Was I not becoming again delirious, there
beyond human aid? Was it not indeed all an illusion
of my madness? I called aloud the names of my
wives and sons, reached out my hands in search of
theirs, even as I walked among the crumbling stones
and in the withered grass.
A noise behind me caused me to turn about. A
wild animal--a lynx--was approaching. The
thought came to me: if I break down here in the
desert--if the fever return and I fail, this beast
will be at my throat. I sprang toward it, shouting.
It trotted tranquilly by within a hand's-breadth of
me and disappeared behind a rock.
A moment later a man's head appeared to rise
out of the ground a short distance away. He was
ascending the farther slope of a low hill whose crest
was hardly to be distinguished from the general
level. His whole figure soon came into view against
the background of grey cloud. He was half naked,
half clad in skins. His hair was unkempt, his beard
long and ragged. In one hand he carried a bow and
arrow; the other held a blazing torch with a long
trail of black smoke. He walked slowly and with
caution, as if he feared falling into some open grave
concealed by the tall grass. This strange apparition
surprised but did not alarm, and taking such a course
as to intercept him I met him almost face to face,
accosting him with the familiar salutation, 'God
keep you.'
He gave no heed, nor did he arrest his pace.
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