About midday at last throat gorge plain sunlight stiff and weary; he sat down shadow of rock, filled up his flask with water from spring and drank it down, and remained for time resting before he went on houses

They were very strange eyes, and indeed the whole aspect valley became, as he regarded it, queerer and more unfamiliar The greater part 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 wall, and what appeared circumferential water-channel, the little trickles of water that fed the meadow plants came, and higher slopes above this flocks of llamas cropped the scanty herbage Sheds, apparently shelters or feeding-places llamas, stood against the boundary wall here and there The irrigation streams ran together into main channel down the centre valley, and enclosed on either side by wall breast high This gave singularly urban quality secluded place, quality that was greatly enhanced fact that number of paths paved with black and white stones, and each with curious little kerb side, ran hither and thither in an orderly manner The houses central village were quite unlike the casual and higgledy-piggledy agglomeration mountain villages ; they stood in continuous row on either side of central street of astonishing cleanness; here and there their particoloured facade was pierced by door, and not solitary window broke their even frontage They were particoloured with extraordinary irregularity, smeared with sort of plaster that was sometimes grey, sometimes drab, sometimes slate-coloured or dark brown; and it sight wild plastering first brought the word "blind" thoughts explorer "The good man who did that," he thought, "must as blind as bat "

He descended steep place, and so came wall and channel that ran valley, near where the latter spouted out its surplus contents deeps gorge in thin and wavering thread of cascade now see number of resting on piled heaps of grass, taking siesta, remoter part meadow, and nearer the village number of recumbent children, and then nearer at hand three men carrying pails on yokes along little path that ran encircling wall towards the houses These latter were clad in garments of llama cloth and boots and belts of leather, wore caps of cloth with back and ear flaps They followed one another in single file, walking slowly and yawning walked, like men who up all night something so reassuringly prosperous and respectable in their bearing that after moment's hesitation Nunez stood forward as conspicuously as possible upon his rock, and gave vent to mighty shout that echoed round the valley

The three men stopped, and moved their heads they were looking They turned their faces , and Nunez gesticulated with freedom But appear him for all his gestures, and after time, directing themselves towards the mountains far away right, they shouted in answer Nunez bawled again, and then once more, and as he gestured ineffectually the word "blind" came top thoughts "The fools blind,"

When at last, after much shouting and wrath, Nunez crossed the stream by little bridge, came through gate wall, and approached them, sure were blind sure Country Blind the legends told Conviction had sprung upon him, and sense of great and rather enviable adventure The three stood side by side, not looking at him, but with their ears directed towards him, judging him by his unfamiliar steps They stood close together like men little afraid, and he their eyelids closed and sunken, the very balls beneath had shrunk away an expression near awe on their faces

"A man," one said, in hardly recognisable Spanish--"a man --a man or spirit--coming down rocks "

But Nunez advanced confident steps of youth who enters upon life All the old stories lost valley Country Blind had come back mind, and through his thoughts ran this old proverb, it were refrain--

" Country Blind the One-eyed Man is King "

" Country Blind the One-eyed Man is King "

And very civilly them greeting He talked and used his eyes

"Where does he come from, brother Pedro ? " asked one

"Down rocks "

"Over the mountains I come," said Nunez, " country beyond there--where men From near Bogota, where hundred thousands of people, and where the city passes out of sight "

"Sight ? " muttered Pedro "Sight ? "

"He comes," said the second blind man, " rocks "

The cloth coats Nunez saw was curiously fashioned, each with different sort of stitching

They startled him by simultaneous movement towards him, each with hand outstretched He stepped back advance spread fingers

"Come hither," said the third blind man, following his motion and clutching him neatly

held Nunez and felt him over, saying no word further until they had done so

"Carefully," he cried, with finger eye, and found they thought that organ, with its fluttering lids, queer thing in him They went over it again

"A strange creature, Correa," said the one called Pedro "Feel the coarseness hair Like llama's hair "

"Rough rocks that begot him," said Correa, investigating Nunez's unshaven chin with soft and slightly moist hand "Perhaps grow finer " Nunez struggled little under their examination, but they gripped him firm

"Carefully," again

"He speaks," said the third man "Certainly man "

"Ugh ! " said Pedro, roughness coat

"And come world ? " asked Pedro

"_Out world Over mountains and glaciers; right over above there, half-way sun great big world that goes down, twelve days' journey sea "

They scarcely seemed to heed him "Our fathers have told us men made forces of Nature," said Correa " warmth of things and moisture, and rottenness--rottenness "

" lead him elders," said Pedro

"Shout first," said Correa, "lest the children be afraid . marvellous occasion "

So they shouted, and Pedro went first and took Nunez hand to lead him houses

He drew his hand away " ,"

"See ? " said Correa

"Yes, see," said Nunez, turning towards him, and stumbled against Pedro's pail

"His senses are still imperfect," said the third blind man "He stumbles, and talks unmeaning words Lead him hand "

" ," said Nunez, and was led along, laughing

It seemed they knew nothing of sight

Well, all in teach them

He heard people shouting, and saw number of figures gathering together middle roadway village

it tax his nerve and patience more than he had anticipated, that first encounter population Country Blind The place seemed larger as he drew near , smeared plasterings queerer, and crowd of children and (the women and girls, pleased to note, had quite sweet faces, for all that their eyes were shut and sunken) came about him, holding on to him, touching him with soft, sensitive hands, smelling at him, and listening at every word he spoke maidens and children, however, kept aloof afraid, and indeed his voice seemed coarse and rude beside their softer notes They mobbed him His three guides kept close to him with an effect of proprietorship, and said again and again, "A wild man rock "

"Bogota," "Bogota Over the mountain crests "

"A wild man--using wild words," said Pedro "Did you hear that-- _Bogota ? His mind is hardly formed yet He has only the beginnings of speech "

little boy nipped his hand "Bogota ! " mockingly

"Ay ! city to your village I come great world--where men have eyes "

"His name's Bogota," they said

"He stumbled," said Correa, "stumbled twice came hither "

"Bring him elders "

thrust him suddenly through doorway into room as black as pitch, save end there faintly glowed fire The crowd closed in behind him and shut out all but the faintest glimmer of day, and before arrest himself he had fallen headlong over the feet of seated man His arm, outflung, struck the face of someone else as he went down; the soft impact of features and heard cry of anger, and for moment he struggled against number of hands that clutched him one-sided fight An inkling situation came to him, and he lay quiet

"I fell down," ; "I couldn't see pitchy darkness "