by Jules Verne
Why should I have contradicted this good man? He was proud of his island, just as the Prince of Monaco is justly proud of his tiny principality.
I did not persist, and we talked of various things. He offered to arrange for me an excursion to the depths of the thick forests, which clothed the volcano up to the middle of the central cove.
I thanked him, but declined his offer, preferring to employ my leisure on land in some mineralogical studies. Besides, the _Halbrane_ was to set sail so soon as she had taken in her provisions.
"Your captain is in a remarkable hurry!" said Governor Glass.
"You think so?"
"He is in such haste that his lieutenant does not even talk of buying skins or oil from me."
"We require only fresh victuals and fresh water, Mr. Glass."
"Very well," replied the Governor, who was rather annoyed, "what the _Halbrane_ will not take other vessels will."
Then he resumed,--
"And where is your schooner bound for on leaving us?"
"For the Falklands, no doubt, where she can be repaired."
"You, sir, are only a passenger, I suppose?"
"As you say, Mr. Glass, and I had even intended to remain at Tristan d'Acunha for some weeks. But I have had to relinquish that project."
"I am sorry to hear it, sir. We should have been happy to offer you hospitality while awaiting the arrival of another ship."
"Such hospitality would have been most valuable to me," I replied, "but unfortunately I cannot avail myself of it."
In fact, I had finally resolved not to quit the schooner, but to embark for America from the Falkland Isles with out much delay. I felt sure that Captain Len Guy would not refuse to take me to the islands. I informed Mr. Glass of my intention, and he remarked, still in a tone of annoyance,--
"As for your captain, I have not even seen the colour of his hair."
"I don't think he has any intention of coming ashore."
"Is he ill?"
"Not to my knowledge. But it does not concern you, since he has sent his lieutenant to represent him."
"Oh, he's a cheerful person! One may extract two words from him occasionally. Fortunately, it is easier to get coin out of his pocket than speech out of his lips."
"That's the important thing, Mr. Glass."
"You are right, sir--Mr. Jeorling, of Connecticut, I believe?"
I assented.
"So! I know your name, while I have yet to learn that of the captain of the _Halbrane_."
"His name is Guy--Len Guy."
"An Englishman?"
"Yes--an Englishman."
"He might have taken the trouble to pay a visit to a countryman of his, Mr. Jeorling! But stay! I had some dealings formerly with a captain of that name. Guy, Guy--"
"William Guy?" I asked, quickly.
"Precisely. William Guy."
"Who commanded the _Jane_?"
"The _Jane_? Yes. The same man."
"An English schooner which put in at Tristan d'Acunha eleven years ago?"
"Eleven years, Mr. Jeorling. I had been settled in the island where Captain Jeffrey, of the _Berwick_, of London, found me in the year 1824, for full seven years. I perfectly recall this William Guy, as if he were before me. He was a fine, open-hearted fellow, and I sold him a cargo of seal-skins. He had the air of a gentleman, rather proud, but good-natured."
"And the _Jane_!"
"I can see her now at her moorings in the same place as the _Halbrane_. She was a handsome vessel of one hundred and eighty tons, very slender for'ards. She belonged to the port of Liverpool."
"Yes; that is true, all that is true."
"And is the _Jane_ still afloat, Mr. Jeorling?"
"No, Mr. Glass."
"Was she lost?"
"The fact is only too true, and the greater part of her crew with her."
"Will you tell me how this happened?"
"Willingly. On leaving Tristan d'Acunha the _Jane_ headed for the bearings of the Aurora and other islands, which William Guy hoped to recognize from information--"
"That came from me," interrupted the ex-corporal. "And those other islands, may I learn whether the _Jane_ discovered them?"
"No, nor the Auroras either, although William Guy remained several weeks in those waters, running from east to west, with a look-out always at the masthead."
"He must have lost his bearings, Mr. Jeorling, for, if several whalers, who were well deserving of credit, are to be believed, these islands do exist, and it was even proposed to give them my name."
"That would have been but just," I replied politely. "It will be very vexatious if they are not discovered some day," added the Governor, in a tone which indicated that he was not devoid of vanity.
"It was then," I resumed, "that Captain Guy resolved to carry out a project he had long cherished, and in which he was encouraged by a certain passenger who was on board the _Jane_--"
"Arthur Gordon Pym," exclaimed Glass, "and his companion, one Dirk Peters; the two had been picked up at sea by the schooner."
"You knew them, Mr. Glass?" I asked eagerly.
"Knew them, Mr. Jeorling? I should think I did, indeed! That Arthur Pym was a strange person, always wanting to rush into adventures--a real rash American, quite capable of starting off to the moon! Has he gone there at last?"
"No, not quite, Mr. Glass, but, during her voyage, the schooner, it seems, did clear the polar circle, and pass the ice-wall. She got farther than any ship had ever done before."
"What a wonderful feat!"
"Yes. Unfortunately, the _Jane_ did not return. Arthur Pym and William Guy escaped the doom of the _Jane_ and the most of her crew. They even got back to America, how I do not know. Afterwards Arthur Pym died, but under what circumstances I am ignorant. As for the half-breed, after having retired to Illinois, he went off one day without a word to anyone and no trace of him has been found."
"And William Guy?" asked Mr. Glass.
I related the finding of the body of Patterson, the mate of the _Jane_, and I added that everything led to the belief that the captain of the _Jane_ and five of his companions were still living on an island in the austral regions, at less than six degrees from the Pole.
"Ah, Mr. Jeorling," cried Glass, "if some day William Guy and his sailors might be saved! They seemed to me to be such fine fellows."
"That is just what the _Halbrane_ is certainly going to attempt, so soon as she is ready, for her captain, Len Guy, is William Guy's own brother."
"Is it possible? Well, although I do not know Captain Len Guy, I venture to assert that the brothers do not resemble each other--at least in their behaviour to the Governor of Tristan d'Acunha!"
It was plain that the Governor was profoundly mortified, but no doubt he consoled himself by the prospect of selling his goods at twenty-five per cent above their value.
One thing was certain: Captain Len Guy had no intention of coming ashore. This was the more singular, inasmuch as he could not be unaware that the _Jane_ had put in at Tristan d'Acunha before proceeding to the southern seas. Surely he might be expected to put himself in communication with the last European who had shaken hands with his brother!
Nevertheless, Captain Len Guy remained persistently on board his ship, without even going on deck; and, looking through the glass skylight of his cabin, I saw him perpetually stooping over the table, which was covered with open books and out-spread charts. No doubt the charts were those of the austral latitudes, and the books were narratives of the precursors of the _Jane_ in those mysterious regions of the south.
On the table lay also a volume which had been read and re-read a hundred times. Most of its pages were dogs'-eared and their margins were filled with pencilled notes. And on the cover shone the title in brightly gilded letters:
THE ADVENTURES OF ARTHUR GORDON PYM.
CHAPTER VIII. BOUND FOR THE FALKLANDS.
On the 8th of September, in the evening, I had taken leave of His Excellency the Governor-General of the Archipel
ago of Tristan d'Acunha--for such is the official title bestowed upon himself by that excellent fellow, Glass, ex-corporal of artillery in the British Army. On the following day, before dawn, the _Halbrane_ sailed.
After we had rounded Herald Point, the few houses of Ansiedlung disappeared behind the extremity of Falmouth Bay. A fine breeze from the east carried us along gaily.
During the morning we left behind us in succession Elephant Bay, Hardy Rock, West Point, Cotton Bay, and Daly's Promontory; but it took the entire day to lose sight of the volcano of Tristan d'Acunha, which is eight thousand feet high; its snow-clad bulk was at last veiled by the shades of evening.
During that week our voyage proceeded under the most favourable conditions; if these were maintained, the end of the month of September ought to bring us within sight of the first peaks of the Falkland Group; and so, very sensibly towards the south; the schooner having descended from the thirty-eighth parallel to the fifty-fifth degree of latitude.
The most daring, or, perhaps I ought to say, the most lucky of those discoverers who had preceded the _Halbrane_, under the command of Captain Len Guy, in the Antarctic seas, had not gone beyond--Kemp, the sixty-sixth parallel; Ballerry, the sixty-seventh; Biscoe, the sixty-eighth; Bellinghausen and Morrell, the seventieth; Cook, the seventy-first; Weddell, the seventy-fourth. And it was beyond the eighty-third, nearly five hundred and fifty miles farther, that we must go to the succour of the survivors of the _Jane_!
I confess that for a practical man of unimaginative temperament, I felt strangely excited; a nervous restlessness had taken possession of me. I was haunted by the figures of Arthur Pym and his companions, lost in Antarctic ice-deserts. I began to feel a desire to take part in the proposed undertaking of Captain Len Guy. I thought about it incessantly. As a fact there was nothing to recall me to America. It is true that whether I should get the consent of the commander of the _Halbrane_ remained to be seen; but, after all, why should he refuse to keep me as a passenger? Would it not be a very "human" satisfaction to him to give me material proof that he was in the right, by taking me to the very scene of a catastrophe that I had regarded as fictitious, showing me the remains of the _Jane_ at Tsalal, and landing me on that selfsame island which I had declared to be a myth?
Nevertheless, I resolved to wait, before I came to any definite determination, until an opportunity of speaking to the captain should arise.
After an interval of unfavourable weather, during which the _Halbrane_ made but slow progress, on the 4th of October, in the morning, the aspect of the sky and the sea underwent a marked change. The wind became calm, the waves abated, and the next day the breeze veered to the north-west. This was very favourable to us, and in ten days, with a continuance of such fortunate conditions, we might hope to reach the Falklands.
It was on the 11th that the opportunity of an explanation with Captain Len Guy was presented to me, and by himself, for he came out of his cabin, advanced to the side of the ship where I was seated, and took his place at my side.
Evidently he wished to talk to me, and of what, if not the subject which entirely absorbed him? He began by saying:
"I have not yet had the pleasure of a chat with you, Mr. Jeorling, since our departure from Tristan d'Acunha!"
"To my regret, captain," I replied, but with reserve, for I wanted him to make the running.
"I beg you to excuse me," he resumed, "I have so many things to occupy me and make me anxious. A plan of campaign to organize, in which nothing must be unforeseen or unprovided for. I beg you not to be displeased with me--"
"I am not, I assure you."
"That is all right, Mr. Jeorling; and now that I know you, that I am able to appreciate you, I congratulate myself upon having you for a passenger until our arrival at the Falklands."
"I am very grateful, captain, for what you have done for me, and I feel encouraged to--"
The moment seemed propitious to my making my proposal, when Captain Len Guy interrupted me.
"Well, Mr. Jeorling," he asked, "are you now convinced of the reality of the voyage of the _Jane_, or do you still regard Edgar Poe's book as a work of pure imagination?"
"I do not so regard it, captain."
"You no longer doubt that Arthur Pym and Dirk Peters have really existed, or that my brother William Guy and five of his companions are living?"
"I should be the most incredulous of men, captain, to doubt either fact, and my earnest desire is that the favour of Heaven may attend you and secure the safety of the shipwrecked mariners of the _Jane_."
"I will do all in my power, Mr. Jeorling, and by the blessing of God I shall succeed."
"I hope so, captain. Indeed, I am certain it will be so, and if you consent--"
"Is it not the case that you talked of this matter with one Glass, an English ex-corporal, who sets up to be Governor of Tristan d'Acunha?" inquired the captain, without allowing me to finish my sentence.
"That is so," I replied, "and what I learned from Glass has contributed not a little to change my doubts into certainty."
"Ah I he has satisfied you?"
"Yes. He perfectly remembers to have seen the _Jane_, eleven years ago, when she had put in at Tristan d'Acunha."
"The _Jane_--and my brother?"
"He told me that he had personal dealings with Captain William Guy."
"And he traded with the _Jane_?"
"Yes, as he has just been trading with the _Halbrane_."
"She was moored in this bay?"
"In the same place as your schooner."
"And--Arthur Pym--Dirk Peters?"
"He was with them frequently."
"Did he ask what had become of them?"
"Oh yes, and I informed him of the death of Arthur Pym, whom he regarded as a foolhardy adventurer, capable of any daring folly."
"Say a madman, and a dangerous madman, Mr. Jeorling. Was it not he who led my unfortunate brother into that fatal enterprise?"
"There is, indeed, reason to believe so from his narrative."
"And never to forget it! added the captain in a tone of agitation.
"This man, Glass," I resumed, "also knew Patterson, the mate of the _Jane_."
"He was a fine, brave, faithful fellow, Mr. Jeorling, and devoted, body and soul, to my brother."
"As West is to you, captain."
"Does Glass know where the shipwrecked men from the _Jane_ are now?"
"I told him, captain, and also all that you have resolved to do to save them."
I did not think proper to add that Glass had been much surprised at Captain Guy's abstaining from visiting him, as, in his absurd vanity, he held the commander of the _Halbrane_ bound to do, nor that he did not consider the Governor of Tristan d'Acunha bound to take the initiative.
"I wish to ask you, Mr. Jeorling, whether you think everything in Arthur Pym's journal, which has been published by Edgar Poe, is exactly true?"
"I think there is some need for doubt," I answered "the singular character of the hero of those adventures being taken into consideration--at least concerning the phenomena of the island of Tsalal. And we know that Arthur Pym was mistaken in asserting that Captain William Guy and several of his companions perished in the landslip of the hill at Klock-Klock."
"Ah! but he does not assert this, Mr. Jeorling! He says only that, when he and Dirk Peters had reached the opening through which they could discern the surrounding country, the seat of the artificial earthquake was revealed to them. Now, as the whole face of the hill was rushing into the ravine, the fate of my brother and twenty-nine of his men could not be doubtful to his mind. He was, most naturally, led to believe that Dirk Peters and himself were the only white men remaining alive on the island. He said nothing but this--nothing more. These were only suppositions--very reasonable, are they not?"
"I admit that, fully, captain."
"But now, thanks to Patterson's note-book, we are certain that my brother and five of his companions escaped from the landslip contrived by the natives."
"That is quite clear, captain. But, as to what became of the survivors of the _Jane_, whether they were taken by the natives of Tsalal and kept in captivity, or remained free, Patterson's note-book says nothing, nor does it relate under what circumstances he himself was carried far away from them."
"All that we shall learn, Mr. Jeorling. Yes, we shall know all. The main point is that we are quite sure my brother and five of his sailors were living less than four months ago on some part of Tsalal Island. There is now no question of a romance signed 'Edgar Poe,' but of a veracious narrative signed 'Patterson.'"
"Captain," said I, "will you let me be one of your company until the end of the campaign of the _Halbrane_ in the Antarctic seas?"
Captain Len Guy looked at me with a glance as penetrating as a keen blade. Otherwise hedid not appear surprised by the proposal I had made; perhaps he had been expecting it--and he uttered only the single word:
"Willingly."
CHAPTER IX. FITTING OUT THE _HALBRANE_
On the 15th of October, our schooner cast anchor in Port Egmont, on the north of West Falkland. The group is composed of two islands, one the above-named, the other Soledad or East Falkland. Captain Len Guy gave twelve hours' leave to the whole crew. The next day the proceedings were to begin by a careful and minute inspection of the vessel's hull and keel, in view of the contemplated prolonged navigation of the Antarctic seas. That day Captain Len Guy went ashore, to confer with the Governor of the group on the subject of the immediate re-victualling of the schooner. He did not intend to make expense a consideration, because the whole adventure might be wrecked by an unwise economy. Besides I was ready to aid with my purse, as I told him, and I intended that we should be partners in tile cost of this expedition.
James West remained on board all day, according to his custom in the absence of the captain, and was engaged until evening in the inspection of the hold. I did not wish to go ashore until the next day. I should have ample time while we remained in port to explore Port Egmont and its surroundings, and to study the geology and mineralogy of the island. Hurliguerly regarded the opportunity as highly favourable for the renewal of talk with me, and availed himself of it accordingly. He accosted me as follows:
