nging
from immensity to those applicable to building and paving purposes.
Nowhere have I ever seen more convincing traces of the drift period.

As we were going over an open space where the sun shone more warmly than
elsewhere, a great yellow and black snake lazily dragged itself across
the road directly in front of me.

I was sorry to see it, not only because I have an innate loathing of
anything that crawls in this smooth, sinuous, treacherous manner, but
because I had wanted to make the journey without encountering a single
experience of the kind.

According to our friend's representations, mostly derived from her
imagination, aided by a school geography, the ground was fairly
honeycombed with entrances to the abodes of these reptiles, and I fully
expected to find them festooning trees, bushes, and fences, lying in
wait within every tuft of grass, and in fact making my life one hideous,
waking nightmare.

However, this was the first and, as was afterwards proved, the last
creature of the kind I was called upon to view, either during my trip or
my subsequent residence in the country up to the present time. Lizards I
saw in plenty, but their shy, quick way of darting out of sight reminded
me more of the bashful little squirrels at home than anything else. I
really liked them, in their place of course.

It still lacked an hour of noon when we came to a running brook, upon
whose bank grew a tree casting such an inviting shade that we could not
resist its fascinations but dismounted, tied our mules, and began to
wish and watch for the appearance of Eduardo.

Presently Vincent like

"Zaccheus, he
Did climb a tree."

the sooner to perceive the coming of the expected lunch, and I indulged
in a nap. The approach of a horseman aroused me, and false hopes
together, and also brought my companion to the ground.

The rider, a young, good-looking man, whose toilet was the nearest
approach to a civilized one I had recently come across, despite his bare
feet, to which were strapped spurs, drew up in the middle of the brook,
and after the customary friendly greeting, proceeded to inspect us in a
most leisurely way.

Time, a good deal of time, passed before our servant came, but there he
sat. The lunch was spread and partaken of long and heartily, and still
he calmly surveyed us, not at all in an impertinent way, but just as if
he were honestly interested. We offered him some jelly, which he ate in
a totally