Wake up Ulysse, todays the big day.
Were going to see polar bears, walruses, narwhals, belugas, all sort of things! Samuel was whispering in Ulysses ear but the boy was still half asleep.
Huh? What are you talking about? Let me sleep.
I want to be the first to dive under the ice pack, said his brother Elliot, who was wide awake and already jumping out of bed.
Well youd better get ready quickly. The plane leaves in 45 minutes, said Ghislain crossly.
He didnt think the boys would make it: their clothes were scattered untidily all over the room.
Now listen carefully, said Ghislain with a serious look.
You two go with Samuel and get in the back of the Antonov 74. And dont let anyone see you or itll be goodbye North Pole and straight back home with you.
Thats not funny, groaned Elliot.
Anyway, well blend into the crowd, youll see. And no-one will recognize us in our disguises".
Laughing, he held up a dress that Ghislains girlfriend has mistakenly left in his travel bag.
Elliot and Ulysse were dancing round the room, laughing gaily. They certainly werent going to take the situation too seriously!
In the end, everything went smoothly outside, despite the wind that was obviously trying to tear their clothes off. The brothers stowed away aboard the plane while all the gear was being loaded, and then the Antonov took off with a roar.
Look Ulysse, I can see the ice pack, straight ahead.
What ice pack?
You can make out the ice pack. Look, its all cracked and jagged. Thats because it forms near the North Pole and then is pushed around by the currents and the wind.
What do you mean it forms? I thought the ice came down in glaciers.
No, well yes in a way. Some of the ice down there might come from glaciers, so its freshwater ice. Icebergs. But most of the ice is formed when the sea freezes. Seawater freezes at -1.8°C not 0°C.
How do you know that? Ooh, look! A polar bear with two babies!
Elliot didnt seem to have heard him and went on:
Up here the winter is very long and really cold, so the ice can be two or three metres thick. At first, the ice is salty, but the salt crystals gradually move downwards through the ice and go back into the water.
Ooh, yes, youre right. There ARE polar bears down there! he exclaimed suddenly.
In his excitement, Elliot had spoken a bit loudly, but luckily lots of the other passengers had been talking and no-one seemed to hear him. But then it seemed to Ulysse that his father was looking about to see where the young boys voices had come from
Someone said something in Russian over the loudspeaker, and everyone stopped talking.
I think were about to land, said Ulysse. Wed better put our explorers parkas on. And hang on tight. It could be a bit rough.
Once the plane had landed on the makeshift airstrip on the ice itself, everyone seemed a bit tense. Strong gusts of wind were rocking the plane, making it difficult to unload the crates of equipment. At times, the camp was blotted out by the snow.
Be careful, Ulysse. This is a real blizzard.
Whats bizarre? I cant see anything bizarre?
No, I said blizzard! Thats when snow is blown by a strong wind. Its dangerous because you cant see anything and you can easily get lost.
Suddenly there was a long cracking sound. What was happening?
Men started coming out of the tents, where at first the camp had seemed deserted. Obviously some of them were worried. A lot of them were shouting but it was in Russian.
Elliot and Ulysse watched from behind a snow drift but they couldnt understand what it was all about.
Then suddenly there was a deafening roar.
No!, shouted several members of Jean-Louis Etiennes expedition, all together.
Theyre crazy! What on earth are they doing?
The pilot of the Antonov had pushed the throttles forward to take off, and the last crates, not yet unloaded, were thrown out of the back of the plane, strewn over 50 metres of snow and broke open, scattering tons of scientific equipment across the ice.
The only people not worrying about the equipment were Samuel and Ghislain. They were worried about something else: they had lost Elliot and Ulysse
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Unloading equipment from the Antonov
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The camp at Ice Station Borneo
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Our tent in a blizzard
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