Chapter 25 What about Chapter 9? ...

Dumbfounded... yes!Like a rock swept away by an avalanche, the brig was buried in the abyss.We were literally dumbfounded! ... Not even a single wreck remains of our "Hallebrena"! …Just a moment ago, he was at a height of one hundred feet in the air, and in the blink of an eye, he was now at a depth of five hundred feet under the sea! ……yes!We were completely stunned, without considering the danger ahead... As the saying goes, you can't believe your eyes, and that's what happened to us! ... Depression followed as its inevitable consequence.Not a cry, not a single movement.We stood transfixed, our feet on the ice as if nails were driven in there.There are no words to describe this horrible scene!

Chief Mate Jem West, I saw big tears fall from his eyes after the brig sank into the abyss right under his nose.The Halbrena, so dear to him, is now at the bottom of the sea!yes!This man with such a resolute character shed tears... Three of our men perished...and how horribly! ... Two of our most loyal sailors, Rogers and Grethian, I saw with their arms outstretched wildly, thrown by the brig's rebound, and plunged into the abyss with the ship! …Another American recruited from the Falkland Islands was crushed to death when the boat passed by, leaving only a bloody pile lying in a pool of blood… These are the three people who died again in the past ten days !They will be added to the list of victims of this ominous expedition.what!destiny!Fate was on our side until the moment when the Halle Brena was cast out of its operating environment.And now it's hitting us with the craziest blows! ...Blow after blow, isn't this last blow the most ferocious?Will it be the fatal blow? ...

Then the silence was broken by loud uproar and desperate cries.There has been an irreparable catastrophe and this response is entirely justified! ...Probably more than one person thought to himself, when the "Halle Brena" was beating on the side of the iceberg, it would be better if he was also on board! ...then it's all over, just like Rodgers and Grethian! ... This dizzy expedition has its only ending.Such reckless actions and rash actions deserve this end! In the end, the instinct to save life prevailed.Hearn hid aside, pretending to be silent.It wasn't him, it was his accomplice anyway, who shouted:

"Get on the boat... get on the boat!" These mean and shameless little people can no longer control themselves.Fear makes them lose their minds.Since the brig was unloaded, our only boat, not large enough for the whole crew, had been kept hidden in a recess.At this moment, they ran towards the place where the boat was placed. Captain Lan Guy and Jem West jumped out of the barracks. I ran after me at once, and the bosun followed me.We have arms and we are determined to use them.These lunatics must be stopped from taking the boat...it is not the property of a few...it is the property of all! ...

"Come here...sailors!..." cried Captain Lan Guy. "Come here," repeated Jem West, "or shoot whoever takes another step!" Both of them held out their arms and raised their pistols to threaten them.The boatswain's lance was aimed at them too... I gripped my carbine, ready to take aim... to no avail! ... These lunatics can't listen to anything, and don't want to hear it at all.One of them, just as he was over the last rock, was knocked down by a bullet from the first mate.He failed to hook the slope with his hands, slid down the frozen shadow, fell into the abyss, and disappeared without a trace.

Has a massacre already begun? ... Will other people be killed in this place? ... Will the old crew side with the new ones? ... I could see that Hardy, Martin Hoult, Francis, Bury, Stern were still a little hesitant to take our side at this moment.Hearne, on the other hand, stood motionless a few paces away, avoiding showing support for the rebels. We must not allow them to become the owners of the boat, let them put the boat into the sea, let ten or twelve of them board the boat, let them abandon us on this iceberg, unable to return... The fear of these people has reached the point where it cannot be added. They have lost the ability to judge danger and turned a deaf ear to threats.They were almost near the boat when a second shot was fired, fired by the boatswain.Hit a sailor and fell dead instantly - the bullet pierced the heart.

Among the staunchest supporters of hunter-fishers, there is one less American and one Fuego! At this time, a person suddenly jumped out in front of the boat. This is Dirk Peters, climbing up the back slope. The mulatto put one big hand on the stem and with the other motioned the lunatics away. With Dirk Peters around, we don't need to use weapons.And he alone was enough to keep the boat. Sure enough, when five or six sailors came forward, he walked towards them, grabbed the one closest to him by the middle, lifted him high, and threw him, and that guy rolled ten steps away.The shameless man cannot stand.If Hearn hadn't caught him when he rolled over, he would have jumped three times and rolled into the sea.

Two people died under the bullets, which is already a lot! The intervention of the mixed race brought the riots to an abrupt end.We had also come near the skiff, and with us were other sailors.They didn't hesitate for long, and stood with us. The rest still outnumber us.it does not matter! At this moment, Captain Lan Guy, very angry, appeared.Jem, always calm, followed behind him.For some time Captain Lan Guy was speechless.But his gaze fully expressed all that he could not say with his mouth.Finally, he cried out in a terrible voice: "I should have dealt with you as criminals, but forgetting that you have lost your reason, forget it! ... This boat does not belong to anyone, it belongs to everyone! ... Now this is our only self-help tool, And you want to steal it... Steal it vilely!... I say this for the last time, listen up!... This boat on the 'Halle Breenne' is the 'Halle Breenne' !...I am the captain, whoever disobeys my order will suffer!"

Speaking of these last words, Captain Lan Guy glanced at Hearn.This sentence was aimed directly at him.The fisherman didn't make an appearance in the scene just now—at least not publicly.However, no one doubted that he had instigated his companions to seize the boat, and intended to incite them to do so. "Go back to the barracks," said Captain Lan Guy. "You, Dirk Peters, stay." The mulatto's big head turned up a bit, and that was all he answered.He stood at the sentry post. The crew returned to the barracks obediently.Some lay on bunks, others spread out nearby.

Hearne didn't manage to mingle with them, nor did he approach Mardin Hoult. Now the sailors have nothing to do, but they should think carefully about this extremely aggravated situation, and imagine a way out of the predicament. Captain Lan Guy, the first mate, and the bosun got together to discuss countermeasures, and I also participated. Captain Lan Guy spoke first, and said: "We defended the boat, and we will continue to defend it..." "Until death!" Jem West solemnly declared. "Perhaps," said I, "we shall soon be compelled to board a boat! . . . "

"In this case," Lan Gay interjected, "because it is impossible for all the personnel to go up, a choice must be made. Then draw lots to decide who should go. I will never ask to be treated differently from others!" "It's not that far yet, hell!" replied the boatswain. "The iceberg is very strong, and there is no danger of melting it until winter comes..." "No..." Jem West said with certainty, "There is nothing to be afraid of... What must be done is to guard the supplies as well as the boat..." "It's a good thing we've got the ship in a safe place! . . . " put in Heligley, "poor dear 'Halle Breenne'! . . . She's going to be like her big sister, the 'Jenny , stay in this seabed forever!" "Yes, there is no doubt about it, but the reasons are different," I thought to myself. "One was destroyed by the savages of Zalar Island, and the other was destroyed by a natural disaster. This kind of natural disaster, anyone It's impossible to prevent the power of it!..." "That's right, Jim," continued Captain Lan Guy. "We must stop the sailors from plundering. The provisions will last us more than a year, not counting the food that fishing can provide..." "I've seen people hanging around the whiskey and gin barrels, and it's all the more necessary to keep watch, Captain..." was the bosun's reply. "These shameless bastards are drunk and can't do anything!" I yelled. "I will take measures in this regard," said the first mate on this point. "But," I asked now, "doesn't the question of our being forced to spend the winter on this iceberg need not be forethought? . . . " "It's a dreadful possibility, if it should arise! God bless us!" said Captain Lan Guy. "Anyway, if that's the case," said the bosun, "it can be dealt with, Mr. Georin. We'll dig shelters in the ice to escape the extreme cold. And then, as long as there's something to eat . . . " Then I replayed in my mind the gruesome scene aboard the Orca, in which Dirk Peters took down Ned Holt, brother of our sail master. Scenario... Will we get there someday too? ... Yet, before settling down for seven or eight months of winter, wouldn't it be best, if possible, to leave the iceberg? ... I reminded Captain Lan Guy and Jem West of this. This question is difficult to answer.A long silence ensued. Finally, Captain Lan Guy said: "Yes! . . . This is certainly the best course of action. If our dinghy can hold us all, and carry the provisions necessary for a voyage of at least three or four weeks, I shall sail north at once without hesitation. return……" "But," I pointed out, "then we'll be headed against the wind, beyond the reach of our brig... and if we go on south..." "South? . . . " repeated Captain Lan Guy.He stared at me as if trying to read what was going on deep inside me. "Why not?..." I replied, "if the iceberg was unimpeded in its progress, it might have drifted on to some land. What the iceberg can do, our boats can't do." Is it?..." Captain Lan Guy shook his head, and Jem West remained silent and made no answer. "That's right! Our iceberg is bound to weigh anchor at last!" argued Heligly. "It doesn't bottom out like the Falklands or the Kerguelens! . . . So since we have twenty If there are three people, the boat won’t fit, so the surest way is to wait.” "It's not necessary to have twenty-three men aboard," I emphasized emphatically, "just send five or six men out to sea for a little reconnaissance... twelve or fifteen miles to the south..." "South? . . . " repeated Captain Lan Guy. "Of course, Captain," I added, "you are not unaware that geographers generally agree that the Antarctic region consists of a dome of land..." "What do geographers know, they don't know anything at all," replied the mate dryly. "So," I said, "Since we are so close now, it's a pity that we don't try to solve the problem of the polar continent..." I don't think it's appropriate to emphasize that further, at least for now. Besides, there are dangers in sending our only boat to discover the polar continents: either the current will carry the boat so far that it cannot return, or the boat will not find us when it returns.Indeed, if by chance the iceberg were separated from the base, and the interrupted march continued, what would be the fate of the men in the boats? Unfortunately the boat was too small to carry the entire crew and adequate provisions.Of the old crew on board, including Dirk Peters, there were ten men left; there were thirteen new crew members—twenty-three in all.The maximum number of boats that can carry is probably only eleven or two, and eleven of us will be abandoned on this ice and snow island... Of course, those who go will be decided by lottery... Those who are destined to stay , what will happen in the future? ... On this point, Heligley expressed an opinion, which is worth considering: "All in all," he said, "I don't know if those who are on the boat are definitely better off than those who are not... I doubt it, so I voluntarily give up my position, and it's up to anyone who wants it!" Maybe the boatswain was right! . . . But in my mind, when I asked for a boat, it was only to get out to the sea where the iceberg was.In the end, it was concluded that even though our icebergs might be re-drifting, it was decided to make arrangements for wintering. "It's difficult for our sailors to accept this mentally!" Heligly said solemnly. "Just do whatever you want," the first mate replied, "From today onwards, I have to do it!" On this day the preparations started.What a sad day! To be honest, I have only seen Chef Endicott put up with it without complaint.He was one of those Negroes who do not worry about the long-term, and are light-hearted, even frivolous, like all people of his race.He is easily resigned to fate.This kind of obedience to the destiny is probably the real philosophy of life.Besides, it doesn't matter where it is to light a fire and cook, it doesn't matter to him at all, as long as there is a place for him to set up a stove. He grinned open the negro's wide mouth, and said to his friend the boatswain with a smile: "It's a good thing my galley didn't go overboard with our brig. Look, Heligly, and see if I cook you as good as I did on the Halle Brena— —As long as there is no shortage of food, I promise!  …” "Hey! That's all we need right now, Master Endicott!" the bosun retorted. "It's not hunger we're going to fear, but cold... so cold that if you don't stomp your feet for a while, you'll turn into a block of ice... ...It's so cold that your skin is cracked, and your head is about to explode!...It would be great if we had a few hundred tons more coal...but now we are full of money, and there is only enough to boil the pot..." "It's sacrosanct!" exclaimed Endicott. "Do not use it! . . . Cook first! . . . " "That's the end of it! Nigger, so you don't want to complain! . . . Sure you can roast your paws over the fire anyway, can't you? . . . " "Then what can I do, boatswain! Whoever asked me to be a cook, it doesn't matter if I'm not... If I am, of course I'll get it all done. I'll leave you a small place in front of the hearth, okay? . . . " "Well...that's great...Endicott!...Everyone will take turns to warm themselves...No one has the privilege, not even the boatswain...except you, who can say you want to be in Look at the soup pot... All in all, you don't need to be afraid of being hungry... It's cold, you can find a way to deal with it, and you can bear it... Dig a few holes in the iceberg... Curl up in it... And why can't everyone live in a shared dormitory What about... use a pickaxe to dig out a big ice hole?... I guess ice can hold heat... Well, let the ice hold our heat, I have no higher requirements for it!" It was time to go back to the barracks and lie down in our bunks. Dirk Peters refused to be laid off and remained behind to guard the boat.Nobody wants to compete with him for the job. Captain Lan Guy and Jem West, always check first.They would not enter the tent until Hearne and his companions were in their places. I came back too, went to bed. There was a sudden violent shaking, and I rolled to the ground.How long I slept by then I cannot say.I don't know what time it was. What happened?Could it be that the iceberg has turned over again? ... In a second, everyone stood up and fled outside the tent.Outside is the polar night, a splendor... Another ice floe, of enormous size, just collided with our iceberg.So our iceberg, to borrow a sailor's expression, "lifted anchor," and drifted away southward.