Yet, as you do know, all things do seem verily to go in a circle; for,
behold, in time, they of the Mighty Pyramid, were likewise held off from
the glory of the airships; and so were gone backward a great way,
according as we do look upon this matter. And so hath this been the way
always, as you shall know who have studied and thought, and seen the
true ways and goings of Life. And now will I go forward in my telling; and here will set down a sure
thing that I did perceive, both by mine ears and by my fingers; for, as
I did make clear to you but a while gone, there had come a change into
the air as I did go downward of the Mighty Slope; and truly I was come
to a great and new Deepness, even beyond that of the wondrous depth
where did stand the Last Redoubt. So that I was afar down and in a
monstrous night. And the air here was of a great thickness and
abundancy, even as it might be the air of this our Age; or maybe more or
maybe less; for who may compare two matters with a sure guessing, that
do have an eternity to keep them asunder. And because that the air was
grown very strong and apparent, it shall be, mayhaps, that it was by
reason of this thing that the water, when I did make it, did fizz upward
in a moment very loud and plentiful, and did boil overward to the earth
from out of the cup, and wet upon my hand. And surely this thought did
come very keen to my Reason, as I did fumble, each time of mine eating,
there in the everlasting night and lonesomeness of the Great Slope. And so shall you have knowledge now of this and that thing which did
come upon my thought, and of the little and the big wonders, and all
shall help something to give unto you the ache of newness and
bewilderment that was constant companion unto me. Now by this time, as I have said, I was gone downward ever for six great
days; and I did seem as that I should presently come to the middle of
the world; for of going downward there was no end. And then, when it did be that I was near ready to believe this, I
perceived far off in the deep of the night a little shining that was yet
weak and unsure. And I do not know whether I can truly give unto you the
great astonishment and pain of hope that did come upon me; so that I
grew sick in all my being but to behold once again the blessedness of
light, and to have help unto my belief that I went not downward to an
utter desolation. And I stood upward from my knees, and did look very earnest, and surely
it did seem that a light was there afar downward in the night; and again
it did seem that I must be plagued by my hopes and by my fancy, and that
there was nowhere any light. And then again I did see it very clear, and
not to be mistaken, and I had a shaking to come upon me, and I gat me to
a run, and made a great and mad speed down the dark slope. And lo! I was
not gone any way, but I went headlong, and near brake myself; and could
but hold my teeth together very fierce and quiet until that the pain was
something gone from me. And afterward, I gat me again to mine hands and knees, and went slowly,
as before; and so for a great hour or more, and did look oft; and alway
the light became more plain to my sight; but ever to come and go,
oddly-wise. Yet did I go six hours, before that I was come anywise near
to it. And by this shall you know how great a space off it had been. And
lo! when that I did seem surely anigh unto it, truly was it still far
away in the night; and I came not indeed near to it until that I was
gone onward again for three hours more. And all that time did I yet go
downward into the night; but the Slope now did not be so utter dark. Now, presently, I made a pause, and stood upward to my feet, so that I
should the better perceive the light. And lo! as I did look toward it, I
heard a faraway sound in the dark, as that something did set up a
strange and monstrous piping in the night. And immediately, I went to
mine hands and knees among the stones of the Slope, and kept myself low
in the darkness, so that I should be the less plain to be seen, did any
Monster approach. But there came nothing to trouble me, and I went downward of the Slope
for yet another hour; and all the time that I did go, the sound of the
piping grew more in the great eternity of the night upon the Slope. And by this time was I come truly near unto the light; but yet did not
behold it plainly; for it did burn beyond certain monstrous rocks that
stood between. And I went to the left for, maybe, the half of a big
mile; and all the while that I did go, the piping made a mightier
whistling in the Night; and it did seem presently as that the earth sent
forth the sound and revelry of wild roarings. And I went the more
silent; and later did kneel among three rocks, and peered forth for a
while upon the place before me. And now, being come nigh unto the light--though yet it was not unhid
from behind the great barriers of the uprising rocks, I perceived that I
crouched within the mouth of a mighty gorge; and the left side was a
great way off, and I saw it plain at whiles when the light did rise; but
the light was to the right, and it was so wondrous great that it did
make clear to me that a mountain was to that side of the gorge, and
went upward into the everlasting night, as it did seem for ever. And afar down the gorge, I did see the shinings of strange fires, faint
and a great way off. And so was I come at last to the bottom of the
Mighty Slope. Yet the gorge also to go downward, but not so great. And presently I did go forward again; and so did open the point of the
rocks, as the sailors do say. And I saw now that there gushed forth a
great blue flame from the earth; and the mighty rocks stood about it, as
that they were olden giants groupt there to some strange service. And concerning this flame I was not overmuch astonished in my Reason;
for it had seemed to me as I drew anigh, that the fire and the sound
should be made by the roaring and whistling of a burning gas that did
issue forth among the rocks. Yet, truly, though it did be a natural
matter, it was yet a wondrous sight, and set amazement on my senses; for
the flame did dance, and sway whitherward monstrously, and sometimes did
seem that it dropt so low as an hundred feet, and afterward went upward
with a vast roaring unto the utter height, and did stand mighty and
blazing, maybe a full thousand feet, so that the far side of the gorge
was lit, and surely it was seven great miles off or more; but yet did
show plain and wondrous. And the light did show me the flank of the
mountain, that made the right hand side of the Gorge, to go up
measureless into the night. And so shall you perceive that I stayed awhile among the rocks that were
in the mouth of the gorge, that I should gaze upon this thing; but
afterward I lookt this way and that way, so that I should have a knowing
of the place where I was come. And it was a wild and stark and empty place, as you must perceive.