With that cool, fragrant inflow of air they breathed freely.

The red edge had gone from Black Spur, but it was even more clearly defined against the sky in its towering blackness.

The sky itself had grown lighter, although the stars still seemed mere reflections of the solitary pin-points of light scattered along the concave valley below.

Mingling with the cooler, restful air of the summit, yet penetratingly distinct from it, arose the stimulating breath of the pines below, still hot and panting from the day-long sun.

The silence was intense.