The Rocky Island | Page 9

lightly and pleasantly. Sometimes, indeed, they seemed greatly startled
after taking their first step out of it, and some of them turned straight
back, and after a few struggles, more or less, such always got into it
again. But if once after this first check they set out for the plain, they
seemed to go easily along, until their path lay straight by the den of
some destroying beast, or led them into the midst of the pitfalls, where
they wholly lost their reckoning, and knew not how to get on, or how to
get back.
I saw, too, after a while, that they had got lanterns in their hands, some
of which gave a great deal of light. Those which were carried along the
narrow path shot out bright rays on all sides, until towards the end they
quite blazed with light. I could see, too, that these travellers had some
way of trimming and dressing their lamps; and that much of their light
seemed to come from an open book which they carried in their hands,
from the leaves of which there flashed out continually streams of light,
which made their lamps burn so brightly that all their road shone with it.
But as they got further and further from the path, their lamps began to
burn dim. All these travellers, too, had the book of light closed; or if
they now and then opened it, they shut it up again, some carelessly, and
some as if its light frightened them; and not one could I see who
stopped to trim his light: so that just when they got amongst the pitfalls,
and wanted light the most, they were all the most nearly in darkness.
Now, when I had looked at them for a space, and wondered, my guide

said to me, "Wouldst thou see how they enter on this plain?" Then he
took me to a fair porch, which came from the wilderness I had looked
upon before; and there I saw a man standing in white robes, and
speaking good words, and giving good gifts to each one as he came in.
There were persons coming in of all nations and people, and some, too,
of all ages, though the greatest number were little children, so small
that their little hands would not hold the man's gifts, and so he hung
them round their necks, for them to use as soon as they were able.
Then I joined myself to the group, to hear and see the better what was
passing. The man in white was speaking with a grave kind voice as I
came up. He told the pilgrims that the great Lord of the land had built
that porch, and set him there to help the poor travellers, who were
before without hope or help amongst the beasts, and snares, and pitfalls
of the terrible wilderness; he told them that the blood of the King's own
Son had been shed, that that porch might be built; that the King had
prepared them a narrow way to walk in, which led straight from that
porch to His own blessed presence, and that they might all pass along it
safely if they would; he told them that if they left that path, they would
surely get again amongst the pitfalls which they had left in the
wilderness; nay, that they would be worse off than they had been even
there, for that there was no other porch where they could again be set
right, and no other place where the gifts that he was giving them now,
could ever be got any more, if they were once thrown quite away.
Then I looked to see what these gifts were. I saw the man bring forth
clear and sparkling water, which shone as if with living light; and with
this he washed from them the dirt and the bruises of the terrible
wilderness: with this, too, he touched their little lamps, and as it
touched them, they grew so bright and clear, that the light within
poured freely forth on all around them. Then he looked in their faces,
and gave them a name, which he wrote down in the King's book; and
he told them, that by this name they should be known, not only by their
fellow-travellers, but that this would remain written in the King's book
here, unless they wholly left His path; and that every name which
remained written here, they would find written in another book in
letters of gold and of fire, when they reached the other end of the path;

and that for every pilgrim, whose name was written there, the golden
gate would open of itself, and he would find a place and a crown in the
presence of the King.