Article #285-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Lost Continent, by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne

“It’ll get worse if we leave it. We’ve a lot more bad scrambling ahead
of us.”

That was obvious. So we sat down beside the stream there at the bottom
of the barranca, and ate up all of what was left. It was a ten-mile
tramp to the fonda at Santa Brigida, where we had set down our traps;
and as Coppinger wanted to take a lot more photographs and measurements
before we left this particular group of caves, it was likely we should
be pretty sharp set before we got our next meal, and our next taste of
the PATRON’S splendid old country wine. My faith! If only they knew down
in the English hotels in Las Palmas what magnificent wines one could
get--with diplomacy--up in some of the mountain villages, the old
vintage would become a thing of the past in a week.

Now to tell the truth, the two mummies he had gathered already quite
satisfied my small ambition. The goatskins in which they were sewn up
were as brittle as paper, and the poor old things themselves gave out
dust like a puffball whenever they were touched. But you know what
Coppinger is. He thought he’d come upon traces of an old Guanche
university, or sacred college, or something of that kind, like the one
there is on the other side of the island, and he wouldn’t be satisfied
till he’d ransacked every cave in the whole face of the cliff. He’d
plenty of stuff left for the flashlight thing, and twenty-eight more
films in his kodak, and said we might as well get through with the job
then as make a return journey all on purpose. So he took the crowbar,
and I shouldered the rope, and away we went up to the ridge of the
cliff, where we had got such a baking from the sun the day before.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Lost Continent by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne**

1. Context of the Source

The Lost Continent (1899) is an adventure novel by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne, a British writer known for maritime and exploration-themed fiction. The novel blends lost civilization tropes, archaeological adventure, and colonial-era exploration, set primarily in the Canary Islands (a Spanish archipelago off northwest Africa).

The excerpt follows two explorers—the narrator and Coppinger—as they investigate Guanche caves (the indigenous people of the Canary Islands before Spanish colonization). The Guanches, a prehistoric Berber-related people, left behind mummies, artifacts, and cave dwellings, which fascinated 19th-century European explorers. Hyne’s work reflects the Victorian-era obsession with "lost" civilizations, blending real archaeological interest with sensationalized adventure.

2. Summary of the Excerpt

The passage describes a moment of rest and decision-making during an arduous cave exploration:

The two men pause by a stream at the bottom of a barranca (a deep ravine or gorge) to eat their last food before a 10-mile trek back to their lodging (fonda) in Santa Brigida.
Coppinger, the more driven of the two, insists on continuing their search for Guanche artifacts, believing he has found traces of a "Guanche university or sacred college" (a reference to real Guanche religious sites, like those on Tenerife).
The narrator, more pragmatic, is satisfied with the two mummies they’ve already found (wrapped in brittle goatskins, crumbling at touch) but reluctantly agrees to press on.
They prepare to climb back up the cliff, enduring harsh sun and physical strain, armed with a crowbar, rope, and photographic equipment (flashlight powder and a Kodak camera—then a cutting-edge tool).

3. Key Themes

A. The Thrill and Toll of Exploration

The passage captures the physical and mental endurance required in archaeological fieldwork.
- "Bad scrambling ahead" → The terrain is treacherous, emphasizing the danger and effort of discovery.
- "Sharp set" (very hungry) before the next meal → Highlights the harsh conditions explorers faced.
The contrasting attitudes of the two men:
- Coppinger is obsessive, driven by intellectual curiosity (or glory), willing to risk exhaustion for more findings.
- The narrator is pragmatic, content with what they’ve found, but follows Coppinger’s lead—suggesting a hierarchy in exploration (the "expert" vs. the assistant).

B. Colonial-Era Archaeology and Exploitation

The removal of mummies reflects 19th-century archaeological practices, where European explorers often looted artifacts under the guise of "scientific discovery."
- The mummies are described as "poor old things" that "give out dust"—dehumanized, treated as specimens rather than sacred remains.
- Coppinger’s ruthless ransacking of caves ("he wouldn’t be satisfied till he’d ransacked every cave") mirrors colonial extraction of cultural heritage.
The Guanche "university" hypothesis is speculative—Hyne plays on myths of lost knowledge, a common trope in adventure fiction (e.g., King Solomon’s Mines, She).

C. Nostalgia and Romanticization of the Past

The narrator longs for the "PATRON’S splendid old country wine", contrasting the hardship of the field with the comforts of civilization (English hotels in Las Palmas).
- This reflects a colonial mindset: the explorer endures hardship but expects local luxuries (wine, hospitality) as a reward.
The Guanche civilization is framed as mysterious and grand ("sacred college"), reinforcing the Romantic idea of a "noble savage" past—a lost golden age waiting to be "rediscovered" by Europeans.

D. Technology vs. Nature

The Kodak camera and flashlight powder represent modern technology invading an ancient, untouched space.
The crowbar and rope symbolize forceful intrusion—the explorers are physically breaking into the past.
The harsh sun and rugged cliffs contrast with their fragile human endurance, emphasizing nature’s dominance.

4. Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Foreshadowing	"It’ll get worse if we leave it."	Hints at future hardship, building tension.
Irony	Praising the "splendid old country wine" while handling crumbling mummies	Contrasts luxury and decay, critiquing colonial exploitation.
Imagery	"The goatskins… as brittle as paper"	Vividly conveys the fragility of the past.
Colloquialism	"My faith!", "sharp set"	Gives the narrator a casual, relatable voice, grounding the adventure in realism.
Juxtaposition	Modern tools (Kodak, flashlight) vs. ancient caves	Highlights the clash of eras—science vs. mystery.
Hyperbole	"Ransacked every cave in the whole face of the cliff"	Emphasizes Coppinger’s obsessive thoroughness.

5. Significance of the Passage

A. Reflection of Victorian Exploration Fiction

Hyne’s work fits into the adventure-exploration genre popularized by H. Rider Haggard and Arthur Conan Doyle, where white European men "discover" lost worlds.
The Guanche setting is unusual (most such stories focused on Africa or South America), adding a unique historical flavor.

B. Ethical Questions About Archaeology

The passage unintentionally critiques colonial-era archaeology:
- The disrespectful handling of mummies (as dusty curiosities) reflects real-world looting of indigenous sites.
- Coppinger’s single-minded pursuit ignores cultural preservation—a theme still relevant in debates over repatriation of artifacts.

C. The Allure of the "Lost"

The hint of a Guanche "university" plays on the myth of advanced prehistoric civilizations, a trope that persists in pseudo-archaeology (e.g., Atlantis, ancient aliens).
The physical struggle (climbing cliffs, hunger) makes the intellectual discovery feel earned, a staple of adventure narratives.

6. Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

This passage encapsulates the thrill, exploitation, and romanticism of 19th-century exploration. It’s not just about finding artifacts—it’s about:

Power dynamics (who gets to "discover" history?).
The cost of knowledge (physical suffering, cultural disruption).
The blend of fact and fiction (real Guanche sites vs. Hyne’s speculative "university").

Hyne’s writing glorifies adventure while unintentionally revealing its darker sides, making it a fascinating snapshot of colonial-era attitudes toward history, science, and the "exotic."

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect (e.g., Guanche history, Hyne’s other works, or comparisons to Haggard/Doyle)?

Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s remark that “If only they knew down in the English hotels in Las Palmas what magnificent wines one could get—with diplomacy—up in some of the mountain villages” primarily serves to:

A. Highlight the cultural superiority of rural Canarian traditions over British colonial refinement.
B. Underscore the disparity between the privations of fieldwork and the imagined luxuries of civilization.
C. Critique the narrator’s own hypocrisy in romanticizing local hospitality while participating in archaeological looting.
D. Suggest that the true value of exploration lies in the material comforts it can uncover for the explorer.
E. Imply that the Guanche descendants in the villages are complicit in the exploitation of their own heritage.

Question 2

Coppinger’s insistence on continuing the search despite the narrator’s satisfaction with their existing finds is most effectively framed as an example of:

A. The triumph of empirical rigor over subjective fatigue in scientific inquiry.
B. A quintessentially Victorian preoccupation with cataloging the natural world for imperial archives.
C. The pathological dimension of discovery, where the pursuit of knowledge eclipses practical or ethical constraints.
D. The necessary ruthlessness of fieldwork, where hesitation risks the loss of irreplaceable evidence.
E. A subconscious attempt to compensate for the inadequacies of colonial masculinity through physical endurance.

Question 3

The description of the mummies as giving “out dust like a puffball whenever they were touched” functions on all of the following levels EXCEPT:

A. A literal observation of the physical degradation of ancient remains.
B. A metaphor for the fragility of indigenous cultures under colonial intrusion.
C. An ironic contrast between the explorers’ destructive methods and their purported scientific goals.
D. A subtle indictment of the narrator’s complicity in treating sacred objects as disposable.
E. A symbolic representation of the Guanche people’s voluntary assimilation into Spanish culture.

Question 4

The passage’s use of free indirect discourse (e.g., “you know what Coppinger is”) primarily achieves which of the following effects?

A. It distances the narrator from Coppinger’s actions, absolving him of moral responsibility.
B. It invites the reader to collude with the narrator’s judgmental tone, reinforcing a shared colonial perspective.
C. It creates an intimacy that blurs the line between the narrator’s voice and the reader’s perceptions, naturalizing his biases.
D. It underscores the unreliability of the narrator by exposing his contradictory attitudes toward exploration.
E. It mimics the oral storytelling traditions of the Guanche, lending authenticity to the colonial narrative.

Question 5

The crowbar and rope, as described in the final lines, are most potent as symbols of:

A. The indispensable tools of progress, without which scientific advancement would stall.
B. The violent intrusion of modernity into sacred spaces, framed as inevitable and justifiable.
C. The explorers’ resourcefulness in overcoming natural obstacles through ingenuity.
D. A metaphorical bridge between the living and the dead, facilitating communication across time.
E. The futility of human effort against the eroding forces of nature and history.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The narrator’s musing on the wine juxtaposes the immediate hardship (exhaustion, hunger, physical strain) with the anticipated comforts of civilization. The phrase “with diplomacy” suggests that even these luxuries are conditionally accessible, reinforcing the gap between the grit of exploration and the idealized rewards waiting in Las Palmas. This disparity is central to the passage’s tension between endurance and desire.