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vividly , the mists are brought before the eye ! Then , again , as further specimen of word-painting , read this : " Morning is for the animals of the Pampas the time of repose . Even the hawks and buzzards stand quietly on some low bush or mound , and pay no heed to the little singing-birds flying around ; only long-legged storks cackle and chatter , as they walk slowly in couples or small parties on the flat and dry ridges of the ponds . All the little ground-holes are empty ; whatever lives down there , does not show its . face in the first hours of morning-. The herds of cattle lie chewing their cuds on the rich clover of the plains , and even the horses stand drowsily about , nodding in the cool breeze that rises with the aim .
" How different the scene , when the sun is sinking in the west , and the low bushes of the Pampas throw their long shadows over the grass ! Troops of horses and cattle are up and feeding , their young ones playing about them , as they move through the plains , only picking the best and sweetest pasture in this rich pantry of the Lord . They tramp and neigh in herds over the green-sward , and the soft lowing of the cows mingles with the shrill cry of the hawk , soaring on high , and seeming to have nothing in common with the tribes below . " Hei ! how the horses dart with their riders through the plain , the rattling hoofs
striking sand and turf far out behind , while they answer the well-known sounds of the steeds running wild over the expanse ! Even the caves and ground-holes become alive , though half-an-hour before they seemed empty . How cosily the little bustard sits at his door , keeping his eye on you as you approach ! Yonder is another one—there a third , fourth , fifth and sixth . To the right , just under the waving little shrub , a whole famil y are squatted , delighting in the gambols of the youngest , which has come out this night for the first time , and is quite astounded by all the wonders of the mighty world .
" Owls are flying about , and far behind an ewe , with its new-born lamb , anxiously trying the distant flock , bleats and calls to the poor little thing which can yet hardly keep its feet , and which she cannot leave behind . Already a powerful vulture , which has been circling about the place for some time , is watching the lamb and the mother , to find her one minute only off her guard , and tired of waiting , darts down at last for his prey . But the weak timid ewe has suddenly changed her nature , and with bended head and sparkling eye , has become the assailant , but only advances a few steps , knowing full well that the safety of her young one depends on her presence . The vulture is taken aback by the unlooked-for courage of the dam , and too cowardly to attack , but too greedy to give up , follows at a little distance , keeping his large round eyes on the tottering lamb , while the poor ewe , now pushing and now coaxing , strives to get it quicker along , out of the reach of the dreaded enemy .
" An armadillo glides through the waving grass , and the young postilion raises himself high in his saddle to watch its course , and see if the bended halms will not again betray its presence . " And what is lying there in a pool of water , where a small sinking in the ground stayed the water from the last rain ? It is a dying cow , the green glassy eye growing blind as it stares on the full and luxurious clover that presses softly against her side , in a few days to be infected by her decaying carcass , and trampled under foot by beasts of prey . And here , and everywhere , lie the skeletons of others , some yet covered with the old dry bide , others grown over with fresher and more luxuriant clover .
"Then comes our old friend the stork . How watchful and motionless does he now stand in the small pond , peering into the clear water . He never even looks up at the screaming flight of parrots , which shoot with rapid wing over the plain to seek their nightly resting-place , nor the large troop of fiery-red flamingos , that have taken possession of a neighbouring pond . Only one angry look does he throw over at a large flock of restless , cackling ducks , which dart down in wild and noisy flight into the pond , ruffling the water where it stands . Then again it is watchful as before , staring into the dark and shining tide , to see what supper it will furnish . " There is one chapter— " A Winter Passage across the Cordilleras "we should like to extract entire , but must be content with this : — MULE TEACK ON TBtE MOUNTAINS . " At first the path—for it was but a narrow mule track—led up as slowly nnd On ns broad nnd comfortable a slope as wo could wish for ; but as the sides of the mountain drew closer and closer together , the path began to run by deep and crumbling banks , and the mules witl \ , great difficulty picked their steps . We now passed places where to our left the abyss lay many hundred feet deep , while on the right , impending rocks hung high above us . Hut so gradually did the path alter , so little by little did the ridge narrow , and the wtcep edge of the precipice draw nearer , that I did not notice it at first ; all my attention being taken up by the scenery . Here I saw the first condor , the giant vulture of the Cordilleras , hovering just above our heads . It altered its course in descending , and flew over towards the other side of the hollow , which scorned to me hardly half a mile distant , but the bird became smaller and smaller , appearing at lust not much larger than a crow long before the . passage was crossed . Then 1 felt more thun saw the vastneus ofthe . se mountains , and 1 was going to utop my mule , to have a fairer view , when a cull from my guide , warned me to beware , and look well to my path .
" Tho path , indeed , had become ho narrow that it weim-d to me , an it wound itself round ji projecting rock , absolutely to terminate . I could see nothing more than u thin light streak , as if drawn with u piece of chalk , and I could not believe that this wan our path . The rock round which it went did not show the least cut or notch , where even n goat could have planted its feet , let alone our clumsy mule * . Tho little crumbling pieces of stone which our mules' hoofs kicked over tho precipice , made- mo sensible of the ( lunger , falling straight down to a depth that my blood froze to think of .
" But thin wjvh no placo to Htop at ; and I observed closely the cautious manner in which my guide raised himself in hirt right stirrup , not doubting that wo were now at the spot of which he bad told mo before , and where mules and riders were often thrown over . I was therefore careful not to irritate my mule at a place where it certainly knew better how to go than I did— iiecidents having happened from travellers pulling their bridles at the wrong time . My guide went on very coolly along it trail whore mules had to keep the very edge ; of the precipice . Mules frequently carry j ^ lond over Huh track , when they are very careful not to knock against the over-hanging rock , as tho least pu . sh would kuiuI thorn over the precipice . Our mules , it is true , hud no lond , but they were accustomed to carrying one : and therefore kept tho extreme edgo , to my grout diacoinpowuro . Hut 1 luit
it entirely to its own instinct , only lifting my left foot in the stirrup , as I saw tho vaquiano do , so that , in case of an accident , I might throw myself off its back , and cling to the rock . " But why ,, the reader may ask , did you not get , off the mule at once , and pass dangerous places on foot ? Simply , my reader , in the first place , because tho danger is the same for many miles ; and secondly , because those men who pass their lives in leading travellers over these mountains , know best where to walk , and where to ride , and I followed the example my guide set me . Nor , to tell the truth , did I at the moment think of anything but my mule , as he moved slowly , step by step , round the yawning abyss , with scarcely three inches to spare on either side . As we proceeded , the path got still narrower , the abyss seemed deeper ; and
looking down once , between the mule ' s side and my stirrups , I saw below in the deep hollow a perfect heap of skeletons—mules that must have tumbled down since the last flood—or their bones would have been washed away . In my horror I forgot the warning of the vaquiano , and grasping the reins of my mule , tried to turn it away from the edge , which seemed to me as if it must crumble beneath its next step . My imprudence was near being fatal to me , for turning the head of my mule away from the precipice , it lost its sure footing , stepped aside , and striking the saddle-bags against the rock , it stumbled forward , and—no , dear reader , no such thing—we did not tumble . The mule planted its fore hoofs on a firm part of the crumbling ledge , and lifted itself up again , just as a small piece of stone , loosened by the effort , fell noiselessly from the path , and springing from under us , toppled over , and struck long afterwards with a dull hollow sound into the deep . ' '
These , vre suppose , will sufficiently whet the appetite of our readers , and make them hunger for the book itself . If possible , we will return to the volumes , and borrow two or three more passages ; but in any case let our emphatic commendation close the present notice .
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TRACTS AGAINST SUNDAY REFORM . BATCH THE THIBD . In dealing with our Sabbatarian opponents , hitherto , we have first stated their arguments fairly , ( wherever we found them worthy of attention , ) and have then met them boldly , by every means of honest refutation which lay in our power . With the writers , however , who await review on our present list , to continue any such method of proceeding as we have followed thus far , would be , simply , to waste our own time , and to claim the attention of the reader for a repetition of much that has been already presented to him , in two former articles . The various gentlemen who now engage our notice , denounce and prophesy copiously enough ; but are , apparently , too furiously irritated , by the remotest prospect of any Sunday reform whatever , to descend to the calm and common level of ordinary human reason . In the few cases where any small morsels of argument do peep out , in weakly little paragraphs , they prove to be always just the same sort of mouldy morsels which we have already done our best to demolish . Under these circumstances , hut one course remains to be followed , —that most damaging of all courses , as we venture to think , to such opponents as now confront us , which consists in quietly allowing men to convict themselves out of their own mouths . Batch the Third of Tracts against Sunday lleform , shall receive at our hands the cruel justice of being quoted from verbatim ; for , let us own candidly , at tlie outset , we are quite incapable of exposing the writers , half as completely as tho writers can expose themselves . Let us begin witb a frenzied sermon against tlio very moderate and obviously religious proposal to give the first parfc of Sunday to the Church service , and the second part , only , to the Crystal Palace . Let us listen as reverently as we can to
A HOWL FKOM THE PULPIT BY THE EEVEKEND HENRY JOJfES . " What an insidious attack on England's Sunday—No !—not the Sunday—only half of it ! The ka / f shall still be God ' s ! How long P Till it shall add ' itself to tho other half . Only let us break tho s /'/ pt ! Let us make the day not a day . Let it go forth to the world— ' Sunday is no Sunday , henceforth , in England , when the first stroke has fallen of the declining hours—when tho noon-day sun lias fairly sunk one hour on the dial—the day is cut in two—for God and Pleasure—and —• the sign is gone !—the sign between God and happy England , gone !—and , with the sign , God ' s worship—If is name—His glory—gone from lOngland I '"
All the italics , capitals , dashes , and marks of admiration arc Jones ' s own ; being , as we imagine , intended to represent the different points of the "discourse" at which Jones thumped the pulpit-cushion , in the agonies of delivery . It is remotely probable that tlio reader may not be able- to discern the slightest glimmer of sense or meaning in the passage we have quoted ; which is rather a mild specimen , than otherwise , of tho rest of tho sermon . In that case , we strongly recommend the reading aloud ( very much aloud ) of Jones ' s " howl , " accompanied by thumps on tho softest available household material , according to the italics , dashes , and marks of admiration , which wo have carefully copied in our extract . This process will , wo think , malre the passage quite pleasant and intelligible reading . ( N . B . When you come to tiik hion is ( JONK ! please to remember that Iho capital letters mean both fists . )
Mr . . Robert JNowsfceatl , as becomes a layman , pipes n , fainter note , ( to the same tune , however , ) in his Solemn Protest . lake- Jones , ho iH principally enraged at ( he proposal , that the Cry . sf . al Palace shall pay honiago to religion by only opening after morning service . . Recommending thin umiablo eccentricity of fanaticism to tho serious reflection of all thinking people , who may not yofc have made up their minds on the subject of Sunday itcforin , let us enjoy the pleasure nnd advantage of hearing how
Mlt . UOHICKT NliWHTEAl ) O 1 IJKCTB AND VUOVllKCl KH . " And then it is set forth , as another of the virtues of this impious scheme , that no . spirituous liquors are to be wold on SundayH , hut that intellectual iinurovuuiont , harmless pleasure , and needful recreation are to he promoted . All of which will not atone for the dividing of tho Sahbatii . If we only deal with the Suhhath an proposed by the Crystal I ' uluco Company , and sanction a leyalixtul abbreviation of one half of its sacred hours , we Hover , at , once , the great link , which is tho sign of our allegiance to Heaven , anil floods of ungodliness may bo expected to follow the consequent withdrawmont of tho Divine blessing from our country . " Why liowstcad ( who has no pulpit to thump ) should deal almost aa
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May 14 , 1853 . ] THE LEADER . 475
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), May 14, 1853, page 475, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1986/page/19/
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