Ледяной сфинкс
Chapter XIX. Land?
Wehadnolongertodowithcompletelyfrozenvapour,buthadtodealwiththephenomenoncalledfrost-rime,whichoftenoccursinthesehighlatitudes.CaptainLenGuyrecognizeditbythequantityofprismaticthreads,thepointfollowingthewindwhichroughenedthelightice-crustdepositedonthesidesoftheiceberg.Navigatorsknowbetterthantoconfoundthisfrost-rimewiththehoarfrostofthetemperatezones,whichonlyfreezeswhenithasbeendepositedonthesurfaceofthesoil.
Wewerenowenabledtoestimatethesizeofthesolidmassonwhichweclusteredlikefliesonasugar-loaf,andtheschooner,seenfrombelow,lookednobiggerthantheyawlofatradingvessel.
Thisicebergofbetweenthreeandfourhundredfathomsincircumferencemeasuredfrom130to140feethigh.Accordingtoallcalculations,therefore,itsdepthwouldbefourorfivetimesgreater,anditwouldconsequentlyweighmillionsoftons.
Thisiswhathadhappened:
Theiceberg,havingbeenmeltedawayatitsbasebycontactwithwarmerwaters,hadrisenlittlebylittle;itscentreofgravityhadbecomedisplaced,anditsequilibriumcouldonlybere-establishedbyasuddencapsize,whichhadliftedupthepartthathadbeenunderneathabovethesea-level.TheHalbrane,caughtinthismovement,washoistedasbyanenormouslever.Numbersoficebergscapsizethusonthepolarseas,andformoneofthegreatestdangerstowhichapproachingvesselsareexposed.
Ourschoonerwascaughtinahollowonthewestsideoftheiceberg.
