It
was not until I had passed the village of St. Vauxains, and had reached the
top of the line of hills beyond, that the character of the country changed
decisively. Now, as I left the broad and favoured valley, and reached
the brow of the hilly range that helps to keep the water stagnant and
imprisoned in the Double, meadow and corn-field grew scarcer and scarcer,
and then passed altogether into the wooded moorland. Cultivation returned
at intervals, then vanished again. I was upon an undulating plateau with
far-off higher hills closing the horizon all around. The reclaimed land was
in the hollows or upon the surrounding slopes; but here, too, the scrubby
forest might be seen stretching for miles without a break. The heat was
intense, and the sky had become stormy.
When I left Riberac the blue above was without a spot, but now heavy masses
of cloud were hovering in the sky. As yet there was not wind enough to
rustle a leaf, and the dwarf oaks gave little shelter from the ardent sun.
The air that rose from the heather and bracken was like the breath of a
furnace. There were a few scattered cottages and farm-buildings, lying
chiefly near the road, and the turkeys and geese that roamed around them
were a sign that they were inhabited; but I rarely saw a human being.
Pages:
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280