| 1 |
Early in the afternoon of the tenth day, a Friday, |
Robin |
suddenly heard |
the swish of skis. |
 |
| 2 |
 |
He |
saw |
a cross-country skier |
on a course that would bring him about 100 feet away. |
| 3 |
 |
Robin |
shrieked, |
«Hello!» |
 |
| 4 |
 |
The skier |
was |
22-year-old, John Steinmetz |
a state-parks life-guard in Sta. Cruz. |
| 5a |
Also a lone skier, |
he |
was trying |
 |
 |
| Â b |
 |
 |
<to come to grips with
|
a problem of his own.> |
 |
| 6a |
A few weeks earlier, |
he and others |
had failed |
 |
 |
| Â b |
 |
 |
<to resuscitate
|
a drowned swimmer.> |
 |
| 7 |
 |
He |
was ridden |
with remorse. |
 |
| 8a |
 |
Some quality in Robin's shout |
made |
 |
 |
| Â b |
 |
<John
|
swerve to a halt and pole his way back.> |
 |
 |
| 9a |
«How 's
|
it
|
[in Pre] going?» |
 |
 |
| Â b |
 |
he |
asked |
the injured skier. |
 |
| 10 |
 |
«I
|
have
|
a broken leg and ankle.» |
 |
| 11 |
«How long have
|
you
|
[in Pre] been out here?» |
 |
 |
| 12 |
 |
 |
«----------
|
Ten days.» |
 |
| 13a |
 |
«It
|
took
|
me
|
about 45 minutes
|
| Â b |
 |
 |
<to get here
|
 |
from McCabe Lake,>» |
| Â c |
 |
John |
said. |
 |
 |
| 14a |
«Well,» |
Robin |
answered, |
 |
 |
| Â b |
 |
«It
|
took
|
me
|
six days.» |