Ледяной сфинкс
Chapter XIX. Land?
Shelistedtostarboardwithhersternraisedandherbowlowered.Wecouldnothelpthinkingthattheslightestshakewouldcausehertoslidealongtheslopeoftheicebergintothesea.Thecollisionhadbeensoviolentastostaveinsomeoftheplanksofherhull.Afterthefirstcollision,thegalleysituatedbeforethefore-masthadbrokenitsfastenings.ThedoorbetweenCaptainLenGuy’sandthemate’scabinswastornawayfromthehinges.Thetopmastandthetopgallant-masthadcomedownaftertheback-staysparted,andfreshfracturescouldplainlybeseenashighasthecapofthemasthead.
Fragmentsofallkinds,yards,spars,apartofthesails,breakers,cases,hen-coops,wereprobablyfloatingatthefootofthemassanddriftingwithit.
ThemostalarmingpartofoursituationwasthefactthatofthetwoboatsbelongingtotheHalbrane,onehadbeenstoveinwhenwegrounded,andtheother,thelargerofthetwo,wasstillhangingonbyitstacklestothestarboarddavits.Beforeanythingelsewasdonethisboathadtobeputinasafeplace,becauseitmightproveouronlymeansofescape.
Asaresultofthefirstexamination,wefoundthatthelowermastshadremainedintheirplaces,andmightbeofuseifeverwesucceededinreleasingtheschooner.Buthowwerewetoreleaseherfromherbedintheiceandrestorehertohernaturalelement?
WhenIfoundmyselfwithCaptainLenGuy,themate,andtheboatswain,Iquestionedthemonthissubject.
