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.Right?" Towne asked."Then, ifCass is true to her word and only looks around for tenminutes or so, and it takes you just as long to comeback down, you should be here by, let's say just aftermidnight.Does that sound about right?""You have to forgive him," Rick said."He's been anaccountant so long he's forgotten that not everyone is asprecise as he is.Sometimes I think he times me in thebathroom."We all laughed, and Maggie got up to help Rick clearthe dishes. "Don't worry, Towne.We'll be okay," I said."If we'renot back by two in the morning, call Sheriff Booker andMartha Harper.Tell them where we went, and they'llknow what to do." I jotted down their numbers and slidthe paper over to him.His eyes were filled withconcern."I'm calling at one, Cass.If you're not back by oneo'clock, I'm calling." I couldn't decide if he sounded likea little kid or a concerned parent.Either way, though, itwas nice to know someone cared.As we waited for night to fall, Maggie took me outback and went over my instructions again."Now, when I yell, 'On belay!' what am I telling you?"she asked, helping me tie the ropes around me.She hadalready shown me how the carabiner worked, and howto tie the right knots in case something went wrong."It means you've got the piton in the crack, and you'reready to help me up to where you are," I said."Butdon't yell too loud.We wouldn't want to alert them that we're coming.""The sound will travel down the rock," she said."Andanyway, from what you said, they should be on theother side of the ridge.Now don't forget, you don'tmake one move until you hear me call.""And once I'm climbing up, I yell, 'Climbing!' " I said."And if I start to fall, I yell 'Falling!' Right?" She'dalready told me this three times."Don't get cocky on me, Cass.It could happen.Thislooks like about a Grade Four climb.I've done harderones, but no beginner starts on Grade Four.Especiallyin the dark.I shouldn't even be taking you up there.You'll have to be very careful.Now, what's the ruleabout the rope?""I don't touch it," I said, starting to get nervous."I usemy hands and feet to find the cracks.And I never letmyself get spread-eagle with all four limbs extended.""Good," she said."But mostly you use your legs.That's where your strength is.And you stay on the cliff byusing three points, never four.You use the fourth limbto move forward with.If you're ever using all four tohang on with, you'll be stuck.Now when you get up towhere I am, what do you do?""Kiss you passionately, and see if I can have my waywith you?" I asked.Maggie managed a brief smilebefore giving me a stern look."Okay, okay," I said,grinning." 'Off Belay' and then I start recoiling theropes.Once you start climbing again, I let the rope outuntil you reach the next resting spot, where you'll sinkanother piton, and yell 'On belay!' again."I was feeling like a school kid trying to pass my oralexams.The real test, though, was the one that had meworried.Maggie must have sensed my growing uneasiness,because she put her arm around me and squeezed myshoulder.Then she started showing me the variousways to grip the cracks and ledges, making me follow her lead."On the way down, we'll be rappelling," she said."Thehardest part will be getting started, because you have tostep backwards over the cliff.But you get to use therope and you don't have to worry about finding cracksor ledges.It's really fun when you get the hang of it."She paused to see if I appreciated the pun.I grimacedand she went on."Unfortunately, you'll have to go first,so I can't even demonstrate for you.Just take littlehops, letting the rope out slowly as you descend.You'llbe down the cliff before you know it."She double-checked the ropes, carabiners, pitons andsafety anchors, and I made sure I could feel thecomforting bulge of my.38 in the shoulder holsterbeneath my jacket.Ropes weren't the only safetymeasure we might be needing, I thought, glad for themild discomfort of the gun.On the other hand, I wasbeginning to wonder if we'd make it up the rock at all.Itwas starting to sound more complicated than I'dthought. It was almost completely dark when we got to the baseof the mountain, and for the first time I started to feelreally scared.From where we stood, the ridge looked amile straight up.The moon sat far over to the east, withonly a thin sliver of silver shining faintly across the sky.Maggie whispered last-minute instructions and beganher ascent.The rocky face of the cliff seemed to haveplenty of footholds, and I tried to watch where sheplaced her hands and feet as she scrambled up [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Right?" Towne asked."Then, ifCass is true to her word and only looks around for tenminutes or so, and it takes you just as long to comeback down, you should be here by, let's say just aftermidnight.Does that sound about right?""You have to forgive him," Rick said."He's been anaccountant so long he's forgotten that not everyone is asprecise as he is.Sometimes I think he times me in thebathroom."We all laughed, and Maggie got up to help Rick clearthe dishes. "Don't worry, Towne.We'll be okay," I said."If we'renot back by two in the morning, call Sheriff Booker andMartha Harper.Tell them where we went, and they'llknow what to do." I jotted down their numbers and slidthe paper over to him.His eyes were filled withconcern."I'm calling at one, Cass.If you're not back by oneo'clock, I'm calling." I couldn't decide if he sounded likea little kid or a concerned parent.Either way, though, itwas nice to know someone cared.As we waited for night to fall, Maggie took me outback and went over my instructions again."Now, when I yell, 'On belay!' what am I telling you?"she asked, helping me tie the ropes around me.She hadalready shown me how the carabiner worked, and howto tie the right knots in case something went wrong."It means you've got the piton in the crack, and you'reready to help me up to where you are," I said."Butdon't yell too loud.We wouldn't want to alert them that we're coming.""The sound will travel down the rock," she said."Andanyway, from what you said, they should be on theother side of the ridge.Now don't forget, you don'tmake one move until you hear me call.""And once I'm climbing up, I yell, 'Climbing!' " I said."And if I start to fall, I yell 'Falling!' Right?" She'dalready told me this three times."Don't get cocky on me, Cass.It could happen.Thislooks like about a Grade Four climb.I've done harderones, but no beginner starts on Grade Four.Especiallyin the dark.I shouldn't even be taking you up there.You'll have to be very careful.Now, what's the ruleabout the rope?""I don't touch it," I said, starting to get nervous."I usemy hands and feet to find the cracks.And I never letmyself get spread-eagle with all four limbs extended.""Good," she said."But mostly you use your legs.That's where your strength is.And you stay on the cliff byusing three points, never four.You use the fourth limbto move forward with.If you're ever using all four tohang on with, you'll be stuck.Now when you get up towhere I am, what do you do?""Kiss you passionately, and see if I can have my waywith you?" I asked.Maggie managed a brief smilebefore giving me a stern look."Okay, okay," I said,grinning." 'Off Belay' and then I start recoiling theropes.Once you start climbing again, I let the rope outuntil you reach the next resting spot, where you'll sinkanother piton, and yell 'On belay!' again."I was feeling like a school kid trying to pass my oralexams.The real test, though, was the one that had meworried.Maggie must have sensed my growing uneasiness,because she put her arm around me and squeezed myshoulder.Then she started showing me the variousways to grip the cracks and ledges, making me follow her lead."On the way down, we'll be rappelling," she said."Thehardest part will be getting started, because you have tostep backwards over the cliff.But you get to use therope and you don't have to worry about finding cracksor ledges.It's really fun when you get the hang of it."She paused to see if I appreciated the pun.I grimacedand she went on."Unfortunately, you'll have to go first,so I can't even demonstrate for you.Just take littlehops, letting the rope out slowly as you descend.You'llbe down the cliff before you know it."She double-checked the ropes, carabiners, pitons andsafety anchors, and I made sure I could feel thecomforting bulge of my.38 in the shoulder holsterbeneath my jacket.Ropes weren't the only safetymeasure we might be needing, I thought, glad for themild discomfort of the gun.On the other hand, I wasbeginning to wonder if we'd make it up the rock at all.Itwas starting to sound more complicated than I'dthought. It was almost completely dark when we got to the baseof the mountain, and for the first time I started to feelreally scared.From where we stood, the ridge looked amile straight up.The moon sat far over to the east, withonly a thin sliver of silver shining faintly across the sky.Maggie whispered last-minute instructions and beganher ascent.The rocky face of the cliff seemed to haveplenty of footholds, and I tried to watch where sheplaced her hands and feet as she scrambled up [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]