Хребти божевілля

II

           Results,quicklyreportedoverthewireless,werebafflingandprovocativeindeed. Nothinglikedelicacyoraccuracywaspossiblewithinstrumentshardlyabletocuttheanomaloustissue,butthelittlethatwasachievedleftusallawedandbewildered. Existingbiologywouldhavetobewhollyrevised,forthisthingwasnoproductofanycellgrowthscienceknowsabout. Therehadbeenscarcelyanymineralreplacement,anddespiteanageofperhapsfortymillionyears,theinternalorganswerewhollyintact. Theleathery,undeteriorative,andalmostindestructiblequalitywasaninherentattributeofthething’sformoforganization,andpertainedtosomepaleogeancycleofinvertebrateevolutionutterlybeyondourpowersofspeculation. AtfirstallthatLakefoundwasdry,butastheheatedtentproduceditsthawingeffect,organicmoistureofpungentandoffensiveodorwasencounteredtowardthething’suninjuredside. Itwasnotblood,butathick,dark-greenfluidapparentlyansweringthesamepurpose. BythetimeLakereachedthisstage,allthirty-sevendogshadbeenbroughttothestilluncompletedcorralnearthecamp,andevenatthatdistancesetupasavagebarkingandshowofrestlessnessattheacrid,diffusivesmell. 

           Farfromhelpingtoplacethestrangeentity,thisprovisionaldissectionmerelydeepeneditsmystery. Allguessesaboutitsexternalmembershadbeencorrect,andontheevidenceoftheseonecouldhardlyhesitatetocallthethinganimal;butinternalinspectionbroughtupsomanyvegetableevidencesthatLakewaslefthopelesslyatsea. Ithaddigestionandcirculation,andeliminatedwastematterthroughthereddishtubesofitsstarfish-shapedbase. Cursorily,onewouldsaythatitsrespirationapparatushandledoxygenratherthancarbondioxide,andtherewereoddevidencesofair-storagechambersandmethodsofshiftingrespirationfromtheexternalorificetoatleasttwootherfullydevelopedbreathingsystems-gillsandpores. 

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