the enchanted bluff-第3章

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



grown　Indian；　and　nobody　has　ever　been　up　there　since。〃







We　exclaimed　at　this　dolorous　legend　and　sat　up。







〃There　couldn't　have　been　many　people　up　there；〃　Percy　demurred。　



〃How　big　is　the　top；　Tip？〃







〃Oh；　pretty　big。　　Big　enough　so　that　the　rock　doesn't　look



nearly　as　tall　as　it　is。　　The　top's　bigger　than　the　base。　　The



bluff　is　sort　of　worn　away　for　several　hundred　feet　up。　　That's　one



reason　it's　so　hard　to　climb。〃







I　asked　how　the　Indians　got　up；　in　the　first　place。







〃Nobody　knows　how　they　got　up　or　when。　　A　hunting　party　came



along　once　and　saw　that　there　was　a　town　up　there；　and　that　was



all。〃







Otto　rubbed　his　chin　and　looked　thoughtful。　　〃Of　course　there



must　be　some　way　to　get　up　there。　　Couldn't　people　get　a　rope　over



someway　and　pull　a　ladder　up？〃







Tip's　little　eyes　were　shining　with　excitement。　　〃I　know　a



way。　　Me　and　Uncle　Bill　talked　it　over。　　There's　a　kind　of　rocket



that　would　take　a　rope　overlifesavers　use　'emand　then　you　could



hoist　a　rope　ladder　and　peg　it　down　at　the　bottom　and　make　it　tight



with　guy　ropes　on　the　other　side。　　I'm　going　to　climb　that　there



bluff；　and　I've　got　it　all　planned　out。〃







Fritz　asked　what　he　expected　to　find　when　he　got　up　there。







〃Bones；　maybe；　or　the　ruins　of　their　town；　or　pottery；　or　some



of　their　idols。　　There　might　be　'most　anything　up　there。　　Anyhow；



I　want　to　see。〃







〃Sure　nobody　else　has　been　up　there；　Tip？〃　Arthur　asked。







〃Dead　sure。　　Hardly　anybody　ever　goes　down　there。　　Some　hunters



tried　to　cut　steps　in　the　rock　once；　but　they　didn't　get　higher



than　a　man　can　reach。　　The　Bluff's　all　red　granite；　and　Uncle　Bill



thinks　it's　a　boulder　the　glaciers　left。　　It's　a　queer　place；



anyhow。　　Nothing　but　cactus　and　desert　for　hundreds　of　miles；　and



yet　right　under　the　Bluff　there's　good　water　and　plenty　of　grass。　



That's　why　the　bison　used　to　go　down　there。〃







Suddenly　we　heard　a　scream　above　our　fire；　and　jumped　up　to



see　a　dark；　slim　bird　floating　southward　far　above　usa　whooping



crane；　we　knew　by　her　cry　and　her　long　neck。　　We　ran　to　the　edge　of



the　island；　hoping　we　might　see　her　alight；　but　she　wavered



southward　along　the　rivercourse　until　we　lost　her。　　The　Hassler



boys　declared　that　by　the　look　of　the　heavens　it　must　be　after



midnight；　so　we　threw　more　wood　on　our　fire；　put　on　our　jackets；



and　curled　down　in　the　warm　sand。　　Several　of　us　pretended　to　doze；



but　I　fancy　we　were　really　thinking　about　Tip's　Bluff　and　the



extinct　people。　　Over　in　the　wood　the　ring　doves　were　calling



mournfully　to　one　another；　and　once　we　heard　a　dog　bark；　far　away。　



〃Somebody　getting　into　old　Tommy's　melon　patch；〃　Fritz　murmured



sleepily；　but　nobody　answered　him。　　By　and　by　Percy　spoke　out　of



the　shadows。







〃Say；　Tip；　when　you　go　down　there　will　you　take　me　with　you？〃







〃Maybe。〃







〃Suppose　one　of　us　beats　you　down　there；　Tip？〃







〃Whoever　gets　to　the　Bluff　first　has　got　to　promise　to　tell



the　rest　of　us　exactly　what　he　finds；〃　remarked　one　of　the　Hassler



boys；　and　to　this　we　all　readily　assented。







Somewhat　reassured；　I　dropped　off　to　sleep。　　I　must　have



dreamed　about　a　race　for　the　Bluff；　for　I　awoke　in　a　kind　of　fear



that　other　people　were　getting　ahead　of　me　and　that　I　was　losing　my



chance。　　I　sat　up　in　my　damp　clothes　and　looked　at　the　other　boys；



who　lay　tumbled　in　uneasy　attitudes　about　the　dead　fire。　　It　was



still　dark；　but　the　sky　was　blue　with　the　last　wonderful　azure　of



night。　　The　stars　glistened　like　crystal　globes；　and　trembled　as　if



they　shone　through　a　depth　of　clear　water。　　Even　as　I　watched；　they



began　to　pale　and　the　sky　brightened。　　Day　came　suddenly；　almost



instantaneously。　　I　turned　for　another　look　at　the　blue



night；　and　it　was　gone。　　Everywhere　the　birds　began　to　call；　and



all　manner　of　little　insects　began　to　chirp　and　hop　about　in　the



willows。　　A　breeze　sprang　up　from　the　west　and　brought　the　heavy



smell　of　ripened　corn。　　The　boys　rolled　over　and　shook　themselves。



We　stripped　and　plunged　into　the　river　just　as　the　sun　came　up　over



the　windy　bluffs。







When　I　came　home　to　Sandtown　at　Christmas　time；　we　skated　out



to　our　island　and　talked　over　the　whole　project　of　the　Enchanted



Bluff；　renewing　our　resolution　to　find　it。











Although　that　was　twenty　years　ago；　none　of　us　have　ever



climbed　the　Enchanted　Bluff。　　Percy　Pound　is　a　stockbroker　in



Kansas　City　and　will　go　nowhere　that　his　red　touring　car　cannot



carry　him。　　Otto　Hassler　went　on　the　railroad　and　lost　his　foot



braking；　after　which　he　and　Fritz　succeeded　their　father　as　the



town　tailors。







Arthur　sat　about　the　sleepy　little　town　all　his　lifehe　died



before　he　was　twenty…five。　　The　last　time　I　saw　him；　when　I　was



home　on　one　of　my　college　vacations；　he　was　sitting　in　a　steamer



chair　under　a　cottonwood　tree　in　the　little　yard　behind　one　of　the



two　Sandtown　saloons。　　He　was　very　untidy　and　his　hand　was　not



steady；　but　when　he　rose；　unabashed；　to　greet　me；　his　eyes　were　as



clear　and　warm　as　ever。　　When　I　had　talked　with　him　for　an　hour　and



heard　him　laugh　again；　I　wondered　how　it　was　that　when　Nature　had



taken　such　pains　with　a　man；　from　his　hands　to　the　arch　of　his　long



foot；　she　had　ever　lost　him　in　Sandtown。　　He　joked　about　Tip



Smith's　Bluff；　and　declared　he　was　going　down　there　just　as　soon　as



the　weather　got　cooler；　he　thought　the　Grand　Canyon　might　be　worth



while；　too。







I　was　perfectly　sure　when　I　left　him　that　he　would　never　get



beyond　the　high　plank　fence　and　the　comfortable　shade　of　the



cottonwood。　　And；　indeed；　it　was　under　that　very　tree　that　he　died



one　summer　morning。







Tip　Smith　still　talks　about　going　to　New　Mexico。　　He　married



a　slatternly；　unthrifty　country　girl；　has　been　much　tied　to　a



perambulator；　and　has　grown　stooped　and　grey　from　irregular



meals　and　broken　sleep。　　But　the　worst　of　his　difficulties　are　now



over；　and　he　has；　as　he　says；　come　into　easy　water。　　When　I　was



last　in　Sandtown　I　walked　home　with　him　late　one　moonlight　night；



after　he　had　balanced　his　cash　and　shut　up　his　store。　　We　took　the



long　way　around　and　sat　down　on　the　schoolhouse　steps；　and　between



us　we　quite　revived　the　romance　of　the　lone　red　rock　and　the



extinct　people。　　Tip　insists　that　he　still　means　to　go　down　there；



but　he　thinks　now　he　will　wait　until　his　boy　Bert　is　old　enough　to



go　with　him。　　Bert　has　been　let　into　the　story；　and　thinks　of



nothing　but　the　Enchanted　Bluff。









End