Хребты безумия
II
"UpwithCarrolloverhighestfoothills. Don’tdaretryreallytallpeaksinpresentweather,butshalllater. Frightfulworkclimbing,andhardgoingatthisaltitude,butworthit. Greatrangefairlysolid,hencecan’tgetanyglimpsesbeyond. MainsummitsexceedHimalayas,andveryqueer. Rangelookslikepre-Cambrianslate,withplainsignsofmanyotherupheavedstrata. Waswrongaboutvolcanism. Goesfartherineitherdirectionthanwecansee. Sweptclearofsnowaboveabouttwenty-onethousandfeet. "Oddformationsonslopesofhighestmountains. Greatlowsquareblockswithexactlyverticalsides,andrectangularlinesoflow,verticalramparts,liketheoldAsiancastlesclingingtosteepmountainsinRoerich’spaintings. Impressivefromdistance. Flewclosetosome,andCarrollthoughttheywereformedofsmallerseparatepieces,butthatisprobablyweathering. Mostedgescrumbledandroundedoffasifexposedtostormsandclimatechangesformillionsofyears. "Parts,especiallyupperparts,seemtobeoflighter-coloredrockthananyvisiblestrataonslopesproper,henceofevidentlycrystallineorigin. Closeflyingshowsmanycavemouths,someunusuallyregularinoutline,squareorsemicircular. Youmustcomeandinvestigate. ThinkIsawrampartsquarelyontopofonepeak. Heightseemsaboutthirtythousandtothirty-fivethousandfeet. Amuptwenty-onethousand,fivehundredmyself,indevilish,gnawingcold. Windwhistlesandpipesthroughpassesandinandoutofcaves,butnoflyingdangersofar."
FromthenonforanotherhalfhourLakekeptuparunningfireofcomment,andexpressedhisintentionofclimbingsomeofthepeaksonfoot. IrepliedthatIwouldjoinhimassoonashecouldsendaplane,andthatPabodieandIwouldworkoutthebestgasolineplan-justwhereandhowtoconcentrateoursupplyinviewoftheexpedition’salteredcharacter.
