And the speech was slow, and it rose up out of the
hollow, brutish and hoarse and mighty. And I would that I could make you
to hear it, and that you could but borrow mine ears for a little moment,
and forthwith be shaken with that utter horror and an afraidness, even
as was I. Now, presently, there was a very long quiet, and I ceased at last a
little from mine over-fear; and later I did calm somewhat; so that I
made to shift my position, which was grown very uneasy. And there was still no sound from the hollow. Wherefore, having a little
boldness and much curiousness, and these despite my great fearfulness, I
put forth mine hand, very cautious, and did move the mossbush a little
from my face. And I went forward upon the earth, and did lie upon my
belly; and was by this so close upon the edge of that place, that I was
abled to look downwards. And you shall know that I peered down into that great hollow, and did
see a very strange and horrid sight; for, in truth, there was a large
fire-hole in the centre of that place, and all about the sides there
were great holes into the slopes of the hollow, and there were great men
laid in the holes, so that I might see a great head that did show out to
my sight here, from one of those holes, and would seem to be that of a
monstrous man heavy with sleep. And there I would see but the buttocks
of another, as that he did curl himself inward to his brutish
slumbering. And so was it all about; and to my memory there were maybe a
score of these holes; yet had I not time to the counting, as you shall
see. For, after that I had made but a glance, as it were, at these
sleeping and utter monstrous men, I perceived that there sat beyond the
fire-hole, three great men, and they were each greater than elephants,
and covered a large part with a stiff and horrid hair, that did be of a
reddish seeming. And there were upon them great segs and warts, as that
their skin had been hides that had never known covering. And there was
between them the body of a mighty hound, so big as an horse, that they
did skin; and I judged that this beast was one of those fearsome brutes
which we did call the Night Hounds. Yet, as I should set down, they did nothing in that time in which I
lookt at them; but did sit each with a sharp and monstrous bloody stone
in his fist, and did look to the ground, as that they heeded not the
earth or the food that they did prepare; but did listen to some outward
sound. And you shall know that this brought to me a very swift and
sudden terror; for I perceived now the why of their long silence; for,
in verity, they had an unease upon them, being subtly aware that one was
anigh, even as are the brute beasts in this manner and kind, as all do
know. And I made to draw back, and win unto safety, if indeed this thing were
to be done. And as I moved me, it may be that I shook a little earth
into the hollow; for there was, indeed, a little sifting of dry dust
below me, as I did wot, being very keen to hear, by reason of my fright. And immediately did those three monstrous men look upward, and did seem
to me to stare into mine eyes, as I did lie there hid amid the
moss-bushes. And I was so put in fear that I did clumsily, and sent
another siftering of dust downward, as I did strive to go backward swift
and quiet from the edge. And all the time I did look through the bushes
very fixedly into the eyes of the giants; and lo, their eyes did shine
red and green, like to the eyes of animals. And there rose up a roar
from them that did nigh slay my soul with the horridness of the noise. And at that roaring, all the giants that did lie in the holes did awake,
and began to come outward into the hollow. Now, I was surely lost, and given over to destruction; for they had
possessed me immediately, but that in that moment, as I went backward,
the earth gave behind me, and I fell into a hole among the moss-bushes
to my back, and I made first to come out very hurried, and all choked
with a dust of sand and ash; but in a moment I was sane to know that I
had come to a sudden hiding-place; and I lay very still and strove
neither to cough nor to breathe. And well for me, I came to so close a
hiding; for there were all about me the sounds of monstrous footsteps,
running, that seemed to shake the ground; though maybe this to be an
imagining bred of my fear. And shoutings of great voices there were; and the thudding of huge feet
all about; and the noises of the bushes rustling; but presently the
search drew away to the Southward. And I perceived that there had surely
fought for me some power of good fortune. And I came up out of the hole,
very cautious, and shaken and a moment weak with the beating of my
heart; yet with a lovely thankfulness for my salvation. And I gat me
about, and went swift through the moss-bushes to the North and West for
three hours, and ceased not to run upon my hands and knees. And by that
time was I come a great way, and did have a surety in my heart of
present safety. And I ceased to run, and lay quiet; for, in truth, I did near swoon away
with the hardness of my travel. And indeed as you shall know, I had
slept not for seven-and-twenty hours, and had scarce ceased to labour in
all that time. Moreover, I had eat not, neither drunk, for nine hours;
and so shall you conceive that I was truly a-weary. And, presently I did slumber there as I lay, and all abroad to any
monstrous thing that should come along. Yet did I wake unharmed, and
found by my dial there had gone by a full ten hours, the while that I
did lie there and sleep unwotting. And I was sore perished with the cold
of the Night; for I had not the warmth of my cloak about me, and my
belly was very empty. And I stood me up, and did peer about for any dread matter, but all
seemed proper, and I began to stamp my feet against the earth, as that
I would drive it from me, and this I do say as a whimsy, and I swung
mine arms, as often you shall do in the cold days; and so I was
presently something warmed. And I dismantled my cloak, and wrapped it
about me, and did feel that the Diskos was safe to my hip. Then did I sit me down, and did glow a little with relish, in that I
should now eat four of the tablets; for, indeed, these were my proper
due, by reason of my shiftless fasting ere I came so wotless to my
slumbering. And the memory of that eating doth live with me now, so that
I could near to smile; for the eagerness of mine inwards was proper and
human; yet were even four tablets but a little matter to so great an
emptyness; and I drank a double portion of the water, that I might make
less the void. And this thing was seemly; for, indeed, there were two
portions due unto me. And when I had eat and drunk, I did fold the cloak once more to shape
across my shoulder, as I did carry it; and afterwards I took the Diskos
into my hand, and went forward again to the North and West.