Скорбь сатаны/The Tribulation of Satan (Мари Корелли). Страница 265 из 279

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A

dreadful

silence

followed

.

Something

lurid

and

unearthly

in

his

expression

appalled

me

,

...

I

trembled

and

grew

cold

with

fear

.

Mechanically

I

replaced

the

pistol

in

its

case

--

--

then

I

gazed

up

at

him

with

a

vacant

wonder

and

wild

piteousness

,

seeing

that

his

dark

and

frowning

figure

seemed

to

increase

in

stature

,

towering

above

me

like

the

gigantic

shadow

of

a

storm-cloud

!

My

blood

froze

with

an

unnameable

sickening

terror

,

.

.

then

,

thick

darkness

veiled

my

sight

,

and

I

dropped

down

senseless

!

Thunder

and

wild

tumult

--

the

glare

of

lightning

--

the

shattering

roar

of

great

waves

leaping

mountains

high

and

hissing

asunder

in

mid-air

--

to

this

fierce

riot

of

savage

elements

let

loose

in

a

whirling

boisterous

dance

of

death

,

I

woke

at

last

with

a

convulsive

shock

.

Staggering

to

my

feet

I

stood

in

the

black

obscurity

of

my

cabin

,

trying

to

rally

my

scattered

forces

--

the

electric

lamps

were

extinguished

,

and

the

lightning

alone

illumined

the

sepulchral

darkness

.

Frantic

shoutings

echoed

above

me

on

deck

--

fiend-like

yells

that

sounded

now

like

triumph

,

now

like

despair

,

and

again

like

menace

--

the

yacht

leaped

to

and

fro

like

a

hunted

stag

amid

the

furious

billows

,

and

every

frightful

crash

of

thunder

threatened

,

as

it

seemed

,

to

split

her

in

twain

.

The

wind

howled

like

a

devil

in

torment

--

it

screamed

and

moaned

and

sobbed

as

though

endowed

with

a

sentient

body

that

suffered

acutest

agony

--

anon

it

rushed

downwards

with

an

angry

swoop

as

of

wide-flapping

wings

,

and

at

each

raging

gust

I

thought

the

vessel

must

surely

founder

.

Forgetting

everything

but

immediate

personal

danger

,

I

tried

to

open

my

door

.

Отключить рекламу

It

was

locked

outside

!

--

I

was

a

prisoner

!

My

indignation

at

this

discovery

exceeded

every

other

feeling

,

and

beating

with

both

hands

on

the

wooden

panels

,

I

called

,

I

shouted

,

I

threatened

,

I

swore

--

--

all

in

vain

!

Thrown

down

twice

by

the

topsy-turvy

lurching

of

the

yacht

,

I

still

kept

up

a

desperate

hammering

and

calling

,

striving

to

raise

my

voice

above

the

distracting

pandemonium

of

noise

that

seemed

to

possess

the

ship

from

end

to

end

,

but

all

to

no

purpose

--

and

finally

,

hoarse

and

exhausted

,

I

stopped

and

leaned

against

the

unyielding

door

to

recover

breath

and

strength

.

The

storm

appeared

to

be

increasing

in

force

and

clamour

--

the

lightning

was

well-nigh

incessant

,

and

the

clattering

thunder

followed

each

flash

so

instantaneously

as

to

leave

no

doubt

but

that

it

was

immediately

above

us

.

I

listened

--

and

presently

heard

a

frenzied

cry

--

"

Breakers

ahead

!

"

This

was

followed

by

peals

of

discordant

laughter

.

Terrified

,

I

strained

my

ears

for

every

sound

--

and

all

at

once

some-one

spoke

to

me

quite

closely

,

as

though

the

very

darkness

around

me

had

found

a

tongue

.

"

Breakers

ahead

!

Throughout

the

world

,

storm

and

danger

and

doom

!

Doom

and

Death

!

--

but

afterwards

--

Life

!

"

A

certain

intonation

in

these

words

filled

me

with

such

frantic

horror

that

I

fell

on

my

knees

in

abject

misery

,

and

almost

prayed

to

the

God

I

had

through

all

my

life

disbelieved

in

and

denied

.

Отключить рекламу

But

I

was

too

mad

with

fear

to

find

words

;

--

the

dense

blackness

--

the

horrid

uproar

of

the

wind

and

sea

--

the

infuriated

and

confused

shouting

--

all

this

was

to

my

mind

as

though

hell

itself

had

broken

loose

,

and

I

could

only

kneel

dumbly

and

tremble

.

Suddenly

a

swirling

sound

as

of

an

approaching

monstrous

whirlwind

made

itself

heard

above

all

the

rest

of

the

din

--

a

sound

that

gradually

resolved

itself

into

a

howling

chorus

of

thousands

of

voices

sweeping

along

on

the

gusty

blast

--

--

fierce

cries

were

mingled

with

the

jarring

thunder

,

and

I

leapt

erect

as

I

caught

the

words

of

the

clangorous

shout

--

"

Ave

Sathanas

!

Ave

!

"

Rigidly

upright

,

with

limbs

stiffening

for

sheer

terror

,

I

stood

listening

--

the

waves

seemed

to

roar

"

Ave

Sathanas

!

"

--

the

wind

shrieked

it

to

the

thunder

--

the

lightning

wrote

it

in

a

snaky

line

of

fire

on

the

darkness

"

Ave

Sathanas

!

"

My

brain

swam

round

and

grew

full

to

bursting

--

I

was

going

mad

--

raving

mad

surely

!

--

or

why

should

I

thus

distinctly

hear

such

unmeaning

sounds

as

these

?

With

a

sudden

access

of

superhuman

force

I

threw

the

whole

weight

of

my

body

against

the

door

of

my

cabin

in

a

delirious

effort

to

break

it

open

--

it

yielded

slightly

--

and

I

prepared

myself

for

another

rush

and

similar

attempt

--

when

all

at

once

it

was

flung

widely

back

,

admitting

a

stream

of

pale

light

,

and

Lucio

,

wrapped

in

heavy

shrouding

garments

,

confronted

me

.

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