And when I had lain hid awhile, that I might watch all about, I saw the
place to be safe and quiet; and I went out from the moss-bushes, and sat
down a space from the fire, which did fill the pit in which it did lift
and bubble. And the noise that it sent out was strange and slow, and it
did seem to gruntle gently unto itself in that lonesome hollow, as that
it had made a long and quiet grumbling there, through Eternity. And oft
was it still, and made no sound; and again would give an odd bubbling in
the quietness, and send off, as it did seem, a little smoke of sulphur,
and afterward fall once more upon a quiet. And so I did sit there very hushed and restful, and the loneliness did
lie all about me, and the red shine of the fire-hole did glow soft in
the hollow; and I was glad to be quiet, for my heart was weary. And there was to my back a little rock that did jut upward so high as a
man; and the rock was warm and pleasant to lean upon, and moreover did
seem to guard me from behind. And there I ate and drunk, and kept very
still; and so was presently rested. And this I did need, as you have
perceived; for I was gone sudden weary of the heart, as I did say; and
this might be because that I did never cease to have Destruction over me
to companion my way, though as you will mind, I had been no more than
twelve hours afoot, since my last sleeping. Yet I doubt not you do
understand. And presently my heart grew strong again within me, and I had a warmth
in my Spirit; and I got up from the earth, and stretched out mine arms;
and I saw that my gear was safe upon me, and afterward did grip the
Diskos, as it were newly. Then I went away from the fire-hole, and climbed the far slope of the
hollow, and went Northward. And there were before me many of the
fire-holes; for I did perceive them to shine in the Night for a great
way; as it did seem that they were a path of red shinings that led me
onward to the North-West of the light of the Plain of Blue Fire. Now, I had a believing that I had come out of the Country where did lurk
those horrid Doorways in the Night; and I went not with so utter a
weight upon my heart; and did feel that naught should come now upon the
back of my neck, which had been an odd and troublesome fancy whilst that
I did creep through that Country of Gloom. Yet, as you shall know, I
went with no foolish confidence; but with a great caution, and mine
hearing keen to hark, and a care to my steps, and did ever watch around
me as I journeyed. And because that I went forward in this proper and sedate manner, I had
great cause for a thankful heart, as you may perceive; for I had come
after a long way to another of those hollows where did burn one of the
fire-holes; and I made a pause upon the edge of the hollow in which it
did lie, and looked downward, keeping guarded within the moss-bushes,
where they grew anigh to the top thereof. But there was no living thing
there to be seen, and I went downward, so that I should warm my body at
the fire. And lo! as I stood upon this side of the fire-hole, and turned
myself about, I looked presently more keenly to the other side; for the
yellowness of the earth did seem a little strange in one place. But I
could see with no plainness, because that there arose a glare from the
fire against mine eyes; and I went round, that I should look the better;
yet with no fear or thought of Evil in my heart. And, truly! when I was
come upon that far side of the fire-hole, lo! there was spread out in
the yellow sand of that place, a Curious Thing; and I went more nigh,
and stooped to look upon it; and behold it moved, and the sand all about
did move for a great space; so that I gave back very swift, and swung
upward with the Diskos. And, strangely, I heard the sand to stir at my back, and I looked round
very quick, and the sand rose upward in parts, and sifted back, and
there came to my sight odd things that did move and curl about. And immediately, before I knew which way to go, I knew that the sand did
shift under my feet, and did work and heave, so that I was tottered, and
was shaken also in the heart; for I knew not what to think in that
instant. Then did I perceive that I was all surrounded, and I ran swift
upon the heaving sand, unto the edge of the fire-hole, and I turned
there, and looked quickly; for I did not know what this new Terror
should be. And I saw that a Yellow Thing did hump upward from out of the sand, as
it had been a low hillock that did live, and the sand shed downward from
it, and it did gather to itself strange and horrid arms from the sand
all about it. And it stretched two of the arms unto me; but I smote with
the Diskos, and I smote thrice; and afterward they did wriggle upon the
sand. But this was not the end, as I did hope; for the Yellow Thing
arose, and ran at me, as it might be that you should see a spider run. And I did leap backward, this way and that; but the monster had a great
swiftness; so that I did seem surely lost. Then made I a strong and instant resolve; for I perceived that I had no
hope to slay this thing; save that I should come at it in the body. And
I put everything to the chance, and made not to escape any more; but ran
straight in among the legs; and there were great hairs like to spines
upon the legs, and these had pricked me to the death, but that the
armour saved me. Now, I had done this thing with a wondrous quickness; so that I was
under the mighty arching of the legs before the Yellow Thing did wot of
my intent. And the body was bristled with the great hairs, and poison
did seem to come from them, and to ooze from them strangely in great and
shining drops. And the Monster heaved itself up to one side, that it
might bring certain of the legs inward to grasp me; yet in that moment
did I smite utter fierce with the Diskos--thrusting. And the Diskos did
spin, and hum, and roar, and sent out a wondrous blaze of flame, as that
it had been a devouring Death; and it sundered the body of the Yellow
Thing, and did seem as that it screamed to rage amid the entrails
thereof; so wondrous was the fury and energy of that trusted Weapon. And I was covered with the muck of the thing; and the claws upon the
legs seized me, so that the grey armour did bend and crack to the might
thereof, and I grew sick unto death with the pain within; but smote with
the shining Diskos, using my left hand weakly; for my right was gript
dreadful fast to my body. And lo! I was sudden free, and a great blow
did knock me far across the hollow, so that I was like to have fallen
into the fire-hole; but fell instead upon the edge, and came backward
unto safety. And I turned me about, and the Yellow Thing did throw the sand all ways,
as it did die; but had lost power to come upon me. And for my part, I
lay weak upon the earth, and was no more able to fight; nor could I do
more than breathe for a great while; but yet came presently to health,
and made to examine my hurts.