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The Ice Sphinx
No
doubt
the
following
narrative
will
be
received
with
entire
incredulity
,
but
I
think
it
well
that
the
public
should
be
put
in
possession
of
the
facts
narrated
in
“
An
Antarctic
Mystery
.
”
The
public
is
free
to
believe
them
or
not
,
at
its
good
pleasure
.
No
more
appropriate
scene
for
the
wonderful
and
terrible
adventures
which
I
am
about
to
relate
could
be
imagined
than
the
Desolation
Islands
,
so
called
,
in
1779
,
by
Captain
Cook
.
I
lived
there
for
several
weeks
,
and
I
can
affirm
,
on
the
evidence
of
my
own
eyes
and
my
own
experience
,
that
the
famous
English
explorer
and
navigator
was
happily
inspired
when
he
gave
the
islands
that
significant
name
.
Geographical
nomenclature
,
however
,
insists
on
the
name
of
Kerguelen
,
which
is
generally
adopted
for
the
group
which
lies
in
49
°
45
’
south
latitude
,
and
69
°
6
’
east
longitude
.
This
is
just
,
because
in
1772
,
Baron
Kerguelen
,
a
Frenchman
,
was
the
first
to
discover
those
islands
in
the
southern
part
of
the
Indian
Ocean
.
Indeed
,
the
commander
of
the
squadron
on
that
voyage
believed
that
he
had
found
a
new
continent
on
the
limit
of
the
Antarctic
seas
,
but
in
the
course
of
a
second
expedition
he
recognized
his
error
.
There
was
only
an
archipelago
.
I
may
be
believed
when
I
assert
that
Desolation
Islands
is
the
only
suitable
name
for
this
group
of
three
hundred
isles
or
islets
in
the
midst
of
the
vast
expanse
of
ocean
,
which
is
constantly
disturbed
by
austral
storms
.
Nevertheless
,
the
group
is
inhabited
,
and
the
number
of
Europeans
and
Americans
who
formed
the
nucleus
of
the
Kerguelen
population
at
the
date
of
the
2nd
of
August
,
1839
,
had
been
augmented
for
two
months
past
by
a
unit
in
my
person
.
Just
then
I
was
waiting
for
an
opportunity
of
leaving
the
place
,
having
completed
the
geological
and
mineralogical
studies
which
had
brought
me
to
the
group
in
general
and
to
Christmas
Harbour
in
particular
.
Christmas
Harbour
belongs
to
the
most
important
islet
of
the
archipelago
,
one
that
is
about
half
as
large
as
Corsica
.
It
is
safe
,
and
easy
,
and
free
of
access
.
Your
ship
may
ride
securely
at
single
anchor
in
its
waters
,
while
the
bay
remains
free
from
ice
.
The
Kerguelens
possess
hundreds
of
other
fjords
.
Their
coasts
are
notched
and
ragged
,
especially
in
the
parts
between
the
north
and
the
south
-
east
,
where
little
islets
abound
.
The
soil
,
of
volcanic
origin
,
is
composed
of
quartz
,
mixed
with
a
bluish
stone
.
In
summer
it
is
covered
with
green
mosses
,
grey
lichens
,
various
hardy
plants
,
especially
wild
saxifrage
.
Only
one
edible
plant
grows
there
,
a
kind
of
cabbage
,
not
found
anywhere
else
,
and
very
bitter
of
flavour
.
Great
flocks
of
royal
and
other
penguins
people
these
islets
,
finding
good
lodging
on
their
rocky
and
mossy
surface
.
These
stupid
birds
,
in
their
yellow
and
white
feathers
,
with
their
heads
thrown
back
and
their
wings
like
the
sleeves
of
a
monastic
habit
,
look
,
at
a
distance
,
like
monks
in
single
file
walking
in
procession
along
the
beach
.
The
islands
afford
refuge
to
numbers
of
sea
-
calves
,
seals
,
and
sea
-
elephants
.
The
taking
of
those
amphibious
animals
either
on
land
or
from
the
sea
is
profitable
,
and
may
lead
to
a
trade
which
will
bring
a
large
number
of
vessels
into
these
waters
.
On
the
day
already
mentioned
,
I
was
accosted
while
strolling
on
the
port
by
mine
host
of
mine
inn
.
