kicked one foot savagely against the
turret to feel again the sensation of life in his limb. Then he struck
himself in his breast with his right fist to feel it there. But in spite
of all he saw a cloud of darkness form beyond the rim of the starlit
horizon and come sweeping over him, coming in black waves that would
rush forward and then stop--forward, and stop--forward and stop.... And
the stops kept time exactly with his heart, and he knew the last stop of
the wave meant the last beat of his heart--then forward ... for the last
time.... "Oh, God, not yet!... Look!"

His heart rallied at the sight and beat faster, making the black waves
pulse, in the flow and ebb of it.... The thing was below him ... a man
... a ghostly, vengeful thing, whose face was fierce in hatred ...
crawling, crawling, up to the rock fence--a snake with the face ... the
eyes of Jud Carpenter....

And the black wave coming in ... and he did so want to live ... just a
little ... just a while longer....

He pushed the wave back, as he gripped for the last time his rifle's
stock, and he knew not whether it was only visions such as he had been
seeing ... or Jud Carpenter really crouching low behind the rock fence,
his double-barrel shotgun aimed ... drawing so fine a bead on both the
unconscious defenders ... going to shoot, and only twenty paces, and now
it rose up, aiming: "_God, it is--it is Jud Carpenter ...
back--back--black wave!" he cried, "and God have mercy on your soul, Jud
Carpenter...._"

And, oh, the nightmare of it!--trying to pull the trigger that would not
be pulled, trying to grip a stock that had grown so large it was now a
tree--a huge tree--flowing red blood instead of sap, red blood over
things, ... and then at last ... thank God ... the trigger ... and the
flash and report ... the flash so far off ... and the report that was
like thunder among the stars ... the stars.... Among the stars ... all
around him ... and Alice on one star throwing him a kiss ... and
saying: "_You saved his life, oh, Richard, and I love you for it!_" A
kiss and forgiveness ... and the two walking out with him ... out into
the dim, blue, Sweet Silence of Things, hand in hand with him, beyond
even the black wave, beyond even the rim of the rainbow that came down
over all ... out--out with music, quaint, sweet, weird music--that
filled his soul so, fitted him ... was he ...

"_I'm ... a pilgrim ... I'm a stranger,
I can tarry--I can tarry bu