# IV explained — The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket > Chapter companion for The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe. ## What happens Augustus recounts the events following his last visit to Pym in the hold. He was unable to return for several days due to the bustle on board. When he finally descended, he found Pym in a deep, prolonged sleep caused by the fumes of old fish-oil. Before he could wake him, a mutiny erupted on deck. Augustus witnessed the first mate and seven crew members, including the cook, attack and bind Captain Barnard. The mutineers then systematically executed twenty-two loyal crew members by axing them and throwing them overboard. The remaining four prisoners and Augustus were spared due to a drunken dispute among the mutineers, during which the half-Indian Dirk Peters opposed the cook's bloodlust. The captives were set adrift in a small boat without provisions or navigation. Augustus was later discovered trying to reach Pym and was put in irons, but his attempt ultimately led to Pym's eventual rescue. ## Themes in this chapter ### Survival and Moral Decay The mutineers' brutal massacre of the crew and the cook's demonic behavior illustrate the moral decay that accompanies the struggle for power and survival at sea. ### Mutiny and Rebellion The chapter centers on a violent mutiny led by the first mate and the cook, resulting in the overthrow of Captain Barnard and the execution of most of the loyal crew. ## Character check-ins ### Arthur Gordon Pym Pym is asleep in the hold for over three days due to the soporific effects of fish-oil fumes, unaware of the mutiny. ### Augustus Barnard Augustus tries to visit Pym but is interrupted by the mutiny; he witnesses the massacre, is spared, and later attempts to reach Pym but is caught and put in irons. ### Dirk Peters Peters, a half-Indian line-manager, opposes the cook's bloodlust and saves Augustus from being killed, showing some kindness. ### Richard Parker Parker is one of the four prisoners set adrift in the boat after the mutiny. ### Captain Barnard Captain Barnard is attacked, tied up, and left dying with a deep wound to the forehead during the mutiny. ### Jones Jones is mentioned as one of the four prisoners set adrift in the boat. ## Key lines > Augustus called to me at first in a low voice and without closing the trap—but I made him no reply. He then shut the trap, and spoke to me in a louder, and finally in a very loud tone—still I continued to snore. Augustus tried to wake Pym by calling softly, then louder, but Pym remained asleep and snoring. _Pym's deep sleep is caused by the fumes, preventing him from responding to Augustus._ > The bound seamen were dragged to the gangway. Here the cook stood with an axe, striking each victim on the head as he was forced over the side of the vessel by the other mutineers. In this manner twenty-two perished. The mutineers dragged the tied-up sailors to the side of the ship, where the cook axed each one in the head before throwing them overboard, killing twenty-two men. _This describes the systematic execution of the loyal crew members._ > The black cook, however (who in all respects was a perfect demon, and who seemed to exert as much influence, if not more, than the mate himself), would listen to no proposition of the kind, and rose repeatedly for the purpose of resuming his work at the gangway. The cook, described as a demon, refused to spare the prisoners and kept trying to continue the executions. _The cook's relentless bloodlust is a key element of the mutiny's brutality._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/iv - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters