"A. E. Merritt - The Moon Pool" - читать интересную книгу автора (Merritt A. E)

is happening," he said. "The mark is smaller." It was as he said.
"I'm escaping," he whispered jubilantly, "Just let me get to Melbourne safely,
and then we'll see who'll win! For, Walter, I'm not at all sure that Edith is
deadЧas we know deathЧnor that the others are. There is something outside
experience thereЧsome great mystery."
And all that day he talked to me of his plans.
"There's a natural explanation, of course," he said. "My theory is that the moon
rock is of some composition sensitive to the action of moon rays; somewhat as
the metal selenium is to sun rays. The little circles over the top are, without
doubt, its operating agency. When the light strikes them they release the
mechanism that opens the slab, just as you can open doors with sun or electric
light by an ingenious arrangement of selenium-cells. Apparently it takes the
strength of the full moon both to do this and to summon the Dweller in the Pool.
We will first try a concentration of the rays of the waning moon upon these
circles to see whether that will open the rock. If it does we will be able to
investigate the Pool without interruption fromЧfromЧwhat emanates.
"Look, here on the chart are their locations. I have made this in duplicate for
you in the eventЧof something happeningЧto me. And if I loseЧyou'll come after
us, Goodwin, with helpЧwon't you?"
And again I promised.
A little later he complained of increasing sleepiness.
"But it's just weariness," he said. "Not at all like that other drowsiness. It's
an hour till moonrise still," he yawned at last. "Wake me up a good fifteen
minutes before."
He lay upon the berth. I sat thinking. I came to myself with a guilty start. I
had completely lost myself in my deep preoccupation. What time was it? I looked
at my watch and jumped to the port-hole. It was full moonlight; the orb had been
up for fully half an hour. I strode over to Throckmartin and shook him by the
shoulder.
"Up, quick, man!" I cried. He rose sleepily. His shirt fell open at the neck and
I looked, in amazement, at the white band around his chest. Even under the
electric light it shone softly, as though little flecks of light were in it.
Throckmartin seemed only half-awake. He looked down at his breast, saw the
glowing cincture, and smiled.
"Yes," he said drowsily, "it's comingЧto take me back to Edith! Well, I'm glad."

"Throckmartin!" I cried. "Wake up! Fight!"
"Fight!" he said. "No use; come after us!"
He went to the port and sleepily drew aside the curtain. The moon traced a broad
path of light straight to the ship. Under its rays the band around his chest
gleamed brighter and brighter; shot forth little rays; seemed to writhe.
The lights went out in the cabin; evidently also throughout the ship, for I
heard shoutings above.
Throckmartin still stood at the open port. Over his shoulder I saw a gleaming
pillar racing along the moon path toward us. Through the window cascaded a
blinding radiance. It gathered Throckmartin to it, clothed him in a robe of
living opalescence. Light pulsed through and from him. The cabin filled with
murmuringsЧЧ
A wave of weakness swept over me, buried me in blackness. When consciousness
came back, the lights were again burning brightly.