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IX

           hasteningnowandthenalongfinelypreservedanduncannilyimmaculatestretches,takingfalseleadsandretracingourway(insuchcasesremovingtheblindpapertrailwehadleft),andonceinawhilestrikingthebottomofanopenshaftthroughwhichdaylightpouredortrickleddownwewererepeatedlytantalizedbythesculpturedwallsalongourroute. Manymusthavetoldtalesofimmensehistoricalimportance,andonlytheprospectoflatervisitsreconciledustotheneedofpassingthemby. Asitwas,wesloweddownonceinawhileandturnedonoursecondtorch. Ifwehadhadmorefilms,wewouldcertainlyhavepausedbrieflytophotographcertainbas-reliefs,buttime-consuminghand-copyingwasclearlyoutofthequestion. 

           Icomenowoncemoretoaplacewherethetemptationtohesitate,ortohintratherthanstate,isverystrong. Itisnecessary,however,torevealtherestinordertojustifymycourseindiscouragingfurtherexploration. Wehadwormedourwayveryclosetothecomputedsiteofthetunnel’smouthhavingcrossedasecond-storybridgetowhatseemedplainlythetipofapointedwall,anddescendedtoaruinouscorridorespeciallyrichindecadentlyelaborateandapparentlyritualisticsculpturesoflateworkmanshipwhen,shortlybefore8:30P.M.,Danforth’skeenyoungnostrilsgaveusthefirsthintofsomethingunusual. Ifwehadhadadogwithus,Isupposewewouldhavebeenwarnedbefore. Atfirstwecouldnotpreciselysaywhatwaswrongwiththeformerlycrystal-pureair,butafterafewsecondsourmemoriesreactedonlytoodefinitely. Letmetrytostatethethingwithoutflinching. Therewasanodorandthatodorwasvaguely,subtly,andunmistakablyakintowhathadnauseatedusuponopeningtheinsanegraveofthehorrorpoorLakehaddissected. 

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