Part 14 (1/2)
”This cluet to the top here, it don't all go down full swoop like a house wall right bang to the plain”
”What, like the place where the mountain sheep went down?”
”That's it, o up on the other side It strikes me that we shall find it all plain on this side, and that if we can't find a break in the ith a regular gulch, we shall have to go back with our horses and waggon and try so and let's see,” said Bart; and once ed froed piece of open rocky plain, with scattered pines gnarled and twisted and swept bare by thebut one vast, atered plain
”Told you so,” said Joses; ”noe shall either have to keep up here in the ain, just as the e here and rest,” said Bart, as fascinated by the beauty of the scene, and, going right out upon a jutting proreat wall of rock that spread as far as they could see In places it seeo sheer down to the plain, in others it was broken into ledges by slips and falls of rock; but everywhere it seereat plain in from the west, and Bart fully realised that they would have to find soulch by which to descend, if their journey was to be continued in this direction
”How far is it down to the plain?” said Bart, after he had been feasting his eyes for some time
”Four to five thousand feet,” said Joses ”Can't tell for certain
Chap would fall a long way before he found bottoain I don't think theand inhaling the fresh breeze that blew over the widespreading plain, Bart could not help noticing the ree of the stupendous precipice, but had gradually been storged branches only remained
One of these projected from its stunted trunk close down by the roots, and seeles over the precipice in a way that somehow seeain and again, but that branch fascinated hierous it would be, and yet how delightful, to cliht out on that branch till it bent and bent, and would bear hi astride, dance up and down in e was the attraction that Bart found his hands ith perspiration, and a peculiar feeling of horror attacked hie, the desire to risk his life kept growing upon him, and as he afterwards told himself, he would no doubt havehad not happened to take his attention
Joses was leaning back with half-closed eyes, enjoying his _cigarito_, and Bart was half rising to his knees to go back and round to where the branch projected, just to try it, he told himself, when they heard a shout away to the left, and that shout acted likea breath full of relief, just as if he had awakened frootten him,” said Joses lazily ”Ahoy! Oho!--eh!” he shouted back Then there was another shout and a rustling of bushes, a grunting noise, and Bart seized his rifle
”He has found game,” he said
Then he nearly let fall his piece, and knelt there as if turned to stone, for, to his horror, he suddenly saw Sareat gnarled branch that overhung the precipice, keeping to this o down one on each side of the branch, and hitching hi lustily the while for help
”He has gone ht of his own sensations a few minutes before, and how he had felt te
”No, he arn't,” said Joses, throwing the re his rifle; ”he's got bears after hih furry body of an enorht, and without athe branch after the man
”There's another,” cried Bart, ”shoot, Joses, shoot I dare not”
It seemed that Joses dare not either, or else the excite stupidly at the unwonted scene before them as a second bear followed the first, which, in spite of Saht upon hi its forepaws round hied hirowling and grunting and patting at its co the claws at the ends of its paws deeply into the gnarled branch
”If I don't fire they'll kill hie branch visibly bent with the weight of the three bodies now upon it ”If I kill hioes”
He raised his rifle, took careful aier, but forbore, as just then the report of Bart's piece rang out, and the second bear raised itself up on its hind legs, while the foreely with its head turned towards where it could see the s hi his rifle upon a piece of rock, he fired again, in tearing furiously at its flank
Then Joses' rifle spoke, and the first bear reared up and fell over backwards, a second shot striking the hindmost full in the head, and one after the other the twoa swi over back doards