"Harry Harrison - By the Falls (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

Quivering with sensations he had never before expe-
rienced, Canter turned and looked along the ridge toward
the gray and waiter-blackened granite of the cliff and the
house that huddled at its base like a stony blister. It was
built of the same granite as the cliff and appeared no less
solid. Running and slipping, 'his hands still over 'his ears,
Carter hurried toward the house.
For a short 'time the spray was blown across the bay
and out to sea, so that golden afternoon sunlight poured
down 'on the house, starting streamers of vapor from its
sharply sloping roof. It was a no-nonsense building, as
solid as the rock against which it pressed. Only two win-
dows penetrated the blankness of 'the front that faced
The Falls--tiny and deep, they were like little suspicious
eyes. No door existed here but Carter saw that a path of
stone flags led around the corner.
He followed it and found set into the wall 'on the far
side, away from The Falls--a small and deep-set entry. It
had no arch but was shielded by a great stone lintel a
good two feet in diameter. Carter stepped into the opening
that framed the door and looked in vain for a knocker on
the heavy, iron-bolted timbers. The unceasing, world-
filling, thunder of The Falls made thinking almost impos-
sible and it was only after he had pressed uselessly against
the sealed portal that he realized that no knocker, even
one 'as loud as cannon, could be heard within 'these walls
above that sound. He lowered his bands and tried to force
his mind to coherence.
There had to be some way of announcing his presence.
When be stepped back out of 'the alcove he noticed that
a rusty iron knob was set into the wall a few feet away.
He seized and twisted it but it would not turn. However,
when he pulled on it, although it resisted, 'he was able
to draw it slowly away from the wall to disclose a length
of chain. The chain was heavily greased and in good
conditional fair omen. He continued to pull until a yard
of chain emerged from the opening and then, no matter
how hard he pulled, no more would come. He released
the handle and it bounced against the rough stone of the
wall. For some instants it hung there. Then with a jerky
mechanical motion, the chain was drawn back into the
wall until the knob once more rested in place.
5r

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Whatever device this odd mechanism activated seemed
to perform its desired function. In less than a minute the