ok round at his pursuers until it was gained, and
he had stumbled across the bridge, clambered a little way among the
rocks, to the surprise and dismay of a young llama, who went
leaping out of sight, and lay down sobbing for breath.

And so his _coup d'etat_ came to an end.

He stayed outside the wall of the valley of the blind for two
nights and days without food or shelter, and meditated upon the
Unexpected. During these meditations he repeated very frequently
and always with a profounder note of derision the exploded proverb:
"In the Country of the Blind the One-Eyed Man is King." He thought
chiefly of ways of fighting and conquering these people, and it
grew clear that for him no practicable way was possible. He had no
weapons, and now it would be hard to get one.

The canker of civilisation had got to him even in Bogota, and
he could not find it in himself to go down and assassinate a blind
man. Of course, if he did that, he might then dictate terms on the
threat of assassinating them all. But--Sooner or later he must
sleep! . . . .

He tried also to find food among the pine trees, to be comfortable
under pine boughs while the frost fell at night, and--with
less confidence--to catch a llama by artifice in order to try
to kill it--perhaps by hammering it with a stone--and so finally,
perhaps, to eat some of it. But the llamas had a doubt of him and
regarded him with distrustful brown eyes and spat when he drew
near. Fear came on him the second day and fits of shivering.
Finally he crawled down to the wall of the Country of the Blind and
tried to make his terms. He crawled along by the stream, shouting,
until two blind men came out to the gate and talked to him.

"I was mad," he said. "But I was only newly made."

They said that was better.

He told them he was wiser now, and repented of all he had
done.

Then he wept without intention, for he was very weak and ill
now, and they took that as a favourable sign.

They asked him if he still thought he could "_see_."

"No," he said. "That was folly. The word means nothing.
Less than nothing!"

They asked him what was overhead.

"About ten times ten the height of a man there is a roof above
the world--of rock--and very, very smooth. So smooth--so
beautifully smooth . ." He burst again into hysterical tears.
"Before you ask me any more, give me some food or I shall die!"

He expected dire punishments, but these blind people were
capable of