Хребты безумия
VI
asthedecorativemotifsofMinoanCreteexaltedthesacredbull,thoseofEgyptthescarabaeus,thoseofRomethewolfandtheeagle,andthoseofvarioussavagetribessomechosentotemanimal. Butthislonerefugewasnowstrippedfromus,andwewereforcedtofacedefinitelythereason-shakingrealizationwhichthereaderofthesepageshasdoubtlesslongagoanticipated. Icanscarcelybeartowriteitdowninblackandwhiteevennow,butperhapsthatwillnotbenecessary.
Thethingsoncerearinganddwellinginthisfrightfulmasonryintheageofdinosaurswerenotindeeddinosaurs,butfarworse. Meredinosaurswerenewandalmostbrainlessobjects—butthebuildersofthecitywerewiseandold, andhadleftcertaintracesinrockseventhenlaiddownwellnighathousandmillionyears—rockslaiddownbeforethetruelifeofearthhadadvancedbeyondplasticgroupsofcells—rockslaiddownbeforethetruelifeofearthhadexistedatall. Theywerethemakersandenslaversofthatlife,andabovealldoubttheoriginalsofthefiendisheldermythswhichthingslikethePnakoticManuscriptsandtheNecronomiconaffrightedlyhintabout. Theywerethegreat"OldOnes"thathadfiltereddownfromthestarswhenearthwasyoung—thebeingswhosesubstanceanalienevolutionhadshaped,andwhosepowersweresuchasthisplanethadneverbred. Andtothinkthatonlythedaybefore,DanforthandIhadactuallylookeduponfragmentsoftheirmillenniallyfossilizedsubstance,andthatpoorLakeandhispartyhadseentheircompleteoutlines. Itisofcourseimpossibleformetorelateinproperorderthestagesbywhichwepickedupwhatweknowofthatmonstrouschapterofprehumanlife. Afterthefirstshockofthecertainrevelation,wehadtopauseawhiletorecuperate,anditwasfullythreeo’clockbeforewegotstartedonouractualtourofsystematicresearch.
