Країна сліпих

           "Sight?"mutteredPedro."Sight?" 

           "Hecomes,"saidthesecondblindman,"outoftherocks." 

           TheclothoftheircoatsNunezsawwascuriouslyfashioned,eachwithadifferentsortofstitching. 

           Theystartledhimbyasimultaneousmovementtowardshim,eachwithahandoutstretched. Hesteppedbackfromtheadvanceofthesespreadfingers. 

           "Comehither,"saidthethirdblindman,followinghismotionandclutchinghimneatly. 

           AndtheyheldNunezandfelthimover,sayingnowordfurtheruntiltheyhaddoneso. 

           "Carefully,"hecried,withafingerinhiseye,andfoundtheythoughtthatorgan,withitsflutteringlids,aqueerthinginhim. Theywentoveritagain. 

           "Astrangecreature,Correa,"saidtheonecalledPedro. "Feelthecoarsenessofhishair.Likeallama’shair." 

           "Roughheisastherocksthatbegothim,"saidCorrea,investigatingNunez’sunshavenchinwithasoftandslightlymoisthand. "Perhapshewillgrowfiner." Nunezstruggledalittleundertheirexamination,buttheygrippedhimfirm. 

           "Carefully,"hesaidagain. 

           "Hespeaks,"saidthethirdman."Certainlyheisaman." 

           "Ugh!"saidPedro,attheroughnessofhiscoat. 

           "Andyouhavecomeintotheworld?"askedPedro. 

           "Outoftheworld.Overmountainsandglaciers;rightoverabovethere,half-waytothesun. Outofthegreatbigworldthatgoesdown,twelvedays’journeytothesea." 

           Theyscarcelyseemedtoheedhim. "OurfathershavetoldusmenmaybemadebytheforcesofNature,"saidCorrea. "Itisthewarmthofthingsandmoisture,androttenness—rottenness." 

           "Letusleadhimtotheelders,"saidPedro.