"There are remains of dwellings far superior to what can be attributed to the savage habits of the wandering tribes of Esquimaux. The walls are firmly placed on deep-dug foundations; the inside, covered with a thick layer of gravel, has been paved. Skeletons of moose, reindeer, and seals abound. We found coal there."
At these last words an idea occurred to the doctor; he took his book and ran to tell Hatteras.
"Coal!" shouted the captain.
"Yes, Hatteras, coal; that is to say, our preservation!"
"Coal, on this lonely shore!" continued Hatteras; "no, that's impossible!"
"How can you doubt it, Hatteras? Belcher would not have mentioned it if he had not been sure, without having seen it with his own eyes."
"Well, what then, Doctor?"
"We are not a hundred miles from the place where Belcher saw this coal! What is a journey of a hundred miles? Nothing. Longer expeditions have often been made on the ice, and with the cold as intense. Let us go after it, Captain!"
"We'll go!" said Hatteras, who had made up his mind quickly; and with his active imagination he saw the chance of safety.
Johnson was informed of the plan, of which he approved highly; he told his companions; some rejoiced, others heard of it with indifference.