# Attacked by the Ice explained — The Adventures of Captain Hatteras > Chapter companion for The Adventures of Captain Hatteras by Jules Verne. ## 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. ## Character check-ins ### 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 lines > 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._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_adventures_of_captain_hatteras_se/chapters/xxiii-attacked-by-the-ice - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_adventures_of_captain_hatteras_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_adventures_of_captain_hatteras_se/chapters