The Washington herald., 1914-04-19
Copyright, lgL)
HE way led along upon what had
once been the embankment of a
rniIrnad But IN train had run

railroad. But no train had run
upon It for many years. The forest on
either side sweIled up the slopes Of the
embankment and crested across it in a
green wave of trees and bushes. The
trail was as narrow as a mans body,
and was no more than a wild-animal
runway. Occasionally, a piece Of rusty
iron, showing through the forest mold.
advertised that the rail and the ties still
remained. In one place, a ten-inch tree.
bursting through at a connection, had
lifted the end Of a rail clearly into view.
The tie had vidently followed the rail,
held to it by the spike long enough for
its bed to be filled with gravel and rot
ten leaves, so that now the crumbling.
rotten timber thrust itself up at a curious
slant. Old as the road was, it was mani
fest that it had been OF the monorail
type.
An old man and a boy travelled along
this runway. They moved slowly, for the
old man was very old. touch Of palsy
made his movements tremulous, and he
leaned heavily upon his staff. A rude
skuIIcap Of goatskin protected his head
from the sun. From beneath this fell
a scant fringe Of stained and dirty-white
hair. A visor, ingeniously made from
a large leaf. shielded his eyes, and from
under this he peered at the way Of his
should be snow-white. but which showed
the same weather wear and camp stain
as his hair, fell nearly to his waist in q
great tangled mass. About his chest and
shoulders hung a single, NANCY garment
of gostskin. His arms and legs, wither-
ed and skinny, betokened extreme age, as
we'll as did their sunburn and scars and
scratches betoken long years Of exposure
TO the elements.
The boy, who led the way, checking the
eagnerness of his muscles to the slow
progress Of the elder, likewise wore q
bearslzin, with a hole in the middle
through which he had thrust his head.
He could not have been more than twelve
years old. Tucked coquettishly over one
ear was the freshly covered tail Of a pig.
In one hand he carried a medfum-sized
bow and arrow. On his back was a
quiverful OF arrows. From a sheath hang
ing about his neck on a thong projected
the battered handle of a hunting knife.
He was as brown as a berry, and walked
softly, with almost a catlike tread. In
marked contrast with his sunburned skin
and sharp as a pair of gimlets. They
seemed to bore into all about him in a
way that was habftual As he went along
he smelled things, as we'll, his distended,
quivering nostdls carrying to his brain
an endless series of messages from the
outside world. Also, his hearing was
acute, and had been SO trained that it ]
operated automatically. Without con-
scious effort he heard all the slight |
sounds in the apparent quiet-heard. and
and classified these sounds |
whether they were Of the wind rustling |
gnats, of the distant rumble of the sea |
that drifted to him only in luIls. or Of the |
gopher. just under his feet, showing a
pouchful of earth into the entrance of |
his hole.
Suddenly he became aIertIy tense. |
Sound, sight, and odor had given him a |
warning. His hand went
back to the old man. touching him, and
the pair stood still. Ahead. at one side
of the top of the embankment arose
cracking sound, and the boys gaze was
fixed on the tops of the agitated bushes.
Then a large bear. a grizzly. crashed
into view. and likewise stopped abruptly,
at sight Of the humans. He did not like
the boy fitted the arrow to the bow, and
slowly he pulled the bowstring taut. But
he never removed his eyes from the bear.
The old man peered from under his green
leaf at the danger, and stood as quietly
as the boy. For a few seconds this mu-
tual scrutinizing went on: then. the bear
betraying a growing irrita bility. the boy,
with a movement of his head, indicated
that the old man must step aside from
the trail and go down the embankment.
The boy followed. going backward. still
holding the bow taut and ready They
waited. till a crashing among the bushes
from the opposite side of the embank-
nent told them that the bear had gone
On. The boy grinned as he led back to
he trail
"A big un. Granser," he chucklcd.
The old man shook his h ,ad.
They get thicker every day." he COM
lsined in a thin undependable falsetto.
Who'd have thought I'd live to see the [
ime when a man would be afraid of his
ife on the way to the Cliff House? When
was a boy. Edwin. men and women
md little babies used to come out here =
rom San Francisco by tens of thousands ]
N a nice day. And there weren't any /