Хребты безумия
I
Itwasnowmidsummer,andwithhasteandcarewemightbeabletoconcludeworkbyMarchandavoidatediouswinteringthroughthelongantarcticnight. Severalsavagewindstormshadburstuponusfromthewest,butwehadescapeddamagethroughtheskillofAtwoodindevisingrudimentaryaeroplanesheltersandwindbreaksofheavysnowblocks,andreinforcingtheprincipalcampbuildingswithsnow. Ourgoodluckandefficiencyhadindeedbeenalmostuncanny.
Theoutsideworldknew,ofcourse,ofourprogram,andwastoldalsoofLake’sstrangeanddoggedinsistenceonawestward-orrather,northwestward-prospectingtripbeforeourradicalshifttothenewbase. Itseemsthathehadponderedagreatdeal,andwithalarminglyradicaldaring,overthattriangularstriatedmarkingintheslate;readingintoitcertaincontradictionsinnatureandgeologicalperiodwhichwhettedhiscuriositytotheutmost, andmadehimavidtosinkmoreboringsandblastingsinthewest-stretchingformationtowhichtheexhumedfragmentsevidentlybelonged. Hewasstrangelyconvincedthatthemarkingwastheprintofsomebulky,unknown,andradicallyunclassifiableorganismofconsiderablyadvancedevolution, notwithstandingthattherockwhichboreitwasofsovastlyancientadate-CambrianifnotactuallypreCambrian-astoprecludetheprobableexistencenotonlyofallhighlyevolvedlife,butofanylifeatallabovetheunicellularoratmostthetrilobitestage. Thesefragments,withtheiroddmarking,musthavebeenfivehundredmilliontoathousandmillionyearsold.
