Хребти божевілля
VII
TheyseemtohavebecomepeculiarlyintractabletowardthemiddleofthePermianAge,perhapsonehundredandfiftymillionyearsago,whenaveritablewarofresubjugationwaswageduponthembythemarineOldOnes. Picturesofthiswar,andoftheheadless,slime-coatedfashioninwhichtheShoggothstypicallylefttheirslainvictims,heldamarvelouslyfearsomequalitydespitetheinterveningabyssofuntoldages. TheOldOneshadusedcuriousweaponsofmolecularandatomicdisturbancesagainsttherebelentities,andintheendhadachievedacompletevictory. ThereafterthesculpturesshowedaperiodinwhichShoggothsweretamedandbrokenbyarmedOldOnesasthewildhorsesoftheAmericanwestweretamedbycowboys. ThoughduringtherebelliontheShoggothshadshownanabilitytoliveoutofwater,thistransitionwasnotencouraged—sincetheirusefulnessonlandwouldhardlyhavebeencommensuratewiththetroubleoftheirmanagement.
DuringtheJurassicAgetheOldOnesmetfreshadversityintheformofanewinvasionfromouterspace—thistimebyhalf-fungous,half-crustaceancreatures—creaturesundoubtedlythesameasthosefiguringincertainwhisperedhilllegendsofthenorth,andrememberedintheHimalayasastheMi–Go,orAbominableSnowMen. TofightthesebeingstheOldOnesattempted,forthefirsttimesincetheirterreneadvent,tosallyforthagainintotheplanetaryether;but,despitealltraditionalpreparations,founditnolongerpossibletoleavetheearth’satmosphere. Whatevertheoldsecretofinterstellartravelhadbeen,itwasnowdefinitelylosttotherace. IntheendtheMi–GodrovetheOldOnesoutofallthenorthernlands,thoughtheywerepowerlesstodisturbthoseinthesea.
