Хребти божевілля
IX
Ifworsecametoworstwecouldresorttorockchipping—andofcourseitwouldbepossible,evenincaseofreallylostdirection,toworkuptofulldaylightbyonechanneloranotherifgrantedsufficienttimeforplentifultrialanderror. Soatlastwesetoffeagerlyintheindicateddirectionofthenearesttunnel.
Accordingtothecarvingsfromwhichwehadmadeourmap,thedesiredtunnelmouthcouldnotbemuchmorethanaquarterofamilefromwherewestood; theinterveningspaceshowingsolid-lookingbuildingsquitelikelytobepenetrablestillatasub-glaciallevel. Theopeningitselfwouldbeinthebasement—ontheanglenearestthefoothills—ofavastfive-pointedstructureofevidentlypublicandperhapsceremonialnature,whichwetriedtoidentifyfromouraerialsurveyoftheruins.
Nosuchstructurecametoourmindsaswerecalledourflight,henceweconcludedthatitsupperpartshadbeengreatlydamaged,orthatithadbeentotallyshatteredinaniceriftwehadnoticed. Inthelattercasethetunnelwouldprobablyturnouttobechoked,sothatwewouldhavetotrythenextnearestone—theonelessthanamiletothenorth. Theinterveningrivercoursepreventedourtryinganyofthemoresoutherntunnelsonthistrip;andindeed,ifbothoftheneighboringoneswerechokeditwasdoubtfulwhetherourbatterieswouldwarrantanattemptonthenextnortherlyone—aboutamilebeyondoursecondchoice.
Aswethreadedourdimwaythroughthelabyrinthwiththeaidofmapandcompass—traversingroomsandcorridorsineverystageofruinorpreservation,clamberingupramps,crossingupperfloorsandbridgesandclamberingdownagain,encounteringchokeddoorwaysandpilesofdebris,
