Part 19 (1/2)
He cast his eyes over the western peaks, where dark clouds were shouldering their way up in the face of the sun, and added:
”There's rain in that I'll trot on ahead with Pinto and have a tent ready when you come I reckon it can't be rave, Mac?”
”Is right close to where I'll pitch the tent,” said MacDonald, swinging suddenly behind the pack-horse Pinto, and urging him into a trot ”Don't waste any time, Johnny”
Aldous rode back to Joanne
”It looks like rain,” he explained ”These Pacific showers come up quickly this side of the Divide, and they drench you in a jiffy Donald is going on ahead to put up a tent”
By the time they reached the ht A little creek that was a swollen torrent in spring tie Its channel was choked with a chaotic confusion of sandstone rock and broken slate, and up through this Aldous carefully picked his way, followed closely by Joanne The sky continued to darken above them, until at last the sun died out, and a thick and alan to envelop theh theechoes He looked back at Joanne, and was a, and a smile on her lips as she nodded at him
”It makes me think of Henrik Hudson and his ten-pin players,” she called softly ”And ahead of us--is Rip Van Winkle!”
The first big drops were beginning to fall when they caht; on their left the rocks gave place to a rolling rass, and Aldous knew they had reached the basin A hundred yards up the slope was a fringe of ti out of this The sound of MacDonald's axe came to them He turned to Joanne, and he saw that she understood They were at their journey's end Perhaps her fingers gripped her rein a little ination that ht tremble in her voice when she said:
”This--is the place?”
”Yes It should be just above the timber I believe I can see the upper break of the little box canyon Keller tolduntil they entered the timber They were just in time As he lifted her down froe Her hair hen he got her in the tent MacDonald had spread out a number of blankets, but he had disappeared Joanne sank down upon them with a little shi+ver She looked up at Aldous It was alely Over thely For a fewthe hty reverberations that were like the explosions of giant guns Aldous stood holding the untied flap against the beat of the rain Twice he saw Joanne's lips form words At last he heard her say:
”Where is Donald?”
He tied the flap, and dropped down on the edge of the blankets before he answered her
”Probably out in the open watching the lightning, and letting the rain drench him,” he said ”I've never known old Donald to co up the horses when I ran in here with you”
He believed she was shi+vering, yet he knew she was not cold In the half gloom of the tent he wanted to reach over and take her hand
For a few er there was no break in the steady downpour and the crashi+ng of the thunder Then, as suddenly as the stor back the tent-flap
”It is almost over,” he said ”You had better reo out and see if MacDonald has succeeded in drowning himself”
Joanne did not answer, and Aldous stepped outside He knehere to find the old hunter He had gone up to the end of the timber, and probably this rave It was a e of timber, and when Aldous carassy divide that separated the tiny lake Keller had described from the canyon It was less than a rifle shot distant, and on the farther side of it MacDonald was already returning Aldous hurried down to meet him He did not speak when they met, but his companion answered the question in his eyes, while the water dripped in streams from his drenched hair and beard
”It's there,” he said, pointing back ”Just behind that big black rock
There's a slab over it, an' you've got the nah”
Above theht broke through, and as they stood looking over the little lake the shaft broadened, and the sun swept in golden triuainst his knee, and with his other hand drained the water frooin' to do?” he asked
Aldous turned toward the ti up the slope In a few moments she stood beside them First she looked down upon the lake Then her eyes turned to Aldous There was no need for speech He held out his hand, and without hesitation she gave him her own MacDonald understood He walked down ahead of them toward the black rock When he came to the rock he paused Aldous and Joanne passed hiirl's hand
With an unexpectedness that was startling they had corave Yet not a sound escaped Joanne's lips Aldous could not see that she was breathing Less than ten paces from them was the mound, protected by its cairn of stones; and over the stones rose a weather-stained slab in the forrave and Aldous riveted his eyes upon Joanne For a full h the last breath had left her body Then, slowly, she advanced He could not see her face