The Adventures of Captain Hatteras · Chapter
III: Seventeen Days of Land Journey explained
The castaways learn from Altamont that the American ship Porpoise is stranded nearby, offering hope of supplies.
What happens
The castaways learn from Altamont that the American ship Porpoise is stranded nearby, offering hope of supplies. They decide to journey to the wreck instead of heading to Baffin's Bay. The group prepares a sledge and sets out, facing extreme cold, fog, and dwindling rations. Hatteras grows suspicious of Altamont's motives. After sixteen days, they reach latitude 82° but are exhausted and still far from the ship. The doctor kills a seal for food, but it provides little sustenance.
Themes in this chapter
Human Endurance and Survival
The group faces starvation, extreme cold, and exhaustion while journeying to the Porpoise, relying on dwindling supplies and sheer will.
National Rivalry and Patriotism
Hatteras's suspicion of Altamont reflects underlying tension between English and American explorers, even in dire circumstances.
The Sublime and Dangerous Nature
The frozen landscape, extreme cold, and phenomena like snow falling from a clear sky highlight nature's awe-inspiring yet lethal power.
Characters to notice
- Altamont
Reveals the location of the Porpoise, though his account is incomplete; Hatteras suspects his motives.
- John Hatteras
Leads the group toward the Porpoise, but grows anxious and suspicious of Altamont's intentions.
- Dr. Clawbonny
Interrogates Altamont, provides scientific explanations about ice and snow, and kills a seal for food.
- Johnson
Helps repair the sledge, discusses ice resistance with the doctor, and butchers the seal.
- Bell
Works on repairing and reinforcing the sledge for the journey.
Key passages
“This new incident, these first words which Altamont uttered, had completely altered the situation of the castaways; but just now they had been far from any possible aid, without a reasonable chance of reaching Baffin’s Bay, threatened with starvation on a journey too long for their wearied bodies, and now, within four hundred miles from their snow-house, there was a ship which offered them bounteous supplies, and perhaps the means of continuing their bold course to the Pole.”
Altamont's revelation transformed the castaways' plight: instead of facing starvation on a hopeless trek to Baffin's Bay, they now had a ship only 400 miles away that could provide ample supplies and even enable their polar quest.
The turning point of the chapter, shifting the group's objective from survival to renewed exploration.
“Hatteras asked him anxiously for what purpose he was sailing. Altamont gave them to understand that he had been trying the Northwest Passage.”
Hatteras pressed Altamont about his mission, and Altamont indicated he was attempting the Northwest Passage.
Reveals Altamont's original goal and hints at potential rivalry with Hatteras.
“He said that a man comfortably dressed could walk safely in the open air exposed to great cold, if the air were only calm; but as soon as the slightest wind arose, a sharp pain was felt in the face, and an extreme headache which is soon followed by death.”
The doctor noted that calm cold is bearable, but any wind causes fatal pain and headaches, corroborating Parry's observations.
Highlights the extreme danger of wind in polar conditions.
“Hatteras would often ascertain their position by observation of the moon and stars. As he saw the days pass by and the destination appear as remote as before, he would ask himself sometimes if the Porpoise really existed, whether the American’s brain might not have been deranged by his sufferings, or whether, through hate of the English, and seeing himself without resources, he did not wish to drag them with him to certain death.”
Hatteras used celestial navigation but grew doubtful, wondering if the Porpoise was real or if Altamont, out of hatred for the English, was leading them to their doom.
Shows Hatteras's growing paranoia and the theme of national rivalry.
