Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XXIV. Eleven Years in a Few Pages
Thereisnoneedfordwellingonthisperiod,whichextendsfromtheyear1828totheyear1839.Thewinterswerehard.ThesummerdidindeedextenditsbeneficentinfluencetotheislandsoftheTsalalgroup,butthecoldseason,withitsattendantsnows,rains,andtempests,sparedthemnoneofitsseverity.
DuringsevenmonthsCaptainWilliamGuyhadnotlostoneofthosewhohadcomewithhimsafeandsoundoutofthetrapsetforthematKlock-Klock,andthiswasdue,nodoubt,totheirrobustconstitutions,remarkablepowerofendurance,andgreatstrengthofcharacter.Alas!misfortunewasmakingreadytofallonthem.
ThemonthofMayhadcome—itcorrespondsinthoseregionstothemonthofNovemberinnorthernlands—andtheice-packswhichthecurrentcarriedtowardsthenorthwerebeginningtodriftpastTsalal.Oneday,oneofthesevenmenfailedtoreturntothecavern.Theycalled,theywaited,theysearchedforhim.Allwasinvain.Hedidnotreappear;nodoubthehadbeendrowned.Hewasnevermoreseenbyhisfellow-exiles.
ThismanwasPatterson,thefaithfulcompanionofWilliamGuy.
Now,whatWilliamGuydidnotknow,butwetoldhim,wasthatPatterson—underwhatcircumstancesnonewouldeverlearn—hadbeencarriedawayonthesurfaceofanice-block,wherehediedofhunger.Andonthatice-block,whichhadtravelledsofarasPrinceEdwardIsland,theboatswainhaddiscoveredthecorpseoftheunfortunatemanalmostdecomposedbytheactionofthewarmerwaters.
