Хребти божевілля

           Thatgrimhonorisbeyonddoubtreservedforsomethingwhichhalfthesculptureshesitatedtorecordatall,whilstothersapproacheditwithobviousrepugnanceandtrepidation. Itseemsthattherewasonepartoftheancientland—thefirstpartthateverrosefromthewatersaftertheearthhadflungoffthemoonandtheOldOneshadseepeddown,fromthestars—whichhadcometobeshunnedasvaguelyandnamelesslyevil. Citiesbuilttherehadcrumbledbeforetheirtime,andhadbeenfoundsuddenlydeserted. ThenwhenthefirstgreatearthbucklinghadconvulsedtheregionintheComanchianAge,afrightfullineofpeakshadshotsuddenlyupamidstthemostappallingdinandchaos—andearthhadreceivedherloftiestandmostterriblemountains. 

           Ifthescaleofthecarvingswascorrect,theseabhorredthingsmusthavebeenmuchoverfortythousandfeethigh—radicallyvasterthaneventheshockingmountainsofmadnesswehadcrossed. Theyextended,itappeared,fromaboutLatitude77°,E.Longitude70°toLatitude70°,E.Longitude100°—lessthanthreehundredmilesawayfromthedeadcity,sothatwewouldhavespiedtheirdreadedsummitsinthedimwesterndistancehaditnotbeenforthatvague,opalescenthaze. TheirnorthernendmustlikewisebevisiblefromthelongantarcticcirclecoastlineatQueenMaryLand. 

           SomeoftheOldOnes,inthedecadentdays,hadmadestrangeprayerstothosemountains—butnoneeverwentnearthemordaredtoguesswhatlaybeyond. Nohumaneyehadeverseenthem,andasIstudiedtheemotionsconveyedinthecarvings,Iprayedthatnoneevermight. Thereareprotectinghillsalongthecoastbeyondthem—QueenMaryandKaiserWilhelmLands—andIthankHeavennoonehasbeenabletolandandclimbthosehills.