And once, listening, I heard the Master-Word beating strangely low, and
I knew the aether to thrill about me, and a faint stirring was there in
my soul, as of a faint voice, speaking; and I knew that Naani called to
me some message across the night of the world; yet weak and coming
without clear meaning; so that I was tormented and could but send
comfort to her, with my brain-elements. And presently I knew that she
ceased to speak. And, later, I heard that there was a new matter forward in the Redoubt;
for ten thousand men had assembled to attend the Room of Preparation
for the Short Preparation; and by this we knew that those poor Youths
who stumbled towards us through the dark, were presently to have help. And through all that Sleep-Time, there went forward the Spiritual and
the Physical Preparation of the ten thousand; and upon the morrow they
slept, whilst an hundred thousand made ready their arms. And in this space of time the two hundred and fifty Youths that went
towards the Road Where The Silent Ones Walk, had come very nigh thereto;
having gone very warily and with some slowness, because, as may be, of
the lesson of the Giants. And to us in the Pyramid, the instruments made known constantly that
Influence which was abroad, and which all those of the Tower of
Observation thought to proceed from the House of Silence. Yet, nothing
could we see with the Great Spy-Glass, and so could come to no sure
knowing; but only to fear and wonder. And, presently, the Youths were upon the Great Road, and turned to the
Northward. And beyond them, a great way, stood the House of Silence,
upon a low hill at a certain distance to the right of the Road. By now, they that were wounded had come to within, maybe, fifteen miles
of the Great Redoubt; and the news went through all the Cities, that the
ten thousand men that were Prepared, made to arm themselves. And I went
down by the Tower Lift, and saw them come down by thousands from the
Room of Preparation; and none might go nigh to them, or cause them to
speak; for they were made Ready, and were, as it might be, holy. And all the millions of the Mighty Pyramid stood in their cities about
certain of the Main Lifts, and watched those thousands go downwards, all
in their armour of grey metal, and each one armed with the Diskos, which
was that same very terrible weapon, which all had training to. And I doubt not but that the Young Men of the Pyramid looked, with
longing in their hearts, that they might have been among those that went
forth to succour. Yet, the older men had graver thoughts in their
hearts; for the blood ran more soberly in them, and they had knowledge
and memory of the Peril. And by this, I would make clear that I speak
less of the peril of the body, which is common to every state of life;
but of the peril of the spirit. And it may be thought by those of this age, that it was most strange
that they of that, having all the knowledge of eternity to aid them, had
no weapon by which to shoot, and kill at a distance. But, indeed, this had not been so in the past; as our Histories did
show; for some wondrous weapons there had been, that might slay without
sound or flash at a full score miles and more; and some we had whole
within the Great Museum; and of others but the parts in decay; for they
had been foolish things, and reckless to use; for we of that Great
Pyramid, wanted not to kill a few of the Monsters that lay at a great
distance; but only those which came nigh, to harm us. And concerning those same weapons that killed silently at a great
distance, we had now little knowledge, save that they did waste the
Earth-Current; and no practice had we concerning their workings; for it
was, maybe, an hundred thousand years gone that they had been used, and
found to be of no great worth in a close attack, and harmful otherwise
to the peace, in that they angered, unneedful, the Forces of that land,
slaying wantonly those monsters which did no more than beset the Mighty
Redoubt at a great distance. For, as may be seen by a little thought, we
did very gladly keep a reasonable quietness, and refrained from aught
that should wake that Land; for we were born to the custom of that
strange life, and lived and died in peace, for the most part; and were
very content to have security, and to be neutral in all things that did
not overbear us; but, as it were, always armed, and ready. But concerning the great and Evil Forces that were abroad in the Night
Land, these we had no power to harm; nor could we hope for more than
that we had security from them, which indeed we had; but the hugeness of
their power was about us, and we dared not to wake it; save through such
extremity as had come to pass by this folly of the Youths; though, even
now, we had no thought to attack aught; but only to succour those
wounded ones. And concerning this simplicity of weapons, which excites somewhat even
my wonder in this our present age, it may be that the powers of
chemistry were someways quaintly limited by conditions in that age; and
there to be always a need to spare the Earth-Current; and hence, by this
cause and by that, we were brought, by the extreme, nigh to the
simplicity of the early world; yet with a strange and mighty difference,
as all may know who have read. Now, presently, the Word was sent to every City throughout the Great
Redoubt--as was the Law--that the Great Gate should be opened; and each
city sent its Master, to form the Full Watch, as was the Law. And each
went clad in grey armour, and carrying the Diskos. And the Full Watch
numbered, two thousand; for there were also the Watchmen. Then the lights in the Great Causeway were made dim; so that the opening
of the Gate should cast no great glare from within into the Night Land,
to tell the Watcher of the North-West, and all the Monsters, that
certain humans went out from the Mighty Pyramid. But whether the vast
and hidden Forces of Evil had knowledge, we knew not; and they who went
must but chance it, remembering that they were Prepared, and had the
Capsule. And the ten thousand that were Prepared, went out through the Great
Gateway, into the night; and the Full Watch stood back from them, and
spoke no word, but saluted silently with the Diskos; and they that went,
raised each the Diskos a little, and passed out into the dark. Then the Great Gate was shut; and we made to wait and to watch, with
trouble and expectation within our hearts. And at the embrasures many
did comfort the women of those men. And I went back, upwards by miles, until I came to the Tower of
Observation; and I looked out from there into the Night Land, and saw
that the ten thousand halted at the Circle, and made arrangement of
themselves, and sent some before and upon either hand, and so went
forward into the Night Land.