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.

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