Hatteras and Johnson awaited the three hunters with certain worry. They were delighted to find a warm and welcoming shelter. By evening, the temperature had dropped strangely, and the thermometer outside was 73 degrees Fahrenheit below zero (-31 degrees Celsius).
The travelers, exhausted and almost frozen, were at the end of their strength; fortunately, the stoves worked well; the boiler was just waiting for the result of the hunt; the doctor turned into a cook and grilled some walrus chops. At 9 PM, the five diners were in front of a large dinner.
Bell: On my word, with the risk of being mistaken for an Eskimos, I have to admit the fact that the meal is the most important stage of overwintering; if you manage to get a hold of it, you have no reason to be upset!
All his customers, with their mouths full, failed to give him an immediate answer; but the doctor signaled that he was right.
Walrus chops were declared excellent or, if not declared, were devoured to the last piece anyway, which was worth as much as all the statements in the world.
For dessert, the doctor makes a coffee, as usual; he let no one distill this excellent drink; he prepared it on the table in a coffee pot with alcohol and served it hot. So hot that he had to burn his tongue, otherwise he would find it unworthy to go down his throat.
That night he drank it at such a high temperature that his companions couldn't imitate him.
Altamont: You'll catch fire, doctor.
Clawbonny: Never.
Johnson: You have to have the roof of your mouth padded with brass!
Clawbonny: Certainly not, friends; I allow you to follow my example. There's people, and one of those, that drink coffee at a temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit (+55 degrees Celsius).
Altamont: One hundred and thirty-one degrees! But not even the hand could withstand such temperature.
Clawbonny: Evidently, Altamont, since the hand can only withstand at least 122 degrees Fahrenheit (+50 degrees Celsius) in water; but the roof of the mouth and the tongue are less sensitive than hands, they resist at temperatures to which they can't even hope.
Altamont: You amaze me.
Clawbonny: Well, I'll convince you.
And the doctor, taking the thermometer from the living room, dips it into his cup of hot coffee; he waits for the instrument to indicate no more and no less than 131 degrees and sips the liqueur with the utmost satisfaction.
Bell tried to imitate him, but he burned himself so hard that he let out screams of pain.
Clawbonny: Lack of attitude.
Altamont: Clawbonny, could you tell us what are the highest temperatures the human body can tolerate?
Clawbonny: Of course; experiments were made and some very curious aspects were discovered in this respect. I remember one or two experiments of this kind that will show you that we can adapt to anything, even if we don't burn at the temperature at which a piece of meat would be roasted. So it is said that some maids at the common oven in the French town of La Rochefoucauld could sit in this oven for ten minutes at a temperature of 300 degrees (+132 degrees Celsius), that is, more than eighty-nine degrees than boiling water, while the potatoes and meat were perfectly roasted around them.
Altamont: Such maids!
Clawbonny: Listen to another example that we can't doubt. Nine compatriots of ours, in 1774, Fordyce, Banks, Solander, Blagdin, Home, Nooth, Lord Seaforth and Captain Phillips, could withstand a temperature of 295 degrees Fahrenheit (+128 degrees Celsius), while eggs and steak were cooking near them.
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Jules Verne's Captain Hatteras - Part 2: Ice Desert
General FictionAbandoned in a field of ice, Hatteras and his remaining men must work together to survive long enough to see their dear country again!
