| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland by Olive Schreiner: and Peter Halket was lying on his face at the foot of the tree; with his
head turned towards the Captain's door.
There was a wild confusion of voices. "How many were there?" "Where have
they gone to now?" "They've shot Peter Halket!"--"The Captain saw them do
it"--"Stand ready, they may come back any time!"
When the Englishman came, the other men, who knew he had been a medical
student, made way for him. He knelt down by Peter Halket.
"He's dead," he said, quietly.
When they had turned him over, the Colonial knelt down on the other side,
with a little hand-lamp in his hand.
"What are you fellows fooling about here for?" cried the Captain. "Do you
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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 Child of Storm by H. Rider Haggard: penniless country gentleman in England had been promoted in that short
space of time to be one of the premier peers of the kingdom and endowed
with great offices and estates. When he had finished the count of them
he paused, evidently waiting for me to congratulate him. But all I said
was:
"By the Heavens above I am sorry for you, Saduko! How many enemies you
must have made! What a long way there will be for you to fall one
night!"--a remark at which the quiet Nandie broke into a low laugh that
I think pleased her husband even less than my sarcasm. "Well," I went
on, "I see that you have got a baby, which is much better than all these
titles. May I look at it, Inkosazana?"
 Child of Storm |