"Marc Stiegler - David's Sling" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stiegler Marc)

He peered up. Sure enough, the chiseled footprints
went on to his left for a short time, then veered back
sharply to the right. Jan was directly above, climbing to
the right with a cougar's enthusiasm. He couldn't go all the
way around the switchback even if he had the energy: but
if he continued to the left, the taut rope would drag Jan
back as well. He took one more pressure-breath and shak-
ily climbed straight up the mountain, shortcutting through
the switch.
Noticing the jerking motions of the rope, Jan stopped to
look back. Her mouth dropped open. "Hilan," she called
loudly, "you can'tтАФ"

Hilan looked up at her. Just as the snow yielded beneath
his foot He plunged through the snow bridge into the
crevasse beneath.

The rope snapped taut, bouncing him wildly on the
end. The plunge halted only a moment before he plum-
meted again and the rope slid farther over the edge. He
looked down into the shadowy cavern below, interested but
not afraid. The all-crushing tatigue numbed his mind; he just
didn't care. He contemplated his own emptiness, knowing
that his lack of fear should be the greatest cause for fear.

His descent slowed, then stopped. He swung lazily in
the endless, rocky fracture, listening to the sudden quiet.
A wheezing cough echoed down from above. Hilan pic-
tured Jan on the edge of the precipice, leaning into her ice
axe with all her strength to stop the fall. Both their lives
depended on her endurance.

The realization of her danger finally impelled him to
action. Miraculously, his ice axe yet dangled from his right
wrist. He pressed his lips together for an explosive series
of breathsтАФthe whistling sound seemed almost natural
nowтАФand wriggled his ice axe into his backpack straps.
He grasped the rope. The fatigue yielded to a last buildup
of adrenalin.

He climbed over halfway up the rope before the adren-
alin failed.

He dung to the rope, thinking about the danger to Jan.
BF he could not complete this ctunb, he had to save her.

DAVID'S SUNG 5

He still had his knife. He could cut the rope, freeing her