Royston shrugged. |
Royston mengangkat bahu. |
"It is supposed to make me a man of vigor, with red corpuscles and a need for cold shower baths. Actually, there is nothing wrong with me. I was simply born to sit and watch while great louts like you run and wrestle and climb and sweat." |
"Ia sepatutnya menjadikan aku kuat, berkorpuskel merah dan suka mandi sejuk. Sebenarnya tidak ada yang tak kena dengan aku. Sememangnya aku lebih suka duduk memerhati mereka yang kasar dan agresif seperti kamu yang berpeluh-peluh berlari, bertumbuk dan memanjat." |
He shifted his gaze to the peak, now a dark silhouette against the ice-clear stars. |
Pandangannya beralih ke puncak, yang kini seperti bayangan gelap berbanding bintang-bintang yang jelas kelihatan. |
"There, the light shows again." |
"Di sana, cahaya itu muncul lagi." |
Slowly the red glow progressed along a cliff face, much higher than it had before. |
Cahaya merah itu beransur-ansur bergerak sepanjang permukaan bukit, pada aras yang lebih tinggi daripada sebelumnya. |
For minutes it moved along steadily, then faded. |
Cahaya itu bergerak berterusan selama beberapa minit sebelum beransur hilang. |
"That thing," said Evers suddenly, "was goin' along Fifth Avenue. Spooks don't need a route of ascent, even up Precipice. All of a sudden, the lights of Precipice Peak are gettin' solid. I got a feelin' they'll leave sign." |
"Benda itu," Evers berkata tiba-tiba, "mula-mula bergerak sepanjang Fifth Avenue. Hantu bukannya perlu mendaki walaupun untuk ke Precipice. Tiba-tiba sahaja cahaya di Puncak Precipice menjadi lebih ketara. Aku rasa tentu ada kesan yang ditinggalkan." |
"Sign?" |
"Kesan?" |
Royston's voice went up in the darkness. |
Suara Royston jelas kedengaran di dalam kegelapan malam. |
There was the familiar pause, then Royston's satisfied tone: "Ah, yes, traces." |
Royston diam sejenak sebelum berkata dengan suara yakin: "Oh ya, tanda." |
"Right—traces, tracks, spoor. Only mystery about those lights is, we don't know who makes them. But they're gettin' to be a tourist attraction. Maybe that's a lead." |
"Ya—tanda, jejak, kesan. Yang menjadi misteri tu dari mana datangnya cahaya tu. Tapi cahaya itu menjadi tarikan pelancong. Mungkin itu satu petunjuk." |
"How many trips have there been up Precipice this season?" |
Sudah berapa kali pendakian ke Precipice musim ni?" |
Royston queried softly. |
Royston bertanya perlahan. |