atlantis.found-第2部分

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　　　　　Hundreds；　perhaps　thousands；　of　different　species　of　animals　and　fish　became　instantly　extinct。　In　the　Americas；　the　one…humped　camel；　the　mammoth；　an　ice　age　horse；　and　the　giant　sloth　all　disappeared。　Gone　also　were　the　saber…toothed　tiger；　huge　birds　with　twenty…five　foot　wingspans　and　many　other　animals　that　weighed　a　hundred　or　more　pounds；　most　dying　by　asphyxiation　from　the　smoke　and　volcanic　gases。
　　　　　Nor　did　the　vegetation　on　land　escape　the　apocalypse。　Plant　life　not　turned　to　ashes　by　the　holocaust　died　for　lack　of　sunlight；　along　with　the　algae　in　the　seas。　In　the　end；　over　85　percent　of　all　life　on　Earth　would　die　from　floods；　fires；　storms；　avalanches；　poison　from　the　atmosphere；　and　eventual　starvation。
　　　　　Human　societies；　many　quite　advanced；　and　a　myriad　of　emerging　cultures　on　the　threshold　of　a　progressive　golden　age　were　annihilated　in　a　single　horrendous　day　and　night。　Millions　of　Earth's　men；　women；　and　children　died　horribly。　All　vestiges　of　emerging　civilizations　were　gone；　and　the　few　pathetic　survivors　were　left　with　nothing　but　dim　memories　of　the　past。　The　coffin　had　been　closed　on　the　greatest　uninterrupted　advance　of　mankind；　a　ten…thousand…year　journey　from　the　simple　Cro…Magnon　man　to　kings；　architects；　stonemasons；　artists；　and　warriors。　Their　works　and　their　mortal　remains　were　buried　deep　beneath　new　seas；　leaving　few　physical　examples　and　fragments　of　an　ancient　advanced　culture。　Entire　nations　and　cities　that　had　stood　only　a　few　hours　before　vanished　without　a　trace。　The　cataclysm　of　such　magnitude　left　almost　no　evidence　of　any　prior　transcendent　civilizations。
　　　　　Of　the　shockingly　low　number　of　humans　who　survived；　almost　all　lived　in　the　higher　altitudes　of　mountain　ranges　and　were　able　to　hide　in　caves　to　escape　the　furies　of　the　turbulence。　Unlike　the　more　advanced　Bronze　Age　peoples　who　tended　to　cluster　and　build　on　low…lying　plains　near　rivers　and　ocean　shorelines；　the　inhabitants　of　the　mountains　were　Stone　Age　nomads。　It　was　as　though　the　cream　of　the　crop；　the　Leonardo　da　Vincis；　the　Picassos；　and　the　Einsteins　of　their　era　had　evaporated　into　nothingness；　abruptly　leaving　the　world　to　be　taken　over　by　primitive　nomadic　hunters；　a　phenomenon　similar　to　what　happened　to　the　glory　of　Greece　and　Rome　after　it　was　cast　aside　in　favor　of　centuries　of　ignorance　and　creative　lethargy。　A　neolithic　dark　age　shrouded　the　grave　of　the　highly　cultured　civilizations　that　once　existed　in　the　world；　a　dark　age　that　would　last　for　two　thousand　years。　Slowly；　very　slowly；　did　mankind　finally　walk　from　the　dark　and　begin　building　and　creating　cities　and　civilizations　again　in　Mesopotamia　and　Egypt。
　　　　　Pitifully　few　of　the　gifted　builders　and　creative　thinkers　of　the　lost　cultures　survived　to　reach　high　ground。　Realizing　their　civilization　was　lost；　never　to　rise　again；　they　began　a　centuries…long　quest　to　erect　the　mysterious　megaliths　and　dolmens　of　huge　upright　stones　found　across　Europe；　Asia；　the　Pacific　Islands；　and　into　the　lower　Americas。　Long　after　the　memory　of　their　shining　legacy　had　dimmed　and　bee　little　more　than　myth；　their　monuments　memorating　the　frightful　destruction　and　loss　of　life　still　acted　as　warnings　of　the　next　cataclysm　to　future　generations。　But　within　a　millennium；　their　descendants　slowly　forgot　the　old　ways　and　assimilated　with　the　nomadic　tribes　and　ceased　to　exist　as　a　race　of　advanced　people。
　　　　　For　hundreds　of　years　after　the　convulsion；　humans　were　afraid　to　venture　down　from　the　mountains　and　re…inhabit　the　lower　lands　and　coastal　shorelines。　The　technically　superior　seafaring　nations　were　but　vague　thoughts　of　a　distant　past。　Ship　construction　and　sailing　techniques　were　lost　and　had　to　be　reinvented　by　later　generations　whose　more　acplished　ancestors　were　revered　simply　as　gods。
　　　　　All　this　death　and　devastation　was　caused　by　a　hunk　of　dirty　ice　no　larger　than　a　small　farm　town　in　Iowa。　The　et　had　wreaked　its　unholy　havoc；　mercilessly；　viciously。　The　earth　had　not　been　ravaged　with　such　vehemence　since　a　meteor　had　struck　65　million　years　earlier　in　a　catastrophe　that　had　exterminated　the　dinosaurs。
　　　　　For　thousands　of　years　after　the　impact；　ets　were　associated　with　superstitions　of　catastrophic　events　and　considered　omens　of　future　tragedies。　They　were　blamed　for　everything　from　wars　and　pestilence　to　death　and　destruction。　Not　until　recent　history　were　ets　considered　nature's　wonders；　like　the　splendor　of　a　rainbow　or　clouds　painted　gold　by　a　setting　sun。
　　　　　The　biblical　flood　and　a　host　of　other　calamity　legends　all　had　ties　to　this　one　tragedy。　The　ancient　civilizations　of　Olmecs；　Mayans；　and　Aztecs　of　Central　America　had　many　traditions　relating　to　an　ancient　cataclysmic　event。　The　Indian　tribes　throughout　the　United　States　passed　down　stories　of　waters　flooding　over　their　lands。　The　Chinese；　the　Polynesians；　and　Africans　all　spoke　of　a　cataclysm　that　decimated　their　ancestors。
　　　　　But　the　legend　that　was　spawned　and　that　flourished　throughout　the　centuries；　the　one　that　provoked　the　most　mystery　and　intrigue；　was　that　of　the　lost　continent　and　civilization　of　Atlantis。
　
　GHOST　SHIP
　September　30；　1858
　Stefansson　Bay；　Antarctica
　Roxanna　Mender　knew　that　if　she　stopped　walking　she　would　die。　She　was　near　plete　exhaustion　and　moving　on　willpower　alone。　The　temperature　was　well　below　zero；　but　it　was　the　windchill　from　the　frigid　teeth　of　the　ice　gale　that　was　biting　through　her　skin。　The　deadly　drowsiness　gently　slipping　over　her　was　slowly　draining　her　will　to　live。　She　moved　forward；　one　foot　groping　ahead　of　the　other；　stumbling　when　caught　off　balance　by　a　sudden　break　in　the　ice　field。　Her　breath　came　in　the　rapid；　rasping　panting　of　a　mountain　climber　struggling　toward　a　peak　in　the　Himalayas　without　oxygen　equipment。
　Her　vision　was　nonexistent　as　the　icy　windblown　particles　swirled　in　front　of　her　face；　protected　by　a　thick　woolen　scarf　wrapped　inside　her　fur…lined　parka。　Though　she　only　squinted　between　the　layers　of　the　scarf　every　other　minute；　her　eyes　were　sore　and　reddened　from　the　onslaught　of　the　tiny　granules。　Frustration　gripped　Roxanna　when　she　looked　up　and　saw　the　dazzling　blue　sky　and　brilliant　sun　above　the　storm。　Blinding　ice　storms　under　clear　skies　were　not　an　unmon　phenomenon　in　Antarctica。
　　　　　Surprisingly；　snow　rarely　falls　in　the　South　Polar　region。　It　is　so　incredibly　cold　that　the　atmosphere　cannot　contain　water　vapor；　so　any　snowfall　is　minimal。　Not　more　than　five　inches　falls　over　the　continent　in　the　course　of　a　year。　Some　of　the　snow　that　is　already　on　the　ground　is　actually　several　thousand　years　old。　The　harsh　sun　strikes　the　white　ice　on　an　oblique　angle　and　its　heat　is　reflected　back　into　space；　contributing　largely　to　the　extraordinarily　cold　temperatures。
　　　　　Roxanna　was　fortunate。　The　cold　did　not　penetrate　her　clothing。　Rather　than　wearing　European　cold…weather　garb；　she　was　dressed　in　clothing　her　husband　had　acquired　while　trading　with　Eskimos　during　his　earlier　whaling　expeditions　in　the　Arctic。　Her　inner　clothing　consisted　of　a　tunic；　short　knee…length　pants；　and　a　socklike　boot　made　with　soft　fur　worn　against　her　feet。　Separate　outerwear　protected　against　extreme　cold。　The　parka　was　loose…fitting　to　allow　body　heat　to　circulate　and　escape　without　the　problem　of　sweat　buildup。　It　was　made　from　wolf　fur；　while　the　pants　came　from　a　caribou。　The　boots　stood　high　and　were　worn　over　the　socks；　with　the　fur　inward。
　　　　　Her　greatest　physical　danger　lay　in　breaking　an　ankle　or　leg　on　the　uneven　surface；　and　if　she　somehow　survived；　there　was　the　threat　of　frostbite。　Though　her　body　was　protected；　it　was　her　face　that　worried　her。　At　the　least　tingle　on　either　her　cheek　or　nose；　she　vigorously　rubbed　the　skin　to　restart　circulation。　She　had　already　watched　six　of　her　husband's　crew　develop　frostbite；　two　of　them　losing　toes　and　one　his　ears。
　　　　　Thankfully；　the　icy　gale　began　to　die　away　and　lose　its　violence；　and　her　progress　became　easier　than　it　had　been　for　the　past　hour　she　had　been　wandering　lost。　The　howling　wind　faded　from　her　ears；　and　she　could　hear　the　squeak　of　the　ice　crystals　beneath　her　feet。
　　　　　She　reached　a　hill　about　fifteen　feet　high