Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XXV. “We Were the First“
Ourcompasscouldnothaveenabledustodeterminewhetherthemarvelbeforeoureyesreallywasatthemagneticpoleofthesouthernregions.AllIcansayis,thatitsneedlestaggeredabout,helplessanduseless.AndinfacttheexactlocationoftheAntarcticSphinxmatteredlittleinrespectoftheconstitutionofthatartificialloadstone,andthemannerinwhichthecloudsandmetalliclodesupplieditsattractivepower.
InthisveryplausiblefashionIwasledtoexplainthephenomenonbyinstinct.Itcouldnotbedoubtedthatwewereinthevicinityofamagnetwhichproducedtheseterriblebutstrictlynaturaleffectsbyitsattraction.
Icommunicatedmyideatomycompanions,andtheyregardedthisexplanationasconclusive,inpresenceofthephysicalfactsofwhichweweretheactualwitnesses.
“Weshallincurnoriskbygoingtothefootofthemound,Isuppose,”saidCaptainLenGuy.
“None,”Ireplied.
“There—yes—here!”
Icouldnotdescribetheimpressionthosethreewordsmadeuponus.EdgarPoewouldhavesaidthattheywerethreecriesfromthedepthsoftheunderworld.
ItwasDirkPeterswhohadspoken,andhisbodywasstretchedoutinthedirectionofthesphinx,asthoughithadbeenturnedtoironandwasattractedbythemagnet.
Thenhespedswiftlytowardsthesphinx-likemound,andhiscompanionsfollowedhimoverroughgroundstrewnwithvolcanicremainsofallsorts.
Themonstergrewlargeraswenearedit,butlostnoneofitsmythologicalshape.
