Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XIII. Along the Front of the Icebergs
Underthesecircumstances,noneofthemengrumbled,butHuntdistinguishedhimselfbyhisactivity.Indeed,hewasadmittedbyCaptainLenGuyandthecrewtobeanincomparableseaman.Buttherewassomethingmysteriousabouthimthatexcitedthecuriosityofthemall.
AtthisdatetheHalbranecouldnotbeveryfarfromtheicebergs.Ifsheheldoninhercourseinthatdirectionshewouldcertainlyreachthembeforelong,andwouldthenhaveonlytoseekforapassage.Hitherto,however,thelook-outhadnotbeenabletomakeoutbetweentheicebergsanunbrokencrestoficebeyondtheice-fields.
Constantandminuteprecautionswereindispensablealldayonthe16th,forthehelm,whichwasloosenedbymercilessblowsandbumps,wasindangerofbeingunshipped.
Theseamammalshadnotforsakentheseseas.Whaleswereseeningreatnumbers,anditwasafairy-likespectaclewhenseveralofthemspoutedsimultaneously.Withfin-backsandhump-backs,porpoisesofcolossalsizeappeared,andtheseHearneharpoonedcleverlywhentheycamewithinrange.Thefleshofthesecreatureswasmuchrelishedonboard,afterEndicotthadcookeditinhisbestmanner.
AsfortheusualAntarcticbirds,petrels,pigeons,andcormorants,theypassedinscreamingflocks,andlegionsofpenguins,rangedalongtheedgesoftheice-fields,watchedtheevolutionsoftheschooner.Thesepenguinsaretherealinhabitantsofthesedismalsolitudes,andnaturecouldnothavecreatedatypemoresuitedtothedesolationoftheglacialzone.
