Appar\u00adently we had rea\u00adched a great height in the atmo\u00adsphere, for the sky was a dead black, and the stars had cea\u00adsed to twinkle. By the same illu\u00adsion which lifts the hori\u00adzon to<\/p>\n
On crossing the ima\u00adgi\u00adnary line drawn from Punta Mala to Azu\u00adera<\/a> the ships from Europe bound to Sulaco lose at once the strong bree\u00adzes of the ocean. They become the prey of capri\u00adcious airs that play with them for thirty hours at a stretch some\u00adti\u00admes. Before them the head of the calm gulf is fil\u00adled on most days of the year by a great body of moti\u00adon\u00adless and opaque clouds. On the rare clear mor\u00adnings ano\u00adther shadow is cast upon the sweep of the gulf.<\/p>\n The dawn breaks high behind the towe\u00adring and ser\u00adra\u00adted wall of the Cor\u00addil\u00adlera, a clear-cut vision of dark peaks rea\u00adring their steep slo\u00adpes on a lofty pedes\u00adtal of forest rising from the very edge of the shore. Amongst them the white head of Higue\u00adrota rises maje\u00ads\u00adti\u00adcally upon the blue. Bare clus\u00adters of enorm\u00adous rocks sprinkle with tiny black dots the smooth dome of snow.<\/p>\n Then, as the mid\u00adday sun with\u00addraws from the gulf the shadow of the moun\u00adta\u00adins, the clouds begin to roll out of the lower val\u00adleys. They swa\u00adthe in sombre tat\u00adters the naked crags of pre\u00adcipi\u00adces above the woo\u00added slo\u00adpes, hide the peaks, smoke in stormy trails across the snows of Higue\u00adrota. The Cor\u00addil\u00adlera is gone from you as if it had dis\u00adsol\u00adved its\u00adelf into great piles of grey and black vapours that tra\u00advel out slowly to sea\u00adward and vanish into thin air all along the front before the bla\u00adzing heat of the day. The was\u00adting edge of the cloud-bank always stri\u00adves for, but sel\u00addom wins, the middle of the gulf. The sun\u2014as the sail\u00adors say\u2014is eating it up. Unless per\u00adchance a sombre thun\u00adder-head breaks away from the main body to career all over the gulf till it escapes into the off\u00ading bey\u00adond Azu\u00adera, where it bursts sud\u00addenly into flame and cra\u00ads\u00adhes like a sins\u00adter pirate-ship of the air, hove-to above the hori\u00adzon, enga\u00adging the sea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Appar\u00adently we had rea\u00adched a great height in the atmo\u00adsphere, for the sky was a dead black, and the stars had cea\u00adsed to twinkle. By the same illu\u00adsion which lifts the hori\u00adzon to On crossing the ima\u00adgi\u00adnary line drawn from Punta Mala to Azu\u00adera the ships from Europe bound to Sulaco lose at once the strong bree\u00adzes of the ocean. They become the prey of capri\u00adcious airs that play with them for thirty hours at a stretch some\u00adti\u00admes. Before them the head of the calm gulf is fil\u00adled on most days of the year by a great body of moti\u00adon\u00adless and opaque clouds. On the rare clear mor\u00adnings ano\u00adther shadow is cast upon the sweep of the gulf. The dawn breaks high behind the towe\u00adring and ser\u00adra\u00adted wall of the Cor\u00addil\u00adlera, a clear-cut vision of dark peaks rea\u00adring their steep slo\u00adpes on a lofty pedes\u00adtal of forest rising from the very edge of the shore. Amongst them the \u2026