And I to be firm in
my deciding, and to make her to yield the bundle, the which I hookt unto
the "hold" of the Diskos, where it did be to mine hip. And the Maid to be there, a little figure, and white in the face, and
strangely angered, and her anger mixt with hidden acknowledgement that I
did be her master, and half to be minded that she move not from where
she did stand, and part to be reasonable and fearful of the hidden
Beast; and in part also to thrill in her womanhood unto the man that did
be so masterful unto her. And all to pass in a little moment, and we to
be to the Gorge side, and busied very eager to the climb. And the Maid to be first, as I did heed, and I to follow, and have
constant looking to the task and to her safety, and alway to be bitter
anxious for our speed to be good, and to be anxious the more then, lest
that Mine Own should slip; for there did be an horrid wetness upon the
sides of the Gorge, as you shall have guessed, and horrid growths that
blotched the great rocks mightily, and made an utter slipperiness, if
that they did be trod upon; and we to have to come so clear of all such
matters, as we might, and yet to be speedy for our lives, and likewise
to lack no care and thought to the setting of our hands and of our feet
in places fitted to the lifting of our weight. And truly you shall see that we went very desperate, and I to give word
to the Maid that she look not downward, the which I was urgent upon,
lest that she come giddy in the heart. But I, as you shall think, could
scarce to keep from fearful peerings below, so that I learn speedy
whether the Pursuer did come yet into the light of the fire-hole,
beneath. And presently, the Maid did gasp very weak and troubled with the
soreness of the climb; and I came higher, and set mine arm about her, as
we did be there upon the face of the cliff; and she stopt very still a
little while, and an ease did come to her, and an assurance of safety. And surely, I kist her there where we did be in that upward place, and
her lips did tremble unto mine; and her courage and strength to come
back into her, so that in a minute she did make once more to the
climbing. And we came presently to a place where a great ledge did be, that jutted
out from the mighty cliff, and was surely a huge way above the Gorge
bottom. And the ledge sloped, and there were on the ledge, great stones
and boulders that did make lodgement there through eternity. And I lookt very careful to our way, and saw that we did be in the path
of a mighty rock that was over-nigh unto the edge of the shelf-place,
and did put fear upon me, in that it seemed that it should come down
with great thundering upon us, if that we but shook the place where it
did be. And I caught the Maid very swift and gentle, and shaped our path unto
one side of that great rock, and did presently lose my fear, when that
we did come safe from under it. And in a minute after, we were come upward upon the ledge, and a very
safe place it did seem, and surely as that no monster should be abled to
come upward upon us. And this I did try to make for comfort unto
ourselves; but that we both to know how that the great Slugs could lie
up against the sides of the Gorge, and surely it did be like that they
should be able to come upward clear of the Gorge, and so to the place
where we made to have safety. And I had no thought to deny this thing,
when that it was clear to my brain; but set rather that we should have
some way to fight the Monster, if that we did be discovered. And I thought in a moment upon the stones that did be about; and the
Maid in the same moment cried out that we should push the big rock down
upon the Slug that we believed to have chase of us, and indeed, the rock
to be a great weapon, if we could but stir it, as you shall think. And alway, as we talked, very hushed, we lookt downward into the
deepness of the Gorge, unto the upward end of the fire-light; but there
came no thing yet unto our knowledge, only that the stinking did rise up
to us through that great distance. And the fire-pit to seem now a very small burning, and to give no great
light up to us; and we neither to be abled to see very clear of the
Gorge bottom, in that the haze of the fumes and the smoke was in the air
of the Gorge, and made uncertainty; and we to be nowise proper free of
the smoke, even where we did be. And we watched, very set with anxiousness and fearful expecting of the
monster; and did be both yet lost of breath, and the Maid that she made
her words something broken for a little while. And lo! in a moment, Naani cried out very low and sharp that the thing
did come; and I to see a moving of somewhat, in the same instant, in the
Gorge that lay upon the upward side of the fire-pit. And immediately I saw the great and monster head of the Beast come
forward into the shine from the pit; and the head did be of a blotched
white, and to have the eyes upon great stalks that came from the forward
part of the head; and the stalks to be set downward, so that the eyes
lookt upon the bottom parts of the Gorge. And surely this doth be very
horrid-seeming to the mind of this age, but yet to have a less
strangeness unto the two of us that had seen many horrid sights, as you
do know. And as the Monster came forward the more into the light, I saw that the
great and utter mighty bulk did be all of that same whiteness, that did
be so set over with blotchings and a seeming of unhealth. But, truly the
colour was proper to a creature that did abide in so great a darkness,
as you shall say, yet had those Slugs that we did see, been black and
shining, for the most, as I have told; and this to be as I saw, and I
not to heed here that I try unto explainings in this place; else should
I be never eased of my task, as you do see. And the Monster Slug came onward, and as it did go, it set the stalks of
the eyes in among the boulders, as that it did search; swayed now this
way and now that way, from side to side of the Gorge, and alway it
pushed the stalks of the eyes inward among the boulders; and so to go
forward, searching. And truly it was very dreadful to see the thing make
search for us, and to go so steadfast to so dread a purpose.