"Well, to tell the truth, I was not, and the truth is better than self-love. No, I had no such grand purpose in view. I was trying to clear the North-West Passage, and that was all."
"Altamont," said Hatteras, holding out his hand; "be our companion to glory, come with us and find the North Pole."
The two men clasped hands in a warm, hearty grasp, and the bond of friendship between them was sealed.
When they turned to look for the Doctor they found him in tears.
"Ah! friends," he said, wiping his eyes; "you have made me so happy, it is almost more than I can bear' You have sacrificed this miserable nationality for the sake of the common cause. You have said, 'What does it matter if only the Pole is discovered, whether it is by an Englishman or an American?' Why should we brag of being American or English, when we can boast that we are men?"
The good little man was beside himself with joy He hugged the reconciled enemies to his bosom, and cemented their friendship by his own affection to both.
At last he grew calm after at least a twentieth embrace, and said-
"It is time I went to work now. Since I am no hunter, I must use my talents in another direction"
And he began to cut up the oxen so skilfully, that he seemed like a surgeon making a delicate autopsy.
His two companions looked on smiling. In a few minutes the adroit operator had cut off more than a hundred pounds of flesh. This he divided into three parts. Each man took one, and they retraced their steps to Fort Providence.