Тінь над Іннсмутом
Chapter 4
Canitbepossiblethatthisplanethasactuallyspawnedsuchthings;thathumaneyeshavetrulyseen,asobjectiveflesh,whatmanhashithertoknownonlyinfebrilephantasyandtenuouslegend?
AndyetIsawtheminalimitlessstream—flopping,hopping,croaking,bleating—urginginhumanlythroughthespectralmoonlightinagrotesque,malignantsarabandoffantasticnightmare.Andsomeofthemhadtalltiarasofthatnamelesswhitish-goldmetal...andsomewerestrangelyrobed...andone,wholedtheway,wascladinaghoulishlyhumpedblackcoatandstripedtrousers,andhadaman’sfelthatperchedontheshapelessthingthatansweredforahead.
Ithinktheirpredominantcolourwasagreyish-green,thoughtheyhadwhitebellies.Theyweremostlyshinyandslippery,buttheridgesoftheirbackswerescaly.Theirformsvaguelysuggestedtheanthropoid,whiletheirheadsweretheheadsoffish,withprodigiousbulgingeyesthatneverclosed.Atthesidesoftheirneckswerepalpitatinggills,andtheirlongpawswerewebbed.Theyhoppedirregularly,sometimesontwolegsandsometimesonfour.Iwassomehowgladthattheyhadnomorethanfourlimbs.Theircroaking,bayingvoices,clearlyusedforarticulatespeech,heldallthedarkshadesofexpressionwhichtheirstaringfaceslacked.888
Butforalloftheirmonstrousnesstheywerenotunfamiliartome
