Хребты безумия
III
Welaidourabsenceofsixteenhours—alongertimethanourannouncedflying,landing,reconnoitering,androck-collectingprogramcalledfor—toalongmythicalspellofadversewindconditions,andtoldtrulyofourlandingonthefartherfoothills. Fortunatelyourtalesoundedrealisticandprosaicenoughnottotemptanyoftheothersintoemulatingourflight. Hadanytriedtodothat,Iwouldhaveusedeveryounceofmypersuasiontostopthem—andIdonotknowwhatDanforthwouldhavedone. Whileweweregone,Pabodie,Sherman,Ropes,McTighe,andWilliamsonhadworkedlikebeaversoverLake’stwobestplanes,fittingthemagainforusedespitethealtogetherunaccountablejugglingoftheiroperativemechanism.
Wedecidedtoloadalltheplanesthenextmorningandstartbackforouroldbaseassoonaspossible. Eventhoughindirect,thatwasthesafestwaytoworktowardMcMurdoSound;forastraightlineflightacrossthemostutterlyunknownstretchesoftheaeon-deadcontinentwouldinvolvemanyadditionalhazards. Furtherexplorationwashardlyfeasibleinviewofourtragicdecimationandtheruinofourdrillingmachinery. Thedoubtsandhorrorsaroundus—whichwedidnotreveal—madeuswishonlytoescapefromthisaustralworldofdesolationandbroodingmadnessasswiftlyaswecould.
Asthepublicknows,ourreturntotheworldwasaccomplishedwithoutfurtherdisasters. Allplanesreachedtheoldbaseontheeveningofthenextday—January27th—afteraswiftnonstopflight;andonthe28thwemadeMcMurdoSoundintwolaps,theonepausebeingverybrief,andoccasionedbyafaultyrudderinthefuriouswindovertheiceshelfafterwehadclearedthegreatplateau.
