Хребты безумия
XI
Inthemidstofourflight,withallourfacultiescenteredontheproblemofescape,wewereinnoconditiontoobserveandanalyzedetails;yetevenso,ourlatentbraincellsmusthavewonderedatthemessagebroughtthembyournostrils. Afterwardwerealizedwhatitwasthatourretreatfromthefetidslimecoatingonthoseheadlessobstructions,andthecoincidentapproachofthepursuingentity,hadnotbroughtustheexchangeofstencheswhichlogiccalledfor. Intheneighborhoodoftheprostratethingsthatnewandlatelyunexplainablefetorhadbeenwhollydominant;butbythistimeitoughttohavelargelygivenplacetothenamelessstenchassociatedwiththoseothers. Thisithadnotdone—forinstead,thenewerandlessbearablesmellwasnowvirtuallyundiluted,andgrowingmoreandmorepoisonouslyinsistenteachsecond.
Soweglancedbacksimultaneously,itwouldappear;thoughnodoubttheincipientmotionofonepromptedtheimitationoftheother. Aswedidsoweflashedbothtorchesfullstrengthatthemomentarilythinnedmist;eitherfromsheerprimitiveanxietytoseeallwecould,orinalessprimitivebutequallyunconsciousefforttodazzletheentitybeforewedimmedourlightanddodgedamongthepenguinsofthelabyrinthcenterahead. Unhappyact! NotOrpheushimself,orLot’swife,paidmuchmoredearlyforabackwardglance. Andagaincamethatshocking,wide-rangedpiping—"Tekeli-li!Tekeli-li!"
Imightaswellbefrank—evenifIcannotbeartobequitedirect—instatingwhatwesaw; thoughatthetimewefeltthatitwasnottobeadmittedeventoeachother. Thewordsreachingthereadercanneverevensuggesttheawfulnessofthesightitself.
