At the Mountains of Madness

Shortly after discovering Gedney’s body, Dyer and Danforth search for the tunnel entrance. The oddly familiar sound of squawking penguins interrupts them. They investigate the sound and find a group of gigantic, white, and nearly blind penguins waddling together in a dark room. Dyer deduces that these penguins are part of a group the Old Ones bred for food. The men continue toward the tunnel entrance, passing more giant penguins on the way. They enter and feel the air becoming warmer. As they walk, they pass more destroyed items from Lake’s camp. Eventually, they reach a large cavern and detect the strange smell of decaying organic material. The walls are covered with carvings in a “new and degenerative” style very different from what they saw in the city (63). Aware of how little time and resources they have, Dyer and Danforth do not spend long examining their surroundings. They notice that the floor ahead of them is blocked by “obstructions which [are] quite definitely not penguins” (64). They reach for their torches.