An Antarctic Mystery

me. But I was under a spell which drew me towards the unknown, that unknown of the polar world whose secrets so many daring pioneers had in vai

choice, he seemed to have been in luck. These sailors, of various nationalities, displayed zeal and good will. They were aware, also, that the mate was a man whom it would

is obtained by taking the altit

wain in the manner of this warni

while he observed the docility of a true sailor in all his duties, he always kept himself apart, speaking t

ards the south, after having made acquaintance with New Georgia, distant eight hundred mi

ngs which certain navigators have assigned to the Aurora I

ich gave the bearings of the three islands of the group, we did not perceive a single indication of land in the whole of the space traversed by us. It was the same with regard to the alleged islands of the conceited Glass. Not a single lit

ail under d

the gates of the iceberg wall would be open. For three days the weather caused the working of the ship to be unusually laborious, and the new crew behaved ve

recruit,

ied, "and gained just

g! But what a face and

r West," I answered, "and I should not be surprised if this m

t, it is not for want of mouth. I never saw anything like his! And his hands! Have you s

em to be quarrelsome. He appears to be a

rd. Then I am always afraid the pulle

t observing him with curiosity, especially as it struck m

t about two in the afterno

ead, sta

could only be the Isle de Saint Pierre-its British names are South Georgia, N

e Cook; but, although he came in second, the celebrated n

ad heights-formidable masses of ancient rock-rise to an immen

istrative domain of the Falklands. The British administration is not represented there by a

not arrived. New Georgia, being exposed to the direct action of the Antarctic polar current, is freely frequented by marine mammals. I saw several droves of these creatures on the rocks, the st

unate that these birds do not want branches to perch on; for there does not exist a tree in New Georgia. Here and there I found a few phaner

led Charlotte Point at the extremity of Royal Bay, she headed in th

that of Paris or Quebec. But we were much impeded by huge banks of fog which frequently shut out the horizon. Nevertheless, as these waters presented no danger, and there was nothing to fear from ice packs or drifting icebergs, the Halbrane was able to pursue her

ught some vague streaks of intermittent light which were perceived in the night, between the 14th and 15th

name of Southern Thule in the first instance, as it was the most southern land

order to explore the approachable points, while Cap

oil. Behind the beach a few firs rise to a considerable height on the bare hill-sides, from whence great masses occasionally come crashing down with a thundering

ts fired from our schooner had no effect but to drive away the crowd of pe

uy and I were walki

ntinent. According to him, the mountains of ice carried out of the Antarctic Sea by the drift were detached from that continent. He recognized afterward

st, and that Weddell and my brother each got in by that gap at six years' interval. That our great navigator had not the luck to discover this

be of the nu

n he had gone, and that the Antarctic lands, if any such existed, would never be seen, but the future

d I, "perhaps beyond

to trouble ourselves about Arthur Pym, since he, a

ing he did

ot to face that eventualit