Part 20 (1/2)
”I remember,” said West ”I questioned the fellow sharply, and sent him clown into the hold”
”Well, then, captain,” I resumed, ”it was frouerly called my attention to the fact”
”Of course he did,” said the boatswain, ”for Hearne, not being capable ofthe boat which he intended to seize, required a master-hand like Holt”
”And so,” I said, ”he kept on urging Holt to question the half-breed concerning his brother's fate, and you kno Holt came at last to learn the fearful truth Martin Holt seeed hireed that things had happened as I supposed, and now the question was, did Dirk Peters, in his present state of mind, mean to absent hi us?
We all left the cavern, and after an hour's search we caht of Dirk Peters, whose first iuerly and Francis came up with him He stood still and made no resistance I advanced and spoke to him, the others did the same Captain Len Guy offered him his hand, which he took after a le word, he returned towards the beach
Froic story of the Graht; he merely wrapped a piece of sailcloth round the injured arm, and went off to his ith entire unconcern
We ed hibernation Winter was threatening us For soh the rees and would rise no th upon the soil, gave hardly any heat The captainfor the cold to becos, packs, streareater numbers from the south Some of these struck and stayed upon the coast, which was already heaped up with ice, but the greater number disappeared in the direction of the north-east
”All these pieces,” said the boatswain, ”will go to the closing up of the iceberg wall If Hearne and his lot of scoundrels are not ahead of theine they will find the door shut, and as they have no key to open it with--”
”I suppose you think, boatswain, that our case is less desperate than theirs?”
”I do think so, Mr Jeorling, and I have always thought so If everything had been done as it was settled, and the lot had fallen to iven upin feeling dry ground under our feet I don't wish the death of anybody, but if Hearne and his friends do not succeed in clearing the iceberg barrier--if they are doomed to pass the winter on the ice, reduced for food to a supply that will only last a feeeks, you know the fate that awaits them!”
”Yes, a fate worse than ours!”
”And besides,” said the boatswain, ”even supposing they do reach the Antarctic Circle If the whalers have already left the fishi+ng-grounds, it is not a laden and overladen craft that will keep the sea until the Australian coasts are in sight”
This was my own opinion, and also that of the captain and West
During the following four days, we cos, and”all barren,” and not a trace that any landing had ever been made there
One day, Captain Len Guy proposed that we should give a geographical na had carried us It was named Halbrane Land, in memory of our schooner, and we called the strait that separated the two parts of the polar continent the Jane Sound
Then we took to shooting the penguins which swar some of the aan to feel the want of freshrendered seal and walrus flesh quite palatable Besides, the fat of these creatures would serve, at need, to war-stove Our ht it by every mea,ls within our power It remained to be seen whether the amphibia would not forsake Halbrane Land at the approach of winter, and seek a less rigorous climate in lower latitudes Fortunately there were hundreds of other anier, and even froalapagos--a kind of turtle so called froo in the equinoctial sea, where also they abound, andfood to the islanders, It will be reos in the native boat which carried thee creatures is slow, heavy, and waddling; they have thin necks two feet long, triangular snake-like heads, and can go without food for very long periods
Arthur Pym has compared the antarctic turtles to dromedaries, because, like those ruins, which contains froallons of cold fresh water He relates, before the scene of the lot-drawing, that but for one of these turtles the shi+pwrecked crew of the Graer and thirst If Pyh from twelve to fifteen hundred pounds Those of Halbrane Land did not go beyond seven or eight hundred pounds, but their flesh was none the less savoury
On the 19th of February an incident occurred--an incident which those who acknowledge the intervention of Providence in huht o'clock in the ; the weather was calm; the sky was tolerably clear; the therrees Fahrenheit
We were assembled in the cavern, with the exception of the boatswain, waiting for our breakfast, which Endicott was preparing, and were about to take our places at table, e heaFd a call frouerly's, and we hurried out On seeing us, he cried,-- ”Co on a rock at the foot of the hillock above the beach in which Halbrahe Land ended beyond the point, and his right hand was stretched out towards the sea
”What is it?” asked Captain Len Guy
”A boat”
”Is it the Halbrane's boat co back?”
”No, captain--it is not”
Then we perceived a boat, not to be mistaken for that of our schooner in tbrly abandoned to the current
We had but one idea in common--to seize at any cost upon this derelict craft, which would, perhaps, prove our salvation But hoe to reach it? hoe to get it in to the point of Halbrane Land?
While ere looking distractedly at the boat and at each other, there cah a body had fallen into the sea
It was Dirk Peters, who, having flung off his clothes, had sprung fro rapidly towards the boat before we made hi like that swih the waves like a porpoise, and indeed he possessed the strength and swiftness of one What ht not be expected of such a man!
In a few ths towards the boat in an oblique direction We could only see his head like a black speck on the surface of the rolling waves A period of suspense, of intense watching of the brave swimmer succeeded Surely, surely he would reach the boat; but must he not be carried aith it? Was it to be believed that even his great strength would enable hi, to tow it to the beach?
”After all, why should there not be oars in the boat?” said the boatswain
”He has it! He has it! Hurrah, Dirk, hurrah!” shouted Hurliguerly, and Endicott echoed his exultant cheer
The half-breed had, in fact, reached the boat and raised hirasped the side, and at the risk of causing the boat to capsize, he hoisted himself up to the side, stepped over it, and sat down to draw his breath
Almost instantly a shout reached our cars It was uttered by Dirk Peters What had he found? Paddles! It must be so, forhim seat hith in striving to get out of the current
”Co the base of the hillock, we all ran along the edge of the beach between the blackish stones that bestrewed it
After some time, West stopped us The boat had reached the shelter of a small projection at that place, and it was evident that it would be run ashore there
When it ithin five or six cables' lengths, and the eddy was helping it on, Dirk Peters let go the paddles, stooped towards the after-part of the boat, and then raised hionized cry from Captain Len Guy rent the air!
”My brother--!” shouted Dirk Peters
A moment later, the boat had touched the beach, and Captain Len Guy held his brother in his arms
Three of William Guy's companions lay apparently lifeless in the bottom of the boat
And these four men were all that remained of the crew of the Jane
Chapter XXIV
Eleven Years in a Few Pages