Хребты безумия

           MapsevidentlyshowingtheCarboniferousworldofanhundredmillionormoreyearsagodisplayedsignificantriftsandchasmsdestinedlatertoseparateAfricafromtheoncecontinuousrealmsofEurope(thentheValusiaofprimallegend),Asia,theAmericas,andtheantarcticcontinent. Othercharts—andmostsignificantlyoneinconnectionwiththefoundingfiftymillionyearsagoofthevastdeadcityaroundus—showedallthepresentcontinentswelldifferentiated. Andinthelatestdiscoverablespecimen—datingperhapsfromthePlioceneAge—theapproximateworldoftodayappearedquiteclearlydespitethelinkageofAlaskawithSiberia,ofNorthAmericawithEuropethroughGreenland,andofSouthAmericawiththeantarcticcontinentthroughGrahamLand. IntheCarboniferousmapthewholeglobe-oceanfloorandriftedlandmassalike—boresymbolsoftheOldOnes’vaststonecities,butinthelaterchartsthegradualrecessiontowardtheantarcticbecameveryplain. ThefinalPliocenespecimenshowednolandcitiesexceptontheantarcticcontinentandthetipofSouthAmerica,noranyoceancitiesnorthofthefiftiethparallelofSouthLatitude. Knowledgeandinterestinthenorthernworld,saveforastudyofcoastlinesprobablymadeduringlongexplorationflightsonthosefanlikemembranouswings,hadevidentlydeclinedtozeroamongtheOldOnes. 

           Destructionofcitiesthroughtheupthrustofmountains,thecentrifugalrendingofcontinents,theseismicconvulsionsoflandorseabottom,andothernaturalcauses,wasamatterofcommonrecord;anditwascurioustoobservehowfewerandfewerreplacementsweremadeastheagesworeon. Thevastdeadmegalopolisthatyawnedaroundusseemedtobethelastgeneralcenteroftherace—builtearlyintheCretaceousAgeafteratitanicearthbucklinghadobliteratedastillvasterpredecessornotfardistant.