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

But Throckmartin was moving onward to his cabin. I started to follow. The first
officer stopped me.
"Your friend," he said, "is he ill?"
"The sea!" I answered hurriedly. "He's not used to it. I am going to look after
him."
Doubt and disbelief were plain in the seaman's eyes but I hurried on. For I knew
now that Throckmartin was ill indeedЧbut with a sickness the ship's doctor nor
any other could heal.
CHAPTER II
"Dead! All Dead!"
HE WAS SITTING, face in hands, on the side of his berth as I entered. He had
taken off his coat.
"Throck," I cried. "What was it? What are you flying from, man? Where is your
wifeЧand Stanton?"
"Dead!" he replied monotonously. "Dead! All dead!" Then as I recoiled from
himЧ"All dead. Edith, Stanton, ThoraЧdeadЧor worse. And Edith in the Moon
PoolЧwith themЧdrawn by what you saw on the moon pathЧthat has put its brand
upon meЧand follows me!"
He ripped open his shirt.
"Look at this," he said. Around his chest, above his heart, the skin was white
as pearl. This whiteness was sharply defined against the healthy tint of the
body. It circled him with an even cincture about two inches wide.
"Burn it!" he said, and offered me his cigarette. I drew back. He
gesturedЧperemptorily. I pressed the glowing end of the cigarette into the
ribbon of white flesh. He did not flinch nor was there odour of burning nor, as
I drew the little cylinder away, any mark upon the whiteness.
"Feel it!" he commanded again. I placed my fingers upon the band. It was
coldЧlike frozen marble.
He drew his shirt around him.
"Two things you have seen," he said. "ItЧand its mark. Seeing, you must believe
my story. Goodwin, I tell you again that my wife is deadЧor worseЧI do not know;
the prey ofЧwhat you saw; so, too, is Stanton; so Thora. HowЧЧ"
Tears rolled down the seared face.
"Why did God let it conquer us? Why did He let it take my Edith?" he cried in
utter bitterness. "Are there things stronger than God, do you think, Walter?"
I hesitated.
"Are there? Are there?" His wild eyes searched me.
"I do not know just how you define God," I managed at last through my
astonishment to make answer. "If you mean the will to know, working through
scienceЧЧ"
He waved me aside impatiently.
"Science," he said. "What is our science againstЧthat? Or against the science of
whatever devils that made itЧor made the way for it to enter this world of
ours?"
With an effort he regained control.
"Goodwin," he said, "do you know at all of the ruins on the Carolines; the
cyclopean, megalithic cities and harbours of Ponape and Lele, of Kusaie, of Ruk
and Hogolu, and a score of other islets there? Particularly, do you know of the
Nan-Matal and the Metalanim?"
"Of the Metalanim I have heard and seen photographs," I said. "They call it,