Хребты безумия
II
Results,quicklyreportedoverthewireless,werebafflingandprovocativeindeed. Nothinglikedelicacyoraccuracywaspossiblewithinstrumentshardlyabletocuttheanomaloustissue,butthelittlethatwasachievedleftusallawedandbewildered. Existingbiologywouldhavetobewhollyrevised,forthisthingwasnoproductofanycellgrowthscienceknowsabout. Therehadbeenscarcelyanymineralreplacement,anddespiteanageofperhapsfortymillionyears,theinternalorganswerewhollyintact. Theleathery,undeteriorative,andalmostindestructiblequalitywasaninherentattributeofthething’sformoforganization,andpertainedtosomepaleogeancycleofinvertebrateevolutionutterlybeyondourpowersofspeculation. AtfirstallthatLakefoundwasdry,butastheheatedtentproduceditsthawingeffect,organicmoistureofpungentandoffensiveodorwasencounteredtowardthething’suninjuredside. Itwasnotblood,butathick,dark-greenfluidapparentlyansweringthesamepurpose. BythetimeLakereachedthisstage,allthirty-sevendogshadbeenbroughttothestilluncompletedcorralnearthecamp,andevenatthatdistancesetupasavagebarkingandshowofrestlessnessattheacrid,diffusivesmell.
Farfromhelpingtoplacethestrangeentity,thisprovisionaldissectionmerelydeepeneditsmystery. Allguessesaboutitsexternalmembershadbeencorrect,andontheevidenceoftheseonecouldhardlyhesitatetocallthethinganimal;butinternalinspectionbroughtupsomanyvegetableevidencesthatLakewaslefthopelesslyatsea. Ithaddigestionandcirculation,andeliminatedwastematterthroughthereddishtubesofitsstarfish-shapedbase. Cursorily,onewouldsaythatitsrespirationapparatushandledoxygenratherthancarbondioxide,andtherewereoddevidencesofair-storagechambersandmethodsofshiftingrespirationfromtheexternalorificetoatleasttwootherfullydevelopedbreathingsystems-gillsandpores.
