The Night Land Read online

  III

  THE QUIET CALLING

  Now, oft had I heard tell, not only in that great city which occupiedthe thousandth floor, but in others of the one thousand, three hundredand twenty cities of the Pyramid, that there was somewhere out in thedesolation of the Night Lands a second Place of Refuge, where hadgathered, in another part of this dead world, some last millions of thehuman race, to fight unto the end.

  And this story I heard everywhere in my travels through the cities ofthe Great Redoubt, which travels began when I came upon my seventeenthyear, and continued for three years and two hundred and twenty fivedays, being even then but one day in each city, as was the custom in thetraining of every child.

  And truly it was a great journey, and in it I met with many, whom toknow was to love; but whom never could I see again; for life has notspace enough; and each must to his duty to the security and well-beingof the Redoubt. Yet, for all that I have set down, we travelled much,always; but there were so many millions, and so few years.

  And, as I have said, everywhere I went there was the same story of thisother Place of Refuge; and in such of the Libraries of those cities as Ihad time to search, there were great numbers of works upon the existenceof this other Refuge; and some, far back in the years, made assertionwith confidence that such a Place was in verity; and, indeed, no doubtdid there seem in those by-gone ages; but now these very Records wereread only by Scholars, who doubted, even whilst they read. And so is itever.

  But of the reality of this Refuge, I had never a sound doubt, from theday of my hearing concerning it from our Master Monstruwacan, who withall his assistants occupied the Tower of Observation in the apex of thePyramid. And here let me tell that he and I had always an affinity andclose friendship one for the other; though he was full grown, and I buta youth; yet so it was; and thus, when I had come to an age oftwenty-one years of life, he opened to me a post within the Tower ofObservation; and this was a most wondrous good fortune to me; for in allthe vast Redoubt, to be appointed to the Tower of Observation was themost desired; for thereby, even as in these days doth Astronomy, was thenatural curiosity of Man eased somewhat, even while thwarted.

  Now, let me tell here also, lest it be thought that I was undulyfavoured because of my friendship with the Master Monstruwacan, thatthere was a sound justification for his choice, in that to me had beengiven that strange gift of hearing, which we called Night-Hearing;though this was but a fanciful name, and meant little. Yet the peculiargift was rare, and in all the millions of the Pyramid, there was nonewith the gift to a great degree, saving only myself.

  And I, because of this gift, could hear the "invisible vibrations" ofthe aether; so that, without harking to the calling of our recordinginstruments, I could take the messages which came continually throughthe eternal darkness; aye, even better than they. And now, it may be thebetter understood, how much was to be counted that I had grown to listenfor a voice that had not rung in mine ears for an eternity, and yetwhich sang sweet and clear in my memory-dreams; so that it seemed to methat Mirdath the Beautiful slept within my soul, and whispered to me outof all the ages.

  And then, one day, at the fifteenth hour, when began the Sleep-Time, Ihad been pondering this love of mine that lived with me still; andmarvelling that my memory-dreams held the voice of a love that _hadbeen_ in so remote an age. And pondering and dreaming thus, as a youngman may, I could fancy this aeon-lost One were whispering beauty intomy ears, in verity; so clear had my memory grown, and so much had Ipondered.

  And lo! as I stood there, harking and communing with my thoughts, Ithrilled suddenly, as if I had been smitten; for out of all theeverlasting night a whisper was thrilling and thrilling upon my moresubtile hearing.

  Through four long years had I listened, since that awakening in theembrasure, when but a youth of seventeen; and now out of theworld-darkness and all the eternal years of that lost life, which now Ilive in this Present Age of ours, was the whisper come; for I knew itupon that instant; and yet, because I was so taught to wisdom, Ianswered by no name; but sent the Master-Word through the night--sendingit with my brain-elements, as I could, and as all may, much or little,as may be, if they be not clods. And, moreover, I knew that she whocalled quietly would have the power to hear without instruments, ifindeed it were she; and if it were but one of the false callings of theEvil Forces, or more cunning monsters, or as was sometimes thoughtconcerning these callings, the House of Silence, meddling with oursouls, then would they have no power to say the Master-Word; for thishad been proven through all the Everlasting.

  And lo! as I stood, trembling and striving not to be tense, whichdestroys the receptivity, there came thrilling round and round myspiritual essence the throb of the Master-Word, beating steadily in thenight, as doth that marvellous sound. And then, with all that was sweetin my spirit, I called with my brain elements: "Mirdath! Mirdath!Mirdath!" And at that instant the Master Monstruwacan entered that partof the Tower of Observation, where I stood; and, seeing my face, stoodvery quiet; for though he had not the power of Night-Hearing, he waswise and thoughtful, and took much account of my gift; more-over, he hadbut come from the Receiving Instrument, and thought vaguely to havecaught the throb of the Master-Word, though too faint to come properthrough the Instrument, so that he searched for me, in that I, who hadthe Hearing, might listen for it, I being, as I have said, gifted inthat wise.

  And to him I told something of my story and my thoughts and my memories,and of that awakening; and thus up to this present happening, and hehearkened with sympathy and a troubled and wondering heart; for in thatage a man might talk sanely upon that which, in this age of ours wouldbe accounted foolishness and maybe the breathings of insanity; forthere, by the refinement of arts of mentality and the results of strangeexperiments and the accomplishment of learning, men were abled toconceive of matters now closed to our conceptions, even as we of thisday may haply give a calm ear to talk, that in the days of our fatherswould have been surely set to the count of lunacy. And this is veryclear.

  And all the while that I told my story, I listened with my spirit; butsave for a sense of faint, happy laughter that wrapped about me, I heardnaught. And nothing more all that day.

  Here let me put down that, because of my memories and half memories, Iwould time and again dispute with our learned men; they being in doubtas to the verity of that olden story of the Days of Light, and theexistence of the Sun; though something of all this was set out, as of_truth_, in our oldest records; but I, remembering, told them many talesthat seemed fairy-like to them, and entranced their hearts, even whilstI angered their brains, which refused to take seriously and as veritythat which their hearts accepted gladly, even as we receive the wonderof poetry into our souls. But the Master Monstruwacan would listen toaught I had to tell; aye! though I spoke through hours; and so it wouldbe, odd times, that having talked long, drawing my stories from myMemory-Dreams, I would come back again into the present of that Future;and lo! all the Monstruwacans would have left their instruments andobservations and recording, and be gathered about me; and the Master sosunken in interest that he not to have discovered them; neither had Inoticed, being so full of the things which had been.

  But when the Master came back to knowledge of that present, he wouldrouse and chide, and they, all those lesser ones, would fly swiftly andguiltily to their various works; and yet, so I have thought since, eachwith a muddled and bewildered and thoughtful air upon him; and hungrythey were for more, and ever wondering and setting questions about.

  And so it was also with those others--those learned ones who were not ofthe Tower of Observation, and who disbelieved even whilst they hungered.Listen would they, though I talked from the first hour, which was the"dawn," to the fifteenth hour, which was the beginning of the "night";for the Sleep-Time was set thus, after other usage and experiment. And,odd whiles, I found that there were among them, men of extraordinarylearning who upheld my tellings as tales of verity; and so there was afaction; but, later, there grew more to believe; and
whether theybelieved, or not, all were ready to listen; so that I might have spendedmy days in talk; only that I had my work to do.

  But the Master Monstruwacan believed from the beginning, and was wisealways to understand; so that I loved him for this, as for many anotherdear quality.

  And so, as may be conceived, among all those millions I was singled outto be known; for the stories that I told went downward through athousand cities; and, presently, in the lowest tier of the UndergroundFields, an hundred miles deep in the earth below the Redoubt, I foundthat the very ploughboys knew something concerning my tellings; andgathered about me one time and another when the Master Monstruwacan andI had gone down, regarding some matter that dealt with the Earth-Currentand our Instruments.

  And of the Underground Fields (though in that age we called them no morethan "The Fields") I should set down a little; for they were themightiest work of this world; so that even the Last Redoubt was but asmall thing beside them. An hundred miles deep lay the lowest of theUnderground Fields, and was an hundred miles from side to side, everyway; and above it there were three hundred and six fields, each one lessin area than that beneath; and in this wise they tapered, until thetopmost field which lay direct beneath the lowermost floor of the GreatRedoubt, was but four miles every way.

  And thus it will be seen that these fields, lying one beneath the other,formed a mighty and incredible Pyramid of Country Lands in the deepearth, an hundred miles from the base unto the topmost field.

  And the whole was sheathed-in at the sides with the grey metal of whichthe Redoubt was builded; and each field was pillared, and flooredbeneath the soil, with this same compound of wonder; and so was itsecure, and the monsters could not dig into that mighty garden fromwithout.

  And all of that Underground Land was lit, where needed, by theEarth-Current, and that same life-stream fructified the soil, and gavelife and blood to the plants and to the trees, and to every bush andnatural thing.

  And the making of those Fields had taken maybe a million years, and the"dump" thereof had been cast into the "Crack," whence came theEarth-Current, and which had bottom beyond all soundings. And thisUnderground Country had its own winds and air-currents; so that, to mymemory, it was in no ways connected to the monstrous air-shafts of thePyramid; but in this I may be mistaken; for it has not been given to meto know all that is to be known concerning that vast Redoubt; nor by anyone man could so much knowledge be achieved.

  Yet that there were wise and justly promoted winds in that UndergroundCountry, I do know; for healthful and sweet they were, and in thecorn-fields there was the sweet rustle of grain, and the glad, silkenlaughter of poppies, all beneath a warm and happy light. And here, didthe millions walk and take excursion, and go orderly or not, even as inthese days.

  And all this have I seen, and the talk of a thousand lovers in thegardens of that place, comes back to me; and with it all the memory ofmy dear one; and of a faint calling that would seem to whisper about meat times; but so faint and attenuated, that even I, who had theNight-Hearing, could not catch its import; and so went, listening everthe more intently. And oft times calling.

  Now there was a Law in the Pyramid, tried and healthful, which held thatno male should have freedom to adventure into the Night Land, before theage of twenty-two; _and no female ever_. Yet that, after such age, if ayouth desired greatly to make the adventure, he should receive threelectures upon the dangers of which we had knowledge, and a strictaccount of the mutilatings and horrid deeds done to those who had soadventured. And if, after this had passed over him, he still desired,and if he were accounted healthful and sane; then should he be allowedto make the adventure; and it was accounted honour to the youth whoshould add to the knowledge of the Pyramid.

  But to all such as went forth into the danger of the Night Land, therewas set beneath the skin of the inner side of the left forearm, a smallcapsule, and when the wound had healed, then might the youth make theadventure.

  And the wherefore of this, was that the spirit of the youth might besaved, if he were entrapped; for then, upon the honour of his soul, musthe bite forth the capsule, and immediately his spirit would have safetyin death. And by this shall you know somewhat the grim and horrid dangerof the Dark Land.

  And this I have set down because later I was to make huge adventure intothose Lands; and even at this time, some thought of the same had come tome; for always I went listening for that quiet calling; and twice I sentthe Master-Word throbbing solemnly through the everlasting night; yetthis I did no more, without certainty; for the Word must not be usedlightly. But often would I say with my brain-elements "Mirdath!Mirdath!"--sending the name out into the darkness; and sometimes would Iseem to hear the faint thrilling of the aether around me; as though oneanswered; but weakly, as it were with a weakened spirit, or byinstrument that lacked of its earth-force.

  And thus, for a great while there was no certainty; but only a strangeanxiousness and no clear answer.

  Then, one day as I stood by the instruments in the Tower of Observation,at the thirteenth hour there came the thrilling of beaten aether allabout me, as it were that all the void was disturbed. And I made theSign for Silence; so that the men moved not in all the Tower; but bowedover their breathing-bells, that all disturbance might cease.

  And again came the gentle thrilling, and broke out into a clear, lowcalling in my brain; and the calling was my name--the old-earth name ofthis day, and not the name of that age. And the name smote me, with afrightenedness of fresh awakening memories. And, immediately, I sent theMaster-Word into the night; and all the aether was full of movement. Anda silence came; and later a beat afar off in the void of night, whichonly I in all that great Redoubt could hear, until the heaviervibrations were come. And in a moment there was all about me thethrobbing of the Master-Word, beating in the night a sure answer. Yet,before this I knew that Mirdath had called; but now had surety.

  And immediately, I said "Mirdath," making use of the instruments; andthere came a swift and beautiful answer; for out of the dark there stolean old love-name, that she only had ever used to me.

  And, presently, I minded me of the men, and signed to them that theyshould continue; for the Records must not be broken; and now I had thecommunication full established.

  And by me stood the Master Monstruwacan, quietly as any youngMonstruwacan, waiting with slips to make any notes that were needful;and keeping a strict eye upon those others; but not unkindly. And so,for a space of wonder, I had speech with that girl out in the darknessof the world, who had knowledge of my name, and of the old-earthlove-name, and named herself Mirdath.

  And much I questioned her, and presently to my sorrow; for it seemedthat her name was not truly Mirdath; but Naani; neither had she known myname; but that in the library of that place where she abode, there hadbeen a story of one named by my name, and called by that sweet love-namewhich she had sent out somewhat ruthless into the night; and the girl'sname had been Mirdath; and when first she, Naani had called, there hadcome back to her a cry of Mirdath, Mirdath; and this had minded her sostrangely of that olden story which had stayed in her memory; that shehad answered as the maid in that book might have answered.

  And thus did it seem that the utter Romance of my Memory-love hadvanished, and I stood strangely troubled for sorrow of a love of oldentimes. Yet, even then I marvelled that any book should have story somuch like to mine; not heeding that the history of all love is writ withone pen.

  Yet, even then in that hour of my strange, and quaintly foolish pain,there came a thing that set me thrilling; though more afterwards, when Icame to think afresh upon it. For the girl who spoke to me through thenight made some wonder that my voice were not deeper; yet in quietfashion, and as one who says a thing, scarce wotting what they say. Buteven to me then, there came a sudden hope; for in the olden days of thisPresent Age my voice had been very deep. And I said to her that maybethe man in the book was said to have had a deep tone of speech; but she,seeming puzzled, said nay; and at that I questioned her the m
ore; butonly to the trouble of her memory and understanding.

  And strange must it seem that we two should talk on so trivial a matter,when there was so much else that we had need to exchange thought upon;for were a man in this present day to have speech with those who maylive within that red planet of Mars within the sky, scarce could thewonder of it exceed the wonder of a human voice coming through thatnight unto the Great Redoubt, out of all that lost darkness. For,indeed, this must have been the breaking of, maybe, a million years ofsilence. And already, as I came to know later, was the news passingdownward from City to City through all the vast Pyramid; so that theHour-Slips were full of the news; and every City eager and excited, andwaiting. And I better known in that one moment, than in all my lifebefore. For that previous calling, had been but vaguely put about; andthen set to the count of a nature, blown upon over-easily byspirit-winds of the half-memory of dreams. Though it is indeed true, asI have set down before this, that my tales concerning the early days ofthe world, when the sun was visible, and full of light, had gone downthrough all the cities, and had much comment and setting forth in theHour-Slips, and were a cause for speech and argument.

  Now concerning the voice of this girl coming to us through the darknessof the world, I will set out that which she had to tell; and this,indeed, but verified the tellings of our most ancient Records, which hadso long been treated over lightly: There was, it would seem, somewhereout in the lonesome dark of the Outer Lands, but at what distance nonecould ever discover, a second Redoubt; that was a three-sided Pyramid,and moderate small; being no more than a mile in height, and scarcethree quarters of a mile along the bases.

  When this Redoubt was first builded, it had been upon the far shore of asea, where now was no sea; and it had been raised by those wanderinghumans who had grown weary of wandering, and weary of the danger ofnight attacks by the tribes of half-human monsters which began toinhabit the earth even so early as the days when the half-gloom was uponthe world. And he that had made the plan upon which it was builded, wasone who had seen the Great Redoubt, having lived there in the beginning,but escaped because of a correction set upon him for his spirit ofirresponsibility, which had made him to cause disturbance among theorderly ones in the lowest city of the Great Redoubt.

  Yet, in time, he too had come to be tamed by the weight of fear of theever-growing hordes of monsters, and the Forces that were abroad. And sohe, being a master-spirit, planned and builded the smaller Redoubt,being aided thereto by four millions, who also were weary of the harassof the monsters; but until then had been wanderers, because of therestlessness of their blood.

  And they had chosen that place, because there they had discovered a signof the Earth-Current in a great valley which led to the shore; forwithout the Earth-Current no Refuge could have existence. And whilstmany builded and guarded, and cared for the Great Camp in which alllived, others worked within a great shaft; and in ten years had madethis to a distance of many miles, and therewith they tapt theEarth-Current; but not a great stream; yet a sufficiency, as wasbelieved.

  And, presently, after many years, they had builded the Pyramid, andtaken up their refuge there, and made them instruments, and ordainedMonstruwacans; so that they had speech daily with the Great Pyramid; andthus for many long ages.

  And the Earth-Current then to begin to fail; and though they labouredthrough many thousands of years, they came to no better resource. And soit was they ceased to have communication with the Great Redoubt; for thecurrent had a lack of power to work the instruments; and the recordinginstruments ceased to be sensible of our messages.

  And thereafter came a million years, maybe, of silence; with ever thebirthing and marrying and dying of those lonesome humans. And they grewless; and some put this to the lack of the Earth-Current, which dwindledslowly through the centuries of that Eternity.

  And once in a thousand years, maybe, one among them would be Sensitive,and abled to hear beyond ordinary; and to these, at times, there wouldseem to come the thrilling of the aether; so that such an one would golistening; and sometimes seem to catch half messages; and so awaken agreat interest in all the Pyramid; and there would be turning up of oldRecords, and many words and writings, and attempts to send theMaster-Word through the night; in which, doubtless sometimes theysucceeded; for there was set down in the Records of the Great Redoubtcertain occasions on which there had come the call of the Master-Word,which had been arranged and made holy between the two Redoubts in theearly days of that second life of this world.

  Yet, now for an hundred thousand years, there had been none Sensitive;and in that time the people of the Pyramid had become no more than tenthousand; and the Earth-Current was weak and powerless to put the joy oflife into them; so that they went listlessly, but deemed it not strange,because of so many aeons of usage.

  And then, to the wonder of all, the Earth-Current had put forth a newpower; so that young people ceased to be old over-soon; and there washappiness and a certain joy in the living; and a strange birthing ofchildren, such as had not been through half a million years.

  And then came a new thing. Naani, the daughter of the MasterMonstruwacan of that Redoubt had shown to all that she was Sensitive;for she had perceived odd vibrations afloat in the night; and concerningthese she told her father; and presently, because their blood movedafresh in their bodies, they had heart to discover the plans of theancient instruments; for the instruments had long rusted, and beenforgotten.

  And so they builded them a new instrument to send forth a message; forthey had no memory at that time that the brain-elements had power to dothus; though, mayhap, their brain-elements were weakened, through somany ages of starvation of the Earth-Current, and could not have obeyed,even had their masters known all that we of the Great Redoubt knew.

  And when the instrument was finished, to Naani was given the right tocall first across the dark to discover whether indeed, after thatmillion years of silence, they were yet companied upon this earth, orwhether they were in truth lonely--the last poor thousands of theHumans.

  And a great and painful excitement came upon the people of the lesserpyramid; for the loneliness of the world pressed upon them; and it wasto them as though we in this age called to a star across the abyss ofspace.

  And because of the excitement and pain of the moment, Naani called onlyvaguely with the instrument into the dark; and lo! in a moment, as itseemed, there came all about her in the night the solemn throb of theMaster-Word, beating in the night. And Naani cried out that she wasanswered, and, as may be thought, many of the people wept, and someprayed, and some were silent; but others beseeched her that she callagain and quickly to have further speech with those of their kind.

  And Naani spoke the Master-Word into the night, and directly there camea calling all about her: "Mirdath! Mirdath!" and the strange wonder ofit made her silent a moment; but when she would have made reply, theinstrument had ceased to work, and she could have no further speech atthat time.

  This, as may be thought, occasioned much distress; and constant workthey had between the instrument and the Earth-Current, to discover thereason for this failing; but could not for a great while. And in thattime, oft did Naani hear the call of "Mirdath" thrilling about her; andtwice there came the solemn beat of the Master-Word in the night. Yetnever had she the power to answer. And all that while, as I learned intime, was she stirred with a quaint ache at heart by the voice thatcalled "Mirdath!" as it might be the Spirit of Love, searching for itsmate; for this is how she put it.

  And thus it chanced, that the constant thrilling of this name about her,woke her to memory of a book she had read in early years, and but halfunderstood; for it was ancient, and writ in an olden fashion, and it setout the love of a man and a maid, and the maid's name was Mirdath. Andso, because she was full of this great awakening of those ages ofsilence, and the calling of that name, she found the book again, andread it many times, and grew to a sound love of the beauty of that tale.

  And, presently, when the instrument was made rig
ht, she called into thenight the name of that man within the book; and so it came about that Ihad hoped too much; yet even now was I strangely unsure whether to ceasefrom hoping.

  And one other thing there is which I would make clear. Many and oft atime had I heard a thrilling of sweet, faint laughter about me, and thestirring of the aether by words too gentle to come clearly; and these Imake no doubt came from Naani, using her brain-elements unwittingly andin ignorance; but very eager to answer my callings; and having noknowledge that, far off across the blackness of the world, they thrilledabout me, constantly.

  And after Naani had made clear all that I have set out concerning theLesser Refuge, she told further how that food was not plentiful withthem; though, until the reawakening of the Earth-Current, they had goneunknowing of this, being of small appetite, and caring little for aught;but now wakened, and newly hungry, they savoured a lack of taste in allthat they ate; and this we could well conceive, from our reasonings andtheory; but happily not from our knowledge.

  And we said unto them, that the soil had lost its life, and the cropstherefrom were not vital; and a great while it would take for the earthwithin their pyramid to receive back the life-elements. And we told themcertain ways by which they might bring a more speedy life to the soil;and this they were eager to do, being freshly alive after so long a timeof half-life.

  And now, you must know that in all the great Redoubt the story wentdownwards swiftly, and was published in all the Hour-Sheets, with manycomments; and the libraries were full of those who would look up theolden Records, which for so long had been forgotten, or taken, as we ofthis day would say, with a pinch of salt.

  And all the time I was pestered with questions; so that, had I not beendetermined, I should scarce have been allowed to sleep; moreover, somuch was writ about me, and my power to hear, and divers storiesconcerning tales of love, that I had been like to have grown mazed totake note of it all; yet some note I did take, and much I foundpleasant; but some displeasing.

  And, for the rest, I was not spoiled, as the saying goes; for I had mywork to do; moreover, I was always busied Listening, and having speechthrough the darkness. Though if any saw me so, they would question; andbecause of this, I kept much to the Tower of Observation, where was theMaster Monstruwacan, and a greater discipline.

  And then began a fresh matter; though but an old enough trick; for Ispeak now of the days that followed that re-opening of the talk betweenthe Pyramids. Oft would speech come to us out of the night; and therewould be tales of the sore need of the Lesser Redoubt, and callings forhelp. Yet, when I sent the Master-Word abroad, there would be noanswering. And so I feared that the Monsters and Forces of Evil _knew_.

  Yet, at times, the Master-Word would answer to us, beating steadily inthe night; and when we questioned afresh, we knew that they in theLesser Redoubt had caught the beat of the Master-Word, and so madereply; though it had not been they who had made the previous talk, whichwe had sought to test by the Word. And then they would makecontradiction of all that had been spoken so cunningly; so that we knewthe Monsters and Forces had sought to tempt some from the safety of theRedoubt. Yet, was this no new thing, as I have made to hint; saving thatit grew now to a greater persistence, and there was a loathsome cunningin the using of this new knowledge to the making of wicked and falsemessages by those evil things of the Night Land. And it told to us, as Ihave made remark, how that those Monsters and Forces had a fullawaredness of the speech between the Pyramids; yet could they have nopower to say the Master-Word; so had we some test left, and a way tosure knowledge of what made talk in the night.

  And all that I have told should bring to those of this Age something ofthe yet unbegotten terror of that; and a quiet and sound thankfulness toGod, that we suffer not as humanity shall yet suffer.

  But, for all this, let it not be thought that they of that Age accountedit as suffering; but as no more than the usual of human existence. Andby this may we know that we can meet all circumstances, and useourselves to them and live through them wisely, if we be but prudent andconsider means of invention.

  And through all the Night Land there was an extraordinary awakeningamong the Monsters and Forces; so that the instruments made constantnote of greater powers at work out there in the darkness; and theMonstruwacans were busied recording, and keeping a very strict watch.And so was there at all that time a sense of difference and awakening,and of wonders about, and to come.

  And from The Country Whence Comes The Great Laughter, the Laughtersounded constant ... as it were an uncomfortable and heart-shakingvoice-thunder rolling thence over the Lands, out from the unknown East.And the Pit of the Red Smoke filled all the Deep Valley with redness, sothat the smoke rose above the edge, and hid the bases of the Towers uponthe far side.

  And the Giants could be seen plentiful around the Kilns to the East; andfrom the Kilns great belches of fire; though the meaning of it, as ofall else, we could not say; but only the cause.

  And from the Mountain Of The Voice, which rose to the South-East of theSouth-East Watcher, and of which I have made no telling hitherto, inthis faulty setting-out, I heard for the first time in that life, thecalling of the Voice. And though the Records made mention of it; yet notoften was it heard. And the calling was shrill, and very peculiar anddistressful and horrible; as though a giant-woman, hungering strangely,shouted unknown words across the night. And this was how it seemed tome; and many thought this to describe the sound.

  And, by all this, may you perceive how that Land was awakened.

  And other tricks there were to entice us into the Night Land; and once acall came thrilling in the aether, and told to us that certain humanshad escaped from the Lesser Redoubt, and drew nigh to us; but were faintfor food, and craved succour. Yet, when we sent the Master-Word into thenight, the creatures without could make no reply; which was a very happything for our souls; for we had been all mightily exercised in ourhearts by this one message; and now had proof that it was but a trap.

  And constantly, and at all hours, I would have speech with Naani of theLesser Redoubt; for I had taught her how she might send her thoughtsthrough the night, with her brain-elements; but not to over-use thispower; for it exhausts the body and the powers of the mind, if it beabused by exceeding usage.

  Yet, despite that I had taught her the use of her brain-elements, shesent her message always without strength, save when she had use of theinstrument; and this I set to the cause that she had not the healthforce needful; but, apart from this, she had the Night-Hearing verykeen; though less than mine.

  And so, with many times of speech, and constant tellings of our doingsand thoughts, we drew near in the spirit to one another; and had alwaysa feeling in our hearts that we had been given previous acquaintance.

  And this, as may be thought, thrilled my heart very strangely.