And on the morrow, which did be the sixteenth day upon the island, I
made an end of lashing the saplings across the raft; and I set up also,
two rests for the paddles, so that we might row if we stood upon the
raft; and afterward, being ready, we gat together our gear, and set all
upon the raft. And I put the pole that the Maid had used, also upon the raft, and
loosed the straps from that first raft, and had the straps for our
requirement, as heretofore. And mine armour we made safe on the raft;
but the Diskos I had to my hip, as ever; and so did we be ready to leave
that little island of refuge, where we had been so near to sorrow, but
yet had come utterly upon joy. And surely, Mine Own did take me by the arm, and she to stand a little,
and to look with me unto that bed of soft herbage where she had laid me,
when that I did be so nigh unto death; and she then to kiss me very
sweet and loving and gentle, and all a-tremble with the tears and love
that did stir in her; and I to set mine arms about her in love; and so
we to turn and to put off then in the Raft. XV

PAST THE HOUSE OF SILENCE


Now it was in the tenth hour of that day, that we put off in the raft;
and surely we found the paddles to go very easy and with somewhat of
balance in the rests which I had set up, as you do mind; and the raft to
go forward with not overmuch of labour; so that we stood, the Maid to
the fore paddle and I did be to the hinder one, and we pusht very steady
upon the paddles, and had the raft presently to a speed something less
than we should walk over the rough way of the Land. And about the twelfth hour we stopt and eat and drunk, and went on again
with our easy labouring; and truly, when that we gat set to the
movement, we scarce to wot that we did aught more than rock something
fore and back upon our feet; and so the hours to pass, and we to have a
constant gentle speech one with the other, and the Maid oft to look back
unto me with love, and to set her lips that she tempt me; but yet to
shake her head most dear, when that I would leave my paddle, that I go
forward unto her. And when that the eighteenth hour of that day was come, we to draw
inward our paddles, and the Maid set the cloak very nice to be our bed,
and afterward we eat and drank, and so presently to our slumber, and did
have sleep, very sound and happy, all in a moment, as it to seem. And eight good hours after, we did waken both of us, together; and lo! we scarce to mind where we did be for a little moment; but afterward to
know and to perceive that we did be safe and naught to have come unto
us in our sleep. And surely we laught each in the face of the other; for
we did be so joyous to be wakened each unto the knowledge of the other. And after that we had kist, we washt somewhat in the water of the sea,
and so to our food. And when we had eat and drunk, we made again to the
paddling; and went forward thus along the coast very peaceful and
content all that day. Now, in all, that voyaging did talk four good days of four-and-twenty
hours each, for we made no great haste or labour, but went easy, that I
have time to gather my strength. And naught to happen in all that time,
save that once we did see a great beast to come upward lumbersome out of
the sea on to the shore, and there did eat and browse upon the herbage
in that part; or so it did seem to us; though, truly, we did be over far
off to have surety. And this beast not to put us into any horror; but only to make us glad
that we be afar off from it; and by this saying, I to mean that it did
seem unto us a natural thing; and nowise to have an odour of aught
monstrous to trouble our spirits. And this way did be all the creatures
of that Country; and truly I do think the Early World did be somewise
like to it; and this to seem to make true that olden saying that extreme
things do meet, as doth be over-apparent; for thus doth it be somewise
to our knowings, as you shall perceive by your Reasonings Upon Olden
Days, and by the showings of this Mine Own Story, for that Deep World to
have put forth natural creatures that did be even as might be those that
did live in the Beginning; though I to make no point of this, but only
that it doth occur to my thought; and all to seem that it did be bred of
Circumstance and Condition; yet this to have no saying whether that
there to be a spiritual-force something deeper than the Circumstance;
for this to be outside of any surety, but not offensive unto my Reason. But this thinking also neither to offend me, that although much--and
mayhap all--doth be modified and shapen diverse ways by the Circumstance
and the Condition, yet doth there be an inward force that doth be
peculiar each unto each; though, mayhap, to be mixt and made monstrous
or diverse by foul or foolish breeding--as you to have knowledge of in
the bodies of those dread Monsters that did be both Man and Beast. Yet,
also, I here to say that maybe all diverse breeding not to be monstrous;
but this to be beside my point. For I to be now set to tell, as I have
told, that it not to offend me to suppose that there to be this inward
force peculiar to each shaping of all bodies that do hold that wondrous
quality of Life. And if that you ask me that I give example to make
clear my thought, I to say that it doth be reasonable to suppose that
the Force or Spirit of the Human doth be peculiar to the Human, whether
that it to be a Cause of Life, or the Result of that which hath been
evolved out of a Condition. And whether it to be the one way or the
other, you to know that where this Force or Spirit be found untainted,
there is man; and I to be not opposed to think that Man doth be constant
alway in matters of fundament, and neither to have been ever truly
different; though something modified in the body and surely, in the
first, all undeveloped in the lovely things of the spirit, because that
there to be no call to these. Yet, presently, they likewise to come, and
to act upon the flesh with refinings; and likewise, mayhap, there to be
some act of the flesh upon the spirit; and so to the state of this Age
of this our day, and to that far Age of which I do tell. But development
never to make the Human other than the Human; for the development to
have limits peculiar to the Human. And surely, it doth appeal to me,
that the development of Man doth lie between two points, that be not
wondrous wide apart; and Man to have power that he arrive very speedy
from one unto the other, and likewise that he go back so quick, or even
the more hasty. Yet, even did it be ever proved that Man once to be a
fish, I to have no cause to abate the first part of mine argument; but
to have the more need of the thought, that I gain power to accept the
Fact; for I still then to have no occasion that I think Man to have been
truly a Fish, or aught truly different from a Man; but only that he did
be once Modified physically to his need, and to be still possessed of
the Man-Spirit, though all lackt of development.