, and the boys joined in the chorus.

This was only breaking the ice (figuratively), for before the two hours’ drag was over, many such were sung.

Luncheon, as before, on the snow.

Bears had frozen seal and biscuits, the Yak-Yaks had the same, the white men a nice luncheon, and all had coffee or snow, as they chose.

The boys had snow to-day.

“Don’t spare it, lads,” cried Ingomar; “there’s plenty more in the larder.”

After the post-prandial pipes, Curtis got up and drew out his note-book. Everything was unpacked, seen to, and once more placed in order.

It was a most pleasant outing; all hands confessed that this was true enjoyment, and not roughing it. Gypsying, picnicking--call it what you please, but just add the words, “jolly good fun.”

The dogs had their trial next day, a whole pack of them; and the trial, twenty miles, was done in half the time, only they did not have the same great load.

Funnily enough, Wallace the collie took entire charge of this pack, for as soon as the Yak dogs were in-sledged, he took up his position to the right, and barked encouragingly all the way.

He was first on the tableland, barking down at them, and on the snow, when they seemed to flag a little, he swept round and round. Humpty Dumpty was driving, but he needed no whip, for Collie at once singled out the dog that was in fault, and gave him a sharp nip.

Grumpey and Meg submitted with a less easy grace, and required a good deal of reminding. When touched smartly on the nose with the whip, they shook their heads, and I’m afraid they made use of some terrible swear-words; but as they did so in the Russian or Ursine language, nobody was supposed to know what they said.

When they were well off and away on the tableland, Grumpey appeared to say to his wife--

“Meg,” said he, “I think we might cut some capers now.”

“If you say we might,” replied his wife, “then, of course, we might.”

“Stand on your hind legs, then.”

Grumpey threw himself on his haunches, and Meg followed suit.

Swish round their noses came the whip, and down they went again on all fours, talking much worse Russian.

“Mr. Slap-dash,” Collie appeared to say, “this is a somewhat peculiar case. Leniency is thrown away on Grumpey. I’ll ride him as postillion.”

He suited action to these identical words, at all events, and leapt nimbly on great Grumpey’s back.

Grumpey did not feel Collie’s weight, of course, but he heard him barking, and he felt his sharp teeth in his off ear whenever he attempted to misconduct himself.

Collie really made a splendid postillion.

* * * * *

The boys themselves broke the ponies in to harness. A task of no small difficulty, for they had never been used to this. Of all horses in the world for cussedness, as the Yankees call it, a Shetland pony is the worst, if not broken in early.

They are so lovable and beautiful, too, and Jack and Gill had developed coats on them like a Skye-terrier. They could hardly see out of their natural face-protectors, but so bonnie and wicked was the morsel of eye one could see, that, instead of talking cross to them, the lads would often laugh and kiss their noses.

Finally the ponies succumbed to kisses, caresses, and bits of biscuit and sugar.

For love can conquer even a Shetland pony.