The Night Land

by William Hope Hodgson

  VI

  THE WAY THAT I DID GO

  Now I went forward for a space, and took heed not to look backwards; butto be strong of heart and spirit; for that which did lie before me hadneed of all my manhood and courage of soul, that I come to the succourof that Maid afar in the darkness of the World, or meet my death proper,as it might need to be.

  And thus did I go forward steadfastly, and conscious in all my being ofthe emotions of that parting from my mighty Home, and of the tendernessand wiseness that did underlie so much curbed rule and guidance.

  And my heart was warm towards the Master Monstruwacan for that greathonour, that he should come downward in armour to make one with the FullWatch, that he might uphold me to a lofty spirit at the moment of mygoing.

  And all that time as I went forward, was the aether of the night aboutme, in tumult with the thoughts and blind wishings of the great millionsI had but now left to my back.

  And, presently, as I steadied somewhat upon my emotions, I was consciousof the exceeding coldness of the night air, and of the different tasteof it upon my lungs and in the mouth; and it had, as it were, a wondrouskeen sharping upon my palate, and did fill the lips more in thebreathing; so that it may be supposed it had more body within it thanthat air which did fill the plateau of the Thousandth City where was myhome; for the air of every City was of difference, and the greaterbetween one that was afar up and another nigh to the earth, as may bethought; so that many Peoples did migrate unto that level which gavethem best healthfulness; but under rule, and with a guidance ofquantities. And not all that were lacking of health; for, some are evercontrary.

  And here let me set down that, within the deeps of the Fields, there wasair utter varied and wonderful, that might charm one here and likewisesorrow another that were happier elsewhere; so that all might havesuiting, did they but wander, and have Reason to companion them.

  And thus did I go forward, full of new thoughts and olden memories, andfresh-breaking wonders; neither forgetting something of doubts and fearsmore than a little. And again was it most cunning strange to be outthere in the Night Land--though not yet afar--where often had my fanciesand imaginings led me; yet until that time never had I touched foot, inall that life, upon the outward earth. And this must be a wondrousquaint seeming thought to those of this present day.

  And so came I, at last, nigh to the Circle that did go about theRedoubt; and presently I was come to it; and something astonished was Ithat it had no great bigness; for I had looked for this by _reasoning_;having always a mind to picture things as they might be truly, and hencecoming sometimes to the wonder of a great truth; but odd whiles toerrors that others had not made. And now, lo! I did find it but a small,clear tube that had not two inches of thickness; yet sent out a verybright and strong light, so that it seemed greater to the eye, did onebut behold from a distance.

  And this is but a little thing to set to the telling; yet may it givesomething of the newness of all; and, moreover, shall you have memorywith me in this place, how that oft had I seen Things and Beast-Monsterspeer over that same little tube of light, their faces coming forward outof the night.

  And this had I seen as child and man; for as children, we did use tokeep oft a watch by hours upon an holiday-time, through the greatglasses of the embrasures. And we did always hope each to be that onethat should first discover a monster looking inwards upon the MightyPyramid, across the shining of the Circle. And these to come oft; yetpresently to slink away into the night; having, in verity, no liking forthat light.

  And pride had we taken of ourselves to perceive those monsters which hadmost of ugliness and horror to commend them; for, thereby did we standto have won the game of watching, until such time as a more fearsomeBrute be discovered. And so went the play; yet with ever, it doth seemto me now, something of a half-known shudder to the heart, and a child'srejoicing unknowingly in that safety which had power to make light theseeming of such matters.

  And this, also, is but a small matter; yet doth it bear upon theinwardness of my feelings; for the memories of all my youth and of themany Beasts that I had seen to peer across the Light, did come upwardsin my mind in that moment; so that I did give back a little, unthinkingof what I did; but having upon me the sudden imagining of that whichmight come out of the Dark, beyond.

  And I to stand a little moment, and presently had grown free in my heartto have courage of farewell; and so did turn me at last to the viewingof that wondrous Home of the Last Millions of this World. And the sightwas an astonishment and an uplifting, that indeed there was so mighty athing in all the earth.

  And well might be that there were Monsters and Forces gathered togetherabout that Hill of Life, out of all the Darkness of the World; for thething was as a Mighty Mountain that went up measureless into the night;and spread out upon the earth to the right and to the left of me, sothat it did seem to hold all the world with its might.

  And in the nearer slope were there three hundred thousand greatembrasures, as well I did know; there being in all the four sides of theRedoubt, twelve hundred thousand embrasures, as was set out in the booksof the schools, and upon the cover of Atlas-books as they still quaintlyto be called, and many another place, as might be supposed.

  And half a mile upward was the lowest tier of those great window-places,and above that, countless other tiers. And a great light came out fromthem into the darkness; so that I looked up into the night many miles,and yet did see them in shining rows; and did make separate eachembrasure from its fellow for a great way. But there grew yet more,above in the mighty distance, so that they were lost in the upward spaceof the night, and did seem to me presently but as a constant, glimmeringfire, that did shape a shining Peak into the blackness of the heavens,dwindling into the utmost height. And thus was that EverlastingMonument.

  Then did it come to me that those little things, which I did see tocluster against the embrasures, were in truth the countless millions ofthe Mighty Redoubt; and this I could make out with some plainness inthose lower embrasures, which were the more near to me than they above;for the Peoples were set against the light within, yet were as smallthings like unto insects, in that distance, and within so Huge a Bulk.

  And I knew that they looked out upon me, and did watch through theirspy-glasses. And I sent my gaze upwards again along that great Slope ofgrey metal, aye! upward again to where it strode glimmering into theBlackness, and so at last to the little star that did crown that Wonderof the World in the eternal night. And, for a little, I did staretowards that far light; for it came from within that Tower ofObservation, where so lately I had spended my life; and I had knowledgewithin my heart that the dear Master Monstruwacan did bend the GreatSpy-Glass upon me, through which so oft had I spied. And I raised theDiskos unto him, in salutation and farewell, though I saw him not at allthrough that vast space.

  And my heart was very full; yet my soul but the stronger for it. Andthen, behold, I was aware of a murmur in the night, coming to me, dimand from afar off; and I saw the little shapes of the Peoples in thelower embrasures, in constant movement; and I knew upon the instant thatthe Multitudes did take that salute unto themselves, and cried out andwaved to me their farewells, or to come back--as may be.

  And, indeed, I was but a lonesome person looking up at that greatmountain of metal and Life. And I knew that I had danger to realise myplight; and I stayed no more; but did raise the Diskos, reversed, as wasbut meet from one young man unto all the Millions.

  And I looked swiftly upward through those eight great miles of night,unto that Final Light which did shine in the black heavens; so that myfriend should know that I thought of him that was beyond my sight, inthat last moment. And it may be that the invisible millions that werefar up in the night, in the Upper Cities, did take that also to be ameaning of farewell to themselves; for there came down out of themonstrous height, a far, faint murmur of sound, as of a vague wind up inthe night.

  Then did I lower the Diskos, and turn me about. And I breasted strangelyagainst the Air
Clog, and stept forward across the Circle, into thelonesomeness of the Night Land. And I looked no more behind; for thatwhich was my Home did weaken my heart somewhat, to behold; so that Imade determination that I look not again to my back, for a great while.

  Yet, about me as I went, there was constant surging in the aether of theworld; and it did tell unto me how that those, my people and kin, hadcontinual mind of me, both in prayer and wishings, and in a perpetualwatching. And the same gave to me a feeling as of being somethingcompanied; yet, in a time, it came to me that this disturbance of theaether should tell to some Evil Force how that I was there abroad in theLand. But how to stop this thing, who should have power? For, of truth,had I been among them to make a full explaining of the danger, they hadbeen yet powerless to cease; for but to have such great multitudesa-think upon one matter, was to set a disturbance about, as should bemost clear to all.

  Now, at the beginning, I did walk outwards into the Night Land, somewhatblindly, and without sure direction; being intent only to put a goodspace to my back, that I might cure somewhat the ache which did weakenmy heart at the first.

  But, in awhile, I ceased somewhat from my overswiftness, and did putthought to my going. And I came quickly to reason that I should try anew way through the Land; for it might be that there was anover-watchfulness in that part which had been trod by the Youths.

  And I began therewith to set this thought to the practice; and went notdirect towards the North; but to the North and West; and so in the endto mean to circle around to the back of the North-West Watcher, andthence to the North of the Plain Of Blue Fire; and afterwards, as mightbe, have a true and straightway to the North; and by this planning comea long way clear of that House of Silence, which did put more fear uponme than all else that was horrid in the Land.

  Yet, as all will see, this made to me a greater journey; though, inverity, it were better to go slowly and win to success, than to make agreater haste towards Destruction; which was, indeed, surely to be mineend, did I not go warily.

  Now it may be thought upon with wonder, that I did go so assuredly tothe North; but I went thiswise, part by an inward Knowing, and part comeupon by much latter studying, within the Pyramid, of olden books; and byreasoning upon all things that I did observe, that had seemings ofverity in them.

  And because of this constant searching upon one matter, I had come, buta while back, upon a little book of metal, very strange and ancient,that had lain forgot in a hid place in the Great Library through tenhundred thousand years, maybe, or less or more, for all that I hadknowing.

  And much that was writ in the book was common knowledge, and set mostlyto the count of fairy-tales and suchlike, even as we of this our agetake not over-surely any belief in Myths of olden times. Yet had Ialways much liking for such matters, perceiving behind that outer shellwhich did win always so much unbelief, the kernel of ancient truths andhappenings.

  And thus was it, concerning this little book which I had made discoveryof; for it told again, that which oft I had heard (even as we in thisage, read of the Deluge) how that once, in a time monstrous far backfrom that, but utter future to this age of ours, the world did brakeupwards in a vast earth-quaking, that did rend the world for a thousandmiles.

  And there came a mighty chasm, so deep that none might see the bottomthereof; and there rushed therein an ocean, and the earth did burstafresh with a sound that did shake all the cities of the world; and agreat mist lay upon the earth for many days, and there was a mightyrain.

  And, indeed, this was just so set in certain Histories of the AncientWorld. Also, there was made reference to it, within some olden Records.Yet nowise to be taken with a serious mind, to the seeming of thepeoples of the Mighty Pyramid; but only as a quaint study for theStudents, and to be set out in little tales that did entertain thenurseries; or, as it might be, wise men and the general.

  Yet, there was this, about that small and peculiar book, that it didspeak of many of these things, as it were that it did quote from thepens of those that did have actual witness; and set all out with astrange gravity, that did cause one to consider it as meant to be indeedthe tellings of Truth, and to seem thiswise to have great differencefrom all that I had read before concerning those matters.

  And there was, further, a part in the ending of the book, that did seemto be writ of a time that came afterwards, maybe an hundred thousand,and maybe a million years; but who shall say.

  And therein it did tell of an huge and mighty Valley that did come outof the West, towards the South-East, and made turning thence Northwards,and was a thousand miles both ways. And the sides thereof were anhundred miles deep, and the Sun did stand in the Western end, and made ared gloom for a thousand miles. And in the bottom there were great seas;and beasts strange and awesome, and very plentiful.

  Now this, as may be seen, was as the talk of Romance; yet did I turn mywits to their natural end, and made thus plain of it. For, in truth, Ito have something of belief, and it to seem to me that in a bygoneEternity, when the world was yet light, as in my heart I knew to havebeen indeed a thing of verity, there was a great and wondrousearthquake.

  And the earthquake did burst the world up, along a certain great curvewhere it had weakness; and there fell into the yawning furnace of theworld, one of the great oceans; and immediately made of itself steam,and so brake upwards again, and tore the earth mightily in its swiftuprising.

  And thereafter there was a mist and confusion and rain upon the world.And, indeed, all very seemly put; and not to be taken as a light tale.

  Then, in that ending of the book, there was one that did write, havinglived in a vast later age, when the Sun had come anigh to his dying, andthe upward earth was grown quiet and cold and not good to live upon. Andin that time the Mighty Chasm had been calmed by the weight of anEternity, so that it was now a most deep and wondrous Valley, that didhold Seas and great Hills and Mountains; and in it were great forests ofkinds, and Lands that were good and healthful; and Places given over toFire, and to Steamings, and Sulphur Clouds; so that they held Poisonsthat had ill for Man.

  And Great Beasts were there down in that far depth, that none might seeever, save by a strong spy-glass. And such there were in the EarlyWorld, and had now been bred in the Ending by those inward forces ofNature which did make the Valley a place of Good Warmth; so that therewas, as it were, once more the Primal World born to give new birth untosuch olden Monsters, and to others, new and Peculiar to that Age andCircumstance.

  And all this, indeed, did the book give also; but constrained anddifficult to take clearly to the heart, and not like to the wise plainspeech of the early tellings; so that I must even set it out here inmine own speech.

  And it did seem to me, by my reading, that Man had come at one time to agreat softness of Heart and Spirit through many ages of over-ease. Butthat the World did come to coldness and unfriendliness, by reason of theSun's slow ceasing.

  And there was presently, in naturalness, a Race upon the earth that werehardy, and made to fight for their lives; and did perceive that theMighty Valley that cut the World in twain, was a place of Warmth andLife; and so did make to adventure their bodies down that wondrousHeight; and were many Ages coming safe to the Bottom; but did find safeplaces in the downward way where they built them Houses, and made tolive, and begot them children; and these grew up to that life ofconstant and great climbings, and of hard workings upon The Road, whichwas the One Intent of that People; so that the book did speak of themalways as The Road Makers.

  And thus did they make downwards through the long years and the ages;and many generations did live and die, and saw not the reaching of theRoad down into that Great Vale that lay so monstrous deep in the World.

  But in the end they did come there with the Road; and they were veryHardy; and they did fight with the Monsters and slay many; and theybuilt them many Cities, through great years in the Mighty Valley, anddid make the Road from City unto City along that Great Valley, even untothe Bight of the Valley. And they found here a constan
t darkness andShadow; for that the Sun could not make a shining around that GreatCorner. Yet, even here they ceased not to make the Road; but took itaround, and a mighty way unto the North; passing it among strange Firesand Pits that burned from out of the earth.

  But there was presently, such a power and horror of Monsters and EvilThings in that Valley of Shadow, that the Road Makers were made to goBackwards into the Red Light which did fill the Westward Valley, andcame from that low Sun.

  And they went back unto their Cities; and lived there mayhaps an hundredthousand years; and grew wise and cunning in all matters; and their WisePeople did make dealings and had experiment with those Forces which areDistasteful and Harmful unto Life; but they did this in Ignorance; forall that they had much wisdom; thinking only to Experiment, that theycome to greater knowings. But they did open a way for those Forces; andmuch harm and Pity did come thereby. And then had all People to haveRegret; yet too late.

  Now, presently, when an hundred thousand years had gone, or it may be agreater space; there came slowly the utter twilight of the world, as thesun to die the more; so that presently it gave but an utter gloomylight. And there grew upon many of the Peoples of the Cities of theValley, a strangeness and a wildness; so that strange things were done,that had been shameful to all in the Light. And there were wanderings,and consortings with strange outward beings, and presently, many Citieswere attacked by monsters that did come from the West; and there was aPandemonium.

  Then was an Age of Sorrows and Fightings, and Hardenings of the Spiritand of the Heart, for all that were of good Fibre; and this did breed aDetermined Generation; and there grew up into the World a Leader; and hetook all the sound Millions; and did make a mighty Battle upon allFoulness and upon all that did harm and trouble them; and they drovetheir Enemies down the Valley, and up the Valley, and did utterlyscatter and put them to flight.

  Then did that Man call all his Peoples together; and did make it plainhow that the Darkness grew upon the World, and that the Foul anddreadful Powers abroad, were like to be more Horrid when a greater Gloomcame.

  And he put to them that they Build a Mighty Refuge; and the Peoples didacclaim; and lo! there was built, presently, a Great House. But theGreat House was not Proper; and that Man did take all the Peoples toWander; and they came to the Bight; and there was built at last thatGreat and Mighty Pyramid.

  Now this is the sense and telling of that book; and but late had I readit; and talked somewhat of it with my dear friend, the MasterMonstruwacan; but not overmuch; for I had taken so sudden a mind to GO,that all else had dropped from about me. Yet, to us it did seem clearthat there was no life in all the invisible upper world; and that,surely, that Great Road whereon the Silent Ones did walk, must be thatsame Road which the hardy Peoples of that age did make.

  And it did seem wise to the Master Monstruwacan, and unto me, that ifany should find the Lesser Redoubt, they must surely do so somewherewithin the mighty Valley; but whether The Road that led into the West,where was the Place of the Ab-humans, should bring me to it, I had noknowing; nor whether it might lie on the Northward way. And I, maybe, towander a thousand miles wrong; if, in truth, I were not into somedreadful trouble before.

  And, indeed, no reason of value was there to give me hope that theLesser Pyramid lay either to the West, or where the Road wentNorth-ward, beyond the House of Silence. Yet I did so feel it to besomewhere to the North, that I had made a determination to search thatway for a great distance, the first; and if I could not come upon aught,then I should have sober thought that it did lie Westward. But in theValley someways, I had feeling of assurance that it must be; for it wasplain that the telling of the book was sound in its bottom sense; asmight be seen; for how should any live in the utter bleak and deadlychill of the silent upper world that lay an hundred miles up in thenight, hid and lost for ever.

  And strange is it to think of those wondrous and mighty cliffs thatgirt us about, and yet were fast held from us in the dark; so that Ihad not known of them, save for the telling of that book; though, intruth, it had been always supposed that we lived in a great deep of theworld; but, indeed, it was rather held in belief that we abode in thebed of some ancient sea, that did surely slope gradual away from us, andnot go up abrupt and savage.

  And here let me make so clear as I may that the general peoples had noclear thought upon any such matters; though there was something of ittaught in the schools; yet rather this and that, of diverse conclusions,as it might be thinkings of the Teachers, after much study, and someponderings. For one man, having a lack of imagining, would scoff, andanother, maybe, to take it very staidly, but some would build Fancy uponthe tellings of the Records, and make foolish and fantastic that whichhad groundings in Truth; and thus is it ever. But to the most Peoples ofthe Pyramid, there was no deep conviction nor thought of any great hidWorld afar in the darkness. For they gave attention and belief only tothat which lay to their view; nor could a great lot come to imagine thatthere had been ever any other Condition.

  And to them, it did seem right and meet that there should be strangethings, and fires from the earth, and an ever-abiding night, andmonsters, and matters hid and tangled much in mystery.

  And very content were the most of them; though some had in them theyeast of imaginings, or the pimples of fancy upon them, and to thesethere seemed many possibilities; though the first to read out to sanity;and the second, to expect and have speech towards much that was foolishor to no purpose.

  And of these vague believings of the peoples, have I made hint before,and need not have much trouble to it now. Save that, with the children,as is ever the way, those olden tales had much believing; and thesimplicity of the Wise did mate with the beliefs of the Young; andbetween them did lie the Truth.

  And so did I make speed towards the North, having a strong surety in myheart and mind that there were but two ways to my search; for without ofthe Valley, afar up in the dead lonesomeness of the hidden world, was acold that was shapen ready to Death, and a lacking, as I must believe,of the sweet, needful air that yet did lie in plenty in that deep placeof the earth. So that, surely, the mighty Valley somewheres to hold thatother Redoubt.

  Yet, as I have said, I went not direct to my journey, but otherwise, forthose sound reasons which I did set down a time back.