Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen The Voice in the Dream

Has the ice floe completely disappeared? ……No!It may be too early to be sure of this.Several icebergs appeared in the distance, and drift ice and ice packs were still drifting eastward.On this side, however, the high tide of the thaw has passed, ships are free to sail, and the sea has indeed flowed freely. There can be no doubt that it was in this area, upstream along this wide bay, that Weddell's ships reached the 74th parallel, and that the "Jenny" probably passed nearly six hundred miles.The bay is like a canal cut through the Antarctic continent. "God help us," Captain Lan Guy said to me, "may God be gracious to us and lead us to our destination!"

"In a week," I answered, "our brig will be able to see Zalar Island." "Yes, . . . if the easterly wind can hold, Mr. Georin. Please don't forget that the Halle Brena went off course along the great ice floe to its eastern edge, and must now return Come west." "The wind is blowing in our favour, Captain..." "We must take full advantage of the wind. My intention is to head for the Isle of Beni. My brother disembarked there first. When we see the Isle of Beni in the distance, we can be sure that the direction is exactly right..." "Maybe we will collect new signs there, Captain..."

"That's possible, Mr. Georin. When I've measured the sun's height and fixed our position, we'll head for the Isle of Beni today." It goes without saying that we also need to consult our most reliable guide books on hand.I mean the writings of Edgar Allan Poe - actually Arthur Pym's actual account. This book is worth reading carefully.After reading it over and over again, I came to the following conclusions: Its background is real. There can be no doubt that the Jenny discovered and landed at Zalar Island.There is also no doubt that there were six survivors of the death on the island when Patterson was taken away on the surface of the drifting ice.This is the true, conclusive, indisputable side of the story.

There's another side—the grotesque, the overblown, the unreasonable fabrications.If the image he makes of himself is believable, can this aspect be attributed to the narrator's imagination? ... According to him, he saw those strange things with his own eyes in this remote Antarctica.However, is it appropriate to assume that this is an unmistakable fact in advance? ...Should it be considered that there are indeed weird people and monsters? ... Is it true that the soil on this island is special in nature and the composition of the flowing water is special? ...Does the cave with the ancient Egyptian writing sketched by Arthur Pym exist? ...Is it believable that the islanders are terrified when they see white? ... Then again, why is it not credible? Since white is the appearance of winter, the color of ice and snow, it heralds the coming of the cold season to them, and they are imprisoned in a prison of solid ice? ... indeed, for the extraordinary series of phenomena revealed since then, such as gray clouds in the sky, dark spaces, shining transparent phenomena in the depths of the ocean, waterfalls in the sky, and snow-white giants towering at the gates of the poles, etc. , what should I think? ...

On these matters, I have reservations, and I'm still waiting.As for Captain Lan Guy, Arthur Pym's self-reported matters that were not directly related to the people who were abandoned on Zalar Island were completely indifferent to him.Only the fate of these people was his sole and consistent consideration. Now that Arthur Pym's account is before me, I intend to study it step by step, distinguishing the true from the false, the real from the imagined... I am sure that there will be no trace of the last oddities.In my opinion, this may have been inspired by "Weird Angel".One of the American poet's most thought-provoking short stories features such a "monstrous angel."

On the nineteenth of December our brig was in a different year and eighteen days later than the Jeanne, a degree and a half to the south.It can be concluded that: objective conditions, current conditions, wind direction, and the early arrival of the warm season, all of these have greatly helped us. A free-flowing sea—or at least a navigable sea—opened to Captain Lan Guy as it had once opened to Captain William Guy.Behind them, the huge solid mass of ice floes stretched from northwest to northeast, stretching as far as the eye can see. First of all, Jem West intends to confirm whether, as Arthur Pym said, the current in this bay is heading south.In accordance with his orders, the bosun threw a rope two hundred fathoms long, with a considerable weight on his head, into the water from the stern, and confirmed that the direction of the current was indeed south--very favorable for our brig's progress.

The sky was exceptionally clear.Two extremely accurate measurements were made at ten o'clock in the morning and at noon.The calculations showed that we were at latitude 74° 45' south - which did not surprise us - at longitude 39° 15' west. It can be seen that the large ice sheet stretched out, forcing us to go around and pass by its eastern edge, and the "Halle Brena" had to drift eastward by 4 degrees.After measuring the azimuth, Captain Lan Gay ordered the course to be aligned to the southwest, heading south while gradually returning to the 43-degree meridian. I don't think I need to remind you again: because there is no other word to replace it, I still use the words morning, evening, etc., which actually mean neither sunrise nor sunset.The large luminous roulette depicts an uninterrupted spiral above the horizon, illuminating the space without stopping.In a few months, it will be gone.During the long, cold and dark phase of the Antarctic winter, aurora lights illuminate the sky almost every day.Maybe at some point we will also have the opportunity to witness this indescribably glorious spectacle.Its inductive strength is so great that it is unimaginable!

According to Arthur Pym's self-report, from January 1 to 4, 1828, due to bad weather, the "Jenny" was struggling to move forward under extremely complicated circumstances.Strong winds from the northeast hurled ice at the ship, nearly smashing the rudder.The ship's channel was blocked by a large ice floe.Fortunately, the big ice floe gave it a way later.In short, it was not until the morning of January 5 that the "Jenny" passed the last obstacle at latitude 73° 15' south.It was 33 degrees Fahrenheit (0°56°C) and we are today at 49°F (9°44°C).As for the declination of the compass needle, the numbers are exactly the same, 14 degrees 28 minutes to the east.

In order to point out numerically the difference in the respective circumstances of the dates of the two brigs, there is one final point to make.From January 5th to 19th, the "Jenny" advanced 10 degrees in fifteen days, that is, six hundred nautical miles, which is the distance between it and Zalar Island.On December 19th, the "Halbrena" was only 7 degrees away from Zalar Island, that is, 400 nautical miles.If the wind stays the same, the island – or at least Beni Isle – will be visible before the end of the week.The small island of Beni is about fifty nautical miles away from the island of Zalal, and Captain Lan Guy intends to anchor there for twenty-four hours.

The voyage continued smoothly, with only the occasional dodging of a few floes.The current carried the pack ice southwestward at a quarter of a nautical mile an hour.Our brig had no difficulty overcoming the ice floe.In spite of the strong wind, Jem West set high sails. The "Halle Brenane" floated lightly in the almost calm sea.There wasn't a single iceberg in sight, but Arthur Pym saw icebergs at this latitude, some a hundred fathoms high--certainly beginning to melt.Now the crew doesn't have to operate in the dense fog that once hampered the Jenny's progress.We were met neither with hailstones and snowflakes, nor with a drop in temperature; but the gale with hailstones and snowflakes sometimes howled against the Jenny, and the drop in temperature made the sailors miserable. Word.Only occasionally there are ice floes drifting past our route, some of which carry penguins, just like tourists on a yacht; some also carry seals, the black sea beast lying on the snow-white ice like Huge leeches.Over the skies of the small fleet, petrels, sea chess birds, black fulmars, diving birds, grebes, terns, cormorants and smoky albatrosses in high latitudes were constantly passing by.Scattered on the surface of the sea are fat jellyfish, fresh in color, stretched out like open parasols.The fishermen on the brig, with their lines and large harpoons, caught a great deal of fish.Of all the species of fish, dolphin mahi, a gigantic sea bream, three feet long, has firm and delicious flesh.

A peaceful night.The wind weakened somewhat overnight.Next morning the bosun met me.With a big smile and a hearty voice, he's a man who doesn't bother with the trivialities of everyday life. "Good morning, Mr. Jeolyn!" he called aloud.Speaking of which, in this Antarctic region and this time of year, it is impossible to say "good evening" to someone.Because there is no night at all, naturally there is no good or bad... "Good morning, Heligley," I replied, ready to chat with the cheerful talker. "Well, what do you think of the surface of the ocean beyond the great ice pack?" "I'd like to compare it to Sweden or the Great Lakes of America," I replied. "That's right... definitely... It's just that the mountains surrounding the Great Lake have been replaced by icebergs!" "I want to say one more thing, we are overjoyed, bosun. If we continue to sail like this until we see Zalar Island in the distance..." "Why not go all the way to the South Pole, Mr. Jeolyn? . . . " "The South Pole?... The South Pole is very far away, and I don't know what's there!..." "If you go there, you'll know!" said the bosun sharply, "And if you want to know, this is the only way!" "Of course, Heligley, of course...but the Halle Brenaner was not here to discover the South Pole. If Captain Guy can send your fellow Jenny back home, I think he's done something. Big business. I don't think he'll get anywhere." "Well, it's a deal, Mr. Georin, a deal! . . . Don't you have the idea of ​​going to see it? Antarctica is the top of the earth's rotation axis, just like a chicken on a skewer..." The boatswain replied with a smile. "Is it worth taking new risks?" I said. "Is it so interesting to push the mania of geographical discoveries to this point? . . . " "Yes and no, Mr. Georin. I admit, however, that it would gratify my pride as a seaman to go further than our previous navigators, and even further than our latecomers..." "Yes...you always think that more is better and icing on the cake is the best, Bosun..." "You're right, Mr. Georin. If someone proposes to go a few degrees beyond Zalar Island, I will never object." "I don't think Captain Lan Guy thinks of that at all, bosun..." "I think so too," replied Heligly. "Once his brother and the five sailors of the 'Jenny' are found, I think our captain will send them back to England as soon as possible!" "That's both quite possible and logical, bosun. Besides, although the old crew on board are people who follow where their masters lead them, I don't think the new crew will. They are not recruited for such a long process. , such a dangerous expedition to take them all the way to the South Pole..." "It's reasonable, Mr. Georin. To make them make up their minds, I'm afraid they have to start from passing Zalal Island, and give a large bonus for every degree they cross..." "Even then they might not be willing to go!" I replied. "Yes! The Herne and Falkland recruits - who constituted the majority of the ship - were expecting not to cross even the great ice floes, and to sail no farther than the polar circle! Now they are complaining about going too far!  … …All in all, I don't know how things will change in the future, but this Hearn is someone to watch out for. I'm already watching him!" Indeed, in the long run, this problem may be troublesome, if not dangerous. During the night—this should be the night of the 19th to the 20th—for a while, a strange dream disturbed my peaceful sleep.yes!This can only be a dream!I think it is necessary to record this dream here, because it proves once again that my mind has been entangled with some thoughts so hard that I can't get rid of them. It was still cold.I lay down on the bed and wrapped my body tightly with the quilt.Normally, I fall asleep around nine o'clock in the evening until five o'clock in the morning the next day. I was falling asleep—it was about two o'clock in the middle of the night—suddenly, there seemed to be murmuring voices, like complaints and complaints, which woke me up. I opened my eyes—or maybe I imagined that I did.The shutters of both windows were down, and my cabin was plunged into darkness. The murmuring sound came again, and I pricked up my ears.It was as if a voice—a voice unfamiliar to me—whispered these words in a low whisper: "Pym...Pym...poor Pym!" Obviously, this can only be an auditory hallucination... Unless my door is unlocked and someone got into my cabin? ... "Pym! . . . " continued the voice, "don't . . . never forget poor Pym! . . . " This time, the voice rang in my ears, and I heard it clearly.What does this entrustment mean?Why are you telling me? ...don't forget Arthur Pym? …Didn’t Arthur Pym die suddenly and tragically after returning to the United States? ...what happened at the time of death, no one knows the details... At this point I felt myself thinking wildly.I woke up completely, and felt that I was disturbed by the nightmare just now, probably because of the confusion of my brain... I jumped out of bed and pushed back the shutter of one of the cabin windows... I look around. The stern of the brig was empty—only Hunter, standing at the wheel, staring at the binnacle. I can only sleep again.So I went to bed again.Although the name of Arthur Pym seemed to ring in my ears several times, I still slept until the morning. By the time I awoke the impression of this episode of the night was extremely vague, fleeting, and soon faded away. Captain Lan Guy and I often reread Arthur Pym's account. —note that I say repeated reading—as if this were the voyage diary of the Halbrena.On this day, when we re-read it again, I noticed that under the date of January 10, the following facts were mentioned: In the afternoon, an accident happened, which is very regrettable.And it happens to be in this part of the sea we are sailing.An American originally from New York named Peter Flandenburg, one of the best sailors in the crew of the "Jenny", slipped and fell between two pieces of ice, fell into the water, and could not be rescued. This was the first casualty of that disastrous expedition, and how many more will thereafter be added to the unfortunate list of the brig's wrecks? Then Captain Lan Guy and I noticed, according to Arthur Pym, that the day of the 10th of January had been an unnaturally cold day, with unseasonable temperature conditions, a constant gale from the northeast, and snow and hail. At that time, the great ice floes towered in the distant southern sky-this shows that the "Jenny" had not yet circled the large ice floes from the west.According to Arthur Pym's self-report, the "Jenny" only circled the big ice floe on January 14. The ocean where the "ice floes have completely disappeared" stretches to the horizon, and the current speed is half a nautical mile per hour.The temperature was 34 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 1 degree 11 minutes Celsius) and quickly rose to 51 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees 56 minutes Celsius). This is exactly the temperature that the "Halle Brena" is enjoying at the moment.As Arthur Pym might well say, "No one doubts the possibility of reaching the South Pole!" On that day, the captain of the "Jenny" measured that they were located at latitude 81 degrees 21 minutes and longitude 42 degrees 5 minutes.This is exactly where our ship was on the morning of December 20, within a few minutes of the arc.Then we sail straight for the Isle of Beni, which will be in sight within twenty-four hours. During the voyage in this sea area, there are no accidents to tell everyone.Nothing extraordinary happened on board our ship, but the "Jenny"'s diary, on the date of January 17, records several rather extraordinary incidents.The main thing, as follows, is that it affords Arthur Pym and his partner Dirk Peters an opportunity to show their devotion and valor. Nearly three o'clock in the afternoon the masthead lookout discerned a drifting ice floe--evidence of the reappearance of ice on the surface of the free-flowing ocean.An extremely huge beast rested on the ice floe.Captain William Guy had the weapons ready on board the largest boat, and Arthur Pym, Dirk Peters, and the mate of the "Jenny" went aboard.This first officer was the unfortunate Patterson, whose body we received between Prince Edward Island and Tristan da Cunha. The beast was a polar bear, fifteen feet at its longest part, with rough, "curly and dense" fur, all white.The nose is rounded, similar to that of a mastiff.He was shot several times but did not fall to the ground.Then the monster jumped into the sea and swam towards the boat.If the monster leaned over the boat, the boat would surely capsize.Dirk Peters pounced on it and plunged the dagger into its spinal cord.The big bear swept the half-breed away.He was helped back to the boat by throwing down a rope. People dragged the bear to the deck of the "Jenny".Apart from its extremely large body, there is nothing unusual about this beast.It can be included in the list of strange quadrupeds in the Antarctic region pointed out by Arthur Pym. Gossip less, let's get down to business.Let's go back to our "Halle Brenane". The north wind has stopped, and never blows again.The current alone moves the brig south. The speed slowed down, we were anxious, and found it almost unbearable. Finally, on the 21st, the measured azimuth was 82 degrees 50 minutes latitude and 42 degrees 20 minutes longitude. Beni Isle - if it exists - shouldn't be far away... yes! ...the island does exist...and it is at the location Arthur Pym pointed out.About six o'clock in the evening, one of the crew shouted, announcing that there was land ahead on the port side.