Хребты безумия
II
ThisratherdiscouragedLake,whoseplansallhingedonunearthingspecimensmorethanfivehundredmillionyearsolder. ItwascleartohimthatinordertorecovertheArchaeanslateveininwhichhehadfoundtheoddmarkings,hewouldhavetomakealongsledgetripfromthesefoothillstothesteepslopesofthegiganticmountainsthemselves.
Hehadresolved,nevertheless,todosomelocalboringaspartoftheexpedition’sgeneralprogram;hencehesetupthedrillandputfivementoworkwithitwhiletherestfinishedsettlingthecampandrepairingthedamagedaeroplane. Thesoftestvisiblerock-asandstoneaboutaquarterofamilefromthecamp-hadbeenchosenforthefirstsampling;andthedrillmadeexcellentprogresswithoutmuchsupplementaryblasting. Itwasaboutthreehoursafterward,followingthefirstreallyheavyblastoftheoperation,thattheshoutingofthedrillcrewwasheard;andthatyoungGedney-theactingforeman-rushedintothecampwiththestartlingnews.
Theyhadstruckacave. EarlyintheboringthesandstonehadgivenplacetoaveinofComanchianlimestone,fullofminutefossilcephalopods,corals,echini,andspirifera,andwithoccasionalsuggestionsofsiliceousspongesandmarinevertebratebones-thelatterprobablyofteleosts,sharks,andganoids. This,initself,wasimportantenough,asaffordingthefirstvertebratefossilstheexpeditionhadyetsecured;butwhenshortlyafterwardthedrillheaddroppedthroughthestratumintoapparentvacancy,awhollynewanddoublyintensewaveofexcitementspreadamongtheexcavators. Agood-sizedblasthadlaidopenthesubterrenesecret; andnow,throughajaggedapertureperhapsfivefeetacrossandthreefeetthick,thereyawnedbeforetheavidsearchersasectionofshallowlimestonehollowingwornmorethanfiftymillionyearsagobythetricklinggroundwatersofabygonetropicworld.
