Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter XXVI. A Little Remnant
TheonlythingtoberegrettedisthatweshallhavetogetashoreagaininAustraliaorNewZealand,insteadofcastinganchorattheKerguelens,nearthequayofChristmasHarbour,infrontoftheGreenCormorant.”
Foraweekwepursuedourcoursewithoutdeviationtoeastorwest,anditwasnotuntilthe21stofMarchthattheParacutalostsightofHalbraneLand,beingcarriedtowardsthenorthbythecurrent,whilethecoast-lineofthecontinent,forsuchweareconvinceditis,trendedinaroundcurvetothenorth-east.
Althoughthewatersofthisportionofseawerestillopen,theycarriedaflotillaoficebergsorice-fields.Hencearoseseriousdifficultiesandalsodangerstonavigationinthemidstofthegloomymists,whenwehadtomanoeuvrebetweenthesemovingmasses,eithertofindpassageortopreventourlittlecraftfrombeingcrushedlikegrainbetweenthemillstones.
Besides,CaptainLenGuycouldnolongerascertainhispositioneitherinlatitudeorlongitude.Thesunbeingabsent,calculationsbythepositionofthestarswastoocomplicated,itwasimpossibletotakealtitudes,andtheParacutaabandonedherselftotheactionofthecurrent,whichinvariablyboreusnorthward,asthecompassindicated.Bykeepingthereckoningofitsmediumspeed,however,weconcludedthatonthe27thofMarchourboatwasbetweenthesixty-ninthandthesixty-eighthparallels,thatistosay,someseventymilesonlyfromtheAntarcticCircle.
