16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
'There is the post-house,' said Eduardo,
pointing his glass, 'just under the snow and a
little to the right. It was built by Huayna Capac,
and it is as strong as ever. The pass is
high, as you see, but on the far side there is
an easy road, downhill all the way to one of
my brother's silver-mines and a village where
they grow the best potatoes in Peru as well as
corn and barley, and they breed excellent llamas
– these animals all came from there, and
that is one of the reasons that they step out so
well. It is true that after that we have to cross a
chasm, with the Uribu flowing far below, but
there is a hanging bridge in quite good repair,
and you do not dislike heights that fill weak
minds with horror. Sailors pay no attention to
heights – a circumnavigator is inured to prodigious
heights. What have you found, don
Esteban?'
'A curious beetle.'