Later, a question repeated itself.  What were they, those Beast-gods, and the others?  At first, they had appeared to me just sculptured Monsters placed indiscriminately among the inaccessible peaks and precipices of the surrounding mountains.  Now, as I scrutinized them with greater intentness, my mind began to reach out to fresh conclusions.  There was something about them, an indescribable sort of silent vitality that suggested, to my broadening consciousness, a state of life-in-death—­a something that was by no means life, as we understand it; but rather an inhuman form of existence, that well might be likened to a deathless trance—­a condition in which it was possible to imagine their continuing, eternally.  ‘Immortal!’ the word rose in my thoughts unbidden; and, straightway, I grew to wondering whether this might be the immortality of the gods.

And then, in the midst of my wondering and musing, something happened.  Until then, I had been staying just within the shadow of the exit of the great rift.  Now, without volition on my part, I drifted out of the semi-darkness and began to move slowly across the arena—­toward the House.  At this, I gave up all thoughts of those prodigious Shapes above me—­and could only stare, frightenedly, at the tremendous structure toward which I was being conveyed so remorselessly.  Yet, though I searched earnestly, I could discover nothing that I had not already seen, and so became gradually calmer.

Presently, I had reached a point more than halfway between the House and the gorge.  All around was spread the stark loneliness of the place, and the unbroken silence.  Steadily, I neared the great building.  Then, all at once, something caught my vision, something that came ’round one of the huge buttresses of the House, and so into full view.  It was a gigantic thing, and moved with a curious lope, going almost upright, after the manner of a man.  It was quite unclothed, and had a remarkable luminous appearance.  Yet it was the face that attracted and frightened me the most.  It was the face of a swine.

Silently, intently, I watched this horrible creature, and forgot my fear, momentarily, in my interest in its movements.  It was making its way, cumbrously ’round the building, stopping as it came to each window to peer in and shake at the bars, with which—­as in this house—­they were protected; and whenever it came to a door, it would push at it, fingering the fastening stealthily.  Evidently, it was searching for an ingress into the House.

I had come now to within less than a quarter of a mile of the great structure, and still I was compelled forward.  Abruptly, the Thing turned and gazed hideously in my direction.  It opened its mouth, and, for the first time, the stillness of that abominable place was broken, by a deep, booming note that sent an added thrill of apprehension through me.  Then, immediately, I became aware that it was coming toward me, swiftly and silently.  In an instant, it had