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"If Polar Queen struck any one of these thousands of bergs, she could have gone to the bottom in less time than it takes to tell about it"

"A thought I don't care to dwell on"

"Anything on your side?" asked Giordino

"Nothing but gray, undistinguished rock poking through a blanket of white snow I can only describe it as sterile monotony"

Giordino ainst his watch "Twenty kiloers from the cruise ship"

Pitt nodded in agree I can see that resembles a human"

"Maeve Fletcher said they were supposed to put the second party ashore at a seal colony"

"The seals are there all right," Pitt said, gesturing below "Must be over eight hundred of them, all dead"

Giordino raised in his seat and peered out the portas Pitt banked the

helicopter in a gentle descending turn to give hi elephant seals packed the shoreline for nearly a kilometer Fro, but a sharp look soon revealed that not one moved

"It doesn't look like the second excursion group left the ship," said Giordino

There was nothingthe aircraft back on a course over the surf line "Next stop, the Argentinean research station"

"It should be co into view at any time"

"I'ht find," said Pitt uneasily

"Look on the bright side" Giordino shtly "Maybe everybody said to hell with it, packed up and went home"