Part 10 (1/2)

”Exactly?”

”Exactly”

”There is, then, no doubt that we are on Tsalal Island?”

”None, Mr Jeorling, if Tsalal Island lies where Arthur Pym places it”

This was quite true, there could be no doubt on the point, and yet of all that Arthur Pyer to be seen Not a tree, not a shrub, not a plant was visible in the landscape There was no sign of the wooded hills bethich the village of Klock-Klock ought to lie, or of the streams from which the crew of the fane had not ventured to drink There was no water anywhere; but everywhere absolute, awful drought

Nevertheless, Hunt walked on rapidly, without showing any hesitation It seeht,” as we say in America I know not what presentiachgook, a Renard-Subtil And why not? Was not he the fellow-countryman of Fenlmore Coopet's heroes?

But, I must repeat that we had not before our eyes that fabulous land which Arthur Pyed, wrecked, torn by convulsion It was black, a cindery black, as though it had been vomited froested that so and irresistible cataclysm had overturned the whole of its surface

Not one of the animals uins which abound in the Antarctic regions had fled from this uninhabitable land Its stern silence and solitudewas to be seen either on the coast or in the interior Did any chance of finding William Guy and the survivors of the fane exist in the midst of this scene of desolation?

I looked at Captain Len Guy His pale face, di to die within his breast

And then the population of Tsalal Island, the almost naked men, ar wo not to be found in a civilized society--those are the expressions of Arthur Py them, what had become of all these? Where were the multitude of natives, with black skins, black hair, black teeth, who regarded white colour with deadly terror?

All of a sudden a light flashed upon me ”An earthquake!” I exclaimed ”Yes, two or three of those terrible shocks, so coions where the sea penetrates by infiltration, and a day comes when the quantity of accu on the surface”

”Could an earthquake have changed Tsalal Island to such an extent?” asked Len Guy, ly

”Yes, captain, an earthquake has done this thing; it has destroyed every trace of all that Arthur Pyh to us, and was listening, nodded his head in approval of my words

”Are not these countries of the southern seas volcanic?” I resumed; ”If the Halbrane were to transport us to Victoria Land, we ht find the Erebus and the Terror in the midst of an eruption”

”And yet,” observed Martin Holt, ”if there had been an eruption here, we should find lava beds”

”I do not say that there has been an eruption,” I replied, ”but I do say the soil has been convulsed by an earthquake”

On reflection it will be seen that the explanation given by me deserved to be ad to Arthur Pyroup of islands which extended towards the west Unless the people of Tsalal had been destroyed, it was possible that theyislands We should do well, then, to go and reconnoitre that archipelago, for Tsalal clearly had no resources whatever to offer after the cataclysmI spoke of this to the captain

”Yes,” he replied, and tears stood in his eyes, ”yes, it may be so And yet, how could my brother and his unfortunate co? Is it not far more probable that they all perished in the earthquake?”

Here Hunt nal to follow him, and we did so

After he had pushed across the valley for a considerable distance, he stopped

What a spectacle was before our eyes!

There, lying in heaps, were huments of that framework of humanity which we call the skeleton, hundreds of them, without a particle of flesh, clusters of skulls still bearing some tufts of hair--a vast bone heap, dried and whitened in this place! We were struck dumb and motionless by this spectacle When Captain Len Guy could speak, he murmured,-- ”My brother, my poor brother!”

On a little reflection, however, s Hoas this catastrophe to be reconciled with Patterson's memoranda? The entries in his note-book stated explicitly that the mate of the Jane had left his companions on Tsalal Island seven months previously They could not then have perished in this earthquake, for the state of the bones proved that it had taken place several years earlier, and must have occurred after the departure of Arthur Pym and Dirk Peters, since no mention of it was made in the narrative of the former

These facts were, then, irreconcilable If the earthquake was of recent date, the presence of those time-bleached skeletons could not be attributed to its action In any case, the survivors of the Jane were not a them But then, where were they?

The valley of Klock-Klock extended no farther; we had to retrace our steps in order to regain the coast We had hardly gone half a ain stopped, on perceiving so to dust, and did not see

Were these the ree animals described by Arthur Pym, of which we had not hitherto seen any specimens?

Hunt suddenly uttered a cry, or rather a sort of savage growl, and held out his enor a metal collar Yes I a brass collar, a collar eaten by rust, but bearing letters which ht still be deciphered These letters forer--Arthur Py which had saved Arthur Py the revolt of the crew, had sprung at the throat of Jones, the sailor, as immediately ”finished” by Dirk Peters

So, then, that faithful animal had not perished in the shi+pwreck of the Grampus He had been taken on board the Jane at the same time as Arthur Pym and the half-breed And yet the narrative did not allude to this, and after the er anyAll these contradictions occurred to me I could not reconcile the facts Nevertheless, there could be no doubt that Tiger had been saved from the shi+pwreck like Arthur Pym, had escaped the landslip of the Klock-Klock hill, and had come to his death at last in the catastrophe which had destroyed a portion of the population of Tsalal

But, again, Willia those skeletons which were strewn upon the earth, since they were living at the tio, and the catastrophe already dated several years back!

Three hours later we had returned on board the Halbrane, without having made any other discovery Captain Len Guy went direct to his cabin, shut himself up there, and did not reappear even at dinner hour

The following day, as I wished to return to the island in order to resume its exploration from one coast to the other, I requested West to have me rowed ashore

He consented, after he had been authorized by Captain Len Guy, who did not co the boatswain, Martin Holt, four men, and myself took our places in the boatt without ar to fear

We diseain led the way towards the hill of Klock-Klock Nothing remained of the eminence that had been carried away in the artificial landslip, from which the captain of the Jane, Patterson, his second officer, and five of his e of Klock-Klock had thus disappeared; and doubtless the ar Poe's as now and ever would reain our shi+p, returning by the east side of the coast Hunt brought us through the space where sheds had been erected for the preparation of the beche-de mer, andthe rened

We made a brief pause at the place where Arthur Pym and Dirk Peters seized upon the boat which bore theher latitudes, even to that horizon of dark vapour whose rents periant

Hunt stood with crossed ar the vast extent of the sea

”Well, Hunt?” said I, tentatively

Hunt did not appear to hear me; he did not turn his head inhere?” I asked him, and touched hilance upon , Hunt,” cried Hurliguerly ”Are you going to take root on this rock? Don't you see the Halbrane waiting for us at herWe shall be off to-lips repeated the word ”nothing,” while his whole bearing protested against what the boatswain said

The boat brought us back to the shi+p Captain Len Guy had not left his cabin West, having received no orders, was pacing the deck aft I seatedthe sea which lay open and free before us

At this moment the captain came on deck; he was very pale, and his features looked pinched and weary

”Mr Jeorling,” said he, ”I can affirm conscientiously that I have done all it was possible to do Can I hope henceforth that o away--before winter--”