At the Mountains of Madness (24 page)

The short stories of Dr. James are contained in four small collections, entitled respectively
Ghost-Stories of an Antiquary, More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, A Thin Ghost and Others,
and
A Warning to the Curious.
There is also a delightful juvenile phantasy,
The Five Jars,
which has its spectral adumbrations. Amidst this wealth of material it is hard to select a favourite or especially typical tale, though each reader will no doubt have such preferences as his temperament may determine.

“Count Magnus” is assuredly one of the best, forming as it does a veritable Golconda of suspense and suggestion. Mr. Wraxall is an English traveller of the middle nineteenth century, sojourning in Sweden to secure material for a book. Becoming interested in the ancient family of De la Gardie, near the village of Råbäck, he studies its records; and finds particular fascination in the builder of the existing manor-house, one Count Magnus, of whom strange and terrible things are whispered. The Count, who flourished early in the seventeenth century, was a stern landlord, and famous for his severity toward poachers and delinquent tenants. His cruel punishments were bywords, and there were dark rumours of influences which even survived his interment in the great mausoleum he built near the church—as in the case of the two peasants who hunted on his preserves one night a century after his death. There were hideous screams in the woods, and near the tomb of Count Magnus an unnatural laugh and the clang of a great door. Next morning the priest found the two men; one a maniac, and the other dead, with the flesh of his face sucked from the bones.

Mr. Wraxall hears all these tales, and stumbles on more guarded references to a
Black Pilgrimage
once taken by the Count; a pilgrimage to Chorazin in Palestine, one of the cities denounced by Our Lord in the Scriptures, and in which old priests say that Antichrist is to be born. No one dares to hint just what that Black Pilgrimage was, or what strange being or thing the Count brought back as a companion. Meanwhile Mr. Wraxall is increasingly anxious to explore the mausoleum of Count Magnus, and finally secures permission to do so, in the company of a deacon. He finds several monuments and three copper sarcophagi, one of which is the Count’s. Round the edge of this latter are several bands of engraved scenes, including a singular and hideous delineation of a pursuit—the pursuit of a frantic man through a forest by a squat muffled figure with a devil-fish’s tentacle, directed by a tall cloaked man on a neighbouring hillock. The sarcophagus has three massive steel padlocks, one of which is lying open on the floor, reminding the traveller of a metallic clash he heard the day before when passing the mausoleum and wishing idly that he might see Count Magnus.

His fascination augmented, and the key being accessible, Mr. Wraxall pays the mausoleum a second and solitary visit and finds another padlock unfastened. The next day, his last in Råbäck, he again goes alone to bid the long-dead Count farewell. Once more queerly impelled to utter a whimsical wish for a meeting with the buried nobleman, he now sees to his disquiet that only one of the padlocks remains on the great sarcophagus. Even as he looks, that last lock drops noisily to the floor, and there comes a sound as of creaking hinges. Then the monstrous lid appears very slowly to rise, and Mr. Wraxall flees in panic fear without refastening the door of the mausoleum.

During his return to England the traveller feels a curious uneasiness about his fellow-passengers on the canal-boat which he employs for the earlier stages. Cloaked figures make him nervous, and he has a sense of being watched and followed. Of twenty-eight persons whom he counts, only twenty-six appear at meals; and the missing two are always a tall cloaked man and a shorter muffled figure. Completing his water travel at Harwich, Mr. Wraxall takes frankly to flight in a closed carriage, but sees two cloaked figures at a crossroad. Finally he lodges at a small house in a village and spends the time making frantic notes. On the second morning he is found dead, and during the inquest seven jurors faint at sight of the body. The house where he stayed is never again inhabited, and upon its demolition half a century later his manuscript is discovered in a forgotten cupboard.

In “The Treasure of Abbot Thomas” a British antiquary unriddles a cipher on some Renaissance painted windows, and thereby discovers a centuried hoard of gold in a niche half way down a well in the courtyard of a German abbey. But the crafty depositor had set a guardian over that treasure, and something in the black well twines its arms around the searcher’s neck in such a manner that the quest is abandoned, and a clergyman sent for. Each night after that the discoverer feels a stealthy presence and detects a horrible odour of mould outside the door of his hotel room, till finally the clergyman makes a daylight replacement of the stone at the mouth of the treasure-vault in the well—out of which something had come in the dark to avenge the disturbing of old Abbot Thomas’s gold. As he completes his work the cleric observes a curious toad-like carving on the ancient well-head, with the Latin motto “
Depositum custodi—
keep that which is committed to thee.”

Other notable James tales are “The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral,” in which a grotesque carving comes curiously to life to avenge the secret and subtle murder of an old Dean by his ambitious successor; “ ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad,’ ” which tells of the horror summoned by a strange metal whistle found in a mediaeval church ruin; and “An Episode of Cathedral History,” where the dismantling of a pulpit uncovers an archaic tomb whose lurking daemon spreads panic and pestilence. Dr. James, for all his light touch, evokes fright and hideousness in their most shocking forms; and will certainly stand as one of the few really creative masters in his darksome province.

For those who relish speculation regarding the future, the tale of supernatural horror provides an interesting field. Combated by a mounting wave of plodding realism, cynical flippancy, and sophisticated disillusionment, it is yet encouraged by a parallel tide of growing mysticism, as developed both through the fatigued reaction of “occultists” and religious fundamentalists against materialistic discovery and through the stimulation of wonder and fancy by such enlarged vistas and broken barriers as modern science has given us with its intra-atomic chemistry, advancing astrophysics, doctrines of relativity, and probings into biology and human thought. At the present moment the favouring forces would appear to have somewhat of an advantage; since there is unquestionably more cordiality shewn toward weird writings than when, thirty years ago, the best of Arthur Machen’s work fell on the stony ground of the smart and cocksure ’nineties. Ambrose Bierce, almost unknown in his own time, has now reached something like general recognition.

Startling mutations, however, are not to be looked for in either direction. In any case an approximate balance of tendencies will continue to exist; and while we may justly expect a further subtilisation of technique, we have no reason to think that the general position of the spectral in literature will be altered. It is a narrow though essential branch of human expression, and will chiefly appeal as always to a limited audience with keen special sensibilities. Whatever universal masterpiece of tomorrow may be wrought from phantasm or terror will owe its acceptance rather to a supreme workmanship than to a sympathetic theme. Yet who shall declare the dark theme a positive handicap? Radiant with beauty, the Cup of the Ptolemies was carven of onyx.

C
HRONOLOGY OF THE
F
ICTION OF
H. P. L
OVECRAFT

T
HE
N
OBLE
E
AVESDROPPER
(1897?; nonextant)

T
HE
L
ITTLE
G
LASS
B
OTTLE
(1897)

T
HE
S
ECRET
C
AVE OR
J
OHN
L
EES
A
DVENTURE
(1898)

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
G
RAVE-YARD
(1898)

T
HE
H
AUNTED
H
OUSE
(1898/1902; nonextant)

T
HE
S
ECRET OF THE
G
RAVE
(1898/1902; nonextant)

J
OHN, THE
D
ETECTIVE
(1898/1902; nonextant)

T
HE
M
YSTERIOUS
S
HIP
(1902)

T
HE
B
EAST IN THE
C
AVE
(April 21, 1905)

T
HE
P
ICTURE
(1907; nonextant)

T
HE
A
LCHEMIST
(1908)

T
HE
T
OMB
(June 1917)

D
AGON
(July 1917)

A
R
EMINISCENCE OF
D
R.
S
AMUEL
J
OHNSON
(1917)

P
OLARIS
(May? 1918)

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF
M
URDON
G
RANGE
(1918; nonextant)

T
HE
G
REEN
M
EADOW
(with Winifred V. Jackson; 1918/19)

B
EYOND THE
W
ALL OF
S
LEEP
(1919)

M
EMORY
(1919)

O
LD
B
UGS
(1919)

T
HE
T
RANSITION OF
J
UAN
R
OMERO
(September 16, 1919)

T
HE
W
HITE
S
HIP
(November 1919)

T
HE
D
OOM
T
HAT
C
AME TO
S
ARNATH
(December 3, 1919)

T
HE
S
TATEMENT OF
R
ANDOLPH
C
ARTER
(December 1919)

T
HE
T
ERRIBLE
O
LD
M
AN
(January 28, 1920)

T
HE
T
REE
(1920)

T
HE
C
ATS OF
U
LTHAR
(June 15, 1920)

T
HE
T
EMPLE
(1920)

F
ACTS
C
ONCERNING THE
L
ATE
A
RTHUR
J
ERMYN AND
H
IS
F
AMILY
(1920)

T
HE
S
TREET
(1920?)

L
IFE AND
D
EATH
(1920?; lost)

P
OETRY AND THE
G
ODS
(with Anna Helen Crofts; 1920)

C
ELEPHAïS
(early November 1920)

F
ROM
B
EYOND
(November 16, 1920)

N
YARLATHOTEP
(early December 1920)

T
HE
P
ICTURE IN THE
H
OUSE
(December 12, 1920)

T
HE
C
RAWLING
C
HAOS
(with Winifred V. Jackson; 1920/21)

E
X
O
BLIVIONE
(1920/21)

T
HE
N
AMELESS
C
ITY
(January 1921)

T
HE
Q
UEST OF
I
RANON
(February 28, 1921)

T
HE
M
OON-
B
OG
(March 1921)

T
HE
O
UTSIDER
(1921)

T
HE
O
THER
G
ODS
(August 14, 1921)

T
HE
M
USIC OF
E
RICH
Z
ANN
(December 1921)

H
ERBERT
W
EST—
R
EANIMATOR
(September 1921–mid 1922)

H
YPNOS
(May 1922)

W
HAT THE
M
OON
B
RINGS
(June 5, 1922)

A
ZATHOTH
(June 1922)

T
HE
H
ORROR AT
M
ARTIN’S
B
EACH
(with Sonia H. Greene; June 1922)

T
HE
H
OUND
(September 1922)

T
HE
L
URKING
F
EAR
(November 1922)

T
HE
R
ATS IN THE
W
ALLS
(August–September 1923)

T
HE
U
NNAMABLE
(September 1923)

A
SHES
(with C. M. Eddy, Jr.; 1923)

T
HE
G
HOST-
E
ATER
(with C. M. Eddy, Jr.; 1923)

T
HE
L
OVED
D
EAD
(with C. M. Eddy, Jr.; 1923)

T
HE
F
ESTIVAL
(1923)

D
EAF,
D
UMB, AND
B
LIND
(with C. M. Eddy, Jr.; 1924?)

U
NDER THE
P
YRAMIDS
(with Harry Houdini; February–March 1924)

T
HE
S
HUNNED
H
OUSE
(October 16–19, 1924)

T
HE
H
ORROR AT
R
ED
H
OOK
(August 1–2, 1925)

H
E
(August 11, 1925)

I
N THE
V
AULT
(September 18, 1925)

T
HE
D
ESCENDANT
(1926?)

C
OOL
A
IR
(March 1926)

T
HE
C
ALL OF
C
THULHU
(Summer 1926)

T
WO
B
LACK
B
OTTLES
(with Wilfred Blanch Talman; July–October 1926)

P
ICKMAN’S
M
ODEL
(1926)

T
HE
S
ILVER
K
EY
(1926)

T
HE
S
TRANGE
H
IGH
H
OUSE IN THE
M
IST
(November 9, 1926)

T
HE
D
REAM-
Q
UEST OF
U
NKNOWN
K
ADATH
(Autumn? 1926–January 22, 1927)

T
HE
C
ASE OF
C
HARLES
D
EXTER
W
ARD
(January–March 1, 1927)

T
HE
C
OLOUR
O
UT OF
S
PACE
(March 1927)

T
HE
V
ERY
O
LD
F
OLK
(November 2, 1927)

T
HE
L
AST
T
EST
(with Adolphe de Castro; 1927)

H
ISTORY OF THE
N
ECRONOMICON
(1927)

T
HE
C
URSE OF
Y
IG
(with Zealia Bishop; 1928)

I
BID
(1928?)

T
HE
D
UNWICH
H
ORROR
(Summer 1928)

T
HE
E
LECTRIC
E
XECUTIONER
(with Adolphe de Castro; 1929?)

T
HE
M
OUND
(with Zealia Bishop; December 1929–early 1930)

M
EDUSA’S
C
OIL
(with Zealia Bishop; May 1930)

T
HE
W
HISPERER IN
D
ARKNESS
(February 24–September 26, 1930)

A
T THE
M
OUNTAINS OF
M
ADNESS
(February–March 22, 1931)

T
HE
S
HADOW
O
VER
I
NNSMOUTH
(November?–December 3, 1931)

T
HE
T
RAP
(with Henry S. Whitehead; late 1931)

T
HE
D
REAMS IN THE
W
ITCH
H
OUSE
(January–February 28, 1932)

T
HE
M
AN OF
S
TONE
(with Hazel Heald; 1932)

T
HE
H
ORROR IN THE
M
USEUM
(with Hazel Heald; October 1932)

T
HROUGH THE
G
ATES OF THE
S
ILVER
K
EY
(with E. Hoffmann Price; October 1932–April 1933)

W
INGED
D
EATH
(with Hazel Heald; 1933)

O
UT OF THE
A
EONS
(with Hazel Heald; 1933)

T
HE
T
HING ON THE
D
OORSTEP
(August 21–24, 1933)

T
HE
E
VIL
C
LERGYMAN
(October 1933)

T
HE
H
ORROR IN THE
B
URYING-
G
ROUND
(with Hazel Heald; 1933/35)

T
HE
B
OOK
(late 1933?)

T
HE
T
REE ON THE
H
ILL
(with Duane W. Rimel; May 1934)

T
HE
B
ATTLE
T
HAT
E
NDED THE
C
ENTURY
(with R. H. Barlow; June 1934)

T
HE
S
HADOW
O
UT OF
T
IME
(November 1934–March 1935)

“T
ILL
A
’ THE
S
EAS
” (with R. H. Barlow; January 1935)

C
OLLAPSING
C
OSMOSES
(with R. H. Barlow; June 1935)

T
HE
C
HALLENGE FROM
B
EYOND
(with C. L. Moore, A. Merritt, Robert E. Howard, and Frank Belknap Long; August 1935)

T
HE
D
ISINTERMENT
(with Duane W. Rimel; Summer 1935)

T
HE
D
IARY OF
A
LONZO
T
YPER
(with William Lumley; October 1935)

T
HE
H
AUNTER OF THE
D
ARK
(November 1935)

I
N THE
W
ALLS OF
E
RYX
(with Kenneth Sterling; January 1936)

T
HE
N
IGHT
O
CEAN
(with R. H. Barlow; Autumn? 1936)