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The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket: Comprising the details of a mutiny and atrocious butchery on board the American brig Grampus, on her way to the South Seas, in the month of June, 1827.Poe, Edgar Allan

General

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket: Comprising the details of a mutiny and atrocious butchery on board the American brig Grampus, on her way to the South Seas, in the month of June, 1827.

Name: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket: Comprising the details of a mutiny and atrocious butchery on board the American brig Grampus, on her way to the South Seas, in the month of June, 1827.
Author: Poe, Edgar Allan

Poe, Edgar Allan

Sea stories; Stowaways -- Fiction; Whaling ships -- Fiction; Young men -- Fiction

After some trouble a certain degree of quiet was restored, when the
chief addressed us in a speech of great length, and very nearly
resembling the one delivered in the canoes, with the exception that the
_Anamoo-moos!_ were now somewhat more strenuously insisted upon than
the _Lama-Lamas!_ We listened in profound silence until the conclusion
of his harangue, when Captain Guy replied by assuring the chief of his
eternal friendship and good-will, concluding what he had to say by a
present of several strings of blue beads and a knife. At the former the
monarch, much to our surprise, turned up his nose with some expression
of contempt; but the knife gave him the most unlimited satisfaction,
and he immediately ordered dinner. This was handed into the tent over
the heads of the attendants, and consisted of the palpitating entrails
of a species of unknown animal, probably one of the slim-legged hogs
which we had observed in our approach to the village. Seeing us at a
loss how to proceed, he began, by way of setting us an example, to
devour yard after yard of the enticing food, until we could positively
stand it no longer, and evinced such manifest symptoms of rebellion of
stomach as inspired his majesty with a degree of astonishment only
inferior to that brought about by the looking-glasses. We declined,
however, partaking of the delicacies before us, and endeavoured to make
him understand that we had no appetite whatever, having just finished a
hearty _déjeuner_.

When the monarch had made an end of his meal, we commenced a series of
cross-questioning in every ingenious manner we could devise, with a
view of discovering what were the chief productions of the country, and
whether any of them might be turned to profit. At length he seemed to
have some idea of our meaning, and offered to accompany us to a part of
the coast where he assured us the _biche de mer_ (pointing to a
specimen of that animal) was to be found in great abundance. We were
glad at this early opportunity of escaping from the oppression of the
crowd, and signified our eagerness to proceed. We now left the tent,
and, accompanied by the whole population of the village, followed the
chief to the southeastern extremity of the island, not far from the bay
where our vessel lay at anchor. We waited here for about an hour, until
the four canoes were brought round by some of the savages to our
station. The whole of our party then getting into one of them, we were
paddled along the edge of the reef before mentioned, and of another
still farther out, where we saw a far greater quantity of _biche de
mer_ than the oldest seaman among us had ever seen in those groups of
the lower latitudes most celebrated for this article of commerce. We
stayed near these reefs only long enough to satisfy ourselves that we
could easily load a dozen vessels with the animal if necessary, when we
were taken alongside the schooner, and parted with Too-wit after

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

General

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket: Comprising the details of a mutiny and atrocious butchery on board the American brig Grampus, on her way to the South Seas, in the month of June, 1827.

Poe, Edgar Allan

Sea stories; Stowaways -- Fiction; Whaling ships -- Fiction; Young men -- Fiction

After some trouble a certain degree of quiet was restored, when the
chief addressed us in a speech of great length, and very nearly
resembling the one delivered in the canoes, with the exception that the
_Anamoo-moos!_ were now somewhat more strenuously insisted upon than
the _Lama-Lamas!_ We listened in profound silence until the conclusion
of his harangue, when Captain Guy replied by assuring the chief of his
eternal friendship and good-will, concluding what he had to say by a
present of several strings of blue beads and a knife. At the former the
monarch, much to our surprise, turned up his nose with some expression
of contempt; but the knife gave him the most unlimited satisfaction,
and he immediately ordered dinner. This was handed into the tent over
the heads of the attendants, and consisted of the palpitating entrails
of a species of unknown animal, probably one of the slim-legged hogs
which we had observed in our approach to the village. Seeing us at a
loss how to proceed, he began, by way of setting us an example, to
devour yard after yard of the enticing food, until we could positively
stand it no longer, and evinced such manifest symptoms of rebellion of
stomach as inspired his majesty with a degree of astonishment only
inferior to that brought about by the looking-glasses. We declined,
however, partaking of the delicacies before us, and endeavoured to make
him understand that we had no appetite whatever, having just finished a
hearty _déjeuner_.

When the monarch had made an end of his meal, we commenced a series of
cross-questioning in every ingenious manner we could devise, with a
view of discovering what were the chief productions of the country, and
whether any of them might be turned to profit. At length he seemed to
have some idea of our meaning, and offered to accompany us to a part of
the coast where he assured us the _biche de mer_ (pointing to a
specimen of that animal) was to be found in great abundance. We were
glad at this early opportunity of escaping from the oppression of the
crowd, and signified our eagerness to proceed. We now left the tent,
and, accompanied by the whole population of the village, followed the
chief to the southeastern extremity of the island, not far from the bay
where our vessel lay at anchor. We waited here for about an hour, until
the four canoes were brought round by some of the savages to our
station. The whole of our party then getting into one of them, we were
paddled along the edge of the reef before mentioned, and of another
still farther out, where we saw a far greater quantity of _biche de
mer_ than the oldest seaman among us had ever seen in those groups of
the lower latitudes most celebrated for this article of commerce. We
stayed near these reefs only long enough to satisfy ourselves that we
could easily load a dozen vessels with the animal if necessary, when we
were taken alongside the schooner, and parted with Too-wit after

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket: Comprising the details of a mutiny and atrocious butchery on board the American brig Grampus, on her way to the South Seas, in the month of June, 1827.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket: Comprising the details of a mutiny and atrocious butchery on board the American brig Grampus, on her way to the South Seas, in the month of June, 1827.

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