The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert: of the huts; and streams of flints and pebbles poured from the
platforms of the towers.
At last the rams broke the gates of Khamon and Tagaste. But the
Carthaginians had piled up such an abundance of materials on the
inside that the leaves did not open. They remained standing.
Then they drove augers against the walls; these were applied to the
joints of the blocks, so as to detach the latter. The engines were
better managed, the men serving them were divided into squads, and
they were worked from morning till evening without interruption and
with the monotonous precision of a weaver's loom.
Spendius returned to them untiringly. It was he who stretched the
 Salammbo |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Lost Continent by Edgar Rice Burroughs: girl.
The balance of the party was some twenty paces from us, but
coming rapidly. I seized her arm and drew her after me
behind a nearby tree, for I had seen that with both their
comrades down the others were preparing to launch their
spears.
With the girl safe behind the tree, I stepped out in sight
of the advancing foe, shouting to them that I was no enemy,
and that they should halt and listen to me. But for answer
they only yelled in derision and launched a couple of spears
at me, both of which missed.
 Lost Continent |