Yet, you shall perceive me adrift somewhat as to direction; for I had
steered before this time so that I should come to the North of the House
of Silence; and afterward had shaped my way by the Road. But now was I
adrift, as it might be set down, in the wilderness. And so did I stand and consider, and presently did look unto the far
Pyramid, which was now a great way off in the night, and had seemed but
small by that which I knew it to be. And lo! as I did look, I perceived
that I could but see the high upper-point of the light of the Great
Pyramid, where did shine the Last Light; and I was confounded afresh;
yet in a moment I saw that the greatness of the slope did account for
this. But here I should tell to you that the slope was nowise steep; but
did seem as that it should never cease. And mayhaps this is clear unto
you. And I perceived surely that the time was come when I should make an
utter parting from the Great Redoubt; and the thought came very heavy
upon me. And in the same time I knew that the aether was stirred by the
emotions of the Millions; so that I had knowledge they watched me with
the Great Spy-Glass, and did send word down unto the Hour-Slips; and by
this did the Millions know, and have a great thinking upon me in that
moment. And you shall perceive how utter lost and lonesome I did feel. And it
was at that time that I did test the compass, to comfort me, as I did
tell before this, and feared I must sure forget, when I did come to the
proper place; yet have I minded me, as I did desire. And I saw now that the Night Land that I did wot of, was hid from me by
the slope. And I turned and looked down the slope; and surely all before
me was utter wildness of a dark desolation; for it did seem to go
nowhither but into an everlasting night. And there was no fire down
there, neither light of any kind; but only Darkness and, as I did feel,
Eternity. And downward into that Blackness did the great slope seem to
go for ever. Now, as I did stand there, looking downward into the Dark, and often
backward unto the shining of the Final Light, and put to a horrid
desolateness, behold! there came the low beating of the Master-Word in
the Night. And it did appear as that it had been sent to give me courage
and strength in that moment; and did seem unto my fancy that surely it
did come upward unto me from out of the mighty blackness into which the
Great Slope ran. Yet could this have been but a belief; for the aether
doth have no regard unto direction to show you whence the spiritual
sound doth come; and this did my knowledge and Reason know full well. And I made that I would send back the Master-Word, sending it with my
brain-elements, and so give news unto Naani how that I did struggle to
come unto her. Yet did I have caution in time; for in verity, had I sent
the Master-Word, then had the Evil Forces of the Land wotted that I was
out; and mayhaps had come swift unto my Destruction; and so did I
contain my spirit and desire, and made to do wisely. Yet was I put in courage by the low beat of the Master-Word; and did
listen very keen, that some message should follow; but there came none,
neither did the weak throb of the Word come about me again, at that
time. And because that I was now grown more to my natural state, and did
feel that I should indeed find the Maid, I looked once more unto the
Great Pyramid, long and eager and with a solemn heart; yet with no sign
or salutation, as I was before determined. And afterward, I turned and
went downward into the dark. VIII

DOWN THE MIGHTY SLOPE


Now I went downward very quiet and slow into that Darkness; and did make
but a cautious way; for now you shall know me truly wrapped about with
such a night as did seem to press upon my very soul, and such as you
shall never have seen nor felt; so that I did seem lost even from my
self, and did appear as that I went presently in unreal fashion, and did
pass onward for ever and for ever through everlasting night; so that odd
whiles I did make to walk with random, as that I stept no more upon this
earth; but did go offwards into the Void. Yet was this foolishness of
the mind set straight and proper each time that it did come about; for
lo! I did kick against an upjutting rock here, and fall upon a great and
unseen boulder there, and so was shaken very quickly to a sound
knowledge that I trode the hard and actual earth; and had no true
dealings with unreal matters. And ever I did go downward; and by this only did I have a guide to my
way. Yet, as you shall think, through reason of the utter dark I made
scarce a mile in an hour or even two full hours; and so grew bitter by
reason of mine unableness to go forward with a proper and free stride. But I did think me presently upon a thing that I should do to light my
path; and to this end, I did make the Diskos to spin, odd whiles, and
did look down the mighty slope, the little way that the strange
glistening of the Diskos did show, and so fixed my path into mine inward
remembering, and would go forward afresh, until that I was shaken once
more by the darkness, and would fain to look once again upon the
blessedness of light, and make me some knowledge of my way. And, truly, the light from the Diskos did seem astonishing great, and
this to be because there was so monstrous a darkness all about me there
forever. And thereafter would I go onward again, until the pain of my
stumblings did bid me surely to have that sweet shining once more unto
my path. And so shall you perceive my going; and sore and miserable was it unto
the heart; and like to shake the courage of the spirit; yet, in verity,
I had come through much, and did have intent to give way to no
foolishness of thought. And you shall well believe that I did make the light not more oft than I
did surely need; for it was no properness of wisdom to use the power of
the Diskos, save for mine extremity. Now, presently, when I had done thiswise through six long and bitter
hours, and it being now beyond the twentieth hour since I did last
slumber, I sat me down there upon the Mighty Slope, in the everlasting
Dark, and did eat two of the tablets, and made the water, and could but
feel and hearken whether I did this thing right and that. And when I had eat and drunk, I unfolded my cloak, and wrapt it around
me, and placed the scrip and the pouch under my head; and the Diskos I
took to company me; and so fell swiftly upon sleep; yet did think
earnestly but vaguely upon Naani, as I came unto slumber. And I slept all but six hours, and did waken very sudden there in the
utter dark; and I got me to mine elbow, and did listen very keen; for I
had waked immediately, as that something had touched me or come nigh
unto me; and I gript the Diskos, and listened; but there did not even a
little sound come to me out of all that night.