Зов Ктулху
The Tale of Inspector Legrasse
andsosingularandhideousweretheritesconnectedwithit,thatthepolicecouldnotbutrealisethattheyhadstumbledonadarkculttotallyunknowntothem,andinfinitelymorediabolicthaneventheblackestoftheAfricanvoodoocircles. Ofitsorigin,apartfromtheerraticandunbelievabletalesextortedfromthecapturedmembers,absolutelynothingwastobediscovered; hencetheanxietyofthepoliceforanyantiquarianlorewhichmighthelpthemtoplacethefrightfulsymbol,andthroughittrackdowntheculttoitsfountain-head.
InspectorLegrassewasscarcelypreparedforthesensationwhichhisofferingcreated. Onesightofthethinghadbeenenoughtothrowtheassembledmenofscienceintoastateoftenseexcitement,andtheylostnotimeincrowdingaroundhimtogazeatthediminutivefigure whoseutterstrangenessandairofgenuinelyabysmalantiquityhintedsopotentlyatunopenedandarchaicvistas. Norecognisedschoolofsculpturehadanimatedthisterribleobject, yetcenturiesandeventhousandsofyearsseemedrecordedinitsdimandgreenishsurfaceofunplaceablestone.
Thefigure,whichwasfinallypassedslowlyfrommantomanforcloseandcarefulstudy,wasbetweensevenandeightinchesinheight,andofexquisitelyartisticworkmanship. Itrepresentedamonsterofvaguelyanthropoidoutline,butwithanoctopus-likeheadwhosefacewasamassoffeelers,ascaly,rubbery-lookingbody,prodigiousclawsonhindandforefeet,andlong,narrowwingsbehind. Thisthing,whichseemedinstinctwithafearsomeandunnaturalmalignancy,wasofasomewhatbloatedcorpulence,andsquattedevillyonarectangularblockorpedestalcoveredwithundecipherablecharacters.
