Poe, Edgar Allen - The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe

by Volume 01-05 (lit)

  to a stand by an immense expanse of firm ice. We saw, nevertheless,

  much open water to the southward, and felt no doubt of being able to

  reach it eventually. Standing to the eastward along the edge of the

  floe, we at length came to a passage of about a mile in width,

  through which we warped our way by sundown. The sea in which we now

  were was thickly covered with ice islands, but had no field ice, and

  we pushed on boldly as before. The cold did not seem to increase,

  although we had snow very frequently, and now and then hail squalls

  of great violence. Immense flocks of the albatross flew over the

  schooner this day, going from southeast to northwest.

  January 7.- The sea still remained pretty well open, so that we

  had no difficulty in holding on our course. To the westward we saw

  some icebergs of incredible size, and in the afternoon passed very

  near one whose summit could not have been less than four hundred

  fathoms from the surface of the ocean. Its girth was probably, at the

  base, three-quarters of a league, and several streams of water were

  running from crevices in its sides. We remained in sight of this

  island two days, and then only lost it in a fog.

  January 10.- Early this morning we had the misfortune to lose a

  man overboard. He was an American named Peter Vredenburgh, a native

  of New York, and was one of the most valuable hands on board the

  schooner. In going over the bows his foot slipped, and he fell

  between two cakes of ice, never rising again. At noon of this day we

  were in latitude 78 degrees 30', longitude 40 degrees 15' W. The cold

  was now excessive, and we had hail squalls continually from the

  northward and eastward. In this direction also we saw several more

  immense icebergs, and the whole horizon to the eastward appeared to

  be blocked up with field ice, rising in tiers, one mass above the

  other. Some driftwood floated by during the evening, and a great

  quantity of birds flew over, among which were nellies, peterels,

  albatrosses, and a large bird of a brilliant blue plumage. The

  variation here, per azimuth, was less than it had been previously to

  our passing the Antarctic circle.

  January 12.-Our passage to the south again looked doubtful, as

  nothing was to be seen in the direction of the pole but one

  apparently limitless floe, backed by absolute mountains of ragged

  ice, one precipice of which arose frowningly above the other. We

  stood to the westward until the fourteenth, in the hope of finding an

  entrance.

  January 14.-This morning we reached the western extremity of the

  field which had impeded us, and, weathering it, came to an open sea,

  without a particle of ice. Upon sounding with two hundred fathoms, we

  here found a current setting southwardly at the rate of half a mile

  per hour. The temperature of the air was forty-seven, that of the

  water thirtyfour. We now sailed to the southward without meeting any

  interruption of moment until the sixteenth, when, at noon, we were in

  latitude 81 degrees 21', longitude 42 degrees W. We here again

  sounded, and found a current setting still southwardly, and at the

  rate of three quarters of a mile per hour. The variation per azimuth

  had diminished, and the temperature of the air was mild and pleasant,

  the thermometer being as high as fifty-one. At this period not a

  particle of ice was to be discovered. All hands on board now felt

  certain of attaining the pole.

  January 17.- This day was full of incident. Innumerable flights

  of birds flew over us from the southward, and several were shot from

  the deck, one of them, a species of pelican, proved to be excellent

  eating. About midday a small floe of ice was seen from the masthead

  off the larboard bow, and upon it there appeared to be some large

  animal. As the weather was good and nearly calm, Captain Guy ordered

  out two of the boats to see what it was. Dirk Peters and myself

  accompanied the mate in the larger boat. Upon coming up with the

  floe, we perceived that it was in the possession of a gigantic

  creature of the race of the Arctic bear, but far exceeding in size

  the largest of these animals. Being well armed, we made no scruple of

  attacking it at once. Several shots were fired in quick succession,

  the most of which took effect, apparently, in the head and body.

  Nothing discouraged, however, the monster threw himself from the ice,

  and swam with open jaws, to the boat in which were Peters and myself.

  Owing to the confusion which ensued among us at this unexpected turn

  of the adventure, no person was ready immediately with a second shot,

  and the bear had actually succeeded in getting half his vast bulk

  across our gunwale, and seizing one of the men by the small of his

  back, before any efficient means were taken to repel him. In this

  extremity nothing but the promptness and agility of Peters saved us

  from destruction. Leaping upon the back of the huge beast, he plunged

  the blade of a knife behind the neck, reaching the spinal marrow at a

  blow. The brute tumbled into the sea lifeless, and without a

  struggle, rolling over Peters as he fell. The latter soon recovered

  himself, and a rope being thrown him, returned in triumph to the

  schooner, towing our trophy behind us. This bear, upon admeasurement,

  proved to be full fifteen feet in his greatest length. His wool was

  perfectly white, and very coarse, curling tightly. The eyes were of a

  blood red, and larger than those of the Arctic bear, the snout also

  more rounded, rather resembling the snout of the bulldog. The meat

  was tender, but excessively rank and fishy, although the men devoured

  it with avidity, and declared it excellent eating.

  Scarcely had we got our prize alongside, when the man at the

  masthead gave the joyful shout of "land on the starboard bow!" All

  hands were now upon the alert, and, a breeze springing up very

  opportunely from the northward and eastward, we were soon close in

  with the coast. It proved to be a low rocky islet, of about a league

  in circumference, and altogether destitute of vegetation, if we

  except a species of prickly pear. In approaching it from the

  northward, a singular ledge of rock is seen projecting into the sea,

  and bearing a strong resemblance to corded bales of cotton. Around

  this ledge to the westward is a small bay, at the bottom of which our

  boats effected a convenient landing.

  It did not take us long to explore every portion of the island,

  but, with one exception, we found nothing worthy of our observation.

  In the southern extremity, we picked up near the shore, half buried

  in a pile of loose stones, a piece of wood, which seemed to have

  formed the prow of a canoe. There had been evidently some attempt at

  carving upon it, and Captain Guy fancied that he made out the figure

  of a tortoise, but the resemblance did not strike me very forcibly.

  Besides this prow, if such it were, we found no other token that any

  living creature had ever been here before. Around the coast we

  discovered occasional small floes of ice- but these were very few.

&nb
sp; The exact situation of the islet (to which Captain Guy gave the name

  of Bennet's Islet, in honour of his partner in the ownership of the

  schooner) is 82 degrees 50' S. latitude, 42 degrees 20' W. longitude.

  We had now advanced to the southward more than eight degrees

  farther than any previous navigators, and the sea still lay perfectly

  open before us. We found, too, that the variation uniformly decreased

  as we proceeded, and, what was still more surprising, that the

  temperature of the air, and latterly of the water, became milder. The

  weather might even be called pleasant, and we had a steady but very

  gentle breeze always from some northern point of the compass. The sky

  was usually clear, with now and then a slight appearance of thin

  vapour in the southern horizon- this, however, was invariably of

  brief duration. Two difficulties alone presented themselves to our

  view; we were getting short of fuel, and symptoms of scurvy had

  occurred among several of the crew. These considerations began to

  impress upon Captain Guy the necessity of returning, and he spoke of

  it frequently. For my own part, confident as I was of soon arriving

  at land of some description upon the course we were pursuing, and

  having every reason to believe, from present appearances, that we

  should not find it the sterile soil met with in the higher Arctic

  latitudes, I warmly pressed upon him the expediency of persevering,

  at least for a few days longer, in the direction we were now holding.

  So tempting an opportunity of solving the great problem in regard to

  an Antarctic continent had never yet been afforded to man, and I

  confess that I felt myself bursting with indignation at the timid and

  ill-timed suggestions of our commander. I believe, indeed, that what

  I could not refrain from saying to him on this head had the effect of

  inducing him to push on. While, therefore, I cannot but lament the

  most unfortunate and bloody events which immediately arose from my

  advice, I must still be allowed to feel some degree of gratification

  at having been instrumental, however remotely, in opening to the eye

  of science one of the most intensely exciting secrets which has ever

  engrossed its attention.

  ~~~ End of Text of Chapter 17 ~~~

  CHAPTER 18

  January 18.- This morning {*4} we continued to the southward,

  with the same pleasant weather as before. The sea was entirely

  smooth, the air tolerably warm and from the northeast, the

  temperature of the water fifty-three. We now again got our

  sounding-gear in order, and, with a hundred and fifty fathoms of

  line, found the current setting toward the pole at the rate of a mile

  an hour. This constant tendency to the southward, both in the wind

  and current, caused some degree of speculation, and even of alarm, in

  different quarters of the schooner, and I saw distinctly that no

  little impression had been made upon the mind of Captain Guy. He was

  exceedingly sensitive to ridicule, however, and I finally succeeded

  in laughing him out of his apprehensions. The variation was now very

  trivial. In the course of the day we saw several large whales of the

  right species, and innumerable flights of the albatross passed over

  the vessel. We also picked up a bush, full of red berries, like those

  of the hawthorn, and the carcass of a singular-looking land-animal.

  It was three feet in length, and but six inches in height, with four

  very short legs, the feet armed with long claws of a brilliant

  scarlet, and resembling coral in substance. The body was covered with

  a straight silky hair, perfectly white. The tail was peaked like that

  of a rat, and about a foot and a half long. The head resembled a

  cat's, with the exception of the ears- these were flopped like the

  ears of a dog. The teeth were of the same brilliant scarlet as the

  claws.

  January 19.- To-day, being in latitude 83 degrees 20', longitude

  43 degrees 5' W. (the sea being of an extraordinarily dark colour),

  we again saw land from the masthead, and, upon a closer scrutiny,

  found it to be one of a group of very large islands. The shore was

  precipitous, and the interior seemed to be well wooded, a

  circumstance which occasioned us great joy. In about four hours from

  our first discovering the land we came to anchor in ten fathoms,

  sandy bottom, a league from the coast, as a high surf, with strong

  ripples here and there, rendered a nearer approach of doubtful

  expediency. The two largest boats were now ordered out, and a party,

  well armed (among whom were Peters and myself), proceeded to look for

  an opening in the reef which appeared to encircle the island. After

  searching about for some time, we discovered an inlet, which we were

  entering, when we saw four large canoes put off from the shore,

  filled with men who seemed to be well armed. We waited for them to

  come up, and, as they moved with great rapidity, they were soon

  within hail. Captain Guy now held up a white handkerchief on the

  blade of an oar, when the strangers made a full stop, and commenced a

  loud jabbering all at once, intermingled with occasional shouts, in

  which we could distinguish the words Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! They

  continued this for at least half an hour, during which we had a good

  opportunity of observing their appearance.

  In the four canoes, which might have been fifty feet long and

  five broad, there were a hundred and ten savages in all. They were

  about the ordinary stature of Europeans, but of a more muscular and

  brawny frame. Their complexion a jet black, with thick and long

  woolly hair. They were clothed in skins of an unknown black animal,

  shaggy and silky, and made to fit the body with some degree of skill,

  the hair being inside, except where turned out about the neck,

  wrists, and ankles. Their arms consisted principally of clubs, of a

  dark, and apparently very heavy wood. Some spears, however, were

  observed among them, headed with flint, and a few slings. The bottoms

  of the canoes were full of black stones about the size of a large egg.

  When they had concluded their harangue (for it was clear they

  intended their jabbering for such), one of them who seemed to be the

  chief stood up in the prow of his canoe, and made signs for us to

  bring our boats alongside of him. This hint we pretended not to

  understand, thinking it the wiser plan to maintain, if possible, the

  interval between us, as their number more than quadrupled our own.

  Finding this to be the case, the chief ordered the three other canoes

  to hold back, while he advanced toward us with his own. As soon as he

  came up with us he leaped on board the largest of our boats, and

  seated himself by the side of Captain Guy, pointing at the same time

  to the schooner, and repeating the word Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We

  now put back to the vessel, the four canoes following at a little

  distance.

  Upon getting alongside, the chief evinced symptoms of extreme

  surprise and delight, clapping his hands, slapping his thighs and

  breast, and laughing obstreperously. His followers behind joined in


  his merriment, and for some minutes the din was so excessive as to be

  absolutely deafening. Quiet being at length restored, Captain Guy

  ordered the boats to be hoisted up, as a necessary precaution, and

  gave the chief (whose name we soon found to be Too-wit) to understand

  that we could admit no more than twenty of his men on deck at one

  time. With this arrangement he appeared perfectly satisfied, and gave

  some directions to the canoes, when one of them approached, the rest

  remaining about fifty yards off. Twenty of the savages now got on

  board, and proceeded to ramble over every part of the deck, and

  scramble about among the rigging, making themselves much at home, and

  examining every article with great inquisitiveness.

  It was quite evident that they had never before seen any of the

  white race- from whose complexion, indeed, they appeared to recoil.

  They believed the Jane to be a living creature, and seemed to be

  afraid of hurting it with the points of their spears, carefully

  turning them up. Our crew were much amused with the conduct of

  Too-wit in one instance. The cook was splitting some wood near the

  galley, and, by accident, struck his axe into the deck, making a gash

  of considerable depth. The chief immediately ran up, and pushing the

  cook on one side rather roughly, commenced a half whine, half howl,

  strongly indicative of sympathy in what he considered the sufferings

  of the schooner, patting and smoothing the gash with his hand, and

  washing it from a bucket of seawater which stood by. This was a

  degree of ignorance for which we were not prepared, and for my part I

  could not help thinking some of it affected.

  When the visitors had satisfied, as well as they could, their

  curiosity in regard to our upper works, they were admitted below,

  when their amazement exceeded all bounds. Their astonishment now

  appeared to be far too deep for words, for they roamed about in

  silence, broken only by low ejaculations. The arms afforded them much

  food for speculation, and they were suffered to handle and examine