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The ledge they were on was becoming narrowerA hundred feet above them he could see the top of the ridge, rocky and jagged, almost impossible to traverseFarther ahead the ledge rose upward and crossed the ridge and beyond should be the mountain peakIt could not be more than a thousand feet above themHe wanted to have the summit in view before they halted for the night
But the ledge was becoming dangerousThe rain clouds had settled over them like bloated balloons, and they traveled forward in what was almost a fogThe rain was colder hereIt chilled them and their feet slid upon the damp rockAfter a few more minutes the rain obscured the ridge above them, and they inched along the ledge cautiously, their faces to the rock wall
The ledge was no more than a foot wide nowThe platoon worked along it very slowly, vintage cartier watch taking a purchase on the weeds and small bushes that grew out of the vertical cracks in the wallEach step was painful, frightening, but the farther they inched out along the ledge the more terrifying became the idea of turning backThey hoped that at any moment the ledge would widen again, for they could not conceive of returning over a few of the places they had already crossedThis passage was dangerous enough to rouse them temporarily from their fatigue, and they moved alertly, strung out over forty yardsOnce or twice they would look down, but it was too frighteningEven in the fog they could see a sheer drop of at least a hundred feet and it roused another kind of faintnessThey would become conscious of the walls, which were of a soft gray slimy rock that seemed to breathe like the skin of a sealIt had an odious cheap replica chanel handbag fleshlike sensation which roused panic, made them want to hasten
The ledge narrowed to nine inchesCroft kept peering ahead in the mist, trying to determine if it would become widerThis was the first place on the mountain that demanded some skillUntil now it has been essentially a very high hill, but here he wished for a rope or a mountain pickHe continued along it, his arms and legs spread-eagled, hugging the rock, his fingers searching for crevices to latch upon
He came to a gap in the ledge about four feet wideThere was nothing between, no bushes, no roots to which they could clingThe platform disappeared and then continued on the other sideIn the gap there was only the sheer drop of the ridge wallIt would have been a simple jump, merely a long step on level ground, but here it meant leaping sideways, taking off with bay bag chloe the left foot and landing with the right, having to gain his balance while he teetered on the ledge
He slipped off his pack carefully, handed it to Martinez behind him, and hesitated for a moment, his right leg dangling over the gapThen he leaped sideways, wavering for a moment on the other side before steadying himself
"Jesus, who the fug can cross that?" he heard one of them mutter
"Just wait there," Croft said, "I'm gonna see if the ledge widens out He traveled along it for fifty feet, and discovered it was becoming broader againThis gave him a deep sense of relief, for otherwise it would have meant turning back to find another routeAnd he no longer knew if he could rouse the platoon to go up again
He leaned over the gap and took his pack from MartinezThe distance was short enough for their hands to discount hermes touchThen he took Martinez's pack and moved a few yards farther away"Okay, men," he called, "let's start coming overThe air's a helluva sight better on this side
There was a nervous snicker"Liften, Croft," he heard Red say, "is that fuggin ledge any wider?"
"Yeah, more than a bit But Croft was annoyed at himself for answeringHe should have told Red to shut up
Roth, at the tail of the column, listened with dreadHe would probably miss if he had to jump, and despite himself his body generated some anxietyHis anger was still present, but it had altered into a quieter resolve
As he watched them pass their packs across and leap over, his fear increasedIt was the kind of thing he had never been able to do, and a trace of an old panic he had known in gym classes when he waited for his turn on the high bar rose up to torment submariner rolex |
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