An hour was more than sufficient to travel the distance. They therefore rested for a time, after darkness set in, before they started. Then they swam the river on horseback, and made their way noiselessly along, keeping at some distance from the river bank, until they reached the place where the cliff rose perpendicularly5.
They pressed on, keeping close to the base of the rocks, until they arrived at the place which Buffalo6 Bill had decided7 upon as the easiest at which to make the ascent8. Then they lay down among the bowlders at the foot of the wall of rock, and remained there until the moon rose, for it was impossible to attempt such a difficult and dangerous climb in the darkness.
While they waited they discussed the best way of getting the lariat9 rope up, for it was obvious that whether it was carried in a coil over the shoulder or wound around the body it would hamper10 the movements of the climber.
At last Buffalo Bill solved the problem by putting a ball of twine11 in his pocket and saying that he would throw it down from the ledge12 when he got up, so that the lariat could be tied to it and then pulled up.
“Good luck, pard!” said Wild Bill, as the border king prepared to start, and both he and Nick Wharton gripped their friend by the hand, while Eagle Eye laid his hand on his shoulder, saying: “Ugh, heap brave!”
The ascent was comparatively easy for a short distance. Then Buffalo Bill came to the first of the ledges13 he had noticed.
It was only about ten inches wide, but, keeping his face to the rocky wall, and using his hands to grip the most trifling14 irregularities in the smooth surface, or to get a hold in small crevices15, he managed to make his way along until he arrived at a bulge16 in the wall which seemed to effectually bar further progress.
Buffalo Bill drew his bowie knife, bent17 forward, and cut a hole in the rock just large enough to rest his feet in. Thus, gaining a step forward, he cut another foothold, and so went on until he had got round the projecting rock at a frightful18 risk, and gained a secure footing on the next ledge.
But this ledge narrowed rapidly as he passed around it. He was now at one of the points which had appeared to him to be the most difficult, for, as he had looked up from the ground in the afternoon, the ledge seemed almost to cease, while the next one above it was also so narrow that he doubted whether he could obtain standing19 room upon it.
The scout1 now made his way along on tiptoe, in imminent20 peril21 of falling down the face of the cliff with every step.
In some places the ledge was not more than three inches wide.
After he had gone about thirty feet it widened, and the next forty or fifty feet upward were comparatively easy, for the rock sloped to some extent inward, and there were many fissures22 in which he could get a tight grip with his strong fingers.
Then came several difficult places, but he was now thoroughly23 confident, and he attacked the rocky wall with the utmost daring. At last he reached his goal and drew himself up on to the broad ledge that led to the caves.
None of the Cave Dwellers were in sight, and he flung himself down on the ground and rested for a few minutes, for he was utterly24 exhausted25 by his difficult climb, which not one man in a hundred thousand could have accomplished26 safely.
As soon as he felt refreshed by his brief rest he took the ball of twine from his pocket and flung one end, weighted by a bullet, over the side of the cliff. He knew that he had allowed ample length, and he drew it in until he felt a slight strain, followed by three jerks—the prearranged signal.
His friends below had hold of the string. Two more jerks told him that they had fastened the lariat rope to it, and in a couple of minutes he had the rope in his hands.
The scout found a big rock jutting27 out of the ground in the path, and he tied the rope firmly around it, and then shook the rope to show that he was ready for the first Indian to ascend28.
Two pulls upon the lariat told him that the man had been tied on, and he began at once to haul. He found the weight much less than he expected. Not only was the Navaho a short and wiry man, but he used his hands and feet with such good effect that in about five minutes he stood beside Buffalo Bill.
“You can haul up the next man, while I go forward and reconnoiter the cave,” said the border king.
The Indian nodded, and immediately signaled with the rope for the next man to be tied on.
Buffalo Bill meanwhile stepped forward cautiously along the ledge until he came to the wide entrance of the principal cave. As he approached it, a short figure rose up from behind a rock. It was one of the Cave Dwellers keeping vigilant29 watch.
Before the man could utter a yell, Buffalo Bill had gripped him tightly by the throat, so that he could only gurgle feebly. Yet he managed to draw his tomahawk and raise it above his head to dash out the brains of the king of scouts30.
Taking his right hand from the man’s throat, which he still held tightly gripped with the left, Buffalo Bill caught his wrist and wrenched31 away the weapon. He struck the Cave Dweller3 a heavy blow on the head with the flat of the blade, which knocked him senseless.
The border king then stepped swiftly into the cave. He could see several recumbent forms lying on the ground, and from the back of the cave there came a confused hum of voices. The light of the moon shone full into the entrance, and the place was almost as light as day.
The intruder had not taken more than a few paces when he stumbled against a body lying in the shadow. The man arose and bent forward into the moonlight, uttering a low cry of surprise.
Buffalo Bill raised the tomahawk, but before he could use it he saw that the man was none other than his blood brother, Red Cloud, the Navaho chieftain.
Without a word Red Cloud extended his hands, and Buffalo Bill saw that they were bound together by a rawhide32 rope. He drew his bowie knife and cut the bonds, and then handed the Indian the tomahawk which he had taken from the sentry33 at the mouth of the cave.
Red Cloud rose to his feet and eagerly gripped the weapon. “I expected you, my brother,” he said simply.
The cry which the Indian had given when Buffalo Bill stumbled against him had aroused one of the Cave Dwellers sleeping near by. He was, as it appeared afterward34, the chief of the tribe, and he raised his body on his elbow and glanced around suspiciously.
His eyes fell upon Buffalo Bill and Red Cloud, and he instantly leaped to his feet, with a frightful yell of rage and warning.
In a moment the cavern35 was alive with the forms of the Cave Dwellers, wakened from their sleep, while those who had been talking at the back also ran forward. All this had happened in a much shorter space of time than the telling takes. The rest of the attacking party had not yet come up, and the blood brothers were in the most deadly peril.
The chief of the Cave Dwellers rushed forward, and in a moment was locked in a death grapple with the border king on the ledge at the mouth of the cave. As the rest of the band came forward, Red Cloud advanced a pace or two to meet them.
Buffalo Bill and the chief of the Cave Dwellers struggled on the edge of the precipice36, locked in a deadly embrace; while the brave Navaho, tomahawk in hand, kept the other Indians at bay.
Although he was a man of small stature37, the savage38 chief possessed39 the strength and ferocity of a giant ape. He strove to throw Buffalo Bill over the cliff, and in his rage he cared not whether he went over with him.
To and fro they swayed, and it seemed as if they must go down to death together, locked in one another’s arms. But with a mighty40 effort Buffalo Bill overpowered the savage, raised him from the ground, and flung him sheer over the cliff, making a quick turn on his heel as he did so, in order to avoid being carried over himself by the impetus41 of the falling body.
He had got rid of his dangerous adversary42 none too soon, for the Cave Dwellers were attacking Red Cloud with great ferocity and would have overpowered him in another moment, although he was making fine play with his tomahawk and had stretched two of the savages43 dead at his feet.
Buffalo Bill drew his six-shooter and speedily dropped three of the foremost Cave Dwellers. But the rest pressed on to the attack, and the blood brothers had to battle for their lives more desperately44 than either of them had ever done before, accustomed though they were to wild adventures.
“The last shot, Red Cloud!” gasped45 Buffalo Bill, after a few moments of rapid firing, as he thrust his second six-shooter into his belt and drew his bowie knife.
The Cave Dwellers, demoralized by the rapidity and accuracy of his aim, had retreated a few paces; but they were getting together again for another rush. The doom46 of the blood brothers seemed to be sealed.
But just as the Indians rushed forward Wild Bill, Eagle Eye, Nick Wharton, and a couple of Navaho braves charged to the rescue round the ledge and into the cave. They met the Cave Dwellers with a volley of shots and drove them back into the recesses47 of the cavern.
Realizing that their only chance of life was to cut their way out through their enemies, the savages soon rallied to the attack, and several minutes’ hard fighting followed. But Buffalo Bill’s party managed to hold the entrance until reënforcements came up, for Eagle Eye had left a couple of braves at the rope to draw up the rest.
It was a fight to the death. The Cave Dwellers refused quarter, and in the end only three or four of them managed to escape down the zigzag48 path.
Red Cloud and his warriors49 took many scalps that night, and there was much rejoicing in the Navaho village on their return, for they had not lost more than half a dozen braves in the fight and had utterly annihilated50 their troublesome neighbors.
Buffalo Bill had escaped from one of the fiercest fights in his experience without a scratch, and Wild Bill and Nick Wharton were also unwounded.
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1
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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dweller
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| n.居住者，住客 | |
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dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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perpendicularly
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| adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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lariat
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| n.系绳，套索；v.用套索套捕 | |
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hamper
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| vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子 | |
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twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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ledges
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| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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bulge
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| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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fissures
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| n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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jutting
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| v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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rawhide
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| n.生牛皮 | |
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sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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48
zigzag
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| n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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