Since then I had met the harbour-mouth of a great river, crowded with shipping and lined by wharfs, but now I had come upon the ground-floor of the shore; I looked cautiously round, but could see no coastguard, let alone sign that I had come anywhere near the careening navy. I left Urns and advanced between the rocks; there were stiff star-shaped flowers on them. A sort of tortoise-spider, big and red and as though covered with shell, scuttled away sideways. I passed the rocks, taking off my sandals because of all the little green rock-pools, in which I glimpsed lovely moving things, or perhaps they were just still and water-swayed, and presently fine gritty sand spurted between my toes. I kicked away a tangling ribbon of rubbery green, then the sand was sticky and crumbly, and then recurring flat wavelets hissed up and away and up and licked my toes.

I had reached this—this great new experience, mid I had no idea what to do.

My brother had killed my priest before I could be told what must be done—And all I know is that Atlan must be warned that the world is after her like a pack of belling, baying, tongue-lolling hounds, and that her vacuum is no longer of use.

I didn’t dare light a fire and despaired of finding any real vegetation—but Urns displayed unexpected resourcefulness. From what instinct or sense I know not, he waded out into the waves till they reached his breast, and stared intently into them with his one eye, beak poised ready. Suddenly it flashed down—and came up with a furious, desperate, silver fish, fat and jumping galvanically except in the middle where it was pinioned. Urns laid it on the sand and skewered it before it could leap away.

I chopped off its head, which was staring with a reproachful and hardly yet glassy eye, and its green, strong, frilly tail, and removed its spine, etc., while Urns fished for more.

I didn’t really fancy raw fish. But fresh water was near to hand of course (the river) and luckily several of the fish turned out to be carrying roe.

I crouched, picking at raw fish with scale-silvered fingers, while Urns, having already golloped his, stood with wide-spread legs, menacing profile lifted in each direction for an indefinite period of time, changing with a short jerky bird-movement, a giant black silhouette between me and that close primeval sea, which divided us from that continent which has lain apart from the world since the gods fell.

Cold winds were beginning to flow in and across the shore. I shivered bitterly, rinsed my fingers and mouth and looked round for somewhere to sleep.