Хребты безумия
II
InthemorningIhadathree-corneredwirelesstalkwithLakeandCaptainDouglasattheirwidelyseparatedbases. ItwasagreedthatoneofLake’splaneswouldcometomybaseforPabodie,thefivemen,andmyself,aswellasforallthefuelitcouldcarry. Therestofthefuelquestion,dependingonourdecisionaboutaneasterlytrip,couldwaitforafewdays,sinceLakehadenoughforimmediatecampheatandborings. Eventuallytheoldsouthernbaseoughttoberestocked,butifwepostponedtheeasterlytripwewouldnotuseittillthenextsummer,and,meanwhile,LakemustsendaplanetoexploreadirectroutebetweenhisnewmountainsandMcMurdoSound.
PabodieandIpreparedtocloseourbaseforashortorlongperiod,asthecasemightbe. IfwewinteredintheantarcticwewouldprobablyflystraightfromLake’sbasetotheArkhamwithoutreturningtothisspot. Someofourconicaltentshadalreadybeenreinforcedbyblocksofhardsnow,andnowwedecidedtocompletethejobofmakingapermanentvillage. Owingtoaveryliberaltentsupply,Lakehadwithhimallthathisbasewouldneed,evenafterourarrival. IwirelessedthatPabodieandIwouldbereadyforthenorthwestwardmoveafteroneday’sworkandonenight’srest.
Ourlabors,however,werenotverysteadyafter4P.M.,foraboutthattimeLakebegansendinginthemostextraordinaryandexcitedmessages. Hisworkingdayhadstartedunpropitiously,sinceanaeroplanesurveyofthenearly-exposedrocksurfacesshowedanentireabsenceofthoseArchaeanandprimordialstrataforwhichhewaslooking,andwhichformedsogreatapartofthecolossalpeaksthatloomedupatatantalizingdistancefromthecamp. MostoftherocksglimpsedwereapparentlyJurassicandComanchiansandstonesandPermianandTriassicschists,withnowandthenaglossyblackoutcroppingsuggestingahardandslatycoal.
