"But where are the habitations and the magazines?" said Hatteras.
"Oh, you can't see them till you land; they are sheltered behind those little hills you see yonder."
"And is that where you transported a considerable quantity of provisions?"
"Yes, sir; the Admiralty sent us here in 1853, under the command of Captain Inglefield, with the steamer Phoenix and a transport ship, the Breadalbane, loaded with provisions; we brought enough with us to revictual a whole expedition."
"But the commander of the Fox took a lot of them in 1858," said Hatteras.
"That doesn't matter, sir; there'll be plenty left for you; the cold preserves them wonderfully, and we shall find them as fresh and in as good a state of preservation as the first day."
"What I want is coal," said Hatteras; "I have enough provisions for several years."
"We left more than a thousand tons there, so you can make your mind easy."
"Are we getting near?" said Hatteras, who, telescope in hand, was watching the coast.
"You see that point?" continued Johnson. "When we have doubled it we shall be very near where we drop anchor. It was from that place that we started for England with Lieutenant Creswell and the twelve invalids from the Investigator. We were fortunate enough to bring back McClure's lieutenant, but the officer Bellot, who accompanied us on board the Phoenix, never saw his country again! It is a painful thing to think about. But, captain, I think we ought to drop anchor here."