登陆注册
5223400000061

第61章 CHAPTER ALL HEROES BUT ONE(3)

As the bay grew sharper, and correspondingly more significant, Ibecame distracted, and focused a strained vision on the canyon deeps. I looked along the slope to the notch where the wall curved and followed the base line of the yellow cliff. Quite suddenly I saw a very small black object moving with snail-like slowness. Although it seemed impossible for Sounder to be so small, I knew it was he. Having something now to judge distance from, I conceived it to be a mile, without the drop. If I could hear Sounder, he could hear me, so I yelled encouragement. The echoes clapped back at me like so many slaps in the face. Iwatched the hound until he disappeared among broken heaps of stone, and long after that his bay floated to me.

Having rested, I essayed the discovery of some of my lost companions or the hounds, and began to climb. Before I started, however, I was wise enough to study the rim wall above, to familiarize myself with the break so I would have a landmark.

Like horns and spurs of gold the pinnacles loomed up. Massed closely together, they were not unlike an astounding pipe-organ.

I had a feeling of my littleness, that I was lost, and should devote every moment and effort to the saving of my life. It did not seem possible I could be hunting. Though I climbed diagonally, and rested often, my heart pumped so hard I could hear it. A yellow crag, with a round head like an old man's cane, appealed to me as near the place where I last heard from Jim, and toward it I labored. Every time I glanced up, the distance seemed the same. A climb which I decided would not take more than fifteen minutes, required an hour.

While resting at the foot of the crag, I heard more baying of hounds, but for my life I could not tell whether the sound came from up or down, and I commenced to feel that I did not much care. Having signaled till I was hoarse, and receiving none but mock answers, I decided that if my companions had not toppled over a cliff, they were wisely withholding their breath.

Another stiff pull up the slope brought me under the rim wall, and there I groaned, because the wall was smooth and shiny, without a break. I plodded slowly along the base, with my rifle ready. Cougar tracks were so numerous I got tired of looking at them, but I did not forget that I might meet a tawny fellow or two among those narrow passes of shattered rock, and under the thick, dark pinyons. Going on in this way, I ran point-blank into a pile of bleached bones before a cave. I had stumbled on the lair of a lion and from the looks of it one like that of Old Tom.

I flinched twice before I threw a stone into the dark-mouthed cave. What impressed me as soon as I found I was in no danger of being pawed and clawed round the gloomy spot, was the fact of the bones being there. How did they come on a slope where a man could hardly walk? Only one answer seemed feasible. The lion had made his kill one thousand feet above, had pulled his quarry to the rim and pushed it over. In view of the theory that he might have had to drag his victim from the forest, and that very seldom two lions worked together, the fact of the location of the bones as startling. Skulls of wild horses and deer, antlers and countless bones, all crushed into shapelessness, furnished indubitable proof that the carcasses had fallen from a great height. Most remarkable of all was the skeleton of a cougar lying across that of a horse. I believed--I could not help but believe that the cougar had fallen with his last victim.

Not many rods beyond the lion den, the rim wall split into towers, crags and pinnacles. I thought I had found my pipe organ, and began to climb toward a narrow opening in the rim. But I lost it. The extraordinarily cut-up condition of the wall made holding to one direction impossible. Soon I realized I was lost in a labyrinth. I tried to find my way down again, but the best Icould do was to reach the verge of a cliff, from which I could see the canyon. Then I knew where I was, yet I did not know, so Iplodded wearily back. Many a blind cleft did I ascend in the maze of crags. I could hardly crawl along, still I kept at it, for the place was conducive to dire thoughts. A tower of Babel menaced me with tons of loose shale. A tower that leaned more frightfully than the Tower of Pisa threatened to build my tomb. Many a lighthouse-shaped crag sent down little scattering rocks in ominous notice.

After toiling in and out of passageways under the shadows of these strangely formed cliffs, and coming again and again to the same point, a blind pocket, I grew desperate. I named the baffling place Deception Pass, and then ran down a slide. I knew if I could keep my feet I could beat the avalanche. More by good luck than management I outran the roaring stones and landed safely. Then rounding the cliff below, I found myself on a narrow ledge, with a wall to my left, and to the right the tips of pinyon trees level with my feet.

Innocently and wearily I passed round a pillar-like corner of wall, to come face to face with an old lioness and cubs. I heard the mother snarl, and at the same time her ears went back flat, and she crouched. The same fire of yellow eyes, the same grim snarling expression so familiar in my mind since Old Tom had leaped at me, faced me here.

My recent vow of extermination was entirely forgotten and one frantic spring carried me over the ledge.

Crash! I felt the brushing and scratching of branches, and saw a green blur. I went down straddling limbs and hit the ground with a thump. Fortunately, I landed mostly on my feet, in sand, and suffered no serious bruise. But I was stunned, and my right arm was numb for a moment. When I gathered myself together, instead of being grateful the ledge had not been on the face of Point Sublime--from which I would most assuredly have leaped--I was the angriest man ever let loose in the Grand Canyon.

同类推荐
  • MARY BARTON

    MARY BARTON

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 锦绣衣

    锦绣衣

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 止观门论颂

    止观门论颂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说梵摩喻经

    佛说梵摩喻经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Garden Party

    The Garden Party

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 前妻再重生试试

    前妻再重生试试

    为了逃离他,凌栩栩试过许多逃的办法,甚至悬崖都跳了,可还是没逃出他的五指山。但重遇后,她发现他有病,这种病称为不能亲近女人,她决定牺牲自个,试图让他发病。于是开始天天盼他发病挂掉的生活。只是每次付诸行动后,发现他越发生龙活虎,而她却腰酸背痛,她咬牙切齿:“你为什么还不发病?”“我已经为你死过一次了,你还想让我再死一次?”他沉沉的看着她,她懵了。他,豪门权贵,东方华尔街神秘投资人,拿捏着梅城的经济命脉,唯独拿她没办法,只能用命,用力宠。
  • 幻音仙女

    幻音仙女

    星辰大陆上强者云集,谁说女子不能修炼?凭什么歧视,偏要修行给你们看看,被退婚也就算了,还要补偿,我定要掌握自己的爱情!族人莫名尽数惨死,背负着族人的血海深仇,我一定会查明真相,揪出凶手!追寻自己的修仙之路,我叫白韵,以后叫我韵仙女!白韵飞升仙域,本以为迎来的是康庄大道,没想到的是新的挑战,天有天规,仙有仙规,在全新的环境中,她将如何面对?仙域领主,天帝,以及那奕星领主,究竟和白韵有着怎样的恩怨情仇,缘起,如何灭!希望各位亲们支持一下《佛系萌女林小虞》,讲述的是与白韵不同位面的故事哦!
  • 高斋漫录

    高斋漫录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 宽容:真善美的修心课

    宽容:真善美的修心课

    《宽容:真善美的修心课》是一堂关于真善美的修心课,星云大师、净空老法师、南怀瑾大师、若贝尔得主莫言等最推崇的人生境界!看得透,想得开,放得下,受得了,耐得住!宽容不仅是一门修身养性的学问,更是一种人生境界。人与人相处时,只有用一颗宽容的心去对待周围的人,才会使人生之路越走越宽。同时,宽容能帮我们戒除忧烦急躁,抑制悔憎恨怨,平息对峙纠争,避免嫉妒猜疑;解疑去惑,达到工作、生活的圆满境界。
  • 禁欲殿下妖孽柒

    禁欲殿下妖孽柒

    作为一名超级喜欢古装的优秀杀手,某女叉着腰嘿嘿傻笑,这简直就是捡了个大便宜好吗?她不仅如愿穿到了古代,还免费附赠了一枚开启什么宝藏的钥匙,只是这钥匙……为毛是碎片?还有,谁来告诉她,她不过就是穿个越而已,招谁惹谁了,这怎么忽然就成为了某人的小王妃?世人都以为小王妃特别厉害,都能把这个帅气又多金的靖王爷拿下,殊不知,某女一脸哀怨:明明是他赖着不走的!还有,他哪里像个禁欲系美男了?!哼,肤浅!太肤浅了!
  • 风向绝恋

    风向绝恋

    不过是军训时要求一个“公平”,她就被所有人记恨,好在有好朋友的帮助,谁知好朋友却另有目的!好不容易接受她的好,却发现她的好朋友是他曾经追寻的“小天使”,疏远她,去追求她的好朋友,却发现原来一切都错了!“小天使”原来正是她!他重新追她,还来得及吧?
  • 黑帮淘气小夫人

    黑帮淘气小夫人

    朱小妹觉得自己最近走了狗屎运了,因为贪看卡通片而错过送蛋糕的时间,为了不让老娘念叨,不管三七二十一就闯进了人家公司,谁知却哀运连连,一天之内将四个风云人物得罪光光,并且被下了全球通缉令,就算躲进老鼠洞里也会被挖出来的,哇咧咧,她真的不是故意的。某一桥段:“哇塞,好帅呀。”某人因贪看美男,而不知道自己即将陷入危险之中,某个男人半眯着眼看着她。“看够了吗?”“还没。”流着口水继续看。男人脑中名为理智的线自动断裂,不管三七二十一,将流口水的女孩直接抛向床。听说某人要结婚了,但新娘不是她,为了让自己找到一张长期饭票且阻止男人成为别人的老公,朱小妹很无耻地上演一出超烂的戏码,抱着孩子找爹去,就算是未成年夫人又怎样?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~夫人未成年视频:http://m.wkkk.net/programs/view/q2T2gRaIDaM/亲们快去踩踩~~【潼言潼语】:介这个简介就是这个样子了,小潼本来就不怎么会写简介,不过内容是超级的好看,小潼可以保证,喜欢的亲们一定要多多支持撒~~~小潼的书友群:60686560(已满)潼窝:86104110(没加进群的亲请重新加,小潼不是不加大家的)欢迎亲们加入,小潼定会为大家竭力奉献精彩内容。小潼完结作品自荐一下:【完结作品】《做我皇妃》已进入五折半价书库,完结作品全文看完只需要RMB2.48元,一瓶冰红茶(2.5元)的钱,O(∩_∩)O《晚情》《一朝为妃》《我的相公是龙太子》人神之爱,给你不一样的爱情震撼;《流水落花情也去》都市爱情,豪门恩怨,让你泪流满面。【友情链接】:亲爱小七的新坑:《五岁宝宝是间谍》,超级好看~~~青颜:书名:【买来的】弃妇陌上柳絮的新文:《血染鸳鸯锦》苏哲哲大作:《落颜》六姐莫言殇:【一夜妖娆】——再见如陌路,妖娆谁人知偶家亲亲相公的文:《宫舞醉》漫沙罗的古代文:《谁动了暴君的小妾》偶家四姐日落之处的新作:《妖精惑男》醉轩的无厘头搞笑文:《极品妖后》,因为小潼是那个女主角的说,O(∩_∩)O哈哈~夜如梦的新作:《狂妃囚帝》
  • 我的颓废师父和妖孽师兄

    我的颓废师父和妖孽师兄

    玄幻,不修仙不打怪,堪堪就是谈恋爱。恋爱也没谈好,反而从天到地扯了一堆有的没的。没谱从里到外,先逗后惨,先甜后虐。欢迎在评论区水评论,如有收藏十分感谢。更新频率:每天至少一章。
  • 异镇

    异镇

    59名各怀绝技的国民党特工接到神秘任务——潜伏在日统区一个叫霸下的小镇上“生活”。任务背后的真相是什么,没人知道,除了孩子,其他都是假的。然而,随着战争局势的变化,忠诚遭到亵渎,信仰也被打破,绝杀来自于一直尽忠的组织……他们终于决定放手一搏,去过哪怕一天自己想过的生活,去护住珍爱的一切。
  • 一千零一夜

    一千零一夜

    《一千零一夜》是著名的古代阿拉伯民间故事集,有264个故事,被誉为世界民间文学创作中的“最壮丽的一座纪念碑”。中文早年被译为《天方夜谭》。“天方”是中国古代对阿拉伯的称呼,仅凭这名字,就足以把人带到神秘的异域世界中。它是世界上最具生命力、最负盛名,拥有最多读者和影响最大的作品之一。同时,它以民间文学的朴素身份却能跻身于世界古典名著之列,也堪称是世界文学史上的一大奇迹。