The Adventures of Captain Hatteras · Chapter
Attacked by the Ice explained
The Forward, under Hatteras's command, struggles through ice-choked waters in Penny Strait, facing mounting dangers as winter approaches.
What happens
The Forward, under Hatteras's command, struggles through ice-choked waters in Penny Strait, facing mounting dangers as winter approaches. Hatteras obsessively seeks the open polar sea, while the crew grows mutinous under Shandon's covert encouragement. A terrifying ice avalanche attacks the ship, which is lifted and nearly crushed, but survives. The chapter ends with the ship forced to consider winter quarters as the ice closes in.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Madness
Hatteras's fixation on the open polar sea drives him to risk the ship and crew repeatedly; the crew openly questions his sanity.
Human Endurance and Survival
The crew endures extreme cold, ice attacks, and the threat of winter entrapment; Hatteras's determination mirrors the survival instincts of earlier explorers.
Leadership and Mutiny
Shandon covertly encourages the crew's discontent, while Hatteras pushes forward with iron will; the tension between authority and rebellion is central.
The Sublime and Dangerous Nature
The ice avalanche is described as a supernatural, overwhelming force; the Arctic landscape is both beautiful and lethal.
Characters to notice
- John Hatteras
Obsessively charts position and seeks the open polar sea; orders the ship onward despite growing peril; displays brilliant seamanship during the ice attack.
- Dr. Clawbonny
Remains calm during the ice assault, comparing it to a siege; reassures Hatteras with invented confidence about reaching the Pole.
- Richard Shandon
Undermines Hatteras's authority by allowing the crew to discuss mutiny; hints that he would be a better captain.
- Johnson
Warns the doctor of the peril; describes the ice attack as one of the greatest dangers yet encountered.
- Pen
Leads the mutinous talk among the crew, suggesting Hatteras is mad and that Shandon should take command.
- Clifton
Calculates the wages at stake; voices concern about losing earnings if they return without the captain.
- Gripper
Asks Shandon about the impossibility of retreat; participates in the mutinous discussion.
- Bolton
Wounded in the left shoulder during the ice attack.
Key passages
“Hatteras, after seeing to the anchorage of the ship, returned to his cabin, took out his chart, and marked his position on it very carefully; he found himself in latitude 76° 57′, and longitude 99° 20′, that is to say, only three minutes from latitude 77°.”
After securing the ship, Hatteras went to his cabin and precisely plotted their location on the chart: 76°57'N, 99°20'W, just three minutes shy of the 77th parallel.
Shows Hatteras's meticulous navigation and proximity to Belcher's wintering site.
“A great mass of ice, drifting northward with the tide, was rushing towards the brig with the speed of an avalanche.”
A huge ice floe, carried by the tide, surged toward the brig as fast as an avalanche.
Describes the sudden and terrifying ice attack that threatens the ship.
“The men were overcome by numberless enemies, who were heavy enough to crush a hundred ships like the Forward.”
The crew was overwhelmed by countless ice blocks, each massive enough to destroy a hundred vessels the size of the Forward.
Emphasizes the overwhelming and disproportionate force of the ice assault.
“Hatteras used to say, 'Ah! why was I unable to get through Smith’s Sound, at the north of Baffin’s Bay? I should be at the Pole now!'”
Hatteras often lamented that if he had only been able to pass through Smith's Sound, he would already have reached the North Pole.
Reveals Hatteras's deep regret and obsession with finding a faster route to the Pole.
