And immediately, a wondrous great and
lovely thrilling did wake all my being; for surely, I said, this was the
spirit of my love, calling unto me with her brain-elements. And, indeed,
this was a very proper and sensible thinking; for had the Master-Word
been sent from the Mighty Pyramid, I had been like to hear it very
plain, by reason of the force of the Earth-Current which was with them
and to their command. But, as you do know, the Earth-Current was nigh
gone from the Peoples of the Lesser Refuge; so that they were over-weak
to make any proper calling. And this I have spoken of before this place. Yet, in a little while, as I did stand very hushed, that I should hark
the better, I was come to doubt whether that I did truly hear the
Master-Word. And one moment I did say that it had surely beat in the
night about me; and immediately would I be just so unsure; and so in a
while I gat once more to my journey, and had doubt in my heart; yet, as
you shall conceive, more of hope. And because of this thing, I went
onward for thirty great hours from the time that I did wake; for my
heart was excited within me. And when that I had gone so long forward as
this, I did see how that I did foolishly; and I lookt about for a place
for my slumber; and I found a small cave that was clean and empty, as I
did discover by the shining of the Diskos which I made to spin a little
time. And the cave was in the cliff of the mountain that made the right
side of the Gorge, and was nigh twenty good feet from the bottom of the
Gorge, and hard to approach. And when I was come secure into the cave, and sure that it was proper to
my purpose, I eat four of the tablets, as was just and nice to my belly,
and did afterward drink some of the water, and so to my slumber; and all
the while, very sweet and strong in my thoughts upon Naani; so that
surely I was a little time before that I had myself rightly unto sleep. And I slept six hours, and did wake, for I had set my spirit hard unto
such wakening; yet was I still greatly yearning for sleep. But this did
go somewhat, when that I had fought a little with my need. And
afterward, I eat two of the tablets, and drank some of the water, and
did gat my gear upon me, and was presently down unto the Gorge; and so
again to my journey. Now in all that day I did go with a very stern speed; for it did seem as
that my soul did know for surety that I was truly come something nigh
unto that hid place in the night where I should find mine Olden Love
again. And the sweet hope that was bred of the calling that had seemed
truly to sound about my spirit, was in all my being, and more sure on
that day, than before that I had slept. And I went thirty hours in all, even as before, ere that I did come
again to sleep, and I eat and drank at every sixth hour, so that my
strength should abide within me. And by that I was come to the ending of
the thirty hours, I was sorely awearied, and gat me upward of the
monstrous cliff that did make the left side of the Gorge, having
perceived in a place a great ledge of the rock, that did seem very
proper for my purpose of slumber. And when I was come upward upon the ledge of the rock, I saw that there
did seem something, like to a mighty spider, that did stay half without
of a hole in the back part of the ledge. And I smote the thing gently
with the Diskos, so that it was very quickly dead; and afterward I
searched well about; but did gladly perceive that there abode there no
other horrid creature. And I eat two of the tablets, and drank some of the water; and did
afterward make me ready for slumber, as ever. But now I did put the
cloak well about me; for truly there was grown a chill into the air of
the Gorge; and here also will I tell how that it did seem unto me that
the air was gone something from that great thickness and strength which
had been with me in the past days of my journeying. Now I was gone so tired, that I fell upon sleep in a moment, yet with a
dear thought and anxious, concerning Naani; but was so starved of the
body for slumber, that even mine anxiousness kept me not awake. And I
was then so fast with sleep that I knew naught for eight hours of very
sound slumber. And then did I awake, and very thankful of the heart that
no evil beast or creeping thing had come upon me whilst that I was so
utter lost in sleep. And now, truly, was I something fresh and ready; and I ate and drank,
and had my gear once more upon me, and so down into the Gorge. And
afterward, I went upon my journey for eighteen hours, and did pause but
a little while at the sixth and the twelfth hours that I should eat and
drink. And when the eighteenth hour was nigh come, I perceived that the nature
of the Gorge was grown very horrid and dank. And in verity, I did feel
as that afar upward in the night the black mountains that did make the
sides of the Gorge had come together, and did make a monstrous roof
unseen in the utter height. And this thing I do tell, only as of my belief; for I have no very sure
proof. Yet, truly, my reason doth say likewise; for there did oft drip
water upon me out of the darkness, even though I walked in the middle
way of the Gorge; and how should this thing be, save that there went an
overreaching of the sides, that should let the mildew down upon me. And in this place, and for more than eleven great hours, there were
fire-holes and fire-pits only in this part and in that, and each a great
way off from another. And they burned very dull, and did seem to throw a
fume of sulphur into all the air, as that there was no freedom above for
the stink to pass away. And in every place were the rocks of the Gorge
very thick and slippery with strange growths; so that it was a sorrow to
walk upon them. And all that time was there an heavy wetness and
slowness in the air; and a smell, beside the stink of the fire-pits, as
that I did go forward through a place where dead things did be. And for a great time there was a horrid darkness, as it had been that
the air was grown thick with the fumings of the fire-pits, as I do
believe; and beside this thing there was, as I have said, but a dull
fire here and another there; so that it was like that there should be a
heavy dark. And because that it was so utter black, and because that
there were growths upon the rocks in the bottom of the Gorge, I did go
but slowly, and with pain of stumblings; and always with the stink of
that place to trouble me half unto a sickness. And sudden, as I did go past one of the fire-pits, I saw that the fire
made a dull shining upon some monstrous thing that did move before me,
upon the far side of the fire. And I came in one moment unto a swift
silence, and hid among the rocks of the bottom of the Gorge.