Chapter 22 Chapter 6 Land? ...

In Edgar Allan Poe's book, the title of Chapter Seventeen is such a word.I put a question mark after this word, as the title of the sixth chapter of my story, I think it is very appropriate. Does the shout from the brig's foremast refer to an island or a continent? ...Whether it is a mainland or an island, will we be disappointed again? ...Will the people we search for at such a high latitude be there? …Has Arthur Pym—dead, though Dirk Peters affirms he is alive—has ever set foot on this land? ... The seventeenth of January, 1828--the day Arthur Pym calls an eventful day in his diary--when this cry sounded aboard the "Jenny," these words were used: :

"Land found in the direction of the starboard boom!" Aboard the Halle Brenad, the same shout could have been made. On the same side, where the sea and the sky meet, a vague outline appears. By the way, the piece of land reported to the crew of the "Jenny" at that time was the small island of Beni, which was barren and uninhabited.Less than a degree south from there is Zhalal Island.At that time Zalal Island was still fertile, habitable and inhabited.Later Captain Lan Guy hoped to join his countrymen there.But what does this unknown land, five degrees deep into the Antarctic ocean, mean to our brig? ... Is this the destination we have longed for and pursued so hard? …Will the brothers William Guy and Lan Guy meet here after a long absence and embrace each other? ... So, the journey of the "Halle Brena" is coming to an end, and the return of the survivors of the "Jenny" to the motherland is the final success of this expedition? ...

Let me repeat my thoughts with the mixed race: Our purpose is not only this, nor is our success.Now that the land is in front of us, let's go ashore first, and we'll figure it out later! I should first explain here that this cry immediately caused a change in our emotions.I don't think about the secret that Dirk Birds just confided to me, and maybe the half-breed has thrown it out of the blue too.He ran to the bow, staring intently at the distant horizon. What about Jem West?Nothing can interfere with his work.He reiterated his order.Grethian came to take the helm, and Hearne was shut down in the bilge.

The punishment is fair and reasonable, and no one will object to it.Because Hearne's carelessness or clumsy behavior had once endangered the safety of the brig. Still, half a dozen of the sailors from the Falkland Islands couldn't help muttering. The first mate made a gesture to tell them to shut up, and the men immediately returned to their posts. Hearing the shout of the watchman on the top of the masthead, Captain Lan Guy also hurried out of his cabin.He watched the land ten or twelve nautical miles away with eager eyes. As I said, I've given up thinking about what Dirk Peters just told me.As long as it's a secret between the two of us--neither he nor I will keep it a secret--there's nothing to worry about.However, if it is not a coincidence, Martin Holt knows that his brother's name has been changed to Parker... This unfortunate man did not drown when the "Orca" sank, but, driven by fate, became a Victim to save his countrymen from starvation... and beaten to death by his own savior, Dirk Peters himself! ...that's why the half-breed steadfastly refused to accept Martin Hoth's thanks...and why he always avoided Martin Hoth...because he had fed on the flesh and blood of Martin Hoth's own brother...

The bosun had just turned the bow 90 degrees to starboard.The brig moved forward cautiously, which is extremely necessary for navigating in unfamiliar seas.It is probable that there are shoals and reefs, and the danger of grounding and shipwreck.In the current situation of the "Halle Brena", if it runs aground once, even if it can float again, it will inevitably lead to serious consequences that it will not be able to return before the arrival of winter.Be foolproof. Jem West gave the order to cut sail.The bosun ordered the third, second, and topsails to be furled, leaving only the mizzen, foresail, and jib on the Halle Brena.These sails are more than enough to cover the distance to land in a few hours.

Captain Lan Guy immediately lowered the sounding hammer, and found a depth of 120 fathoms.Several more soundings were made, which showed that the coast was very steep and might stand underwater like a cut wall.The sea floor here may have risen suddenly, rather than being joined by a gentle slope to the coast.Therefore, the ship can only move forward with the detection hammer. The weather has been fine.There is a thin layer of mist in the sky from southeast to southwest.The vague outline of the land is outlined, like floating clouds in the sky, appearing and disappearing in the gaps in the fog.It is quite difficult to identify carefully.We all agree that this landmass is twenty-five to thirty duises high, at least in the highest part.

No!It can't be hallucinations playing tricks on us, but our frustrated minds worry about it.Is it not natural that fears and insecurities well up in us as we approach this most important goal? . . . On this distant shore, what hopes have we placed!How disappointed we should be if it is only a phantom, a mirage that can be seen but not touched!Thinking of this, my mind even became confused and hallucinations appeared.It was as if the Hallebrena had shrunk to a solitary boat in the midst of the great ocean--quite the opposite of Edgar Allan Poe, who said that the ship seemed larger on this indescribable sea... As a living, living organism grows...

If there is a nautical map, even a simple compass map, which can provide some hydrological conditions along the coast, the natural conditions of the landing site, and the conditions of the harbor, it is possible to sail boldly.In no other country would a captain who was not thought to be reckless postpone the order to drop anchor on the shore until the next day.But here, we must be cautious!There are no obstacles in front of us.In this season of continuous days, the sun is still shining at night, no less than during the day.The luminous star had not yet receded from the western horizon, and bathed the vast expanses of Antarctica with its constant radiance.

From this day onwards, the ship's logbook records that the temperature has continued to drop.Thermometers in the open and in the shade indicated only 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) and the water temperature was only 26 degrees (-3 degrees 33 minutes Celsius).Where did the drop in temperature come from?It's midsummer in Antarctica! In any case, the crew put on the woolen clothing that had been removed after crossing the ice pack a month earlier.After the two-masted boat is full, the crosswind is driving downwind, and the early cold here is not very obvious.However, we are very clear that we must reach our destination as soon as possible.To linger in this region, at the risk of overwintering here, is not to defy the heavens?

Several times Captain Lan Guy had the heavy sounding hammer lowered to determine the direction of the current.He discerned that the current had begun to deviate from its original direction. "Do we have a continent before us, or an island?" Found a way out in the southeast direction..." "It is probable," I replied, "that the solid part of Antarctica is reduced to a pole cap, and we can round its edge. Whatever the case may be, it will be useful to record measurements with some degree of accuracy. . . . " "Mr. Jeollin, I am doing this. We will bring back a great deal of information about this part of the Antarctic Ocean, which will be useful to future navigators..."

"If anyone ever ventures to this place, Captain! We succeeded because special circumstances helped us: an earlier warm season, warmer-than-normal temperatures, and rapid thawing of the ice. Twenty years ...in fifty years...is this going to happen once?" "So, Mr. Georin, I thank God. I have hope again. Since the weather has been fine, won't the sea wind and current also bring my brother and my countrymen here? They might as well be here Landing?...What our brigs can do, their boats can do...they set out on long voyages, the voyage could be infinitely protracted, and they won't go without provisions...they've had Zalar for years Why should they not find here the food which the island affords them?... They have ammunition and weapons...these waters are plentiful with fish, and seafood...yes! My heart is filled with hope, How I wish these hours passed quickly!" I'm not as confident as Captain Lan Guy, but I'm glad he has it again.If his search goal is achieved, maybe I can also get permission to continue searching for Arthur Pym-even if I go to the interior of this land not far from us, I will not hesitate! The "Halle Brena" moved forward slowly on the clear water, and the schools of fish swimming in the water were all species we had seen before.Seabirds are coming more and more, and they seem to be less afraid of people, circling around the mast or perching on the top of the sail frame.Several whitish strips, five or six feet long, were drawn on board, consisting of gleaming groups of small molluscs, like veritable rosary beads of millions of tiny particles. On the surface of the sea, whales appeared, spraying jets of water from the blowholes.I noticed that all the whales were heading south.Then there are reasons to think that the sea stretches far away in this direction. The brig kept going at the same speed for another two or three nautical miles.Does the coast that appeared first run from northwest to southeast? ... There is no doubt about that.But the telescope couldn't pick up any details—not even after another three hours of sailing. The crew gathered on the forecastle, watching quietly.Jem West climbed up the fore-mast, and watched for ten minutes from the top, but still saw nothing definite. I stood on the port side behind the deckhouse, leaned my elbows on the sideboard, and scanned the line connecting the sea and the sky, only interrupted by the eastern circle.At this moment, the bosun came up to me, and without any formality, said to me straight to the point: "Mr. Georin, will you allow me to share my opinion with you, please? . . . " "Come on, bosun! If I don't think it's right, may I not accept it!" I replied. "Certainly! As we draw nearer, only a blind man would disagree!" "Then what do you think?" "Mr. Georin, what appeared in front of us was not land at all..." "You mean . . . bosun? . . . " "Look carefully...put your fingers in front of your eyes...don't move...look down the starboard boom..." I did as the bosun asked. "See? . . . " he went on, "not with the brig, but with myself, and if these big fellows don't move, I won't be able to drink whiskey anymore! . . . " "You came to the conclusion that..." "It's a moving iceberg." "iceberg?……" "Yes, Mr. Geolin." The boatswain can't be mistaken, can he? ...So, what awaits us is another disappointment? ... Is it true that the surface of the sea is not a coast, but just drifting icebergs? ... On this point, there will soon be no need to hesitate.For a while the crew no longer believed in the existence of land in this direction. Ten minutes later, the masthead watchman reported that several icebergs were approaching from the northwest, obliquely cutting into the course of the Halle Brena... What terrible consequences this news had on board! ... Our last ray of hope was shattered in an instant! . . . What a blow to Captain Lan Guy! ...It seems that this piece of land in the polar region should be searched at higher latitudes, and it is not yet certain that it will be found! ... At this time, almost unanimous shouts sounded on the "Halle Brena": "Turn the boat around! ...Turn the boat around!" Yes, while Hearne wasn't there to instigate, the Falklands' new crew made a public statement of their will, asking to turn back.I should admit that most of the old crew seemed to agree with them. Jem West dared not force them to be quiet, he awaited the order from his superiors. Grethian was on watch at the wheel, ready to steer.His companions also reached for the double horns, ready to untie the lower rear horns... Dirk Peters was motionless, leaning against the foremast, head bowed, huddled up, lips tightly shut, not saying a word. He turned suddenly to me.What a look he casts on me! ——full of pleading and full of anger! ... I don't know what unstoppable and powerful force is pushing me to intervene in person, to express my opposition again! ... an indisputable reason has just occurred to me. So, I spoke to you all, determined to defend this point of view desperately.My tone was so confident that no one tried to interrupt me. The main things I talk about are: "No! We mustn't be completely discouraged yet... The land is not far away... What we have in front of us is not a great polar ice pack, which can only be formed by the accumulation of ice blocks on the surface of a vast sea... This is an iceberg, an iceberg It must have been separated from a solid foundation, or a continent, or an island... Since the icebergs thaw every year at this time, the time for the icebergs to drift along the current must be very short... Behind the icebergs, we can probably Find the coast formed by icebergs... In another twenty-four hours, at most forty-eight hours, if you still can't see land, Captain Lan Guy must turn around and return north!..." Have I convinced them, or should I take advantage of Hearne's absence and try to entice them again with the increased prize money?Hearne was now unable to communicate with his companions, to bewitch them, to shout at them that this was their last seduction, that it would lead to the brig's demise, and so on! ... It was the boatswain who helped me.He said with full emotion: "Very reasonable, and I quite agree with Mr. Georin. . . . Land is certainly not far away. . . . It won't take much effort or risk to seek behind these icebergs. We shall find them . . . Going south by one latitude, you can put a hundred dollars more in your pocket. Compared with that, what is this?...Don’t forget, dollars like to go in pockets, and they like to slip out of pockets ah!……" At this point, Cook Endicott immediately chimed in, lending support to his friend the Boatswain. "Yes!...that's great!...a dollar bill!" he shouted, showing two rows of white teeth. Would the crew agree with the bosun's view if the Halle Brenane was headed for the iceberg, or would they resist it? ... Captain Lan Guy picked up his binoculars again and aimed them at the moving behemoths.He watched it for a while with the utmost care, and then shouted out the order: "Course, Nannanxi!" Jem West ordered the operation. The sailors hesitated for a moment, but obeyed.They began to turn the yard lightly and tighten the lower quartersheets.The brig with its full sails returned to its original speed. When the operation was over, I walked up to Heligley, pulled him aside, and said to him: "Bosun, thank you!" "Well, Mr. Georin, this time it's over," he replied, shaking his head, "but no more deadlifts! . . . By then everyone will be against me, even Endicott. maybe……" "I didn't say anything was impossible! . . . " I pleaded excitedly. "I don't deny it, but I'm sure about it." "Yeah...Herigley, what I said was what I thought. I have no doubt that we will eventually find land behind the iceberg..." "Possible, Mr. Georin, it is possible! . . . Let it appear within two days! Otherwise, I assure you, bosun, nothing will prevent us from turning the ship!" During the next twenty-four hours, the "Halle Brena" moved in a south-south-west direction.When navigating in ice floes, the course has to be changed frequently and the speed has to be reduced.As soon as the two-masted ship entered the iceberg line, it had to plunge across it obliquely, making navigation very difficult.However, the floes and drift ice crowded around the large ice floes at 70 degrees south latitude have disappeared without a trace of the messy phenomenon on the polar ocean due to the sweeping of Antarctic storms.Great chunks of ice drifted slowly and majestically past.These huge ice blocks, to use an extremely accurate word, all appear to be "brand new", perhaps only formed a few days ago? ... icebergs are one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high and may weigh several thousand tons.In order to avoid a collision, Jem West was on the alert carefully, and he never left the deck for a moment. Through the lanes left between the icebergs, I tried to discern signs of land.If the direction of the land can be determined, the brig will be brought more directly to the south.But to no avail.I didn't see anything that would give me a clue. Until now, Captain Lan Guy could regard the compass' indications as accurate.The magnetic pole is in the direction of east longitude, hundreds of nautical miles away from us, and has no effect on the compass.Instead of wobbling wildly between five and seven bearing angles near the poles, the compass needle remained steady.So you can still believe it. In spite of my belief being based on strict arguments, there was still no sign of any land.I wondered if it would be more appropriate to steer the ship a little further west, even if it took the Halle Brena away from the pole where the earth's meridians cross. Everyone give me forty-eight hours.Now, as the hours passed, it became clear that disappointment was on the rise again, and the tendency toward indiscipline was even greater.Another day and a half and I can no longer fight this general depression...the brig will finally retreat north. The crew operated silently, and Jem West gave orders in concise words, changed direction, and crossed the channel.In order to avoid collisions, sometimes it is driven quickly close to the direction of the wind, and sometimes it is turned to the point where the wind is almost tight.Despite constant surveillance and the dexterity and agility of the sailors, dangerous brushes between icebergs and hulls still occurred from time to time.After the ship passed, it left a long trail of tar on the edge of the iceberg.Indeed, the thought of the possibility of splitting the planks of the ship, and the invasion of the sea, would shudder even the bravest of men... It should be noted that the bottom of the iceberg is very steep, and it is impossible to climb it.Jem West gave orders in terse words.Therefore, we didn't see any of the seals that were so numerous in the iceberg-crowded sea.In the past, where the "Halle Brener" passed, noisy penguins jumped into the water.Didn't even see a colony of penguins this time.Birds seem to be rarer and flee more quickly.This desolate place is full of anxiety and fear, and none of us can escape this emotion. If the survivors of the "Jenny" were brought into this terrible desert, would they be able to find shelter and survive?Is there any hope for that? ...If the "Halle Brena" also wrecked here, would there be a person left as a witness? ... The brig had abandoned her southward course since yesterday in order to cross the iceberg line.From then on, it can be seen that the half-breed man was uncharacteristically. He always squatted at the foot of the fore-mast, looked away from the sea, and only stood up when helping the operation. He no longer had the enthusiasm and alertness of the past in his work.In truth, he was discouraged.But it wasn't because he no longer believed that his companion on the "Jenny" was alive...that thought didn't cross his mind.Rather, he felt instinctively that there was no trace of poor Pym along this direction! If he said to me: "Sir...please understand me...not from here...no...not from here!..." How should I answer him? ... At nearly seven o'clock in the evening, thick fog began to rise.As long as the fog does not dissipate, the brig's navigation is extremely difficult and extremely dangerous. This day, I was exhausted by the constant excitement, anxiety and anxiety... I went back to my small cabin and lay down with all my clothes on. I wasn't sleepy, I was distracted, and my thoughts were spinning.In the past, my thinking was so calm, but now it is so excited.I think, in this special environment where the protagonist of Edgar Allan Poe is at ease, reading Edgar Allan Poe's works repeatedly has had an unexpected impact on me... Forty-eight hours expire tomorrow, and this is the last alms the crew can give me at my request. The bosun had said to me when I entered the deck-room: "How? Things are not as you hoped, are they?..." no!of course not.Behind the icebergs of the brigade, there was no land at all.Among the floating behemoths, no sign of the shore was to be found.Tomorrow Captain Lan Gay will turn back north... what!Why am I not the owner of this boat! ...if I could have bought it before, it would have cost me all my fortune!Had these men been whipped my slaves, the Halbrena's expedition would never have been in vain...even if it had taken the brig all the way to the pivot point in Antarctica!Above the pivot point, the stars of the Southern Cross are shining brightly! ... Thousands of ideas, thousands of regrets, and thousands of thoughts are churning in my head, my mind is completely confused... I think of it, but it seems that there is a hand, heavy and irresistible, pressing me firmly on the bed ! ...I want to leave this cabin at once, out of this sleepy nightmare...I want to throw one of the boats of the "Halbrena" into the sea... Dirk Peters and I jumped into the boat boat.He will follow me without hesitation! ...and then, let the southward current sweep us away... I did...yep!I did this...in a dream! ...it was the next day...Captain Lan Guy gave the horizon one last look and gave the order to turn the bow...a skiff was towed astern of the brig...I informed the half-breed...we slipped down the the boat, without being seen... We cut the cable... The brig moved forward, we stayed behind... The current pushed us away... So we sailed on the sea that has been flowing freely... Finally, our boat stopped... There is a piece of land... I seem to see a sphinx-like monster towering above the Antarctic cap in the distance I walked towards him... I questioned him... He confided to me the secrets of this mysterious area... At this time, around this mythical monster, Arthur Pym appeared. Those phenomena that are facts... The swaying fog barrier, dotted with flashes of light, torn apart... In front of my dizzy gaze, it is no longer the huge face of Superman... but Arthur Pym...the Antarctic monster unfurls an American flag in high-latitude gales! ... Whether the dream was interrupted suddenly, or developed with a wandering imagination, I don't know; but I felt a sudden awakening... I seemed to feel a change in the sway of the brig, the ship slowly heeling to starboard, Gliding on a calm sea...however, it's neither side to side nor up and down... Yes, I felt thrown upwards, as if my bed had become a gondola on a balloon... as if gravity had disappeared from me... I'm not mistaken, I came back to reality from the dream... Unexplained impacts sounded on my head.Inside the cabin, the walls were off vertical, suggesting that the Halle Brena was tipping over on its side.Almost at the same time, I was thrown out of the bed, and the corner of the table almost split my skull... Finally, I got up, firmly grasped the side window frame, leaned my body against the door, and opened the door towards the dining room... At this time, the bulwark cracked and cracked, and the middle part of the port side also cracked... Was it sailing in fog, some tall iceberg that Jem West failed to avoid, and the brig collided with it? ... Suddenly, fierce scolding broke out from the deck room at the rear of the ship, followed by terrifying shouts, and the almost crazy shouts of the entire ship were mixed together... Finally there was another collision, and the Hallebrena never moved again.