Хребти божевілля

           andthewildtalesofcosmichillthingsfromoutsidetoldbyafolkloristcolleagueinMiskatonic’sEnglishdepartment. 

           Naturally,heconsideredthepossibilityofthepre-Cambrianprintshavingbeenmadebyalessevolvedancestorofthepresentspecimens,butquicklyrejectedthistoo-faciletheoryuponconsideringtheadvancedstructuralqualitiesoftheolderfossils. Ifanything,thelatercontoursshoweddecadenceratherthanhigherevolution. Thesizeofthepseudofeethaddecreased,andthewholemorphologyseemedcoarsenedandsimplified. Moreover,thenervesandorgansjustexaminedheldsingularsuggestionsofretrogressionfromformsstillmorecomplex. Atrophiedandvestigialpartsweresurprisinglyprevalent. Altogether,littlecouldbesaidtohavebeensolved;andLakefellbackonmythologyforaprovisionalname-jocoselydubbinghisfinds"TheElderOnes." 

           Atabout2:30A.M.,havingdecidedtopostponefurtherworkandgetalittlerest,hecoveredthedissectedorganismwithatarpaulin,emergedfromthelaboratorytent,andstudiedtheintactspecimenswithrenewedinterest. Theceaselessantarcticsunhadbeguntolimberuptheirtissuesatrifle,sothattheheadpointsandtubesoftwoorthreeshowedsignsofunfolding;butLakedidnotbelievetherewasanydangerofimmediatedecompositioninthealmostsubzeroair. Hedid,however,movealltheundissectedspecimensclosetogetherandthrowasparetentovertheminordertokeepoffthedirectsolarrays. Thatwouldalsohelptokeeptheirpossiblescentawayfromthedogs,whosehostileunrestwasreallybecomingaproblem,evenattheirsubstantialdistanceandbehindthehigherandhighersnowwallswhichanincreasedquotaofthemenwerehasteningtoraisearoundtheirquarters.