Free In the Land of Time by Alfred Dunsany Page A

Ardra, Rhoodra, and the lands beyond, nor saw he aught in the Hall of Night at all.
    Then called the High Prophets: “What seest thou, Imbaun?”
    And Imbaun said: “I see naught.”
    Then called the High Prophets: “What knowest thou, Imbaun?”
    And Imbaun said: “I know naught.”
    Then spake the High Prophet of Eld of All the gods save One, who is first on Earth of prophets: “O Imbaun! we have all looked upwards in the Hall of Night towards the Secret of Things, and ever it was dark, and the secret faint and in an unknown tongue. And know thou knowest what all High Priests know.”
    And Imbaun answered: “I know.”
    So Imbaun became High Prophet in Aradec of All the gods save One, and prayed for all the people, who knew not that there was darkness in the Hall of Night or that the secret was writ faint and in an unknown tongue.
    These are the words of Imbaun that he wrote in a book that all the people might know:
    â€œIn the twentieth night of the nine hundredth moon, as night came up the valley, I performed the mystic rites of each of the gods in the temple as is my wont, lest any of the gods should grow angry in the night and whelm us while we slept.
    â€œAnd as I uttered the last of certain secret words I fell asleep in the temple, for I was weary, with my head against the altar of Dorozhand. Then in the stillness, as I slept, there entered Dorozhand by the temple door in the guise of a man, and touched me on the shoulder, and I awoke.
    â€œBut when I saw that his eyes shone blue and lit the whole of the temple I knew that he was a god though he came in mortal guise. And Dorozhand said: ‘Prophet of Dorozhand, behold! that the people may know.’ And he showed me the paths of Sish stretching far down into the future time.
    â€œThen he bade me arise and follow whither he pointed, speaking no words but commanding with his eyes.
    â€œTherefore upon the twentieth night of the nine hundredth moon I walked with Dorozhand adown the paths of Sish into the future time.
    â€œAnd ever beside the way did men slay men. And the sum of their slaying was greater than the slaying of the pestilence or any of the evils of the gods.
    â€œAnd cities arose and shed their houses in dust, and ever the desert returned again to its own, and covered over and hid the last of all that had troubled its repose.
    â€œAnd still men slew men.
    â€œAnd I came at last to a time when men set their yoke no longer upon beasts but made them beasts of iron.
    â€œAnd after that did men slay men with mists.
    â€œThen, because the slaying exceeded their desire, there came peace upon the world that was brought by the hand of the slayer, and men slew men no more.
    â€œAnd cities multiplied, and overthrew the desert and conquered its repose.
    â€œAnd suddenly I beheld that THE END was near, for there was a stirring above Pegāna as of One who grows weary of resting, and I saw the hound Time crouch to spring, with his eyes upon the throats of the gods, shifting from throat to throat, and the drumming of Skarl grew faint.
    â€œAnd if a god may fear, it seemed that there was fear upon the face of Dorozhand, and he seized me by the hand and led me back along the paths of Time that I might not see THE END.
    â€œThen I saw cities rise out of the dust again and fall back into the desert whence they had arisen; and again I slept in the Temple of All the gods save One, with my head against the altar of Dorozhand.
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    â€œThen again the Temple was alight, but not with light from the eyes of Dorozhand; only dawn came all blue out of the East and shone through the arches of the Temple. Then I awoke and performed the morning rites and mysteries of All the gods save One, lest any of the gods be angry in the day and take away the Sun.
    â€œAnd I knew that because I who had been so near to it had not beheld THE END a man should never behold it or know the doom of the gods. This They have