Ледяной сфинкс
Chapter XIX. Land?
IhadnotyethadanopportunityofspeakingtoDirkPeterssincethecatastrophe.Ashehadansweredtohisname,Iknewhewasnotnumberedamongthevictims.Atthismoment,Iperceivedhimstandingonanarrowprojection;needlesstospecifythedirectioninwhichhiseyeswereturned.
CaptainLenGuy,themate,theboatswain,Hardy,andMartinHolt,whomIaccompanied,wentupagaintowardstheschoonerinordertomakeaminuteinvestigationofthehull.Onthestarboardsidetheoperationwouldbeeasyenough,becausetheHalbranehadalisttotheoppositeside.Ontheportsidewewouldhavetoslidealongtothekeelaswellaswecouldbyscoopingouttheice,inordertoinsuretheinspectionofeverypartoftheplanking.
Afteranexaminationwhichlastedtwohours,itwasdiscoveredthatthedamagewasoflittleimportance,andcouldberepairedinashorttime.Twoorthreeplanksonlywerewrenchedawaybythecollision.Intheinsidetheskinwasintact,theribsnothavinggivenway.Ourvessel,constructedforthepolarseas,hadresistedwheremanyotherslesssolidlybuiltwouldhavebeendashedtopieces.Therudderhadindeedbeenunshipped,butthatcouldeasilybesetright.
Havingfinishedourinspectioninsideandoutside,weagreedthatthedamagewaslessconsiderablethanwefeared,andonthatsubjectwebecamereassured.Reassured!Yes,ifwecouldonlysucceedingettingtheschoonerafloatagain.
