And my heart was warm towards the Master Monstruwacan for that great
honour, that he should come downward in armour to make one with the Full
Watch, that he might uphold me to a lofty spirit at the moment of my
going. And all that time as I went forward, was the aether of the night about
me, in tumult with the thoughts and blind wishings of the great millions
I had but now left to my back. And, presently, as I steadied somewhat upon my emotions, I was conscious
of the exceeding coldness of the night air, and of the different taste
of it upon my lungs and in the mouth; and it had, as it were, a wondrous
keen sharping upon my palate, and did fill the lips more in the
breathing; so that it may be supposed it had more body within it than
that air which did fill the plateau of the Thousandth City where was my
home; for the air of every City was of difference, and the greater
between one that was afar up and another nigh to the earth, as may be
thought; so that many Peoples did migrate unto that level which gave
them best healthfulness; but under rule, and with a guidance of
quantities. And not all that were lacking of health; for, some are ever
contrary. And here let me set down that, within the deeps of the Fields, there was
air utter varied and wonderful, that might charm one here and likewise
sorrow another that were happier elsewhere; so that all might have
suiting, did they but wander, and have Reason to companion them. And thus did I go forward, full of new thoughts and olden memories, and
fresh-breaking wonders; neither forgetting something of doubts and fears
more than a little. And again was it most cunning strange to be out
there in the Night Land--though not yet afar--where often had my fancies
and imaginings led me; yet until that time never had I touched foot, in
all that life, upon the outward earth. And this must be a wondrous
quaint seeming thought to those of this present day. And so came I, at last, nigh to the Circle that did go about the
Redoubt; and presently I was come to it; and something astonished was I
that it had no great bigness; for I had looked for this by _reasoning_;
having always a mind to picture things as they might be truly, and hence
coming sometimes to the wonder of a great truth; but odd whiles to
errors that others had not made. And now, lo! I did find it but a small,
clear tube that had not two inches of thickness; yet sent out a very
bright and strong light, so that it seemed greater to the eye, did one
but behold from a distance. And this is but a little thing to set to the telling; yet may it give
something of the newness of all; and, moreover, shall you have memory
with me in this place, how that oft had I seen Things and Beast-Monsters
peer over that same little tube of light, their faces coming forward out
of the night. And this had I seen as child and man; for as children, we did use to
keep oft a watch by hours upon an holiday-time, through the great
glasses of the embrasures. And we did always hope each to be that one
that should first discover a monster looking inwards upon the Mighty
Pyramid, across the shining of the Circle. And these to come oft; yet
presently to slink away into the night; having, in verity, no liking for
that light. And pride had we taken of ourselves to perceive those monsters which had
most of ugliness and horror to commend them; for, thereby did we stand
to have won the game of watching, until such time as a more fearsome
Brute be discovered. And so went the play; yet with ever, it doth seem
to me now, something of a half-known shudder to the heart, and a child's
rejoicing unknowingly in that safety which had power to make light the
seeming of such matters. And this, also, is but a small matter; yet doth it bear upon the
inwardness of my feelings; for the memories of all my youth and of the
many Beasts that I had seen to peer across the Light, did come upwards
in my mind in that moment; so that I did give back a little, unthinking
of what I did; but having upon me the sudden imagining of that which
might come out of the Dark, beyond. And I to stand a little moment, and presently had grown free in my heart
to have courage of farewell; and so did turn me at last to the viewing
of that wondrous Home of the Last Millions of this World. And the sight
was an astonishment and an uplifting, that indeed there was so mighty a
thing in all the earth. And well might be that there were Monsters and Forces gathered together
about that Hill of Life, out of all the Darkness of the World; for the
thing was as a Mighty Mountain that went up measureless into the night;
and spread out upon the earth to the right and to the left of me, so
that it did seem to hold all the world with its might. And in the nearer slope were there three hundred thousand great
embrasures, as well I did know; there being in all the four sides of the
Redoubt, twelve hundred thousand embrasures, as was set out in the books
of the schools, and upon the cover of Atlas-books as they still quaintly
to be called, and many another place, as might be supposed. And half a mile upward was the lowest tier of those great window-places,
and above that, countless other tiers. And a great light came out from
them into the darkness; so that I looked up into the night many miles,
and yet did see them in shining rows; and did make separate each
embrasure from its fellow for a great way. But there grew yet more,
above in the mighty distance, so that they were lost in the upward space
of the night, and did seem to me presently but as a constant, glimmering
fire, that did shape a shining Peak into the blackness of the heavens,
dwindling into the utmost height. And thus was that Everlasting
Monument. Then did it come to me that those little things, which I did see to
cluster against the embrasures, were in truth the countless millions of
the Mighty Redoubt; and this I could make out with some plainness in
those lower embrasures, which were the more near to me than they above;
for the Peoples were set against the light within, yet were as small
things like unto insects, in that distance, and within so Huge a Bulk. And I knew that they looked out upon me, and did watch through their
spy-glasses. And I sent my gaze upwards again along that great Slope of
grey metal, aye! upward again to where it strode glimmering into the
Blackness, and so at last to the little star that did crown that Wonder
of the World in the eternal night. And, for a little, I did stare
towards that far light; for it came from within that Tower of
Observation, where so lately I had spended my life; and I had knowledge
within my heart that the dear Master Monstruwacan did bend the Great
Spy-Glass upon me, through which so oft had I spied. And I raised the
Diskos unto him, in salutation and farewell, though I saw him not at all
through that vast space. And my heart was very full; yet my soul but the stronger for it.