Chapter XXVI. A Little Remnant

           Thatsameday,intheafternoon,theParacutadepartedfromthecoastoftheLandoftheSphinx,whichhadlaintothewestofussincethe21stofFebruary.

           BythedeathofDirkPetersthenumberofthepassengerswasreducedtotwelve.Thesewereallwhoremainedofthedoublecrewofthetwoschooners,thefirstcomprisingthirty-eightmen,thesecond,thirty-two;inallseventysouls.ButletitnotbeforgottenthatthevoyageoftheHalbranehadbeenundertakeninfulfillmentofadutytohumanity,andfourofthesurvivorsoftheJaneowedtheirrescuetoit.

           Andnowthereremainsbutlittletotell,andthatmustberelatedassuccinctlyaspossible.Itisunnecessarytodwelluponourreturnvoyage,whichwasfavouredbytheconstancyofthecurrentsandthewindtothenortherncourse.Thelastpartofthevoyagewasaccomplishedamidgreatfatigue,suffering,andbutitendedinoursafedeliverancefromallthese.

           Firstly,afewdaysafterourdeparturefromtheLandoftheSphinx,thesunsetbehindthewesternhorizontoreappearnomoreforthewholewinter.Itwastheninthemidstofthesemi-darknessoftheaustralnightthattheParacutapursuedhermonotonouscourse.True,thesouthernpolarlightswerefrequentlyvisible;buttheywerenotthesun,thatsingleorbofdaywhichhadilluminedourhorizonsduringthemonthsoftheAntarcticsummer,andtheircapricioussplendourcouldnotreplacehisunchanginglight.