And at each sixth hour when I stopt very brief to eat and to drink, I
made to bring Mine Own to her senses; yet she never to come, and alway
her heart to grow the more feeble; so that in the end I did utter fear
to hark; and did but set food and drink into me, and onward again with
an utter fierceness. And why there came not any Sweet Power of Goodness to help me in my
strait, I never to know; but did call desperate upon all Good things to
aid me, as I went, to save Mine Own. But there naught to come; so that I
had grown into cursings, but that I did not to lose my wisdom to any
useless foolishness. And alway, as I went, I to see the Land blindly,
and oft vague and grey as that I did look at naught real, and again with
strange flashings of light, and the glare of fires; and anon to see the
Land as it did be, and all odd whiles to have now to me the feel of a
dread and monstrous dreaming. And surely I sped forever through the dreadful hours, and went neither
to the right nor to the left, neither did I strive to hide in the bushes
nor to evade aught, for I knew that the Maid died slowly in mine arms,
and there to be no more gain in life, save by speed, that I have her
swift to the Mighty Pyramid to the care of the Doctors. And a great and
despairing madness grew ever within me. And thrice I to have a vague memory that there came creatures at me,
from the dark of the Land; but surely I slew them with the Diskos, and
have no remembering thereof, only that mine anger did boil in me, and I
to know once that the Diskos did run blood in my hand. And lo! there to come sudden unto my spirit the knowledge that the
aether of the world did be stirred. And, indeed, I did be surely sighted
by the great Millions of the Mighty Pyramid. And they to have seen me
come forward into the sight of the spy-glasses, and that I did bring a
maid in mine arms out of all the night of the world. And truly, as I did after learn, the dear Master Monstruwacan had
discovered me great hours before; for there had been a steadfast watch
kept in the Tower of Observation for my returning, if that ever I should
return; and the might of the Great Spy-Glass had shown me plain a good
while gone, and that I did carry somewhat, that was surely the maid that
I did go to find. Yet had the Master given an order that no word be set
abroad to the Peoples, of this discovering, lest that the emotions of
the Millions to tell overmuch unto the evil Powers of the Land. But now
had the Millions also come unto knowledge; for many had ceased not to
watch through their spy-glasses, and the news to travel very speedy
through the cities; and surely now there did be a constant spiritual
noise in the night, to be heard only of the Spirit, yet to suffice to
wake and to warn all that Land. And truly, as I after to learn, the Master Monstruwacan did know by the
instruments that there came a force out of the House of Silence, and
this to trouble him greatly; so that he set the word through the
Pyramid, by the Hour-Slips, that all the Peoples strive to contain their
emotion, lest they bring an Harm and a Destruction upon me, by warning
the Land with the greatness of their feelings. Yet, in verily, this did be useless; for the Peoples did be very human,
and could nowise check their gladness and great wonder and excitement;
for it was to them so great a wonder almost as we should suffer if that
a man in this Age should go beyond Death in search of his Beloved; and
afterward to come backward unto the Living; and, surely, in such case,
how mighty should be our amazement; and this to be somewise how they did
be; yet with it also a sweet and natural gladness and strong welcoming,
which doth be the true beat of the Human Heart unto the Wanderer. And presently, and through all the time that I came forward across the
Land, there did be mayhaps an hundred million that did never cease to
watch me from the embrasures, from the View-Tables, and from all
vantages. Yet, for a long while, only they which possessed strong
spying-glasses did be abled to see me truly, for I was a great way off. And millions did but stare vainly unto that part where I was said to be;
and the Hour-Slips to come out four times in the hour, and to tell aught
that did be known. And so shall you perceive that Humanity did but have
grown the more Human. And, in verity, I went forward with all my strength, and did drive
heedless through the miles and the night, and scarce conscious of aught,
because of the aching madness of despair that did grow ever within me;
for I knew that Mine Own Maid died alway in mine arms, as I did carry
her. And later, a monstrous space of hours it to seem, I knew that I was come
to that part of the Road, where it did bend somewhat unto the Vale Of
Red Fire; and this did be something anigh to that wilderness where the
Youths did fight with the giant-men. And I came over the Road, and urged my body utter furious across the
Land. And, surely, in that moment when I cross the Road, great numbers
of the Millions did see me, that had not seen before. And there went a
shaking in the aether of the World, because of the sudden emotion of so
mighty a Multitude; and lo! it did be as that in that moment the Land
was at last waked; for there came from far away unto the Eastward, a
faint and dreadful laughter, as that a monstrous Being laught unto
Itself in some lost and dreadful country. And the Laughter passed over
the Land, and did echo strangely, as it did seem, in this part and that
part, and presently to go rolling round in the far and hid West Lands,
and to be as that it wandered awhile amid the far mountains of the Outer
Lands, and was presently lost from my hearing. And my heart chilled a little maybe; but yet did I not care over-much;
for I to lack all if that I lackt Death, if that I not to be given power
to save Mine Own. Yet did I make a little pause, so that I gat the knife
from the belt of the Maid, and did also to bare the Capsule; for if that
there came a Destruction upon us, I to make instant sure that Mine Own
Maid be safe unto death, and I then to go quickly with the Capsule. And afterward I again upon my way. And ever upon each sixth hour I did stop that I eat and drink, and did
onward again, even as a machine; for I commanded myself to this duty of
victual, that I lack not my strength unto the saving of the Maid. Yet,
truly, I did seem to choke alway as I strove with the tablets. And lo! ever as I went forward did the Land awake; and my spirit to know
that Great Forces did be abroad, restless. And the Monsters to begin
wild roamings, because that they also to know of the Unrest that did be
come into the Land. And there to go presently odd roarings across the
Land, from night unto night. And I to go forward the more desperate, and
to step neither to the right nor to the left; but to make direct unto my
Mighty Home.