Ледяной сфинкс
Chapter XVI. Tsalal Island
HowwasthiscatastrophetobereconciledwithPatterson’smemoranda?Theentriesinhisnote-bookstatedexplicitlythatthemateoftheJanehadlefthiscompanionsonTsalalIslandsevenmonthspreviously.Theycouldnotthenhaveperishedinthisearthquake,forthestateofthebonesprovedthatithadtakenplaceseveralyearsearlier,andmusthaveoccurredafterthedepartureofArthurPymandDirkPeters,sincenomentionofitwasmadeinthenarrativeoftheformer.
Thesefactswere,then,irreconcilable.Iftheearthquakewasofrecentdate,thepresenceofthosetime-bleachedskeletonscouldnotbeattributedtoitsaction.Inanycase,thesurvivorsoftheJanewerenotamongthem.Butthen,wherewerethey?
ThevalleyofKlock-Klockextendednofarther;wehadtoretraceourstepsinordertoregainthecoast.Wehadhardlygonehalfamileonthecliff’sedgewhenHuntagainstopped,onperceivingsomefragmentsofboneswhichwereturningtodust,anddidnotseemtobethoseofahumanbeing.
WerethesetheremainsofoneofthestrangeanimalsdescribedbyArthurPym,ofwhichwehadnothithertoseenanyspecimens?
Huntsuddenlyutteredacry,orratherasortofsavagegrowl,andheldouthisenormoushand,holdingametalcollar.Yes!abrasscollar,acollareatenbyrust,butbearingletterswhichmightstillbedeciphered.Theselettersformedthethreefollowingwords:—
“Tiger—ArthurPym.
