Nunez greeted the men and watched them closely.
`Where does he come from?’ one man asked another.
`Down from the rocks…’ the second man replied.
`I came from over the mountain,’ Nunez told them. ‘In my country, all men can see. My city is near Bogota. There are thousands of people there. The city stretches far out of sight…’
`Sight?’ said the first man. `What is sight?’
`He came,’ said the third man, `out of the rocks.’
They moved towards Nunez, their arms out stretched. Nunez stepped away.
`Come here,’ said the third man and held Nunez. The blind men felt Nunez all over.
`Careful!’ cried Nunez when one of their fingers found his eye. This organ was strange to them. They felt it again and again.
‘A strange creature,’ said the second man. `Feel his hair! It is like llama hair!’
‘He feels hard and rough, just like the rocks he came from,’ said the first man and felt Nunez’s chin. Nunez tried to get free, but they held him firm.
`Careful,’ said Nunez again.
`He speaks, so he is certainly a man. Tell me again. Where did you come from?’ the second man asked.
‘I came from a place over there,’ said Nunez, and he pointed to the mountains. But the three blind men did not look. `I walked over the glacier, about twelve days journey from here.’
The men seemed not to hear him. `This is a marvellous occasion,’ said the second man. `The old men told us stories about men from the rocks…’
`Let us take him to the elders,’ said the third man and the three men tried to take Nunez’s hand. Nunez pulled his hand away. `I can see,’ he said, but then he stumbled into one of the men’s pails.
`His senses are not good,’ said the second man. `He stumbles and uses strange words. We must lead him by the hand.’ The men took Nunez’s hand, and Nunez let them.
‘They know nothing about sight,’ thought Nunez. ‘But in time, I will teach them.’
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