A summary of Jules Verne’s "The Ice Sphinx"

The novel was published in 1897. This book is a direct sequel to Edgar Allan Poe’s story about Arthur Gordon Pym. Jules Verne provides a completely rational physical explanation for the supernatural events described by the American writer. The work examines in detail the routes of real geographical discoveries in the polar latitudes of the nineteenth century.

The book is part of the renowned "Extraordinary Voyages" series. It is the forty-fourth novel in the cycle, which also includes such well-known works as "The Children of Captain Grant" and "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."

American Jorling awaits a chance passage on the harsh Kerguelen Islands. The English schooner Halbrane, captained by the unsociable Len Guy, calls at Christmas Harbor. The local innkeeper, Fenimore Atkins, strongly recommends this reliable ship to the passenger. The captain categorically refuses to take on any fellow travelers. Upon learning of Jorling’s Connecticut origins, the skipper changes his mind. The American is intimately familiar with the story of Arthur Gordon Pym, as described by Edgar Allan Poe. Len Guy fervently believes in the truth of these fantastical events.

During the voyage to the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, the captain keeps to himself, constantly studying nautical charts. First Mate Jam West steers the ship with an iron fist. Along the way, the watch spots a piece of drifting ice. The crew fishes the melted floe out of the ocean. Upon it lies the frozen body of Patterson, first mate of the schooner Jane. A diary found in the deceased’s pocket confirms the survival of part of the British crew on the polar island of Tsalal. Len Guy tells the sailors the truth: William Guy, captain of the lost Jane, is his brother.

The ship calls at the Falkland Islands for scheduled repairs and replenishment of provisions for two years. The island governor helps recruit hardy men. The crew is expanded to thirty-two by recruiting local fishermen and whalers. Among the new recruits, the grim harpooneer Hearn and a surly strongman named Hunt stand out. The schooner boldly sets course south, close-hauled — that is, at a sharp angle to the headwind.

Ice conditions favor progress. The Halbrane successfully passes the South Orkney and South Sandwich Islands. Crossing the Antarctic Circle is accompanied by a severe storm. During the storm, seaman Martin Holt falls overboard. Hunt, without hesitation, dives into the icy water and pulls the petty officer out. After passing through a zone of solid ice, open water opens up.

Tsalal Island and the Mutiny

The expedition reaches Bennett Island. The sailors find a fragment of oak plank with the faded inscription "Jane" there. The detachment then disembarks on Tsalal Island. The local area has been completely devastated by a powerful earthquake. No traces of green vegetation, no signs of wildlife, no natives — all are gone forever. The sun-bleached bones of savages lie where the indigenous village of Klok-Klok once stood. Hopes of finding William Guy are dashed. Captain Len Guy, deeply saddened, orders the return journey.

Suddenly, Hunt speaks up. The powerful sailor begs them not to abandon Arthur Pym. Hunt reveals his real name: Dirk Peters, a mixed-race Indian and Pym’s surviving companion. Peters is absolutely certain of his comrade’s rescue somewhere further south. An open mutiny by the new sailors, led by Hearn, is brewing. Jorling offers a reward of two thousand dollars for every degree south of the eighty-fourth parallel. Self-interest prevails over fear of the polar winter. The sailors agree to continue their voyage.

Ice disaster

Days pass. Antarctic land is nowhere in sight. The crew’s discontent grows rapidly. Dirk Peters secretly confesses to Joerling about an old murder. During a terrible famine on the overturned brig Dolphin, a half-breed took the life of sailor Ned Holt, the brother of the sailing master. The victim was chosen by fair lot to provide food for the others. Hearn accidentally overhears this frank conversation from a slightly open porthole.

The schooner’s path is blocked by thick fog. Suddenly, a huge iceberg emerges from the gray shroud. A violent collision occurs. The iceberg capsizes, catching the Halbrane in the ice shelf. The ship finds itself some thirty meters above sea level. Five sailors die in the capsizing. The remaining crew hastily transfer provisions and a lifeboat into deep ice crevasses.

The crew methodically cuts a gentle slope to gently lower the vessel into the water. The sailors use tackles — a system of blocks for lowering heavy objects. During the preparatory work, a section of the supporting ice floe suddenly breaks away. The Halbrane plunges downwards and disappears forever into the ocean depths. Three more men drown along with the ship.

The grief-stricken sailors rush to the only remaining lifeboat. Officers, armed with firearms, stop the enraged crowd. Jam West and Boatswain Harligerly kill two mutineers with well-aimed shots. A collision with a nearby ice floe frees the iceberg. The iceberg begins to move and is carried north by the current.

Halbrane Land

The ice mountain moors to an unknown rocky shore. The travelers transfer their salvaged belongings to a dry coastal cave. The captain sets a date for the boat’s departure. That night, Hearn and his henchmen attack Dirk Peters. The harpooner loudly shouts the brutal truth about his brother’s murder to Martin Holt. The shocked foreman weakly joins the fugitives. Thirteen men steal the boat. Nine loyal comrades remain for the forced winter.

A few weeks later, a native pirogue appears near the cape. Dirk Peters boldly dives into the water and intercepts the drifting vessel. Inside lie exhausted people. Len Guy recognizes William’s brother and three surviving sailors from the missing "Jane."

Having recovered from extreme exhaustion, William Guy recounts the story of his survival. The savages hastily abandoned Tsalal due to a canine rabies epidemic brought by Arthur Pym’s pet. The English lived peacefully in isolation for many years. An autumn earthquake completely destroyed the island. The sailors found a boat in time and trusted the ocean currents. Starvation killed some of the people until the pirogue washed ashore.

Ice Sphinx

Thirteen survivors load food supplies into a pirogue and set sail north. The boat contains not a gram of iron. The elements of the native structure are firmly secured with lashings — flexible ligaments made from tree vines. A favorable wind and current facilitate rapid progress across the open water.

The sailors notice a strange rock about a hundred meters high. The black mountain’s outline mimics the mythical Sphinx. The pirogue’s speed suddenly increases exponentially. The steel boat hook breaks free from its moorings and flies toward the shore. The rock turns out to be a colossal natural magnet. Electrical currents from the poles have imbued the rock with incredible gravitational force.

The shattered remains of Hearn’s stolen boat lie forlornly on the shore. The magnetic mountain had torn out all the iron nails and staples from the plating of the ribs — the transverse ribs of the ship’s hull. The harpooner and his companions drowned in the icy water. The survivors found only three dead bodies washed up on the sand.

Suddenly, Dirk Peters lets out a heart-rending scream. A human skeleton hangs on the steep slope of a magnetic mountain. The iron barrel of a rifle is firmly attached to the rock. The half-breed recognizes the remains of Arthur Gordon Pym from the remaining fragments. The American died many years ago, pinned to the rock by a magnet. Dirk Peters’s heart can’t bear the intense grief. His devoted comrade dies instantly at the feet of his commander.

The twelve surviving sailors courageously continue their journey north. A cold current carries the native pirogue safely to the Pacific Ocean. On April 6th, the three-masted American sailing ship Tasman appears in the distance. The crew hospitably lifts the survivors aboard and safely delivers them to the civilized port of Melbourne.