orld,
and come upon the edge of that mighty valley in which all life that was
left of earth, did abide, they should have been like to look downward
vaguely into so monstrous a deep that they had seen naught, mayhaps,
save a dull and utter strange glowing far downward in the great night,
in this place and in that.

And surely, as you shall have seen, I have set the Great Deep of the
Valley to be, maybe, an hundred and fifty miles of night; for, as you do
mind, it was conceived that the Valley of the Night Land was an hundred
miles deep, and mayhap to be more; and I had come from that Place
downward of the Mighty Slope, and of the Gorge, a very great way. Yet,
in verity, I do believe in my heart this measuring was utter wrong; for
I think the deep to have been monstrous, beyond these miles that I do
give; yet have I no proving of this belief, and do set it down for no
more than it is.

Now, presently, I had ceased from these vague thinkings and half
dreamings, and was gone truly to sleep. Yet, nowise did I sleep very
strong; but did seem to come anigh to wakefulness, this time and that.
And, as it did chance, this was mayhaps a very good thing for my life;
for I did presently come awake more surely, and did turn on the great
branch; for there was a noise in the air, that was not the noise of the
great fire-hill.

And the noise did grow, very heavy and lumbersome. And, in a moment,
there came seven Humped Men, running among the trees, as that some
monstrous thing did pursue. And immediately they were beneath the tree
in which I did lie; so that a great fear came upon me, and I loosed the
belt from the branch, that I should be free to fight.

And, directly upon this, I saw that the men did leap upward into the
tree, beneath me; but not as that they did wot of me or make to come at
me; but as that they did pay a great heed to some creature or happening
that was far off among the trees. And surely, the noise did seem to come
from that part, and did grow loud and mighty, and the Humped Men did all
crouch very silent, and did make no noise or motion one to the other;
but were quiet upon the lower branches.

And, as I did look now more to my ease, I perceived that they had each a
great stone, and bloody, that did seem as that it were split to a
certain sharpness, even as a stone doth break very natural. And they
carried the stone under this arm or under that arm, so that they had
their hands free to all matters.

And, al