The lame boy Sarnidac tended sheep on a hill to the southward of the
city. Sarnidac was a dwarf and greatly derided in the city. For the
women said:

"It is very funny that Sarnidac is a dwarf," and they would point their
fingers at him saying:--"This is Sarnidac, he is a dwarf; also he is
very lame."

Once the doors of all the temples in the world swung open to the
morning, and Sarnidac with his sheep upon the hill saw strange figures
going down the white road, always southwards. All the morning he saw
the dust rising above the strange figures and always they went
southwards right as far as the rim of the Nydoon hills where the white
road could be seen no more. And the figures stooped and seemed to be
larger than men, but all men seemed very large to Sarnidac, and he
could not see clearly through the dust. And Sarnidac shouted to them,
as he hailed all people that passed down the long white road, and none
of the figures looked to left or right and none of them turned to
answer Sarnidac. But then few people ever answered him because he was
lame, and a small dwarf.

Still the figures went striding swiftly, stooping forward through the
dust, till at last Sarnidac came running down his hill to watch them
closer. As he came to the white road the last of the figures passed
him, and Sarnidac ran limping behind him down the road.

For Sarnidac was weary of the city wherein all derided him, and when he
saw these figures all hurrying away he thought that they went perhaps