# The Breakup of the Ice explained — The Fur Country

> Chapter companion for The Fur Country by Jules Verne.

## What happens

The ice begins to break up around Victoria Island, which has rotated since breaking from the mainland. Hobson and Mrs. Barnett take daily observations, and Kalumah's instincts prove correct as the island drifts southward via the Bering Current. Preparations for departure intensify, and a frost-rime delays observations until April 15, when the island's position is confirmed at 69°57' N, 179°33' W.

## Themes in this chapter

### Survival Against Nature

The colonists prepare for the dangerous breakup of the ice and potential drift, reinforcing the fort and readying the boat for escape.

### Scientific Curiosity

Hobson and Mrs. Barnett take daily sextant observations to track the island's position, and Kalumah's natural knowledge of ice is valued.

### Human Resilience and Camaraderie

Mrs. Barnett hides her fears to support the group, and the colonists work together to strengthen the fort and prepare for departure.

## Character check-ins

### Lieutenant Jaspar Hobson

Takes daily altitude observations, discusses the island's drift with Mrs. Barnett, and grows uneasy about the direction of the ice breakup.

### Mrs. Paulina Barnett

Assists with sextant observations, maintains a brave exterior despite inner fears, and encourages the colonists.

### Kalumah

Uses her instinct to assess the ice, correctly predicts the island is drifting south, and reassures Hobson.

### Madge

Faithfully supports Mrs. Barnett in her efforts to keep up morale.

### Corporal Joliffe

Desperately defends his wife's garden plot from rodents and ruminants, refusing to abandon it despite the imminent departure.

### Mac-Nab

Completes the boat and leads work to strengthen the fort's main house against ice pressure.

## Key lines

> the 'wounds of the ice field bled copiously,' and the opening of these 'wounds' was accompanied by a sound like the roar of artillery.

The cracks in the ice released water and made loud booming noises, as if the ice field were wounded and bleeding.

_Whalers' poetic description of the breakup._

> No foot was surer than hers upon the ice, no one could spring more lightly forwards than she when her instinct told her that the smooth surface was rotten underneath, and she would scud across an ice field riddled with fissures without a moment's hesitation.

Kalumah moved across the treacherous, cracked ice with unmatched speed and confidence, trusting her instincts to avoid weak spots.

_Highlights Kalumah's expertise on the ice._

> It is not a mist or fog, it is a 'frost-rime,' a dense vapour which remains in a state of complete congelation.

Hobson explains that the thick, frozen mist is actually frost-rime, not ordinary fog.

_Scientific identification of the polar phenomenon._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters/part-ii-xvi-the-breakup-of-the-ice
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_fur_country_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_fur_country_se/chapters