a　hundred　years　of　thunder；　the　roarings　of　a　thousand　hurricanes。　The　prodigious　bellowings　of　the　Pit　beating　against　us　now　as　they　had　when　we　had　flown　down　the　long　ramp　into　the　depths　of　the　Sea　of　Light。
  Instinct　with　unthinkable　power　was　that　clamor；　the　very　voice　of　Force。　Stunned；　nay　BLINDED；　by　it；　we　covered　ears　and　eyes。
  As　before；　the　clangor　died；　leaving　in　its　wake　a　bewildered　silence。　Then　that　silence　began　to　throb　with　a　vast　humming；　and　through　that　humming　rang　a　murmur　as　that　of　a　river　of　diamonds。
  We　opened　our　eyes；　felt　awe　grip　our　throats　as　though　a　hand　had　clutched　them。
  Difficult；　difficult　almost　beyond　thought　is　it　for　me　now　to　essay　to　draw　in　words　the　scene　before　us　then。　For　although　I　can　set　down　what　it　was　we　saw；　I　nor　any　man　can　transmute　into　phrases　its　essence；　its　spirit；　the　intangible　wonder　that　was　its　synthesisthe　appallingly　beautiful；　soul…shaking　strangeness　of　it；　its　grandeur；　its　fantasy；　and　its　alien　terror。
  The　Domain　of　the　Metal　Monsterit　was　filled　like　a　chalice　with　Its　will；　was　the　visible　expression　of　that　will。
  We　stood　at　the　very　rim　of　a　wide　ledge。　We　looked　down　into　an　immense　pit；　shaped　into　a　perfect　oval；　thirty　miles　in　length　I　judged；　and　half　that　as　wide；　and　rimmed　with　colossal　precipices。　We　were　at　the　upper　end　of　this　deep　valley　and　on　the　tip　of　its　axis；　I　mean　that　it　stretched　longitudinally　before　us　along　the　line　of　greatest　length。　Five　hundred　feet　below　was　the　pit's　floor。　Gone　were　the　clouds　of　light　that　had　obscured　it　the　night　before；　the　air　crystal　clear；　every　detail　standing　out　with　stereoscopic　sharpness。
  First　the　eyes　rested　upon　a　broad　band　of　fluorescent　amethyst；　ringing　the　entire　rocky　wall。　It　girdled　the　cliffs　at　a　height　of　ten　thousand　feet；　and　from　this　flaming　zone；　as　though　it　clutched　them；　fell　the　curtains　of　sparkling　mist；　the　enigmatic；　sound…slaying　vapors。
  But　now　I　saw　that　all　of　these　veils　were　not　motionless　like　those　through　which　we　had　just　passed。　To　the　northwest　they　were　pulsing　like　the　aurora；　and　like　the　aurora　they　were　shot　through　with　swift　iridescences；　spectrums；　polychromatic　gleamings。　And　always　these　were　ordered；　geometriclike　immense　and　flitting　prismatic　crystals　flying　swiftly　to　the　very　edges　of　the　veils；　then　darting　as　swiftly　back。
  From　zone　and　veils　the　gaze　leaped　to　the　incredible　City　towering　not　two　miles　away　from　us。
  Blue　black；　shining；　sharply　cut　as　though　from　polished　steel；　it　reared　full　five　thousand　feet　on　high！
  How　great　it　was　I　could　not　tell；　for　the　height　of　its　precipitous　walls　barred　the　vision。　The　frowning　facade　turned　toward　us　was；　I　estimated；　five　miles　in　length。　Its　colossal　scarp　struck　the　eyes　like　a　blow；　its　shadow；　falling　upon　us；　checked　the　heart。　It　was　overpowering　dreadful　as　that　midnight　city　of　Dis　that　Dante　saw　rising　up　from　another　pit。
  It　was　a　metal　city；　mountainous。
  Featureless；　smooth；　the　immense　wall　of　it　heaved　heavenward。　It　should　have　been　blind；　that　vast　oblong　facebut　it　was　not　blind。　From　it　radiated　alertness；　vigilance。　It　seemed　to　gaze　toward　us　as　though　every　foot　were　manned　with　sentinels；　guardians　invisible　to　the　eyes　whose　concentration　of　watchfulness　was　caught　by　some　subtle　hidden　sense　higher　than　sight。
  It　was　a　metal　city；　mountainous　andAWARE。
  About　its　base　were　huge　openings。　Through　and　around　these　portals　swirled　hordes　of　the　Metal　People；　in　units　and　in　combinations　coming　and　going；　streaming　in　and　out；　forming　as　they　came　and　went　patterns　about　the　openings　like　the　fretted　spume　of　great　breakers　surging　into；　retreating　from；　ocean…bitten　gaps　in　some　iron…bound　coast。
  From　the　immensity　of　the　City　the　eyes　dropped　back　to　the　Pit　in　which　it　lay。　Its　floor　was　plaquelike；　a　great　plane　smooth　as　though　turned　by　potter's　wheel；　broken　by　no　mound　nor　hillock；　slope　nor　terrace；　level；　horizontal；　flawlessly　flat。　On　it　was　no　green　living　thing　no　tree　nor　bush；　meadow　nor　covert。
  It　was　alive　with　movement。　A　ferment　that　was　as　purposeful　as　it　was　mechanical；　a　ferment　symmetrical；　geometrical；　supremely　ordered
  The　surging　of　the　Metal　Hordes。
  There　they　moved　beneath　us；　these　enigmatic　beings；　in　a　countless　host。　They　marched　and　countermarched　in　battalions；　in　regiments；　in　armies。　Far　to　the　south　I　glimpsed　a　company　of　colossal　shapes　like　mobile；　castellated　and　pyramidal　mounts。　They　were　circling；　weaving　about　each　other　with　incredible　rapiditylike　scores　of　great　pyramids　crowned　with　gigantic　turrets　and　dancing。　From　these　turrets　came　vivid　flashes；　lightning　bright　on　their　wake　the　rolling　echoes　of　faraway　thunder。
  Out　of　the　north　sped　a　squadron　of　obelisks　from　whose　tops　flamed　and　flared　the　immense　spinning　wheels；　appearing　at　this　distance　like　fiery　whirling　disks。
  Up　from　their　setting　the　Metal　People　lifted　themselves　in　a　thousand　incredible　shapes；　shapes　squared　and　globed　and　spiked　and　shifting　swiftly　into　other　thousands　as　incredible。　I　saw　a　mass　of　them　draw　themselves　up　into　the　likeness　of　a　tent　skyscraper　high；　hang　so　for　an　instant；　then　writhe　into　a　monstrous　chimera　of　a　dozen　towering　legs　that　strode　away　like　a　gigantic　headless　and　bodiless　tarantula　in　steps　two　hundred　feet　long。　I　watched　mile…long　lines　of　them　shape　and　reshape　into　circles；　into　interlaced　lozenges　and　pentagonsthen　lift　in　great　columns　and　shoot　through　the　air　in　unimaginable　barrage。
  Through　all　this　incessant　movement　I　sensed　plainly　purpose；　knew　that　it　was　definite　activity　toward　a　definite　end；　caught　the　clear　suggestion　of　drill；　of　maneuver。
  And　when　the　shiftings　of　the　Metal　Hordes　permitted　we　saw　that　all　the　flat　floor　of　the　valley　was　stripped　and　checkered；　stippled　and　tessellated　with　every　color；　patterned　with　enormous　lozenges　and　squares；　rhomboids　and　parallelograms；　pentagons　and　hexagons　and　diamonds；　lunettes；　circles　and　spirals；　harlequined　yet　harmonious；　instinct　with　a　grotesque　suggestion　of　a　super…Futurism。
  But　always　this　patterning　was　ordered；　always　COHERENT。　As　though　it　were　a　page　on　which　was　spelled　some　untranslatable　other　world　message。
  Fourth　Dimensional　revelations　by　some　Euclidean　deity！　Commandments　traced　by　some　mathematical　God！
  Looping　across　the　vale；　emerging　from　the　sparkling　folds　of　the　southernmost　curtainings　and　vanishing　into　the　gleaming　veils　of　the　easternmost；　ran　a　broad　ribbon　of　pale…green　jade；　not　straightly　but　with　manifold　convolutions　and　flourishes。　It　was　like　a　sentence　in　Arabic。
  It　was　margined　with　sapphire　blue。　All　along　its　twisting　course　two　broad　bands　of　jet　margined　the　cerulean　shore。　It　was　spanned　by　scores　of　flashing　crystal　arches。　Nor　were　these　bridgeseven　from　that　distance　I　knew　they　were　no　bridges。　From　them　came　the　crystalline　murmurings。
  Jade？　This　stream　jade？　If　so　then　it　must　be　in　truth　molten；　for　I　caught　its　swift　and　polished　rushing！　It　was　no　jade。　It　was　in　truth　a　river；　a　river　running　like　a　writing　across　a　patterned　plane。
  I　looked　upwardup　to　the　circling　peaks。　They　were　a　stupendous　coronet　thrusting　miles　deep　into　the　dazzling　sky。　I　raised　my　glasses；　swept　them。　In　color　they　were　an　immense　and　variegated　flower　with　countless　multiform　petals　of　stone；　in　outline　they　were　a　ring　of　fortresses　built　by　fantastic　unknown　Gods。
  Up　they　thrustdomed　and　arched；　spired　and　horned；　pyramided；　fanged　and　needled。　Here　were　palisades　of　burning　orange　with　barbicans　of　incandescent　bronze；　there　aiguilles　of　azure　rising　from　bastions　of　cinnabar　red；　turrets　of　royal　purple；　obelisks　of　indigo；　titanic　forts　whose　walls　were　splashed　with　vermilion；　with　citron　yellows　and　with　rust　of　rubies；　watch　towers　of　flaming　scarlet。
  Scattered　among　them　were　the　flashing　emeralds　of　the　glaciers　and　the　immense　pallid　baroques　of　the　snow　fields。
  Like　a　diadem　the　summits　ringed　the　Pit。　Below　them　ran　the　ring　of　flashing　amethyst　with　its　aural　mists。　Between　them　lay　the　vast　and　patterned　flat　covered　with　still　symbol　and　inexplicable　movement。　Under　their　summits　brooded　the　blue　black；　metallic　mass　of　the　Seeing　City。
  Within　circling　walls；　over　plain　and　from　the　City　hovered　a　cosmic　spirit　not　to　be　understood　by　man。　Like　an　emanation　of　stars　and　space；　it　was　yet　gem　fine　and　gem　hard；　crystalline　and　metallic；　lapidescent　and
  Conscious！
  Down　from　the　ledge　where　we　stood　fell　a　steep　ramp；　similar　to　that　by　which；　in　the　darkness；　we　had　descended。　It　dropped　at　an　angle　of　at　least　forty…five　degrees；　its　surface　was　smooth　and　polished。
  Through　the　mists　at　our　back　stole　a　shining　block。　It　paused；　seemed　to　perk　itself；　spun　so　that　in　turn　each　of　its　six　faces　took　us　in。
  I　felt　myself　lifted　upon　it　by　multitudes　of　little　invisible　hands；　saw　Drake　whirling　up　beside　me。　I　moved　toward　himthrough　the　force　that　held　us。　A　block　swept　away　from　the　ledge；　swayed　for　a　moment。　Under　us；　as　though　we　were　floating　in　air；　the　Pit　lay　stretched。　There　was　a　rapid　readjustment；　a　shifting　of　our　two　selves　upon　another　surface。　I　looked　down　upon　a　tremen