The Cliff Climbers<br />A Sequel to "The Plant Hunters" by Mayne Reid (best free ebook reader .TXT) đ
- Author: Mayne Reid
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They did not count on being able to âswarmâ up a piece of slender cord of nearly fifty yards in lengthâa feat that would have baffled the most agile tar that ever âslung the monkeyâ from a topgallant stay. They had no thoughts of climbing the rope in that way; but in another, long before conceived and discussed. They intendedâonce they should be assured that the cord was secure aboveâto make steps upon it, by inserting little pieces of wood between the âstrands;â and these, which they could fix at long distances, one after the other, would form supports, upon which they might rest their feet in the ascent.
As we have said, all this had been settled beforehand; and no longer occupied their attentionânow wholly absorbed in contriving some way to prove the reliability of the rope, upon which their lives were about to be imperilled.
It was not deemed sufficient to tie the rope to a tree, and pull upon it with all their united strength. Karl and Caspar thought this would be a sufficient test; but Ossaroo was of a different opinion. A better planâaccording to the shikareeâs way of thinkingâwas one which had generated in his oriental brain; and which, without heeding the remonstrances of the others, he proceeded to make trial of. Taking one end of the rope with him, he climbed into a tall tree; and, after getting some way out on a horizontal branchâfull fifty feet from the groundâhe there fastened the cord securely. By his directions the young sahibs laid hold below; and, both together, raising their feet from the ground, remained for some seconds suspended in the air.
As the rope showed no symptoms either of stretching or breaking under the weight of both, it was evident that it might, under any circumstances, be trusted to carry the weight of one; and in this confidence, the shikaree descended from the tree.
With the eagle carried under his right arm, and the coil of rope swinging over his left, Ossaroo now proceeded towards the place where the ladders rested against the cliff. Karl and Caspar walked close after, with Fritz following in the rearâall four moving in silence, and with a certain solemnity of look and gestureâas befitted the important business upon which they were bent.
The new experiment, like the trial of the eagleâs strength, did not occupy any great length of time. Had it proved successful, our adventurers would have been longer occupied, and in the end would have been seen triumphantly standing upon the summit of the cliffâwith Fritz frisking up the snowy slope beyond, as if he intended to chase the great ovis ammon upon the heaven-kissing crest of Chumulari.
Ah! how different was the spectacle presented on the evening of that eventful day! A little before sunset the three adventurers were seen slowly and sadly returning to their hutâthat despised hovel, under whose homely roof they had hoped never to seek shelter again!
Alas! in the now lengthened list of their unsuccessful struggles, they had once more to record a failure!
Ossaroo, bearing the bearcoot under his arm, had climbed the ladders up to the highest ledge that could be attained. From it he had âflownâ the eagleâfreely dealing out all the cord in his possession. That was a perilous experiment for the shikaree to make; and came very near proving the last act in the drama of his life.
Thinking that the bearcoot would rise upward into the air, he had not thought of anything else; and as he stood balancing himself on that narrow shelf, he was but ill prepared for what actually came to pass. Instead of soaring upwards, the eagle struck out in a horizontal direction, not changing its course till it had reached the end of its tether; and then not changing it, nor even pausing in its flight, but with the fifty yards of rope trailing behind itâwhich, fortunately for Ossaroo, he was himself no longer at the end ofâit continued on across the valley towards the cliffs on the opposite sideâthe summit of which it would have no difficulty in attaining by following the diagonal line in which it was making that unexpected escape from the clutches of the shikaree.
Not without chagrin did Karl and Caspar behold the spectacle of the bearcootâs departure; and for a while they were under the impression that Ossaroo had bungled the business with which he had been entrusted.
Ossarooâs explanations, however, were soon after received; and proved satisfactory. It was evident from these, that had he not let go in the right time, he would have been compelled to make a leap, that would have left him no opportunity for explaining the nature of the eagleâs escape.
With feelings of sad and bitter disappointment did our adventurers turn their backs upon these laddersâthat had once more deluded themâand make their way towards the hut.
As upon the former occasion, they walked with slow steps and downcast mien. Fritz, by his slouching gait and drooped tail, showed that he shared the general despondency.
They had arrived nearly at the hut, before any of the three thought of speaking; when the sight of that rude homestead, to which they had so often fancied themselves on the eve of bidding farewellâand to which as often had they been compelled to returnâsuggested a theme to Karl: causing him to break silence as they advanced towards the doorway.
âOur true friend,â said he, pointing to the hovel, âa friend, when all else fails us. Rough it isâlike many a friend that is nevertheless worthy. I begin to like its honest look, and feel regard for it as one should for a home.â
Caspar said nothing in reply. He only sighed. The young chamois-hunter of the Bavarian Alps thought of another homeâfar away towards the setting sun; and, so long as that thought was in his mind, he could never reconcile himself to a forced residence in the Himalayas.
The thoughts of Ossaroo were equally absent from that spot. He was thinking of a bamboo hut by the borders of some crystal stream, overshadowed by palms and other tropical trees. He was thinking still more of rice curry and chutnee; but above all, of his beloved âbetel,â for which the âbangâ of the cannabis sativa was but a poor substitute.
But Caspar had another thought in his mind; one which proved that he had not yet abandoned all hope of returning to the home of his nativity; and, after they had finished eating their supper of broiled venison, he gave utterance to it.
He had not volunteered to break the silence. It was done in obedience to a request of Karl who, having noticed the abstracted air of his brother, had asked for an explanation.
âIâve been thinking,â said Caspar, âever since the eagle has escaped us, of another bird I know something aboutâone that might perform the service we want quite as well, if not better, than a bearcoot.â
âAnother bird!â inquired Karl; âof what bird are you speaking? Do you mean one of those Brahminy geese upon the lake? We might catch one alive, it is true; but let me tell you, brother, that their wings are constructed just strong enough to carry their own ponderous bodies; and if you added another pound or two, by tying a cord to their legs, they could no more mount out of this valley than we can. Noâno. I fancy we may as well give up that idea. Thereâs no bird but an eagle with wing strong enough to do what you wish.â
âThe bird I was thinking of,â rejoined Caspar, âis of the same genus as the eagle. I believe thatâs correctly scientific language. Isnât it, my Buffon of a brother? Ha! ha! Well, shall I name it? Surely, you have already divined the sort of bird to which I allude?â
âNo, indeed,â replied Karl. âThere are no other birds in this valley of the same genus as the eagleâexcept hawks; and according to the closet naturalists, they are not of the same genusâonly of the same family. If you mean a hawk, there are several species in this place; but the largest of them could not carry anything over the cliff heavier than a string of twine. See, thereâs a brace of them now!â continued Karl, pointing to two birds that were circling in the air, some twenty yards overhead. ââChurkâ falcons they are called. They are the largest of the Himalayan hawks. Are these your birds, brother?â
âA couple of kites, are they not?â interrogated Caspar, turning his eyes upward, and regarding the two winged creatures circling above, and quartering the air as if in search of prey.
âYes,â answered the naturalist, âthey are of that species; and, correctly described, of the same genus as the eagles. You donât mean them, I suppose?â
âNoânot exactly,â replied Caspar, in a drawling tone, and smiling significantly as he spoke; âbut if they be kitesâHo! what now?â exclaimed the speaker, his train of thought, as well as speech, suddenly interrupted by a movement on the part of the falcons. âWhat the mischief are the birds about? As I live, they seem to be making an attack upon Fritz! Surely they donât suppose they have the strength to do any damage to our brave old dog?â
As Caspar spoke, the two falcons were seen suddenly to descendâfrom the elevation at which they had been soaringâand then sweep in quick short circles around the head of the Bavarian boar-houndâwhere he squatted on the ground, near a little copse, some twenty yards from the hut.
âPerhaps their nest is thereâin the copse?â suggested Karl; âThatâs why they are angry with the dog: for angry they certainly appear to be.â
So any one might have reasoned, from the behaviour of the birds, as they continued their attack upon the dogânow rising some feet above him, and then darting downward in a sort of parabolic curveâat each swoop drawing nearer and nearer, until the tips of their wings were almost flapped in his face. These movements were not made in silence: for the falcons, as they flew, kept uttering their shrill criesâthat sounded like the voice of a pair of angry vixens.
âTheir young must be near?â suggested Karl.
âNo, sahib,â said Ossaroo, âno nestâno chickee. Fritz he hab suppaâde piece ob meat ob da ibex. Churk wantee take de dog suppa away.â
âOh! Fritz is eating something, is he?â said Caspar. âThat explains it then. How very stupid of these birds, to fancy they could steal his supper from our valiant Fritz: more especially since he seems to relish it so much himself! Why he takes no notice of them!â
It was quite true that Fritz, up to this time, had scarcely noticed the brace of winged assailants; and their hostile demonstrations had only drawn from him an occasional âyir.â As they swooped nearer, however, and the tips of their wings were âwoppedâ into his very eyes, the thing was growing unbearable; and Fritz began to lose temper. His âyirsâ became more frequent; and once or twice he rose from his squatting attitude, and made a snap at the feathers that were nearest.
For more than five minutes this curious play was kept up between the boar-hound and the birds; and then the episode was brought to a somewhat singularâand in Fritzâs estimation, no doubtâa very unpleasant termination.
From the first commencement of their attack, the two falcons had followed a separate course of action. One appeared to make all its approaches from the front; while the other confined its attacks exclusively to Fritzâs rear. In consequence of these tactics on the part of his assailants, the dog was compelled to defend himself both before and behind: and to do this, it became necessary for him to look âtwo ways at once.â Now, he would snarl and snap at the assailant in frontâanon, he must sieve himself round, and in like manner menace the more cowardly âchurkâ that
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