Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XIX. Land?
Itseemedasthoughachangehadtakenplaceinthemotionoftheschooner,whichwasslidingalongonthesurfaceofthequietsea,withaslightlisttostarboard.Andyet,therewasneitherrollingnorpitching.Yes,Ifeltmyselfcarriedoffasthoughmybunkwerethecarofanair-balloon.Iwasnotmistaken,andIhadfallenfromdreamlandintoreality.
Crashsucceededcrashoverhead.Icouldnotaccountforthem.InsidemycabinthepartitionsdeviatedfromtheverticalinsuchawayastomakeonebelievethattheHalbranehadfallenoveronherbeamends.Almostimmediately,Iwasthrownoutofmybunkandbarelyescapedsplittingmyskullagainstthecornerofthetable.However,Igotupagain,and,clingingontotheedgeofthedoorframe,Iproppedmyselfagainstthedoor.
Atthisinstantthebulwarksbegantocrackandtheportsideoftheshipwastornopen.
CouldtherehavebeenacollisionbetweentheschoonerandoneofthosegiganticfloatingmasseswhichWestwasunabletoavoidinthemist?
Suddenlyloudshoutscamefromtheafter-deck,andthenscreamsofterror,inwhichthemaddenedvoicesofthecrewjoined.
Atlengththerecameafinalcrash,andtheHalbraneremainedmotionless.
Ihadtocrawlalongthefloortoreachthedoorandgainthedeck.CaptainLenGuyhavingalreadylefthiscabin,draggedhimselfonhisknees,sogreatwasthelisttoport,andcaughtonasbesthecould.
Intheforepartoftheship,betweentheforecastleandthefore-mast,manyheadsappeared.
