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If there was no gaency he doubted--it would not be a great task for hi's herd and pack out a calf The exigency of the auarded the dilapidated rabbit, and Ring slept near by under a spruce Venters called Ring and went to the edge of the terrace, and there halted to survey the valley
He was prepared to find it larger than his unstudied glances had made it appear; for more than a casual idea of diular beauty he had not had tiiven the valley struck him forcibly Around the red perpendicular walls, except under the great arc of stone, ran a terrace fringed at the cliff-base by silver spruces; below that first terrace sloped another wider one densely overgroith aspens, and the center of the valley was a level circle of oaks and alders, with the glittering green line of s and cottonwood dividing it in half Venters saw a nu the trees To his left, facing the stone bridge, an enormous cavern opened in the wall; and lon, just above the tree-tops, he s, with little black, staring s or doors Like eyes they were, and sees he had seen--all ruins--had left hi past He had come, in a way, to be a cliff-dweller himself, and those silent eyes would look down upon him, as if in surprise that after thousands of years a man had invaded the valley Venters felt sure that he was the only white man who had ever walked under the shadow of the wonderful stone bridge, down into that wonderful valley with its circle of caves and its terraced rings of silver spruce and aspens
The dog growled below and rushed into the forest Venters ran down the declivity to enter a zone of light shade streaked with sunshine The oak-trees were slender, none ether, inter back with a rabbit in hisnear hi the branches and quick bird-notes, and rustling of dead leaves and rapid patterings Venters crossed orn trails marked with fresh tracks; and when he had stolen on a little farther he sawquail, and more rabbits than he could count He had not penetrated the forest of oaks for a hundred yards, had not approached anywhere near the line of s and cottonwoods which he kne along a streah to know that Surprise Valley was the home of many wild creatures