Thus knelt the row of five or six with bended
heads under the fluttering sail, while the central stream of the River
Yann took them on towards the sea, and their prayers rose up from
among the lanterns and went towards the stars. And behind them in the
after end of the ship the helmsman prayed aloud the helmsman's prayer,
which is prayed by all who follow his trade upon the River Yann, of
whatever faith they be. And the captain prayed to his little lesser
gods, to the gods that bless Belzoond.
And I too felt that I would pray. Yet I liked not to pray to a jealous
God there where the frail affectionate gods whom the heathen love were
being humbly invoked; so I bethought me, instead, of Sheol Nugganoth,
whom the men of the jungle have long since deserted, who is now
unworshipped and alone; and to him I prayed.
And upon us praying the night came suddenly down, as it comes upon all
men who pray at evening and upon all men who do not; yet our prayers
comforted our own souls when we thought of the Great Night to come.
And so Yann bore us magnificently onwards, for he was elate with
molten snow that the Poltiades had brought him from the Hills of Hap,
and the Marn and Migris were swollen full with floods; and he bore us
in his might past Kyph and Pir, and we saw the lights of Goolunza.
Soon we all slept except the helmsman, who kept the ship in the
midstream of Yann.
When the sun rose the helmsman ceased to sing, for by song he cheered
himself in the lonely night.
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