Tuesday 11 August 2015

Two Camps

As far as I can make out, Everard and Floris have two camps in the first century.

In 70 AD, they are on:

"...a remote hilltop overlooking woodlands that reached to every horizon." (Time Patrol, p. 539) See here.

In 49 AD, when visited by Ulstrup, they are in an uninhabited area between two tribes:

"From a bluff screened by trees they looked down over the river." (p. 563)

The river is broad with green banks, rustling reeds, croaking frogs, silver fish, thousands of waterfowl and occasional boats. Floris says:

"'We will be a little in the life of the country...not quite like disembodied spirits passing through.'" (p. 563) -

- which is similar to what was said about the first camp. After their climactic intervention in the life of Edh/Veleda, the two Patrol agents return a few days later to their first camp, in 70 AD, with its two one-person shelters.

Yet again we should pause to appreciate Poul Anderson's description of a sunset:

"The sun was newly down, clouds lay red and gold to the west, eastward the sky deepened while night rose in a tide over the wilderness." (p. 594)

We must never forget that, although the time travelers are interacting with human beings, they are nevertheless not in a cultivated country but a wilderness.

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