Travel Scholarships

by Jules Verne, Terri J Hernandez (Translator), Arthur B Evans (Editor), Volker Dehs (Introduction)

Overview

Nine students from London's Antillean School receive travel scholarships to visit their island homelands in the Caribbean. Accompanied by their eccentric Latin professor, they set sail on what they expect to be a thrilling educational voyage. Little do they realize that, prior to their arrival on board, their ship had been hijacked by escaped convicts who murdered its original captain and crew. This is the only novel by the legendary Jules Verne that has never been available in English until now. Although ostensibly written for an adolescent audience, its suspense-filled plot, sophisticated narrative style, and critique of European colonialism make it an engrossing read for all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780819573629
Publisher:	Wesleyan University Press
Publication date:	12/13/2022
Series:	Early Classics of Science Fiction
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	452
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

JULES VERNE (1828 – 1905) was the first author to popularize the literary genre that has become known as science fiction.

TERI J. HERNÁNDEZ is a professor of French and Spanish, and specializes in Francophone literature—especially the works of African and Caribbean writers.

ARTHUR B. EVANS is a professor of French at DePauw University, who has published numerous books and articles on Jules Verne and is the general editor of the Early Classics of Science Fiction book series.

VOLKER DEHS is an internationally recognized specialist on Verne, and lives in Germany.
Jules Verne (1828–1905) was a French author best known for his tales of adventure, including Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in Eighty Days. A true visionary, Verne foresaw the skyscraper, the submarine, and the airplane, among many other inventions, and is now regarded as one of the fathers of science fiction. 

Date of Birth:

February 8, 1828

Date of Death:

March 24, 1905

Place of Birth:

Nantes, France

Place of Death:

Amiens, France

Education:

Nantes lycée and law studies in Paris

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

The Competition

"First place, ex aequo, goes to Louis Clodion and Roger Hinsdale," proclaimed the director Julian Ardagh in a resounding voice. The two laureates were welcomed by loud cheers, multiple hurrahs, and a big round of applause.

Then, from atop the platform raised in the center of the Antillean School's main courtyard, the director continued to read the list before him, announcing the following names:

"Second place: Axel Wickborn."

"Third place: Albertus Leuwen."

A new round of applause was heard, weaker than the first, but just as sympathetic.

Mr. Ardagh continued:

"Fourth place: John Howard."

"Fifth place: Magnus Anders."

"Sixth place: Niels Harboe."

"Seventh place: Hubert Perkins."

The momentum having been set, the bravos now prolonged with the pace acquired. There remained one last name to announce to complete the nine laureates included in this very special competition.

The director finally revealed the name to the audience:

"Eighth place: Tony Renault."

Even though Tony Renault was the last name to be called, the bravos and the cheers were just as strong. A good classmate, as obliging as he was daring, and spontaneous by nature, he had only friends among the Antillean School's boarders.

Upon the calling of his name, each laureate had come up to the platform to shake hands with Mr. Ardagh; then, each had regained his place among the less-fortunate classmates who celebrated them wholeheartedly.

One cannot help but notice the diversity in the names of the nine laureates, indicating their different national origins. This diversity was explained by the fact that the academic establishment that Mr. Julian Ardagh directed, at 314 Oxford Street in London, was known, and with great repute, by the name of the Antillean School.

This institution, founded fifteen years earlier, was for the sons of colonists from the Greater and Lesser Antilles — or Antilie, as it is currently known. It was here that the students came to begin, continue, or finish their studies in England. They generally stayed until their twenty-first birthday and received a very practical as well as a very complete education in all matters literary, scientific, industrial, and commercial. The Antillean School was home to about sixty boarders who paid a substantial tuition. They came out of it prepared for any career, whether they planned to remain in Europe or return to the Antilles, if their families had not left that part of the West Indies.

During the course of the academic year, it was rare not to find — in unequal numbers — Spaniards, Danish, English, French, Dutch, Swedish, even Venezuelans, all originating from the Windward and Leeward archipelago whose control was shared by both European and American powers.

Mr. Julian Ardagh, along with the help of some very distinguished teachers, directed this international school designed for young Antilleans. At fifty years old, he was a serious and cautious administrator who justly deserved the trust of his students' families. He had a faculty of undeniable merit who worked under his direction, whether in the humanities, the sciences, or the arts. The Antillean School also did not neglect physical fitness and engaged in sports recommended and played in the United Kingdom such as cricket, boxing, water jousting, fencing, croquet, soccer, swimming, dancing, horseback-riding, cycling, rowing, and finally all the styles of modern gymnastics.

Mr. Ardagh also tried to strengthen and fuse the young men's diverse temperaments and mixed personalities, which such different nationalities present. He tried to turn his boarders into "Antilleans" and to inspire in them a lasting friendship for each other. He was not as successful as he would have liked. Sometimes, racial instincts, more powerful than good examples and good advice, won the day. All in all, however, even if only traces of this integration remained after they left the school, it should yield results in the future, and the system of co-education was praiseworthy and a great credit to the Oxford Street establishment.

Needless to say, the boarders were fluent in the multiple languages used in the West Indies. Mr. Ardagh even had the ingenious idea to impose their use, one at a time, during classes and recreation. One week, English was spoken; the next, French was spoken; then Dutch, Spanish, Danish, and Swedish. Without a doubt, the Anglo-Saxon students were the majority at this establishment, and perhaps they tried to impose a sort of physical and moral domination.

But the other Antillean islands were represented in adequate proportion. Even the island of Saint Barthélemy, the only Scandinavian colony, claimed several students, among whom was Magnus Anders, fifth-place winner in the competition.

All in all, the task of Mr. Ardagh and his peers was not exempt from certain practical difficulties. It was necessary to have a true spirit of justice, a sure and consistent method, an apt and firm hand in order to prevent rivalries springing up among these wealthy young heirs.

In fact, concerning the competition, one might have feared that, when the laureates were announced, personal ambitions might have caused some disagreement, protests, or jealousy. In the end, the results had been satisfactory: a Frenchman and an Englishman earned first place, having received the same number of points. It is also true that, even if it were one of Queen Victoria's subjects who came in the next-to-the-last place, it was again a citizen of the French Republic who arrived in last place, Tony Renault, of whom none of the boarders appeared to be jealous. In between, diverse natives of the English, French, Danish, Dutch, and Swedish Antilles followed in the rankings. Yet there were no winners from Venezuela or Spain, even though there were about fifteen of them at the school at that time. One may remark, as an aside, that this particular year, the students from Cuba, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico — that is, the Greater Antilles — who numbered between twelve and fifteen at the school, were among the youngest ones and had been restricted from participating in the competition, which required them to be at least seventeen years old.

Indeed, the exam had covered not only scientific and literary subjects, but also — to no one's surprise — questions of ethnology, geography, and commerce that dealt with the Antillean archipelago; its history, past, present, and future; and its relations with the different European states who, after the haphazard nature of the first discoveries, had later attached some of them to their colonial empires.

So then, what was the purpose of this contest? What prizes did the laureates gain? It made a series of travel scholarships available to them that would allow them to quench, for a few months, their thirst for exploration and travel, so natural in young men who had not yet celebrated their twenty-first birthdays.

So there were nine of them who, thanks to their ranking, were able to go, perhaps not around the whole globe, as the majority among them would have liked, but to some interesting region of the Old or perhaps even the New World.

And who had had the idea to fund these travel scholarships? It was a rich Antillean lady of English origin, Mrs. Kathleen Seymour, who lived in Barbados, one of the British colonies in the archipelago, and whose name had just been mentioned for the first time by Mr. Ardagh.

Imagine how this name was greeted by the audience and how strongly their shouts of appreciation resounded in the courtyard: "Hip! ... hip! ... hip! ... hurrah! ... for Mrs. Seymour!" Even though the director had revealed the benefactress's name, the question still remained as to where they would travel. Neither he nor anyone else knew it yet. But in twenty-four hours this would become clear. The director would cable the results of the contest to Barbados, and Mrs. Seymour would answer him by telegram indicating the region that the laureates would be visiting.

One can easily imagine the speed with which opinions were exchanged among the students, whose thoughts flew already to the most fascinating countries, the farthest as well as the most unknown ones in this sub-lunar world. Undoubtedly, they would be effusive or reserved according to each one's temperament or personality, but the truth is that they were all enthusiastic.

"I'd like to think," said Roger Hinsdale, English to the tip of his toes, "that we will visit some part of the British colonial domain, and it is vast enough to be able to choose ..."

"It'll be central Africa," remarked Louis Clodion, "the famous portentosa Africa, as our fine professor of economy says, and we will walk in the footsteps of the great discoverers!"

"No ... an exploration of the polar regions!" said Magnus Anders, who would have gladly followed in the footsteps of his glorious compatriot Nansen.

"I hope that it be Australia," said John Howard. "There still remains much to discover there — even after Tasman, Dampier, Burs, Van-couver, Baudin, Dumont d'Urville. there are many discoveries to be made and perhaps even some gold mines to work!"

"Rather some beautiful region of Europe," wished Albertus Leuwen, whose Dutch character was not prone to exaggerations. "Who knows, even a simple excursion to Scotland or Ireland."

"Come on, now!" exclaimed the exuberant Tony Renault. "I bet we'll travel around the world."

"Let's see," declared the wise Axel Wickborn, "we will only count on seven to eight weeks, so the destination will have to be restricted to neighboring countries."

The young Dane was right. In fact, their families would not have accepted an absence of several months, which would have exposed their sons to the dangers of a more extensive expedition, and Mr. Ardagh would not have taken the responsibility.

So, after discussing Mrs. Seymour's intentions regarding the projected excursion, there ensued another discussion about the manner in which the trip would take place.

"Will we do it by foot, as tourists backpacking with walking sticks?" asked Hubert Perkins.

"No, by car ... by mail coach!" offered Niels Harboe.

"By train," replied Albertus Leuwen, "with open tickets and under the Cook Agency's sponsorship."

"I believe that it will take place rather on board a big ship, perhaps a transatlantic," declared Magnus Anders, who saw himself already in the middle of the ocean.

"No, by air balloon," exclaimed Tony Renault, "and on the way to the North Pole!"

The discussion continued on in this way, uselessly perhaps, full of the passion so typical of young men. Even though Roger Hinsdale and Louis Clodion showed more reserve, no one wanted to back down from his opinion.

This made the director intervene, if not to make them agree, at least to ask that they wait for the answer that the telegram he had expedited to Barbados would elicit.

"Patience!" he said. "I have sent the names of all the laureates, your ranking and your nationalities, to Mrs. Seymour, and the generous lady will make known her intentions about the travel scholarships. If she answers by cable today, in a few hours we will know what to expect. If she answers by letter, we will have to wait six or seven days. And now, off to your studies and your work!" "Six days!" whined that rascal Tony Renault, "I'll never make it!" Perhaps he was expressing some of his classmates' feelings as well — Hubert Perkins, Niels Harboe, Axel Wickborn — whose temperaments were almost as volatile as his. Louis Clodion and Roger Hinsdale, the contest's two ex æquo, showed more poise. As far as the Swedish and the Dutch, they did not stray from their typical demeanor. But had the Antillean School had any American boarders, the prize for patience would very probably not have been given to them.

In reality, the extreme excitement of their young minds was understandable: not knowing the region of the world where Mrs. Seymour was going to send them! Furthermore, we must mention that it was only mid-June and, if the time devoted to the trip was going to fall during the vacation period, the departure would not take place for another six weeks.

Mr. Ardagh believed, as did the majority of the Antillean School, this was the most likely case. Under these conditions, the young scholars' absence would not last more than two months. They would be back for the beginning of classes in October, which would satisfy both the families and the school's personnel.

Consequently, given the duration of summer vacation, it could not be an expedition to very distant regions. The wisest ones thus avoided imagining travel through the steppes of Siberia, the desert of central Asia, the forests of Africa, or the grassy plains of America. Without leaving the old continent or even Europe, there were many interesting regions to visit outside of the United Kingdom: Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Greece! What memories to record in a tourist journal and what new impressions for those young Antilleans who were, for the most part, only children when they had crossed the Atlantic coming from America to Europe. Even reduced to the countries neighboring England, this trip would thoroughly excite their impatience and curiosity.

Since the telegram did not arrive that day nor in the days immediately following, it seemed the one sent by the director would have a letter for an answer, a letter sent from Barbados addressed to Mr. Julian Ardagh, the Antillean School, 314 Oxford Street, London, United Kingdom, Great Britain.

It is time for an explanation about the word "Antillean" that appeared over the door of the institution. No one doubts that it was created on purpose. Indeed, in the terminology of British geography, the Antilles are called Carribee Islands. On the maps from the United Kingdom as on those from America, they are not called anything else. But Carribee Islands means "islands of the Caribbean," and that word recalls too vividly the fierce natives of the archipelago, scenes of massacre and cannibalism that were the scourge of the West Indies. Could one imagine that abominable title on the prospectus of the establishment: Caribbean School? Would it not make one think that students there were taught the art of killing each other or recipes for cooking humans? Therefore, "Antillean School" had seemed more appropriate for the young men coming from the Antilles, to whom it provided a purely European education.

So, without a telegram, they had to wait for a letter — unless this contest for travel scholarships had been nothing but a bad joke. Of course not! Mrs. Seymour and Mr. Ardagh had exchanged correspondence. The generous lady was not an imaginary being at all; she lived in Barbados, she had been known there for a long time, and she was believed to be one of the richest proprietors in the island.

Now, there was nothing left to do except show a good amount of patience and watch the mail from overseas every morning and every evening. It goes without saying, it was above all the nine laureates who occupied the windows facing Oxford Street in order to spot the neighborhood's mailman. No matter how far away his red tunic appeared — and we know that red can be seen at a great distance — those students descended the stairs four at a time, emerged into the main courtyard, ran toward the big gate, called the mailman, made him dizzy with all their questions, and stopped just short of grabbing his mail box.

No! No letters from the Antilles, none! Was it not time to send a second cable to Mrs. Seymour in order to be sure that the first one had arrived at her address, and to suggest that she telegraph her answer?

And so, inside those vivid imaginations sprung a thousand fears explaining this inexplicable delay. Had bad weather stranded the ship that carries the mail between the Antilles and England? Had it sunk following a collision? Had it crashed into some unknown reef? Had Barbados disappeared in one of those earthquakes that are so horrible in the West Indies? Had the generous lady perished in one of these cataclysms? Had France, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, or the United Kingdom just lost the most important assets of their colonial empires in the New World?

"No, no," repeated Mr. Ardagh, "such a catastrophe would be known! All the details would have appeared in the newspapers!"

"Hey!" answered Tony Renault. "If the transatlantic ships carried pigeons, we would always know if they are on the right course!" Very true, but such "colombogrammes" were not yet in service at that time, which the boarders of the Antillean School regretted.

Nonetheless, this state of affairs could not last long. The teachers were not succeeding in calming their troubled minds. No student worked anymore in class or in the study halls. Not only the contest laureates, but also their classmates — all the students — were thinking about everything other than their studies.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Travel Scholarships"
by .
Copyright © 2013 Volker Dehs.
Excerpted by permission of Wesleyan University Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

<P>Preface<BR>Introduction<BR>PART I<BR>The Competition<BR>Mrs. Seymour's Ideas<BR>Mr. and Mrs. Patterson<BR>The Blue Fox Tavern<BR>A Daring Move<BR>Masters of the Ship<BR>The Three-Masted Schooner Alert<BR>On Board<BR>In Full View From Land<BR>A Breeze from the Northeast<BR>At Sea<BR>Crossing the Atlantic<BR>The Aviso Essex<BR>Saint Thomas and Saint Croix<BR>Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy<BR>PART II<BR>Antigua<BR>Guadeloupe<BR>Dominica<BR>Martinique<BR>Saint Lucia<BR>Barbados<BR>Starting the Crossing<BR>Night Comes<BR>Will Mitz<BR>Fogbound<BR>Masters on Board<BR>Three Days<BR>Into the Unknown<BR>Journey's End<BR>Notes<BR>Bibliography<BR>Jules Gabriel Verne: A Biography<BR>About the Contributors</P>

What People are Saying About This

Terry Harpold

“Stylistically and narratively complex and unsparing in its depictions of menace and violence, Travel Scholarships gives further evidence that Verne’s reputation as primarily a children’s author has to be opened to nuance and even outright contestation, even when he is writing for children.”

Peter Schulman

“Travel Scholarships is a found treasure. An unexpected treat that will fascinate many a Verne fan, and those interested in a nautical adventure yarn as well.”

From the Publisher

"Travel Scholarships is a found treasure. An unexpected treat that will fascinate many a Verne fan, and those interested in a nautical adventure yarn as well."—Peter Schulman, author of The Sunday of Fiction: The Modern French Eccentric

"Travel Scholarships is a found treasure. An unexpected treat that will fascinate many a Verne fan, and those interested in a nautical adventure yarn as well."—Peter Schulman, author of The Sunday of Fiction: The Modern French Eccentric

"Stylistically and narratively complex and unsparing in its depictions of menace and violence, Travel Scholarships gives further evidence that Verne's reputation as primarily a children's author has to be opened to nuance and even outright contestation, even when he is writing for children."—Terry Harpold, author of Ex-foliations: Reading Machines and the Upgrade Path

Editorial Reviews

"Travel Scholarships is a found treasure. An unexpected treat that will fascinate many a Verne fan, and those interested in a nautical adventure yarn as well."—Peter Schulman, author of The Sunday of Fiction: The Modern French Eccentric

From the Publisher