We
had only to conquer Nature, find out her secrets, make her our obedient
slave, then the earth would be Eden, and every man Adam and every Woman
Eve. We are still marching bravely on, conquering Nature, but how weary
and sad we are getting! The old joy in life and gaiety of heart have
vanished, though we do sometimes pause for a few moments in our long
forced march to watch the labours of some pale mechanician seeking
after perpetual motion and indulge in a little dry, cackling laugh at
his expense.
CHAPTER XXII
After leaving John and Candelaria's home of liberty and love, nothing
further worth recording happened till I had nearly reached the desired
haven of the Lomas de Rocha, a place which I was, after all, never
destined to see except from a great distance. A day unusually brilliant
even for this bright climate was drawing to a close, it being within
about two hours of sunset, when I turned out of my way to ascend a
hill with a very long, ridge-like summit, falling away at one end,
appearing like the last sierra of a range just where it dies down into
the level plain; only in this instance the range itself did not exist.
The solitary hill was covered with short tussocks of yellow, wiry
grass, with occasional bushes, while near the summit large slabs of
sandstone appeared just above the surface, looking like gravestones
in some old village churchyard, with all their inscriptions obliterated
by time and weather.
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