Ледяной сфинкс
Chapter XX. “Unmerciful Disaster“
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TherewasgoodsenseinHurliguerly’swords;Icouldnotdenythefact.
Duringthatdaythegreaterpartofthecargowasplacedintheinteriorofavastcave-likefissureinthesideoftheiceberg,where,evenincaseofasecondcollision,casksandbarrelswouldbeinsafety.OurmenthenassistedEndicotttosetuphiscooking-stovebetweentwoblocks,sothatitwasfirmlyfixed,andtheyheapedupagreatmassofcoalsclosetoit.
Nomurmurs,norecriminationdisturbedtheselabours.Itwasevidentthatsilencewasdeliberatelymaintained.ThecrewobeyedthecaptainandWestbecausetheygavenoordersbutsuchaswereofurgentnecessity.But,afterwards,wouldthesemenallowtheauthorityoftheirleaderstobeuncontested?HowlongwouldtherecruitsfromtheFalklands,whowerealreadyexasperatedbythedisastersofourenterprise,resisttheirdesiretoseizeupontheboatandescape?
Ididnotthinktheywouldmaketheattempt,however,solongasouricebergshouldcontinuetodrift,fortheboatcouldnotoutstripitsprogress;but,ifitweretorunagroundoncemore,tostrikeuponthecoastofanislandoracontinent,whatwouldnottheseunfortunatecreaturesdotoescapethehorrorsofwinteringundersuchconditions?
Intheafternoon,duringthehourofrestallowedtothecrew,IhadasecondconversationwithDirkPeters.Ihadtakenmycustomaryseatatthetopoftheiceberg,andhadoccupieditforhalfanhour,being,asmaybesupposed,deepinthought,whenIsawthehalf-breedcomingquicklyuptheslope.
