Book Description

Excerpt from The Complete Works of Bret Harte, Vol. 6 Gradually the heat became less oppressive; once when he stopped and leaned exhaustedly against a sapling, he fancied he saw the zephyr he could not yet feel in the glittering and trembling of leaves in the distance before him. Again the deep stillness was moved with a faint sigh ing rustle, and he knew he must be nearing the edge of the thicket. The spell of silence thus broken was followed by a fainter, more musical interruption - the glassy tinkle of water! A step farther his foot trembled on the verge of a slight ravine still closely canopied by the interlacing boughs overhead. A tiny stream that he could have dammed with his hand yet lingered in this parched red gash in the hill side and trickled into a deep, irregular, well-like cavity, that again overflowed and sent its light surplus on. It had been the luxurious retreat of many a spotted trout it was to be the bath of Lance Harriott. Without a moment's hesitation, without removing a single garment, he slipped cautiously into it, as if fearful Of losing a single drop. His head dis appeared from the level of the bank; the solitude was again unbroken. Only two objects remained upon the edge of the ravine - his revolver and tobacco-pouch. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.