Крижаний сфінкс
Chapter VI. An Ocean Waif
”
SothenfornearlythreemonthsPatterson’sbodyhadlainonthesurfaceofthisice-waifwhichwehadmetonourwayfromtheKerguelenstoTristand’Acunha!Ah!whyhadwenotsavedthemateoftheJane!
Ihadtoyieldtoevidence.CaptainLenGuy,whoknewPatterson,hadrecognizedhiminthisfrozencorpse!ItwasindeedhewhoaccompaniedthecaptainoftheJanewhenhehadinterredthatbottle,containingtheletterwhichIhadrefusedtobelieveauthentic,attheKerguelens.Yes!forelevenyears,thesurvivorsoftheEnglishschoonerhadbeencastawaytherewithoutanyhopeofsuccour.
LenGuyturnedtomeandsaid,“Doyoubelieve—now?”
“Ibelieve,”saidI,falteringly;“butCaptainWilliamGuyoftheJane,andCaptainLenGuyoftheHalbrane—”
“Arebrothers!”hecriedinaloudvoice,whichwasheardbyallthecrew.
Thenweturnedoureyesoncemoretotheplacewherethelumpoficehadbeenfloating;butthedoubleinfluenceofthesolarraysandthewatersinthislatitudehadproduceditseffect,notraceofthedeadman’slastrefugeremainedonthesurfaceofthesea.
