Мхи старой усадьбы
The Celestial Railroad
Inthisrespect,ascomparedwithnaturaldaylight,thereisthesamedifferenceasbetweentruthandfalsehood,butifthereaderhaveevertravelledthroughthedarkValley,hewillhavelearnedtobethankfulforanylightthathecouldget—ifnotfromtheskyabove,thenfromtheblastedsoilbeneath.Suchwastheredbrilliancyoftheselampsthattheyappearedtobuildwallsoffireonbothsidesofthetrack,betweenwhichweheldourcourseatlightningspeed,whileareverberatingthunderfilledtheValleywithitsechoes.Hadtheenginerunoffthetrack,—acatastrophe,itiswhispered,bynomeansunprecedented,—thebottomlesspit,iftherebeanysuchplace,wouldundoubtedlyhavereceivedus.Justassomedismalfooleriesofthisnaturehadmademyheartquaketherecameatremendousshriek,careeringalongthevalleyasifathousanddevilshadbursttheirlungstoutterit,butwhichprovedtobemerelythewhistleoftheengineonarrivingatastopping-place.
ThespotwherewehadnowpausedisthesamethatourfriendBunyan—atruthfulman,butinfectedwithmanyfantasticnotions—hasdesignated,intermsplainerthanIliketorepeat,asthemouthoftheinfernalregion.This,however,mustbeamistake,inasmuchasMr.Smooth-it-away,whileweremainedinthesmokyandluridcavern,tookoccasiontoprovethatTophethasnotevenametaphoricalexistence.Theplace,heassuredus,isnootherthanthecraterofahalf-extinctvolcano,inwhichthedirectorshadcausedforgestobesetupforthemanufactureofrailroadiron.
