FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  
clearly marked on one side, the country more beautiful and park-like, diversified by hill and dale, on the other, and away in front the mighty peak looking as distant as ever, but with its features more plainly defined. Twice over they came to a halt, the first time being at the edge of a narrow lake which resembled a piece cut off from a tolerably wide river, whose ends had been filled up by the growth of reeds. Noon was long past, but the air was so fresh and invigorating and their level track so easy to follow, that the doctor decided upon pushing on again for another couple of hours, before making a final halt for refreshment, and then turning back. This final stoppage was beneath a clump of fairly grown trees whose boughs formed a goodly shade from the westering sun, and all revelled in the beauty of the view forward as they partook of their scanty meal. "Glorious!" said the doctor at last. "We can't do better than make our way up here to-morrow. The journey for the mules will be easy enough if we bear more to the left, and they ought to get up here by night." The others agreed, Griggs being full of approbation. "And two days will easily take us right up the slope of that mountain. Shouldn't wonder, if we started early enough, if we did it in one. But hadn't we better be going back now, sir?" "Yes, at once," said the doctor. "Can you pick up our trail now and then, only leaving it when we can cut off some of the way?" "I shouldn't wonder if I could, sir," was the reply. "I'll try." "That's right; but we must spread-out a little, and be on the lookout for a shot or two, so as to have something to cook when we reach camp." "Partridges, father," said Chris, unslinging his gun. "Yes," said the doctor, smiling; "we ought to get one or two of those monsters if we get a chance." But, as Wilton had suggested, now that they wanted something in the way of game, nothing was to be seen, and they were fully half-way back and the evening coming on fast, but with the moon well up ready to give its light as the sun went down, before there was a fair chance. They had seen partridges again, and sent a flock of ducks skimming over the reeds, but in both cases they had risen far out of shot. "We must get more into the longer grass," said Griggs at last. "We shall get something then, and as soon as we've got enough we can bear off again into the short, and canter." It proved to be good advice, for
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
doctor
 

Griggs

 

chance

 

Shouldn

 

spread

 
lookout
 
shouldn
 

leaving

 
started
 

skimming


partridges

 

canter

 
proved
 

advice

 
longer
 

smiling

 
mountain
 
monsters
 

unslinging

 

Partridges


father

 

Wilton

 

suggested

 

coming

 

evening

 

wanted

 

tolerably

 

resembled

 

narrow

 

invigorating


filled

 
growth
 

diversified

 

beautiful

 

marked

 
country
 

features

 
plainly
 

defined

 
distant

mighty
 

follow

 
decided
 
morrow
 

journey

 

Glorious

 
forward
 

partook

 
scanty
 

easily