In the excerpt from "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy, the imagery evokes a powerful sense of distance and the natural world. The characters observe storms on the horizon, characterized by silent lightning illuminating the sky. The mountains, depicted as a dark silhouette, hint at a vast and mysterious landscape where nature's forces play out in solitude.

Additionally, the scene captures wild horses galloping across the plain, leaving behind traces of their speed and energy. The moonlight casts a ghostly dust in their wake, emphasizing the ephemeral nature of their presence. This vivid description highlights both the beauty and transience of the wilderness that surrounds the characters, reinforcing the theme of the stark and often violent world they inhabit.