tone,
with a few blocks and boulders of a harder stone scattered about--and no
vegetation, except the grey mountain lichen and a few sere-looking dwarf
shrubs.

Here Rima, at a distance of a few yards from me, remained standing still
for some minutes, as if to give me time to recover my breath; and I was
right glad to sit down on a stone to rest. Finally she walked slowly
to the centre of the level area, which was about two acres in extent;
rising, I followed her and, climbing on to a huge block of stone, began
gazing at the wide prospect spread out before me. The day was windless
and bright, with only a few white clouds floating at a great height
above and casting travelling shadows over that wild, broken country,
where forest, marsh, and savannah were only distinguishable by their
different colours, like the greys and greens and yellows on a map. At
a great distance the circle of the horizon was broken here and there by
mountains, but the hills in our neighbourhood were all beneath our feet.

After gazing all round for some minutes, I jumped down from my stand
and, leaning against the stone, stood watching the girl, waiting for her
to speak. I felt convinced that she had something of the very highest
importance (to herself) to communicate, and that only the pressing
need of a confidant, not Nuflo, had overcome her shyness of me; and I
determined to let her take her own time to say it in her own way. For a
while she continued silent, her face averted, but her little movements
and the way she clasped and unclasped her fingers showed that she was
anxious and her mind working. Suddenly, half turning to me, she began
speaking eagerly and rapidly.

"Do you see," she said, waving her hand to indicate the whole circuit of
earth, "how large it is? Look!" pointing now to mountains in the west.
"Those are the Vahanas--one, two, three--the highest--I can tell you
their names--Vahana-Chara, Chumi, Aranoa. Do you see that water? It is
a river, called Guaypero. From the hills it comes down, Inaruna is their
name, and you can see them there in the south--far, far." And in this
way she went on pointing out and naming all the mountains and rivers
within sight. Then she suddenly dropped her hands to her sides and
continued: "That is all. Because we can see no further. But the world is
larger than that! Other mountains, other rivers. Have I not told you of
Voa, on the River Voa, where I was born, where mother died, where the
priest ta