Yet, as I did presently conceive, the
spirit had no power to hear that thing; which was very strange; but
truly so. Now, because that I went with a very wary hearing, I heard the Sound
once a far way off before me, and I hid upon the moment, and went
backward, and after a while, did judge myself to have come unto safety;
and so it was, in verity, for I heard no more that time. And so did I
come presently unto the eighteenth hour, and did eat and drink, and made
me a place of slumber in a little hollow of a rock that stood upward out
of the moss-bushes. And I slept for six hours, and afterwards waked,
and was come to no harm. And after I had eat and drunk again, I did look outward over the Night
Land, and with particularness to that part that I did travel in, as it
might be called, the yesterday. And I did observe it to be a very bleak
and desolate Country, and not given over to fire, or other warmth, nor
to sulphur-vapours; but to be very quiet, and with but a little light in
all its breadth. And I could conceive that it was no place for anything
of life to desire; but rather to avoid; and that Country did seem to be
yet all about me; for I was by no means come clear from it at that time;
though, Northward, there was a glimmer, as of fire-holes; and beyond
those, the strange shining of the Plain of Blue Fire. And, after that I
had thought awhile, I did believe that I should meet no Monster of
Natural Life in all that Country of Desolation, until I did draw nigh,
once more unto fire. And I conceived that this Sound from out of the
invisible Doorways might yet trouble me; but whether the quietness of
that part was because all of natural life did fear the Sound, or because
that there was neither fire nor warmth, I do not say, having no knowing
in this matter; but may yet believe that it was to be laid to both
causes; and this doth seem of common reason, as you shall agree. And when I had looked a while unto the Mighty Pyramid, which was now
truly a great way off; for I had walked so many weary hours; I turned me
once more to my journeying. And here let me observe that I had gone very
far; yet not so distant, as might be thought; for, oft, I did go less
than one mile in an hour or maybe two hours, having to be of great
caution, and oft to hide, and to go upon my belly, or to crawl, all as
might be. And, further, as you may have perceived, I made not a straight
forwardness; but did strike this way and that way, being very intent to
escape the Monsters and Evil Forces that were all about. Now, because that I believed that I travelled in a Place where was
surely to be discovered those strange Doorways within the Night, I made
an especial care of my going; and did stop oft that I might listen, and
watch, and keep a very strict ward in all the Night about me. Yet, as
you shall see, this served not to prevent me from going forward into the
fearfulness of that which did haunt all the void; for, sudden, as I went
carefully, I heard a faint humming noise come downward from the night a
little unto my rear; and the humming noise did grow more plain, as that
a door were opened slowly above, and did let out that Sound ever more
loud. And surely, after I did hear that, I could not doubt that a door
were opened upward there; for the noise did grow in such wise as you
shall hear a distant sound come through, when a door truly is oped; for,
if the noise had been made just in that place, it had seemed to come
from there; but this Sound, though it did come _through_ there, was as
that it did come outward from some far lost and foreign Eternity. And
this I do struggle always to make plain; and you shall not blame me that
I think overmuch upon it; for, in truth there was an horror so wondrous
and drear about it, that I can forget not; but do strive always that
others should know with me that peculiar woe and terror that did haunt
the night. Now, as you will see, I had in truth gone past the place where the
Doorway in the Night did open; yet had come to no harm; but rather it
did seem that it opened by chance, unwotting that I was anigh; or it may
be that my quiet passing did disturb an Evil Power, so that it did even
come to listen, or to make search. And all this doth pass through my
brain, as I do write, and it doth seem to me that my thoughts are but
the thoughts of a little child, before so great a mystery; and that I
touch not even the edge and fringe of the truth with my thinkings, and
so do cease upon them; and will but go forward so plain as I may with my
telling. Now, as you may truly believe, when I heard that Sound, and did
understand that I had, in verity, come past beneath that Place, I did
surely sicken to an utter weakness of body and heart, though it was but
for a moment; and then was I swift hid within the close shelter of the
low and thick moss-bushes. And I shook in all my being, and crept, shaking, upon my hands and
knees, and did near totter to my face thrice, so weak gone was I in that
moment of terror; and I did have a wickedness of forgetting in that
time; for I bared not mine arm, to have the Capsule to a readiness for
my death, if that did need to be; and this was an abominable
foolishness, and I do shake now when I think upon it; for Death is but a
little matter by the side of Destruction; though, in truth, dreadful
enough for all. Yet, as it did chance, no harm came to me, and I gat
away, as that some wondrous power did cast a viewless cloak about me,
that I might be utter hid; and oft have I wondered whether this was
truly so; but have no knowing. And, presently, I ceased from fleeing, and had some calmness, and did
eat and drink; and so came to the comfort of a firm spirit, the which
had been sore troubled, above all understanded causes, by that horrid
sounding upward in the Night. And after that I had eat and drunk, I did
rest a little; but afterward, went onward to the Northward, going
towards that place where the fire-holes did glimmer, the same being by
this time no great way off. Then, as I did come anigh, I thought to hear once again the Sound in the
night, and I stopt very swift, and hid into the moss-bushes, and did
listen; but did hear naught; and so was hopeful that fancy did play upon
me. Yet, because of this matter, I went upon my hands and knees for a
good way; and so came at last nigh unto the shine of one of those
fire-holes, the which I did see for so long. Now, as you shall suppose, I went very cautious through the bushes, unto
that red-shining fire; being careful, both that I did attract not any
Evil Force that might listen in the Night, and because that there might
be some Monster nigh to the fire-hole. But, presently, when I was come
so that I could peer through the bushes, I did see a little fire-hole
set in a small hollow, and there did no thing seem to lurk anigh; and
the sight of that warmth did cheer me; for it was long since I did have
the comfort of such a matter.