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night, and Time gat freezd in the moment of disastre; for then was its gnomon brake, and it cud not travel on. 

            And the Elders lookt for to see the time of breakage markt by the breakage of time, as shewn by time’s shadow there fraze upon some piece of the dial; but neither could they discern any thing about any time, but only about some breakage.  And unto Lidriget they said, We, we see no frozen shadow of time freez-ed upon this junq. 

            And Lidriget went to sifting amongst the crashage, and waxt desperit that his truths be proovd, going upon his hands & knees and flinging hither & thither frags of insubstantial evodence, and inviting again into his pressurd life a roster of gods whom he had scornd.  Yet nor answerd they, nor yet came he upon the truth he so pursu-ed.  And his frantical insistences regarding his conclusians did by & by give way to fervid whisperd prayers, and they eventual to shrieks & melodious moans; and these at last did run to wimpers, the Prince Of Findings pitcht there prostrate amid the rubbles of his passion.

            Now the Elders spare-ed them selfs further of him, and turnt again unto their investogatians.  And one Elder did of sudden take an bad feeling, and said, I like it not.  What an the killer prove out to be some person important, who hath no beholding to the law, and laffeth in the face of such opprobrium as wud wilt & devour dainty janes like unto us?  Hap we oughts be not here putting our selfs in the way of his whimsy, & of more profound justice that he in sudden returning might mete down upon this place and upon any found here dillying about.

            But Pathos Smiley [Pah-dō Zmee-lay], a novice Elder having teeth, pointed out unto them the monstrous feet-tracks aroundabout upon the dust, showing of feetpads & nailclaws.  And he said, No one importent hath feet like unto that.

            And silence ran upon, as veteran Elders tasted pride in a moment of certainty of consensus: ’twere manifest unto the seasond that any one having feet like unto that were importent enogh.

            Yea, saith Pathos.  I my self have come severoltimes out hither under heavy guard for to beseech the oblivious Heauzeaux to fetch in his tent closeby unto others.  There might be bears about, says I to him, Which, an so, will be drewn in by thine hospitalidy toward bears; for thou leavest strewn about snapfcrackers & nips of cheese, and fishes’ heads from thy river soirees, and drunken damsels, and bright playballs, and gourds of honey.  ’Tis just what bears enjoy.

            But (saith Pathos) hearkend he unto me?  Think anew, Brothers.  He call-ed me my forbidden name Venereas, and he bad me go braid up an wreath of boar’s dung in remembrance of my mother, and wear it upon mine head through the holy places.  And he said unto me, Go swallow thy tobaccos, and smoke instead some mongrel’s hair.  And he said unto me, Go upon the military ridge, and taunt down upon the warriors there in training, thou hurling down also some entrails, and making gestures.  And he said unto me, Don this strumpet’s garm and let me see thee strut.  And after I had done these things as he suggested, and found their consoquenses mean—I say thee, Elders, keepf to the tobaccos in thy smoking—then wud I counsel him no more.  E’en a rock hath an end, and I with Hozo Each hat mine.  And see, a bear now hath eaten

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his contumacious ass, & his goose, & his peacock, & his falcon, & his bees, and hath made red hell of him.  A bear; hap one of those great blacks I my self did here set aloose, to substansiate my point.  (And Pathos stoop-ed, and pluckt he up offen the ground a tuft of black fur, and raisd it high.)

            But the vetran Eldern tenderd spittle and said, Ptaa; ’tis more likily that Tarvatillion the Slayer hath come hither with shoes of false bearsfoot, irkt with some element of the jingle that Hozo made for him, and hath slain him.  For we know that Tarvatillion is a slayer, and hath the vigor to do this, & the time on his hands.  Beware the Slayer, Beware the jingle-irkt.  Beware the Slayer (so chanted the Eldern).  Beware the jingle-irkt.  Beware the Slayer.  Beware the jingle-irkt.

            And Pathos Smiley [Păddəs mə-lī] also finded him self whispering, Beware the Slayer; beware the jingol-irkt.  For the majik of chant ruleth the Elders through & through.  Some say ’tis the rhythm.

            And the eminence of Tarvatillion only multiplied; tho, it did so additively, as by adding upon adding upon adding, for multiplology were but a mathemystic abstraxien in that day before the Computer, she with her whichdirectional polystrand bead-array abaci and her moist, opium-passiond evening kisses in the veil’d hindchambers of the guvment calculary annex.  Aleasts, so ’twas in this city; each place hath its own deal, its own peopel & their practices.

            O Tarvatillion, said the sentients of creation.  He goeth all about, and seeketh out strange new life, and compromiseth it.