Ледяной сфинкс

Chapter XXIV. Eleven Years in a Few Pages

           

           Thereisnoneedfordwellingonthisperiod,whichextendsfromtheyear1828totheyear1839.Thewinterswerehard.ThesummerdidindeedextenditsbeneficentinfluencetotheislandsoftheTsalalgroup,butthecoldseason,withitsattendantsnows,rains,andtempests,sparedthemnoneofitsseverity.

           DuringsevenmonthsCaptainWilliamGuyhadnotlostoneofthosewhohadcomewithhimsafeandsoundoutofthetrapsetforthematKlock-Klock,andthiswasdue,nodoubt,totheirrobustconstitutions,remarkablepowerofendurance,andgreatstrengthofcharacter.Alas!misfortunewasmakingreadytofallonthem.

           ThemonthofMayhadcome—itcorrespondsinthoseregionstothemonthofNovemberinnorthernlands—andtheice-packswhichthecurrentcarriedtowardsthenorthwerebeginningtodriftpastTsalal.Oneday,oneofthesevenmenfailedtoreturntothecavern.Theycalled,theywaited,theysearchedforhim.Allwasinvain.Hedidnotreappear;nodoubthehadbeendrowned.Hewasnevermoreseenbyhisfellow-exiles.

           ThismanwasPatterson,thefaithfulcompanionofWilliamGuy.

           Now,whatWilliamGuydidnotknow,butwetoldhim,wasthatPatterson—underwhatcircumstancesnonewouldeverlearn—hadbeencarriedawayonthesurfaceofanice-block,wherehediedofhunger.Andonthatice-block,whichhadtravelledsofarasPrinceEdwardIsland,theboatswainhaddiscoveredthecorpseoftheunfortunatemanalmostdecomposedbytheactionofthewarmerwaters.

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