"
"There is our palm grove," she cried, pointing to a few stunted trees
whose fronds showed above the rock-strewn bank of a small wady, or
ravine, which cut through the center of the shelving plateau they were
crossing. "The ground is fairly clear here. Shall we try a canter?"
Without waiting for a reply she pressed her pony into a steady gallop.
Royson responded to her wayward mood, and followed her lead. Though the
sun was so hot that their hands would have blistered if unprotected by
gloves, the clean, dry air-current created by the rapid motion was
exhilarating in the extreme. They were riding through a lost continent,
yet its savage ruin was sublimely beautiful. The comparatively level
spot that allowed the luxury of a gallop was made up of sand and
stones, with here and there a black rock thrusting its bold contour
above the shingle. A curiously habitable aspect was given to the desert
by numbers of irregular alluvial mounds which, on examination, were
found to consist of caked soil held together by the roots of trees.
Pages:
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306