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A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder, Chapter 3. A World of Fire and Desolation

Chapter 3. A World of Fire and Desolation

At the sight of that deep-red glow various feelings arose within us: in me there was new dejection; in Agnew there was stronger hope. I could not think but that it was our ship that was on fire, and was burning before our eyes. Agnew thought that it was some burning forest, and that it showed our approach to some habitable and inhabited land. For hour after hour we watched, and all the time the current drew us nearer, and the glow grew brighter and more intense. At last we were too weak to watch any longer, and we fell asleep.

On waking our first thoughts were about the fire, and we looked eagerly around. It was day, but the sky was as gloomy as ever, and the fire was there before our eyes, bright and terrible. We could now see it plainly, and discern the cause also. The fire came from two points, at some distance apart--two peaks rising above the horizon, from which there burst forth flames and smoke with incessant explosions. All was now manifest. It was no burning ship, no blazing forest, no land inhabited by man: those blazing peaks were two volcanoes in a state of active eruption, and at that sight I knew the worst.

"I know where we are now," I said, despairingly. "Where?" asked Agnew.

"That," said I, "is the antarctic continent." "The antarctic fiddlestick," said he, contemptuously. "It is far more likely to be some volcanic island in the South Sea. There's a tremendous volcano in the Sandwich Islands, and these are something like it." "I believe," said I, "that these are the very volcanoes that Sir James Ross discovered last year." "Do you happen to know where he found them?" Agnew asked.

"I do not," I answered. "Well, I do," said he, "and they're thousands of miles away from this. They are south latitude 77°, east longitude 167° while we, as I guess, are about south latitude 40°, east longitude 60°." "At any rate," said I, "we're drifting straight toward them." "So I see," said Agnew, dryly. "At any rate, the current will take us somewhere. We shall find ourselves carried past these volcanic islands, or through them, and then west to the Cape of Good Hope. Besides, even here we may find land with animals and vegetation; who knows?" "What! amid all this ice?" I cried. "Are you mad?" "Mad?" said he; "I should certainly go mad if I hadn't hope." "Hope!" I repeated; "I have long since given up hope." "Oh, well," said he, "enjoy your despair, and don't try to deprive me of my consolation. My hope sustains me, and helps me to cheer you up. It would never do, old fellow, for both of us to knock under." I said nothing more, nor did Agnew. We drifted on, and all our thoughts were taken up with the two volcanoes, toward which we were every moment drawing nearer. As we approached they grew larger and larger, towering up to a tremendous height. I had seen Vesuvius and Stromboli and AEtna and Cotopaxi; but these appeared far larger than any of them, not excepting the last. They rose, like the Peak of Teneriffe, abruptly from the sea, with no intervening hills to dwarf or diminish their proportions. They were ten or twelve miles apart, and the channel of water in which we were drifting flowed between them.

Here the ice and snow ended. We thus came at last to land; but it was a land that seemed more terrible than even the bleak expanse of ice and snow that lay behind, for nothing could be seen except a vast and drear accumulation of lava-blocks of every imaginable shape, without a trace of vegetation--uninhabited, uninhabitable, and unpassable to man. But just where the ice ended and the rocks began there was a long, low reef, which projected for more than a quarter of a mile into the water, affording the only possible landing-place within sight. Here we decided to land, so as to rest and consider what was best to be done.

Here we landed, and walked up to where rugged lava-blocks prevented any further progress. But at this spot our attention was suddenly arrested by a sight of horror. It was a human figure lying prostrate, face downward.

At this sight there came over us a terrible sensation. Even Agnew's buoyant soul shrank back, and we stared at each other with quivering lips. It was some time before we could recover ourselves; then we went to the figure, and stooped down to examine it.

The clothes were those of a European and a sailor; the frame was emaciated and dried up, till it looked like a skeleton; the face was blackened and all withered, and the bony hands were clinched tight. It was evidently some sailor who had suffered shipwreck in these frightful solitudes, and had drifted here to starve to death in this appalling wilderness. It was a sight which seemed ominous of our own fate, and Agnew's boasted hope, which had so long upheld him, now sank down into a despair as deep as my own. What room was there now for hope, or how could we expect any other fate than this?

At length I began to search the pockets of the deceased.

"What are you doing?" asked Agnew, in a hoarse voice.

"I'm trying to find out who he is," I said. "Perhaps there may be papers." As I said this I felt something in the breast-pocket of his jacket, and drew it forth. It was a leather pocket-book, mouldy and rotten like the clothing. On opening it, it fell to pieces. There was nothing in it but a piece of paper, also mouldy and rotten. This I unfolded with great care, and saw writing there, which, though faded, was still legible. It was a letter, and there were still signs of long and frequent perusals, and marks, too, which looked as though made by tears--tears, perhaps of the writer, perhaps of the reader: who can tell? I have preserved this letter ever since, and I now fasten it here upon this sheet of my manuscript.

THE LETTER.

"Bristol April 20. 1820.

"my darling tom "i writ you these few lines in hast i don like youar gon a walen an in the south sea dont go darlin tom or mebbe ill never se you agin for ave bad drems of you darlin tom an im afraid so don go my darlin tom but come back an take anoth ship for America baby i as wel as ever but mises is pa an as got a new tooth an i think yo otnt go a walen o darlin tom * * * sea as the wages was i in New York an better go thar an id like to go ther for good for they gives good wages in America. O come back my Darlin tom and take me to America an the baby an weel all live an love an di together

"Your loving wife Polley Reed." I began to read this, but there came a lump in my throat, and I had to stop. Agnew leaned on my shoulder, and we both read it in silence. He rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes and drew a long breath. Then he walked away for a little distance, and I put the letter carefully away in my own pocket-book. After a little while Agnew came back.

"More," said he, "do you remember any of the burial-service?" I understood his meaning at once.

"Yes," I said, "some of it--a good deal of it, I think." "That's good," said he. "Let's put the poor fellow under ground." "It would be hard to do that," I said; "we'll have to bury him in the snow." At this Agnew went off for a little distance and clambered over the rocks. He was not gone long. When he returned he said, "I've found some crumbled pumice-stone; we can scoop a grave for him there." We then raised the body and carried it to the place which Agnew had found. So emaciated was the poor dead sailor that his remains were no heavier than a small boy. On reaching the spot, we found the crumbled pumice-stone. We placed the body in a crevice among the lava rocks, and then I said what I could remember of the burial-service. After this we carried in our hands the crumbled pumice-stone until we had covered the body, and thus gave the poor fellow a Christian burial.

We then returned to the shore.

"More, old fellow," said Agnew, "I feel the better for this; the service has done me good." "And me too," said I. "It has reminded me of what I had forgotten. This world is only a part of life. We may lose it and yet live on. There is another world; and if we can only keep that in our minds we sha'n't be so ready to sink into despair--that is, I sha'n't. Despair is my weakness; you are more hopeful." "Yes," said Agnew, solemnly; "but my hope thus far has referred only to the safety of my skin. After this I shall try to think of my soul, and cultivate, not the hope of escape, but the hope full of immortality. Yes, More, after all we shall live, if not in England, then, let us hope, in heaven." There was a long silence after this--that kind of silence which one may preserve who is at the point of death.

"I wonder how he got here?" said Agnew, at last. "The letter mentions a whaler. No doubt the ship has been driven too far south; it has foundered; he has escaped in a boat, either alone or with others; he has been carried along this channel, and has landed here, afraid to go any farther." "But his boat, what has become of that?" "His boat! That must have gone long ago. The letter was written in 1820. At any rate, let's look around." We did so. After some search we found fragments of a rotted rope attached to a piece of rock.

"That," said Agnew, "must have been fastened to the boat; and as for the boat herself, she has long ago been swept away from this." "What shall we do now?" I said, after a long silence.

"There's only one thing," said Agnew. "We must go on." "Go on?" I asked, in wonder.

"Certainly," said he, confidently. "Will you stay here? No. Will you go back? You can't. We must, therefore, go on. That is our only hope." "Hope!" I cried. "Do you still talk of hope?" "Hope?" said Agnew; "of course. Why not? There are no limits to hope, are there? One can hope anything anywhere. It is better to die while struggling like a man, full of hope and energy than to perish in inaction and despair. It is better to die in the storm and furious waters than to waste away in this awful place. So come along. Let's drift as before. Let's see where this channel will take us. It will certainly take us somewhere. Such a stream as this must have some outlet." "This stream," said I, "will take us to death, and death only. The current grows swifter every hour. I've heard some old yarn of a vast opening at each of the poles, or one of them, into which the waters of the ocean pour. They fall into one, and some say they go through and come out at the other." Agnew laughed.

"That," said he, "is a madman's dream. In the first place, I don't believe that we are approaching the south, but the north. The warmth of the climate here shows that. Yes, we are drawing north. We shall soon emerge into warm waters and bright skies. So come along, and let us lose no more time." I made no further objection. There was nothing else to be done, and at the very worst we could not be in greater danger while drifting on than in remaining behind. Soon, therefore, we were again in the boat, and the current swept us on as before.

The channel now was about four miles wide. On either side arose the lofty volcanoes vomiting forth flames and smoke with furious explosions; vast stones were hurled up into the air from the craters; streams of molten lava rolled down, and at intervals there fell great showers of ashes. The shores on either side were precipitous and rugged beyond all description, looking like fiery lava streams which had been arrested by the flood, and cooled into gloomy, overhanging cliffs. The lava rock was of a deep, dull slate-color, which at a distance looked black; and the blackness which thus succeeded to the whiteness of the snow behind us seemed like the funeral pall of nature. Through scenes like these we drifted on, and the volcanoes on either side of the channel towered on high with their fiery floods of lava, their incessant explosions, their fierce outbursts of flames, and overhead there rolled a dense black canopy of smoke--altogether forming a terrific approach to that unknown and awful pathway upon which we were going. So we passed this dread portal, and then there lay before us--what? Was it a land of life or a land of death? Who could say?

It was evening when we passed through. Night came on, and the darkness was illuminated by the fiery glow of the volcanic flames. Worn out with fatigue, we fell asleep. So the night passed, and the current bore us on until, at length, the morning came. We awoke, and now, for the first time in many days, we saw the face of the sun. The clouds had at last broken, the sky was clear, and behind us the sun was shining. That sight told us all. It showed us where we were going.

I pointed to the sun.

"Look there," said I. "There is the sun in the northern sky--behind us. We have been drifting steadily toward the south." At this Agnew was silent, and sat looking back for a long time. There we could still see the glow of the volcanic fires, though they were now many miles away; while the sun, but lately risen, was lying on a course closer to the horizon than we had ever seen it before.

"We are going south," said I--"to the South Pole. This swift current can have but one ending--there may be an opening at the South Pole, or a whirlpool like the Maelstrom." Agnew looked around with a smile.

"All these notions," said he, "are dreams, or theories, or guesses. There is no evidence to prove them. Why trouble yourself about a guess? You and I can guess, and with better reason; for we have now, it seems, come farther south than any human being who has ever lived. Do not imagine that the surface of the earth is different at the poles from what it is anywhere else. If we get to the South Pole we shall see there what we have always seen--the open view of land or water, and the boundary of the horizon. As for this current, it seems to me like the Gulf Stream, and it evidently does an important work in the movement of the ocean waters. It pours on through vast fields of ice on its way to other oceans, where it will probably become united with new currents. Theories about openings at the poles, or whirlpools, must be given up. Since the Maelstrom has been found to be a fiction, no one need believe in any other whirlpool. For my own part, I now believe that this current will bear us on, due south, over the pole, and then still onward, until at last we shall find ourselves in the South Pacific Ocean. So cheer up--don't be downhearted; there's still hope. We have left the ice and snow behind, and already the air is warmer. Cheer up; we may find our luck turn at any moment." To this I had no reply to make. Agnew's confidence seemed to me to be assumed, and certainly did not alleviate my own deep gloom, nor was the scene around calculated to rouse me in the slightest degree out of my despair. The channel had now lessened to a width of not more than two miles; the shores on either side were precipitous cliffs, broken by occasional declivities, but all of solid rock, so dark as to be almost black, and evidently of volcanic origin. At times there arose rugged eminences, scarred and riven, indescribably dismal and appalling. There was not only an utter absence of life here in these abhorrent regions, but an actual impossibility of life which was enough to make the stoutest heart quail. The rocks looked like iron. It seemed a land of iron penetrated by this ocean stream which had made for itself a channel, and now bore us onward to a destination which was beyond all conjecture.

Through such scenes we drifted all that day. Night came, and in the skies overhead there arose a brilliant display of the aurora australis, while toward the north the volcanic fires glowed with intense lustre. That night we slept. On awakening we noticed a change in the scene. The shores, though still black and forbidding, were no longer precipitous, but sloped down gradually to the water; the climate was sensibly milder, and far away before us there arose a line of giant mountains, whose summits were covered with ice and snow that gleamed white and purple in the rays of the sun.

Suddenly Agnew gave a cry, and pointed to the opposite shore.

"Look!" he cried--"do you see? They are men!" I looked, and there I saw plainly some moving figures that were, beyond a doubt, human beings.

Chapter 3. A World of Fire and Desolation Глава 3. Мир огня и запустения

At the sight of that deep-red glow various feelings arose within us: in me there was new dejection; in Agnew there was stronger hope. При виде этого темно-красного свечения в нас пробудились разные чувства: во мне - новое уныние, в Агню - надежда. I could not think but that it was our ship that was on fire, and was burning before our eyes. Je ne pouvais pas penser que c'était notre navire qui était en feu et qui brûlait sous nos yeux. Я не мог думать, но что это наш корабль горит и горит у нас на глазах. Agnew thought that it was some burning forest, and that it showed our approach to some habitable and inhabited land. Agnew pensait que c'était une forêt en feu, et qu'elle montrait notre approche d'une terre habitable et habitée. Агню подумал, что это какой-то горящий лес и что он показывает наше приближение к какой-то обитаемой земле. For hour after hour we watched, and all the time the current drew us nearer, and the glow grew brighter and more intense. At last we were too weak to watch any longer, and we fell asleep.

On waking our first thoughts were about the fire, and we looked eagerly around. It was day, but the sky was as gloomy as ever, and the fire was there before our eyes, bright and terrible. Был день, но небо было таким же мрачным, как и всегда, а перед глазами стоял огонь, яркий и страшный. We could now see it plainly, and discern the cause also. Теперь мы могли ясно видеть это и понимать причину. The fire came from two points, at some distance apart--two peaks rising above the horizon, from which there burst forth flames and smoke with incessant explosions. Le feu venait de deux points, à quelque distance l'un de l'autre, deux pics s'élevant au-dessus de l'horizon, d'où jaillissaient des flammes et de la fumée avec des explosions incessantes. Огонь велся из двух точек, расположенных на некотором расстоянии друг от друга, - двух пиков, возвышающихся над горизонтом, из которых вырывались пламя и дым с непрекращающимися взрывами. All was now manifest. Теперь все прояснилось. It was no burning ship, no blazing forest, no land inhabited by man: those blazing peaks were two volcanoes in a state of active eruption, and at that sight I knew the worst. Это был не горящий корабль, не пылающий лес, не земля, населенная человеком: эти пылающие вершины были двумя вулканами в состоянии активного извержения, и в этот момент я понял, что случилось самое страшное.

"I know where we are now," I said, despairingly. "Я знаю, где мы сейчас находимся, - с отчаянием сказал я. "Where?" asked Agnew.

"That," said I, "is the antarctic continent." "The antarctic fiddlestick," said he, contemptuously. «Антарктическая фишка», - презрительно сказал он. "It is far more likely to be some volcanic island in the South Sea. "Гораздо более вероятно, что это какой-то вулканический остров в Южном море. There's a tremendous volcano in the Sandwich Islands, and these are something like it." На Сандвичевых островах есть огромный вулкан, а эти чем-то похожи на него". "I believe," said I, "that these are the very volcanoes that Sir James Ross discovered last year." "Я полагаю, - сказал я, - что это те самые вулканы, которые сэр Джеймс Росс открыл в прошлом году". "Do you happen to know where he found them?" "Вы случайно не знаете, где он их нашел?" Agnew asked.

"I do not," I answered. "Well, I do," said he, "and they're thousands of miles away from this. "Ну, я знаю, - сказал он, - и они находятся за тысячи миль от этого места. They are south latitude 77°, east longitude 167° while we, as I guess, are about south latitude 40°, east longitude 60°." Они находятся на южной широте 77°, восточной долготе 167°, в то время как мы, как я полагаю, находимся примерно на южной широте 40°, восточной долготе 60°". "At any rate," said I, "we're drifting straight toward them." « En tout cas, dis-je, nous avançons droit vers eux. "Во всяком случае, - сказал я, - мы дрейфуем прямо к ним". "So I see," said Agnew, dryly. "At any rate, the current will take us somewhere. Во всяком случае, течение нас куда-нибудь да вынесет". We shall find ourselves carried past these volcanic islands, or through them, and then west to the Cape of Good Hope. Nous nous retrouverons portés au-delà de ces îles volcaniques, ou à travers elles, puis à l'ouest jusqu'au cap de Bonne-Espérance. Нас пронесет мимо этих вулканических островов или через них, а затем на запад к мысу Доброй Надежды. Besides, even here we may find land with animals and vegetation; who knows?" Кроме того, даже здесь мы можем найти землю с животными и растительностью; кто знает?" "What! amid all this ice?" почему так много льда?" I cried. Я заплакала. "Are you mad?" "Ben je kwaad?" "Mad?" said he; "I should certainly go mad if I hadn't hope." сказал он; "Я бы точно сошел с ума, если бы не надеялся". "Hope!" I repeated; "I have long since given up hope." Я повторил: "Я уже давно потерял надежду". "Oh, well," said he, "enjoy your despair, and don't try to deprive me of my consolation. "Ну что ж, - сказал он, - наслаждайтесь своим отчаянием и не пытайтесь лишить меня утешения. My hope sustains me, and helps me to cheer you up. Моя надежда поддерживает меня и помогает мне подбадривать вас. It would never do, old fellow, for both of us to knock under." Il ne suffirait pas, mon vieux, que nous soyons tous les deux tombés bas. » Het zou nooit goed zijn, ouwe kerel, dat we allebei onderuit zouden gaan." Ни в коем случае, старина, нам обоим не удастся подломиться ". I said nothing more, nor did Agnew. We drifted on, and all our thoughts were taken up with the two volcanoes, toward which we were every moment drawing nearer. Мы дрейфовали, и все наши мысли были заняты двумя вулканами, к которым мы с каждым мгновением приближались. As we approached they grew larger and larger, towering up to a tremendous height. I had seen Vesuvius and Stromboli and AEtna and Cotopaxi; but these appeared far larger than any of them, not excepting the last. Я видел Везувий, Стромболи, Этну и Котопакси; но они казались намного крупнее любого из них, не исключая последнего. They rose, like the Peak of Teneriffe, abruptly from the sea, with no intervening hills to dwarf or diminish their proportions. Ils s'élevaient, comme le pic de Ténériffe, brusquement de la mer, sans aucune colline intermédiaire pour éclipser ou diminuer leurs proportions. Они, как и пик Тенерифе, круто поднимаются из моря, и нет ни одного промежуточного холма, который бы уменьшал или уменьшал их пропорции. They were ten or twelve miles apart, and the channel of water in which we were drifting flowed between them. Они находились в десяти или двенадцати милях друг от друга, и между ними протекал водный канал, в котором мы дрейфовали.

Here the ice and snow ended. We thus came at last to land; but it was a land that seemed more terrible than even the bleak expanse of ice and snow that lay behind, for nothing could be seen except a vast and drear accumulation of lava-blocks of every imaginable shape, without a trace of vegetation--uninhabited, uninhabitable, and unpassable to man. Таким образом, мы наконец добрались до суши, но это была земля, которая казалась более ужасной, чем даже мрачные просторы льда и снега, лежавшие позади, потому что не было видно ничего, кроме огромного и мрачного скопления лавовых глыб всех мыслимых форм, без малейшего следа растительности - необитаемых, непригодных для жизни и непроходимых для человека. But just where the ice ended and the rocks began there was a long, low reef, which projected for more than a quarter of a mile into the water, affording the only possible landing-place within sight. Mais là où la glace s'arrêtait et où commençaient les rochers, il y avait un long récif bas, qui s'avançait sur plus d'un quart de mille dans l'eau, offrant le seul point d'atterrissage possible en vue. Но как раз там, где заканчивался лед и начинались скалы, находился длинный невысокий риф, выступавший в воду более чем на четверть мили и представлявший собой единственное возможное место для высадки в пределах видимости. Here we decided to land, so as to rest and consider what was best to be done.

Here we landed, and walked up to where rugged lava-blocks prevented any further progress. Здесь мы высадились и прошли до того места, где изрезанные лавовые глыбы препятствовали дальнейшему продвижению. But at this spot our attention was suddenly arrested by a sight of horror. Но в этом месте наше внимание внезапно привлекло ужасающее зрелище. It was a human figure lying prostrate, face downward. C'était une silhouette humaine allongée prostrée, face contre terre. Это была человеческая фигура, лежащая на земле лицом вниз.

At this sight there came over us a terrible sensation. При виде этого зрелища нас охватило ужасное чувство. Even Agnew's buoyant soul shrank back, and we stared at each other with quivering lips. Même l'âme pleine d'entrain d'Agnew s'est rétrécie, et nous nous sommes regardés avec des lèvres tremblantes. Даже жизнерадостная душа Агню отступила, и мы уставились друг на друга с дрожащими губами. It was some time before we could recover ourselves; then we went to the figure, and stooped down to examine it. Il a fallu un certain temps avant que nous puissions nous remettre ; puis nous sommes allés à la figure, et nous nous sommes penchés pour l'examiner. Прошло некоторое время, прежде чем мы смогли прийти в себя; затем мы подошли к фигуре и наклонились, чтобы рассмотреть ее.

The clothes were those of a European and a sailor; the frame was emaciated and dried up, till it looked like a skeleton; the face was blackened and all withered, and the bony hands were clinched tight. Les vêtements étaient ceux d'un Européen et d'un marin ; le cadre était émacié et desséché, jusqu'à ressembler à un squelette ; le visage était noirci et tout flétri, et les mains osseuses étaient serrées. Одежда принадлежала европейцу и моряку; каркас был истощен и иссушен, вплоть до скелета; лицо почернело и совсем иссохло, а костлявые руки были крепко сжаты. It was evidently some sailor who had suffered shipwreck in these frightful solitudes, and had drifted here to starve to death in this appalling wilderness. Очевидно, это был какой-то моряк, потерпевший кораблекрушение в этих страшных краях и приплывший сюда, чтобы умереть от голода в этой ужасающей пустыне. It was a sight which seemed ominous of our own fate, and Agnew's boasted hope, which had so long upheld him, now sank down into a despair as deep as my own. C'était un spectacle qui semblait de mauvais augure pour notre propre destin, et l'espoir vanté d'Agnew, qui l'avait si longtemps soutenu, sombra maintenant dans un désespoir aussi profond que le mien. Это зрелище казалось зловещим предзнаменованием нашей собственной судьбы, и хваленая надежда Агню, которая так долго поддерживала его, теперь погрузилась в отчаяние, такое же глубокое, как и мое собственное. What room was there now for hope, or how could we expect any other fate than this? На что теперь можно было надеяться, и как можно было рассчитывать на иную судьбу?

At length I began to search the pockets of the deceased. Eindelijk begon ik de zakken van de overledene te doorzoeken. В конце концов я начал обыскивать карманы покойного.

"What are you doing?" asked Agnew, in a hoarse voice. спросил Агню хриплым голосом.

"I'm trying to find out who he is," I said. "Я пытаюсь выяснить, кто он такой", - сказала я. "Perhaps there may be papers." "Возможно, там есть бумаги". As I said this I felt something in the breast-pocket of his jacket, and drew it forth. Сказав это, я нащупал что-то в нагрудном кармане его пиджака и извлек наружу. It was a leather pocket-book, mouldy and rotten like the clothing. C'était un portefeuille en cuir, moisi et pourri comme les vêtements. Это был кожаный карманный портфель, заплесневелый и истлевший, как и одежда. On opening it, it fell to pieces. При открытии он рассыпался на кусочки. There was nothing in it but a piece of paper, also mouldy and rotten. This I unfolded with great care, and saw writing there, which, though faded, was still legible. Я развернул его с большой осторожностью и увидел там письмена, которые, хотя и выцвели, были все еще разборчивы. It was a letter, and there were still signs of long and frequent perusals, and marks, too, which looked as though made by tears--tears, perhaps of the writer, perhaps of the reader: who can tell? C'était une lettre, et il y avait encore des traces de lectures longues et fréquentes, et aussi des marques qui semblaient avoir été faites par des larmes, des larmes, peut-être de l'écrivain, peut-être du lecteur : qui peut le dire ? Het was een brief, en er waren nog steeds tekenen van lang en veelvuldig lezen, en ook tekens die eruit zagen alsof ze door tranen waren gemaakt - tranen, misschien van de schrijver, misschien van de lezer: wie zal het zeggen? Это было письмо, и на нем сохранились следы долгого и частого перелистывания, а также следы, как будто сделанные слезами - слезами, возможно, писателя, возможно, читателя: кто может сказать? I have preserved this letter ever since, and I now fasten it here upon this sheet of my manuscript. С тех пор я сохранил это письмо и теперь прикрепляю его здесь, на этом листе моей рукописи.

THE LETTER.

"Bristol April 20. 1820.

"my darling tom "Мой дорогой Том "i writ you these few lines in hast i don like youar gon a walen an in the south sea dont go darlin tom or mebbe ill never se you agin for ave bad drems of you darlin tom an im afraid so don go my darlin tom but come back an take anoth ship for America baby i as wel as ever but mises is pa an as got a new tooth an i think yo otnt go a walen o darlin tom * * * sea as the wages was i in New York an better go thar an id like to go ther for good for they gives good wages in America. "Я напишу тебе эти несколько строк, потому что я не люблю тебя, ты собираешься в Валене, и в Южном море не уходи, дорогой Том, или я болею, никогда не виделись с тобой снова из-за плохих снов о тебе, дорогая, я боюсь, так что не уходи, мой дорогой Том, но вернись на другой корабль для Америки, детка, я так же хорошо, как и всегда, но у Мизеса появился новый зуб, и я думаю, ты не пойдешь на вален о дорогом Томе * * * море, как и заработная плата, я в Нью-Йорке лучше пойду они хотят уехать туда навсегда, потому что в Америке хорошо платят. O come back my Darlin tom and take me to America an the baby an weel all live an love an di together О, вернись, мой милый Том, и забери меня в Америку, и ребенка, и мы будем жить, любить и жить вместе.

"Your loving wife Polley Reed." "Твоя любящая жена Полли Рид". I began to read this, but there came a lump in my throat, and I had to stop. Я начал читать это, но в горле встал комок, и мне пришлось остановиться. Agnew leaned on my shoulder, and we both read it in silence. He rubbed the back of his hand over his eyes and drew a long breath. Он провел тыльной стороной ладони по глазам и сделал долгий вдох. Then he walked away for a little distance, and I put the letter carefully away in my own pocket-book. Затем он отошел на некоторое расстояние, а я аккуратно положил письмо в карманный блокнот. After a little while Agnew came back. Через некоторое время Агню вернулся.

"More," said he, "do you remember any of the burial-service?" "Еще, - сказал он, - помните ли вы что-нибудь из погребальной службы?" I understood his meaning at once. Я сразу же понял его смысл.

"Yes," I said, "some of it--a good deal of it, I think." "Да, - сказал я, - кое-что из этого... Думаю, очень многое". "That's good," said he. "Let's put the poor fellow under ground." "Давайте уложим беднягу под землю". "It would be hard to do that," I said; "we'll have to bury him in the snow." "Это будет трудно сделать, - сказал я, - нам придется похоронить его в снегу". At this Agnew went off for a little distance and clambered over the rocks. При этом Агню отошел на небольшое расстояние и стал карабкаться по скалам. He was not gone long. Он отсутствовал недолго. When he returned he said, "I've found some crumbled pumice-stone; we can scoop a grave for him there." Quand il revint, il dit : « J'ai trouvé de la pierre ponce émiettée ; nous pouvons lui creuser une tombe là-bas. Toen hij terugkwam, zei hij: "Ik heb een afgebrokkelde puimsteen gevonden; daar kunnen we een graf voor hem scheppen." Когда он вернулся, то сказал: "Я нашел немного раскрошенного пемзового камня; мы можем вырыть для него могилу". We then raised the body and carried it to the place which Agnew had found. Затем мы подняли тело и отнесли его к месту, которое нашел Агню. So emaciated was the poor dead sailor that his remains were no heavier than a small boy. Бедный моряк был настолько истощен, что его останки были не тяжелее маленького мальчика. On reaching the spot, we found the crumbled pumice-stone. Добравшись до места, мы обнаружили раскрошенный пемзовый камень. We placed the body in a crevice among the lava rocks, and then I said what I could remember of the burial-service. Nous avons placé le corps dans une crevasse parmi les roches de lave, puis j'ai dit ce dont je me souvenais du service funéraire. Мы положили тело в расщелину среди лавовых камней, а затем я рассказал все, что смог вспомнить о погребальной службе. After this we carried in our hands the crumbled pumice-stone until we had covered the body, and thus gave the poor fellow a Christian burial. После этого мы несли в руках раскрошенный пемзовый камень, пока не накрыли им тело, и таким образом похоронили беднягу по-христиански.

We then returned to the shore.

"More, old fellow," said Agnew, "I feel the better for this; the service has done me good." "Больше, старина, - сказал Агню, - я чувствую себя лучше от этого; служба пошла мне на пользу". "And me too," said I. "It has reminded me of what I had forgotten. "Она напомнила мне о том, что я забыл. This world is only a part of life. Этот мир - лишь часть жизни. We may lose it and yet live on. Nous pouvons le perdre et pourtant vivre. Мы можем потерять его и при этом жить дальше. There is another world; and if we can only keep that in our minds we sha'n't be so ready to sink into despair--that is, I sha'n't. Il y a un autre monde ; et si seulement nous pouvions garder cela à l'esprit, nous ne serions pas si prêts à sombrer dans le désespoir, c'est-à-dire que je ne le ferai pas. Есть и другой мир, и если мы сможем держать это в голове, то не будем так готовы погрузиться в отчаяние - я, например, не буду. Despair is my weakness; you are more hopeful." Отчаяние - моя слабость, вы же более надежны". "Yes," said Agnew, solemnly; "but my hope thus far has referred only to the safety of my skin. "Oui", a dit Agnew, solennellement; "mais mon espoir jusqu'à présent n'a porté que sur la sécurité de ma peau. "Да, - торжественно ответил Агню, - но до сих пор я надеялся только на сохранность своей кожи. After this I shall try to think of my soul, and cultivate, not the hope of escape, but the hope full of immortality. После этого я постараюсь думать о своей душе и культивировать не надежду на спасение, а надежду, полную бессмертия. Yes, More, after all we shall live, if not in England, then, let us hope, in heaven." Да, Мор, в конце концов, мы будем жить, если не в Англии, то, будем надеяться, на небесах". There was a long silence after this--that kind of silence which one may preserve who is at the point of death. После этого наступило долгое молчание - то молчание, которое может сохранить человек, находящийся на пороге смерти.

"I wonder how he got here?" "Интересно, как он сюда попал?" said Agnew, at last. "The letter mentions a whaler. "In de brief wordt melding gemaakt van een walvisvaarder. "В письме упоминается китобой. No doubt the ship has been driven too far south; it has foundered; he has escaped in a boat, either alone or with others; he has been carried along this channel, and has landed here, afraid to go any farther." Il ne fait aucun doute que le navire a été conduit trop au sud ; il a sombré ; il s'est enfui en bateau, seul ou avec d'autres ; il a été emporté le long de ce canal et a débarqué ici, craignant d'aller plus loin. Несомненно, корабль занесло слишком далеко на юг; он затонул; он спасся в лодке, один или с другими; его пронесло по этому каналу, и он высадился здесь, боясь плыть дальше". "But his boat, what has become of that?" "Но его лодка, что с этим стало?" "His boat! "Его лодка! That must have gone long ago. Должно быть, это давно прошло. The letter was written in 1820. Письмо было написано в 1820 году. At any rate, let's look around." Во всяком случае, давайте осмотримся". We did so. Мы так и сделали. After some search we found fragments of a rotted rope attached to a piece of rock. Après quelques recherches, nous avons trouvé des fragments d'une corde pourrie attachée à un morceau de roche. После некоторых поисков мы нашли обрывки сгнившей веревки, прикрепленной к куску скалы.

"That," said Agnew, "must have been fastened to the boat; and as for the boat herself, she has long ago been swept away from this." — Cela, dit Agnew, devait être attaché au bateau ; et quant au bateau lui-même, il y a longtemps qu'il en a été emporté. "Это, - сказал Агню, - должно быть, прикреплено к лодке, а что касается самой лодки, то ее давно уже унесло отсюда". "What shall we do now?" "Что же нам теперь делать?" I said, after a long silence. сказал я после долгого молчания.

"There's only one thing," said Agnew. "We must go on." "Мы должны идти дальше". "Go on?" I asked, in wonder. удивленно спросил я.

"Certainly," said he, confidently. "Конечно, - уверенно ответил он. "Will you stay here? "Вы останетесь здесь? No. Will you go back? Вы вернетесь? You can't. Вы не можете. We must, therefore, go on. Поэтому мы должны идти дальше. That is our only hope." "Hope!" I cried. "Do you still talk of hope?" "Hope?" said Agnew; "of course. Why not? There are no limits to hope, are there? Надежде нет предела, не так ли? One can hope anything anywhere. Надеяться можно на что угодно и где угодно. It is better to die while struggling like a man, full of hope and energy than to perish in inaction and despair. Лучше умереть, борясь как человек, полный надежд и энергии, чем погибнуть в бездействии и отчаянии. It is better to die in the storm and furious waters than to waste away in this awful place. Il vaut mieux mourir dans la tempête et les eaux furieuses que dépérir dans cet endroit affreux. Лучше умереть в буре и неистовых водах, чем сгинуть в этом ужасном месте. So come along. Так что приходите. Let's drift as before. Давайте дрейфовать, как раньше. Let's see where this channel will take us. Посмотрим, куда приведет нас этот канал. It will certainly take us somewhere. Это, несомненно, приведет нас куда-нибудь. Such a stream as this must have some outlet." У такого потока, как этот, должен быть какой-то выход". "This stream," said I, "will take us to death, and death only. The current grows swifter every hour. С каждым часом течение становится все стремительнее. I've heard some old yarn of a vast opening at each of the poles, or one of them, into which the waters of the ocean pour. J'ai entendu quelque vieux récit d'une vaste ouverture à chacun des pôles, ou à l'un d'eux, dans laquelle se déversent les eaux de l'océan. Я слышал несколько старых рассказов об огромных отверстиях на каждом из полюсов или на одном из них, в которые вливаются воды океана. They fall into one, and some say they go through and come out at the other." Они попадают в одну, а некоторые говорят, что проходят через нее и выходят в другой". Agnew laughed.

"That," said he, "is a madman's dream. "Это, - сказал он, - мечта безумца". In the first place, I don't believe that we are approaching the south, but the north. Прежде всего, я считаю, что мы приближаемся не к югу, а к северу. The warmth of the climate here shows that. Об этом свидетельствует теплый климат. Yes, we are drawing north. Да, мы движемся на север. We shall soon emerge into warm waters and bright skies. Скоро мы выйдем к теплым водам и яркому небу. So come along, and let us lose no more time." Так что идемте, и не будем больше терять времени". I made no further objection. Я больше не возражал. There was nothing else to be done, and at the very worst we could not be in greater danger while drifting on than in remaining behind. Ничего другого не оставалось, и в худшем случае мы могли подвергнуться не большей опасности, дрейфуя дальше, чем оставаясь позади. Soon, therefore, we were again in the boat, and the current swept us on as before. Вскоре мы снова оказались в лодке, и течение понесло нас дальше, как и прежде.

The channel now was about four miles wide. On either side arose the lofty volcanoes vomiting forth flames and smoke with furious explosions; vast stones were hurled up into the air from the craters; streams of molten lava rolled down, and at intervals there fell great showers of ashes. По обеим сторонам возвышались вулканы, извергавшие пламя и дым с яростными взрывами; из кратеров в воздух взлетали огромные камни; вниз катились потоки расплавленной лавы, а через определенные промежутки времени сыпался пепел. The shores on either side were precipitous and rugged beyond all description, looking like fiery lava streams which had been arrested by the flood, and cooled into gloomy, overhanging cliffs. Les rives de chaque côté étaient abruptes et accidentées au-delà de toute description, ressemblant à des ruisseaux de lave enflammés qui avaient été arrêtés par l'inondation et refroidis en falaises sombres et surplombantes. Берега с обеих сторон были обрывисты и изрезаны до неузнаваемости, они напоминали потоки огненной лавы, которые были задержаны наводнением и остыли, превратившись в мрачные нависающие скалы. The lava rock was of a deep, dull slate-color, which at a distance looked black; and the blackness which thus succeeded to the whiteness of the snow behind us seemed like the funeral pall of nature. La roche de lave était d'une couleur ardoise profonde et terne, qui de loin paraissait noire ; et la noirceur qui succédait ainsi à la blancheur de la neige derrière nous ressemblait au linceul funèbre de la nature. Лавовая скала была глубокого, тусклого шиферного цвета, который на расстоянии казался черным, и чернота, сменявшаяся белизной снега позади нас, казалась похоронным покрывалом природы. Through scenes like these we drifted on, and the volcanoes on either side of the channel towered on high with their fiery floods of lava, their incessant explosions, their fierce outbursts of flames, and overhead there rolled a dense black canopy of smoke--altogether forming a terrific approach to that unknown and awful pathway upon which we were going. À travers des scènes comme celles-ci, nous avons dérivé, et les volcans de chaque côté du canal dominaient haut avec leurs flots de lave enflammés, leurs explosions incessantes, leurs explosions féroces de flammes, et au-dessus il y avait une épaisse canopée noire de fumée - au total formant une approche formidable de cette voie inconnue et terrible sur laquelle nous allions. Мы плыли по течению, а по обе стороны канала возвышались вулканы с их огненными потоками лавы, непрекращающимися взрывами, яростными вспышками пламени, а над головой висел густой черный полог дыма - все это создавало ужасающее впечатление приближения к тому неизвестному и страшному пути, по которому мы шли. So we passed this dread portal, and then there lay before us--what? Мы миновали этот страшный портал, и тут перед нами возникло... что? Was it a land of life or a land of death? Была ли это земля жизни или земля смерти? Who could say? Кто может сказать?

It was evening when we passed through. Когда мы проезжали мимо, был уже вечер. Night came on, and the darkness was illuminated by the fiery glow of the volcanic flames. Наступила ночь, и темнота озарилась яростным сиянием вулканического пламени. Worn out with fatigue, we fell asleep. Измотанные усталостью, мы уснули. So the night passed, and the current bore us on until, at length, the morning came. Ainsi la nuit passa, et le courant nous emporta jusqu'à ce que, enfin, vint le matin. Так прошла ночь, и течение несло нас дальше, пока, наконец, не наступило утро. We awoke, and now, for the first time in many days, we saw the face of the sun. Мы проснулись и впервые за много дней увидели лицо солнца. The clouds had at last broken, the sky was clear, and behind us the sun was shining. Тучи наконец-то разошлись, небо стало чистым, а позади нас сияло солнце. That sight told us all. Cette vue nous a tout dit. Этот взгляд говорил нам обо всем. It showed us where we were going. Она показывала нам, куда мы идем.

I pointed to the sun. Я указал на солнце.

"Look there," said I. "There is the sun in the northern sky--behind us. "Солнце в северном небе - позади нас. We have been drifting steadily toward the south." Мы неуклонно дрейфуем к югу". At this Agnew was silent, and sat looking back for a long time. На этом Агню замолчал и долго сидел, глядя назад. There we could still see the glow of the volcanic fires, though they were now many miles away; while the sun, but lately risen, was lying on a course closer to the horizon than we had ever seen it before. Мы все еще могли видеть отблески вулканических пожаров, хотя они были уже за много миль от нас; а солнце, недавно взошедшее, лежало на курсе ближе к горизонту, чем мы когда-либо видели его раньше.

"We are going south," said I--"to the South Pole. This swift current can have but one ending--there may be an opening at the South Pole, or a whirlpool like the Maelstrom." Deze snelle stroom kan maar één einde hebben - er kan een opening zijn op de Zuidpool, of een draaikolk zoals de Maelstrom." У этого стремительного течения может быть только один конец - на Южном полюсе может быть отверстие или водоворот, подобный Маэлстрому". Agnew looked around with a smile. Агню с улыбкой огляделась вокруг.

"All these notions," said he, "are dreams, or theories, or guesses. "Все эти представления, - сказал он, - мечты, или теории, или догадки. There is no evidence to prove them. Нет никаких доказательств, подтверждающих их. Why trouble yourself about a guess? Зачем мучиться в догадках? You and I can guess, and with better reason; for we have now, it seems, come farther south than any human being who has ever lived. Мы с вами можем догадаться, и не без оснований, ведь мы сейчас, кажется, забрались гораздо южнее, чем все когда-либо жившие люди. Do not imagine that the surface of the earth is different at the poles from what it is anywhere else. Не думайте, что поверхность Земли на полюсах отличается от поверхности в других местах. If we get to the South Pole we shall see there what we have always seen--the open view of land or water, and the boundary of the horizon. Si nous arrivons au pôle Sud, nous y verrons ce que nous avons toujours vu : la vue dégagée de la terre ou de l'eau, et la limite de l'horizon. Если мы доберемся до Южного полюса, то увидим там то, что видели всегда: открытую панораму суши или воды и границу горизонта. As for this current, it seems to me like the Gulf Stream, and it evidently does an important work in the movement of the ocean waters. Что касается этого течения, то оно, как мне кажется, похоже на Гольфстрим и, очевидно, выполняет важную работу по перемещению океанских вод. It pours on through vast fields of ice on its way to other oceans, where it will probably become united with new currents. Il se déverse à travers de vastes champs de glace en route vers d'autres océans, où il s'unira probablement à de nouveaux courants. Через огромные ледяные поля он попадает в другие океаны, где, возможно, объединяется с новыми течениями. Theories about openings at the poles, or whirlpools, must be given up. От теорий об отверстиях на полюсах или водоворотах придется отказаться. Since the Maelstrom has been found to be a fiction, no one need believe in any other whirlpool. Поскольку Маэлстром оказался выдумкой, никому не нужно верить в другие водовороты. For my own part, I now believe that this current will bear us on, due south, over the pole, and then still onward, until at last we shall find ourselves in the South Pacific Ocean. Pour ma part, je crois maintenant que ce courant nous portera, plein sud, au-dessus du pôle, puis encore en avant, jusqu'à ce que nous nous trouvions enfin dans l'océan Pacifique Sud. Со своей стороны, я верю, что это течение понесет нас дальше, на юг, через полюс, а затем еще дальше, пока мы наконец не окажемся в южной части Тихого океана. So cheer up--don't be downhearted; there's still hope. Так что не унывайте, надежда еще есть. We have left the ice and snow behind, and already the air is warmer. Лед и снег остались позади, и воздух уже стал теплее. Cheer up; we may find our luck turn at any moment." Не унывайте, удача может повернуться к нам в любой момент". To this I had no reply to make. На это мне нечего было ответить. Agnew's confidence seemed to me to be assumed, and certainly did not alleviate my own deep gloom, nor was the scene around calculated to rouse me in the slightest degree out of my despair. La confiance d'Agnew me semblait présomptueuse, et n'a certainement pas soulagé ma propre tristesse profonde, et la scène autour n'était pas calculée pour me réveiller le moins du monde de mon désespoir. Уверенность Агню казалась мне напускной и, конечно же, не смягчала моего глубокого уныния, а окружающая обстановка ни в малейшей степени не способствовала выходу из отчаяния. The channel had now lessened to a width of not more than two miles; the shores on either side were precipitous cliffs, broken by occasional declivities, but all of solid rock, so dark as to be almost black, and evidently of volcanic origin. Le canal s'était maintenant réduit à une largeur de pas plus de deux milles; les rives de chaque côté étaient des falaises abruptes, brisées par des déclivités occasionnelles, mais toutes de roche solide, si sombre qu'elle était presque noire, et manifestement d'origine volcanique. Теперь ширина канала не превышала двух миль; берега с обеих сторон представляли собой обрывистые скалы, местами изломанные уступами, но все из твердой породы, настолько темной, что почти черной, и, очевидно, вулканического происхождения. At times there arose rugged eminences, scarred and riven, indescribably dismal and appalling. Parfois surgissaient des éminences accidentées, meurtries et déchirées, indescriptiblement lugubres et épouvantables. Soms verrezen er ruige eminenties, getekend en verscheurd, onbeschrijfelijk somber en afschuwelijk. Временами возникали суровые возвышенности, покрытые шрамами и изрезанные, неописуемо мрачные и ужасающие. There was not only an utter absence of life here in these abhorrent regions, but an actual impossibility of life which was enough to make the stoutest heart quail. Il n'y avait pas seulement une absence totale de vie ici dans ces régions odieuses, mais une impossibilité réelle de vie qui suffisait à faire trembler le plus gros cœur. Здесь, в этих отвратительных краях, было не только полное отсутствие жизни, но и фактическая невозможность жизни, которой было достаточно, чтобы трепетать самое стойкое сердце. The rocks looked like iron. It seemed a land of iron penetrated by this ocean stream which had made for itself a channel, and now bore us onward to a destination which was beyond all conjecture. Cela semblait une terre de fer pénétrée par ce courant océanique qui s'était fait un canal, et nous emmenait maintenant vers une destination qui était au-delà de toute conjecture. Казалось, что это железная земля, пронизанная океанским потоком, который проложил себе русло и теперь нес нас к цели, о которой невозможно было даже предположить.

Through such scenes we drifted all that day. Через такие сцены мы пронеслись весь тот день. Night came, and in the skies overhead there arose a brilliant display of the aurora australis, while toward the north the volcanic fires glowed with intense lustre. La nuit est venue, et dans les cieux au-dessus, il y a eu un brillant spectacle d'aurore australe, tandis que vers le nord, les feux volcaniques brillaient d'un éclat intense. That night we slept. On awakening we noticed a change in the scene. Проснувшись, мы заметили изменения в обстановке. The shores, though still black and forbidding, were no longer precipitous, but sloped down gradually to the water; the climate was sensibly milder, and far away before us there arose a line of giant mountains, whose summits were covered with ice and snow that gleamed white and purple in the rays of the sun. De oevers, hoewel nog steeds zwart en onheilspellend, waren niet langer steiler, maar liepen geleidelijk af naar het water; het klimaat was beduidend milder en ver voor ons verrees een rij reusachtige bergen, waarvan de toppen bedekt waren met ijs en sneeuw die wit en paars glansden in de stralen van de zon.

Suddenly Agnew gave a cry, and pointed to the opposite shore. Внезапно Агню издал крик и указал на противоположный берег.

"Look!" he cried--"do you see? They are men!" Они мужчины!" I looked, and there I saw plainly some moving figures that were, beyond a doubt, human beings.