Хребты безумия
IX
Letmebeplain. Thescatteredobjectswere,sofarassubstancewasconcerned,allfromLake’scamp;andconsistedoftincansasqueerlyopenedasthosewehadseenatthatravagedplace,manyspentmatches,threeillustratedbooksmoreorlesscuriouslysmudged,anemptyinkbottlewithitspictorialandinstructionalcarton,abrokenfountainpen,someoddlysnippedfragmentsoffurandtentcloth,ausedelectricbatterywithcircularofdirections,afolderthatcamewithourtypeoftentheater,andasprinklingofcrumpledpapers. Itwasallbadenoughbutwhenwesmoothedoutthepapersandlookedatwhatwasonthem,wefeltwehadcometotheworst. Wehadfoundcertaininexplicablyblottedpapersatthecampwhichmighthavepreparedus,yettheeffectofthesightdownthereintheprehumanvaultsofanightmarecitywasalmosttoomuchtobear.
AmadGedneymighthavemadethegroupsofdotsinimitationofthosefoundonthegreenishsoapstones,justasthedotsonthoseinsanefive-pointedgravemoundsmighthavebeenmade; andhemightconceivablyhavepreparedrough,hastysketches—varyingintheiraccuracyorlackofit—whichoutlinedtheneighboringpartsofthecityandtracedthewayfromacircularlyrepresentedplaceoutsideourpreviousroute—aplaceweidentifiedasagreatcylindricaltowerinthecarvingsandasavastcirculargulfglimpsedinouraerialsurvey—tothepresentfive-pointedstructureandthetunnelmouththerein.
Hemight,Irepeat,havepreparedsuchsketches;forthosebeforeuswerequiteobviouslycompiled,asourownhadbeen,fromlatesculpturessomewhereintheglaciallabyrinth,thoughnotfromtheoneswhichwehadseenandused.
