To The West Part 52

I was in no humour to argue, with the perilous crossing before me, so I remained silent.

"I said--and not so much as a walking-stick to help us."

"Yes, Esau, I heard you."

"Then why don't you say something?"

"What can I say? Only be plucky and go."

"There you go again! Oh, it does aggravate me. Now you want me to go off first."

"No; I'll go first if you like; but I should like to see you safe over."

"That's just what I feel about you. I say--if I fall I shall go head over heels down, like a ball."

"No, no; you must drop into a sitting position, and slide down."

"If you can," grumbled Esau. "Oh dear, I wish I hadn't come. I'd give all I've got to be sitting down in old Dempster's office, with him bullying me about a mistake in the copying."

"Come along!" came like an echo over the stones, and even that sound sent a few stones sliding down as I looked across and saw Gunson with his hands to his mouth, while just then I saw something which quite cheered me. For there was a faint curl of smoke rising up from among the trees, and I knew that it was Quong making a fire to get us some tea.

"There, Esau," I said, "Quong's getting ready to cook something. Come, you go, and let's have a rest and a good meal."

"Ready to cook indeed! Why the sun's cooking one side of me now.

There, look at that."

"Yes," I said, as I looked in the direction indicated; "some kind of eagle."

"Yes; flying away as easily as he likes. Don't it seem a shame that a stupid bird should be able to go along like that, and we have to climb and fall down?"

"Oh, I can't argue about that," I said, desperately, as, somewhat in doubt whether I could balance my pack on my head, I raised it there and stood perfectly still. "I'm going to take a long breath and then start."

"Here, what yer going to do?" he cried. "I ain't going to be left all alone here."

"Well, then, go first."

"But I can't go first and leave you. S'pose you can't get over after, or tumble down, what am I to say to that Mr John?"

"What an unreasonable fellow you are, Esau!" I cried angrily.

"There, you're getting nasty with me. That's right. Now I ask you, ain't a fix like this enough to make any fellow unreasonable?"

"But if we've got it to do, why not do it?"

"Come on!" Gunson shouted, and I took two steps forward, when, bringing up his pack, Esau made a desperate plunge and got before me, sending quite an avalanche of stones down as he shouted--

"Me first!--you wait."

I had no alternative but to step back to the easier slope, and regain my position, while Esau went on tramp, tramp, balancing himself steadily, but instead of striking up the slope he kept straight on for a time, and gradually sinking lower and lower as he went farther away.

"Work upward!" I shouted.

"Well, ain't I?" came back, faintly heard amidst the rattling of the stones; and once more I stood there waiting, suffering agonies as I saw him struggle on, now going down, now fighting his way up, so that his course was like that of a snake across a dusty road, such as I had many a time seen down in the country. Every now and then he tottered, and I thought he was going to fall, but he recovered himself, and went on with his feet sinking in the loose stones, and every now and then descending so far that I thought he would never recover his lost ground.

I did not feel the heat so much now, the perspiration that stood upon my face was cold, and I gave a start now and then, as I s.h.i.+vered in my dread, making sure that he was gone.

When at last I saw him get right across, I closed my eyes, feeling so giddy that I was glad to sit down on my pack for the sensation to pa.s.s off, being quite unequal to the task of going in my turn.

"I wish I were not such a coward," I said to myself, as I looked forward and saw Esau lying down and resting. Then I wished I had persevered and gone on, for I should have been out of my misery by that time. Lastly, as I saw Gunson wave his hand, I rose, balanced my pack, and changed the side till I made it fit well over my head. I was quite encouraged to find that it seemed to add to my steadiness, and after taking a last look round, and ending by fixing my eyes upon a point high above where Gunson stood, I took two steps and then stopped, saying to myself, "I shall never do it."

I started again, and from that moment the nervous sensation of dread left me. I felt firm and strong, and that all I had to do was to step boldly, and think of nothing but my pack, taking care that it did not escape from its resting-place upon my head. And oddly enough, my anxiety lest I should let it fall to go bounding down the slope, kept me from thinking about myself as I tramped on, with stones rattling, my feet going down with them, and my breath coming shorter and shorter with the exertion. But I kept my load well balanced, and went on till I was about half way across, when the stones seemed to be much smaller and began to flow like sand. It appeared as if all the larger ones had been set in motion by my companions, and that they had gone down, sweeping the surface clear for me to grow more involved at every step, till I found that no matter how I struggled to get higher so as to keep near the horizontal line of the crossing, I kept sinking lower and lower till I felt that I should glide right into the river before I was across.

With a desperate feeling of determination I kept on bearing up toward the top, but it was always quite labour in vain, through my want of skill, as the smaller stones being more fluent, I found myself still sinking down more and more with every step, till, mingled with the peculiar rattle of the gliding stones, came the roar of the river foaming and das.h.i.+ng amongst the rocks, and into which I expected to be plunged.

Forward still, with a feeling of anger growing within me--a contempt for my own weakness that still kept back the feeling of dread. I had lost sight of Gunson and Esau, and thinking now of nothing but keeping on my legs, I dragged foot after foot out of the stones, and tried to plant one on firmer ground, but tried in vain, till at last I had been carried down so low that though my head was averted, and my eyes were directed toward the spot I ought to have reached, I knew, as I made my last desperate effort, that I was only a few yards above the water.

Then, cras.h.!.+--cras.h.!.+--cras.h.!.+--cras.h.!.+--my feet striking heavily and sending the stones flying, I fought blindly on. There was a singing in my ears, a sense of strangling in my throat, and above all, a dull, half-stunned sensation, mingled with which were thoughts of the others; and then as darkness came over me, and I fell forward, there was a sharp jerk, a few encouraging words were said by some one, and I found myself lying amongst stones and moss, too much exhausted to speak.

"Better?" said a well-known voice.

"Better?" I said, faintly; "have I been ill?"

"Ill? No, my lad; but you've had a narrow escape. You were nearly down to the edge of the river when I got hold of your hand."

"And the pack?" I said, in a husky whisper.

"It lies out yonder on the slope, waiting till the next slide of stones sweeps it away."

"Then I dropped it?" I said, wonderingly.

"Yes. Never mind the pack; you are safe. Why, you did not manage so well as we did, Gordon."

"No," I said, feeling very much exhausted and faint; "and yet I thought I could do it better. The stones gave way so."

Gunson laughed.

"Yes; we ought to have tried another plan. The whole slope is quite rotten, and nothing holds the stones together."

I looked round now, and found that we were at the very bottom of a steep bit of precipice, down which something blue was coming cautiously, which we recognised as Quong.

"What is it, my man?" said Gunson.

"Come 'long down get pack," said Quong. "You velly bad?" he continued to me.

"No, no, we must leave it," said Gunson; and I looked at where my pack lay, tightly done up in its blanket, about a score yards away.

"Leave pack?" cried Quong, looking at Gunson as if he thought him mad.

"Leave fo' Indian man come find? No. Quong set him." And going quickly and delicately over the stones with a step that was almost cat-like in its lightness, he had reached my bundle almost before Gunson could protest. Swinging it up on his head as he turned, he began to come back as quickly as he went, but now he began to get lower and lower.