| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Land of Footprints by Stewart Edward White: warriors that sometimes, in a native country, we made that
mistake. Outside this solemn council, the women, young men and
children went about their daily business, whatever that was. Up
convenient low trees or bushes roosted sentinels.
We never remained long undiscovered. One of the sentinels barked
sharply. At once the whole lot loped away, speedily but with a
curious effect of deliberation. The men folks held their tails in
a proud high sideways arch; the curious youngsters clambered up
bushes to take a hasty look; the babies clung desperately with
all four feet to the thick fur on their mothers' backs; the
mothers galloped along imperturbably unheeding of infantile
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Master of the World by Jules Verne: lake, to find her, reach her and capture her, was beyond our power,
and it might as well be fully recognized beyond all human power.
We stood there, Wells and I, completely crushed, while John Hart and
Nab Walker, no less chagrined, went tramping along the banks of the
Creek, seeking any trace that had been left behind.
Posted there, at the mouth of the Creek, Wells and I exchanged
scarcely a word. What need was there of words to enable us to
understand each other! After our eagerness and our despair, we were
now exhausted. Defeated in our well-planned attempt, we felt as
unwilling to abandon our campaign, as we were unable to continue it.
Nearly an hour slipped by. We could not resolve to leave the place.
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