in,
there came a thing that set me thrilling; though more afterwards, when I
came to think afresh upon it. For the girl who spoke to me through the
night made some wonder that my voice were not deeper; yet in quiet
fashion, and as one who says a thing, scarce wotting what they say. But
even to me then, there came a sudden hope; for in the olden days of this
Present Age my voice had been very deep. And I said to her that maybe
the 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 more; but
only 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 may
live within that red planet of Mars within the sky, scarce could the
wonder of it exceed the wonder of a human voice coming through that
night unto the Great Redoubt, out of all that lost darkness. For,
indeed, this must have been the breaking of, maybe, a million years of
silence. And already, as I came to know later, was the news passing
downward from City to City through all the vast Pyramid; so that the
Hour-Slips were full of the news; and every City eager and excited, and
waiting. And I better known in that one moment, than in all my life
before. For that previous calling, had been but vaguely put about; and
then set to the count of a nature, blown upon over-easily by
spirit-winds of the half-memory of dreams. Though it is indeed true, as
I have set down before this, that my tales concerning the early days of
the world, when the sun was visible, and full of light, had gone down
through all the cities, and had much comment and setting forth in the
Hour-Slips, and were a cause for speech and argument.

Now concerning the voice of this girl coming to us through the darkness
of 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 had
so long been treated over lightly: There was, it would seem, somewhere
out in the lonesome dark of the Outer Lands, but at what distance none
could ever discover, a second Redoubt; that was a three-sided Pyramid,
and moderate small; being no more than a mile in height, and scarce
three quarters of a mile along the bases.

When this Redoubt was first builded, it had been upon the far s