"I thank God," said Captain Ganoe, "that Jack discovered your approach so that we could come to your assistance. The loss of so many of our crew is much to be regretted, but your loss would have been much worse, as your experience is indispensable to the safety of all. And now you must take some refreshments and another nap and then I think you will be all right."
"I will take the refreshments," said Battell, "but we have no time to waste on sleep until work has commenced in earnest on the necessary preparations for our escape. How long have I been here?"
"Then we cannot afford to delay another two days before we commence work."
"Do you think the danger so pressing as that?" asked the Captain.
"I do," said Battell emphatically. "We are at the close of an Arctic summer and we may look for storms and a breaking up at any time. The ice is very rotten, and the ocean currents, which are holding this ice-field against some point of land or submarine mountain, may part it in twain at any time, and then we will be compelled to run for our lives."
"And what preparation do you advise?" asked the Captain. "Tell us just what to do and I will see that work is commenced at once and pushed to completion as rapidly as our small force will permit.
"The first thing to be done," said Battell, "is to see that the boilers are free from all sediment, and that the furnaces are filled with the most combustible material we have, so the application of a match will produce a fierce heat and get up steam in the shortest time possible. If we had plenty of coal, I would get up steam at once and keep up a moderate pressure until the ice had gone to pieces, or we were securely frozen up for the winter. But with our small supply of coal we cannot afford to do this, and I am quite sure that we cannot afford to wait for the break to commence, or the coming of a storm. In either case we will have a few minute's warning. Of course in such an emergency we must use steam, as with our small force the sails might be a positive detriment.
"Secondly, when the break comes, there will be a fall of ice from over head that might prove fatal to those who must remain on the upper deck. This must be provided for by the erection of substantial structures to protect those who direct the course of the ship.