even the brutish man did grow weary, and the hot breath and
body-stink to come from him; and surely who shall wonder, for always he
did rush to and fro upon me, with the monstrous rock to crush me. And
sudden, I leapt unto the right of the man, thinking within me that I did
perceive a chance that I should cut him upon that side; but, truly, he
was less awearied than I did know; for he came very sharp upon me, and
had me between him and the wall of the Rock; and surely I had no room to
make escape, and had died in a moment, but that I made a sudden sham
toward the left with the Diskos, as that I should leap that way. And in
the same instant, I did go to the right with a strong bounding; and
immediately did come in upon the Humpt Man from that side; and I put my
fortune of life to the stroke, and stood anigh to the man, and I smote
him across the middle part, before that he did wot of my intent. And the
blow slew the man very surely, and did nigh cut the mighty creature in
twain. And surely he fell, half leaping even as he died, so that the
monstrous rock that was in the hands of the brutish man, did crash down
almost upon my feet, and I leapt very high that I should escape the
thundering of the rock; for in verity, I was near slain in that last
moment of the life of the Humpt Man. But yet I lived and came free of
death, and did have a relief of happiness about my heart, as you shall
believe. Yet, truly, I was much shaken; and a little weakness took me, so that I
was fain to go down upon the rock-shelf, that I have back my strength. And presently, I was grown steady again, and I took my gear, and did
haste down the Rock, and so was come presently to the earth again. And I
saw the first of the Humpt Men that I did slay, lying very quiet a
little off from the bottom of the Rock; so that I went round upon the
other side to avoid the man; for it was no pleasure to mine eyes or to
my heart. And, truly, it did trouble me always to make a death. And when I was come round upon the other, which was the seaward, side of
the Rock, I perceived that I was yet shaken; and I remembered that it
were wise to eat and drink and rest a little, before that I did go
further upon my way. Now, as I did sit there at the bottom of the Rock, I looked upward at
the strange crown thereof; and until that time, I had been taken up with
the fight and with gazings this way and that to see whether there came
others of the Humped Men to work me an harm. But now that I was given some ease of the mind and of the body, I saw
plainly that I knew the thing that lay upward upon the Rock; for the
shape had been something strange and half-known to me even before that
moment, as that I had a vague knowledge concerning it; but yet with no
surety. And now, truly, I did know in a little instant that the thing
was one of the olden flying-ships, the which, as you shall mind, there
were certain in the Great Museum of the Mighty Pyramid. And surely, I was ready to wonder why that I had not seen the thing
plain before that moment; yet was this like to be because that there was
a shadow upon the other side of the great Rock; but upon this side there
was a little fire-hill a way off to the cliff edge, and this did throw a
warm light that made a glimmer upon the dull metal of the ship's bottom,
which was uncovered to my sight, and was surely of that same deathless
grey metal that made the Great Redoubt. And yet, as you shall believe, even as I said this thing to my mind,
that the strange matter upon the top of the Rock was truly one of the
olden air-ships, I did feel that I should be proper to doubt; for it was
a very wondrous thing to perceive a thing common to man, in that utter
strange Country, and after that I was gone so far off from the Mighty
Pyramid. Yet, in verity, I did know in my heart that it was indeed that
which I did perceive it to be; and I did stand and walk to and fore and
look upward constant; for I was very keen that I look well upon it. And truly, as I did look from this place and from that place, it was
scarce a thing for wonder that I had not wotted it to be an air vessel;
for there were great trees and abundance of earth and living matters
upon the topmost side of the ship; so that none could easy perceive it
to be aught save a great and desolate rock that did lie upon the other
rock. Yet, truly, it was as I have told; and presently I did make to
climb upward of the great Rock, that I should come to the air vessel to
enter it. But yet was this not proper; for I had surely no duty save to
go forward forever, until that I found the Maid; but yet did I spend a
little while to this searching of the ship; and I do but set down that
which I did, and with a serious spirit. And truly, as it doth here occur
to me, I do be ever seeming a serious young man, as you maybe shall have
grown to think; but yet was I to a dread and serious business, and the
strain did be too great upon me and the trouble too much prest upon my
heart to give me much of laughter, as you do surely perceive, and so you
to give me your ear and your understanding. For, indeed, before that I
did lose Mirdath my Beautiful One, I was not over-grave; but so young
and joyous as any. Now it took me a great time to go upward of the Rock; for it was so
monstrous steep and high. Yet, presently was I come nigh under the
bottom of the ship; and here I did perceive that she had been sore
battered in that far-off age when she did come upon the Rock; for,
surely, as I did perceive, the peak of the Rock was through the bottom
of the ship, so that the metal was burst this way and that, and very
plain to be seen in some parts; but in other places the earth and
growing matters did make a hiding. And after that I had climbed this way and that way, I perceived that I
must come to the topmost part by the plants that did hang over, and grow
downward. And after that I had pulled upon them, to know that they were
strong to hold me, I went upon them, and was soon to the top of the
ship. Yet, truly, I might so well have been upon the earth; for the ship
was covered above by the earth and dust of a monstrous age of years; so
that I was like to need much time to dig downward unto the ship; and
because of this, I considered a little while, and afterward made no more
to search her; but did go downward again, that I should come once more
to my journey. Yet, as you shall think, it was with a queer thrilling of
the heart, and with strange thoughts upon the end of those that did
come, maybe, to a bitter and lonesome dying in that ship of the air, in
that far-off time when she did fly.