Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XIII. Along the Front of the Icebergs
Twoorthreetimesthecaptainapproachedwithintwomilesoftheicebergs.Itwasimpossiblebutthatthevastmassmusthavebeensubjectedtoclimatericinfluences;rupturesmustsurelyhavetakenplaceatsomepoints.
Buthissearchhadnoresult,andwehadtofallbackintothecurrentfromwesttoeast.
Imustobserveatthispointthatduringalloursearchweneverdescriedlandortheappearanceoflandoutatsea,asindicatedonthechartsofprecedingnavigators.Thesemapsareincomplete,nodoubt,butsufficientlyexactintheirmainlines.Iamawarethatshipshaveoftenpassedovertheindicatedbearingsofland.This,however,wasnotadmissibleinthecaseofTsalal.IftheJanehadbeenabletoreachtheislands,itwasbecausethatportionoftheAntarcticseawasfree,andinso“early”ayear,weneednotfearanyobstacleinthatdirection.
Atlast,onthe19th,betweentwoandthreeo’clockintheafternoon,ashoutfromthecrow’s-nestwasheard.
“Whatisit?”roaredWest.
“Theicebergwallissplitonthesouth-east.”
“Whatisbeyond?”
“Nothinginsight.”
IttookWestverylittletimetoreachthepointofobservation,andweallwaitedbelow,howimpatientlymaybeimagined.Whatifthelook-outweremistaken,ifsomeopticaldelusion?—ButWest,atallevents,wouldmakenomistake.
Afterteninterminableminuteshisclearvoicereachedusonthedeck.
“Opensea!”hecried.
Unanimouscheersmadeanswer
