Part 10 (2/2)
He drew hilance towards Tsalal Island
”To-morrow, Jim,” he said to West, ”to morroill h voice uttered the words: ”And Pynized this voice
It was the voice I had heard in my dream
Chapter XVII
And Pym?
”And Pym--poor Pym?”
I turned round quickly
Hunt had spoken This strange person was standingfixedly at the horizon
It was so unusual to hear Hunt's voice on board the schooner, that the men, whom the unaccustomed sound reached, drew near, moved by curiosity Did not his unexpected intervention point to--I had a presentiment that it did--some wonderful revelation?
Aonly the -master, and Hardy, with the captain and myself in the vicinity of Hunt The captain approached and addressed him: ”What did you say?”
”I said, 'And Pym--poor Py the name of the man whose pernicious advice led reater part of her creas massacred, and where we have not found even one left of those ere still here seven o?”
Hunt did not speak
”Answer, I say--answer!” cried the captain
Hunt hesitated, not because he did not knohat to say, but fro his ideas The latter were quite clear, but his speech was confused, his words were unconnected He had a certain language of his ohich soly marked by the hoarse accent of the Indians of the Far West
”You see,” he said, ”I do not kno to tell things My tongue stops Understand me, I spoke of Pym, poor Pym, did I not?”
”Yes,” answered West, sternly; ”and what have you to say about Arthur Pym?”
”I have to say that he must not be abandoned”
”Abandoned!” I exclaio to seek him”
”To seek him?” repeated Captain Len Guy
”Understand me; it is for this that I have embarked on the Halbrane--yes, to find poor Pyrave, in the cemetery of his natal city?”
”No, he is in the place where he re towards the south; ”and since then the sun has risen on that horizon seven tinate the Antarctic regions, but what did he mean by this?
”Do you not know that Arthur Pym is dead?” said the captain
”Dead!” replied Hunt, eesture ”No! listen to s; understand me, he is not dead”
”Come now, Hunt,” said I, ”remember what you do know In the last chapter of the adventures of Arthur Pyar Poe relate his sudden and deplorable end?”
”Explain yourself, Hunt,” said the captain, in a tone of command ”Reflect, take your time, and say plainly whatever you have to say”
And, while Hunt passed his hand over his brow, as though to collect his s, I observed to Captain Len Guy,-- ”There is soular in the intervention of this man, if indeed he be not mad”
At my words the boatswain shook his head, for he did not believe Hunt to be in his right mind
The latter understood this shake of the boatswain's head, and cried out in a harsh tone,-- ”No, not mad And madmen are respected on the prairies, even if they are not believed And I--I ar Poe asserts that he is,” I replied
”Yes, I know, Edgar Poe of Baltimore But--he never saw poor Pym, never, never”
”What!” exclaimed Captain Len Guy; ”the two men were not acquainted?”
”No!”
”And it was not Arthur Pyar Poe?”
”No, captain, no! He, below there, at Baltimore, had only the notes written by Pym from the day when he hid himself on board the Grampus to the very last hour--the last--understand ht back that journal?” asked Captain Len Guy, as he seized Hunt's hand
”It was Pym's companion, he who loved him, his poor Pym, like a son It was Dirk Peters, the half-breed, who came back alone from there--beyond”
”The half-breed, Dirk Peters!” I exclaimed
”Yes”
”Alone?”
”Alone”
”And Arthur Pym may be--”
”There,” answered Hunt, in a loud voice, bending towards the southern line, froaze for a moment