The Night Land

And they bore the Youths to their Mothers and to their Fathers; and the

Father of each made thanks to the men that they had saved the soul of

his son; but the women were silent. Yet, neither to the Father nor to

the Mother, was ever made known the name of the slayers; for this might

not be; as all shall see with a little thought.

And some did remember that, in verity, all was due to the unwisdom of

those Youths, who had heeded not the Law and their life-teachings. Yet

had they paid to the uttermost, and passed outwards; and the account of

their Deeds was closed.

And all this while did great numbers spy toward the Road Where The

Silent Ones Walk, that they might watch that band of Youths afar in the

Night Land, who went forward amid those horrid dangers. Yet, when the

dead Youths had been brought in, many had ceased to look out for a time

and had turned to questioning, and some had made inspection that they

might know which had come back, and which lay out there where the Giants

had slain them, or went forward to more dreadful matters.

But who of those that were abroad, were slain, or still went onward, we

had but indifferent knowledge; though the men of the Ten-thousand knew

somewhat, having had speech with the wounded Youths, ere they slew them.

And, as may be thought, these men were sorely questioned by the Mothers

and the Fathers of those Youths that were not accounted of; yet I doubt

that few had much knowledge wherewith to console them.

Now there was presently, in the Garden of Silence, which was the

lowermost of all the Underground Fields, the Ending of those seventeen

hundred heroes, and of the Youths that they saved and slew. And the

Garden was a great country, and an hundred miles every way, and the roof

thereof was three great miles above, and shaped to a mighty dome; as it

had been that the Builders and Makers thereof did remember in their

spirits the visible sky of this our present age.

And the making of that Country was all set out in a single History of

seven thousand and seventy Volumes. And there were likewise seven

thousand and seventy years spent to the making of that Country; so that

there had unremembered generations lived and laboured and died, and seen

not the end of their labour. And Love had shaped it and hallowed it; so

that of all the wonders of the world, there has been none that shall

ever come anigh to that Country of Silence--an hundred miles every way

of Silence to the Dead.