THE VOICE OF THE DESERT 



164 



When you see a large one on a boulder you can at least 

 feel sure that the boulder has not been much disturbed for 

 a very long time. No wonder that a rolling stone gathers no 

 moss. It would have to gather some hchens first. And li- 

 chens take a lot of time to prepare a stone to grow moss 

 or anything else. 



Before I start my downward journey to the warm desert 

 again I cast a backward look at the golden hchen patiently 

 spreading over the rock. It carries the reassuring sugges- 

 tion that nature is preparing for a long future. The acorn is 

 planted for the sake of the oak to come. No one that I 

 ever heard of cared to look far enough ahead to plant a 

 lichen in the conviction that some day a pine would grow 

 there. Nature did, and her faith was justified. Perhaps it 

 will be again. 



