Країна сліпих

           Thegreaterpartofitssurfacewaslushgreenmeadow,starredwithmanybeautifulflowers,irrigatedwithextraordinarycare,andbearingevidenceofsystematiccroppingpiecebypiece. Highupandringingthevalleyaboutwasawall,andwhatappearedtobeacircumferentialwater-channel,fromwhichthelittletricklesofwaterthatfedthemeadowplantscame,andonthehigherslopesabovethisflocksofllamascroppedthescantyherbage. Sheds,apparentlysheltersorfeeding-placesforthellamas,stoodagainsttheboundarywallhereandthere. Theirrigationstreamsrantogetherintoamainchanneldownthecentreofthevalley,andthiswasenclosedoneithersidebyawallbreasthigh. Thisgaveasingularlyurbanqualitytothissecludedplace,aqualitythatwasgreatlyenhancedbythefactthatanumberofpathspavedwithblackandwhitestones,andeachwithacuriouslittlekerbattheside,ranhitherandthitherinanorderlymanner. Thehousesofthecentralvillagewerequiteunlikethecasualandhiggledy-piggledyagglomerationofthemountainvillagesheknew;theystoodinacontinuousrowoneithersideofacentralstreetofastonishingcleanness;hereandtheretheirparticolouredfacadewaspiercedbyadoor,andnotasolitarywindowbroketheirevenfrontage. Theywereparticolouredwithextraordinaryirregularity,smearedwithasortofplasterthatwassometimesgrey,sometimesdrab,sometimesslate-colouredordarkbrown; anditwasthesightofthiswildplasteringfirstbroughttheword"blind"intothethoughtsoftheexplorer.