Chapter 19 Chapter 3 The Vanishing Islands

On the morning of Friday, December 27th, the "Halbrena" sailed again, heading southwest. The work on the ship was carried on as usual, still in the same order and order.Now there is no danger and no fatigue.The weather has been fine, calm.If it goes on like this, there will be no signs of confrontation developing - at least I hope so - and no difficult situations will arise.Vulgar people don't use their brains much.The ignorant and greedy are not haunted by imagination.They are short-sighted, only see the present, and never worry about the future.Only the ruthless reality before them can wake them up from their carefree life.

Could something like this happen? Dirk Peters, although his identity is exposed, probably won't change his old habits, he is still so reticent, right?I should note that since his real name was revealed, the crew has shown no distaste for him regarding the incident aboard the Orca.In any case, it was forgivable, given the circumstances of the time... And, would it be forgotten that the half-breed had risked his life to save the life of Martin Hoot? ...but he continued to avoid everyone, eating in one corner, sleeping in another corner, "dissociated" from other crew members! ... Is there any other reason for his behavior that we don't know yet?Maybe I'll figure it out in the future? ...

The north wind blowing continually, which had propelled the Jenny to the Isle of Zalal, and Arthur Pym's boat a few degrees of latitude; The brig gave a helping hand.Jem West took the port side to the wind, a full astern crosswind, and took advantage of this strong and regular sea breeze to spread the sail.The bow of the boat splits the crystal green water, and the stern turns up strings of snow-white waves. After yesterday's scene Captain Lan Guy went to rest for a few hours.But the turmoil of his mind disturbed his peace.On the one hand, he pinned his hopes on the future search; on the other hand, he also realized how important the responsibility he shouldered for such an expedition across Antarctica!

I met him on deck the next day.The mate was pacing up and down the quarterdeck at the time.He called us both to him. "Mr. Georin," he said to me, "it was with great pain that I resolved to turn the ship's head to the north! . . . It is clear that if I were to lead the ship south of Zalar Island, I would be opposed by the majority of the crew..." "Indeed, Captain," I replied, "there are signs of indiscipline on board, and there may be a mutiny at last..." "If there is a mutiny, we will suppress it," Jem West confronted calmly, "Even if Hearn's head is smashed! This guy has been instigating riots."

"You will do well," said the captain solemnly, "but what will the harmony we need look like after punishment has been carried out? . . . " "Well, Captain," said the mate, "it's better not to use violence! . . . But tell Hearne to be careful in future!" "His mates," Captain Lan Guy reminded him, "are enchanted now by the promised prize. Greed will make them hardier and more obedient. Where our entreaties fail , Mr. Georin's generosity paid off immediately... I am very grateful to him..." "Captain," I said, "I told you in the Falklands that I would support your cause financially. Now the opportunity has come, and I have taken it. It is not to be thanked. Arrive The destination... to save your brother William and the five crew members of the 'Jenny'...that is all I want."

Captain Lan Guy held out his hand to me, and I took his hand warmly. "Mr. Georin," he went on, "have you noticed that the Halle Brenana was not heading south, although the land that Dirk Peters could vaguely see - at least where it appeared to be - —in this direction..." "I have noticed, Captain." "On this point," said Jem West, "let us not forget that in Arthur Pym's own account nothing is said of any apparent land in the south. Our only evidence is a few words of the half-breed .” "Well, mate," I replied, "is there any doubt about Dirk Peters? . . . Hasn't he done enough to warrant full confidence since he came aboard? . . . "

"I can't really find anything wrong with him, work-wise," retorted Jem West. "We have no doubts about his bravery and integrity," said the captain gravely, "not only on the 'Halle Breenne', but first on the 'Orca' and later on the 'Jenny' What he did on the account proves that he has a good evaluation..." "Undoubtedly this is the evaluation he deserves!" I added. For some reason, I always tend to defend biracial people.Is it because—this is my hunch—that he thinks Arthur Pym will be found, and that he will play an important role in the expedition... His role will amaze me, and I am full of hope. Watching this question with interest.

I admit, however, that when it comes to Dirk Peters' old comrade-in-arms, his ideas seem to have gone to the point of absurdity.Captain Lan Guy did not forget to stress this point. "Let us not forget, Mr. Georin," he said, "that the half-breed held out the hope that Arthur Pym, after drifting through the Antarctic seas, would land ashore somewhere farther south . . . and still be alive. There!……" "Alive...for eleven years...in this polar sea!..." Jem West retorted immediately. "It's hard to believe, Captain, I'm willing to admit it," I argued, "but, on reflection, Arthur Pym, farther south, encountered an island similar to Zalar, Is it not possible that William Guy and his companions also survived on this island? . . . "

"Of course you can't say it's impossible, Mr. Georin. But if you say it's possible, I don't believe it either!" "Even," I retorted, "since we're assuming that your countrymen drifted on the same current after leaving Zalal, why shouldn't they join Arthur Pym? Probably at . . . " I didn't go on.No matter what I say, this assumption will not be accepted.There is no need to stress the plan to find Arthur Pym now.Let's wait until the "Jenny" is found, if they can be found. Captain Lan Guy now turned to the purpose of the conversation.Our conversation just now had, as the bosun's favorite phrase used, gone "too far," and gone a long way.It is more appropriate to bring it back to the topic.

"As I said just now," the captain continued, "the reason why I didn't go south is because I wanted to first identify the relative positions of the other islands near Zalar Island. This group of islands is located in the west..." "Sensible opinion," I said, agreeing, "it is probable that, when we survey the islands, we will be able to confirm that the earthquake has occurred recently..." "Recently . . . there can be no doubt," said Captain Lan Guy affirmatively, "and after Patterson had gone. For the Jenny's mate left while his countrymen were still on the island." !"

It is well known that we have never been of the same opinion on this subject, for those sound reasons. "In Arthur Pym's account," asked Jem West, "is it not mentioned that eight islands form a group?" "Eight," I replied, "or at least eight, that's what Dirk Peters heard from the wild man. The wild man who was carried away by the current in a small boat with them. His name was Nunu, and he It even goes so far as to say that the archipelago is ruled by a sovereign. The one and only king is called Zaramon, and lives on the smallest of these islands. The half-breed will confirm this detail to us if need be." "So," the captain continued, "maybe the earthquake didn't spread to the entire archipelago, and there are still people living there. We still have to be vigilant when we approach..." "Probably not very far," I interjected. "Captain, perhaps your brother and his crew just escaped to one of the islands..." This possibility can be considered, but in general it is difficult to be sure.During their stay on the Isle of Zhalal, they got rid of these savages.In this way, these poor people will fall into the hands of savages again!Even if they saved their lives, wouldn't the "Halbrena" be forced to use force if they were to be rescued?Will this attempt succeed? ... "Jem," said Captain Lan Guy again, "we're going eight or nine knots an hour. We'll see land in a few hours. . . Command and watch carefully!" "The order has been given, Captain!" "Is there anyone in the masthead lookout? . . . " "It was Dirk Peters himself, who volunteered to go." "Well, Jem, trust his vigilance! . . . " "Trust his eyes, too," I interjected, "he was born with amazing eyesight!" The brig continued rapidly westward.Until ten o'clock, the voice of the half-breed had not been heard.I wondered if it was the same thing we had been looking for in vain between the Falkland Islands and New George Island for the Aurora Islands or Glass Island!There are no bulges on the sea, and no islands are outlined on the horizon.Maybe these islands are not very high, and they can only be found at a distance of two or three nautical miles? ... In the morning, the wind weakened greatly, and the current from the south caused our ship to deviate greatly from our intended route.Fortunately, around two o'clock in the afternoon, the wind picked up again.Jem West adjusted his course to come back on our course from the direction we had deviated. The "Halle Brena" pointed in this direction and traveled at a speed of seven or eight knots for two hours.There is still nothing above the surface of the sea. "It is unlikely that we have not reached that position," Captain Lan Guy said to me. "According to Arthur Pym, Zalar Island belongs to a vast archipelago..." "But he didn't say that the 'Jenny' once saw the islands from a distance when it was moored here..." I reminded him. "Mr. Georin, you are quite right. But I estimate that the Halle Brena has sailed at least fifty miles since this morning, and the islands should be very close to each other..." "Then, Captain, it should be concluded—and this is not impossible—that the entire archipelago to which Zalar Island belongs was completely wiped out in the earthquake..." "Land found ahead to starboard!" shouted Dirk Peters. All eyes turned in this direction, but nothing was seen on the sea.Of course the half-breed is on the foremasthead and he can see things that none of us can see yet.Besides, he had excellent eyesight, and was used to searching the horizon at sea, so I don't think he could be mistaken. Sure enough, after a quarter of an hour, we used the marine telescope to identify several small islands scattered on the sea.The slanting sun streaked the sea with golden streaks, and the island lay to the west, two or three nautical miles from our ship. The first officer ordered the high sail to be lowered, leaving only the mizzen, foremast, and spinnaker left of the "Hallebrena". Is it necessary to prepare for self-defense immediately, lift the armed forces on the deck, load the stone bombs, and install the gangway net? ... Before taking these precautions, the captain thought it possible to approach a little further without great danger. Something has definitely changed.Where Arthur Pym pointed out several large islands, we found only a handful of small ones—six at most—eight or ten dewars high above the water. . . . By this time the half-breed had slid down the starboard backstay and jumped onto the deck. "Well, Dirk Peters, do you recognize the islands? . . . " Captain Lan Guy asked him. "Islands?..." The half-breed shook his head and replied, "No...I only see five or six big rocks...only stones...not an island!" Sure enough, all that remained of the archipelago were a few rocky tops, or rather, a few round hillocks. —at least the west of the archipelago.It is likely that the location of the islands covers several degrees of latitude, and that the earthquake only destroyed the western islands. This is the preliminary conclusion we have come to when we have visited each of the small islands and determined the near and far dates of the earthquake.There are indisputable earthquake marks on Zhalal Island. As the brig approached, the remnants of the archipelago could be seen more clearly, with the western part of the archipelago completely destroyed.The area of ​​the largest islands does not exceed fifty to sixty square Duwaz, and the smallest is only three to four square Duwaz.The small island forms a reef half out of the water, and the snow-white waves fring it. It was agreed that the Halle Brena should not venture through these rocks, which would be very dangerous to the sides and keel of the ship.In order to confirm whether the archipelago is completely submerged in the water, it is enough for the "Halle Brena" to go around the azimuth area of ​​the archipelago. It is still necessary to disembark at certain places to check, and there may be some signs in these places. A dozen or so chains away from the main island, Captain Lan Gay ordered the detection hammer to be lowered.The depth of the sea was measured to be twenty fathoms.This sea bottom is probably the floor of a submerged island, the central part of which is five or six dewars above sea level. The brig continued to approach the island and dropped anchor at a depth of five fathoms. Jem West wanted to anchor the boat while surveying the island, but the brig might have drifted away due to the strong southerly current.A better way is to anchor the boat near the archipelago.The sea water there is rippling, the sky is clear, and there is no sign of changing the sky. As soon as the ship dropped anchor, Captain Lan Guy, the boatswain, Dirk Peters, Martin Hoult, two sailors, and myself, went down into a skiff. We are a quarter of a nautical mile from the nearest small island, crossing a narrow channel, and soon arrive at the island.Rocky pinnacles appear and disappear in the rough surf.Because of the repeated washing by the waves, it is impossible to retain any traces on the rocks that can identify the date of the earthquake.On this point, I repeat, we all have no doubts in our minds. The dinghy weaves its way among the rocks.Dirk Peters stood in the stern with his legs between the tiller, trying to avoid the rocks that showed up here and there. The sea is so clear and calm that one can see not only the sandy bottom strewn with shells, but blackened heaps covered with terrestrial plants, and clumps of plants that do not belong to the sea, some of which grow on the surface of the water. float. This is already evidence that the land where these plants grow subsided not so long ago. After the boat landed on the island, one person threw out the four-claw anchor, and the anchor claws stretched into the crevices of the rocks. After tightening the cable, we disembarked and landed smoothly. What remained of this place, which had formerly been one of the great islands of this archipelago, was an irregular oval, one hundred and fifty duises in circumference, and twenty-five to thirty feet above the water. "Does the sea sometimes get so high at high tide?" I asked Captain Lan Guy. "Never," replied the captain, "in the middle of the island, perhaps we shall find remnants of vegetation, dwellings, or camps..." "The best thing to do," said the bosun, "is to follow Dirk Peters. He's already ahead of us. The fellow has sharp eyes and can see things we don't!" In a short while, we all reached the highest point of the island. There are plenty of remains here - some may be the remains of domestic animals, which are recorded in Arthur Pym's diary.Such as all kinds of poultry, Varinaria duck, mixed pigs with hard skin and bristly bristles, etc.However—a detail worth noting—the wreckage here is of a different composition than that seen on Zalal Island, suggesting that the earthquake here was at most only a few months old.This is consistent with our estimate that the earthquake occurred recently. In addition, the plants of celery and horseradish on the island are still green everywhere, and the clusters of small flowers are still as bright as before. "It's grown this year!" I exclaimed loudly, "they haven't survived the Antarctic winter yet! . . . " "I agree with you, Mr. Geolin," said the bosun, "but isn't it probable that they have grown here since the archipelago has been scattered all over the world? . . . " "I don't think that's possible!" I replied.I am a person who does not want to give up my opinions. In several places sparse bushes grew.This is a wild hazel tree.Dirk Peters breaks off a twig, full of sap. Hanging from the branches were several hazelnuts, the exact same ones that Dirk Peters and his companions ate when they were imprisoned in the crevasses of the Crocker-Crocker Valley and in the caves with ancient Egyptian writing.On the island of Zalar, we did not find the remains of the cave. Dirk Peters took off the green foreskin of the hazelnut, put it in his mouth, and started chomping.His sharp teeth are probably capable of crushing even iron balls. With these facts confirmed, there was no longer any doubt as to the date of the earthquake after Patterson had gone.Some of the bones of the aborigines on Zhalal Island are piled up around the village, and they were not destroyed by this earthquake disaster.With regard to William Guy and the five sailors of the Jenny, it seemed clear that they had escaped in time.Because no body of any of them was found on the island. Where, then, might they have fled after leaving Zhalal Island? ... This question mark keeps popping up in our minds over and over again.What will be the answer? ... It seems to me that every line of this peculiar story creates a lot of question marks.In contrast, this question mark is not the most peculiar. The exploration of the whole archipelago needs no further elaboration.It took thirty-six hours for the brig to make a turn.The same remnants—plants and debris—were found on the surface of the various islets, leading to a common conclusion.Captain Lan Guy, the mate, the boatswain, and I were in complete agreement concerning the disturbance in this sea, and the total destruction of the native population. The Halbrena no longer needed to be on the lookout for any attack, which had been a frequent concern. Shall we now conclude that William Guy and his five sailors, having reached an island in the archipelago, perished with the sinking of the archipelago? ... On this subject, Captain Lan Guy finally accepts my reasoning: "In my opinion," I said, "in a nutshell, the artificial collapse of some of the 'Jane'—at least seven of them, including Patterson—in Crocker-Crocker Valley In addition, there was the dog 'Tiger', whose bones we found on the edge of the village. After a period of time, part of the inhabitants of Zhalal Island were destroyed, and the reason is not clear to us. At this time , the survivors of the local aborigines escaped from Zalal Island and hid on other islands, leaving only William Gay and his partners. Their situation is already very safe, even where thousands of aborigines once lived The place where the inhabitants survived. After some years--perhaps ten or eleven years--in spite of all their attempts, I am sure, either in the boats of the natives, or in the boats they made themselves However, they have never been able to escape this prison. Finally, about seven months ago, after Patterson disappeared, an earthquake leveled Zalal Island and submerged the surrounding islets. In my opinion, William Gay and his fellow shipwrecks, now believing the island to be uninhabitable, boarded a ship and attempted to return to the Polar Circle. It is likely that this attempt failed again, and finally, pushed by the southward current, they reached Dirk Peters and A. The land beyond 84 degrees south latitude that Se Pym had vaguely seen. Why is this impossible? So, Captain, the "Halbrena" should be heading in this direction. Three times, we may find them. The destination is clear, who of us is not willing to go? Even if we sacrifice our lives, we will not hesitate..." "May God guide us, Mr. Geolyn!" replied Captain Lan Guy.When I was alone with the bosun, he said to me convincingly: "Mr. Georyn, I have listened carefully to you, and you have almost convinced me..." "Heligly, you will completely Persuaded." "when?……" "Probably earlier than you think." The next day, December 29th, at six o'clock in the morning, the brig set out with a gusty northeasterly wind.This time, the heading was straight south.