the moon pool-第52节
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〃and by those who will guardand WATCHyou well。 They are
here even now。〃
The hangings parted； and into the chamber came Olaf
and Rador。
The priestess met the fierce hatred and contempt in the
eyes of the Norsemanand for the first time lost her bravado。
〃Let not HIM go with me；〃 she gaspedher eyes searched
the floor frantically。
〃He goes with you；〃 said Lakla； and threw about Yolara
a swathing that covered the exquisite； alluring body。 〃And
you shall pass through the Portal； not skulk along the path
of the worm！〃
She bent to Rador； whispered to him； he nodded； she had
told him； I supposed； the secret of its opening。
〃Come；〃 he said； and with the ice…eyed giant behind her；
Yolara； head bent； passed out of those hangings through
which； but a little before； unseen； triumph in her grasp；
she had slipped。
Then Lakla came to the unhappy O'Keefe； rested her
hands on his shoulders； looked deep into his eyes。
〃DID you woo her； even as she said？〃 she asked。
The Irishman flushed miserably。
〃I did not；〃 he said。 〃I was pleasant to her； of course；
because I thought it would bring me quicker to you； darlin'。〃
She looked at him doubtfully； then
〃I think you must have been VERYpleasant！〃 was all she
saidand leaning； kissed him forgivingly straight on the lips。
An extremely direct maiden was Lakla； with a truly sov…
ereign contempt for anything she might consider non…essen…
tials； and at this moment I decided she was wiser even than
I had thought her。
He stumbled； feet vanishing； reached down and picked up
something that in the grasping turned his hand to air。
〃One of the invisible cloaks；〃 he said to me。 〃There must
be quite a lot of them aboutI guess Yolara brought her
full staff of murderers。 They're a bit shopworn； probably
but we're considerably better off with 'em in our hands than
in hers。 And they may come in handywho knows？〃
There was a choking rattle at my feet； half the head of a
dwarf raised out of vacancy； beat twice upon the floor in
death throes； fell back。 Lakla shivered； gave a command。
The frog…men moved about； peering here and there； lifting
unseen folds revealing in stark rigidity torn form after form
of the priestess's men。
Lakla had been righther _Akka_ were thorough fighters！
She called； and to her came the frog…woman who was her
attendant。 To her the handmaiden spoke； pointing to the
batrachians who stood； paws and forearms melted beneath
the robes they had gathered。 She took them and passed out
more grotesque than ever； shattering into streaks of vacan…
cies； reappearing with flickers of shining scale and yellow
gems as the tattered pennants of invisibility fluttered about
her。
The frog…men reached down； swung each a dead dwarf in
his arms； and filed； booming triumphantly away
And then I remembered the cone of the _Keth_ which had
slipped from Yolara's hand； knew it had been that for which
her wild eyes searched。 But look as closely as we might；
search in every nook and corner as we did； we could not find
it。 Had the dying hand of one of her men clutched it and had
it been borne away with them？ With the thought Larry and
I raced after the scaled warriors； searched every body they
carried。 It was not there。 Perhaps the priestess had found it；
retrieved it swiftly without our seeing。
Whatever was truethe cone was gone。 And what a
weapon that one little holder of the shaking death would
have been for us！
CHAPTER XXVIII
In the Lair of the Dweller
IT IS WITH marked hesitation that I begin this chapter； be…
cause in it I must deal with an experience so contrary to
every known law of physics as to seem impossible。 Until
this time； barring； of course； the mystery of the Dweller； I
had encountered nothing that was not susceptible of natural…
istic explanation； nothing； in a word； outside the domain of
science itself； nothing that I would have felt hesitancy in
reciting to my colleagues of the International Association of
Science。 Amazing； unfamiliarADVANCEDas many of the
phenomena were； still they lay well within the limits of what
we have mapped as the possible； in regions； it is true； still
virgin to the mind of man； but toward which that mind is
steadily advancing。
But thiswell； I confess that I have a theory that is nat…
uralistic； but so abstruse； so difficult to make clear within the
short confines of the space I have to give it； so dependent
upon conceptions that even the highest…trained scientific
brains find difficult to grasp； that I despair。
I can only say that the thing occurred； that it took place
in precisely the manner I am about to narrate； and that I
experienced it。
Yet； in justice to myself； I must open up some paths of
preliminary approach toward the heart of the perplexity。
And the first path is the realization that our world WHATEVER
it is； is certainly NOT the world as we see it！ Regarding this I
shall refer to a discourse upon 〃Gravitation and the Principle
of Relativity；〃 by the distinguished English physicist； Dr。 A。
S。 Eddington； which I had the pleasure of hearing him de…
liver before the Royal Institution。1
*1 Reprinted in full in _Nature_； in which those sufficiently interested
may peruse it。W。 T。 G。
I realize； of course； that it is not true logic to argue
〃The world is not as we think it istherefore everything we
think impossible is possible in it。〃 Even if it BE different； it
is governed by LAW。 The truly impossible is that which is out…
side law； and as nothing CAN be outside law； the impossible
CANNOT exist。
The crux of the matter then becomes our determination
whether what we think is impossible may or may not be
possible under laws still beyond our knowledge。
I hope that you will pardon me for this somewhat aca…
demic digression； but I felt it was necessary； and it has； at
least； put me more at ease。 And now to resume。
We had watched； Larry and I； the frog…men throw the
bodies of Yolara's assassins into the crimson waters。 As vul…
tures swoop down upon the dying； there came sailing swiftly
to where the dead men floated； dozens of the luminous
globes。 Their slender； varicoloured tentacles whipped out；
the giant iridescent bubbles CLIMBED over the cadavers。 And
as they touched them there was the swift dissolution； the
melting away into putrescence of flesh and bone that I had
witnessed when the dart touched fruit that time I had saved
Radorand upon this the Medusae gorged； pulsing lam…
bently； their wondrous colours shifting； changing； glowing
stronger； elfin moons now indeed； but satellites whose glim…
mering beauty was fed by death； alembics of enchantment
whose glorious hues were sucked from horror。
Sick； I turned awayO'Keefe as pale as I； passed back
into the corridor that had opened on the ledge from which
we had watched； met Lakla hurrying toward us。 Before she
could speak there throbbed faintly about us a vast sighing。
It grew into a murmur； a whispering； shook usthen pass…
ing like a presence； died away in far distance。
〃The Portal has opened；〃 said the handmaiden。 A fainter
sighing； like an echo of the other； mourned about us。 〃Yolara
is gone；〃 she said； 〃the Portal is closed。 Now must we hasten
for the Three have commanded that you； Goodwin； and
Larry and I tread that strange road of which I have spoken；
and which Olaf may not take lest his heart breakand we
must return ere he and Rador cross the bridge。〃
Her hand sought Larry's。
〃Come！〃 said Lakla； and we walked on； down and down
through hall after hall； flight upon flight of stairways。 Deep；
deep indeed； we must be beneath the domed castleLakla
paused before a curved； smooth breast of the crimson stone
rounding gently into the passage。 She pressed its side； it
revolved； we entered； it closed behind us。
The room； thehollowin which we stood was faceted
like a diamond； and like a cut brilliant its sides glistened
though dully。 Its shape was a deep oval； and our path
dropped down to a circular polished base； roughly two yards
in diameter。 Glancing behind me I saw that in the closing of
the entrance there had been left no trace of it save the steps
that led from where that entrance had beenand as I looked
these steps TURNED； leaving us isolated upon the circle； only
the faceted walls about usand in each of the gleaming
faces the three of us reflecteddimly。 It was as though we
were within a diamond egg whose graven angles bad been
turned INWARD。
But the oval was not perfect； at my right a screen cut it
a screen that gleamed with fugitive； fleeting luminescences
stretching from the side of our standing place up to the
tip of the chamber； slightly convex and crisscrossed by mil…
lions of fine lines like those upon a spectroscopic plate； but
with this differencethat withi
