Chapter 31 Chapter 15 The Ice Monster Sphinx

Two days later, at this point on the Antarctic coast, there were not a single survivor of the two brigs left. On February 21st, at six in the morning, thirteen of us boarded the boat, left the small bay, and rounded the headland of Halle Brenad. Two days ago, we discussed the issue of departure.If you decide to go, then the date of going to sea cannot be postponed for another day.In this part of the sea between latitudes 86° and 70°, that is, up to the latitudes generally blocked by large ice floes, there is still a month--at most a month--that is navigable.If we could get away, we might be able to run across a whaling ship finishing its season after we got past there, or—who knows? — maybe meet a British ship, French ship or American ship that has completed an expedition of geographic discovery to the edge of the Antarctic ocean? ...After the middle of March, navigators and fishermen will leave this sea area.By then, there would probably be no hope of being rescued.

The first thing people think about is that the long night and bitter cold will surround the region.We were to be forced to winter here until William Guy came.If we still spend the winter here as originally planned, would it be more beneficial to settle down and prepare to spend seven or eight months of winter here?At the beginning of the next summer, when the sea flows freely again, the boat will set off for the Pacific Ocean again, and we will have more time to cross the distance of more than a thousand nautical miles in between.Would it be more prudent, wiser, to do so? ... On the other hand, although the caves are sufficient for our shelter and the living conditions, at least in terms of food, can be guaranteed, how can anyone who can bear the thought of spending the winter on this coast not be terrified? ……yes!Endure... as long as circumstances require you to endure...but now that you have the opportunity to go, why not make a final effort to return to your country as soon as possible?Hearne and his mates had tried it, and we were on better terms than they were, so why not try it? ...

The pros and cons of the question are carefully studied.After consulting every one, it was emphatically pointed out that the boat could always return to this part of the coast, should it be absolutely necessary, that any obstacle should arise which prevented the continuation of the voyage.We know exactly where the coast is. The captain of the "Jenny" was a strong advocate of immediate departure, and Lan Guy and Jem West were not afraid of the consequences.I wholeheartedly agree with them, and our companion fully agrees. Only Heligly put up some resistance.He thinks it is not safe to abandon the sure thing to do the uncertain thing... The distance from Halle Brenad to the polar circle is only three or four weeks. Is it enough time? ... If we have to go back, the water is going north, how can we go back against the current? ... In short, some of the reasons emphasized by the bosun are worth considering.I should say, though, that only Endicott was on his side, for he was used to seeing things from the same angle as the bosun.Finally, after going over all this, Heligly declared that since we were all in favor of going, he was ready to go with us.

The preparatory work was completed in a short time.By 7 o'clock in the morning on the 21st, with the help of the dual effects of currents and sea winds, Halle Brena land had fallen five nautical miles behind us.In the afternoon, the towering peaks above the coast fade away.The highest peak of the mountains once gave us a distant view of the land on the west coast of Jenny Bay. Our small boat is a type of small boat commonly used in the Zalar Islands for transportation between the islands.From Arthur Pym's account, we know that some of these boats were like rafts, some like punts, and some like see-saw canoes--most of them were sturdy.The boat in which we were traveling was of the third kind mentioned above, about forty feet long and six wide, with bows and sterns of the same shape--so as to avoid turning round--and manned by pairs of short oars.

I should especially draw your attention to the fact that no iron is used in the construction of this kind of ship—neither nails, pins, or plates, nor iron on the stern and stem. The Zalar people are completely unaware of such a Metal.They fashioned ropes from a vine, which had the resistance of copper wire, and kept the planks of the ship bonded as strong as the tightest riveting.Instead of caulking hemp, they applied a putty to a type of moss, which was as hard as metal when it came into contact with water. This boat is just that.We named it "Paracuta" - which is the name of a fish in this area.The fish was roughly carved on the gunwale of the boat.

The "Paracoota" was packed to the fullest of its capacity without unduly obstructing those who were to be seated--coats, quilts, shirts, working glasses, shorts, dungarees, and rubber hoodies. Raincoats, sails, yards, logs, four-claw anchors, long oars, hooks, then measuring instruments, arms, ammunition, muskets, pistols, carbines, powder, buckshot, and bullets as may be useful.Food on board consisted of several vats of fresh water, whiskey and gin, cases of flour, bacon, dried vegetables, and large stores of coffee and tea.Plus a small stove and sacks of coal to keep the stove going for a few weeks.If we cannot cross the ice pack and must spend the winter in the ice sheet, these provisions will soon be exhausted.Then we'll have to go all out and get back to Halle Brenad.The cargo of the brig left here is estimated to keep us alive for many months.

And—even if we couldn't—should all hope be given up? ……No!But if there is a glimmer of hope, it is human nature to hold on to it.I also recall Edgar Allan Poe saying this about the Strange Angel, "Here is a god of life's contingencies, whose function it is to bring about shocking events, but whose roots lie in In the logical development of things..."Why don't we see this angel appear at the critical moment? ... Most of the materials carried by the "Halle Brena" were left in the cave, in a safe and reliable place, to avoid the wind and rain in winter.It goes without saying that they could use it if anyone in distress happened to come to this shore.The boatswain had erected a log on the hill that would surely attract their attention.Besides, after our two brigs, what other ship would dare to penetrate such high latitudes? ...

Those who boarded the "Paracoota" were: Captain Lan Guy, First Mate Jem West, Boatswain Heligley, Caulk Master Hardy, Sailors Francis and Stern, Cook En Dicot, Dirk Peters, the half-breed, and I, all from the original Halle Brena; then Captain William Gay of the Jenny, Roberts the Sailor, Cowen, Trienko .There are thirteen people in total, which is an unlucky number. Before setting sail, Jem West and the boatswain thoughtfully fitted a mast one-third of the way down our skiff.This mast is fixed by a stay and several side stays, which can support a large foremast sail.This foresail is cut from the second sail of the brig. The Paracuta, which was six feet wide at its main beam, managed to get some support for this improvised sail.

Of course, this set of sails and rigging cannot sail against the wind.However, from tailwind to full backside wind, enough speed can be guaranteed after sailing, and an average of 30 nautical miles can be covered in 24 hours, and about 1,000 nautical miles to the big ice floe can be taken down in five weeks.If the current and wind continued to push the Paracuta to the northeast, it would not be unreasonable to pin hope on this speed.Occasionally when the sea breeze stops, we can also use short oars to help. Four pairs of sculls, operated by eight people, can still ensure that the boat has a certain speed.

During the first week of departure there was nothing special to talk about.The sea breeze blows constantly from the south.There was no countercurrent between the two banks of Jenny Bay. As long as the coast of Halle Brena does not deviate too far west, the two captains intend to try their best to advance along the coast, keeping a distance of one or two chains from it.In this way, the coast also provides us with a place of refuge in case of an accident and the ship becomes unusable.Really, what would happen to us if that happened, and it's early winter in this barren land? ...I think it's better not to think about that!

During this first week we paddled as soon as the wind died down.At the average speed necessary to reach the Pacific Ocean in a short period of time, the "Paracuta" did not fall at all. The landscape of the land has not changed—it has always been barren land, gray-black rocks, sandy beaches with sparse cacti, and steep and exposed peaks in the distance.As for the strait, it was already entrained with ice, floating drift ice, packs of ice floes a hundred and fifty to two hundred feet long, some elongated, some round--there were also icebergs, but our boat were bypassed without difficulty.What makes people worry is that these large pieces are all flowing towards the big ice pack.The passage in the large ice floes may still be free to pass through now. Will these large pieces seal the passage? ... It goes without saying that the thirteen passengers on the Parakuta were intimate.We no longer have to worry about rioting from Hearne-like characters.Speaking of this, people naturally think of the group of people taken away by the hunters and fishermen. Did fate help them?Their dinghy was overloaded, and a small wave would be dangerous. How to complete this dangerous voyage? ... Who knows, maybe Hearn will actually succeed, and we may fail if we go ten days behind him? ... I btw, Dirk Peters found no trace of his poor Pym in these places.As he moved away from these places, he was more reticent than ever—I couldn't believe it—and when I spoke to him, he stopped talking. The year 1840 is a leap year, and I must note in my notes the 29th of February.It happened to be Herigley's birthday today.The bosun demanded that his birthday be celebrated on board with some pomp. "It's not very demanding at all," he said with a smile, "because congratulating me on my birthday only comes once every four years!" We drink to his health.This is a straight man, a little too fond of small talk.But of all men, he was the most confident and hardworking.His unrelenting jovial nature added to our endless pleasure. Our position was measured that day, latitude 79 degrees 17 minutes south latitude, longitude 118 degrees 37 minutes east longitude. It can be seen that the two banks of Jenny Gorge are located between the 118-degree and 119-degree meridians, and the "Parakuta" can reach the polar circle as long as it crosses another 12 or 3 degrees. Since the sun does not rise very high on the horizon, it is extremely difficult to measure the bearing.When they were done, the brothers spread out a map of the Antarctic region on a bench.The map is very incomplete. I studied the map with them, and tried to determine roughly what lands had been discovered in this direction. It should not be forgotten that since our icebergs crossed the Antarctic, we have been in the East longitude from zero degrees Greenwich until 180 degrees.All hopes, therefore, of returning to the Falkland Islands in the homeland, or of finding a whaling ship in the waters of the Sandwich Islands, South Onik Islands, or South George Island, should be abandoned. It is self-evident that Captain William Guy knew nothing of the Antarctic expeditions since the voyage of the Jenny.He only knew of the expeditions of Cooke, Cruzinstel, Wedel, Bellingshausen, and Morrell, but not of the subsequent expeditions: Morrell's second expedition, Kemp's expedition.These two expeditions slightly expanded the geographical extent of this remote region.From the introductions given to him by his brother, Captain William Gay learned that, since our own discovery, it should be considered certain that a wide strait--the Jeanne Gap--dividing the Antarctic region into two vast continents . Captain Lan Guy made an observation that day, and it was this: that if the Strait stretched between the 118th and 119th meridians, the Paracuta might pass near what is believed to be the magnetic pole.People will know that all the lines of magnetic force converge at this point, which is almost at the north magnetic pole with the magnetic pole of the arctic sea area, and the compass needle is perpendicular to this point.I should state that in those days the determination of the positions of the magnetic poles was not as precise as it has been since. It doesn't matter.Besides, this geo-verification won't mean anything to us.To add to our anxiety, Jenny Gap narrowed noticeably, and was now only ten or twelve nautical miles wide.With the help of the terrain of the strait, the land on both sides of the strait can now be clearly seen. "Hey!" said the bosun, "I hope there's enough width left for our boat! . . . If the strait turns out to be the bottom of a bottle..." "That's nothing to worry about," replied Captain Lan Guy. "Since the current stretches out in this direction, there is a way out to the north. So, in my opinion, we'll just follow the current and we'll be sure!" Obviously so. The Paracuta's best guide was the current.If you encounter an adverse current unfortunately, it is impossible to go upstream without the help of a strong sea breeze. However, is it possible that a few degrees later, further away, this current will bend to the east or to the west due to the topography of the coast?It is certain, however, that this part of the Pacific Ocean, north of the Great Ice Pack, encircles the landmass of Australia, Tasmania, or New Zealand.But it doesn't matter.People will agree that it doesn't matter where you go as long as you can return to your home country... Under such conditions, we continued sailing for more than ten days.The boat maintained full speed in the full rear crosswind.I repeat, though no piece of iron was used in the construction of the boat, the two captains and Jem West were full of praise for the firmness of the boat.The boat seals well and has never had to re-caulk a single time.What we encountered was a calm ocean, on the surface of which the long waves surged, and the gentle ripples drew faintly visible ripples.This is also true. On March 10, at the same longitude, the measured latitude was 76 degrees 13 minutes. The Paracuta had sailed nearly six hundred nautical miles since leaving Halle Brenad.This distance was covered in twenty days, so that it achieved a speed of thirty knots in twenty-four hours. As long as this average speed didn't drop for three weeks, everything would be fine, the channel wouldn't be closed, or the ice pack could be rounded—and the boats hadn't left the fishing grounds. Now, the sun is almost crawling against the horizon.The time is approaching when the darkness of the Long Polar Night will blanket Antarctica.Fortunately, as we continue to advance north, the sun will not completely disappear in the waters we reach. (Author's Note: According to Hansting's calculation, the position of the South Magnetic Pole is at 128°30' east longitude and 69°17' south latitude. During the voyage of Mont Cuvier's "Astrolabe" and "Faith", Dupree, who was on board the expedition, determined the position to be 136 degrees 15 minutes east longitude and 76 degrees 30 minutes south latitude. Recently, new calculation results It is also determined that this point should be at 106° 16' east longitude and 72° 20' south latitude. It can be seen that hydrogeographers are not consistent on this issue. The same is true on the issue of the north magnetic pole.) At this time, we witnessed a phenomenon, which was no less strange than the strange phenomenon that Arthur Pym described everywhere.For three or four hours, from our fingers, from our hair, from our mustaches, ephemeral flashes of fire, accompanied by loud sounds.This is an electric snowstorm, with large flakes of snowflakes, not too dense, and brush discharges that emit fire when they come into contact with you.The sea was raging and the "Para Kuta" was almost swallowed by the waves several times.In the end we got through it safe and sound. During this period, the space is not completely bright anymore.Frequent fog reduces the maximum distance of visibility to a few chains.Therefore, a surveillance post was set up on the ship to avoid collision with the ice floe.The speed at which the ice floe was moving was slower than the speed at which the Paracuta was moving.It should also be noted that the southern sky is often lit with patches of light due to the aurora. The temperature dropped sharply, only 23 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 5 degrees Celsius). The drop in temperature naturally caused extreme unease.Even though this does not affect the flow, which continues to flow in our favor, there is a tendency to change the state of the airflow.Unfortunately, as the cold intensified, the speed of the boat was cut in half by the slightest drop in the wind.A delay of two weeks would have been enough to endanger our lives and oblige us to spend the winter at the foot of the Great Ice Pack.In this case, as I have already said, it is best to try to get back to the camp at Halle Brenad.But at that time, will the sea water still flow freely when the "Parakuta" just passed through Jenny Gorge on its return journey? ... Hearn and his companions walked about ten days earlier than us, and the conditions are more favorable than us. Have they probably already crossed the big ice floe? ... Forty-eight hours later, the fog in the sky cleared, and bearings could be taken.Captain Lan Guy and his brother are going to take our position.Indeed, the sun is hardly beyond the southern horizon, and it is indeed difficult to measure.However, the approximate value of the daily high is still taken.After calculation, the results are as follows: Latitude: 75 degrees 17 minutes south latitude. Longitude: East longitude 118 degrees 3 minutes. That is to say, on the date of March 12th, the "Paracuta" was only 400 nautical miles away from the Antarctic Circle. At this time, we noticed that the strait is very narrow on the 77th line.As it continues to extend north, it becomes more and more open.Even with a telescope, the land to the east cannot be seen at all.This is an unfavorable situation, because the current, which is no longer as tightly packed between the banks as it used to be, is bound to slow down, and eventually the speed of the current will no longer be felt. During the night from March 12th to 13th, the sea breeze subsided and thick fog rose.It's a pity that this increases the risk of collision with ice floes.In this area of ​​the sea, the presence of dense fog does not surprise us.To our great surprise, although the wind calmed down, our boat's speed did not decrease, but gradually increased.Evidently the increased speed was not due to the current, for the ripples of the water at the stem proved that we were going faster than the current. This situation continued until the early morning, and we were puzzled.Towards ten o'clock the mist began to lift in the lower quarters.The west coast reappears—a rocky coast with no mountains in the distance. The "Paracoota" was advancing along the west coast. At this time, a quarter of a nautical mile away from us, a huge figure appeared, more than 50 duwats above the plain, and a radius of about 200 to 300 duwats.Judging from its strange shape, this highland is very similar to a huge sphinx monster, with its upper body raised up, its sharp claws stretched forward, squatting there.Its posture is exactly the same as the winged devil placed on the road of Thebes in Greek mythology. Is this a living beast, a troll, a mastodon?The paleontological mastodon is a thousand times larger than the giant elephant in the Antarctic region. Has the remains of the mastodon been found here? ...in our state of mind, we might actually have believed it—or even believed it—that the mastodon was about to lunge at our boat and tear it to shreds with its claws... At the beginning, we felt quite uneasy for a while, but in fact there was no reason and lack of thinking.We later discerned that it was nothing more than a strangely contoured plateau whose head had just emerged from the mist. what!The sphinx monster! ... I remembered, the night the iceberg capsized and took the "Halbrena" away, I had dreamed of a mythical monster of this kind sitting on the top of the world.I am afraid that only Edgar Allan Poe, with his intuitive genius, can solve this magical mystery! ... But something even more bizarre occurs, attracting our attention and arousing our emotions of wonder and even fear! ... As I have stated before, the speed of the Paracuta gradually increased over the course of several hours.Now, the speed is too fast, and the current speed is far lower than the speed of the ship.Suddenly, the four-claw anchor that was on the Halle Brena, now resting on the bow of our boat, jumped out of the stem, and was pulled away as if by an irresistible force, and the anchor cable was stretched. Tight, about to break... It seems that what is dragging us is this four-claw anchor, which will scrape the surface of the water and fly towards the shore... "What's the matter? . . . " cried William Guy. "Cut it, bosun, cut the line!" commanded Jem West, "or we'll hit the rocks and be smashed to pieces!" Heligley ran towards the bow of the Paracuta, intending to cut the cable.Suddenly, the knife in his hand flew out of his hand, the cable broke, and the four-claw anchor flew towards the high ground like a cannonball. At the same time all the irons in the ship, cooker, arms, Endicott's stove, and our knives were drawn from the pockets, and flew in the same direction.Our boat is about to crash into the beach before the remaining speed is over! ... How is this going?To explain the unexplainable, is it to be believed that we are in the realm of oddities?I used to attribute these strange things to Arthur Pym's hallucinations... No!What we have just seen is a physical phenomenon, not a fabricated phenomenon! Time does not allow us to think fully.No sooner had our feet hit the ground than our attention was drawn to a small boat stranded on the sand. "The dinghy of the 'Hallebrena'!" Heligly shouted. This is the boat that Hearne stole.It lay here forever, the hull planks fell apart, the ribs and the keel were separated, and it was completely torn apart... Only shapeless fragments were left—in a word, a small boat, when a huge wave hit it, it was thrown on the ground. On rocks, that's what's left after being smashed to pieces. It was immediately discovered that the iron objects on the boat had completely disappeared... Yes!All the ironwork... Nails on the hull, plates on the keel, trim on the stem and stern, hinges on the rudder... What does it all mean? ... Jem West was calling, and we followed his call to a small beach to the right of the boat. There were three dead bodies lying on the ground—Hearne, the sail master Mardin Hott, and a Falklander...The thirteen people who accompanied the fisherman and hunter were the only ones left. They must have been dead for several days. ... The remaining ten people are absent, what is their fate? ...was it rolled into the sea? ... Along the coast, in the depths of coves, and among the reefs, searches were carried out.Nothing was found—no sign of a bivouac, nor of an abandoned boat ashore. "It is estimated that their small boat was hit by a drifting iceberg at sea..." William Gay said, "Most of Hearne's partners fell into the water and drowned. These three bodies were washed up on the shore, and they were already dead when they arrived. ..." "But," asked the bosun, "how then to account for the boat's condition? "Especially," added Jem West, "with all the ironwork gone? . . . " "Indeed," I interjected, "it seems that the ironwork has been pulled out violently..." We left two men on the Paracuta and climbed inland to extend the search. We approach the high ground.Now the fog has completely dissipated, and the shape of the highlands is more clearly revealed.As I have already stated, the shape of the plateau is very similar to that of a sphinx—a sooty sphinx, as if its constituent substances had been oxidized by the long-term exposure to wind and rain in the polar climate. At this time, a hypothesis suddenly emerged in my mind-a hypothesis that could explain all these strange phenomena. "Ah!" I yelled, "a magnet... this... this... this is a magnet... it has a huge suction power!..." People got what I said.At once the truth of the latest disaster, which had cost Hearne and his associates so much, was revealed! The high ground is nothing more than a giant magnet.Under its gravitational force, the iron reinforcements on the "Halle Brena" boat were pulled out and ejected, as if by the spring of the catapult! ...It is also this force that just now sucked away all the iron objects on the "Para Kuta" with an irresistible force! ... Had our boat been built with a piece of this metal, it would have met exactly the same fate as the other boat! ... So, is this effect caused by being close to the magnetic poles? ... First this idea comes to our mind.Then, on consideration, this interpretation should rule out... Besides, at the two opposite ends of the earth, where the lines of magnetic force intersect, there is no other phenomenon except that the magnetic needles are in the vertical direction.This phenomenon has been tested locally in the Arctic region, and it should probably be the same in the Antarctic region. That is to say, there is an extremely strong magnet, and we have entered its gravitational zone.The astonishing effect, hitherto legendary, took place before our eyes.Who ever believed that a ship would be irresistibly sucked away by magnetism, that its iron reinforcements would be separated from its parts, that the hull would crack, that the sea would swallow it into the abyss? ...and it's all true! ... In short, I think this phenomenon can be explained as follows: The trade winds continue to bring clouds or fog to the end of the earth's axis, so a large amount of electrical energy that is not completely exhausted by the storm is stored at the end of the earth's axis.A large amount of this fluid thus accumulates at the poles, and it often continues to flow to land. This is what causes the Northern Lights and Southern Lights.Especially during the long polar night, the aurora beams out on the horizon in dazzling splendor.When the aurora rises to the middle of the sky, it is clearly visible until the temperate zone.It has even been suggested—unconfirmed, as far as I know—that when the arctic region is strongly positively charged, the Antarctic region is simultaneously negatively charged. The continuous discharge current at the poles caused the compass needle to lose control, which must have unusually strong electromagnetic induction.As long as a piece of iron is subjected to magnetic induction, the piece of iron immediately becomes a magnet, and its strength is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field, the number of turns of the electrified solenoid, and the square root of the diameter of the magnetized iron piece. The volume of the sphinx monster towering at this point of the Antarctic land happens to be calculated in thousand cubic meters. What is needed in order for an electric current to flow around it and become a magnet by induction?Just a metal vein will do.It winds and stretches deep in the formation, equivalent to a solenoid with countless turns.It is enough that it is connected with the foundation of the above-mentioned high ground from underground. I also think that this plateau may lie on the magnetic axis, like a great green tremolite, from which releases immeasurable fluids, the flow of which forms an inexhaustible accumulator towering over the edge of the earth.As to whether or not this plateau happened to lie on the magnetic pole of the Antarctic region, our compass, being unfit for that purpose, could not be sure.All I can say is that the magnetic needle of the compass is out of control, very unstable, and no longer points any direction.Besides, how the artificial magnet is constructed, how the clouds and veins keep it attractive, are all immaterial. I instinctively explain this phenomenon in this way, and it makes perfect sense.There is no doubt that we are near a magnet, which is so strong that this phenomenon, both terrible and natural, takes place. I will tell my companions what I think.This is the only possible explanation for the physical phenomena we have just witnessed. "We've come all the way to the foot of the high ground. I guess there's no danger?" Captain Lan Guy asked. "Absolutely not," I said emphatically. "There...yes...there!" I cannot describe the feeling those words evoke in our hearts.Edgar Allan Poe might have said that these few cries came from the depths of the superworld. It was Dirk Peters who spoke just now.The body of the half-breed leaned towards the sphinx monster, as if he, too, had become a piece of iron and was also being sucked away by a magnet... He suddenly ran in this direction, and his companions followed him, stepping on the ground where gray-black stones, collapsed moraine, and various volcanic remnants were piled up in disorder. As we got closer, the troll looked extraordinarily tall, and the appearance of a mythical monster was not less impressive.I can't even describe the feeling that the monster stands alone on this vast wasteland, arousing in the human heart.There are some feelings that cannot be described with words or words...and—this may be just an illusion of our senses—as if its magnetic force is attracting us to it... Upon reaching the bottom of the troll, we find various iron objects to which its powerful magnetism acts.Weapons, cooking utensils, the Paracuta's four-claw anchors, all stuck to its ribs.Iron objects from the "Halle Brena" boat can also be seen there, as well as iron nails, iron pins, oar lugs, iron keel plates, hinges on the rudder, etc. At this point there could be no more doubts as to the cause of the wreck of the boat in which Hearne and his companions were traveling.The boat was jerked apart and smashed against the rocks. If the "Para Kuta" had not survived the irresistible magnetic attraction due to its special structure, it must have suffered the same fate... In order to retrieve items stuck to the ribs of the highlands, long guns, pistols, cooking utensils, etc., due to the extreme suction, the idea had to be abandoned.Seeing that his dagger was stuck to a height of more than fifty feet, Heligly was furious, pointed his fist at the unmoving devil, and shouted: "Sphinx Rogue!" It should come as no surprise that there are no other items here except artifacts from the Paracuta and Halle Brenad boats.Certainly no other ship had ever penetrated this latitude in the Antarctic Ocean.First Hearne and company, then Captain Lan Gaye and company, we were the first to set foot on this point of the Antarctic continent.It was concluded that any ship approaching this giant magnet would be completely destroyed.Our brig, if still standing, must share the same fate as her skiff, in shapeless debris. At this point Jem West reminded us that it was ill-advised to prolong the mooring at "Sphinx Land," as it has since retained its name.Time was short, and a few days' delay might force us to spend the winter at the foot of the Great Ice Pack. Just as the order to return to the shore was issued, the voice of the half-breed echoed again.Dirk Peters uttered three more words, or rather, three shouts: "Here! . . . here! . . . here! . . . " We circle around to the back of Stoneclaw, and Dirk Peters is kneeling on the ground, hands outstretched toward a corpse.More precisely, a skeleton covered in skin.The severe cold of the region preserved the corpses so well that they still retained their hardness.The corpse had its head bowed down, its snow-white beard hanging down its waist, its hands and toes were as long as sharp claws... How did this corpse stick to the side of the plateau, two Duises above the ground? ... We saw a gun with a bent barrel, slung across the body, and strapped in a leather strap, half rusted... "Pym... my poor Pym!" Dirk Peters muttered in a heartbreaking voice. Now he wanted to get up so close...to kiss the boneless remains of his poor Pym... His knees went limp...a ​​sob caught in his throat...a convulsion, a broken heart...he fell on his back...dead... And so, since their parting, the boat has taken Arthur Pym to this part of Antarctica! ...like us, after crossing the South Pole, he fell into the troll's gravitational zone! ... Before he could take off the weapon slung across his body, he was caught by the magnetic fluid and ejected to the high ground, and his boat drifted with the northward current... Now, the half-breed loyal to the friendship rests on the ground of the Sphinx.Beside him was Arthur Gordon Pym.The hero's strange experience has found its narrator in the great American poet no less astonishing!