The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 3Poe, Edgar Allan
General
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 3
Poe, Edgar Allan
American fiction -- 19th century; Fantasy fiction; Horror tales, American
To these masts we attached a sail made of our shirts-doing this
with some difficulty, as here we could get no assistance from our
prisoner whatever, although he had been willing enough to labor
in all the other operations. The sight of the linen seemed to
affect him in a very singular manner. He could not be prevailed
upon to touch it or go near it, shuddering when we attempted to
force him, and shrieking out, _“Tekeli-li!”_
Having completed our arrangements in regard to the security of
the canoe, we now set sail to the south-southeast for the
present, with the view of weathering the most southerly of the
group in sight. This being done, we turned the bow full to the
southward. The weather could by no means be considered
disagreeable. We had a prevailing and very gentle wind from the
northward, a smooth sea, and continual daylight. No ice whatever
was to be seen; _nor did I ever see one particle of this after
leaving the parallel of Bennet’s Islet._Indeed, the temperature
of the water was here far too warm for its existence in any
quantity. Having killed the largest of our tortoises, and
obtained from him not only food but a copious supply of water, we
continued on our course, without any incident of moment, for
perhaps seven or eight days, during which period we must have
proceeded a vast distance to the southward, as the wind blew
constantly with us, and a very strong current set continually in
the direction we were pursuing.
_March 1st_. {*7}-Many unusual phenomena now—indicated that we
were entering upon a region of novelty and wonder. A high range
of light gray vapor appeared constantly in the southern horizon,
flaring up occasionally in lofty streaks, now darting from east
to west, now from west to east, and again presenting a level and
uniform summit—in short, having all the wild variations of the
Aurora Borealis. The average height of this vapor, as apparent
from our station, was about twenty-five degrees. The temperature
of the sea seemed to be increasing momentarily, and there was a
very perceptible alteration in its color.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account