And I did see
the hands plain in the light from the fire-hole, and the hands were
monstrous, and did be armed brutish with horrid claws, so that the Man
should have been able to rip aught, even as a wild beast. And I put Mine Own very swift to the earth; and surely, I cared not for
life or aught; for this thing did make to delay me, and I to be fierce
with despair that aught should halt me. And lo! I leaped very furious
and with cold anger at the giant; and I smote at the monstrous brute;
but he unto the side in an instant of time, and so escaped the blow. And
he flung forth his monstrous arm out of the half-dark of a shadow that
did be cast by the dance of the fire-hole, and caught my head-piece and
pluckt it from me so strong and brutish that he cast me nigh a dozen
feet on to my back. Yet I was not harmed in the life, but only sore
shaked and bruised; and I to be up in a moment, and came in upon the
giant, and the Diskos did roar and blaze in my hands as I swung the
weapon. And I gat the giant above the middle part, and the Diskos did
glut itself, and went through the giant as that he did be naught, though
so huge and monstrous and girt with strength. And he to have surely
turned his shoulders as he died; for the upper part of the giant-man
went horrid to the earth, and the legs and the trunk stood plain in the
light of the fire-hole, and the blood went upward as a fountain in the
night. And I made no pause, but leaped unto the Maid, and had her in a moment
to mine arms, and onward again past that dead thing, that did only then
to fall with an horrid sound. And surely the night did be full of an
astonishment and upliftedness of the Millions, so that their spiritual
cryings did go all about me, and did tell me that they had perceived
this thing, and did cast their love and delight unto me, and a vast
excitement to be upon them. And lo! I scarce to have gone a great mile more, but there came two
vague things out of a dark place, where certain rocks did upstand; and I
smote them with the Diskos, and went onward; but what they did be, I
never to know. And surely, after that, I did seem to go smiting forever; for there to
come, time and oft, strange things out from the bushes and the rocks, as
that all the Land did be a-crawl with foul and monstrous life, and I to
go smiting, as in a dream, and to speed forward ever with a more fierce
despair; for surely the end of our lives did be come, and I not to be
given power to save Mine Own Maid. And all the Land did be full of grim and monstrous roarings, and
odd-wise lower sounds, very deadly. And once I did hear the noise of
giants running. And all the night to be Evil. And, in verity, how I did
not be slain by some dread Force, I not to know, unless that I did be
burned free of all weakness that an Evil Power should have chance to
harm me through; for, indeed, I had been dealt a bitter training a
monstrous time. And lo! there to be again the deep and dreadful baying of the
Night-Hounds unto the South-East, and to be nearer; and I to know now
that no strength of mine should serve to protect Mine Own. And lo! from the upwardness of the night, where did be the Last Light,
there sudden to come downward a strange blue flash, that smote downward
into the Land unto the South-East. And again the flash to come, and
mayhap a score times after; and there to come down out of the height a
peculiar crackling sound, that did be less than the thunder of this age,
yet more loud than any other sound that you ever to hear. And lo! I knew
that the Humans did begin to fight for me, that I bring Mine Own safe
unto Home. And behold! it did be as that all the wakefulness of the Land that had
been, did be but as sleep, beside the wakefulness that now to come; for
surely the Night now to seem to rock with the roarings of the Monsters,
and with the be-stirring of Great Forces. And ever there to go over the
Land the yowling of that strange and dreadful Laughter, which did come
from that hid Country in the night of the lost East. And lo! there arose constant now the hoarse and dreadful bayings of the
Hounds, and made known that a mighty pack did be out. And they to seem
to be no more, maybe, than a good mile unto the South-East; and I to be
all alone, save for the dying Maid that I held in mine arms. And I lookt
vainly and with despair for the Hundred Thousand that did be Prepared,
and had come downward, as you do know, unto mine aid. But truly, there
did be naught to see anywheres, save the strange lights and shadows of
the Land; and the movement of monstrous life in this place and that
place. And the Hounds to come nearer with every moment of time; so that
indeed, I knew that death did be very nigh. And I ceased not from my stride; but went forward, and did begin to run;
for the Pyramid was not a huge way off in the night; and the shine of
the Circle about it, to be plain seen, save here and there, where it did
be hid strangely. And I to have a despairing hope that I come yet with
Mine Own into the safety of the Circle. And the baying of the Hounds to come ever the more near; and surely it
did be a doubly hideous bitter thing that I lose My Dear One, so nigh
unto Home; and the great Mountain of my Home to go upward before me into
the night, and to seem so near that surely I did be almost there; but
yet, mayhap, two great miles off, even then. And, behold, I called out
in vain despair and to no end, why that none come to give me aid in this
extremity; for the Hounds did bay now but the half of a great mile, upon
my left, and did surely have scent of me, by the way of their dreadful
baying. And, truly, the Millions to have an anguish of sympathy for me; for the
spiritual noise of their emotion did be plain unto my spirit; and they
surely to have seen and to have interpreted the way that I did look
about me and appear to call out in despair; for there came all about me
in a moment the companioning of a great and sweet spiritual force, which
did be bred of their quick going with me in their understanding and
love; and they to have perceived how that I did be unto the end of hope;
and the Hounds to be almost upon me. And in this moment, there came afresh to my hearing the shaking beat of
the Earth-Current; so that I knew the Humans to take desperate means to
save. And there came to my view a vast pack of the Hounds unto my left,
and they came running at a great pace, and their heads did be low, and
they to be so great as horses; and seen plain, and again in shadow, all
in the same moment, as they did come. And, in verity, I knew that we two to be dead indeed ere a minute be
gone, if that the Humans not to haste. And I stood where I did be; for
there was no more use to run; and I lookt from the Hounds unto the
Mighty Pyramid, and again to the Hounds. And again I lookt with my hope
gone, unto the Pyramid; for the Hounds did be scarce two hundred fathoms
off from me; and there did be hundreds of the mighty beasts. And lo!