cb.coldheart canyon-第9章

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　 There　were　ten　thousand　things　Zeffer　had　not　witnessed；　or　even　glimpsed；　in　his　brief　visit　to　the　vast；　mysterious　chambers　in　the　Fortress's　bowels；　images　haunting　the　tiles　which　he　would　not　discern　until　the　heroic　labor　of　removing　the　masterwork　from　the　walls　and　shipping　it　to　California　was　plete。
　 He　was　a　literate　man；　better　educated　than　most　of　his　peers　in　the　burgeoning　city　of　Los　Angeles；　thanks　to　parents　who　had　filled　the　house　with　books；　even　though　there　was　often　precious　little　food　on　the　table。　He　knew　his　classics；　and　the　mythologies　from　which　the　great　books　and　plays　of　the　ancients　had　been　derived。　In　time　he　would　discover　dozens　of　images　inspired　by　those　same　myths　on　the　tiles。　In　one　place　women　were　depicted　like　the　Maenads　immortalized　by　Euripides；　maddened　souls　in　service　of　the　god　of　ecstasies；　Dionysus。　They　raced　through　the　trees　with　bloody　hands；　leaving　pieces　of　male　flesh　scattered　in　the　grass。　In　another　place；　single…breasted　Amazons　strode；　drawing　their　mighty　bows　back　and　letting　fly　storms　of　arrows。
　 There　were　other　images…many；　many　others…that　were　not　rooted　in　any　recognizable　mythology。　In　one　spot；　not　far　from　the　delta；　huge　fishes；　which　had　sprouted　legs　covered　with　golden　scales；　came　through　the　trees　in　solemn　shoals；　spitting　fire。　The　trees　ahead　of　them　were　aflame；　burning　birds　rose　up　from　the　canopy。
　 In　the　swamp；　a　small　town　stood　on　long　limbs；　its　presence　appearing　to　mark　the　position　of　some　place　that　had　existed　there　once　but　had　been　taken　by　time；　or　a　prophecy　of　some　settlement　to　e。　The　artists　had　taken　liberties　with　the　rendering；　foreshortening　the　scene　so　that　the　occupants　of　the　city　were　almost　as　big　as　their　houses；　and　could　be　plainly　seen。　There　were　excesses　here；　too；　perversities　just　as　profound　as　anything　the　Wild　Wood　was　hosting。　Through　one　of　the　windows　a　man　could　be　seen　spread…eagled　on　a　table；　around　which　sat　a　number　of　guests；　all　watching　a　large　worm　enter　him　anally　and　then　erupt　from　his　open　mouth。　Another　was　the　scene　of　a　strange　summoning；　in　which　a　host　of　black　birds　with　human　heads　rose　up　from　the　ground；　circling　a　girl…child　who　was　either　their　invoker　or　their　victim。　In　a　third　house　a　woman　was　squatting　and　shedding　menstrual　blood　through　a　hole　in　the　floor。　Several　men；　smaller　than　the　woman　above　by　half；　were　swimming　in　the　water　below　and　undergoing　some　calamitous　transformation；　presumably　brought　on　by　the　menses。　Their　heads　had　flowered　into　dark；　monstrous　shapes；　demonic　tails　had　sprouted　from　their　backsides。
　 As　Father　Sandru　had　warned　（or　was　it　boasted？）　to　Zeffer；　there　was　no　part　of　the　landscape　depicted　there　on　the　walls　that　was　not　haunted　by　some　bizarre　sight　or　other。　Even　the　clouds　（innocent　enough；　surely）　shat　rains　of　fire　in　one　place；　and　evacuated　skulls　in　another。　Demons　cavorted　unchallenged　over　the　open　sky；　like　dancers　possessed　by　some　celestial　music；　while　stars　fell　between　them；　others　rose　over　the　horizon；　leering　like　emaciated　fools。　And　in　that　same　sky；　as　though　to　suggest　that　this　was　a　world　of　perpetual　twilight；　teetering　always　on　the　edge　of　darkness　and　extinction；　was　a　sun　that　was　three…quarters　eclipsed　by　an　exquisitely　rendered　moon；　the　latter　painted　so　cunningly　it　seemed　to　have　real　mass；　real　roundness；　as　it　slid　over　the　face　of　the　day…star。
　 In　one　place　there　was　painted　a　line　of　crowned　figures…the　kings　and　queens　of　Romania；　back　to　ancient　times…painted　marching　into　the　ground。　The　noble　line　rotted　as　it　proceeded　into　the　earth；　carrion　birds　alighting　on　the　descending　lineage；　plucking　out　regal　eyes　and　law…giving　tongues。　In　another　place　a　circle　of　witches　rose　in　a　spiral　from　a　spot　marked　by　standing…stones；　their　innocent　victims；　babies　whose　fat　had　been　used　to　make　the　flying　ointment　in　which　they　had　slathered　themselves；　lay　scattered　between　the　stones　like　neglected　dolls。
　 And　all　through　this　world　of　monstrous　hurts　and　occasional　miracles；　the　Hunt。
　 Many　of　the　scenes　were　simply　documents　of　the　vigorous　beauty　of　the　chase；　they　looked　as　though　they　could　have　been　painted　from　life。　There　was　a　pack　of　dogs；　white　and　black　and　pie…bald　（one　bitch　charmingly　attending　to　her　suckling　pups）；　some　being　muzzled　by　peasants；　others　straining　on　their　leashes　as　they　were　led　away　to　join　the　great　assembly　of　hunters。　Elsewhere；　the　dogs　could　be　seen　acpanying　the　hunters。　Where　the　Duke　had　chosen　to　kneel　and　pray；　a　white　dog　knelt　beside　him；　his　noble　head　bowed　by　the　weight　of　shared　devotion。　In　another；　the　dogs　were　splashing　in　a　river；　attempting　to　catch　the　huge　salmon　outlined　in　the　stylized　blue　waters。　And　in　a　third　place；　for　no　apparent　reason　but　the　playfulness　of　the　artists；　the　role　of　dogs　and　men　had　been　reversed。　A　long；　beautiful　decorated　table　had　been　set　up　in　a　clearing　amongst　the　trees；　and　at　it　sat　a　number　of　finely…bred　dogs；　while　at　their　booted　feet　naked　men　fought　over　scraps　and　bones。　Closer　examination　showed　the　arrangement　of　figures　to　be　even　more　anarchic　than　it　first　appeared；　for　there　were　thirteen　dogs　at　the　table；　and　in　their　center　sat　one　dog　with　a　halo　perched　between　his　pricked　ears：　a　canine　Last　Supper。　An　informed　observer；　knowing　the　traditional　positions　of　the　Apostles；　could　have　named　them　all。　The　writers　of　the　Gospels　were　there　in　their　accustomed　seats；　John　sitting　closest　to　his　master；　Judas　sitting　at　the　perimeter　of　the　pany；　while　Peter　（a　Saint　Bernard）　brooded　at　the　other　end；　his　furrowed　brow　suggesting　he　already　knew　he　would　betray　his　master　three　times　before　the　long　night　was　over。
　 Elsewhere　in　the　landscape；　the　dogs　were　painted　at　far　crueler　work。　Tearing　rabbits　apart　in　one　place；　and　ripping　the　flesh　from　a　cornered　stag　in　another。　In　a　third　they　were　in　a　contest　with　a　lion；　and　many　had　been　traumatically　injured　by　the　battle。　Some　crawled　away　from　the　place；　trailing　their　bowels；　one　had　been　thrown　up　into　the　trees；　and　its　corpse　hung　there；　tongue　lolling。　Others　lay　sprawled　in　the　grass　in　pools　of　blood。　The　hunters　kept　their　distance；　no　doubt　waiting　for　the　lion　to　bee　so　weakened　by　blood…loss　that　they　could　close　in　and　claim　the　heroic　moment　for　themselves。
　 But　the　most　perverse　of　all　the　scenes　were　those　in　which　erotic　love　and　hunting　were　conjoined。
　 There　was；　for　instance；　a　place　where　the　dogs　had　driven　a　number　of　naked　men　and　women　up　a　gorge；　where　they　had　encountered　a　group　of　hunters　armed　with　spears　and　nets。　The　terrified　couples　clung　to　one　another；　but　the　netters　and　the　spearers　knew　their　business。　Men　were　separated　from　women　and　the　men　were　run　through　with　spears；　the　women　all　bundled　up　in　the　nets；　heaped　on　carts；　and　carried　away。　The　sexual　servitude　that　awaited　them　was　of　a　very　particular　kind。　Reading　the　walls　from　left　to　right　the　viewer's　eye　found　that　in　an　adjacent　valley　the　women　were　freed　from　the　nets　and　strapped　beneath　the　bodies　of　massive　centaurs；　their　legs　stretched　around　the　flanks　of　the　animals。　The　women's　response　to　this　terrible　violation　was　something　the　artists　had　taken　some　trouble　to　detail。　One　was　screaming　in　agony；　her　head　thrown　back；　as　blood　ran　from　the　place　where　she　was　being　divided。　Others　appeared　to　be　in　ecstasy　at　this　forced　marriage；　pressing　their　faces　joyously　to　the　necks　of　their　deflowerers。
　 But　this　part　of　the　story　did　not　finish　there。　If　the　'reader'；　scanning　these　walls；　had　continued　his　enquiry；　he　would　have　found　that　some　of　the　men　had　survived　the　massacre　in　the　gorge；　and　returned；　on　a　later　sequence　of　tiles；　to　hunt　the　creatures　that　had　their　wives　in　sexual　thrall。　These　were　some　of　the　most　brilliantly　painted　sequences　on　the　walls：　the　surviving　lovers　returning　on　horseback；　so　as　to　match　their　speed　to　that　of　the　centaurs。　Lassoes　circling　in　the　air　over　their　heads；　they　closed　on　the　centaurs；　who　were　slowed　down　by　the　very　women　they　carried　around　to　pleasure　them。　Several　were　brought　down　by　ropes　around　the　neck；　others　were　speared　in　the　throat