is first peep over the
grass, there, directly before him, loomed the great blue hills, or
Sierras as they are called in that country. He had often seen them,
long ago in his distant home on clear mornings, when they had
appeared like a blue cloud on the horizon. He had even wished to get
to them, to tread their beautiful blue summits that looked as if
they would be soft to his feet--softer than the moist springy turf
on the plain; but he wished it only as one wishes to get to some
far-off impossible place--a white cloud, for instance, or the blue
sky itself. Now all at once he unexpectedly found himself near them,
and the sight fired him with a new desire. The level plain had
nothing half so enchanting as the cloud-like blue airy hills, and
very soon he was up on his feet and hurrying towards them. In spite
of hurrying he did not seem to get any nearer; still it was pleasant
to be always going on and on, knowing that he would get to them at
last. He had now left the drier plains behind; the earth was clothed
with green and yellow grass easy to the feet, and during the day he
found many sweet roots to refresh him. He also found quantities of
cam-berries, a round fruit a little less than a cherry in size,
bright yellow in colour, and each berry inside a green case or
sheath shaped like a heart. They were very sweet. At night he slept
once more in the long grass, and when daylight returned he travelled
on, feeling very happy there alone--happy to think that he would get
to the beautiful hills at last. But only in the early morning would
they look distinct and near; later in the day, when the sun grew hot,
they would seem further off, like a cloud resting on the earth,
which made him think sometimes that they moved on as he went towards
them.

On the third day he came to a high piece of ground; and when he got
to the top and looked over to the other side he saw a broad green
valley with a stream of water running in it: on one hand the valley
with its gleaming water stretched away as far as he could see, or
until it lost itself in the distant haze; but on the other hand, on
looking up the valley, there appeared a great forest, looking blue
in the distance; and this was the first forest Martin had ever seen.
Close by, down in the green valley before him, there was something
else to attract his attention, and this was a large group of men and
horses. No sooner had he caught sight of them than he set off at a
run towards them