All Heroes But One 



to dire thoughts. A tower of Babel menaced me 

 with tons of loose shale. A tower that leaned more 

 frightfully than the Tower of Pisa threatened to 

 build my tomb. Many a lighthouse-shaped crag 

 sent down little scattering rocks in ominous notice. 



After toiling in and out of passageways under the 

 shadows of these strangely formed cliffs, and coming 

 again and again to the same point, a blind pocket, I 

 grew desperate. I named the baffling place Decep 

 tion Pass, and then ran down a slide. I knew if I 

 could keep my feet I could beat the avalanche. 

 More by good luck than management I outran the 

 roaring stones and landed safely. Then rounding 

 the cliff below, I found myself on a narrow ledge, 

 with a wall to my left, and to the right the tips of 

 pinon trees level with my feet. 



Innocently and wearily I passed round a pillar-like 

 corner of wall, to come face to face with an old 

 lioness and cubs. I heard the mother snarl, and at 

 the same time her ears went back flat, and she 

 crouched. The same fire of yellow eyes, the same 

 grim snarling expression so familiar in my mind since 

 Old Tom had leaped at me, faced me here. 



My recent vow of extermination was entirely for 

 gotten and one frantic spring carried me over the 

 ledge. / 



Crash! I felt the brushing and scratching of 



265 



