Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter V. Edgar Poe’s Romance
IfArthurPymistobebelieved,thiswasTsalalIsland!Itstreesresemblednoneofthespeciesinanyotherzoneofourplanet.Thecompositionoftherocksrevealedastratificationunknowntomodernmineralogists.Overthebedofthestreamsranaliquidsubstancewithoutanyappearanceoflimpidity,streakedwithdistinctveins,whichdidnotreunitebyimmediatecohesionwhentheywerepartedbythebladeofaknife!
Klock-Klock,whichweareobligedtodescribeasthechief“town”oftheisland,consistedofwretchedhutsentirelyformedofblackskins;itpossesseddomesticanimalsresemblingthecommonpig,asortofsheepwithablackfleece,twentykindsoffowls,tamealbatross,ducks,andlargeturtlesingreatnumbers.
OnarrivingatKlock-Klock,CaptainWilliamGuyandhiscompanionsfoundapopulation—whichArthurPymestimatedattenthousandsouls,men,women,andchildren—ifnottobefeared,atleasttobekeptatadistance,sonoisyanddemonstrativewerethey.Finally,afteralonghaltatthehutofToo-Wit,thestrangersreturnedtotheshore,wherethe“bêche-de-mer”—thefavouritefoodoftheChinese—wouldprovideenormouscargoes;forthesucculentmolluskismoreabundanttherethaninanyotherpartoftheaustralregions.
CaptainWilliamGuyimmediatelyendeavouredtocometoanunderstandingwithToo-Witonthismatter,requestinghimtoauthorizetheconstructionofshedsinwhichsomeofthemenoftheJanemightpreparethebêche-de-mer,whiletheschoonershouldholdonhercoursetowardsthePole.
