Yet, truly, I to be
less offend in my Reason, if that it be shown that Man did be ever
somewise in his present shape, though mayhap so brutish as the Humpt
Men; but yet I do be ready to consider all matters, and do build no
Walls about my Reason. Yet, neither I to have an over-ready acceptance
of aught, but to need that my Reason shall approve. And you to perceive, surely, that I here not to speak of that which may
be Afterward, when that all This, our life, be done. For who shall say
how much or how little we then to go forward unto loveliness; and I at
this point to tell you that I do have a wondrous hope of beauteous
things, and of sweet and mighty Uplifting and Furtherance unto that Glad
World which we have beheld the shores of, when that we had stood in
holiness with the Beloved. And, in verity, I now once more to my story; and to be glad that I am
done at this small setting forth of a matter which did need words,
because that it did have root in this Mine Own Story, and to be grown of
it and from it. Now, there did be one other thing of note, beside the Sea Beast, whilst
that we did be upon the Seas; and this did be the strangeness of a great
Fire-Hill which did stand in the sea, and we to pass very nigh unto it. And surely the sea did boil about it, yet not in all places; and there
did be a score great jets that did go upward a monstrous way, and did
roar very plain to us across the sea between; and there did come strange
gruntings from the sea about the base of the Fire-Hill, and these I to
conceive to be made by the upbursting of gases in this place and that;
and surely, it all to make us to know of the great energy that did be
wakeful in that deep Country; and we yet to stare backward upon that
Hill of Fire and Force, for a great while after that we had come past. Now, beyond this, there to be naught, except that we had a certain care
as we did come to that place where the Great Sea did be broke to smaller
seas; but all to be knit with passages of water, which let us through
upon our way. And surely, I did show Mine Own Maid those two places where I did sleep
when first I was come into that Country; and she to be sweet in
interest, and alway to have somewhat that she would learn of this and
that. And so, when that we did be four good days upon the water, as I have
told, we to come to the land, upon a flat place of the shore, where the
Country did slope upward unto the mouth of the First Gorge, of which you
do mind. And this to be in the tenth hour of that day; and we likewise
to have begun that voyage in the tenth hour, as you do remember; and
surely it to have been a sweet and peaceful water-journey; and I to have
been happy, if that all that did be yet before us, to hold so much of
pleasantness and safe goings. But, indeed, there to be much danger yet
to come, as you do know; and we to have our hearts set in courage, and
to go forward to conquer; for surely, if that we to conquer, and to come
safe into our Mighty Home, there to be then that we have all our lives
together in loveliness; and this to be truly a worthy prize and a glory
of the heart, to end and to repay our Stress. And surely, the Maid and I did presently strand the raft, so well as we
might, and did then to wonder whether any should evermore to behold it
through all Eternity. And we lookt a little, each at the other; and the
Maid then to cut free a small piece of the wood of the raft, to be for
an after remembrance. And so we to have our gear upon the shore; and the Maid then to give me
aid that I get once more into mine armour; and so I presently to have
the Scrip and the Pouch again to my back, and the Diskos in my hand, and
all in readiness, and the Maid with her bundle (that was now grown
small), and her belt about her body, that she have her knife unto her
hand. And surely, the Maid then to kneel and to kiss the raft; for memories
did gather upon her; and she there to have one more breaking from all
that did be the first part of her life; and you to give your
understanding, and so to have a quiet sympathy, and to perceive that her
heart did be like that it should stir with a strange trouble of
sorrowing in that moment. And surely I stoopt then, very gentle and loving, and had Mine Own to
her feet; and I led her from the raft, and she to need that she be near
me; and so we to go forward, and to make upward unto the dark mouth of
the Great Gorge. And there to be some miles unto our right, that grim and utter huge
Mountain, whereon afar upward in the monstrousness of the night did be
perched those four fire-hills of which I have told. And below them,
there to go upward the great hills of ash, that had been cast down
throughout Eternity. And this thing had the Maid lookt upon for a great
time, and did be never done of her wonder; neither I, nor any human that
ever should have sight of so great a wonder. And so we to have come presently upward into the high mouth of the
Gorge, and did go onward then into the gloom, a little space, until that
we were come to the place where the Gorge did bend sharp unto the left,
into darkness. And lo! we made pause here, and turned again unto the Country of Seas,
that we have a last outward look over all that Deep and living Land,
that did be hid so far downward in the everlasting night of the world. And, in verity, it did be a solemn thing to know that we, mayhap, to be
the last of the olden Humans that should ever to look upon that Country;
and I to wonder, in that moment, whether that the Humpt Men should ever
to develop, in some far eternity, unto the full sweetness of the spirit
of Humanity which I did think to be inward of them. And this to be both
an odd and a natural thought to have then, as I do see. But at that
time, I only to think it, and not to wot or to trouble whether that it
did be odd or otherwise. And I to think that Country did be somewise as
the Olden Time renewed; but truly we to look upon early things with new
eyes. And we yet to look awhile, and to be husht, and to hark in those last
moments unto the far mutter of the Great Fire-Mountains, and the
Fire-Hills, and the noise of life which did go over that Land; and we
even then to be but a few short pacings off from the silence of the
Great Gorge, which should lead us presently toward the Eternal
Strangeness which did be in the Night Land. And the Maid did hold mine
arm very close, as we lookt our last into the red light of that Deep and
Hid Country of the World, where, in verity, we had come so utter nigh to
our Death.