They blessed the Holy Virgin that they were out of the sand mountains. One day, as in a vision, great cities shone in the sunset; and they travelled towards them many days. At last they saw they were mountains, almost like great pueblos. Mountains, many miles of them, that stood up, like ruins of castles. The Soldier said to Lucas and Sebastian, 'This is like dear old Spain.' There were giant castles, churches, long walls, steeples, all wonderful ; but there were no desert men. No people were there.
"The 'crooked-backed oxen of the plains,' in mighty herds, moved over the hills and valleys to the south. Where can they go ? They travelled by for days and days, and the soldier said, 'We must be far from home, for the oxen never get as far as Piguex.' They spent a winter in this land. The boys dreamed of the giants that had builded these great castles, but the soldier was tired, and his body had many sores. He was sick, but he dreamed and dreamed and dreamed.
"Summer came and the wild cattle went
north. Sometimes they ran. and a few are killed, which they found were good for food, and with the coming of summer, the soldier and his boys travelled south for many a league, where they found another river. Many times they left it, and wandered into the desert trying to get home, but they were driven back famished. Finally, captured by a tribe of desert men, they were taken toward the sunset until they reached mountains that shone red at sundown like the Blood of Christ. Here there was water, and wood, and game and berries. How far did they go? Once Sebastian had fever, and once Lucas had sores on his body, and oh, how they all wanted to go home.