（
勉传）（
唐砖）（
飞来横宠：凌少的彪悍妻）（
闪婚,染上惹火甜妻）（
惟我神尊）（
护花状元在现代）by jack london
“just our luck!”
gus lafee finished wiping his hands and sullenly threw the towel uponattitude was onedee light seemed gone outthe day and the glory from the golde the keen mountain air was devoidrelish, and the early morninglonger yielded its customary zest.
“just our luck!”gus repeated, this time avowedly for the edificationanother young fellow who was busily engagedsousing his headthe waterthe lake.
“what are you grumbling about, anyway?”hazard van dorn lifteoap-rimmed fac eyes were shut.“what’s our luck?”
“look there!”gus threoody glance skyward.“some duffer’s got ’ve been scooped, that’s all!”
hazard opened his eyes, and caughleeting glimpsea white flag waving arrogantlythe edgea wallrock nearlile abovehis eyes closed witnap, and his face wrinkle threw him the towel, and unmiseratingly watched him wipe out the offendin felt too blue himselftake stocktrivialities.
hazard groaned.
“doeshurt-much?”gus queried, coldly, without interest,ifweremore than his dutyask after the welfarehis rade.
“i guessdoes,” responded the suffering one.
“soap’s pretty strong, eh?—noticedmyself.”
“’tisn’t th’s—it’s that!”he opened his reddened eyes and pointed toward the innocent white little flag.“that’s what hurts.”
gus lafee did not reply, but turned awaystart the fire and begin cookin disappointment and grief were too deep for anything but silence, and hazard, who felt likewise, never opened his mouthhe fed the horses, nor once laid his head against their arching neckspassed caressing fingers through thei two boys were blind, also,the manifold gloriesmirror lake which reposedtheir ver times, had they chosenmove along its margin the short distancea hundred yards, could they have seen the sunrise repeated; niimes, from behindmany successive peaks, could they have seen the great orb rear his blazing rim; and niimes, had they but looked into the watersthe lake, could they have seen the phenomena reflected faithfully and vividly.
but all the titanic grandeurthe scene was losad been robbedthe chief pleasuretheir tripyosemit had been frustratedtheir long-cherished design upon half dome, and hence were rendered disconsolate and blindthe beauties and the wondersthe place.
half dome rears its ice-scarred head fully five thousand feet above the level flooryosemit the name itselfthis great rock liesaccurate and plet more nor lessit thayclopean, rounded dome, splithalfcleanlyan apple thatdivided is, perhaps, quite needlessstate that but one-half remains, hence its name, the other half having been carried awaythe great ice-riverthe stormy timethe glacia that dim day onethose frigid rivers gougeighty channel from out the soli channel to-dayyosemitreturnthe half dome.
on its northeastern side,circuitous trails and stiff climbing, one may gainthe slopethe dome the saddle leans likigantic slab, and from the topthis slab, ohousand feetlength, curves the great circlethe summitth degrees too steep for unaided climbing, these ohousand feet defied for years the adventurous spirits who fixed yearning eyes upon the crest above.
one day, a coupleclear-headed mountaineers had proceededinsert iron eye-bolts into holes which they drilled into the rock every few fee when they found themselves three hundred feet above the saddle, clinging like fliesthe precarious wall witheither hanawning abyss, their nerves failed them and they abandonedit remained forindomitable scotchman, one gee anderson, finallyachievewhere they had left off, drilling and climbing foeek,hadlast set foot upon that awful summit and gazed down into the depths where mirror lake reposed, nearlile beneath.
in the years which followed, many bold men took advantagethe huge rope ladder whichhad putplace; but one winter ladder, cables and all were carried awaythe snow an, mostthe eye-bolts, twisted and bent, few men had since essayed the hazardous undertaking, andthose few more than one gavehis lifethe treacherous heights, and not one succeeded.
but gus lafee and hazard van dorn had left the smiling valley-landcalifornia and journeyed into the high sierras, intentthe grea thuswas that their disappointment was deep and grievous when they awokethis morningreceive the forestalling messagethe little white flag.
“campedthe footthe saddle last night and wentat the first peepday,” hazard ventured, long after the silent breakfast had been tucked away and the dishes washed.
gu was notthe naturethings thaouth’s spirits should long remainlow ebb, and his tongue was beginningloosen.
“guess he’s downnow, lyingcamp and feelingbigalexander,” the other went on.“anon’t blame him, either; onlishwere we.”
“you cansure he’s down,” gus spokeat last.“it’s mighty warmthat naked rock with the sun beating downitthis timas our plan, you know,goearly and e dow any man, sensible enoughgetthe top,boundhave sense enoughdobefore the rock gets hot and his hands sweaty.”
“and you cansuredidn’t take his shoes with him.”hazard rolled overhis back and lazily regarded the speckflag fluttering brisklythe sheer edgethe precipice.“say!”he satwittart.“what’s that?”
a metallic raylight flashed out from the summithalf dome, theecond and headsboth boys were craned backwardthe instant, agog with excitement.
“whauffer!”gus cried.“why didn’te down whenwas cool?”
hazard shook his head slowly,if the question were too deep for immediate answer and they had better defer judgment.
the flashes continued, andthe boys soon noted,irregular intervalsdurationthey were long, now short; and again they came and went with great rapidity,ceased altogether for several momentsa time.
“i have it!”hazard’s face lightedwith the ingunderstanding.“i have it!thatflashing the sunlight downusa pocket-mirror—dot, dash; dot, dash; don’t you see?”
the light also beganbreakgus’s face.“ah, i know!it’s what theyin war-time— callheliographing, don’t they?same thingtelegraphing, only it’s done withou they use the same dots and dashes, too.”
“yes, the mornew it.”
“sam surely must have somethingsayus,he wouldn’tkickingall that rumpus.”
still the flashes came and went persistently, till gus exclaimed: “that chap’strouble, that’s what’s the matter with him!most likely he’s hurt himselfsomethingother.”
“go on!” hazard scouted.
gus got out the shotgun and fired both barrels three timesrapi flutterflashes came back before the echoes had ceased thei unmistakable was the message that even doubting hazard was convinced that the man who had forestalled them stoodsome grave danger.
“quick, gus,”cried, “and pack!i’ll seeth trip hasn’t enothing, afte’ve gotgo righthalf dome and rescu’s the map?howwe getthe saddle?”
“‘taking the horse-trail below the vernal falls,’” gus read from the guide-book, “‘one milebrisk traveling brings the touristthe world-famed nevad by, risingin all its pomp and glory, the capliberty stands guard—”
“skip all that!”hazard impatiently interrupted.“the trail’s whatwant.”
“oh, hereis!‘following the trailthe sidethe fall will bring youth left one leadslittle yosemite valley, cloud’s rest, and other points.’”
“hold on; that’ll do!i’ve goton the map now,” again interrupted hazard.“from the cloud’s rest traiotted line leads offhal shows the trail’’ll havelook sharpfind it.it’ay’s journey.”
“andthinkall that traveling, when right here we’rethe bottomthe dome!”gus plained, staringwistfullythe goal.
“that’s because thisyosemite, and all the more reason fort on!be lively, now!”
well usedthey weretrail life, but few minutes sufficedsee the camp equipagethe backsthe packhorses and the boysth the late twilightthat evening they hobbled their animalsa tiny mountain meadow, and cooked coffee and bacon for themselvesthe very baseth, also, before they turned into their blankets, they found the campthe unlucky stranger who was destinedspend the nightthe naked roofthe dome.
dawn was brightening into day when the panting lads threw themselves downthe summitthe saddle and began taking off thei down from the great height, they seemed perched upon the ridge-polethe world, and even the snow-crowned sierra peaks seemed beneat below,the one hand, lay little yosemite valley, halile deep;the other hand, big yosemite, the sun’s rays were striking about the adventurers, but the darknessnight still shrouded the two great gulfs into which the above them, bathedthe full day, rose only the majestic curvethe dome.
“what’s that for?”gus asked, pointinga leather-shielded flask which hazard was securely fasteninghis shirt pocket.
“dutch courage,course,” was the reply.“we’ll need all our nervethis undertaking, anittle bit more, and,”tapped the flask significantly, “here’s the little bit more.”
“good idea,” gus mented.
how they had ever e possessedthis erroneous idea,wouldharddiscover; but they were young yet, and there remained for them many uncut pages o, also,the efficacywhiskya remedy for snake-bite, they had brought with theair supplymedicine-ches yet they had not touched it.
“have some beforestart?” hazard asked.
gus looked into the gulf and shook his head.“better wait tillgethigher and the climbingmore ticklish.”
some seventy feet above them projected the firs winter accumulationsice had twisted and bentdown tilldid not stand more thaare inch analf above the rock—a most difficult objectlassosuch and again hazard coiled his lariattrue cowboy fashion and made the cast, and time and again wasbaffledthe elusiv could gudvantageinequalitiesthe surface, they scrambled twenty feetthe dome and found they could resta shallo cleft sidethe dome wasnear that they could look over its edge from the crevice and gaze down the smooth, vertical wall for nearly two thousan was yet too dark down below for themsee farther.
the peg was now fifty feet away, but the path they must covergetit was quite smooth, and ranan inclinationnearly fift seemed impossible,that intervening space,find the climber must keep going up,he must slide down;couldjust here rosedome was sphere-shaped, andhe should beginslide, his course would be, notthe point from whichhad started and where the saddle would catch him, but offthe south toward littl meanlungehalile.
“i’ll try it,” gus said simply.
they knotted the two lariats together,that they had oveundred feetrope between them; and then each boy tiedendhis waist.
“ilide,” gus cautioned, “eon the slack and brac you don’t, you’ll follow me, that’s all!”
“ay, ay!” was the confident response.“better takip before you start?”
gus glancedthe proffere knew himself andwhatwas capable.“wait tilake the peg and you join me.all ready?”
“ay.”
he struck out likat,all fours, clawing energeticallyhe urged his upward progress, his rade paying out the rop first his speed was good, but gradually iwas fifteen feet from the peg, now ten, now eight-but going, oh,slowly!hazard, lookingfrom his crevice, felontempt for him and disappointmenid loo gus was five feet away, and afteainful effort, fou when onlard intervened,camea standstill—not exactltandstill, for, likquirrela wheel,maintained his positionthe facethe domethe most desperate clawing.
he had failed, thatquestion now was, howsaudden, catlike movementwhirled overhis back, caught his heela tiny, saucer-shaped depression and sat up.then his courage faile hadlast peratedthe floorthe valley, andwas appalledthe frightful distance.
“go ahead and make it!”hazard ordered; but gus merely shook his head.
“then e down!”
againshookwas his ordeal,sit, nerveless and insecure,the brinkth hazard, lying safelyhis crevice, now hadface his own ordeal, but onea differen gus beganslide—assoon must—would he, hazard,abletakethe slack and then meet the shockthe other tautened the rope and darted toward the plunge?it seeme therelay, apparently safe, butreality harnesseosenot cast off the rope about his waist?he wouldsafeal waimple way outth wasneed that two shoulwas impossible for such temptationovere his priderace, and his own pridehimself andhi the rope remained about him.
“e down!”ordered; but gus seemedhave bee petrified.
“e down,”threatened, “or i’ll drag you down!”he pulledthe ropeshowwasearnest.
“don’t you dare!”gus articulated through his clenched teeth.
“surill,you don’t e!”againjerked the rope.
witespairing gurgle gus started, doing his bestwork sideways from th, every sensethe alert, almost exultinghis perfect coolness, tookthe slack with def,the rope begantighten,brace shock drew him half outthe crevice; butheld firm and servedthe centerthe circle, while gus, with the ropea radius, described the circumference and endedon the extreme southern edgeth moments later hazard was offering him the flask.
“take some yourself,” gus said.
“no; you.i don’t need it.”
“and i’m past needing it.”evidently gus was dubiousthe bottle and its contents.
hazard putawayhis pocket.“are you game,”asked, “or are you goinggiveup?”
“never!” gus protested.“afee ever showed the white feathei did losegritthere,was only for the moment—sortlik’m all right now, and i’m goingthe top.”
“good!” encouraged hazard.“you liethe crevice this time, and i’ll show you how easyis.”
butheld thatwas easier and safer for himtry again, arguing thatwas less difficult for his one hundred and sixteen poundsclingthe smooth rock than for hazard’s one hundred and sixty-five; also thatwas easier for one hundred and sixty-five poundsbrinliding one hundred and sixteena stop than vic further, thathad the benefithis previou saw the justicethiat reluctance thatgave in.
success vindicated gus’ second time, justit seemedif his slide wouldrepeated,madast supreme effort and gripped the covete meansthe rope, hazard quickly joine next peg was nearly sixty feet away; but for nearly half that distance the basesome glacierthe fotten past had grounhallo advantagethis,was easy for guslassoit seemed,was really the case, that the hardest partthe task wa, the curve steepenednearly sixty degrees above them, buomparatively unbroken lineeye-bolts, six feet apart, awaitedno longer had evenuseon one pegwas child’s playthrow the bightthe rope over the next anddraw themselvesto it.
a bronzed and bearded man met themthe top and gripped their handshearty fellowship.
“talk about your mont blancs!”exclaimed, pausingthe midstgreeting themsurvey the mighty panorama.“but there’s nothingall the earth, nor over it, nor under it,pare with this!”thenrecollected himself and thanked them for inghi,was not hurtinjuredan becausehis own carelessness, justhe had arrivedthe top the previous day,had dropped his climbin coursewas impossibledescend without it.did they understand heliographing?no?that was strange!how did they—
“oh,knew something was the matter,” gus interrupted, “from the way you flashed whenfired off the shotgun.”
“findpretty cold last night without blankets?” hazard queried.
“i should say so.i’ve hardly thawed out yet.”
“have somethis.”hazard shoved the flask overhim.
the stranger regarded him quite seriously fooment, then said,“my dear fellow,you see that rowpegs?sinceishonest intentionclimb down them very shortly, iforced t, i don’t think i’ll have any, thoughank you just the same.”
hazard glancedgus and then put the flask backhi when they pulled the doubled rope through the last eye-bolt and set footthe saddle,again drew out the bottle.
“now that we’re down,don’t need it,”remarked, pithily.“and i’ve about ethe conclusion that there isn’t very muchdutch courage, after all.”he gazedthe great curvethe dome.“lookwhat we’ve done without it!”
several seconds thereafteartytourists, gatheredthe marginmirror lake, were astoundedthe unwonted phenomenona whisky flask descending upon them likomet outa clear sky; and all the way backthe hotel they marveled greatlythe wondersnature, especially meteorites.
m.pi.co
(梨树文学http://www.lishu123.com)