trees, and might come upon me in a moment; or, further, that they did go
to call an army of other humped men to my destruction.

And after that I was ready, and had my gear secure upon me, I set off at
a great stride, and did hold the Diskos very handy, and lookt this way
and lookt that way, and all the while made onward with speed; for,
truly, I was grown so lean and hard that it did seem to me that I had
power to out-pace those men or aught else of their kind.

And all that day, through thirty great hours did I go forward, at that
stride, and did always watch; and at every sixth hour, I eat two of the
tablets and drank a little of the water, and went onward again.

And so did I hope that I was lost from those Humped Men. Yet, though I
did hope, my faith was not this wise; for twice and thrice did it come
to me that there went things through the woods to my left all that day,
and did keep always to a level with my speed; yet were always hid. And,
as you shall believe, this did be a very shaking thing to my heart, and
did make my hope of but little account.

Now, because that I had no faith to company my hope, I was not easy to
have slumber, until that I was come to a place proper and safe. And so,
as I have told, I went onward through thirty great hours; and, in truth,
in all that while I did find nowhere that did seem to fit my need.

And lo! about the end of the thirtieth hour, I perceived that there was
water ahead, besides the water of the sea that was ever to my right. And
I thought, maybe, that the sea did go inward at that part of the land;
but it was otherwise; for when I was gotten to that place, I found that
a river came into the sea, and did come out of all the country that lay
unto my left.

And in the mouth of this river, there was a small island; and surely I
did look across to the island, and think it a refuge from the Humped Men
that did surely play dog upon my going. Yet, truly, this was but an idle
thought, and my need was that I should come to some way to cross over
the river, that I go forward beside the great sea, which did stretch
onward, as it did seem for ever, before me upon the far side.

And I knew not how to go across; for I had no power to swim, and had I
swum, there were surely monsters in that great and warm-flowing river,
as you shall believe.

And I went upward of the river-bank, that I might come to some place
where the river did narrow; and surely I had been like to walk a mig