A Voyage to Arcturus

during the night. His fleshy breve was altered into an eyelike sorb; his magn had swelled and developed into a third arm, springing from the breast

s understanding, the upper one his will. That is to say, with the lower eyes he saw things in clear detail, but without personal inter

had slept out of sight of Oceaxe. He was anxious to learn if she were still on

tastic clouds filled the sky. They looked like animals, and were always changing shape. The ground, as well as the leaves and branches of the forest trees, stil

tellated line seemed like the walls of a magic city. The cliffs fronting him were composed of gaudy rocks — vermilion, emerald, yellow, ulfire, and black. As he gazed at them, his heart began to beat like

he was reclothing himself, O

genuine representative of a strange planet. Her frame also had something curious about it. The curves were womanly, the bones were characteristically female — yet all seemed somehow to expres

rom top to toe. “Now you are built more like a

t was successful,” he a

m over. “Did some woman giv

s smile — “but I saw nothing ridiculous i

’d look be

xchange garments. He obeyed, rather shamefacedly, for he realised that the proposed exchange was in fact more appro

e gifts at all from other w

What can I

er voice was retarded, scornful, viola-like. She sat

what

is question, but began to p

you were so

always walk through the world w

skull’s turn

ts, as I suppose you have, you c

ing his eyes wide. “Granted that you are a bea

to her feet. “It doesn

in my society. I have no objection — in fact I shall be

o think me

what that has to do with my feelings. Bring it to an end, Oc

Do you imagine I am so hard put to it that I have to hunt for

rry the temptation no farther — for it is a temptation, w

g so very hateful, am I? W

hind his back. “I repeat

o is you

rtur, and from toda

with him?” she

d

e what

s beauty was more tormenting than yours, Oceaxe,

forbid you t

h a manly sport, then? I shou

t always be so boyish. But d

ing else — and, above all

ng, that he grew half inflamed, and half wished to catch her

demanded, scowling not at her

rs? And yet you think yourself above all that. You try to fly awa

credit you with a secon

ll think twice and three times before throwing me a

Maskull th

food in the same

food i

rom the

romise to Joiwind. At the

e nothin

l the people there are the same. They think life is to be looked at, and not l

,” he returned, pul

ly her look became tense and concentrated; she dipped her hand in and pulled out some sort of little monster. It was more like a reptile than a fish, with its scaly plates

he scales and entrails. During this operation, her hands

she said, with a lazy smi

and feeble in the sunlight, but at last he found it. Oceaxe placed it

this blood away, which frightens you so

stics in her person. Her bold, masterful, masculine egotism of manner seemed quite incongruous wi

ere is an act of will called

her draperies, and uttered a delicious, c

my que

ull — to the marrowbone. But that’s no

at mean

skull. A wider range of pass

s — But for

their experiences. Probably unhappiness of

laimed, regarding her gloomily. “One

sense of the word — are walking about with foreign wills inside them. You may be as moral as you like, M

ights count

up over her shoulder to answer his remark. “They do count. But we only regar

toward his companion. Whether it was due to the strange quality of the food, or to his long abstention, he did not

said Oceaxe. “On the next occasion, though, I shall have no Mas

they moved faster. They climbed the river in this way for several miles. The exercise gradually improved the circulation of Maskull’s blood, and he began to look at things in a far more way. The hot su

t at the same time very supernatural. If one could see the portrait of a ghost, painted with a hard, firm outline, in substantial

most extraordinary shapes. All the lines are st

ce him. “That’s typical of Ifdawn. Nature is all

but I don’t u

or rushing up. Trees grow fast. Women and men don’t think twice

sed. “A fresh, wil

e you come from

undred years to move a foot of solid land. Men and an

re women

nd not very dif

hey l

has changed the dress, speech,

are more beau

nk not,” s

long silence, as they tra

ss in Ifdawn?” deman

at it’s possible to have an aim right in front

quisitive look at hi

oral

sing to set th

nothing — I

for time doesn’t wait

ill happen,”

e. “So you have no special

permit me, I will c

“That’s what I have been offering all the time. Of cour

that name bef

r, as you would

mprove matters,

where they were. We me

said Maskull, quite startled. “Do you by any cha

your will. But you have pro

you remove husb

u or I mus

nute. “Now we are passing

the too-sad truth. And when you have

ppen, and where the very laws of morality may be different. Still as far as I am concerned, murder is m

cked?” demanded

ma

tter leave me, M

y wh

all other mad and wicked people as well. Th

wned, but s

ed Oceaxe, wit

nd I’ll see Crimtyphon

ether at the image conjured up by Maskull’s last words, or fro

he river made a sharp, right-angled turn to the west, and was no l

climb for a

a smooth flat island of black rock, standing up

owever, standing graceful and erect, turned her face toward

w saw a large bird detach itself from the top of one of the precipices, and sail slowly down towa

e they?”

ey were not birds, but creatures with long, snakelike bodies, and ten reptilian legs apiece, terminating in fins which acted as wings. The bodies were of bright blue, the legs and

us. First of all their spikes will pierce us, and then their mouths, which are really suckers, will drain us dry of b

roid,” said Maskull dryly, “I tak

t on to his feet and failed. A new form o

to get up?” aske

ng me down to the rock with their wills. May I ask if

Instead of talking and asking questions, you ha

ve no will, u

s I must play the man, and you the woman. I expected better things of your big body. Why, my husband would send those creatures dancing all around the

ey produced in Maskull the same sensation of loathing as insects did. He instinctively understood

he said shortly. “They are

as it is presumably the most

sters in the rear staggered and darted head foremost toward the earth, one after the other. He watched them crash on the ground, and then lie motio

site their island rock. Its vast bulk lay there extended,

g, slippery, and leathery; a mane of black hair covered its long neck. Its face was awesome and unnatural, with

patting the creature’s flank. “As I

. Between her and the fin there was just room for Maskull. He grasped the two flanks with his outer hands; his thir

en tricked, and that this ride had been planne

longer pure and noble — it was boiling, passionate, and torturing. He gritted his teeth, and kept quiet, but Oceaxe had not plotted the adventure to remain unconscious o

said nothing. He dare

ying, rocking, and sickening; the contact of the brute’s slimy skin was disgusting. All this, however, was merely, background to Maskull, as he sat there with closed eyes, holdin

ing, the country was a high tableland, fissured everywhere by narrow and apparently bottomless cracks. These cracks were in some cases like canals, in others like lakes, in others merely holes in the ground, closed in all round. The perpendicular sides of the islands — that is, the upper, visible parts of the innumerable cliff

the earth was vivid, wild, and lonely. Yet he experienced no aesthetic sensations — he felt nothing but an intense longing for action and possession. When he looked at anything, he immediately wanted to deal with it. The atmo

axe turned around to gaze at him. Whether or not she was satisfied

so quickly

still looking over the side. “It’s extr

h to tak

to get

to go yet. . . . So yo

you talking about?” said Mask

trange if we couldn’t make a man of

e turned her b

nd; but now, when a new line of towering cliffs confronted them, Oceaxe did not urge the beast upward, but caused it to enter a narrow canyon, which intersected the mountains like a channel. They were instantly plunged into deep shad

the bottom

, if you go to

n, is there any kind

of,” said Oceaxe, “but of co

there is life,” he

ed out of the gloom. “Sh

d that a

big stranger with the beard, who is so keen

en to be the only thing in Torman

am a novel

rough the belly of the mountain, and a

re,” said Maskull, who, since he had no longer anyt

matter wit

tinguish of you now; tha

r — don’t I sp

enough, but — it

propr

g or laughing, your voice is by far the loveliest and strangest instr

my nature doesn

off by a huge and terrifying, but not very loud sound rising up from th

rising under us

we es

ises filled the air, growing louder and louder each second — splitting, hissing, cracking, grinding, booming, exploding, roaring. When they had still fifty feet or so to go, to reach the top, a sort of dark, indefinite sea of broken rocks and soil appeared under their feet, ascending rapidly, with irresistible might, accompanied by the most horrible noises. The canal w

ed a new mountain, a hundred feet or more higher than the old. Then its movement ceased suddenly. Every noise stopped, as if by magic; not a rock moved. Oc

,” said Maskull, flickin

ut on her chin with

it’s bad enough to come up, but it’s death

s you to live in

t, I suppose. I have often t

pend your life in a place like this, where one is

y degrees,” she a

e monster, and it got

ted, climbing back to her perch. “

n again to his thoughts. The peculiar atmosphere of the country continued to soak into his brain. His will became so rest

skull!” said Oceaxe quietl

ts — what d

inside you. Now I think it wouldn’t be ami

“I’ve far too many problems in my head alrea

of singular shape. It was an enormous natural quadrilateral pyramid, rising in great terrac

ain is that

he highest po

going

ur while to pay a visit to the top. It commands the whole land as far as the Si

mean to see before

ut her hand on his wrist. “Stay with me, a

ed unint

t of forest not far ahead, bearing many trees and rocks, suddenly subsided with an awful roar and crashed down into an invisible

emained

had somewhat recovered himself. “A man would need nerves of steel. .

lied Oceaxe, with composure. “We are more or less clever a

ter teach me

ong them, I expect, will be whether we are to stay

ar is

said Oceaxe, pointing with he

ides rose sheer out of a lake of air, the bottom of which was invisible; its fourth was a bottleneck, joining it to the mainland. It was overgrown with bright vegetation,

e,” remarked Oceaxe. “Can I see

something,”

ifty feet. The shrowk slackened speed, and came to earth on the mainland, exactl

waiting for a suggestion, she patted its hideous face wit

few yards, rose awkwardly into the air, and paddled away in the same direction from which they had com

and there the golden chalky soil — and occasionally a glittering, white metallic boulder. Everything looked extraordinary and barbaric. Maskull was at last walking in the weird Ifdawn Marest which had created such strange feelings in him when seen

ce — perhaps the roots of the giant tree growing in the centre had killed off the smaller fry all around it. By the side of the tree sparkled a little, bubbling fountain, whose water was iron-re

thing, to fall on the two men who

h form was clad in a rough skin, leaving his limbs naked. Maskull could not tell from his face whether he were a young boy or a grown man. The features were smooth, soft, and childish, their expression was seraphically tranquil; but his violet upper eye was sinister and adult. His skin was of the colour of yellow ivory. His long, cur

and lazily up to the outermost shadows o

t,” she remarked carelessl

r, but sai

ing for an answer, she sat down on the ground, her legs gracefully thrust under her body, and p

silence fo

ess, Sature?” said the boy on th

in a strangled tone, “I am getting on very well, Oceaxe. The

rfectly aware that although these words were utte

I shall set to work to convert his arms into branches, and his fingers into leaves. It will take longer to transform his head into a crown, but stil

he concluded, putting out his hand

e,” said Maskull, t

reply, but Maskull felt as if he were being t

ently, I expect, so you had better set to work to clear a patch of ground for your roots. Never forget — however fresh an

way, across the isthmus, o

, as if against a wall. “Are y

or that epithet of yours, I will

s beard wagged and his face was crimson. When he realised with whom he had to deal, Crimtyphon left off smiling, slipped off the couch, and threw a terrible and malignant glare into his sorb. Maskull staggered. He gathered together all the brute force of his will, and by sheer weight continued his advance. The boy shrieked and ran behind the couch

we and wonder came into his own countenance. In the moment of death Crimtyphon’s face had undergone a startling and even shoc

e brother of that expression. It was identical with that on the face of t