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A Winter Amid the Ice, and Other Thrilling Stories

Chapter 5: MASTER ZACHARIUS.
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About This Book

The volume collects short narratives spanning satirical science fiction and tense adventure. One story follows a daring physiologist whose atmospheric experiment alters the temperament of a placid Flemish town. Another concerns an aging artisan whose obsessive tinkering results in tragic consequences. A perilous balloon voyage examines human pride and catastrophe, while an Arctic tale follows a party beset by shifting ice and desperate survival choices. The collection concludes with a measured account of a high-altitude ascent that combines technical observation with vivid descriptions of alpine difficulty.

Contents

DOCTOR OX’S EXPERIMENT

CHAPTER I.
How it is useless to seek, even on the best maps, for the small town of Quiquendone

CHAPTER II.
In which the Burgomaster Van Tricasse and the Counsellor Niklausse consult about the affairs of the town

CHAPTER III.
In which the Commissary Passauf enters as noisily as unexpectedly

CHAPTER IV.
In which Doctor Ox reveals himself as a physiologist of the first rank, and as an audacious experimentalist

CHAPTER V.
In which the burgomaster and the counsellor pay a visit to Doctor Ox, and what follows

CHAPTER VI.
In which Frantz Niklausse and Suzel Van Tricasse form certain projects for the future

CHAPTER VII.
In which the Andantes become Allegros, and the Allegros Vivaces

CHAPTER VIII.
In which the ancient and solemn German waltz becomes a whirlwind

CHAPTER IX.
In which Doctor Ox and Ygène, his assistant, say a few words

CHAPTER X.
In which it will be seen that the epidemic invades the entire town, and what effect it produces

CHAPTER XI.
In which the Quiquendonians adopt a heroic resolution

CHAPTER XII.
In which Ygène, the assistant, gives a reasonable piece of advice, which is eagerly rejected by Doctor Ox

CHAPTER XIII.
In which it is once more proved that by taking high ground all human littlenesses may be overlooked

CHAPTER XIV.
In which matters go so far that the inhabitants of Quiquendone, the reader, and even the author, demand an immediate dénouement

CHAPTER XV.
In which the dénouement takes place

CHAPTER XVI.
In which the intelligent reader sees that he has guessed correctly, despite all the author’s precautions

CHAPTER XVII.
In which Doctor Ox’s theory is explained

MASTER ZACHARIUS.

CHAPTER I.
A winter night

CHAPTER II.
The pride of science

CHAPTER III.
A strange visit

CHAPTER IV.
The Church of St. Pierre

CHAPTER V.
The hour of death

A DRAMA IN THE AIR

A WINTER AMID THE ICE

CHAPTER I.
The black flag

CHAPTER II.
Jean Cornbutte’s project

CHAPTER III.
A ray of hope

CHAPTER IV.
In the passes

CHAPTER V.
Liverpool Island

CHAPTER VI.
The quaking of the ice

CHAPTER VII.
Settling for the winter

CHAPTER VIII.
Plan of the explorations

CHAPTER IX.
The house of snow

CHAPTER X.
Buried alive

CHAPTER XI.
A cloud of smoke

CHAPTER XII.
The return to the ship

CHAPTER XIII.
The two rivals

CHAPTER XIV.
Distress

CHAPTER XV.
The white bears

CHAPTER XVI.
Conclusion

ASCENT OF MONT BLANC