He stepped back from the advance of
these spread fingers.
"Come hither," said the third blind man, following his motion
and clutching him neatly.
And they held Nunez and felt him over, saying no word further
until they had done so.
"Carefully," he cried, with a finger in his eye, and found
they thought that organ, with its fluttering lids, a queer thing in
him. They went over it again.
"A strange creature, Correa," said the one called Pedro.
"Feel the coarseness of his hair. Like a llama's hair."
"Rough he is as the rocks that begot him," said Correa,
investigating Nunez's unshaven chin with a soft and slightly moist
hand. "Perhaps he will grow finer."
Nunez struggled a little under their examination, but they
gripped him firm.
"Carefully," he said again.
"He speaks," said the third man. "Certainly he is a man."
"Ugh!" said Pedro, at the roughness of his coat.
"And you have come into the world?" asked Pedro.
"OUT of the world. Over mountains and glaciers; right
over above there, half-way to the sun. Out of the great, big world
that goes down, twelve days' journey to the sea."
They scarcely seemed to heed him. "Our fathers have told us
men may be made by the forces of Nature," said Correa. "It is the
warmth of things, and moisture, and rottenness--rottenness."
"Let us lead him to the elders," said Pedro.
Pages:
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163