XI

           StillanothertimehaveIcometoaplacewhereitisverydifficulttoproceed. Ioughttobehardenedbythisstage;buttherearesomeexperiencesandintimationswhichscartoodeeplytopermitofhealing,andleaveonlysuchanaddedsensitivenessthatmemoryreinspiresalltheoriginalhorror. Wesaw,asIhavesaid,certainobstructionsonthepolishedfloorahead;andImayaddthatournostrilswereassailedalmostsimultaneouslybyaverycuriousintensificationofthestrangeprevailingfetor,nowquiteplainlymixedwiththenamelessstenchofthoseotherswhichhadgonebefore. Thelightofthesecondtorchleftnodoubtofwhattheobstructionswere,andwedaredapproachthemonlybecausewecouldsee,evenfromadistance,thattheywerequiteaspastallharmingpowerashadbeenthesixsimilarspecimensunearthedfromthemonstrousstar-moundedgravesatpoorLake’scamp. 

           Theywere,indeed,aslackingincompletenessasmostofthosewehadunearthed—thoughitgrewplainfromthethick,darkgreenpoolgatheringaroundthemthattheirincompletenesswasofinfinitelygreaterrecency. Thereseemedtobeonlyfourofthem,whereasLake’sbulletinswouldhavesuggestednolessthaneightasformingthegroupwhichhadprecededus. Tofindtheminthisstatewaswhollyunexpected,andwewonderedwhatsortofmonstrousstrugglehadoccurreddownhereinthedark. 

           Penguins,attackedinabody,retaliatesavagelywiththeirbeaks,andourearsnowmadecertaintheexistenceofarookeryfarbeyond. Hadthoseothersdisturbedsuchaplaceandarousedmurderouspursuit? Theobstructionsdidnotsuggestit,forpenguins’beaksagainstthetoughtissuesLakehaddissectedcouldhardlyaccountfortheterribledamageourapproachingglancewasbeginningtomakeout. Besides,thehugeblindbirdswehadseenappearedtobesingularlypeaceful.