Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XIX. Land?
However,withaheightofonehundredandfiftyfeet,theirbulkmusthavebeencalculatedbymillionsoftons.Westwaswatchingcloselyinordertoavoidcollisions,anddidnotleavethedeckevenforaninstant.
Untilnow,CaptainLenGuyhadalwaysbeenabletorelyupontheindicationsofthecompass.Themagneticpole,stillhundredsofmilesoff,hadnoinfluenceonthecompass,itsdirectionbeingeast.Theneedleremainedsteady,andmightbetrusted.
So,inspiteofmyconviction,founded,however,onveryseriousarguments,therewasnosignofland,andIwaswonderingwhetheritwouldnotbebettertosteermoretothewest,attheriskofremovingtheHalbranefromthatextremepointwherethemeridiansoftheglobecrosseachother.
Thus,asthehourswentby—andIwasonlyallowedforty-eight—itwasonlytooplainthatlackofcourageprevailed,andthateveryonewasinclinedtobeinsubordinate.
Afteranotherdayandahalf,Icouldnolongercontendwiththegeneraldiscontent.Theschoonermustultimatelyretracehercoursetowardsthenorth.
Thecrewwereworkinginsilence,whilstWestwasgivingsharpshortordersformanoeuvringthroughthechannels,sometimesluffinginordertoavoidacollision,nowbearingawayalmostsquarebeforethewind.Nevertheless,inspiteofaclosewatch,inspiteoftheskillofthesailors,inspiteofthepromptexecutionofthemanoeuvres,dangerousfrictionagainstthehull,whichleftlongtracesoftheridgeoftheicebergs,occurred.
