Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter V. Edgar Poe’s Romance
ThenDirkPetersrushedupontheothers,secondedbyAugustusBarnard,ArthurPym,andthedogTiger.InafewmomentsallwerestrangledorknockedontheheadsaveRichardParker,thesailor,whoselifewasspared.
Andnow,whilethetempestwasinfullforce,onlyfourmenwerelefttoworkthebrig,whichwaslabouringterriblywithsevenfeetofwaterinherhold.Theyhadtocutdownthemainmast,and,whenmorningcame,themizen.Thatdaywastrulyawful,thenightwasmoreawfulstill!IfDirkPetersandhiscompanionshadnotlashedthemselvessecurelytotheremainsoftherigging,theymusthavebeencarriedawaybyatremendoussea,whichdroveinthehatchesoftheGrampus.
Thenfollowsintheromanceaminuterecordoftheseriesofincidentsensuinguponthissituation,fromthe14thofJulytothe7thofAugust;thefishingforvictualsinthesubmergedhold,thecomingofamysteriousbrigladenwithcorpses,whichpoisonedtheatmosphereandpassedonlikeahugecoffin,thesportofawindofdeath;thetormentsofhungerandthirst;theimpossibilityofreachingtheprovisionstore;thedrawingoflotsbystraws—theshortestgaveRichardParkertobesacrificedforthelifeoftheotherthree—thedeathofthatunhappyman,whowaskilledbyDirkPetersanddevoured;lastly,thefindingintheholdofajarofolivesandasmallturtle.
OwingtothedisplacementofhercargotheGrampusrolledandpitchedmoreandmore.Thefrightfulheatcausedthetortureofthirsttoreachtheextremelimitofhumanendurance,andonthe1stofAugust,AugustusBarnarddied.
