Крижаний сфінкс

Chapter XIX. Land?

           Wehadnolongertodowithcompletelyfrozenvapour,buthadtodealwiththephenomenoncalledfrost-rime,whichoftenoccursinthesehighlatitudes.CaptainLenGuyrecognizeditbythequantityofprismaticthreads,thepointfollowingthewindwhichroughenedthelightice-crustdepositedonthesidesoftheiceberg.Navigatorsknowbetterthantoconfoundthisfrost-rimewiththehoarfrostofthetemperatezones,whichonlyfreezeswhenithasbeendepositedonthesurfaceofthesoil.

           Wewerenowenabledtoestimatethesizeofthesolidmassonwhichweclusteredlikefliesonasugar-loaf,andtheschooner,seenfrombelow,lookednobiggerthantheyawlofatradingvessel.

           Thisicebergofbetweenthreeandfourhundredfathomsincircumferencemeasuredfrom130to140feethigh.Accordingtoallcalculations,therefore,itsdepthwouldbefourorfivetimesgreater,anditwouldconsequentlyweighmillionsoftons.

           Thisiswhathadhappened:

           Theiceberg,havingbeenmeltedawayatitsbasebycontactwithwarmerwaters,hadrisenlittlebylittle;itscentreofgravityhadbecomedisplaced,anditsequilibriumcouldonlybere-establishedbyasuddencapsize,whichhadliftedupthepartthathadbeenunderneathabovethesea-level.TheHalbrane,caughtinthismovement,washoistedasbyanenormouslever.Numbersoficebergscapsizethusonthepolarseas,andformoneofthegreatestdangerstowhichapproachingvesselsareexposed.

           Ourschoonerwascaughtinahollowonthewestsideoftheiceberg.

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