Хребти божевілля
IX
Butwhattheart-blindbunglercouldneverhavedonewastoexecutethosesketchesinastrangeandassuredtechniqueperhapssuperior,despitehasteandcarelessness,toanyofthedecadentcarvingsfromwhichtheyweretaken —thecharacteristicandunmistakabletechniqueoftheOldOnesthemselvesinthedeadcity’sheyday.
TherearethosewhowillsayDanforthandIwereutterlymadnottofleeforourlivesafterthat;sinceourconclusionswerenow—notwithstandingtheirwildness—completelyfixed,andofanatureIneednotevenmentiontothosewhohavereadmyaccountasfarasthis. Perhapsweweremad—forhaveInotsaidthosehorriblepeaksweremountainsofmadness? ButIthinkIcandetectsomethingofthesamespirit—albeitinalessextremeform—inthemenwhostalkdeadlybeaststhroughAfricanjunglestophotographthemorstudytheirhabits. Halfparalyzedwithterrorthoughwewere,therewasneverthelessfannedwithinusablazingflameofaweandcuriositywhichtriumphedintheend.
Ofcoursewedidnotmeantofacethat—orthose—whichweknewhadbeenthere,butwefeltthattheymustbegonebynow. Theywouldbythistimehavefoundtheotherneighboringentrancetotheabyss,andhavepassedwithin,towhatevernight-blackfragmentsofthepastmightawaitthemintheultimategulf—theultimategulftheyhadneverseen. Orifthatentrance,too,wasblocked,theywouldhavegoneontothenorthseekinganother. Theywere,weremembered,partlyindependentoflight.
Lookingbacktothatmoment,Icanscarcelyrecalljustwhatpreciseformournewemotionstook—justwhatchangeofimmediateobjectiveitwasthatsosharpenedoursenseofexpectancy. Wecertainlydidnotmeantofacewhatwefeared—yetIwillnotdenythatwemayhavehadalurking,unconsciouswishtospycertainthingsfromsomehiddenvantagepoint.
