Потерянный континент: история Атлантиды
1. My Recall
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“Bah!That’snotaburialcaveupthere.Don’tyouknowthedifferenceyetintheopenings?Now,beagoodfellow.Itdoesn’tfollowthatbecausewehavedrawnalltherestblank,youwon’tstumbleacrossagoodfindforyourselfupthere.”
“Oh,verywell,”Isaid,asheseemedsosetonit;andawayIstumbledoverthefallenrocks,andalongtheledge,andthenscrambledupbythatfissureinthecliffwhichsavedusthetwo-mileroundwhichwehadhadtotakeatfirst.Iwrenchedoutthecrowbar,andjammeditdowninanewplace,andthenawayIwentovertheside,withhandssmartingworseateverynewgripoftherope.Itwasanawkwardjobswingingintothecavemouthbecausetherockaboveoverhung,orelse(whatcametothesamething)ithadbrokenawaybelow;butImanageditsomehow,althoughIlandedwithanawkwardthumponmyback,andatthesametimeIdidn’tletgotherope.Itwouldn’tdotohavelosttheropethen:Coppingercouldn’thaveflickeditintomefromwherehewasbelow.
NowfromthefirstglanceIcouldseethatthiscavewasofdifferentstructuretotheothers.Theywereforthemostpartmeredens,roundedoutanyhow;thishadbeenfacedupwithcuttingtools,sothatalltheangleswereclean,andthesidessmoothandflat.Thewallsinclinedinwardstotheroof,remindingmeofanarchitectureIhadseenbeforebutcouldnotrecollectwhere,andmoreovertherewereseveralroomsconnectedupwithpassages.Iwaspleasedtofindthattheothercave-openingswhichCoppingerwantedmetoexploreweremerelythewindowsorthedoorwaysoftwooftheseotherrooms.
