Зов Ктулху
The Tale of Inspector Legrasse
ProfessorWebbhadbeenengaged,forty-eightyearsbefore,inatourofGreenlandandIcelandinsearchofsomeRunicinscriptionswhichhefailedtounearth; andwhilsthighupontheWestGreenlandcoasthadencounteredasingulartribeorcultofdegenerateEsquimauxwhosereligion,acuriousformofdevil-worship,chilledhimwithitsdeliberatebloodthirstinessandrepulsiveness. ItwasafaithofwhichotherEsquimauxknewlittle,andwhichtheymentionedonlywithshudders, sayingthatithadcomedownfromhorriblyancientaeonsbeforeevertheworldwasmade. Besidesnamelessritesandhumansacrificestherewerecertainqueerhereditaryritualsaddressedtoasupremeelderdevilortornasuk; andofthisProfessorWebbhadtakenacarefulphoneticcopyfromanagedangekokorwizard-priest,expressingthesoundsinRomanlettersasbestheknewhow. Butjustnowofprimesignificancewasthefetishwhichthisculthadcherished,andaroundwhichtheydancedwhentheauroraleapedhighovertheicecliffs. Itwas,theprofessorstated,averycrudebas-reliefofstone,comprisingahideouspictureandsomecrypticwriting. Andsofarashecouldtell,itwasaroughparallelinallessentialfeaturesofthebestialthingnowlyingbeforethemeeting.
Thisdata,receivedwithsuspenseandastonishmentbytheassembledmembers,proveddoublyexcitingtoInspectorLegrasse; andhebeganatoncetoplyhisinformantwithquestions. Havingnotedandcopiedanoralritualamongtheswampcult-worshippershismenhadarrested,hebesoughttheprofessortorememberasbesthemightthesyllablestakendownamongstthediabolistEsquimaux. Therethenfollowedanexhaustivecomparisonofdetails,andamomentofreallyawedsilence whenbothdetectiveandscientistagreedonthevirtualidentityofthephrasecommontotwohellishritualssomanyworldsofdistanceapart.
