The Country of the Blind by H.G. Wells
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the country of_the blind

by H .G .Wells

three hundred miles and more from Chimborazo, one hundred from_the snows of Cotopaxi, in_the wildest wastes of Ecuador's Andes, there lies that mysterious mountain valley, cut off from_the world of men, the country of_the blind . long years_ago that valley lay so_far open to_the world that men might come at last through frightful gorges and over an icy pass into its equable meadows; and thither indeed men came, a family or so of Peruvian half-breeds fleeing from_the lust and tyranny of an evil Spanish ruler . then came the stupendous outbreak of Mindobamba, when it_was night in Quito for seventeen days, and_the water was boiling at Yaguachi and all the fish floating dying even as far as Guayaquil; everywhere along the pacific slopes there were land-slips and swift thawings and sudden floods, and one whole side of_the old Arauca crest slipped and came down in thunder, and cut off the country of_the blind for ever from_the exploring feet of men . but one_of_these early settlers had chanced to_be on_the hither side of_the gorges when_the world had so terribly shaken itself, and he perforce had to forget his wife and_his child and all the friends and possessions he had left up there, and start life over again in_the lower world . he started it again but ill, blindness overtook him, and he died of punishment in_the mines; but the story he_told begot a legend that lingers along the length of_the Cordilleras of_the Andes to_this day .

he_told of_his reason for venturing back from_that fastness, into which he had first been carried lashed to a llama, beside a vast bale of gear, when he_was a child . the valley, he_said, had in_it all that_the heart of man could desire-- sweet water, pasture, and even climate, slopes of rich brown soil with tangles of a shrub that bore an excellent fruit, and on one side great hanging forests of pine that held the avalanches high . far overhead, on three sides, vast cliffs of grey- green rock were capped by cliffs of ice; but the glacier stream came not to_them but flowed away by_the farther slopes, and only now_and_then huge ice masses fell on_the valley side . in_this valley it neither rained nor snowed, but the abundant springs gave a rich green pasture, that irrigation would spread over all the valley space . the settlers did well indeed there . their beasts did well and multiplied, and but one_thing marred their happiness . yet it_was enough to mar it greatly .a strange disease had come upon them, and had made all the children born to_them there-- and indeed, several older children also-- blind . it_was to seek some charm or antidote against this plague of blindness that he had with fatigue and danger and difficulty returned down the gorge . in those days, in_such cases, men did_not think of germs and infections but of sins; and it seemed to him that_the reason of_this affliction must lie in_the negligence of_these priestless immigrants to set up a shrine so soon as_they entered the valley . he_wanted a shrine--a handsome, cheap, effectual shrine-- to_be erected in_the valley; he_wanted relics and such- like potent things of faith, blessed objects and mysterious medals and prayers . in_his wallet he had a bar of native silver for_which he_would_not account; he insisted there_was none in_the valley with something of_the insistence of an inexpert liar . they had all clubbed their money and ornaments together, having little need for such treasure up there, he_said, to_buy them holy help against their ill .I figure this dim- eyed young mountaineer, sunburnt, gaunt, and anxious, hat- brim clutched feverishly, a man all unused to_the ways of_the lower world, telling this story to some keen- eyed, attentive priest before_the great convulsion; I_can picture him presently seeking to return with pious and infallible remedies against that trouble, and_the infinite dismay with_which he_must_have faced the tumbled vastness where the gorge had once come out . but the rest of_his story of mischances is lost to_me, save that I_know of_his evil death after several years . poor stray from_that remoteness ! the stream that had once made the gorge now bursts from_the mouth of a rocky cave, and_the legend his poor, ill- told story set going developed into_the legend of a race of blind men somewhere " over there" one may still hear to- day .

and amidst the little population of_that now isolated and forgotten valley the disease ran its course . the old became groping and purblind, the young saw but dimly, and_the children that were born to_them saw never at all . but life was very easy in_that snow-rimmed basin, lost to all the world, with neither thorns nor briars, with no evil insects nor any beasts save the gentle breed of llamas they had lugged and thrust and followed up the beds of_the shrunken rivers in_the gorges up which they had come . the seeing had become purblind so gradually that_they scarcely noted their loss . they guided the sightless youngsters hither and thither until they knew the whole valley marvellously, and when at last sight died out among them the race lived on . they had even time to adapt themselves to_the blind control of fire, which they made carefully in stoves of stone . they were a simple strain of people at_the first, unlettered, only slightly touched with_the Spanish civilisation, but with something of a tradition of_the arts of old Peru and of_its lost philosophy . generation followed generation . they forgot many things; they devised many things . their tradition of_the greater world they came from became mythical in colour and uncertain . in all things save sight they were strong and able, and presently the chance of birth and heredity sent one who had an original mind and who_could talk and persuade among them, and then afterwards another . these two passed, leaving their effects, and_the little community grew in numbers and in understanding, and met and settled social and economic problems that arose . generation followed generation . generation followed generation . there came a time when a child was born who was fifteen generations from_that ancestor who went out_of_the valley with a bar of silver to seek god's aid, and who never returned . thereabouts it chanced that a man came into_this community from_the outer world . and this_is_the story of_that man .

he_was a mountaineer from_the country near Quito, a man who had_been down to_the sea and had seen the world, a reader of books in an original way, an acute and enterprising man, and he_was taken on by a party of Englishmen who had come out to Ecuador to climb mountains, to replace one of_their three Swiss guides who had fallen ill . he climbed here and he climbed there, and then came the attempt on Parascotopetl, the Matterhorn of_the Andes, in_which he_was lost to_the outer world . the story of_the accident has_been written a dozen times . pointer's narrative is_the best . he tells how the little party worked their difficult and almost vertical way up_to_the very foot of_the last and greatest precipice, and how they built a night shelter amidst the snow upon a little shelf of rock, and, with a touch of real dramatic power, how presently they found Nunez had gone from_them . they shouted, and there_was no reply; shouted and whistled, and for_the rest of_that night they slept no more .

as_the morning broke they saw the traces of_his fall . it seems impossible he could_have uttered a sound . he had slipped eastward towards the unknown side of_the mountain; far below he had struck a steep slope of snow, and ploughed his way down it in_the midst of a snow avalanche . his track went straight to_the edge of a frightful precipice, and beyond that everything was hidden . far, far below, and hazy with distance, they_could see trees rising out of a narrow, shut- in valley-- the lost country of_the blind . but they_did_not know it was_the lost country of_the blind, nor distinguish it in any_way from any_other narrow streak of upland valley .Unnerved by_this disaster, they abandoned their attempt in_the afternoon, and pointer was called away to_the war before he_could make another attack . to_this day Parascotopetl lifts an unconquered crest, and pointer's shelter crumbles unvisited amidst the snows .

and_the man who fell survived .

at_the end of_the slope he fell a thousand feet, and came down in_the midst of a cloud of snow upon a snow slope even steeper than_the one above . down this he_was whirled, stunned and insensible, but without a bone broken in_his body; and then at last came to gentler slopes, and at last rolled out and lay still, buried amidst asoftening heap of_the white masses that had accompanied and saved him . he_came to himself with a dim fancy that he_was ill in bed; then realised his position with a mountaineer's intelligence, and worked himself loose and, after a rest or so, out until he_saw the stars . he rested flat upon his chest for a space, wondering where he_was and what had happened to him . he explored his limbs, and discovered that several of_his buttons were gone and_his coat turned over his head . his knife had gone from_his pocket and_his hat was lost, though he had tied it under his chin . he recalled that he had_been looking for loose stones to raise his piece of_the shelter wall . his ice-axe had disappeared .

he decided he_must_have fallen, and looked up to_see, exaggerated by_the ghastly light of_the rising moon, the tremendous flight he had taken . for a while he lay, gazing blankly at_that vast pale cliff towering above, rising moment by moment out of asubsiding tide of darkness . its phantasmal, mysterious beauty held him for a space, and then he_was seized with a paroxysm of sobbing laughter .. .

after a great interval of_time he became aware that he_was near the lower edge of_the snow . below, down what_was now amoonlit and practicable slope, he_saw the dark and broken appearance of rock- strewn turf . he struggled to_his feet, aching in every joint and limb, got down painfully from_the heaped loose snow about him, went downward until he_was on_the turf, and there dropped rather than lay beside a boulder, drank deep from_the flask in_his inner pocket, and instantly fell asleep .. .

he_was awakened by_the singing of birds in_the trees far below .

he sat up and perceived he_was on a little alp at_the foot of a vast precipice, that was grooved by_the gully down which he and_his snow had come . over against him another wall of rock reared itself against the sky . the gorge between_these precipices ran east and west and was full of_the morning sunlight, which lit to_the westward the mass of fallen mountain that closed the descending gorge . below him it seemed there_was a precipice equally steep, but behind the snow in_the gully he_found a sort of chimney- cleft dripping with snow- water down which a desperate man might venture . he_found it easier than it seemed, and came at last to another desolate alp, and then after a rock climb of no particular difficulty to a steep slope of trees . he_took his bearings and turned his face up the gorge, for he_saw it opened out above upon green meadows, among which he now glimpsed quite distinctly a cluster of stone huts of unfamiliar fashion . at times his progress was like clambering along the face of a wall, and after a time the rising sun ceased to strike along the gorge, the voices of_the singing birds died away, and_the air grew cold and dark about him . but the distant valley with its houses was all the brighter for_that . he_came presently to talus, and among_the rocks he noted-- for he_was an observant man-- an unfamiliar fern that seemed to clutch out_of_the crevices with intense green hands . he picked a frond or so and gnawed its stalk and found it helpful .

about midday he_came at last out_of_the throat of_the gorge into_the plain and_the sunlight . he_was stiff and weary; he sat down in_the shadow of a rock, filled up his flask with water from a spring and drank it down, and remained for a time resting before he went on to_the houses .

they were very strange to_his eyes, and indeed the whole aspect of_that valley became, as he regarded it, queerer and more unfamiliar . the greater part of_its surface was lush green meadow, starred with many beautiful flowers, irrigated with extraordinary care, and bearing evidence of systematic cropping piece by piece . high up and ringing the valley about was a wall, and what appeared to_be a circumferential water- channel, from_which the little trickles of water that fed the meadow plants came, and on_the higher slopes above this flocks of llamas cropped the scanty herbage .Sheds, apparently shelters or feeding-places for_the llamas, stood against the boundary wall here and there . the irrigation streams ran together into a main channel down the centre of_the valley, and this_was enclosed on either side by a wall breast high . this gave a singularly urban quality to_this secluded place, a quality that was greatly enhanced by_the fact that a number of paths paved with black and white stones, and each with a curious little kerb at_the side, ran hither and thither in an orderly manner . the houses of_the central

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