The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

The Jane Guy sailed out of Liverpool and is bound for the South Pacific. Pym describes her captain, also named Guy, as urbane and experienced but ultimately lacking in energy. While the rest of the sailors are also capable seamen, the crew is smaller than a ship of her size typically requires. They treat Pym and Parker with great kindness, and the two soon recover entirely from their ordeal at sea.

Over the course of several weeks, the Jane Guy sails around the Cape of Good Hope and into the Southern Indian Ocean. They arrive at Kerguelen’s Land, a chain of islands, where they anchor. Pym provides a detailed history of European and American voyages into the area, going back as far as 1772. He goes on to describe the animal and plant life on the islands, focusing in particular on the symbiotic relationship between the albatross and the penguin communities that live there. The Jane Guy stays in Kerguelen’s Land for three weeks, hunting seals and exploring the islands.

Upon setting sail, the Jane Guy heads toward the remote islands of Tristan d’Acunha. Pym provides another detailed history of the exploration of these islands, highlighting the number of times various explorers and countries made claims to them.