And who of you shall conceive what was in the hearts of the fathers, and
the mothers that bore the youths, and who never ceased away from the
Northward embrasures; but spied out in terror and in tears, and maybe
oft with so good glasses as did show them the very features and look
upon the face of son and son. And the kin of the watchers brought to them food, and tended them, so
that they had no need to cease from their watching; and beds were made
in the embrasures, rough and resourceful, that they might sleep quickly
a little; yet be ever ready, if those cruel Monsters without made
discovery of those their children. Thrice in those three days of journeying to the Northward, did the
Youths sleep, and we perceived that some kept a watch, and so knew that
there was a kind of order and leadership among them; also, they had each
his weapon upon his hip, and this gave to us a further plea to hope. And concerning this same carrying of weapons, I can but set out here
that no healthful male or female in all the Mighty Pyramid but possessed
such a weapon, and was trained to it from childhood; so that a ripe and
extraordinary skill in the use thereof was common to most. Yet some
breaking of Rule had there been, that the Youths had each achieved to be
armed; for the weapons were stored in every tenth house of the cities,
in the care of the charging-masters. And here I must make known that these weapons did not shoot; but had a
disk of grey metal, sharp and wonderful, that spun in the end of a rod
of grey metal, and were someways charged by the Earth-Current, so that
were any but stricken thereby, they were cut in twain so easy as aught. And the weapons were contrived to the repelling of any Army of Monsters
that might make to win entrance to the Redoubt. And to the eye they had
somewhat the look of strange battle-axes, and might be lengthened by the
pulling out of the handles. Now, the Youths made, as I have told, to the Northward; but had first to
keep a long way to the North-East, that they might come clear of the
Vale of Red Fire. And this wise they journeyed, and kept the Vale about
seven miles to the North-West of them, and so were presently beyond the
Watcher of the North-East, and going with a greater freedom, and having
less care to hide. And this way, it may be, certain of the giants, wandering, perceived
them, and went swiftly to make attack and destroy them. But some order
went about among the youths, and they made a long line, with a certain
space between each, because of the terror of their weapon, and
immediately, it seemed, the Giants were upon them, a score and seven
they were, and seeming to be haired like to mighty crabs, as I saw with
the Great Spy-Glass, when the great flares of far and mighty fires threw
their fierce light across the Dark Lands. And there was a very great and horrid fight; for the Youths broke into
circles about each of the Giants, and many of those young men were torn
in pieces; but they smote the Monsters from behind and upon every side,
and we of the Mighty Pyramid could behold at times the grey, strange
gleam of their weapons; and the jether was stirred about me by the
passing of those that died; yet, by reason of the great miles, their
screams came not to us, neither heard we the roars of the Monsters; but
into our hearts, even from that great distance and safety, there stole
the terror of those awesome Brutes; and in the Great Spy-Glass I could
behold the great joints and limbs and e'en, I thought, the foul sweat of
them; and their size and brutishness was like to that of odd and
monstrous animals of the olden world; yet part human. And it must be
borne to mind that the Fathers and the Mothers of those Youths beheld
all this dread fight from the embrasures, and their other kin likewise
watched, and a very drear sight was it to their hearts and their human,
natural feelings, and like to breed old age, ere its due. Then, in a time, the fight ceased; for of those seven and twenty Giant
Brutes there remained none; only that there cumbered the ground seven
and twenty lumbering hillocks, dreadful and grim. For the lesser dead we
could not see proper. And we that were within the Pyramid saw the Youths sorted together by
their leaders, all in the dim twilight of that place; and with the Great
Spy-Glass I made a rough count, and found that there lived of them,
three hundred; and by this shall you know the power of those few
monstrous things, which had slain full two hundred, though each youth
was armed with so wondrous a weapon. And I set the word through the
Pyramid, that all might have some knowledge of the number that had
died; for it was better to know, than to be in doubt. And no spy-glass
had the power of The Great Spy-Glass. After this fight, the youths spent a time having a care to their bodies
and wounds; and some were made separate from the others, and of these I
counted upon fifty; and whilst the others made to continue their march
towards the Road Where The Silent Ones Walk, these were constrained by
one who was the Leader, to return to the Pyramid. And in a little, I saw
that they came towards us, wearily and with many a halt, as that they
suffered great wounds and harm of the fight. But those others (maybe two hundred and fifty Youths) went onwards into
the Night Land; and though we sorrowed at this thing; yet was there come
a huge pride into our hearts that those raw ones, who yesterday were but
children, had so held themselves in the battle, and done a great deed
that day. And I wot that whilst their mothers wept, easeless, their
fathers' hearts swelled within them, and held somewhat of their Pain
away from them for a time. And all this while, those wounded Youths came slowly, and rested, and
came on again, the better helping the worse; and a great excitement and
trouble there was in all the Mighty Pyramid, to learn which were they
that came, and they that went, and who lay out there quietly among the
slain. But none might say anything with surety; for, even with that
great spy-glass in the Tower of Observation, they were not overplain;
save when some light from the fires of the Land flared high, and lit
them. For they stood not up into the glare of the fires, as had the
Giants. And though I saw them with clearness, yet I knew them not; for
there was so mighty a multitude in that Vast Redoubt, that none might
ever know the half even of their rulers. And about this time, there came a fresh matter of trouble to our minds;
for one of the Monstruwacans made report that the instruments were
recording an influence abroad in the night; so that we had knowledge
that one of the Evil Forces was Out. And to me there came an awaredness
that a strange unquiet stole over the Land; yet I knew it not with mine
ears; but my spirit heard, and it was as though trouble and an
expectation of horror did swarm about me.