Хребти божевілля
IX
Afterthewayhadbranchedfromourformercourse,wesometimesgavetheraysofoursingletorchafurtivesweepalongthewalls;notinginalmosteverycasethewell-nighomnipresentsculptures,whichindeedseemtohaveformedamainaestheticoutletfortheOldOnes.
About9:30P.M.,whiletraversingalong,vaultedcorridorwhoseincreasinglyglaciatedfloorseemedsomewhatbelowthegroundlevelandwhoseroofgrewlowerasweadvanced,webegantoseestrongdaylightaheadandwereabletoturnoffourtorch. Itappearedthatwewerecomingtothevastcircularplace,andthatourdistancefromtheupperaircouldnotbeverygreat. Thecorridorendedinanarchsurprisinglylowforthesemegalithicruins,butwecouldseemuchthroughitevenbeforeweemerged. Beyondtherestretchedaprodigiousroundspace—fullytwohundredfeetindiameter—strewnwithdebrisandcontainingmanychokedarchwayscorrespondingtotheonewewereabouttocross. Thewallswere—inavailablespaces—boldlysculpturedintoaspiralbandofheroicproportions;anddisplayed,despitethedestructiveweatheringcausedbytheopennessofthespot,anartisticsplendorfarbeyondanythingwehadencounteredbefore. Thelitteredfloorwasquiteheavilyglaciated,andwefanciedthatthetruebottomlayataconsiderablylowerdepth.
Butthesalientobjectoftheplacewasthetitanicstonerampwhich,eludingthearchwaysbyasharpturnoutwardintotheopenfloor,woundspirallyupthestupendouscylindricalwalllikeaninsidecounterpartofthoseonceclimbingoutsidethemonstroustowersorzigguratsofantiqueBabylon. Onlytherapidityofourflight,andtheperspectivewhichconfoundedthedescentwiththetower’sinnerwall,hadpreventedournoticingthisfeaturefromtheair,andthuscausedustoseekanotheravenuetothesubglaciallevel.
