登陆注册
5404700000003

第3章 A. CONAN DOYLE(3)

"Now, Jack, for any favour use your eyes! We're about a hundred yards from that cliff, I take it; so you move slowly toward one side and I'll do the same toward the other. When you see anything, stop and call out. Don't take more than twelve inches in a step, and keep your eye fixed on the cliff about eight feet from the ground. Are you ready?""Yes." I was even more excited than Tom by this time. What his intention or object was I could not conjecture, beyond that he wanted to examine by daylight the part of the cliff from which the light came. Yet the influence of the romantic situation and my companion's suppressed excitement was so great that I could feel the blood coursing through my veins and count the pulses throbbing at my temples.

"Start!" cried Tom; and we moved off, he to the right, I to the left, each with our eyes fixed intently on the base of the crag. I had moved perhaps twenty feet, when in a moment it burst upon me. Through the growing darkness there shone a small, ruddy, glowing point, the light from which waned and increased, flickered and oscillated, each change producing a more weird effect than the last. The old Kaffir superstition came into my mind, and I felt a cold shudder pass over me. In my excitement I stepped a pace backward, when instantly the light went out, leaving utter darkness in its place; but when Iadvanced again, there was the ruddy glare glowing from the base of the cliff. "Tom, Tom!" I cried.

"Ay, ay!" I heard him exclaim, as he hurried over toward me.

"There it is--there, up against the cliff!"Tom was at my elbow. "I see nothing," said he.

"Why, there, there, man, in front of you!" I stepped to the right as Ispoke, when the light instantly vanished from my eyes.

But from Tom's ejaculations of delight it was clear that from my former position it was visible to him also. "Jack," he cried, as he turned and wrung my hand--"Jack, you and I can never complain of our luck again. Now heap up a few stones where we are standing. That's right. Now we must fix my sign-post firmly in at the top. There! It would take a strong wind to blow that down; and we only need it to hold out till morning. O Jack, my boy, to think that only yesterday we were talking of becoming clerks, and you saying that no man knew what was awaiting him, too! By Jove, Jack, it would make a good story!"By this time we had firmly fixed the perpendicular stick in between the two large stones; and Tom bent down and peered along the horizontal one. For fully a quarter of an hour he was alternately raising and depressing it, until at last, with a sigh of satisfaction, he fixed the prop into the angle, and stood up. "Look along, Jack," he said. "You have as straight an eye to take a sight as any man I know of."I looked along. There beyond the farther sight was the ruddy, scintillating speck, apparently at the end of the stick itself, so accurately had it been adjusted.

"And now, my boy," said Tom, "let's have some supper and a sleep.

There's nothing more to be done to-night; but we'll need all our wits and strength to-morrow. Get some sticks and kindle a fire here, and then we'll be able to keep an eye on our signal-post, and see that nothing happens to it during the night."Well, sir, we kindled a fire, and had supper with the Sasassa demon's eye rolling and glowing in front of us the whole night through. Not always in the same place, though; for after supper, when I glanced along the sights to have another look at it, it was nowhere to be seen. The information did not, however, seem to disturb Tom in any way. He merely remarked, "It's the moon, not the thing, that has shifted;" and coiling himself up, went to sleep.

By early dawn we were both up, and gazing along our pointer at the cliff; but we could make out nothing save the one dead, monotonous, slaty surface, rougher perhaps at the part we were examining than elsewhere, but otherwise presenting nothing remarkable.

"Now for your idea, Jack!" said Tom Donahue, unwinding a long thin cord from round his waist. "You fasten it, and guide me while I take the other end." So saying, he walked off to the base of the cliff, holding one end of the cord, while I drew the other taut, and wound it round the middle of the horizontal stick, passing it through the sight at the end. By this means I could direct Tom to the right or left, until we had our string stretching from the point of attachment, through the sight, and on to the rock, which it struck about eight feet from the ground. Tom drew a chalk circle of about three feet diameter round the spot, and then called to me to come and join him.

"We've managed this business together, Jack," he said, "and we'll find what we are to find, together." The circle he had drawn embraced a part of the rock smoother than the rest, save that about the centre there were a few rough protuberances or knobs. One of these Tom pointed to with a cry of delight. It was a roughish, brownish mass about the size of a man's closed fist, and looking like a bit of dirty glass let into the wall of the cliff. "That's it!" he cried--"that's it!""That's what?""Why, man, /a diamond/, and such a one as there isn't a monarch in Europe but would envy Tom Donahue the possession of. Up with your crowbar, and we'll soon exorcise the demon of Sasassa Valley!"I was so astounded that for a moment I stood speechless with surprise, gazing at the treasure which had so unexpectedly fallen into our hands.

同类推荐
  • 明伦汇编人事典生死部

    明伦汇编人事典生死部

    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。
  • 方融玺禅师语录

    方融玺禅师语录

    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。
  • The Alkahest

    The Alkahest

    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。
  • 炀帝开河记

    炀帝开河记

    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。
  • 上清天关三图经

    上清天关三图经

    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。
热门推荐
  • 重生异能学霸:霍少,吻安

    重生异能学霸:霍少,吻安

    前世她是娱乐圈动作影后,被姐姐和渣男亲手推下悬崖。重生回到初进高中那一天,得到空间后她学异能、医术,凭借被天使吻过的嗓子一路高歌虐渣渣。只是……这霍氏集团的少东家好像有点奇怪,怎么每天都缠着她要亲亲!“霍少,夫人又把咋们艺人怼了!”某人眸色一冷:“再去签几个送给夫人怼。”……
  • 古代悠闲生活

    古代悠闲生活

    莫名其妙的穿越到古代,和哥哥相依为命。平时种花养草,过上悠闲的日子。
  • 渺渺人海遇见你

    渺渺人海遇见你

    茫茫人海中,相遇,相识,相爱是最美好的事情。当你遇到了属于你生命中的那一个最特别的事情,那时你就会觉得,整个世界,我眼中只有你一人。这不是歪理,是我们心有灵犀所认同的。茫茫人海中,我终将遇到了你。满眼星辰,全部是你……
  • 都市之美女的超级保镖!

    都市之美女的超级保镖!

    由于违背门规,被逐出山门。出山后被介绍成为保镖。由于强悍的实力,纵横都市
  • 幼学歌

    幼学歌

    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。
  • 全真清规

    全真清规

    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。
  • 李嘉诚经营策略:人情特色的独门生意经

    李嘉诚经营策略:人情特色的独门生意经

    本书全方位透视了李嘉诚作为一名大商人,开创大事业所遵循的大法则;揭示了李嘉诚高人一筹的商业智慧和他独一无二的生意经。
  • 极道飞升

    极道飞升

    新书《超神道术》已经上传,希望大家一如既往的支持!!灵气复苏百年,天地发生巨变,野外妖王横行,海中巨兽如雨,人类不得不龟缩在基地市中,艰难求存。时至此刻,故纸堆中的功法秘籍,重新焕发生机……古董名画,显露神迹……各处遗迹,陆续现世……乱世少年,偶获神奇灵珠,助他推演功法,提升境界,超脱极限,一飞冲天…………建了一个书友群,有兴趣的可以加下:181938106
  • 俏皮农女

    俏皮农女

    她,大学毕业四处找工作投简历,却不想一场意外一朝穿越。再次挣开双眼,发现自己置身破草屋中,承前主记忆,得随身空间,携幼童小弟,且看她如何发家快致富,欢脱奔小康路。【重点】这个男人高冷傲娇范儿味十足?温柔霸气又占有欲强?真是太对姐的口味了,就收了你吧!
  • 山西老宅院

    山西老宅院

    本书详细介绍了明清时期山西老宅院的崛起、发展历程,反映了当时宅院主人的人生观、价值观、审美取向及风俗民情和时代特征。山西老宅院凝聚着人类的智慧和情感。本书让我们对大院文化有了更深入、完整的了解。