human
You are one of the sailors of the Britannia?
gpt
Yes, my lord; Captain Grant's quartermaster,
human
Saved with him from the shipwreck?
gpt
No, my lord. At that terrible moment I was washed overboard and cast ashore.
human
You are not one of the sailors, then, of whom the document makes mention?
gpt
No; I did not know of the existence of such a document. The captain must have thrown it overboard after I was gone.
human
But the captain, the captain?
gpt
I suppose he was lost, drowned, with the rest of the crew. I thought I was the sole survivor.
human
But you said that Captain Grant was living!
gpt
When I was washed from the forecastle, as I was hauling down the jib, the Britannia was driving towards the coast of Australia, which was not two cable-lengths distant.
human
No. I said, 'if the captain is living'----
gpt
He can be nowhere else.
human
You do not know, then, where he is?
gpt
No, my lord. I repeat that I thought he was buried in the waves or dashed upon the rocks. You say that perhaps he is still living.
human
What do you know, then?
gpt
Simply this, that if Captain Grant is living he is in Australia.
human
Where did the shipwreck take place?