Chapter 17 Chapter 1 Where's Pym?

Captain Lan Guy's decision to weigh anchor from Zalar Island immediately next day and retreat northwards, the expedition ended in vain, and the abandonment of other parts of the Antarctic Sea to find the British brig in distress, all in my My mind was churning up and down. According to Patterson's notes, those six people had been in this area a few months ago. How could the "Halbrena" abandon them? ...Can't the crew complete the mission that humanity has entrusted to them? ...After the earthquake, Zhalal Island has become difficult to live in, and the survivors of the "Jenny" may have fled to some land or island.Is it not necessary to go to great lengths to discover this land or island? ...

Christmas has just passed, it is only the end of December, and the warm season in Antarctica has just begun.With two full months of summer, it is perfectly possible to sail across this part of Antarctica and return to the polar circle before the dreaded winter sets in.However, the "Halle Brener" is about to turn around and return north... Yes, that's exactly the "pro" side of doing it. On the "against" side, I have to admit, is also well-founded, and there are a whole host of real reasons worth considering. First, the Halbrena has not sailed blind so far.According to the route pointed out by Arthur Pym, the ship sailed straight to the clearly predetermined place-Zhalal Island.It is certain from the unfortunate Patterson's notes that our captain, on this known island, will find William Guy and five other sailors, who narrowly escaped an ambush in Crocker-Crocker's Hollow.But on the island of Zalal we found neither these nor any native inhabitants.I don't know when a disaster happened that wiped out all the aborigines.This disaster occurred suddenly after Patterson left, that is to say, less than seven or eight months from now.Did any of them escape before the disaster? ...

All in all, the problem boils down to a very simple dilemma: Either think the crew of the Jenny is dead and the Halle Brenale should return without delay, or think they survived and the search should not be abandoned. If you believe in the second point of the dilemma, isn't the most appropriate way to search all the western island groups pointed out in the book one by one?The Western Isles may have been spared the earthquake... Besides, would these near misses have escaped to other parts of Antarctica? ... Are there not numerous archipelagos in this free-flowing sea? ...The boat of Arthur Pym and the half-breed roamed the seas, and where they came, no one knows...

If their little boats were really taken beyond the 84th degree south latitude, where would they land in that vast ocean where there is neither island land nor continental land?I have repeatedly pointed out that the ending of the story is nothing short of grotesque, plausible, illogical, born of a hallucination in the mind of a madman... Ah!How useful Captain Lan Guy would be to us now if he had been lucky enough to find him in Illinois, where Dirk Peters lived in seclusion, or if Dirk Peters was on board the Halle Brena! ... Then again, if we decide to continue our expedition, where should our brig head in this mysterious sea? ... Then I say, don't ships have to go blindly?

There was another difficulty: would the crew of the Halle Brena have fully agreed to take their chances and venture far into the poles on such an uncertain voyage?When returning to the American or African oceans in the future, you may encounter insurmountable polar ice floes... Indeed, in a few weeks, we will face the harsh Antarctic winter.At that time, it will be freezing cold, snowy and windy, and the seas that are still free to navigate will be completely frozen, making it impossible to move.Does not the thought of being imprisoned for seven or eight months in the icy, wind-piercing Antarctic sea, without even being sure of landing somewhere, make the bravest mind recoil? The survivors of the "Jennie", we have not been able to find them on Zalar Island, and there is little hope of finding them again.Does the boss have the right to risk the lives of the crew for this? ...

Captain Lan Guy had been thinking about it since the night before.It hurt his heart to think that there would never be any hope of ever seeing his brother and his fellow sufferers again.Trembling with anguish in his heart, he gave the order: "Return sailing tomorrow morning! Anchor at dawn!" I feel that when he decided to advance, he showed great courage; now that he decides to retreat, he may need the same courage.The failure of the expedition aroused in him an unspeakable grief.Now that he has made up his mind, he will endure his pain. I admit, I was very disappointed.What is most distressing is that this expedition came to such an end.I have followed the Jenny's expedition so eagerly, and now, as long as I can continue the search across the Antarctic seas, I hope that the work will not be interrupted...

yes!If we were in our position, how many navigators would try to solve the geographical problems of Antarctica!In fact, the "Halle Brenane" had passed the area reached by Weddell's ships, and the island of Zalar was less than seven degrees from the point where the meridians crossed.No obstacle seemed to prevent the Halbrena from advancing to the highest latitude.The ship is only 400 nautical miles away from the South Pole. In this special season, sea winds and currents are likely to push it to the pole of the earth's axis... If the free-flowing sea stretches all the way there, it will only take a few days... If there is The mainland, too, is only a few weeks away...but none of us actually want to go to Antarctica. The "Halle Brener" ventured into the Antarctic ocean, not to conquer the Antarctic!

Assuming that Captain Lan Guy strongly desires to sail further afield to continue the search, and has the support of West, the bosun and the old crew, will he be able to make up the mind of the twenty men recruited by the Falkland Islands? ?Hearne the Fisherman has been demagogic among them... No!It was impossible for Captain Lan Guy to trust these people, who made up the majority of the ship.He had brought them to the latitude of Zalal, where they would certainly refuse to venture further into the Antarctic ocean.This is probably one of the reasons why our captain decided to return north, even though he himself had to endure great pain...

Just when we thought this expedition would be over, we suddenly heard: "And Pym... poor Pym? . . . " This sentence, we can imagine the degree of surprise. I turn around... It was Hunter who spoke just now. This strange man stood motionless by the deckhouse, staring at the distance where the sea and the sky connect... On this ship, people were not used to hearing Hunter's voice.Even this seemed to be the first time he had spoken in front of a crowd since he was on board.Out of curiosity, the crew gathered around him.I had a premonition, didn't his unexpected words reveal something extraordinary? ...

Jem West waved his arms and told the crew to come aboard.Only the mate, the boatswain, Martin Huot, the sailmaker, and Hardy the caulker remained.These few people thought they were allowed to stay with us. Captain Lan Guy walked up to Hunter and asked him: "What did you say just now?..." "I said: 'Where's Pym...poor Pym?...'" "Then what are you doing calling this man's name in front of us? It was this man's bad idea that led my brother to this island. Here, the 'Jenny' was wrecked and most of the crew killed. Seven months There were people here before, but now we haven't even found a single person..."

Hunter said nothing. Captain Lan Guy, full of resentment, could no longer restrain himself, and cried aloud: "Quick answer!" Hunter's hesitation was not due to his ignorance of what to answer, but to some difficulty in expressing his thoughts, as will be seen below.Although his words were intermittent and the words were barely connected, the thread of his thoughts was very clear.In short, he has his own unique language, sometimes very figurative.His pronunciation has a thick western Indian accent, which is a little hoarse. "Well..." he said, "I can't tell...my tongue is stupid...please understand me...I mentioned Pym...poor Pym...didn't you?..." "Yes!" replied the mate curtly. "What do you want to tell us about Pym? . . . " "I want to say... don't abandon him..." "Don't abandon him?..." I shouted loudly. "Don't...don't..." Hunter said again, "please think about this...how cruel...so cruel!...we must go find him..." "To find him?..." the captain repeated the words. "Please understand me... that's why I came aboard the Halle Brena... yes... just to find... poor Pym..." "Where is he, then?" I asked, "isn't he in the grave...in the cemetery in his hometown?..." "No...he was where he left...alone...just alone," replied Hunter, stretching his hand to the south, "and the sun has risen eleven times over the horizon since then!" Hunt was obviously referring to the Antarctic region...but what was he going to do? ... "Don't you know that Arthur Pym is dead? . . . " asked Captain Lan Guy. "Death! . . . " Hunter continued, emphasizing the word with expressive gestures, "No! . . . Please listen to me . . . I know this . . . please understand me . . . he is not dead . . . " "Have you forgotten, Hunter?" I said, "in the last chapter of Arthur Pym's Adventures, Edgar Allan Poe said he died suddenly and tragically? . . . " To be honest, how this mysterious figure died, the American poet has not explained it clearly, and I have always felt that this is a doubt!So, is the mystery of Pym's death about to be solved?Because according to Hunter, Pym never came back from the Antarctic region at all... Lan Guy was as puzzled as I was.He ordered: "Hunter, tell me clearly, think about it...don't worry...tell me everything you want to say!" Hunter stroked his forehead, as if trying to recall the distant past.Then I reminded the captain: "If this man is not crazy, there is still something new in his words..." Hearing this, the bosun shook his head.In his opinion, Hunter was simply out of his mind. Hunter also understood what I meant, and he shouted in a blunt tone: "No!... I'm not crazy... Over there, on the steppe, those people are crazy!...People don't believe their words, but they respect them!...I...should believe me!...No!... Pym is not dead! . . . " "But Edgar Allan Poe is sure he's dead!" I said. "Yes! I know... that Edgar Allan Poe... he lived in Baltimore... but... he never met Pym... never..." "Why?" cried Captain Lan Guy. "Aren't these two acquaintances? . . . " "I don't know each other!" Hunter replied. "Didn't Arthur Pym himself tell Edgar Allan Poe about his adventures?  …" "No!...Captain...no!" Hunter replied, "Edgar Allan Poe...the man in Baltimore...he just got the diary written by Pym, from hiding 'Orca' I started writing that day, until the last moment...at last...you know what I mean! . . . " Obviously, Hunter was worried that people would not understand what he meant, so he repeated this sentence over and over again.Even so, I can't deny that what he said seemed hard to swallow.According to him, Arthur Pym never had a relationship with Edgar Allan Poe? ... What the American poet sees is nothing but a diary written day by day during this strange voyage? ... "Then who brought this diary back?..." Captain Lan Guy grabbed Hunter's hand and asked him. "This is Pym's mate... half-breed Dirk Peters... who loves Pym like his own child...he came back from there alone..." "Mix Dirk Peters? . . . " I called out. "yes!" "Come back alone?..." "one person." "That Pym might be in..." "Over there!" Hunter replied loudly, leaning towards the southern region, staring over there. Can such an affirmative answer dispel the unanimous doubt? ...Of course not!Martin Hoot elbowed the bosun.The two showed pity for Heng Shi.West watched him impassively.Captain Lan Guy made a sign to me, which meant that there was not a grain of seriousness in the poor fellow's words, and his nerves were probably out of his mind. However, when I looked at Hunter carefully, I felt that what I met was a look that made people believe. So I tried to question him, to ask him some precise and aggressive questions.To these questions he endeavors to give a series of affirmative answers, never contradicting himself.It can be seen from the following passage. "Listen..." I asked, "after Arthur Pym was rescued from the Orca's hull with Dirk Peters, he did go on the 'Jennie' all the way to Zaza. Lall Island?..." "yes." "When Captain William Guy went to Crocker-Crocker, Arthur Pym, Warmblood, and another sailor left their mates, did they not? . . . " "Yes..." Hunter replied, "Sailor Arron...suffocated under the stones soon afterwards..." "Did they both, afterward, witness the attack and burning of the brig from the top of the hill? . . . " "yes……" "Then, not long after, the two of them took a boat from the natives. The natives tried unsuccessfully to get the boat back. Then they both left Zalal Island, didn't they? . . . " "yes……" "Twenty days later, the two of them arrived in front of the fog barrier, and both of them were sucked into the white abyss, right?..." This time, Hunter did not answer decisively... He hesitated, speaking intermittently and vaguely... It seemed that he was trying to think hard, trying to rekindle the flame of his half-extinguished memory... Finally , he looked at me, shook his head and said: "Not two... Please understand me... Dirk Peters never said that to me..." "Dirk Peters? . . . " asked the captain eagerly. "You know Dirk Peters? . . . " "know……" "where?……" "Vandalia...Illinois..." "Did you get all the facts about the voyage from him? . . . " "From him." "Then he came back alone...alone...from there...and left Arthur Pym?..." "Alone." "Go on... go on!" I shouted loudly. Seriously, I can't wait.how?Hunter knew Dirk Peters?Hunter learns from Dirk Peters what I thought would never be known...and he knows how the adventure ends! ... At this time, Hunter answered.The sentences are intermittent, but the meaning is clear. "Yes...there is...a fog barrier...the half-breed used to say to me...please understand me...the two of them, Arthur Pym and him...in that little Zalar boat... And then...a block of ice...a huge ice floe came towards them...on the impact, Dirk Peters fell into the ocean...but, he grabbed the floe again...climbed up...please understand I mean...he saw the boat carried away by the current...farther...further...farther and farther!...Pym tried to join his mate, but in vain...no success...the boat fell So far away...far away! And Pym...poor dear Pym was swept away...it was he who didn't come back...he was there...always there..." Dirk Peters himself could not have been more excited, forceful, or emotional when he spoke of "poor dear Pym." At this point, the truth is out—what reason is there to doubt it? —Arthur Pym and the half-breed parted before the fog barrier. ... If Arthur Pym continued to sail to higher latitudes, how did his partner Dirk Peters return to the north?How to cross the polar ice floes and return...cross the polar circle...to the United States?He brought Arthur Pym's records back to America and was learned of by Edgar Allan Poe. He answered all the subtle questions that were put to Hunter.He said that this was based on the fact that the mixed race had talked to him many times. According to him, Arthur Pym's blotter was in Dirk Peters' pocket when he clambered up the ice floe.In this way the notebook was rescued and later provided to the American novelist. "Please understand me..." Hunter continued, "I told you exactly what I heard from Dirk Peters... When he was taken away by the ice floe, he screamed like hell... …Pym, poor Pym has disappeared into the fog... The half-breed lived on raw fish, and was brought back to Zalar Island by a counter current. When he came to the island, he was half starved to death... " "On Zalar Island?..." Captain Lan Guy exclaimed, "How long has he been away from Zalar Island?..." "It's been three weeks... yes... three weeks at most... Dirk Peters told me..." "Then, he should meet the surviving crew of the 'Jenny'..." Captain Lan Guy asked, "Where is my brother William and the people who survived with him?..." "Didn't see..." Hunter replied, "Dirk Peters always thought they were all killed...yes...all dead!...there is no one on the island..." "Nobody left? . . . " I was astonished at the affirmation. "There is no one left!" Hunter said solemnly. "Where are the residents on Zalar Island?..." "Not a soul... I tell you... not a soul!... A deserted island... yes... a desert!..." This is the exact opposite of certain facts that we originally thought to be certain.It seemed probable that by the time Dirk Peters returned to Zalal, its inhabitants had fled to the islands to the south-west in fear of something.But William Guy and his companions were still hidden in the Crocker-Crocker Canyon.This is why the mixed-race people did not meet them, and it is also the reason why the survivors of the "Jenny" no longer need to worry about the attacks of the islanders, and they can stay on the island for eleven years.On the other hand, since they were still there when Patterson left seven months ago and we can't find them anymore, it's because they couldn't find food since the earthquake and had to leave Zalar Island... "Then," continued Captain Lan Guy, "when Dirk Peters returned, there was not a single inhabitant on the island? . . . " "Not a soul..." Hunter repeated, "Not a soul... The mulattos have not met a single native..." "And what about Dirk Peters? . . . " asked the bosun. "Please understand me..." Hunter replied, "there was an abandoned boat...in the depths of the harbour...with some dried meat and buckets of fresh water in it. The half-breed pounced on it...and then there was a southerly wind... ...it was the south wind...the wind was strong...it was the south wind that brought his ice floes back to Zalar Island with the countercurrent...and took him away...week after week, near the big Ice floe, he went through a waterway...please believe me...I'm just repeating what Dirk Podes told me many times...was...a waterway...then he crossed the polar circle... " "Then what?..." I asked. "After that...he was picked up by an American whaling ship, the Cendee-Bend, and brought back to America." If Hunter's account is to be believed to be true - and it is quite possible - at least with regard to Dirk Peters, this is the horribly tragic end of the Antarctic region.After returning to America, the biracial bonded with Edgar Allan Poe.Edgar Allan Poe was then the publisher of the Southern Wenxun.And so Arthur Pym's record has evolved into this strange story.To this day people still think it is fabricated, but it is not, it is just that the book lacks the final ending. When it comes to the fictional part of the works of American writers, it is undoubtedly those strange plots in the last few chapters.Unless, at the last moment, Arthur Pym was driven by a dream, thinking that he saw some supernatural wonders through the fog... In any event, Edgar Allan Poe did not know Arthur Pym at all, a fact that has been established.He therefore allows Arthur Pym to die suddenly and tragically, without explaining the nature or cause of the death, in order to leave an elusive and stimulating final impression on the reader. If Arthur Pym never came back at all, was there any reason to think that he had not died immediately after leaving his companions, and that he was still alive though he had been missing for eleven years? "Yes... yes!" Hunter replied. He affirmed it with conviction.This deep belief was instilled in his soul by Dirk Peters.He and Dirk Peters lived together in the small town of Vandalia in upcountry Illinois. Now the question is, is Hunter sane? ... Was it not he, who had a psychotic episode - I no longer doubt it - came into my cabin and murmured the following words in my ear: "And Pym... poor Pym? . . . " right! ... I was not in a dream. In short, if all that Hunter had just said was true, if he was only telling the truth what Dirk Peters had confided to him, he repeated in an urgent and pathetic voice: "Pym's not dead! . . . Pym's over there! . . . Don't abandon poor Pym!" When these words, should believe him? After I finished questioning Hunter, Captain Lan Gay, who was deeply shocked, finally woke up from his contemplative state.He gave orders in a gruff voice: "Assemble all the crew on the rear deck!" The brig's crew gathered around him, and he said: "Hunter! Listen to me, I'm going to ask you some questions, and you have to consider the seriousness of them!" Hunter raised his head and glanced at the crew of the "Halle Brener". "Hunter, are you sure that what you just said about Arthur Pym is true?..." "It's true!" Hunter replied, emphasizing his affirmation with a decisive gesture. "You know Dirk Peters..." "yes." "How many years have you lived with him in Illinois? . . . " "Nine years." "Does he often talk to you about these things? . . . " "Yes." "You don't doubt that what he told you is the truth?" "No." "Then, he never thought that several crew members of the 'Jenny' would stay on Zalar Island, right?" "No." "Did he think William Guy and his companions were killed in the Crocker-Crocker Valley Collapse?  …" "Yes . . . and from what he's told me many times . . . Pym thinks so." "Where was the last time you saw Dirk Peters? . . . " "In Vandalia." "How long has it been?..." "More than two years." "Which of you two left Vandalia first, you or him?..." I seemed to feel that Hunter hesitated a little when he answered. "We left together..." he said. "where are you going?……" "The Falkland Islands." "What about him?..." "He!" Hunter repeated. His eyes finally rested on the sail master Mardin Hoot.Hunter once risked his life to save his life during a storm. "Hello," the captain asked again, "do you understand what I'm asking you?" "Yes." "Then... answer!... Dirk Peters left Illinois, did he leave America?..." "yes." "Where did you go?... Say!..." "To the Falkland Islands!" "Where is he now?..." "In front of you!"