the enchanted bluff-第2章

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night；　and　they　knew　a　good　many　stars。







Percy　gave　up　the　Little　Dipper　and　lay　back　on　the　sand；　his



hands　clasped　under　his　head。　　〃I　can　see　the　North　Star；〃　he



announced；　contentedly；　pointing　toward　it　with　his　big　toe。　



〃Anyone　might　get　lost　and　need　to　know　that。〃







We　all　looked　up　at　it。







〃How　do　you　suppose　Columbus　felt　when　his　compass　didn't



point　north　any　more？〃　Tip　asked。







Otto　shook　his　head。　　〃My　father　says　that　there　was　another



North　Star　once；　and　that　maybe　this　one　won't　last　always。　　I



wonder　what　would　happen　to　us　down　here　if　anything　went　wrong



with　it？〃







Arthur　chuckled。　　〃I　wouldn't　worry；　Ott。　　Nothing's　apt　to



happen　to　it　in　your　time。　　Look　at　the　Milky　Way！　　There　must　be



lots　of　good　dead　Indians。〃







We　lay　back　and　looked；　meditating；　at　the　dark　cover　of　the



world。　　The　gurgle　of　the　water　had　become　heavier。　　We　had　often



noticed　a　mutinous；　complaining　note　in　it　at　night；　quite



different　from　its　cheerful　daytime　chuckle；　and　seeming　like　the



voice　of　a　much　deeper　and　more　powerful　stream。　　Our　water　had



always　these　two　moods：　the　one　of　sunny　complaisance；　the　other　of



inconsolable；　passionate　regret。







〃Queer　how　the　stars　are　all　in　sort　of　diagrams；〃　remarked



Otto。　　〃You　could　do　most　any　proposition　in　geometry　with　'em。　



They　always　look　as　if　they　meant　something。　　Some　folks　say



everybody's　fortune　is　all　written　out　in　the　stars；　don't　they？〃







〃They　believe　so　in　the　old　country；〃　Fritz　affirmed。







But　Arthur　only　laughed　at　him。　　〃You're　thinking　of　Napoleon；



Fritzey。　　He　had　a　star　that　went　out　when　he　began　to　lose



battles。　　I　guess　the　stars　don't　keep　any　close　tally　on　Sandtown



folks。〃







We　were　speculating　on　how　many　times　we　could　count　a　hundred



before　the　evening　star　went　down　behind　the　cornfields；　when



someone　cried；　〃There　comes　the　moon；　and　it's　as　big　as　a　cart



wheel！〃







We　all　jumped　up　to　greet　it　as　it　swam　over　the　bluffs　behind



us。　　It　came　up　like　a　galleon　in　full　sail；　an　enormous；　barbaric



thing；　red　as　an　angry　heathen　god。







〃When　the　moon　came　up　red　like　that；　the　Aztecs　used　to



sacrifice　their　prisoners　on　the　temple　top；〃　Percy　announced。







〃Go　on；　Perce。　　You　got　that　out　of　Golden　Days。　　Do　you



believe　that；　Arthur？〃　I　appealed。







Arthur　answered；　quite　seriously：　〃Like　as　not。　　The　moon　was



one　of　their　gods。　　When　my　father　was　in　Mexico　City　he　saw　the



stone　where　they　used　to　sacrifice　their　prisoners。〃







As　we　dropped　down　by　the　fire　again　some　one　asked　whether



the　Mound…Builders　were　older　than　the　Aztecs。　　When　we　once　got



upon　the　Mound…Builders　we　never　willingly　got　away　from　them；　and



we　were　still　conjecturing　when　we　heard　a　loud　splash　in　the



water。







〃Must　have　been　a　big　cat　jumping；〃　said　Fritz。　　〃They　do



sometimes。　　They　must　see　bugs　in　the　dark。　　Look　what　a　track　the



moon　makes！〃







There　was　a　long；　silvery　streak　on　the　water；　and　where　the



current　fretted　over　a　big　log　it　boiled　up　like　gold　pieces。







〃Suppose　there　ever　was　any　gold　hid　away　in　this　old



river？〃　Fritz　asked。　　He　lay　like　a　little　brown　Indian；　close　to



the　fire；　his　chin　on　his　hand　and　his　bare　feet　in　the　air。　　His



brother　laughed　at　him；　but　Arthur　took　his　suggestion　seriously。







〃Some　of　the　Spaniards　thought　there　was　gold　up　here　somewhere。　



Seven　cities　chuck　full　of　gold；　they　had　it；　and　Coronado　and　his



men　came　up　to　hunt　it。　　The　Spaniards　were　all　over　this　country



once。〃







Percy　looked　interested。　　〃Was　that　before　the　Mormons　went



through？〃







We　all　laughed　at　this。







〃Long　enough　before。　　Before　the　Pilgrim　Fathers；　Perce。　　Maybe



they　came　along　this　very　river。　　They　always　followed　the



watercourses。〃







〃I　wonder　where　this　river　really　does　begin？〃　Tip　mused。　



That　was　an　old　and　a　favorite　mystery　which　the　map　did　not



clearly　explain。　　On　the　map　the　little　black　line　stopped



somewhere　in　western　Kansas；　but　since　rivers　generally　rose　in



mountains；　it　was　only　reasonable　to　suppose　that　ours　came　from



the　Rockies。　　Its　destination；　we　knew；　was　the　Missouri；　and　the



Hassler　boys　always　maintained　that　we　could　embark　at　Sandtown　in



floodtime；　follow　our　noses；　and　eventually　arrive　at　New　Orleans。　



Now　they　took　up　their　old　argument。　　〃If　us　boys　had　grit　enough



to　try　it；　it　wouldn't　take　no　time　to　get　to　Kansas　City　and　St。



Joe。〃







We　began　to　talk　about　the　places　we　wanted　to　go　to。　The



Hassler　boys　wanted　to　see　the　stockyards　in　Kansas　City；　and　Percy



wanted　to　see　a　big　store　in　Chicago。　　Arthur　was　interlocutor　and



did　not　betray　himself。







〃Now　it's　your　turn；　Tip。〃







Tip　rolled　over　on　his　elbow　and　poked　the　fire；　and　his　eyes



looked　shyly　out　of　his　queer；　tight　little　face。　　〃My　place　is



awful　far　away。　　My　Uncle　Bill　told　me　about　it。〃







Tip's　Uncle　Bill　was　a　wanderer；　bitten　with　mining　fever；　who



had　drifted　into　Sandtown　with　a　broken　arm；　and　when　it　was　well



had　drifted　out　again。







〃Where　is　it？〃







〃Aw；　it's　down　in　New　Mexico　somewheres。　　There　aren't　no



railroads　or　anything。　　You　have　to　go　on　mules；　and　you　run　out　of



water　before　you　get　there　and　have　to　drink　canned　tomatoes。〃







〃Well；　go　on；　kid。　　What's　it　like　when　you　do　get　there？〃







Tip　sat　up　and　excitedly　began　his　story。







〃There's　a　big　red　rock　there　that　goes　right　up　out　of　the



sand　for　about　nine　hundred　feet。　　The　country's　flat　all　around



it；　and　this　here　rock　goes　up　all　by　itself；　like　a　monument。　



They　call　it　the　Enchanted　Bluff　down　there；　because　no　white　man



has　ever　been　on　top　of　it。　　The　sides　are　smooth　rock；　and



straight　up；　like　a　wall。　　The　Indians　say　that　hundreds　of　years



ago；　before　the　Spaniards　came；　there　was　a　village　away　up　there



in　the　air。　　The　tribe　that　lived　there　had　some　sort　of　steps；



made　out　of　wood　and　bark；　bung　down　over　the　face　of　the　bluff；



and　the　braves　went　down　to　hunt　and　carried　water　up　in　big　jars



swung　on　their　backs。　　They　kept　a　big　supply　of　water　and　dried



meat　up　there；　and　never　went　down　except　to　hunt。　　They　were　a



peaceful　tribe　that　made　cloth　and　pottery；　and　they　went　up　there



to　get　out　of　the　wars。　　You　see；　they　could　pick　off　any　war　party



that　tried　to　get　up　their　little　steps。　　The　Indians　say　they　were



a　handsome　people；　and　they　had　some　sort　of　queer　religion。　　Uncle



Bill　thinks　they　were　Cliff…Dwellers　who　had　got　into　trouble　and



left　home。　　They　weren't　fighters；　anyhow。







〃One　time　the　braves　were　down　hunting　and　an　awful　storm　came



upa　kind　of　waterspoutand　when　they　got　back　to　their　rock　they



found　their　little　staircase　had　been　all　broken　to　pieces；　and



only　a　few　steps　were　left　hanging　away　up　in　the　air。　　While　they



were　camped　at　the　foot　of　the　rock；　wondering　what　to　do；　a



war　party　from　the　north　came　along　and　massacred　'em　to　a　man；



with　all　the　old　folks　and　women　looking　on　from　the　rock。　　Then



the　war　party　went　on　south　and　left　the　village　to　get　down　the



best　way　they　could。　　Of　course　they　never　got　down。　　They　starved



to　death　up　there；　and　when　the　war　party　came　back　on　their　way



north；　they　could　hear　the　children　crying　from　the　edge　of　the



bluff　where　they　had　crawled　out；　but　they　didn't　see　a　sign　of　a



grown　Indian；　and　nobody　has　ever　been　u