these gone on the instant. And
ever there was a strong and vacant silence upon that place.

And presently, after that I had looked once more unto the mighty dancing
flame, and perceived nowhere any life around it, I went onward down the
quiet gorge. And for a great way as I journeyed was my path lit by the
dancing of the blue flame; and oft should I seem to be going but dimly
among the rocks, and my shadow faint and long; and lo! the flame would
leap, and all the gorge come to a wondrous brightness, and my figure to
shorten, and the shadows to be black and strong. And so shall you
perceive how I went.

And oft did I turn me about to behold the dancing of the Great Light;
for it was solemn to my spirit, even amid so much of Greatness and
Eternity, to think upon that Flame, and to conceive that it had an utter
age danced there at the foot of the Mighty Slope, unseen, through
lonesome Eternities. And this I do tell unto you; that thereby may you
have some knowledge of the strangeness and the bitter loneliness of that
place; which, in verity, did seem the expressing of all the lonesomeness
of my wanderings.

And all the time as I did go downward of the great Gorge, there sounded
the blast of the roaring, that was presently afar to my back; and the
mountain sides did catch it here and in that place, and sent it offwards
with strange and improper echoings, as of a chill piping, or oddwise as
hushed whisperings of monstrous creatures; so that I did oft stoop to
hide a little among the boulders; for truly I knew not but that some
unnatural thing called from the darkness of the mountain side.

And for six hours I walked onward thus, and sometimes did hide, having a
sudden fear, as I have told.

And presently, in a great while, the roaring was sunk to a far and
monstrous piping; but in the end to no more than a far and uncertain
whistling, that yet did catch strange echoes in the night. And in the
end there was only a quietness. And yet, as you do perceive, there had
been always a silence in that Gorge, as I have told, and this to the
despite of the whistling. And I do hope that you have understanding with
me in this matter; for it was truly as I have told, and there is no
contrariness of telling in this matter.

Now in all this time that I had walked in the great Gorge, I had past
four of the far lights that I did see from the bottom of the Slope; and
the two first and the fourth were blue, but the third was green; and all