Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XVIII. A Revelation
Thenhewentaway,leavingmeinexpressiblyaffectedbytherevelationofthetendernessforhisunfortunatecompanionthatlaydeepintheheartofthissemi-savage.
InthemeantimeIsaidbutlittletoCaptainLenGuy,whosewholeheartandsoulweresetontherescueofbrother,ofthepossibilityofourfindingArthurGordonPym.Timeenough,ifinthecourseofthisstrangeenterpriseofourswesucceededinthatobject,tourgeuponhimonestillmorevisionary.
Atlength,onthe7thofJanuary—accordingtoDirkPeters,whohadfixeditonlybythetimethathadexpired—wearrivedattheplacewhereNuNuthesavagebreathedhislast,lyinginthebottomoftheboat.Onthatdayanobservationgave86°33’forthelatitude,thelongituderemainingthesamebetweentheandtheforty-thirdmeridian.Hereitwas,accordingthehalf-breed,thatthetwofugitiveswerepartedafterthecollisionbetweentheboatandthefloatingmassofice.Butaquestionnowarose.SincethemassoficecarryingawayDirkPetershaddriftedtowardsthenorth,wasthisbecauseitwassubjectedtotheactionofacounter-current?
Yes,thatmusthavebeenso,forourschoonerhadnotfelttheinfluenceofthecurrentwhichhadguidedheronleavingtheFalklands,forfullyfourdays.Andyet,therewasnothingsurprisinginthat,foreverythingisvariableintheaustralseas.Happily,thefreshbreezefromthenorth-eastcontinuedtoblow,andtheHalbranemadeprogresstowardhigherwaters,thirteendegreesinadvanceuponWeddell’sshipandtwodegreesupontheJane.
