And lo! as I did crouch there, hidden, I saw something come very quiet
out of the bushes that did grow beyond the fire-hole; and it was great,
and crept, and was noways coloured but by greyness in all its parts. And
the glare from the fire-hole did seem to trouble it; so that it looked,
laying its head to the ground, and spying along the earth, in a strange
and Brutish fashion; that it might oversee the glare of the fire-hole.
Yet, I doubt that it saw beyond the fire with plainness; for, in a
moment, it crept swift in among the bushes again, and came out towards
the edge of the fire-hole in another place; and this it did thrice unto
my left, and thrice unto my right; and every time did lay its head to
the earth, and spy along; and did hunch its shoulders, and thrust
forward the jaw horridly and turn the neck, as a very nasty beast might
go, wanton.
Now, as you may think, this manner of the Beast-Man did shake my courage
mightily; for I did think each time that it did go inward among the
moss-bushes, that it had made discovery of me, and would make to take me
in the back, from out of the dark of the bushes; and this was an
uncomfortable thing to consider, as others might think also, had any
been there in the bush with me. And then, in truth, did that same swift
sense of mine Hearing, prove helpful to my saving; for, behold, the
thing did go back into the moss-bushes, after that last coming out; and
did seem to make as it had made a failing to discover me, and had no
further intent, save to return unto the Night; and I had this thought
truly in mine heart, and for maybe a minute; and then, lo! within my
soul a voice did speak plain, and did warn me that the thing did make a
great compass among the moss-bushes about the fire-hole, having made
discovery of me; and it did go warily to take me in the back, from the
other side.
Now, when I heard this voice speak within my spirit, I had knowledge
that the dear Master Monstruwacan made watch from the Tower of
Observation, and did send the speech with his brain-elements, having in
mind that I had the Night-Hearing. And I trusted the speech; for in the
same moment of time there did beat all about me in the Night the solemn
throb of the Master-Word, as that it had been added with speed, to give
instant assurance. And I leapt quick from that clump of the moss-bush,
unto another, and crouched, and made a watch all about me; and kept the
ears of my spirit open, knowing that the Master Monstruwacan did also
watch all, for me.
And, suddenly, I saw a little moving of a bush that grew to the back of
those bushes in which I had been hid; and there came out of the bush
that moved, a great grey hand, and moved the moss of the clump where I
had been, as it were that something peered out of the moving bush. And
there followed the great grey head of the Grey Man, and the head went
into the clump of the moss-bush where I had been.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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