Хребты безумия
V
Evenso,however,wecoveredanenormousextentofground—or,rather,air—afterswoopingdowntoalevelwherethewindbecamevirtuallynegligible. Thereseemedtobenolimittothemountainrange,ortothelengthofthefrightfulstonecitywhichbordereditsinnerfoothills. Fiftymilesofflightineachdirectionshowednomajorchangeinthelabyrinthofrockandmasonrythatclawedupcorpselikethroughtheeternalice. Therewere,though,somehighlyabsorbingdiversifications;suchasthecarvingsonthecanyonwherethatbroadriverhadoncepiercedthefoothillsandapproacheditssinkingplaceinthegreatrange. Theheadlandsatthestream’sentrancehadbeenboldlycarvedintoCyclopeanpylons;andsomethingabouttheridgy,barrel-shapeddesignsstirredupoddlyvague,hateful,andconfusingsemi-remembrancesinbothDanforthandme.
Wealsocameuponseveralstar-shapedopenspaces,evidentlypublicsquares,andnotedvariousundulationsintheterrain. Whereasharphillrose,itwasgenerallyhollowedoutintosomesortoframbling-stoneedifice;buttherewereatleasttwoexceptions. Oftheselatter,onewastoobadlyweatheredtodisclosewhathadbeenonthejuttingeminence,whiletheotherstillboreafantasticconicalmonumentcarvedoutofthesolidrockandroughlyresemblingsuchthingsasthewell-knownSnakeTombintheancientvalleyofPetra.
Flyinginlandfromthemountains,wediscoveredthatthecitywasnotofinfinitewidth,eventhoughitslengthalongthefoothillsseemedendless. Afteraboutthirtymilesthegrotesquestonebuildingsbegantothinout,andintenmoremileswecametoanunbrokenwastevirtuallywithoutsignsofsentientartifice.
