Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XXII. In Camp
Hurliguerly,whoobservedhiscomradesclosely,appearedlessanxious.
OnthatsameeveningCaptainLenGuy,havingreassembledhispeople,statedthatthequestionshouldbediscussedonthemorrow,addingthat,ifitweredecidedintheaffirmative,lotsshouldbedrawnimmediately.Noreplywasmade.
Itwaslate,andhalfdarkoutside,foratthisdatethesunwasontheedgeofthehorizon,andwouldverysoondisappearbelowit.
IhadbeenasleepforsomehourswhenIwasawakenedbyagreatshoutingatashortdistance.Isprangupinstantlyanddartedoutofthecavern,simultaneouslywiththecaptainandWest,whohadalsobeensuddenlyarousedfromsleep.
“Theboat!theboat!”criedWest.
Theboatwasnolongerinitsplace—thatplacesojealouslyguardedbyDirkPeters.
Aftertheyhadpushedtheboatintothesea,threemenhadgotintoitwithbalesandcasks,whiletenothersstrovetocontrolthehalf-breed.
Hearnewasthere,andMartinHoltalso;thelatter,itseemedtome,wasnotinterfering.
Thesewretches,then,intendedtodepartbeforethelotsweredrawn;theymeanttoforsakeus.TheyhadsucceededinsurprisingDirkPeters,andtheywouldhavekilledhim,hadhenotfoughthardforlife.
Inthefaceofthismutiny,knowingourinferiorityofnumbers,andnotknowingwhetherhemightcountonalltheoldcrew,CaptainLenGuyre-enteredthecavernwithWestinordertoprocurearms.Hearneandhisaccompliceswerearmed.
