Althoughlighttravels167，000milesinasecond，thedistanceof61Cygnitheonlystarwhosedistanceisascertainedissoinconceivablygreat，thatitsrayswouldrequiremorethantenyearstoreachtheearth。Forstarsbeyondthis，20oreven1000yearswouldbeamoderateestimate。Thus，iftheyhadbeenannihilated20，or1000yearsago，wemightstillseethemto-daybythelightwhichstartedfromtheirsurfaces20or1000yearsinthepasttime。
Thatmanywhichweseedailyarereallyextinct，isnotimpossible
notevenimprobable。
NotesMaelstrom{*1}SeeArchimedes，“_DeIncidentibusinFluido_。”-lib。2。
NotesIslandoftheFay{*1}Morauxisherederivedfrommoeurs，anditsmeaningis“fashionable“ormorestrictly“ofmanners。”
{*2}Speakingofthetides，PomponiusMela，inhistreatise“DeSituOrbis。”says“eithertheworldisagreatanimal，or“etc{*3}BalzacinsubstanceIdonotrememberthewords{*4}Floremputaresnareperliquidumaethera。P。Commire。
NotesDomainofArnheim{*1}Anincident，similarinoutlinetotheonehereimagined，occurred，notverylongago，inEngland。ThenameofthefortunateheirwasThelluson。Ifirstsawanaccountofthismatterinthe“Tour“ofPrincePucklerMuskau，whomakesthesuminherited_ninetymillionsofpounds_，andjustlyobservesthat“inthecontemplationofsovastasum，andoftheservicestowhichitmightbeapplied，thereissomethingevenofthesublime。”TosuittheviewsofthisarticleIhavefollowedthePrince’sstatement，althoughagrosslyexaggeratedone。Thegerm，andinfact，thecommencementofthepresentpaperwaspublishedmanyyearsagoprevioustotheissueofthefirstnumberofSue’sadmirable_JuifErrant_，whichmaypossiblyhavebeensuggestedtohimbyMuskau’saccount。
NotesBerenice{*1}ForasJove，duringthewinterseason，givestwicesevendaysofwarmth，menhavecalledthiselementandtemperatetimethenurseofthebeautifulHalcyon_Simonides_
EndofNotestoVolumeTwoEndofTheWorksofEdgarAllanPoeV。2
TheWorksofEdgarAllanPoeVolume3oftheRavenEditionINFIVEVOLUMES
ContentsVolumeIII
NarrativeofA。GordonPymLigeiaMorellaATaleoftheRaggedMountainsTheSpectaclesKingPestThreeSundaysinaWeekNARRATIVEOFA。GORDONPYM
INTRODUCTORYNOTE
UPONmyreturntotheUnitedStatesafewmonthsago，aftertheextraordinaryseriesofadventureintheSouthSeasandelsewhere，ofwhichanaccountisgiveninthefollowingpages，accidentthrewmeintothesocietyofseveralgentlemeninRichmond，Va。，whofeltdeepinterestinallmattersrelatingtotheregionsIhadvisited，andwhowereconstantlyurgingituponme，asaduty，togivemynarrativetothepublic。Ihadseveralreasons，however，fordecliningtodoso，someofwhichwereofanaturealtogetherprivate，andconcernnopersonbutmyself；othersnotsomuchso。Oneconsiderationwhichdeterredmewasthat，havingkeptnojournalduringagreaterportionofthetimeinwhichIwasabsent，IfearedIshouldnotbeabletowrite，frommerememory，astatementsominuteandconnectedastohavethe_appearance_ofthattruthitwouldreallypossess，barringonlythenaturalandunavoidableexaggerationtowhichallofusarepronewhendetailingeventswhichhavehadpowerfulinfluenceinexcitingtheimaginativefaculties。
Anotherreasonwas，thattheincidentstobenarratedwereofanaturesopositivelymarvellousthat，unsupportedasmyassertionsmustnecessarilybeexceptbytheevidenceofasingleindividual，andheahalf-breedIndian，Icouldonlyhopeforbeliefamongmyfamily，andthoseofmyfriendswhohavehadreason，throughlife，toputfaithinmyveracity-theprobabilitybeingthatthepublicatlargewouldregardwhatIshouldputforthasmerelyanimpudentandingeniousfiction。Adistrustinmyownabilitiesasawriterwas，nevertheless，oneoftheprincipalcauseswhichpreventedmefromcomplyingwiththesuggestionsofmyadvisers。
AmongthosegentlemeninVirginiawhoexpressedthegreatestinterestinmystatement，moreparticularlyinregardtothatportionofitwhichrelatedtotheAntarcticOcean，wasMr。Poe，latelyeditorofthe“SouthernLiteraryMessenger。”amonthlymagazine，publishedbyMr。ThomasW。White，inthecityofRichmond。Hestronglyadvisedme，amongothers，toprepareatonceafullaccountofwhatIhadseenandundergone，andtrusttotheshrewdnessandcommon-senseofthepublic-insisting，withgreatplausibility，thathoweverroughly，asregardsmereauthorship，mybookshouldbegotup，itsveryuncouthness，iftherewereany，wouldgiveitallthebetterchanceofbeingreceivedastruth。
Notwithstandingthisrepresentation，Ididnotmakeupmymindtodoashesuggested。HeafterwardproposedfindingthatIwouldnotstirinthematterthatIshouldallowhimtodrawup，inhisownwords，anarrativeoftheearlierportionofmyadventures，fromfactsaffordedbymyself，publishingitinthe“SouthernMessenger“_underthegarboffiction。_Tothis，perceivingnoobjection，Iconsented，stipulatingonlythatmyrealnameshouldberetained。Twonumbersofthepretendedfictionappeared，consequently，inthe“Messenger“forJanuaryandFebruary1837，and，inorderthatitmightcertainlyberegardedasfiction，thenameofMr。Poewasaffixedtothearticlesinthetableofcontentsofthemagazine。
Themannerinwhichthisrusewasreceivedhasinducedmeatlengthtoundertakearegularcompilationandpublicationoftheadventuresinquestion；forIfoundthat，inspiteoftheairoffablewhichhadbeensoingeniouslythrownaroundthatportionofmystatementwhichappearedinthe“Messenger“withoutalteringordistortingasinglefact，thepublicwerestillnotatalldisposedtoreceiveitasfable，andseverallettersweresenttoMr。P。’saddress，distinctlyexpressingaconvictiontothecontrary。Ithenceconcludedthatthefactsofmynarrativewouldproveofsuchanatureastocarrywiththemsufficientevidenceoftheirownauthenticity，andthatIhadconsequentlylittletofearonthescoreofpopularincredulity。
This_expos？_beingmade，itwillbeseenatoncehowmuchofwhatfollowsIclaimtobemyownwriting；anditwillalsobeunderstoodthatnofactismisrepresentedinthefirstfewpageswhichwerewrittenbyMr。Poe。Eventothosereaderswhohavenotseenthe“Messenger。”itwillbeunnecessarytopointoutwherehisportionendsandmyowncommences；thedifferenceinpoint
MYnameisArthurGordonPym。Myfatherwasarespectabletraderinsea-storesatNantucket，whereIwasborn。Mymaternalgrandfatherwasanattorneyingoodpractice。Hewasfortunateineverything，andhadspeculatedverysuccessfullyinstocksoftheEdgartonNewBank，asitwasformerlycalled。Bytheseandothermeanshehadmanagedtolaybyatolerablesumofmoney。Hewasmoreattachedtomyself，Ibelieve，thantoanyotherpersonintheworld，andI
expectedtoinheritthemostofhispropertyathisdeath。Hesentme，atsixyearsofage，totheschoolofoldMr。Ricketts，agentlemanwithonlyonearmandofeccentricmannersheiswellknowntoalmosteverypersonwhohasvisitedNewBedford。IstayedathisschooluntilIwassixteen，whenIlefthimforMr。E。Ronald’sacademyonthehill。HereIbecameintimatewiththesonofMr。
Barnard，asea-captain，whogenerallysailedintheemployofLloydandVredenburghMr。BarnardisalsoverywellknowninNewBedford，andhasmanyrelations，Iamcertain，inEdgarton。HissonwasnamedAugustus，andhewasnearlytwoyearsolderthanmyself。HehadbeenonawhalingvoyagewithhisfatherintheJohnDonaldson，andwasalwaystalkingtomeofhisadventuresintheSouthPacificOcean。Iusedfrequentlytogohomewithhim，andremainallday，andsometimesallnight。Weoccupiedthesamebed，andhewouldbesuretokeepmeawakeuntilalmostlight，tellingmestoriesofthenativesoftheIslandofTinian，andotherplaceshehadvisitedinhistravels。AtlastIcouldnothelpbeinginterestedinwhathesaid，andbydegreesIfeltthegreatestdesiretogotosea。IownedasailboatcalledtheAriel，andworthaboutseventy-fivedollars。
Shehadahalf-deckorcuddy，andwasriggedsloop-fashionI
forgethertonnage，butshewouldholdtenpersonswithoutmuchcrowding。Inthisboatwewereinthehabitofgoingonsomeofthemaddestfreaksintheworld；and，whenInowthinkofthem，itappearstomeathousandwondersthatIamaliveto-day。
Iwillrelateoneoftheseadventuresbywayofintroductiontoalongerandmoremomentousnarrative。OnenighttherewasapartyatMr。Barnard’s，andbothAugustusandmyselfwerenotalittleintoxicatedtowardthecloseofit。Asusual，insuchcases，Itookpartofhisbedinpreferencetogoinghome。Hewenttosleep，asI
thought，veryquietlyitbeingnearonewhenthepartybrokeup，andwithoutsayingawordonhisfavoritetopic。Itmighthavebeenhalfanhourfromthetimeofourgettinginbed，andIwasjustaboutfallingintoadoze，whenhesuddenlystartedup，andsworewithaterribleoaththathewouldnotgotosleepforanyArthurPyminChristendom，whentherewassogloriousabreezefromthesouthwest。Ineverwassoastonishedinmylife，notknowingwhatheintended，andthinkingthatthewinesandliquorshehaddrunkhadsethimentirelybesidehimself。Heproceededtotalkverycoolly，however，sayingheknewthatIsupposedhimintoxicated，butthathewasnevermoresoberinhislife。Hewasonlytired，headded，oflyinginbedonsuchafinenightlikeadog，andwasdeterminedtogetupanddress，andgooutonafrolicwiththeboat。Icanhardlytellwhatpossessedme，butthewordswerenosooneroutofhismouththanIfeltathrillofthegreatestexcitementandpleasure，andthoughthismadideaoneofthemostdelightfulandmostreasonablethingsintheworld。Itwasblowingalmostagale，andtheweatherwasverycolditbeinglateinOctober。Isprangoutofbed，nevertheless，inakindofecstasy，andtoldhimIwasquiteasbraveashimself，andquiteastiredashewasoflyinginbedlikeadog，andquiteasreadyforanyfunorfrolicasanyAugustusBarnardinNantucket。
Welostnotimeingettingonourclothesandhurryingdowntotheboat。Shewaslyingattheolddecayedwharfbythelumber-yardofPankey&Co。，andalmostthumpinghersideoutagainsttheroughlogs。Augustusgotintoherandbailedher，forshewasnearlyhalffullofwater。Thisbeingdone，wehoistedjibandmainsail，keptfull，andstartedboldlyouttosea。
Thewind，asIbeforesaid，blewfreshlyfromthesouthwest。Thenightwasveryclearandcold。Augustushadtakenthehelm，andI
stationedmyselfbythemast，onthedeckofthecuddy。Weflewalongatagreatrateneitherofushavingsaidawordsincecastingloosefromthewharf。Inowaskedmycompanionwhatcourseheintendedtosteer，andwhattimehethoughtitprobableweshouldgetback。Hewhistledforafewminutes，andthensaidcrustily：“_I_amgoingtosea_you_maygohomeifyouthinkproper。”Turningmyeyesuponhim，Iperceivedatoncethat，inspiteofhisassumed_nonchalance_，hewasgreatlyagitated。Icouldseehimdistinctlybythelightofthemoonhisfacewaspalerthananymarble，andhishandshooksoexcessivelythathecouldscarcelyretainholdofthetiller。Ifoundthatsomethinghadgonewrong，andbecameseriouslyalarmed。AtthisperiodIknewlittleaboutthemanagementofaboat，andwasnowdependingentirelyuponthenauticalskillofmyfriend。
Thewind，too，hadsuddenlyincreased，aswewerefastgettingoutoftheleeofthelandstillIwasashamedtobetrayanytrepidation，andforalmosthalfanhourmaintainedaresolutesilence。Icouldstanditnolonger，however，andspoketoAugustusabouttheproprietyofturningback。Asbefore，itwasnearlyaminutebeforehemadeanswer，ortookanynoticeofmysuggestion。“By-and-by。”
saidheatlength“timeenoughhomeby-and-by。”Ihadexpectedasimilarreply，buttherewassomethinginthetoneofthesewordswhichfilledmewithanindescribablefeelingofdread。Iagainlookedatthespeakerattentively。Hislipswereperfectlylivid，andhiskneesshooksoviolentlytogetherthatheseemedscarcelyabletostand。“ForGod’ssake，Augustus。”Iscreamed，nowheartilyfrightened，“whatailsyou？-whatisthematter？-what_are_yougoingtodo？”“Matter！”hestammered，inthegreatestapparentsurprise，lettinggothetilleratthesamemoment，andfallingforwardintothebottomoftheboat-“matter-why，nothingisthe
mattergoinghome-dddon’tyousee？”Thewholetruthnowflasheduponme。Iflewtohimandraisedhimup。Hewasdrunk
beastlydrunkhecouldnolongereitherstand，speak，orsee。Hiseyeswereperfectlyglazed；andasIlethimgointheextremityofmydespair，herolledlikeamerelogintothebilge-water，fromwhichIhadliftedhim。Itwasevidentthat，duringtheevening，hehaddrunkfarmorethanIsuspected，andthathisconductinbedhadbeentheresultofahighly-concentratedstateofintoxication-astatewhich，likemadness，frequentlyenablesthevictimtoimitatetheoutwarddemeanourofoneinperfectpossessionofhissenses。Thecoolnessofthenightair，however，hadhaditsusualeffect-thementalenergybegantoyieldbeforeitsinfluence-andtheconfusedperceptionwhichhenodoubtthenhadofhisperiloussituationhadassistedinhasteningthecatastrophe。Hewasnowthoroughlyinsensible，andtherewasnoprobabilitythathewouldbeotherwiseformanyhours。