Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XXIV. Eleven Years in a Few Pages
WhenCaptainLenGuytoldhisbrotherofthefindingofthebodyofPatterson,andhowitwasowingtothenotesinhispocket-bookthattheHalbranehadbeenenabledtoproceedtowardstheantarcticseas,WilliamGuyhidhisfaceinhishandsandwept.
Othermisfortunesfolloweduponthisone.
FivemonthsafterthedisappearanceofPatterson,inthemiddleofOctober,TsalalIslandwaslaidwastefromcoasttocoastbyanearthquake,whichdestroyedthesouthwesterngroupalmostentirely.WilliamGuyandhiscompanionsmustsoonhaveperishedonthebarrenland,whichnolongercouldgivethemfood,hadnotthemeansofleavingitscoast,nowmerelyanexpanseoftumbledrocks,beenaffordedtheminanalmostmiraculousmanner.Twodaysaftertheearthquake,thecurrentcarriedashorewithinafewhundredyardsoftheircavernaboatwhichhaddriftedfromtheislandgrouponthesouth-west.
Withoutthedelayofevenoneday,theboatwasladenwithasmuchoftheremainingprovisionsasitcouldcontain,andthesixmenembarkedinit,biddingadieuforevertothenowuninhabitableisland.
Unfortunatelyaverystrongbreezewasblowing;itwasimpossibletoresistit,andtheboatwasdrivensouthwardsbythatverysamecurrentwhichhadcausedouricebergtodrifttothecoastofHalbraneLand.
Fortwomonthsandahalfthesepoorfellowswereborneacrosstheopensea,withnocontrolovertheircourse.Itwasnotuntilthe2ndofJanuaryinthepresentyear(1840)thattheysightedland—eastoftheJaneSound
