“We will investigate as far as practicable at this time, and, if we do not reach an explanation readily—as I do expect we shall—we must ride on and attend to our duties first; then if we care to come back here to unravel a mystery, that will be our privilege.”
“Righto!” chirped Wild Bill, “but suppose we toddle on the base of the bluff and look around it? That will not occupy much time.”
They were obliged to advance more or less cautiously because of the broken nature of the footing, seams and chasms running hither and thither, like rivulets after a shower.
At last at the base of the isolated butte, which was much larger and higher than it appeared from the distance, the pards found it to be a precipitous wall of more than one hundred feet from base to top of the main cone, and this was surrounded by a massive foot-piece more than half as high and three times as broad.
By difficult climbing and jumping wide and deep crevices, they at last attained the top of the base rock, which was as level as a house floor and formed a plateau of probably two hundred acres. Out of the centre of this arose the shaft first seen, towering scores of feet above them, an apparently solid block of rock, smaller in circumference at the base than at the top, as smooth and as impossible of ascent as the outer surface of Bunker Hill monument.
It was on the top of this block, which was perhaps sixteen hundred feet in circumference or five hundred feet in diameter, that they had seen a human being.
“’Member what I said erbout angels?” asked Nomad, staring up dizzily at the top, which seemed wavering against the sky.
“Mars’ Billyum, Ah reckons ’twouldn’t do no harm ’f Ah should jes’ holler a few words o’ United States so’s de lil’ missy won’t t’ink we’s Injuns,” suggested Skibo.
“I think there is no need of it, Skibo,” answered the scout, who, with head thrown back, had been studying the top of the rock.
As the scout spoke a hush fell over all the pards, for there had suddenly appeared on the very edge of the pinnacle a girlish figure quaintly dressed and looking down at them.