uge and monstrous and girt with strength. And he to have surely
turned his shoulders as he died; for the upper part of the giant-man
went horrid to the earth, and the legs and the trunk stood plain in the
light of the fire-hole, and the blood went upward as a fountain in the
night.

And I made no pause, but leaped unto the Maid, and had her in a moment
to mine arms, and onward again past that dead thing, that did only then
to fall with an horrid sound. And surely the night did be full of an
astonishment and upliftedness of the Millions, so that their spiritual
cryings did go all about me, and did tell me that they had perceived
this thing, and did cast their love and delight unto me, and a vast
excitement to be upon them.

And lo! I scarce to have gone a great mile more, but there came two
vague things out of a dark place, where certain rocks did upstand; and I
smote them with the Diskos, and went onward; but what they did be, I
never to know.

And surely, after that, I did seem to go smiting forever; for there to
come, time and oft, strange things out from the bushes and the rocks, as
that all the Land did be a-crawl with foul and monstrous life, and I to
go smiting, as in a dream, and to speed forward ever with a more fierce
despair; for surely the end of our lives did be come, and I not to be
given power to save Mine Own Maid.

And all the Land did be full of grim and monstrous roarings, and
odd-wise lower sounds, very deadly. And once I did hear the noise of
giants running. And all the night to be Evil. And, in verity, how I did
not be slain by some dread Force, I not to know, unless that I did be
burned free of all weakness that an Evil Power should have chance to
harm me through; for, indeed, I had been dealt a bitter training a
monstrous time.

And lo! there to be again the deep and dreadful baying of the
Night-Hounds unto the South-East, and to be nearer; and I to know now
that no strength of mine should serve to protect Mine Own.

And lo! from the upwardness of the night, where did be the Last Light,
there sudden to come downward a strange blue flash, that smote downward
into the Land unto the South-East. And again the flash to come, and
mayhap a score times after; and there to come down out of the height a
peculiar crackling sound, that did be less than the thunder of this age,
yet more loud than any other sound that you ever to hear. And lo! I knew
that the Humans did begin to fight for me, that I brin