Argosy, September 1955 — page 48: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

46 H. E. BATES “T don’t get that,” Manson said. “‘ You can see a path going up there as plain as daylight. I’ve been watching it. You can see it going most of the way.” ~ “ Tt’s probably made by goats, sir.” The remark seemed to have in it the slightest touch of oblique insolence, and he asked abruptly for another gin. He was very glad that Miss Vane decided to have one too. But the lunch was good. He awarded absolutely top marks to Manuel for the lunch. A slight breeze blew off the upper mountain and cooled the glare of sun. He took another gin and was aware again of the semaphore spark of signals ignited over the black of distant rocks, and he remarked several times, munching on big open sandwiches of red beef and peeled eggs and ham, that food always tasted so magnificent in the open air. ** What is the village, Manuel? ”’ Miss Vane said. **'That’s the village of Santa Anna, madame.”’ ““ How far away is it? ”’ Manson said: ‘‘ Three hours. All of three hours I should say.”’ “It would take more than half a day to get there,’’ Manuel said. ‘‘ Sometimes there are bad mists, too. Then it takes more.” With another gin, in which he was glad Miss Vane joined him, Manson felt all the flare of antagonism against Manuel come back. ‘The man was a damn know-all. ‘Too smooth by half. ‘Too smooth. Too knowing. Worst of all, too damned right. ** Good God, look—there’s an eagle,”’ he said. A large bird, equidistant between the two shoulders of mountain, seemed to hold for a moment the entire sky in its claws. ‘“’'That’s a buzzard, sir,’ Manuel said. ‘“‘ There are no eagles here.’”? Manson stared at the bird that seemed, with motionless deceit, to hold the sky in its claws. ““ T’d like another gin,” he said. “‘ Would you? ”’ **T will if you will,” she said. “Good,” he said. ‘‘ That'll get us steamed up for the top.” During lunch Miss Vane took off her shoes and for some moments after lunch, when she appeared to have some difficulty in getting them on again, Manson felt impatient and disappointed. ‘** Oh, it’s nothing. It’s only that my feet ache a bit.” He saw her look up at the plateau of rock that spanned and blocked, exactly like the barrier of a dam, the entire western reach of valley. “It looks awfully far,’’ she said. ** Don’t you want to go? ”’ “Tt isn’t that. I was only wondering about time,” she said. ““T thought you were the one with plenty of time,’ he said. “We ought to have brought the hammock. Then we could have carried you.”’ He said the words rather brassily, with a smile. ** You think we can make it? ”’ she said. ‘“‘ I mean in the time? Perhaps we ought to ask Manuel? ”’ ** Oh, damn Manuel,” he said. commiclooks. conn