the metal monster-第59章

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We　discussed　this；　Ventnor　and　I。

〃This　world；〃　he　mused；　〃is　a　place　of　struggle。　Air　and　sea　and　land　and　all　things　that　dwell　within　and　on　them　must　battle　for　life。　Earth　not　Mars　is　the　planet　of　war。　I　have　a　theory〃he　hesitated〃that　the　magnetic　currents　which　are　the　nerve　force　of　this　globe　of　ours　were　what　fed　the　Metal　Things。

〃Within　those　currents　is　the　spirit　of　earth。　And　always　they　have　been　supercharged　with　strife；　with　hatreds；　warfare。　Were　these　drawn　in　by　the　Things　as　they　fed？　Did　it　happen　that　the　Keeper　becameTUNED　to　them？　That　it　absorbed　and　responded　to　them；　growing　even　more　sensitive　to　these　forcesuntil　it　reflected　humanity？〃

〃Who　knows；　Goodwinwho　can　tell？〃

Enigma；　unless　the　explanations　I　have　hazarded　be　accepted；　must　remain　that　monstrous　suicide。　Enigma；　save　for　inconclusive　theories；　must　remain　the　question　of　the　Monster's　origin。

If　answers　there　were；　they　were　lost　forever　in　the　slag　we　trod。


It　was　afternoon　of　the　second　day　that　we　found　a　rift　in　the　blasted　wall　of　the　valley。　We　decided　to　try　it。　We　had　not　dared　to　take　the　road　by　which　Norhala　had　led　us　into　the　City。

The　giant　slide　was　broken　and　climbable。　But　even　if　we　could　have　passed　safely　through　the　tunnel　of　the　abyss　there　still　was　left　the　chasm　over　which　we　could　have　thrown　no　bridge。　And　if　we　could　have　bridged　it　still　at　that　road's　end　was　the　cliff　whose　shaft　Norhala　had　sealed　with　her　lightnings。

So　we　entered　the　rift。

Of　our　wanderings　thereafter　I　need　not　write。　From　the　rift　we　emerged　into　a　maze　of　the　valleys；　and　after

a　month　in　that　wilderness；　living　upon　what　game　we　could　shoot；　we　found　a　road　that　led　us　into　Gyantse。

In　another　six　weeks　we　were　home　in　America。

My　story　is　finished。

There　in　the　Trans…Himalayan　wilderness　is　the　blue　globe　that　was　the　weird　home　of　the　lightning　witchand　looking　back　I　feel　now　she　could　not　have　been　all　woman。

There　is　the　vast　pit　with　its　coronet　of　fantastic　peaks；　its　symboled；　calcined　floor　and　the　crumbling　body　of　the　inexplicable；　the　incredible　Thing　which；　alive；　was　the　shadow　of　extinction；　annihilation；　hovering　to　hurl　itself　upon　humanity。　That　shadow　is　gone；　that　pall　withdrawn。

But　to　meto　each　of　us　four　who　saw　those　phenomena　their　lesson　remains；　ineradicable；　giving　a　new　strength　and　purpose　to　us；　teaching　us　a　new　humility。

For　in　that　vast　crucible　of　life　of　which　we　are　so　small　a　part；　what　other　Shapes　may　even　now　be　rising　to　submerge　us？

In　that　vast　reservoir　of　force　that　is　the　mystery…filled　infinite　through　which　we　roll；　what　other　shadows　may　be　speeding　upon　us？

Who　knows？







End