Хребты безумия

I

           Itwasnowmidsummer,andwithhasteandcarewemightbeabletoconcludeworkbyMarchandavoidatediouswinteringthroughthelongantarcticnight. Severalsavagewindstormshadburstuponusfromthewest,butwehadescapeddamagethroughtheskillofAtwoodindevisingrudimentaryaeroplanesheltersandwindbreaksofheavysnowblocks,andreinforcingtheprincipalcampbuildingswithsnow. Ourgoodluckandefficiencyhadindeedbeenalmostuncanny. 

           Theoutsideworldknew,ofcourse,ofourprogram,andwastoldalsoofLake’sstrangeanddoggedinsistenceonawestward-orrather,northwestward-prospectingtripbeforeourradicalshifttothenewbase. Itseemsthathehadponderedagreatdeal,andwithalarminglyradicaldaring,overthattriangularstriatedmarkingintheslate;readingintoitcertaincontradictionsinnatureandgeologicalperiodwhichwhettedhiscuriositytotheutmost, andmadehimavidtosinkmoreboringsandblastingsinthewest-stretchingformationtowhichtheexhumedfragmentsevidentlybelonged. Hewasstrangelyconvincedthatthemarkingwastheprintofsomebulky,unknown,andradicallyunclassifiableorganismofconsiderablyadvancedevolution, notwithstandingthattherockwhichboreitwasofsovastlyancientadate-CambrianifnotactuallypreCambrian-astoprecludetheprobableexistencenotonlyofallhighlyevolvedlife,butofanylifeatallabovetheunicellularoratmostthetrilobitestage. Thesefragments,withtheiroddmarking,musthavebeenfivehundredmilliontoathousandmillionyearsold. 

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