Ледяной сфинкс
Chapter XXIV. Eleven Years in a Few Pages
Now,wealreadyknewthislandwasnotmorethanfiftymilesfromHalbraneLand.Yes!sosmall,relatively,wasthedistancethatseparatedusfromthosewhomwehadsoughtforintheantarcticregionsfarandwide,andconcerningwhomwehadlosthope.
Theirboathadgoneashorefartothesouth-eastofus.ButonhowdifferentacoastfromthatofTsalalIsland,or,rather,ononehowlikethatofHalbraneLand!Nothingwastobeseenbutsandandstones;neithertrees,shrubs,norplantsofanykind.Theirprovisionswerealmostexhausted;WilliamGuyandhiscompanionsweresoonreducedtoextremewant,andtwoofthelittlecompany,ForbesandSexton,died.
Theremainingfourresolvednottoremainasingledaylongerintheplacewheretheyweredoomedtodieofhunger.Theyembarkedintheboatwiththesmallsupplyoffoodstillremaining,andoncemoreabandonedthemselvestothecurrent,withouthavingbeenabletoverifytheirposition,forwantofinstruments.
Thushadtheybeenborneupontheunknowndeepfortwenty-fivedays,theirresourceswerecompletelyexhausted,andtheyhadnoteatenforforty-eighthours,whentheboat,withitsoccupantslyinginanimateatthebottomofit,wassightedfromHalbraneLand.Therestisalreadyknowntothereaderofthisstrangeeventfulhistory.
AndnowthetwobrotherswereatlengthreunitedinthatremotecornerofthebigworldwhichwehaddubbedHalbraneLand.
