large/506/short_stories_009_64kb_mp3/love_of_life_london_jwt_64kb_112
large/506/short_stories_009_64kb_mp3/love_of_life_london_jwt_64kb
English
506
He cowered in the midst of the milky water, as though the vastness were pressing in upon him with overwhelming force, brutally crushing him with its complacent awfulness. He began to shake as with an ague fit, till the gun fell from his hand with a splash. This served to rouse him. He fought with his fear and pulled himself together, groping in the water and recovering the weapon. He hitched his pack farther over on his left shoulder, so as to take a portion of its weight from off the injured ankle. HE COWERED IN THE MIDST OF THE MILKY WATER AS THOUGH THE VASTNESS WERE PRESSING IN UPON HIM WITH OVERWHELMING FORCE BRUTALLY CRUSHING HIM WITH ITS COMPLACENT AWFULNESS HE BEGAN TO SHAKE AS WITH A NEGRO FIT TILL THE GUN FELL FROM HIS HAND WITH A SPLASH THIS SERVED TO ROUSE HIM HE FOUGHT WITH HIS FEAR AND PULLED HIMSELF TOGETHER GROPING IN THE WATER AND RECOVERING THE WEAPON HE HITCHED HIS PACK FARTHER OVER ON HIS LEFT SHOULDER SO AS TO TAKE A PORTION OF ITS WEIGHT OFF THE INJURED ANKLE
le resting his weight on one leg. It was four o'clock, and as the season was near the last of July or first of August,--he did not know the precise date within a week or two,--he knew that the sun roughly marked the northwest. He looked to the south and knew that somewhere beyond those bleak hills lay the Great Bear Lake; also, he knew that in that direction the Arctic Circle cut its forbidding way across the Canadian Barrens. This stream in which he stood was a feeder to the Coppermine River, which in turn flowed north and emptied into Coronation Gulf and the Arctic Ocean. He had never been there, but he had seen it, once, on a Hudson Bay Company chart. Again his gaze completed the circle of the world about him. It was not a heartening spectacle. Everywhere was soft sky-line. The hills were all low-lying. There were no trees, no shrubs, no grasses--naught but a tremendous and terrible desolation that sent fear swiftly dawning into his eyes. "Bill!" he whispered, once and twice; "Bill! N PULLED OUT HIS WATCH THE WHILE RESTING HIS WEIGHT ON ONE LEG IT WAS FOUR O'CLOCK AND AS THE SEASON WAS NEAR THE LAST OF JULY OR FIRST OF AUGUST HE DID NOT KNOW THE PRECISE DATE WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO HE KNEW THAT THE SUN ROUGHLY MARKED THE NORTH WEST HE LOOKED TO THE SOUTH AND KNEW THAT SOMEWHERE BEYOND THOSE BLEAK HILLS LAY THE GREAT BEAR LAKE ALSO HE KNEW THAT IN THAT DIRECTION THE ARCTIC CIRCLE CUT ITS FORBIDDING WAY ACROSS THE CANADIAN BARRENS THIS STREAM IN WHICH HE STOOD WAS A FEATER TO THE COPPER MINE RIVER WHICH IN TURN FLOWED NORTH AND EMPTIED INTO CORONATION GULF AND THE ARCTIC OCEAN HE HAD NEVER BEEN THERE BUT HE HAD SEEN IT ONCE ON A HUDSON BAY COMPANY CHART AGAIN HIS GAZE COMPLETED THE CIRCLE OF THE WORLD ABOUT HIM IT WAS NOT A HEARTENING SPECTACLE EVERYWHERE WAS SOFT SKYLINE THE HILLS WERE ALL LOW LYING THERE WERE NO TREES NO SHRUBS NO GRASSES NOUGHT BUT A TREMENDOUS AND TERRIBLE DESOLATION THAT SENT FEAR SWIFTLY DAWNING INTO HIS EYES BILL HE WHISPERED ONCE AND TWICE BILL
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