Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter V. Edgar Poe’s Romance
Alive—allthree?No!Allenhadbeensodeeplycoveredbytheslidingsoilthathewasalreadysmothered,butArthurPymandDirkPeterscontrivedtodragthemselvesontheirknees,andopeningawaywiththeirbowieknives,toaprojectingmassofharderclay,whichhadresistedthemovementfromabove,andfromthencetheyclimbedtoanaturalplatformattheextremityofawoodedravine.Abovethemtheycouldseethebluesky-roof,andfromtheirpositionwereenabledtosurveythesurroundingcountry.
Anartificiallandslip,cunninglycontrivedbythenatives,hadtakenplace.CaptainWilliamGuyandhistwenty-eightcompanionshaddisappeared;theywerecrushedbeneathmorethanamilliontonsofearthandstones.
Theplainwasswarmingwithnativeswhohadcome,nodoubt,fromtheneighbouringislets,attractedbytheprospectofpillagingtheJane.Seventyboatswerebeingpaddledtowardstheship.Thesixmenonboardfiredonthem,buttheiraimwasuncertaininthefirstvolley;asecond,inwhichmitrailleandgroovedbulletswereused,producedterribleeffect.Nevertheless,theJanebeingboardedbytheswarmingislanders,herdefendersweremassacred,andshewassetonfire.
Finallyaterrificexplosiontookplace—thefirehadreachedthepowderstore—killingathousandnativesandmutilatingasmanymore,whiletheothersfled,utteringthecryoftékéli-li!tékéli-li!
Duringthefollowingweek,ArthurPymandDirkPeters,livingonnutsandbitterns’flesh,escapeddiscoverybythenatives,whodidnotsuspecttheirpresence.
