Part 6 (1/2)

”All right?” the girl called up.

”All right. But you can't make it. I'm coming down again.”

”I'm going to try.”

”I wouldn't, Miss O'Neill. It's really dangerous.”

”I'd like to try it. I'll stop if it's too hard,” she promised.

The strength of her slender wrists surprised him. She struggled up the vertical creva.s.se inch by inch. His heart was full of fear, for a misstep now would be fatal. He lay down with his face over the ledge and lowered to her the buckled loop of his belt. Twice she stopped exhausted, her back and her hands pressed against the walls of the trough angle for support.

”Better give it up,” he advised.

”I'll not then.” She smiled stubbornly as she shook her head.

Presently her fingers touched the belt.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”SO YOU THINK I'M A 'FRAID-CAT, MR. ELLIOT?”]

Gordon edged forward an inch or two farther. ”Put your hand through the loop and catch hold of the leather above,” he told her.

She did so, and at the same instant her foot slipped. The girl swung out into s.p.a.ce suspended by one wrist. The muscles of Elliot hardened into steel as they responded to the strain. His body began to slide very slowly down the incline.

In a moment the acute danger was past. Sheba had found a hold with her feet and relieved somewhat the dead pull upon Elliot.

She had not voiced a cry, but the face that looked up into his was very white.

”Take your time,” he said in a quiet, matter-of-fact way.

With his help she came close enough for him to reach her hand. After that it was only a moment before she knelt on the plateau beside him.

”Touch and go, wasn't it?” Sheba tried to smile, but the colorless lips told the young man she was still faint from the shock.

He knew he was going to reproach himself bitterly for having led her into such a risk, but he could not just now afford to waste his energies on regrets. Nor could he let her mind dwell on past dangers so long as there were future ones to be faced.

”You might have sprained your wrist,” he said lightly as he rose to examine the cliff still to be negotiated.

Her dark eyes looked at him with quick surprise. ”So I might,” she answered dryly.

But his indifferent tone had the effect upon her of a plunge into cold water. It braced and stiffened her will. If he wanted to ignore the terrible danger through which she had pa.s.sed, certainly she was not going to remind him of it.

Between where they stood and the summit of the cliff was another rock traverse. A kind of rough, natural stairway led down to a point opposite them. But before this could be reached thirty feet of granite must be crossed. The wall looked hazardous enough in all faith. It lay in the shade, and there were spots where a thin coating of ice covered the smooth slabs. But there was no other way up, and if the traverse could be made the rest was easy.

Gordon was mountaineer enough to know that the climb up is safer than the one back. The only possible way for them to go down the trough was for him to lower her by the belt until she found footing enough to go alone. He did not quite admit it to himself, but in his heart he doubted whether she could make it safely.

The alternative was the cliff face.

CHAPTER V