Chapter 10 Chapter 10: The Beginning of the Expedition

On November 27, 1830, Captain Biscoe's "Bass Trumpet" and "London Free Citizen" returned to Sandwich, also sailing from the Falkland Islands.On January 1 of the following year, they rounded the northern end of Sandwich Land.Six weeks later, the unfortunate wreck of the "London Freedom" off the Falkland Islands became a fact.May our brig not be so. Captain Lan Guy and Biscoe started from the same point.It took Bisco five weeks to reach Sandwich Land.But from the first few days, the ice floes beyond the polar circle caused him a lot of trouble.In order to escape the danger, the British navigator had to travel southeast until the 45th east longitude.It was from this circumstance that he discovered Enderbord.

Captain Lan Guy showed this line to Jem West and me on his map, and added: "We should never follow Biscoe's footsteps. We must follow Wedell's line. Wedell led the 'Beautiful Faith' and the 'Jenny' to explore the Antarctic region in 1822...'Jenny ', that's a name destined for souls, Mr. Georyn! But Weddell's 'Jenny' was luckier than my brother's 'Jenny', not to be wrecked beyond the Great Pole Ice." "Go ahead, Captain," I replied, "if you don't follow Bisco, follow Weddell's line. Weddell is an ordinary sealer, a brave seaman, and he has been able to Advancing closer to the South Pole than his forerunners, he showed us the way..."

(Author's note: In 1838, the "Astrolabe" led by Dumont Cuvier met with his fellow ship "The Faithful Woman". In the Falkland Islands, and in the Gulf of Soledad, this expedition, which lasted four years (1837, 1838, 1839, 1840), during an extremely thrilling voyage between 63° and 64° South Between the 58th and 62nd meridians west of Paris, an unknown coast of 120 nautical miles was discovered, named Louis Philippe Land and Kevel Land. In January 1840, the expedition reached the Antarctic continent at the other end of the continent—assuming there was an Antarctic continent—resulting in the discovery of Adley Land at latitude 63° 3' south and longitude 132° 21' east; The Clary Coast was discovered. However, when Mr. Georin left the Falkland Islands, he was not aware of these significant geographical discoveries. Incidentally, since that period, several more Other attempts to reach the high latitudes of the Antarctic Ocean. It should be noted that, in addition to James Ross, there was also a young Norwegian seaman, Mr. Borhe Klevenko, who advanced to higher latitudes than the English navigators Aboard. Then there was the expedition of Captain Larsson, who in 1893, with the Norwegian whaling ship Jason, discovered the free-flowing sea south of Jungville and Louis-Philippe. Proceed to a point beyond the 68th parallel south.)

"We're going in this direction, Mr. Georin. If we don't delay, if the Halle Brena encounters a large polar ice pack around mid-December, it will be too soon. In fact, when Wedell reached the 72 degree line, it was already past the beginning of February. As he said, at that time, 'a small piece of ice could not be seen'. Later, on February 20, he reached 74 degrees 36 minutes , which was the pole of his southward advance. Since then, no ship has gone further, no! Except the 'Jenny', but the 'Jenny' has not returned ... So, around here, the 30th and 40th meridians In between, there is a deep notch in the South Pole. For after Weddell, William Gay was able to approach to less than seven degrees from the South Pole."

Jem West listened, as was his old habit, and said nothing.He scanned the space contained between the points of Captain Lan Guy's compass with his eyes.He is the one who takes orders, carries them out and never haggles.Wherever you order him to go, he will fight there. "Captain," I continued, "probably your intention is to follow the route of the 'Jenny'?..." "Yes, and as accurately as possible." "Your brother William traveled south from Tristan da Cunha with the intention of finding the Aurora Islands. He did not find the Aurora Islands, nor the island that the ex-artillery corporal, Governor Glass, was going to proudly name after himself. Then he wanted to carry out a plan that Arthur Pym had often talked to him about, and he cut across the polar circle on January 1, between longitudes 41° and 42°..."

"I know that," pleaded Captain Lan Guy, "that the 'Halbrena' will do the same, in order to reach first the Isle of Beni and then the Isle of Zalal. May God help our ship The ship, like the 'Jenny' and Weddell's ships, encountered unimpeded seas!" "If our brig reaches the edge of the great polar ice floes, which still block the passage of the ship," I said, "then we can wait on the sea..." "That's exactly what I intended, Mr. Georin, and it's best to get there early. The Great Pole Ice is a wall. There's a door in the wall that opens suddenly, then closes immediately...should wait there... , ready to go through... without ever thinking of turning back!"

Go back!I'm afraid no one thought of this! "Forward!" Forward!It may be a unanimous cry by then. Jem West made a point at this time: "Thanks to Arthur Pym's rich narration, we need not regret the absence of his mate Dirk Peters!" "Since the half-breed has disappeared from Illinois, I have not been able to find him," replied Captain Lan Guy, "and I shall count myself pretty lucky now. The situation is probably enough for us..." "Unless you have to go to a place over 84 degrees to find it..." I reminded. "How could it be necessary to do that, Mr. Georin, since the victims of the 'Jenny' did not leave Zalar Island?... Isn't it clearly written in Patterson's notes?..."

In short, although Dirk Peters was not on board--everyone was sure of that--the Hallebrena would reach its destination.However, please do not forget to practice the three sacred virtues of sailors on the "Halle Brena": vigilance, fearlessness, and perseverance! I am now at the mercy of adventurous fate.In all likelihood, this expedition was far more uncertain than any of my previous travels.Who can believe that I would make such a choice? ...But I did fall into a situation that I couldn't extricate myself from, and it pulled me to the unknown world, to the unknown pole!How many brave and fearless pioneers tried their best to uncover its mysteries, but went back and forth in vain! ... This time, who knows whether the sphinx monster in the Antarctic region will speak to human ears for the first time?

I have not forgotten, however, that this is a mere act of humanity. The stated mission of the "Halle Brener" was to rescue William Guy and his five companions.It was to find them that our brig was to follow the course of the Jeanne.Once this task is completed, the "Halbrena" can return to the oceans of the Old Continent.Neither Arthur Pym nor Dirk Peters is to be found, they have returned after this thrilling journey!How they returned is still unknown.But they came back safe and sound, that's a fact. During the first few days the new crew had to get used to the work of the ship, and the old crew—honest men indeed—was always there to make it easy for them.Although Captain Lan Guy has little choice, it seems that his luck is quite good.Sailors of different nationalities showed great enthusiasm and good wishes.They also understood that the first officer was no joke.Heligley had hinted to them that Jem West would kill anyone who didn't bow their heads.In this regard, the first mate's immediate supervisor gave him full freedom.

"This liberty," added the bosun, "is fought for with a clenched fist raised at eyebrow height!" It is indeed the boatswain's unique style to warn the relevant personnel in this way! The newcomers took these words to heart, and not a single one was punished.As for Hunter, he was submissive in his work like a true seaman, but he was always on the sidelines and never talking to anybody.Even at night he would not take his place in the crew cabin, but slept in a corner on the deck. The weather is changing from warm to cold.People still wear flannel underwear and overalls, woolen underpants covered with coarse canvas trousers, and impermeable long coats made of thick oilcloth with a hood to keep out wind, rain and snow.

Captain Lan Guy's intention was to pass New George Island, 800 nautical miles from the Falkland Islands, and then to Sandwich Land, from which Sandwich Land would be the starting point for his southward journey.By that time the brig was on the line of the Jenny in longitude, and by following this line one could go as far as the 84th parallel. On November 2nd the voyage brought us to latitude 53° 15' south, longitude 47° 33' west, where some navigators have pointed out the Aurora Islands. Although the captain of the "Aurora" in 1762, the "San Miguel" in 1769, the "Pearl" in 1779, the "Prinex" in 1790, and the captain of the "Dolores" and the "Atriveda" in 1794, both claim to have discovered this archipelago of three islands, and are quite certain—in my opinion, dubious. - We found no sign of land in all the sea we passed.The same was true of Weddell in 1820 and William Guy in 1827 when they surveyed. Incidentally, the same is true of the so-called island to be named after the vain Glass.The lookout on the top of the mast was very careful, but we didn't find a small island in the given position.In this way, His Excellency Governor Tristan da Cunha may never see his name in the geographic atlas. It was November 6th.The weather is still favorable for sailing, suggesting that the voyage will be shorter than it took for the Jenny.Nor is there any haste for us, for, as I have already pointed out, our brig will arrive before the great polar-ice gate opens. For two days the Hallebrena was hit by several short bursts of rain, forcing Jem West to reef: the second, third, topmast and spinnaker were lowered .Freed from her high sails, the Hallebrena was doing well, with a shallow draft, and floated leisurely over the crests.Every time these operations were carried out, the new crew showed great dexterity and were praised by the boatswain.Heligley saw with his own eyes that although Hunter looked clumsy, he was as good as three at work. "This new guy is amazing! . . . " he said to me. "Yes," I replied, "he was last, and just caught up." "Just caught up, Mr. Georin! ... But, this Hunter, that looks really good!" "I have often met such Americans in the West," I replied, "and I should not be surprised to say that he has Indian blood in his veins!" "Well!" said the bosun, "there are fellows in Lancashire or Kent who can do as well as he does!" "I take your word for it, bosun. . . . You're among them, I suppose!" "Hey! . . . for what it's worth, Mr. Jeolyn!" "Do you talk to Hunter occasionally?..." I asked. "Very little, Mr. Georyn. What words can be wrung out of an ugly bastard who hangs around and says nothing to anybody? . . Big mouth, I've never seen it before! . . . From starboard to port, like the big deck of a ship's bow! . . . With such a big thing, it's so hard for Hunter to make a few sentences! . . . Hey! His hand! . . . Do you see his hand? . . . Mr. Georyn, if he shakes your hand, you have to be careful! . . . Leave him five! . . . " "Bosun, fortunately Hunter is not like someone who likes to provoke and fight... All the signs on his body show that this is a man who keeps his own place and does not want to abuse his strength." "That's true, except when he's on the sling, Mr. Georin. Good God! . . . I'm afraid the pulley is going to fall, and the girder with it!" This Hunter, look carefully, is indeed a weirdo, worth noting.I often looked at him with great curiosity when he was leaning on the upright of the windlass or standing aft by the handle of the steering wheel. On the other hand, it seemed to me that his eyes were constantly fixed on me.He would not have been ignorant of my status as a passenger on the brig, nor of the circumstances under which I had taken part in the adventures of the expedition.As for the thought that after we rescued the distressed crew members of the "Jenny", he wanted to cross the Zalal Island and reach another destination different from ours, this is not unbelievable.Besides, Captain Lan Guy kept saying over and over again: "Our mission is to rescue our compatriots! Zhalal Island is the only place that attracts us. I hope our ships don't go further!" On November 10th, near the afternoon, the watchman on the top of the masthead suddenly shouted: "Land found ahead on the starboard side!..." Careful measurement results show that this is 55 degrees 07 minutes south latitude and 41 degrees 13 minutes west longitude. This piece of land can only be St. Peter Island, and its English name is also called South George Island, New George Island, and King George Island.In terms of its geographical location, it belongs to the arch area. As early as 1675, before Cook, the Frenchman Barber discovered the island.But the famous English navigator, disregarding the fact that he was second in time, imposed on it the series of names that the island has today. The brig sailed for the island.Through the yellow clouds in the sky, the snow-covered peaks can be seen rising up to twelve hundred duwats.The mountains are full of large ancient rocks, gneiss and slate. Captain Lan Guy intended to berth in Royal Bay for twenty-four hours in order to change the fresh water, because the water tank tends to heat up in the bottom of the cargo hold.When the "Halle Brena" sails through the ice later, fresh water will be free to use. In the afternoon, the brig rounded Cape Buller in the northern part of the island, skimmed Posession Bay and Cumberland Bay on her starboard side, moved through the debris falling from Ross Glacier, and attacked Royal Bay.At 6 o'clock in the evening, anchored at a depth of six fathoms.Night has come, postponed until the next day disembarkation. New George Island is more than forty miles long and twenty miles wide.Five hundred miles away from the Strait of Magellan, it belongs to the range of the Falkland Islands.The island is uninhabited, so there is no representative of the British administration.But at least the summer island is habitable. The next day, the crew went off to find fresh water supplies, and I wandered alone around Royal Bay.Fishermen's seal season hadn't come yet, at least a month away, so the place was deserted.Because New George Island is directly affected by the Antarctic westerly wind, marine mammals like to visit here.I saw several groups of animals playing on the beach, along the rocks, and even into the depths of the caves on the shore.The penguin family, old and young, remained motionless, lined up in an endless row, and made a sound like a donkey to protest the invasion of outsiders-the outsider was me. On the water and on the sand, groups of skylarks spread their wings and fly, and their beautiful singing aroused my infinite nostalgia for the country where nature bestows more gifts.This kind of flying bird does not need to perch on the branches, which is considered lucky, because there is not a single tree on the entire land of New George Island.In some places, a few flowering plants grow sparsely, half-faded moss, and lush green grass cover the hillside until the height of 150 duwats.If this grass is harvested, it is enough to feed a large number of livestock! On November 12, the "Halbrena" was ready and set sail with low sails.After rounding Cape Charlotte at the end of Royal Bay, we headed straight southeast towards Sandwich Land, four hundred nautical miles away. So far, we have not encountered a floe.The summer sun has not yet separated the ice pack from the large polar ice floes or from the poles.Later, the current sometimes carried the ice to the 50th parallel.From the northern hemisphere, that is the latitude of Paris or Quebec. The clearness of the sky has begun to weaken, and there may be dark clouds in the east.The cold wind mixed with rain and granulated snow was blowing, and the wind was not small.The weather has been taking good care of us, there is no reason to complain, just hide tightly under the hood of the raincoat. Most of all, small patches of dense fog often obscure the horizon.Fortunately, there is no danger in this sea area, and there is no need to worry about encountering drifting ice blocks and icebergs. The "Halle Brena" can continue to sail southeast without much worry, heading for the direction of Sandwich. Flocks of birds flew through the clouds, singing loudly, soaring against the wind, their wings hardly moving.Petrels, grebes, sea cockscombs, terns, and albatrosses all flew towards the land, as if they were showing us the way. It was this fog that prevented Captain Lan Guy from making out Traverse Island to the southwest between New George Island and Sandwich Land.The island was discovered by Bellingshausen.There are also four small islands: Veli Island, Poker Island, Prince Edward Island and Christmas Island, which have not been identified.According to Fanning, the location of these four small islands was first discovered by the American James Brown driving the Skoona ship "Pacific".When the visibility is only two or three chains, the most important thing is not to sail on the reefs around the island. When the weather cleared up slightly and the field of view could be expanded, a close surveillance was immediately arranged on the ship, and the watchman on the masthead kept observing the sea. On the night of the 14th to the 15th, towards the west, flickering blurred lights illuminated the night sky.Captain Lan Guy thought the light probably came from a volcano--perhaps the volcano of Traverse Island, which was always spewing fire. Generally speaking, volcanic eruptions are always accompanied by a long roar.Our ears heard nothing of this noise, and concluded that the brig was safe from the reefs of the island at a great distance. There is no need to change the course, and continue to move towards Sandwich Land. On the morning of the 16th, the rain stopped.The wind direction turned to the northwest.Soon, the fog also dissipated.Everyone was in high spirits.At this time, the sailor Stern was looking at the top of the mast. He seemed to see a large three-masted ship from a distance, and the lights on the mast appeared in the northeast direction.We are very sorry that the ship disappeared before the nationality of the ship could be identified.Perhaps it was a ship of the Wilkes Expedition, or a whaler sailing to a fishing spot, for the whales had appeared in considerable numbers. On November 17th, just after ten o'clock in the morning, the brig made out a group of islands.The group of islands, which Cook first named the South Thule Islands, was at the time the southernmost of the lands that had been discovered.Later, Cook named it Sandwich Land, and the group of islands has retained this name on the map since then.In 1830, when Bisco set out from here, looking east to find the passage to the South Pole, it had been called this name. Many other navigators have visited Sandwich since that time.Fishermen hunt whales, sperm whales and seals in the nearby waters. In 1820, Captain Morrell landed here, hoping to find wood for heating, which he lacked.Fortunately Captain Lan Guy was not here for that purpose at all.That can only be a futile round trip, because the climate of these islands makes it impossible to grow trees. The reason why the brig stayed at Sandwich for forty-eight hours was that it was prudent to search every Antarctic island on our route.What information, signs, traces may be found.Patterson had been carried off by an ice floe, and wasn't it possible that one of his companions did the same? ... Since time is not pressing, it is of course best not to ignore anything.After passing New George Island, the Halbrena came to Sandwich Land.After that, we will go to New South Orkney.Then, entering the polar circle, we will head straight for the big polar ice pack. Same-day disembarkation, sheltered by the rocks of Bristol Island.The island lies deep in what resembles a small natural harbor on the east coast. The archipelago is located at 59 degrees south latitude and 30 degrees west longitude, and consists of several islands, the main islands being Bristol and Thule.There are not a few other islands that deserve the lesser title of "islands."The task of going to Thule Island fell to Jem West.He set out in a longboat to see if there was any approachable point.Captain Lan Guy and I, we disembarked on the beach at Bristol Island. What a desolate country!The only inhabitants here are those melancholy birds of the polar variety!Plants are sparse and of the same species as New George Island, and mosses and lichens cover the bare barren ground.Behind the beach, on the top of the hillside of the bare hill, grew a few gaunt pine trees.Sometimes huge boulders tumble down from the hills with a loud bang.There are lonely and desolate scenes everywhere, which makes people shudder.There is nothing on Bristol Island to suggest that anyone has passed by or survived.Our explorations on foot that day and the next day were fruitless. First Mate West's investigations on Thule Island were likewise fruitless.He walked along the shattered shore, finding nothing.Our brig fired a few shots, but did nothing except drive flocks of petrels and gulls into the distance, and startle the clumsy penguins that lined the shore. When I was walking with Captain Lan Guy, the subject came up, and I said to him: "You probably don't know what Cook thought of the archipelago when he discovered Sandwich Land. First, he thought he had set foot on a continent. In his opinion, the icebergs that drifted beyond the Antarctic Ocean came from here. Separated. Later he discovered that the Sandwich Lands constituted only an archipelago. However, he suggested the existence of an Antarctic continent farther south, which is quite insightful!" "I know that, Mr. Georin," replied Captain Lan Guy, "but if this continent does exist, it must be concluded that it has a wide notch—Weddell and my brother, Have entered this great trough six years before and after. Our great navigator Cook could not have discovered this passage, because he stopped at the 71st parallel. Well, other people found this after him. The channel, and others are about to discover it..." "That's what we are, Captain..." "Yes... for God's sake! Cook once said categorically that no one would ever venture further than he did; land, if it existed, would never be discovered. The future will prove that he is Big mistake. Land has been discovered up to above 83 degrees south latitude...” "Perhaps," I said, "somewhere further afield, too, by that unusual Arthur Pym..." "Possibly, Mr. Georin. Now that he and Dirk Peters are back in America, we really needn't worry about him..." "But...if they don't return..." "I don't think the possibility needs to be considered," replied Captain Lan Guy simply.