Page 17 - Three Adventures

Voyage of the Pomeranian

were I to appear at a scientific gathering with Tristan, but I would
have time to solidify my case on the voyage home. In short, I have
decided to make haste to Georgetown. I will give the order to
Captain Casimir without further explanation. He will not be unhappy
to hear it. His patience, a reservoir I have drawn upon too often in
the past, will therefore not be drained dry. Without saying more I
shall give him the impression that I am certain the end is in sight.

May 18, 1884. Lat. 10º 09’ S. Long. 15º 39’ W.

Tristan made it clear that he appreciated my decision to turn back
and make haste for Ascension Island. He even offered to answer any
questions about his species and their capabilities. I barely knew where
to begin. My vocabulary in his language now stands, according to my
notebook, at slightly more than seven hundred words, mostly nouns.
We have progressed to sequences involving four, rather than two,
four-digit binary codes. That would allow for about sixty-five
thousand words, certainly fewer than Dr. Murray’s dictionary; but
how many of these numerical possibilities are in fact assigned to
distinct meanings among octopi might be the work of a lifetime.
Human language contains a plethora of technical terms swelling its
volume of words, and one must assume an illiterate Grub Street
urchin has far fewer than ten thousand words in his repertoire. My
first task therefore is to establish the parameters of Tristan’s species’
intellectual universe. I will not be surprised if they have a much
greater descriptive power than we do where their own submarine
habitat is concerned, as have the Esquimaux in drawing fine
distinctions amongst the grades of ice and snow.

Accordingly, I am being quite specific in my inquiries about the
kraken. I wonder if he understands completely why this ship is
equipped with a tank of such large dimensions, or if he has
considered the possibility that I might request him to remain in it
with the kraken we shall net in a few days, keeping it under control as
I believe he can do, rather than immediately returning him to the
ocean with my thanks for saving the mission. He has not shown
much curiosity in my race or its accomplishments in the arts and
sciences. For this reason I am led to the preliminary conclusion that
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