Хребты безумия
VIII
Thatgrimhonorisbeyonddoubtreservedforsomethingwhichhalfthesculptureshesitatedtorecordatall,whilstothersapproacheditwithobviousrepugnanceandtrepidation. Itseemsthattherewasonepartoftheancientland—thefirstpartthateverrosefromthewatersaftertheearthhadflungoffthemoonandtheOldOneshadseepeddown,fromthestars—whichhadcometobeshunnedasvaguelyandnamelesslyevil. Citiesbuilttherehadcrumbledbeforetheirtime,andhadbeenfoundsuddenlydeserted. ThenwhenthefirstgreatearthbucklinghadconvulsedtheregionintheComanchianAge,afrightfullineofpeakshadshotsuddenlyupamidstthemostappallingdinandchaos—andearthhadreceivedherloftiestandmostterriblemountains.
Ifthescaleofthecarvingswascorrect,theseabhorredthingsmusthavebeenmuchoverfortythousandfeethigh—radicallyvasterthaneventheshockingmountainsofmadnesswehadcrossed. Theyextended,itappeared,fromaboutLatitude77°,E.Longitude70°toLatitude70°,E.Longitude100°—lessthanthreehundredmilesawayfromthedeadcity,sothatwewouldhavespiedtheirdreadedsummitsinthedimwesterndistancehaditnotbeenforthatvague,opalescenthaze. TheirnorthernendmustlikewisebevisiblefromthelongantarcticcirclecoastlineatQueenMaryLand.
SomeoftheOldOnes,inthedecadentdays,hadmadestrangeprayerstothosemountains—butnoneeverwentnearthemordaredtoguesswhatlaybeyond. Nohumaneyehadeverseenthem,andasIstudiedtheemotionsconveyedinthecarvings,Iprayedthatnoneevermight. Thereareprotectinghillsalongthecoastbeyondthem—QueenMaryandKaiserWilhelmLands—andIthankHeavennoonehasbeenabletolandandclimbthosehills.
