Part 7 (1/2)

But, apart from this, just consider the strong internal evidence that there is as to the authenticity of the ma.n.u.script. Now, in the first place, there is the description of Desolation Island, which is perfectly accurate. But it is on his narrative beyond this that I lay chief stress. I can prove that the statements here are corroborated by those of Captain Ross in his account of that great voyage from which he returned not very long ago.”

The doctor, who had been talking with much enthusiasm, paused here to take breath, and then went on:

”I happen to know all about that voyage, for I read a full report of it just before we started, and you can see for yourselves whether this ma.n.u.script is credible or not.

”Captain James Clarke Ross was sent forth on his expedition in 1839.

On January 1, 1841, he pa.s.sed the antarctic circle in 178 degrees east longitude. On the 11th he discovered land in 70 degrees 41' south lat.i.tude, 172 degrees 36' east longitude. He found that the land was a continuous coast, trending southward, and rising to peaks of ten thousand feet in height, all covered with ice and snow. On the 12th he landed and took possession in the name of the Queen. After this he continued his course as far as 78 degrees 4' south lat.i.tude, tracing a coast-line of six hundred miles. Observe, now how all this coincides with More's narrative. Well, I now come to the crowning statement. In 77 degrees 32' south lat.i.tude, 167 degrees east longitude, he came in sight of two enormous volcanoes over twelve thousand feet in height.

One of these was in an active state of eruption. To this he gave the name of Mount Erebus. The other was quiet; it was of somewhat less height, and he gave it the name of Mount Terror. Mark, now, how wonderfully this resembles More's account. Well, just here his progress was arrested by a barrier which presented a perpendicular wall of over a hundred and fifty feet in height, along which he coasted for some distance. On the following year he penetrated six miles farther south, namely, 78 degrees 11' south lat.i.tude, 161 degrees 27' west longitude. At this point he was again stopped by the impa.s.sable cliffs, which arose here like an eternal barrier, while beyond them he saw a long line of lofty mountains covered with ice and snow.”

”Did you hear the result of the American expedition?” asked Melick.

”Yes,” replied the doctor. ”Wilkes pretends to have found a continent, but his account of it makes it quite evident to my mind that he saw nothing but ice. I believe that Wilkes's antarctic continent will some day be penetrated by s.h.i.+ps, which will sail for hundreds of miles farther south. All that is wanted is a favorable season. But mark the coincidence between Ross's report and More's ma.n.u.script. This must have been written at least three years ago, and the writer could not have known anything about Ross's discoveries. Above all, he could not have thought of those two volcanoes unless he had seen them.”

”But these volcanoes mentioned by More are not the Erebus and Terror, are they?” said Lord Featherstone.

”Of course not; they are on the other side of the world.”

”The whole story,” said Melick, ”may have been written by one of Ross's men and thrown overboard. If I'd been on that expedition I should probably have written it to beguile the time.”

”Oh yes,” said the doctor; ”and you would also have manufactured the papyrus and the copper cylinder on board to beguile the time.”

”I dare say the writer picked up that papyrus and the copper cylinder in China or j.a.pan, and made use of it in this way.”

”Where do you make out the position of More's volcanoes?” asked Featherstone.

”It is difficult to make it out accurately,” said the doctor. ”More gives no data. In fact he had none to give. He couldn't take any observations.”

”The fact is,” said Melick, ”it's not a sailor's yarn at all. No sailor would ever express himself in that way. That's what struck me from the first. It has the ring of a confounded sensation-monger all through.”

The doctor elevated his eyebrows, but took no notice of this.

”You see,” he continued, addressing himself to the others, ”Desolation Island is in 50 degrees south lat.i.tude and 70 degrees east longitude.

As I make out, More's course led him over about ten degrees of longitude in a southwest course. That course depended altogether upon the ocean currents. Now there is a great antarctic drift-current, which flows round the Cape of Good Hope and divides there, one half flowing past the east coast of Africa and the other setting across the Indian Ocean. Then it unites with a current which flows round the south of Van Dieman's Land, which also divides, and the southernmost current is supposed to cross the Pacific until it strikes Cape Horn, around which it flows, dividing as before. Now my theory is, that south of Desolation Island--I don't know how far--there is a great current setting toward the South Pole, and running southwest through degrees of longitude 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, east of Greenwich; and finally sweeping on, it would reach More's volcanoes at a point which I should judge to be about 80 degrees south lat.i.tude and 10 degrees west longitude. There it pa.s.ses between the volcanoes and bursts through the vast mountain barrier by a subterranean way, which has been formed for it in past ages by some primeval convulsion of nature.

After this it probably sweeps around the great South Polar ocean, and emerges at the opposite side, not far from the volcanoes Erebus and Terror.”

Here the doctor paused, and looked around with some self-complacency.

”Oh,” said Melick, ”if you take that tone, you have us all at your mercy. I know no more about the geography of the antarctic circle than I do of the moon. I simply criticize from a literary point of view, and I don't like his underground cavern with the stream running through it. It sounds like one of the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor.

Nor do I like his description; he evidently is writing for effect.

Besides, his style is vicious; it is too stilted. Finally, he has recourse to the stale device of a sea-serpent.”

”A sea-serpent!” repeated the doctor. ”Well, for my part I feel by no means inclined to sneer at a sea-serpent. Its existence cannot be proved, yet it cannot be pooh-poohed. Every schoolboy knows that the waters of the sea were once filled with monsters more tremendous than the greatest sea-serpent that has ever been imagined. The plesiosaurus, with its snakelike head, if it existed now, would be called a sea-serpent. Some of these so-called fossil animals may have their representatives still living in the remoter parts of the world.

Think of the recently discovered ornithorhynchus of Australia!”

”If you please, I'd really much rather not,” said Melick with a gesture of despair. ”I haven't the honor of the gentleman's acquaintance.”

”Well, what do you think of his notice of the sun, and the long light, and his low position on the horizon?”

”Oh, that's all right,” said Melick. ”Anyone who chose to get up this thing would of course read up about the polar day, and all that.