Ледяной сфинкс
Chapter XXII. In Camp
Thecaptain,theboatswain,andmyself,precedingtheothers,werethefirsttoquitthecamp;ourswerethefirsthumanfeettotreadthisvirginandvolcanicsoil.
Wewalkedfortwentyminutesonroughland,strewnwithrocksofigneousorigin,solidifiedlava,dustyslag,andgreyashes,butwithoutenoughclaytogroweventhehardiestplants.
Withsomeriskanddifficulty,CaptainLenGuy,theboatswain,andIsucceededinclimbingthehill;thisexploitoccupiedawholehour.Althougheveninghadnowcome,itbroughtnodarknessinitstrain.Fromthetopofthehillwecouldseeoveranextentoffromthirtytofortymiles,andthiswaswhatwesaw.
Behinduslaytheopensea,ladenwithfloatingmasses;agreatnumberofthesehadrecentlyheapedthemselvesupagainstthebeachandrendereditalmostinaccessible.
Onthewestwasastripofhillyland,whichextendedbeyondoursight,andwaswashedonitseastsidebyaboundlesssea.Itwasevidentthatwehadbeencarriedbythedriftthroughastrait.
Ah!ifwehadonlyhadourHalbrane!Butoursolepossessionwasafrailcraftbarelycapableofcontainingadozenmen,andweweretwenty-three!
Therewasnothingforitbuttogodowntotheshoreagain,tocarrythetentstothebeach,andtakemeasuresinviewofawintersojournundertheterribleconditionsimposeduponusbycircumstances.
Onourreturntothecoasttheboatswaindiscoveredseveralcavernsinthegraniticcliffs,sufficientlyspacioustohouseusallandaffordstorageforthecargooftheHalbrane.
