MS-HRC-SB-5-10

[1865] effort, strong enough to tear him from where he is ^{[place = supralinear] lies}.[1866] Or perhaps one
day they will let ^{[place = supralinear] leave} him be ^{[place = supralinear] alon [place = supralinear] in peace}, letting go their hands, filling up the
holes and departing, towards more profitable occupations, in
Indian file.[1867] For a decision must be reached, the scales must tilt,
to one side or the other.[1868] No, one can spend one's lifet thus,
unable to live, unable to bring to life, and die in vain, having
done nothing, been nothing.

[1869] It is strange they do not go and fetch
him where he lies in his den, since they seem to have access to
it.[1870] They dare not.[1871] The air in the midst of which he lies is not
for them, but they want him to breathe theirs.[1872] They could set a
dof ^{[place = overwritten] g} on him perhaps, with instructions to drag him out.[1873] But no
dog would survive there either, no ^{[place = supralinear] t} for a second.[1874] With a long pole
perhaps, with a hook at the end.

[1875] But the place where he lies is
vast, that's interesting, he is far away, too far for them to reach
him even with the longest pole.[1876] That tiny blur, in ^{[place = supralinear] at} the middle ^{[place = supralinear] [⁁] bottom [place = supralinear] in the depths} of
the pit, is he.[1877] There he is now in a pit.[1878] Everything will have
been tried. ^{[place = supralinear] No stone will have been left unturned. [place = supralinear] [⁁] No possibility will have been left unexplored.}[1879] They say they see him, the blur is what they see, they
say the blur is he.[1880] Perhaps it is.[1881] They say he hears them, they
don't know, perhaps he does, yes, he hears, nothing else is cer-
tain, Worm hears, though hear is not the word, but it will do, ^{[place = inline] (}it
will ^{[place = inline] )} have to ^{[place = supralinear] must} do.

[1882] They look down upon him then, according to the
latest news, he'll have to climb to reach them.[1883] Ba, t Bah, the
latest news, the latest news is not the last.[1884] The slopes are gentle
that meet where he lies, they flatten out under him, it is not
a meeting, it is not a pit, that didn't take long, soon we'll have
him perched on an eminence.

[1885] They don't know what to say, to be
able to believe in him, what to inc ^{[place = overwritten] v}ent, to be reassured, they see
nothing, they see grey, like still smoke, unbroken, where he might
be, if he must be somewhere, where they have decreed he is, into
which they launch their voices, one after another, in the hope of
dislodging him, hearing him stir, seeing him loom within reach of
their gaffs, hooks, barbs, grapnels, saved at last, home at last.

[1886] And now that's enough about them, their usefulness is over, no,
not yet, better let them stay, they may still serve, stay where
they are, turning
they are, turning in a ring, launching their voices, through the
hole, there must be a hole for the voices too.