Хребти божевілля
IV
Thecampitself,onfoothillswhichsprangfromahighcontinentalplateau,wassometwelvethousandfeetinaltitude;hencetheactualheightincreasenecessarywasnotsovastasitmightseem. Neverthelesswewereacutelyconsciousoftherarefiedairandintensecoldaswerose;for,onaccountofvisibilityconditions,wehadtoleavethecabinwindowsopen. Weweredressed,ofcourse,inourheaviestfurs.
Aswedrewneartheforbiddingpeaks,darkandsinisterabovethelineofcrevasse-rivensnowandinterstitialglaciers,wenoticedmoreandmorethecuriouslyregularformationsclingingtotheslopes;andthoughtagainofthestrangeAsianpaintingsofNicholasRoerich. Theancientandwind-weatheredrockstratafullyverifiedallofLake’sbulletins,andprovedthatthesepinnacleshadbeentoweringupinexactlythesamewaysinceasurprisinglyearlytimeinearth’shistory—perhapsoverfiftymillionyears. Howmuchhighertheyhadoncebeen,itwasfutiletoguess;buteverythingaboutthisstrangeregionpointedtoobscureatmosphericinfluencesunfavorabletochange,andcalculatedtoretardtheusualclimaticprocessesofrockdisintegration.
Butitwasthemountainsidetangleofregularcubes,ramparts,andcavemouthswhichfascinatedanddisturbedusmost. IstudiedthemwithafieldglassandtookaerialphotographswhileDanforthdrove;andattimesIrelievedhimatthecontrols—thoughmyaviationknowledgewaspurelyanamateur’s—inordertolethimusethebinoculars. WecouldeasilyseethatmuchofthematerialofthethingswasalightishArchaeanquartzite,unlikeanyformationvisibleoverbroadareasofthegeneralsurface;andthattheirregularitywasextremeanduncannytoanextentwhichpoorLakehadscarcelyhinted.
