From
the eminence upon which he had paused for a few contemplative moments,
the distance had appeared narrow and trifling. But the equal height of
the ground upon which he stood, and of that which afforded a situation
for the palaces of Roderic, had deceived him. When he looked towards the
scene that was to form the termination of his journey, the glade below
escaped from his sight. But when he descended to the plain, it was
otherwise. One swell of the surface he had to traverse succeeded
another; and the irregularity of the ground caused him sometimes to be
lost, in a manner, in the length of the way, and took from him the
consolation of being able so much as to perceive the object of his
destination. As he passed the hills, and climbed each successive ascent,
a murmur rose in his bosom; his impatience grew more and more
ungovernable, and the eagerness of his pursuit taught him to imagine,
that his little labour would never be done.
Every performance however of human exertion has its period; and Edwin
had at length surmounted the greater part of the distance, and now
gained a larger and more distinct view of the castle. But by this time
the sun was ready to hide himself in the ocean, and his last rays now
gleamed along the valley, and played in the party-coloured clouds.
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