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An Antarctic Mystery: A Jules Verne Adventure Classic (Timeless Classic Books)
An Antarctic Mystery A Jules Verne Adventure Classic - Timeless Classic Books Author:Jules Verne An Antarctic Mystery, also known also as The Sphinx of the Ice Fields, is an 1897, novel by Jules Verne and is a sequel to Edgar Allan Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket which was published in 1838. It follows the adventures of the narrator and his journey from the Kerguelen Islands onboard the Halbrane. The story is set in 18... more »39. The narrator is a wealthy American Jeorling, who has entertained himself with private studies of the wildlife on the Kerguelen islands and is now looking for a passage back to the USA. The Halbrane is one of the first ships to arrive at Kerguelen, and its captain Len Guy somewhat reluctantly agrees to have Jeorling as a passenger as far as Tristan d'Acunha. Underway they meet a stray iceberg with a dead body on it, which turns out to be a sailor from the Jane. A note found with him indicates that he and several others including the Jane's captain William Guy had survived the assassination attempt at Tsalal and are still alive. Guy decides to try to come to the rescue of the Jane's crew. After taking on provisions on Tristan d'Acunha and the Falklands, they head South with Jeorling still on board. They also take aboard another mysterious sailor by the name of Hunt who is eager to join the search for undisclosed reasons. Extraordinarily mild weather allows the Halbrane to make good progress, and they break the pack ice barrier, which surrounds an ice-free Antarctic ocean, early in summer. They find first Bennet's islet, where the Jane had made a stop, and finally Tsalal. But the island is completely devastated, apparently by a recent massive earthquake, and deserted. They find lots of remains of Tsalal's natives, who apparently died long before the earthquake, and the collar of Pym's dog Tiger, but no trace of the Jane.« less