originally published Dark Things, Arkham House, 1971
Harold Hadley Copeland scribbles (at great length) in his journal of the last days of an ill-fated journey into a frozen Asian plateau of Tsang, there in search of the tomb of Zanthu, following clues from the Ponape Scripture (among other such works). His colleagues have died off and his bearers are in rebellion. Lack of food and clean water (they're drinking polluted snow - bleeeuchh!!!) are taking their toll. And then they're attacked by faceless monsters. It turns out they can drink the blood of these things (double bleeeeuchh!!). But soon Copeland is all by hisself. Weirdly enough, the faceless monsters are unafraid of his gun, but run in fear at the sight of his face. And the terrain is beginning to look strangely familiar to him.
Copeland finds the tomb of Zanthu, and some tablets therein, but grabs the tablets and runs out to die in the snow rather than in the tomb, cuz it seems Zanthu looks just like Copeland!
This is as pulpy as it gets and written in such over-the-top Lovecraftian that it borders on parody - Copeland is scribbling these notes in his journal under the worst circumstances, but still finds the time to discourse on the history of the Ponape Scripture.
Still, there is a certain evocativeness in Carter's writing, even if he does pour it on way too thick, with the howling sounds in the mountains and the freezing cold closing in. Illogical, over the top, and silly - but still an amusing read.
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