. And beyond the Watching Thing was The Place Where The Silent Ones Are
Never, close by the great road; which was bounded upon the far side by
The Giant's Sea; and upon the far side of that, was a Road which was
always named The Road By The Quiet City; for it passed along that place
where burned forever the constant and never-moving lights of a strange
city; but no glass had ever shown life there; neither had any light ever
ceased to burn. And beyond that again was the Black Mist. And here, let me say, that the
Valley of The Hounds ended towards the Lights of the Quiet City.
And so have I set out something of that land, and of those creatures and
circumstances which beset us about, waiting until the Day of Doom, when
our Earth-Current should cease, and leave us helpless to the Watchers
and the Abundant Terror.
And there I stood, and looked forth composedly, as may one who has been
born to know of such matters, and reared in the knowledge of them. And,
anon, I would look upward, and see the grey, metalled mountain going up
measureless into the gloom of the everlasting night; and from my feet
the sheer downward sweep of the grim, metal walls, six full miles, and
more, to the plain below. And one thing (aye! and I fear me, many) have I missed to set out with
particularness:
There was, as you do know, all around the base of the Pyramid, which was
five and one-quarter miles every way, a great circle of light, which was
set up by the Earth-Current, and burned within a transparent tube; or
had that appearance. And it bounded the Pyramid for a clear mile upon
every side, and burned for ever; and none of the monsters had power ever
to pass across, because of what we did call The Air Clog that it did
make, as an invisible Wall of Safety. And it did give out also a more
subtile vibration, that did affect the weak Brain-Elements of the
monsters and the Lower Men-Brutes. And some did hold that there went
from it a further vibration of a greater subtileness that gave a
protecting against the Evil Forces. And some quality it had truly
thiswise; for the Evil Powers had no ability to cause harm to any
within.
Yet were there some dangers against which it might not avail;
but these had no cunning to bring harm to any within the Great Redoubt
who had wisdom to meddle with no dreadfulness. And so were those last
millions guarded until the Earth-Current should be used to its end. And
this circle is that which I have called the Electric Circle; though with
failure to explain. But there it was called only, The Circle.