До Адама
Chapter XI
Herethemainforceofthecurrentwasflungbacktowardthesouthshore,andtheresultofourpaddlingwasthatwecrossedthecurrentwhereitwasswiftestandnarrowest.Beforewewereaware,wewereoutofitandinaquieteddy.
Ourlogsdriftedslowlyandatlastgroundedgentlyonthebank.Lop-EarandIcreptashore.Thelogsdriftedonoutoftheeddyandsweptawaydownthestream.Welookedateachother,butwedidnotlaugh.Wewereinastrangeland,anditdidnotenterourmindsthatwecouldreturntoourownlandinthesamemannerthatwehadcome.
Wehadlearnedhowtocrossariver,thoughwedidnotknowit.AndthiswassomethingthatnooneelseoftheFolkhadeverdone.WewerethefirstoftheFolktosetfootonthenorthbankoftheriver,and,forthatmatter,Ibelievethelast.Thattheywouldhavedonesointhetimetocomeisundoubted;butthemigrationoftheFirePeople,andtheconsequentmigrationofthesurvivorsoftheFolk,setbackourevolutionforcenturies.
Indeed,thereisnotellinghowdisastrouswastobetheoutcomeoftheFirePeople’smigration.Personally,IampronetobelievethatitbroughtaboutthedestructionoftheFolk;thatwe,abranchoflowerlifebuddingtowardthehuman,werenippedshortoffandperisheddownbytheroaringsurfwheretheriverenteredthesea.Ofcourse,insuchaneventuality,Iremaintobeaccountedfor;butIoutrunmystory,andsuchaccountingwillbemadebeforeIamdone.