ehind these others were now coming out of the street of
houses.

Should he charge them?

"Bogota!" called one. "Bogota! where are you?"

He gripped his spade still tighter and advanced down the
meadows towards the place of habitations, and directly he moved
they converged upon him. "I'll hit them if they touch me," he
swore; "by Heaven, I will. I'll hit." He called aloud, "Look
here, I'm going to do what I like in this valley! Do you hear?
I'm going to do what I like and go where I like."

They were moving in upon him quickly, groping, yet moving
rapidly. It was like playing blind man's buff with everyone
blindfolded except one. "Get hold of him!" cried one. He found
himself in the arc of a loose curve of pursuers. He felt suddenly
he must be active and resolute.

"You don't understand," he cried, in a voice that was meant to
be great and resolute, and which broke. "You are blind and I can
see. Leave me alone!"

"Bogota! Put down that spade and come off the grass!"

The last order, grotesque in its urban familiarity, produced
a gust of anger. "I'll hurt you," he said, sobbing with emotion.
"By Heaven, I'll hurt you! Leave me alone!"

He began to run--not knowing clearly where to run. He ran
from the nearest blind man, because it was a horror to hit him. He
stopped, and then made a dash to escape from their closing ranks.
He made for where a gap was wide, and the men on either side, with
a quick perception of the approach of his paces, rushed in on one
another. He sprang forward, and then saw he must be caught, and
_swish!_ the spade had struck. He felt the soft thud of hand
and arm, and the man was down with a yell of pain, and he was
through.

Through! And then he was close to the street of houses again,
and blind men, whirling spades and stakes, were running with a
reasoned swiftness hither and thither.

He heard steps behind him just in time, and found a tall man
rushing forward and swiping at the sound of him. He lost his
nerve, hurled his spade a yard wide of this antagonist, and whirled
about and fled, fairly yelling as he dodged another.

He was panic-stricken. He ran furiously to and fro, dodging
when there was no need to dodge, and, in his anxiety to see on
every side of him at once, stumbling. For a moment he was down and
they heard his fall. Far away in the circumferential wall a little
doorway looked like Heaven, and he set off in a wild rush for it.
He did not even lo