Towardsmid-daythethreepursuerscameabruptlyroundabendinthetorrentbeduponthesightofaverybroadandspaciousvalley。
Thedifficultandwindingtrenchofpebblesalongwhichtheyhadtrackedthefugitivesforsolong，expandedtoabroadslope，andwithacommonimpulsethethreemenleftthetrail，androdetoalittleeminencesetwitholive-duntrees，andtherehalted，thetwoothers，asbecamethem，alittlebehindthemanwiththesilver-studdedbridle。
Foraspacetheyscannedthegreatexpansebelowthemwitheagereyes。
Itspreadremoterandremoter，withonlyafewclustersofserethornbusheshereandthere，andthedimsuggestionsofsomenowwaterlessravine，tobreakitsdesolationofyellowgrass。Itspurpledistancesmeltedatlastintothebluishslopesofthefurtherhills——
hillsitmightbeofagreenerkind——andabovetheminvisiblysupported，andseemingindeedtohangintheblue，werethesnowcladsummitsofmountainsthatgrewlargerandboldertothenorth-westwardasthesidesofthevalleydrewtogether。Andwestwardthevalleyopeneduntiladistantdarknessundertheskytoldwheretheforestsbegan。Butthethreemenlookedneithereastnorwest，butonlysteadfastlyacrossthevalley。