The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1926-08-05
rested him awhile and recovered

rested him awhile and recovered
breath.
Thence he viewed the Emilian
plain, revealed for miles in the
moons white light, the glittering,
silvery spread of sea away in The
distance to the east, the glimmer-
ing snow-capped peaks of the APP
ennines to westward. Above him
toward the gray cliff, abrupt and
sheer as the very walls of the for
tress that crowned it's summit. a
climb that well might have appall-
ed the hardest mountaineer, that
might, indeed, have baffled even
goat. Surveying it with his calm
blue eyes, Messer Lorenzo realized
that the worst danger he had to
face that night was the danger of
this climb. By comparison, the
rest-the scaling Of the castle wall
and the poniarding Of a sentry OF
two, and the opening Of the gate.
were safe and simple matters,
Here, however, a false step, a
misgiving even, or moment Of
badness, such as might well beset
him, must plunge him down to in
slant death.
He rose, inhaled the fragrance
OF the summer night, breathed a
short prayer to his patron saint
the Holy Lawrence, and pushed on
Cllnging with hands and feet and
knees to the face of the cliff, ne
edged along a narrow strip of
rock, for some few yards, to an
other ledge; there he paused to
breathe again, thankful that so
much was accomplished.
Thereafter for a while the going
was easier. A natural path, some
three feet wide, wound upwards
along the precipice's face. At the
end of this he was confronted bv
another gap, to be surmounted on
ly by a leap.
Fearing lest his sword should
trip him, he unbuckled his belt,
and cast the weapon from him. He
did so with regret, but constrained
to it by the reflection that if he
kept it he might never live to need
it. Then he took a deep breath,
seized his courage in both hands,
and jumped across the black I'M
fashionable void at stunted tree
that thrust out from that sheer
wall. With arms and legs he clutch
ed like an ape at the frail plant,
and had it's hold given way under
his weight, there would have been
an end of him forever. It held,
however, and clinging to it he
CROPPED for footing, found it, and
went on. This brought him to
narrow fissure in the cliff. Up this
assure he swarmed, supported by
Just the pressure of knees and
forearms against the rock. and on
y at times finding a projection af-
Fording safer grip for one or
he other.
Up, straight up, he went for
nearly twenty feet, until at last
he reached the assures summit;
me of its walls permitted him to
get astride it, and there he rested,
'athed in sweat and winded by the
'tupendous exertions he had put
'orth. Seated thus, his breast close
against the cliff, he looked side
ways and down into the awful |
lepths below him. He shuddered,
Ind chung with his bruised hands
% the rock, and it was some time
'efore he could proceed upon the
econd half of his ascent, for by
low he knew that he was a good
midway.
At last he resumed his climb.
md by similar means, and sur
counting similar and constant per-
Is, he pushed on and ever upwards.
One narrow escape he had. AS
lie chung with both hands to that
lwful wall at place where the
'oothold was but a few inches
vide, a great brown body, with a
;hrieking whirr, dashed out of a
'revice just above his head, and
vent cawing and circling in the
7oid beyond. So startled was he
hat he almost loosed his hold, and
cold sweat broke out upon his
oughened skin as he recovered and
Knew the thing for what it was.
And later, when, an hour Or so
before midnight, the moon went
lown and left him in utter dark
less, fear at last assailed his stout
spirit, and for a time he did not
lare to move. Presently, however.
is he grew accustomed to the dark
his eyes were able to pierce it to
an extent that restored his cour-
age. The night, after all, was clear
and starlit, and at close quarters
objects were just visible; yet i'm
mense care was necessary lest he
should now commit the irrepar-
able error of mistaking substance
for shadow or should misjudge his
distances, as was so easy.
At long length, towards mid
night, utterly spent, with bleeding
hands and rent garments, he found
on the roomy platform at
the very foot Of the castles south
arn wall; and not for all the wealth
of the world would he have con-
sented to return by the way he
bod l0,,e1x,