My body is confined to this poor vase, but certainly not my
mind--it roams in Europe, in Asia, or amid the stars--but wait a moment.
Poor youth! The hand on the dial of thy destiny moves rapidly. Go! Go
now, and go in haste; for one who loves thee, at this moment sorely
needs thee. Farewell.'
"Pym scarcely heard the word 'farewell;' for he was crossing the
threshold of the house as Masusaelili uttered it, and Peters was turning
to follow. They ran as rapidly as the snow and the cutting wind would
permit, and had covered the necessary three miles in about half an hour.
The air was growing intensely cold. They met a party of three exiles,
who were helping to scour the city for any food that might have been
left in deserted homes. These men informed Pym that, in spite of the
promptitude and haste of the rescue parties, more than a hundred persons
had been frozen to death; and that frozen hands and feet by the thousand
had been reported. The Hili-lites were so extremely susceptible to cold
that, at a temperature of 20 deg. Fahrenheit, if they were not well
protected by clothing, they soon became drowsy, then slept, and, if not
found and resuscitated within a very short time, died.
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