large/506/short_stories_009_64kb_mp3/love_of_life_london_jwt_64kb_177
large/506/short_stories_009_64kb_mp3/love_of_life_london_jwt_64kb
English
506
He did not stop. With a desperation that was madness, unmindful of the pain, he hurried up the slope to the crest of the hill over which his comrade had disappeared  more grotesque and comical by far than that limping, jerking comrade. HE DID NOT STOP WITH A DESPERATION THAT WAS MADNESS UNMINDFUL OF THE PAIN HE HURRIED UP THE SLOPE TO THE CREST OF THE HILL OVER WHICH HIS COMRADE HAD DISAPPEARED MORE GROTESQUE AND COMICAL BY FAR THAN THAT LIMPING JERKING COMRADE
. 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!" 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. Then he proceeded, slowly and carefully, wincing with pain, to the bank. 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 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 THEN HE PROCEEDED SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY WINCING WITH PAIN TO THE BANK
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