Хребти божевілля
VIII
TheyleftuswithapictureoftheOldOnesshuttlingbackandforthbetwixtthelandcityinsummerandthesea-caverncityinwinter,andsometimestradingwiththesea-bottomcitiesofftheantarcticcoast. Bythistimetheultimatedoomofthelandcitymusthavebeenrecognized,forthesculpturesshowedmanysignsofthecold’smalignencroachments. Vegetationwasdeclining,andtheterriblesnowsofthewinternolongermeltedcompletelyeveninmidsummer. Thesaurianlivestockwerenearlyalldead,andthemammalswerestandingitnonetoowell. Tokeeponwiththeworkoftheupperworldithadbecomenecessarytoadaptsomeoftheamorphousandcuriouslycold-resistantShoggothstolandlife—athingtheOldOneshadformerlybeenreluctanttodo. Thegreatriverwasnowlifeless,andtheupperseahadlostmostofitsdenizensexceptthesealsandwhales. Allthebirdshadflownaway,saveonlythegreat,grotesquepenguins.
Whathadhappenedafterwardwecouldonlyguess. Howlonghadthenewsea-caverncitysurvived? Wasitstilldownthere,astonycorpseineternalblackness? Hadthesubterraneanwatersfrozenatlast? Towhatfatehadtheocean-bottomcitiesoftheouterworldbeendelivered? HadanyoftheOldOnesshiftednorthaheadofthecreepingicecap? Existinggeologyshowsnotraceoftheirpresence. HadthefrightfulMi–Gobeenstillamenaceintheouterlandworldofthenorth? Couldonebesureofwhatmightormightnotlinger,eventothisday,inthelightlessandunplumbedabyssesofearth’sdeepestwaters? Thosethingshadseeminglybeenabletowithstandanyamountofpressure—andmenoftheseahavefishedupcuriousobjectsattimes. Andhasthekiller-whaletheoryreallyexplainedthesavageandmysteriousscarsonantarcticsealsnoticedagenerationagobyBorchgrevingk?
