Хребты безумия
VI
Thesculpturesinthebuildingweenteredwereofrelativelylatedate—perhapstwomillionyearsago—ascheckedupbygeological,biological,andastronomicalfeatures—andembodiedanartwhichwouldbecalleddecadentincomparisonwiththatofspecimenswefoundinolderbuildingsaftercrossingbridgesundertheglacialsheet. Oneedificehewnfromthesolidrockseemedtogobackfortyorpossiblyevenfiftymillionyears—tothelowerEoceneorupperCretaceous—andcontainedbas-reliefsofanartistrysurpassinganythingelse,withonetremendousexception,thatweencountered. Thatwas,wehavesinceagreed,theoldestdomesticstructurewetraversed.
Wereitnotforthesupportofthoseflashlightssoontobemadepublic,IwouldrefrainfromtellingwhatIfoundandinferred,lestIbeconfinedasamadman. Ofcourse,theinfinitelyearlypartsofthepatchworktale—representingthepreterrestriallifeofthestar-headedbeingsonotherplanets,inothergalaxies,andinotheruniverses—canreadilybeinterpretedasthefantasticmythologyofthosebeingsthemselves;yetsuchpartssometimesinvolveddesignsanddiagramssouncannilyclosetothelatestfindingsofmathematicsandastrophysicsthatIscarcelyknowwhattothink. LetothersjudgewhentheyseethephotographsIshallpublish.
Naturally,noonesetofcarvingswhichweencounteredtoldmorethanafractionofanyconnectedstory,nordidweevenbegintocomeuponthevariousstagesofthatstoryintheirproperorder. Someofthevastroomswereindependentunitssofarastheirdesignswereconcerned,whilstinothercasesacontinuouschroniclewouldbecarriedthroughaseriesofroomsandcorridors.
