United States or Guadeloupe ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
And when Hell's Half-Mile was thus in full eruption, the citizens of Redding stayed away from Water Street after dark. "Drive's in," said they, and had business elsewhere. And the next group of rivermen, hurrying toward the fun, broke into an eager dog-trot. "Taking the old town apart to-night," they told each other. "Let's get in the game." To-night, however, the street was comparatively quiet.
This wall and slope were the first two steps down the long stairway of the Grand Canyon, and they towered over me, straight up a half-mile in dizzy height. To think of climbing it took my breath away. Then again Sounder's bay floated distinctly to me, but it seemed to come from a different point. I turned my ear to the wind, and in the succeeding moments I was more and more baffled.
"Th' trail's all right for a good half-mile, anyway," Young answered; "an' I guess it's good all th' way. It's pretty much th' same as th' one we come up by, an' that's good enough, where it don't jump cañons, t' go along in th' dark; but we must rustle if we mean t' do much by daylight."
Fine water-holes were passed at a short half-mile from our camp; and, after crossing the northern anabranch of the river, we again found water. The detection of isolated water-holes in a wooded country, where there is nothing visible to indicate its presence, is quite a matter of chance.
"What would Frederick the Great or Napoleon do?" Nick asked, absorbed in Jack's confident predications. "If Frederick had equal forces he would have a reserve just where we shall be in the morning there at that point marked 'Stone Ridge, and move a heavy mass to the southwest below McLean's Ford there, where you see the railway runs along the run for a half-mile or more.
I am level with the stroke of the Old Boys' boat. Two! Our fellows pull as if they had another half-mile to go still. Three! The judge at the winning-post is lifting his hand and cocking his pistol. Four!
But Frank M. Brown had faith, and a company for the construction of the Denver, Colorado Canyon, and Pacific Railway was organised. Brown was the president, and in 1889 he formed an expedition to Survey the line. Then they bought a boat from the ferryman, and after repairing it laid in a supply of rations, engaged some men, and ran a half-mile down Grand River.
"I hope not; I don't think it will without whisky to help it along," said Frisbie, with another apologetic side glance for Miss Adair. "Yes; but the whisky isn't lacking there's Pete Garcia and his stock of battle, murder and sudden death at Paint Rock, a short half-mile from Riley's," Ford broke in. Frisbie's smile, helped out by the grime and the coal dust, was triumphantly demoniacal.
The fun was spoilt when the rock spoke again, a half-mile to windward, and the tormented bark set everything that would draw and went her ways; but the dories felt that the honours lay with them. All that night the Virgin roared hoarsely; and next morning, over an angry, white-headed sea, Harvey saw the Fleet with flickering masts waiting for a lead.
Dawn came between three and four on those June mornings, and with the first streak of gray in the east we divided the outfit and mounted our horses, part riding to push the cattle off their beds and the others to round in the remuda. Before the herd had grazed out a half-mile, we were overtaken by half the outfit on fresh mounts, who at once took charge of the herd.