Free An Antarctic Mystery by Jules Verne Page B

but good-natured."
    "And the
Jane
!"
    "I can see her now at her moorings in the same place as the
Halbrane
. She was a handsome vessel of one hundred and eighty tons,
very slender for'ards. She belonged to the port of Liverpool."
    "Yes; that is true, all that is true."
    "And is the
Jane
still afloat, Mr. Jeorling?"
    "No, Mr. Glass."
    "Was she lost?"
    "The fact is only too true, and the greater part of her crew with
her."
    "Will you tell me how this happened?"
    "Willingly. On leaving Tristan d'Acunha the
Jane
headed for the
bearings of the Aurora and other islands, which William Guy hoped to
recognize from information—"
    "That came from me," interrupted the ex-corporal. "And those
other islands, may I learn whether the
Jane
discovered them?"
    "No, nor the Auroras either, although William Guy remained several
weeks in those waters, running from east to west, with a look-out
always at the masthead."
    "He must have lost his bearings, Mr. Jeorling, for, if several
whalers, who were well deserving of credit, are to be believed,
these islands do exist, and it was even proposed to give them my
name."
    "That would have been but just," I replied politely. "It will
be very vexatious if they are not discovered some day," added the
Governor, in a tone which indicated that he was not devoid of vanity.
    "It was then," I resumed, "that Captain Guy resolved to carry
out a project he had long cherished, and in which he was encouraged
by a certain passenger who was on board the
Jane
—"
    "Arthur Gordon Pym," exclaimed Glass, "and his companion, one
Dirk Peters; the two had been picked up at sea by the schooner."
    "You knew them, Mr. Glass?" I asked eagerly.
    "Knew them, Mr. Jeorling? I should think I did, indeed! That
Arthur Pym was a strange person, always wanting to rush into
adventures—a real rash American, quite capable of starting off to
the moon! Has he gone there at last?"
    "No, not quite, Mr. Glass, but, during her voyage, the schooner,
it seems, did clear the polar circle, and pass the ice-wall. She got
farther than any ship had ever done before."
    "What a wonderful feat!"
    "Yes. Unfortunately, the
Jane
did not return. Arthur Pym and
William Guy escaped the doom of the
Jane
and the most of her crew.
They even got back to America, how I do not know. Afterwards Arthur
Pym died, but under what circumstances I am ignorant. As for the
half-breed, after having retired to Illinois, he went off one day
without a word to anyone and no trace of him has been found."
    "And William Guy?" asked Mr. Glass.
    I related the finding of the body of Patterson, the mate of the
Jane
, and I added that everything led to the belief that the captain
of the
Jane
and five of his companions were still living on an
island in the austral regions, at less than six degrees from the
Pole.
    "Ah, Mr. Jeorling," cried Glass, "if some day William Guy and
his sailors might be saved! They seemed to me to be such fine
fellows."
    "That is just what the
Halbrane
is certainly going to attempt, so
soon as she is ready, for her captain, Len Guy, is William Guy's
own brother."
    "Is it possible? Well, although I do not know Captain Len Guy, I
venture to assert that the brothers do not resemble each other—at
least in their behaviour to the Governor of Tristan d'Acunha!"
    It was plain that the Governor was profoundly mortified, but no
doubt he consoled himself by the prospect of selling his goods at
twenty-five per cent above their value.
    One thing was certain: Captain Len Guy had no intention of coming
ashore. This was the more singular, inasmuch as he could not be
unaware that the
Jane
had put in at Tristan d'Acunha before
proceeding to the southern seas. Surely he might be expected to put
himself in communication with the last European who had shaken hands
with his brother!
    Nevertheless, Captain Len Guy remained persistently on board his
ship, without even going on deck; and, looking through the glass
skylight of his cabin, I saw him perpetually stooping over the
table,