And immediately there had come into the Lesser Pyramid,
great and horrid monsters, and had made a great and brutish chase, and
had slain many; but some had escaped forth into the night. And with these had come Naani, after that her father, the Master
Monstruwacan, had been slain by a shaggy man, very brutal and monstrous. And there had been three maids with Naani, when that she made escape
into the night; but there had come certain creatures upon them, as they
did sleep among the bushes, and had stolen two, and the other maid had
run off, as did Naani, and they had neither met the other any more. And this dreadful happening unto the Peoples of the Lesser Redoubt, had
been a great while gone, as it to seem to her; but she had no means to
tell me how long this time should be; for, in verity, how should she
make a count. Yet had it been a dread long while unto her; and I found
presently, that she had been lost through all that time that I did make
my journey unto her; for, indeed, this thing I discovered by asking
concerning my callings unto her. And she had heard none that did come to
her, in any time since she had escaped out of the Lost Refuge into this
dreadful Land. Yet, in verity, oft had she callen unto me, until that her heart did
grow sick with the desolation of her lonesomeness and her utter
forsakeness. And her callings had told unto the Evil things of the Land
that she did be in this part and that; for there had come things and
beasts in search for her; but having the gift of the hearing, she had
known of their approach, most whiles, and had come free from them; yet
oft-times with piteous and fearful runnings and hiding among the rocks
and the bushes, so that she had grown afterward to make no calling unto
me, save odd whiles, lest she bring the monsters upon her. And, indeed,
as you do know, naught had come plain unto me, for she was so utter weak
that she had no power of her brain-elements to send the Word afar or the
tellings of her spirit. And because that she was so sorely chased, she had come nigh to be
naked, even as I found her; for the bushes and the rocks had torn her
garments from her, and she had naught with which to make any proper
mending of them. And for food she had eat the moss upon the rocks, and
odd strange berries and growths, and had drunk of the waters of the hot
springs; and oft had she been made utter sick, because of the sulphur,
or somewhat, of the water and, maybe, the poison of odd plants. Yet, as
I did think, it was like that the first did save her life from the
second; but in this thing I do make only a guessing. And in all that dreadful time, since that she had come to be quite
alone, she had heard a score drear things; for there had been once the
slaying of a young maid nigh unto her, by some Brute out in the darkness
of the Land; and thrice and more had she heard the feet of people
running this way and that, and the tread of giants pursuing. And by this
telling I did understand those things which mine ears had told to me as
I did go across that Land, and surely a new pity and sorrow and horror
did come upward within me. And the Maid told me how that she came once
upon certain of the Peoples of the Lesser Redoubt, as they did hide
among the bushes; but they ran, with no heed to her callings that she
did be human, even as they; and by this is it plain the sore and
dreadful panic that was upon the hearts of such. And the bitter chill of the Land had made her to strive alway to be nigh
unto the fire-holes that were very plentiful; but even as this did be
needful unto her, so was it a thing that drew the Monstrous Brutes of
that Land, even as I had found in the Night Land, and in the Upward
Gorge. And because of this, she was oft made to stay afar off in the
utter cold of the night. Yet, in truth, odd whiles she did be so desperate, that she would make
the venture, and so mayhaps have a time of warmth; and because of this,
she had been nigh slain in her sleep, twice and thrice. Moreover, there
were snakes about the fires, though not over-plentiful in all parts, and
there did be spider-crabs and monstrous scorpions. And, indeed, even as she had lain by the fire-hole, very weak and
seeming near unto her death, even this time when my call had come unto
her to stir her unto life and bitter knowledge of despair, even then was
she all surround by creatures that were like to crabs, that did squat
all about her, and did but wait for her to die; so that she had been
feared to sleep, lest they destroy her in her slumber. And by this thing, she had known that her death was surely nigh; and lo! out of all the night of the world had come the beat of the Master-Word,
strong and powerful, beating as a low and spiritual thunder out of all
the dark of the night. Yet had she thought of me, only as speaking from
the far-off Mighty Pyramid; so that the cry had brought naught of hope
unto her, but only a newer and more known despair. And, behold, in a
little minute, there had come her name, spoken surely with the tongue;
and a name that was different from the name that my spirit had said
after the beat of the Word. And immediately, I had come out of the bush,
and she had fallen back in a sudden great fear that a monster was stolen
upon her; and then did see a young man in grey armour, and did know in
one instant that I was that olden one of her memory dreams, and the one
that had spoken unto her in the spirit across half of the dead world, as
it did seem. And now was I come through all that unknown desolation and
affright, to succour her. And she was immediately safe; but yet all
broken because of her weakness and her utter joy and her sweet honour
for me. And this is the chief of that which she did tell unto me; and the way
that she had seen and did regard the marvel of this our coming together. But, surely, no man was made ever to be worthy of the way that she did
look upon me, or of the words that she did say unto me in her weakness
and happiness. Now, with the Maid having speech concerning the
spider-crabs, I lookt presently well around, and surely, in a minute, I
saw that they were not gone away; but did be a circle of silent and
steadfast watching and impudence and horror all about us. And surely
this thing put an anger and disgust upon me; so that I gat to my feet,
and went unto the border of the light, and I spurned this little monster
and that, and did truly kick maybe a dozen, before that they were
content to be gone. And by this thing shall you know of their calm and
foolish assurance; but yet were they seemingly without courage; for they
made not to attack me. Yet a true crab of this day been wishful to pinch
me, had I put my toe forth unto it. Now, I went back to the Maid, and she did laugh with a little, weak
gleefulness; so that I perceived that she was like to be a very joyous
maiden, if but I did have her in health. And I made her another cup of
the broth, and she drank it very easy.