THE WINDOW OF THE SPHINX
Within it he saw mountains like a dream, far away, ineffable, another world.
"Are you all right? Are you all right?" the repeated cry grew clearer to his returning consciousness. He looked up and saw the dark face of Esmeralda Charley peering over the edge of the declivity. Half stunned yet, Carron found his voice.
"Yes, I'm all right. I want to lie still a moment." He was getting his bearings, and realizing what had happened—nothing serious, nothing but his own infernal clumsiness and Esmeralda Charley's attempt to jerk him back to his feet, instead of letting him roll down a little way with the slack of the lariat. He sat up in a fine temper, conscious of a throbbing head, but feeling steady enough. "Don't pull me up," he called, feeling the lariat strain around him, "I'm going on. Pay out now when I tell you."
He heard the half-breed warning him to be careful—of what, he couldn't make out. He was too much occupied with not making another slip, and with determining in what sort of place he was going to land. The rock shelved out, perhaps a couple of feet into the sand. Stretching his legs he slid in a shower of fragments, and stood upright upon the level at last. He looked up and down. As far as
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