Хребты безумия
X
Thattheirpresenthabitatwasthevastabysswesought,wasnotforamomenttobedoubted;andthisevidenceofthegulf’scontinuedwarmthandhabitabilityfilleduswiththemostcuriousandsubtlyperturbingfancies.
Wewondered,too,whathadcausedthesethreebirdstoventureoutoftheirusualdomain. Thestateandsilenceofthegreatdeadcitymadeitclearthatithadatnotimebeenanhabitualseasonalrookery,whilstthemanifestindifferenceofthetriotoourpresencemadeitseemoddthatanypassingpartyofthoseothersshouldhavestartledthem. Wasitpossiblethatthoseothershadtakensomeaggressiveactionortriedtoincreasetheirmeatsupply? Wedoubtedwhetherthatpungentodorwhichthedogshadhatedcouldcauseanequalantipathyinthesepenguins,sincetheirancestorshadobviouslylivedonexcellenttermswiththeOldOnes—anamicablerelationshipwhichmusthavesurvivedintheabyssbelowaslongasanyoftheOldOnesremained. Regretting—inaflare-upoftheoldspiritofpurescience—thatwecouldnotphotographtheseanomalouscreatures,weshortlyleftthemtotheirsquawkingandpushedontowardtheabysswhoseopennesswasnowsopositivelyprovedtous,andwhoseexactdirectionoccasionalpenguintracksmadeclear.
Notlongafterwardasteepdescentinalong,low,doorless,andpeculiarlysculpturelesscorridorledustobelievethatwewereapproachingthetunnelmouthatlast. Wehadpassedtwomorepenguins,andheardothersimmediatelyahead. Thenthecorridorendedinaprodigiousopenspacewhichmadeusgaspinvoluntarily—aperfectinvertedhemisphere,obviouslydeepunderground;fullyahundredfeetindiameterandfiftyfeethigh,withlowarchwaysopeningaroundallpartsofthecircumferencebutone,andthatoneyawningcavernouslywithablack,archedaperturewhichbrokethesymmetryofthevaulttoaheightofnearlyfifteenfeet.
