He left it and entered the
rougher country. Thereafter no great bursts of speed were possible,
because the runner had to pick his way. He ran, not with a steady
pace, each stride equal to the preceding, but with bounds, aside and
forward, dimly calculating the safety of the footfall.
Suddenly a column of sand rose under his feet, and he dashed through
it. Blinded and choking, he cleared his eyes, caught his breath and
ran on. A gust of wind, like a breath of flame, met him from the east
and passed. Then he realized that the atmosphere had thickened, as if
an opaque cloud of heat had enveloped the earth. He glanced at the sky
and saw that it was strewn with fragmentary clouds, but a little south
and east of him was the pillar, unmoving and gilded royally.
There was storm in the air.
Finally the region began to grow level, proving the proximity to the
sea. In another moment he came upon the old sea bed. It was sandy,
sedge-grown, with here and there a palm, and tremendously trampled.
Israel had passed this way.
The clash and ring of meeting metal fell on his ear. He looked and saw
ahead of him two men fighting with a third. Three horses with empty
saddles nervously watched the fray.
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