Хребты безумия
XII
Certainthings,wehadagreed,werenotforpeopletoknowanddiscusslightly—andIwouldnotspeakofthemnowbutfortheneedofheadingoffthatStarkweather–MooreExpedition,andothers,atanycost. Itisabsolutelynecessary,forthepeaceandsafetyofmankind,thatsomeofearth’sdark,deadcornersandunplumbeddepthsbeletalone;lestsleepingabnormalitieswaketoresurgentlife,andblasphemouslysurvivingnightmaressquirmandsplashoutoftheirblacklairstonewerandwiderconquests.
AllthatDanforthhaseverhintedisthatthefinalhorrorwasamirage. Itwasnot,hedeclares,anythingconnectedwiththecubesandcavesofthoseechoing,vaporous,wormily-honeycombedmountainsofmadnesswhichwecrossed; butasinglefantastic,demoniacglimpse,amongthechurningzenithclouds,ofwhatlaybackofthoseothervioletwestwardmountainswhichtheOldOneshadshunnedandfeared. Itisveryprobablethatthethingwasasheerdelusionbornofthepreviousstresseswehadpassedthrough,andoftheactualthoughunrecognizedmirageofthedeadtransmontanecityexperiencednearLake’scampthedaybefore; butitwassorealtoDanforththathesuffersfromitstill.
Hehasonrareoccasionswhispereddisjointedandirresponsiblethingsabout "Theblackpit,""thecarvenrim,""theprotoShoggoths,""thewindowlesssolidswithfivedimensions,""thenamelesscylinder,""theelderPharos,""Yog–Sothoth,""theprimalwhitejelly,""thecoloroutofspace,""thewings,""theeyesindarkness,""themoon-ladder,""theoriginal,theeternal,theundying,"andotherbizarreconceptions; butwhenheisfullyhimselfherepudiatesallthisandattributesittohiscuriousandmacabrereadingofearlieryears.
