Межзвёздный скиталец
Chapter 19
WasthisislandsituatedinthefarSouthPacificorthefarSouthAtlantic?Idonotknowenoughofsailing-shiptrackstobecertainwhetherthebrigNegociatorwouldsailfortheFriendlyIslandsviaCapeHornorviatheCapeofGoodHope.Toconfessmyownignorance,notuntilafterIwastransferredtoFolsomdidIlearninwhichoceanweretheFriendlyIslands.TheJapanesemurderer,whomIhavementionedbefore,hadbeenasailmakeronboardtheArthurSewallships,andhetoldmethattheprobablesailingcoursewouldbebywayoftheCapeofGoodHope.Ifthiswereso,thenthedatesofsailingfromPhiladelphiaandofbeingwreckedwouldeasilydeterminewhichocean.Unfortunately,thesailingdateismerely1809.Thewreckmightaslikelyhaveoccurredinoneoceanastheother.
OnlyoncedidI,inmytrances,getahintoftheperiodprecedingthetimespentontheisland.Thisbeginsatthemomentofthebrig’scollisionwiththeiceberg,andIshallnarrateit,iffornootherreason,atleasttogiveanaccountofmycuriouslycoolanddeliberateconduct.Thisconductatthistime,asyoushallsee,waswhatenabledmeintheendtosurvivealoneofalltheship’scompany.
Iwasawakened,inmybunkintheforecastle,byaterrificcrash.Infact,aswastrueoftheothersixsleepingmenofthewatchbelow,awakingandleapingfrombunktofloorweresimultaneous.Weknewwhathadhappened.Theotherswaitedfornothing,rushingonlypartlycladupondeck.
