Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter V. Edgar Poe’s Romance
ThenitwasthatArthurPymandDirkPetersentereduponaregionofnoveltyandwonder.Abovethehorizonlineroseabroadbaroflightgreyvapour,stripedwithlongluminousrays,suchasareprojectedbythepolaraurora.Averystrongcurrentcametotheaidofthebreeze.Theboatsailedrapidlyuponaliquidsurfaceofmilkyaspect,exceedinglyhot,andapparentlyagitatedfrombeneath.Afinewhiteash-dustbegantofall,andthisincreasedtheterrorofNu-Nu,whoselipstrembledoverhistworowsofblackivory.
Onthe9thofMarchthisrainofashesfellinredoubledvolume,andthetemperatureofthewaterrosesohighthatthehandcouldnolongerbearit.Theimmensecurtainofvapour,spreadoverthedistantperimeterofthesouthernhorizonresembledaboundlesscataractfallingnoiselesslyfromtheheightofsomehugerampartlostintheheightoftheheavens.
Twelvedayslater,itwasdarknessthathungoverthesewaters,darknessfurrowedbyluminousstreaksdartingfromthemilkydepthsoftheAntarcticOcean,whiletheincessantshowerofash-dustfellandmeltedinitswaters.
TheboatapproachedthecataractwithanimpetuousvelocitywhosecauseisnotexplainedinthenarrativeofArthurPym.Inthemidstofthisfrightfuldarknessaflockofgiganticbirds,oflividwhiteplumage,sweptby,utteringtheireternaltékéli-li,andthenthesavage,inthesupremethroesofterror,gaveuptheghost.
Suddenly,inamadwhirlofspeed,theboatrushedintothegraspofthecataract,whereavastgulfseemedreadytoswallowitup
