Close range Photogrammetry and 3d

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Stuart Robson Stephen Kyle Jan
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Thomas Luhmann, Stuart Robson, Stephen Kyle, Jan Boehm
Close-Range Photogrammetry and 3D Imaging
De Gruyter STEM
Thomas Luhmann, Stuart Robson, Stephen Kyle, Jan Boehm
Close-Range Photogrammetry
and 3D Imaging
ISBN 9783110607246
e-ISBN (PDF) 9783110607253
e-ISBN (EPUB) 9783110607383
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche
Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the
Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are
available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Contents
Preface
1 Introduction
1.1 Overview
1.1.1 Content
1.1.2 References
1.2 Fundamental methods
1.2.1 The photogrammetric process
1.2.2 Aspects of photogrammetry
1.2.3 Image-forming model
1.2.4 Photogrammetric systems and procedures
1.2.5 Photogrammetric products
1.3 Application areas
1.4 Historical development
2 Mathematical fundamentals
2.1 Coordinate systems
2.1.1 Pixel and sensor coordinate system
2.1.2 Image and camera coordinate systems
2.1.3 Model coordinate system
2.1.4 Object coordinate system
2.2 Coordinate transformations
2.2.1 Plane transformations
 2.2.2 Spatial rotations
2.2.3 Spatial transformations
2.2.4 Spatial similarity transformation
2.3 Geometric elements
2.3.1 Analytical geometry in the plane
2.3.2 Analytical geometry in 3D space
2.3.3 Surfaces
2.4 Adjustment techniques
2.4.1 The problem
2.4.2 Least-squares method (Gauss-Markov linear model)
2.4.3 Quality measures
2.4.4 Error detection in practice
2.4.5 Computational aspects
3 Imaging technology
3.1 Physics of image formation
3.1.1 Wave optics
3.1.2 Optical imaging
3.1.3 Aberrations
3.1.4 Resolution
3.1.5 Fundamentals of sampling theory
3.2 Photogrammetric imaging concepts
3.2.1 Offline and online systems
3.2.2 Imaging configurations
3.3 Geometry of the camera as a measuring device
3.3.1 Image scale and accuracy
 3.3.2 Interior orientation of a camera
3.3.3 Standardized correction functions
3.3.4 Alternative correction formulations
3.3.5 Iterative correction of imaging errors
3.3.6 Transformation of interior orientation parameters
3.3.7 Fisheye projections
3.4 System components
3.4.1 Opto-electronic imaging sensors
3.5 Imaging systems
3.5.1 Industrial cameras
3.5.2 Digital cameras
3.5.3 High-speed cameras
3.5.4 Stereo and multi-camera systems
3.5.5 Micro and macro-scanning cameras
3.5.6 Panoramic cameras
3.5.7 Thermal imaging cameras
3.5.8 3D cameras
3.6 Targeting and illumination
3.6.1 Object targeting
3.6.2 Illumination and projection techniques
4 Analytical methods
4.1 Overview
4.2 Processing of single images
4.2.1 Exterior orientation
4.2.2 Collinearity equations
 4.2.3 Space resection
4.2.4 Linear orientation methods
4.2.5 Object position and orientation (pose) by inverse
resection
4.2.6 Projective transformation of a plane
4.2.7 Monoplotting
4.2.8 Rectification
4.3 Processing of stereo images
4.3.1 Stereoscopic principle
4.3.2 Epipolar geometry
4.3.3 Relative orientation
4.3.4 Fundamental matrix and essential matrix
4.3.5 Absolute orientation
4.3.6 Stereoscopic processing
4.4 Multi-image processing and bundle adjustment
4.4.1 General remarks
4.4.2 Mathematical model
4.4.3 Object coordinate system (definition of datum)
4.4.4 Generation of approximate values
4.4.5 Quality measures and analysis of results
4.4.6 Strategies for bundle adjustment
4.4.7 Multi-image processing
4.5 Panoramic photogrammetry
4.5.1 Cylindrical panoramic imaging model
4.5.2 Orientation of panoramic imagery
4.5.3 Epipolar geometry
 4.5.4 Spatial intersection
4.5.5 Rectification of panoramic images
4.6 Multi-media photogrammetry
4.6.1 Light refraction at media interfaces
4.6.2 Extended model of bundle triangulation
5 Digital image analysis
5.1 Fundamentals
5.1.1 Image processing procedure
5.1.2 Pixel coordinate system
5.1.3 Handling image data
5.2 Image pre-processing
5.2.1 Point operations
5.2.2 Colour operations
5.2.3 Filter operations
5.2.4 Edge extraction
5.3 Geometric image transformation
5.3.1 Fundamentals of rectification
5.3.2 Grey value interpolation
5.3.3 Textured images
5.4 Digital processing of single images
5.4.1 Approximate values
5.4.2 Measurement of single point features
5.4.3 Feature extraction
5.5 Image matching and 3D object reconstruction
 5.5.1 Overview
5.5.2 Strategies for matching non-oriented images
5.5.3 Similarity measures
5.5.4 Correspondence analysis based on epipolar
geometry
5.5.5 Multi-image matching
5.5.6 Matching methods with object models
5.5.7 Matching in image sequences
6 Measuring tasks and systems
6.1 Overview
6.2 Interactive measuring and processing systems
6.2.1 Stereoscopic systems
6.2.2 Interactive multi-image processing systems
6.3 Tactile probing systems
6.3.1 Measurement principle
6.3.2 Single-camera systems
6.3.3 Stereo and multi-camera systems
6.4 Laser-based systems
6.4.1 Laser triangulation
6.4.2 3D laser scanners
6.4.3 2D and 1D laser scanning
6.4.4 Video total stations and multistations
6.4.5 Laser trackers
6.4.6 Panoramic imaging systems with laser distance
measurement
6.5 Industrial measuring systems for single point features
6.5.1 Mobile industrial point measuring-systems
6.5.2 Static industrial online measuring systems
6.6 Industrial systems for surface measurement
6.6.1 Overview
6.6.2 Fringe projection systems
6.6.3 Point and grid projection
6.6.4 Systems utilizing random patterns
6.6.5 3D projection systems
6.7 Measurement of complex surfaces
6.7.1 Orientation with object points
6.7.2 Scanner location by optical tracking
6.7.3 Mechanical location of scanners
6.7.4 Orientation with mechanical systems and reference
points
6.7.5 Connecting point clouds: Iterative closest point (ICP)
6.8 Low-cost 3D sensors
6.8.1 Systems for gesture detection
6.8.2 3D hand-held scanners
6.8.3 Measuring systems in mobile devices
6.9 Dynamic photogrammetry
6.9.1 Relative movement between object and imaging
system
6.9.2 Recording dynamic sequences
6.9.3 Motion capture (MoCap)
 6.10 Mobile measurement platforms
6.10.1 Mobile mapping systems
6.10.2 Close-range aerial imagery
7 Measurement design and quality
7.1 Project planning
7.1.1 Planning criteria
7.1.2 Accuracy issues
7.1.3 Restrictions on imaging configuration
7.1.4 Accuracy estimation by simulation
7.1.5 Design of the imaging configuration
7.2 Quality measures and performance testing
7.2.1 Statistical parameters
7.2.2 Metrological parameters
7.2.3 Acceptance and re-verification of measuring systems
7.3 Strategies for camera calibration
7.3.1 Calibration methods
7.3.2 Imaging configurations
7.3.3 Calibration of multi-camera and non-standard
imaging systems
7.3.4 Quality criteria for camera calibration
7.3.5 Problems with self-calibration
8 Example applications
8.1 Architecture, archaeology and cultural heritage
8.1.1 Photogrammetric building records
8.1.2 3D city and landscape models
 8.1.3 Sculptures and museum pieces
8.1.4 Archaeological recording
8.1.5 Image mosaics
8.2 Engineering surveying and civil engineering
8.2.1 3D modelling of complex objects
8.2.2 Deformation analysis
8.2.3 Material testing
8.2.4 Roof and façade measurement
8.3 Industrial applications
8.3.1 Power stations and production plants
8.3.2 Aerospace industry
8.3.3 Car industry
8.3.4 Ship building industry
8.4 Multi-media photogrammetry
8.4.1 Measurement of water and other fluid surfaces
8.4.2 Underwater measurement of welds
8.5 Medicine
8.5.1 Surface measurement
8.5.2 Online navigation systems
8.6 Miscellaneous applications
8.6.1 Forensic applications
8.6.2 Scientific applications
Literature
Textbooks
 Photogrammetry
Optics, camera and imaging techniques
Digital image processing, computer vision and pattern
recognition
Mathematics and 3D computer graphics
Least-squares adjustment and statistics
Industrial and optical 3D metrology
Chapter 1 – Introduction and history
Chapter 2 – Mathematical fundamentals
Transformations and geometry
Adjustment techniques
Chapter 3 – Imaging technology
Optics and sampling theory
Camera modelling and calibration
Sensors and cameras
Targeting and illumination
Chapter 4 – Analytical methods
Analytical photogrammetry
Bundle adjustment
Multi-media photogrammetry
Panoramic photogrammetry
Chapter 5 – Digital image analysis
Fundamentals
Pattern recognition and image matching
Chapter 6 – Measurement tasks and systems
 Interactive measuring and processing systems
Measurement of points and contours
Laser-based systems
Measurement of surfaces
Low-cost 3D systems
Dynamic and mobile systems
Chapter 7 – Quality issues and optimization
Project planning and simulation
Quality
Camera calibration
Chapter 8 – Applications
Architecture, archaeology, city models
Engineering and industrial applications
Medicine, forensics, earth sciences
Other sources of information
Standards and guidelines
Working groups and conferences
Abbreviations
Image sources
Index
Preface
The first edition of “Close Range Photogrammetry” was
published in 2006 by Whittles Publishing. This was a translated
and extended version of the original German book
“Nahbereichsphotogrammetrie” and was well received by the
large international community of photogrammetrists,
metrologists and computer vision experts. This success was
further recognized by the International Society of
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) which awarded
the authors the then newly inaugurated Karl Kraus Medal for
excellence in authorship (2010).
The second edition, entitled “Close-Range Photogrammetry
and 3D Imaging”, was published by de Gruyter in 2014. This was
based on the latest German version of
“Nahbereichsphotogrammetrie” but extended to reflect new
methods and systems for 3D imaging, particularly in the field of
image analysis. This version also formed the basis for a
translation into Russian, published by URSS in 2018.
This current third edition is again an updated version of
“Nahbereichsphotogrammetrie”. Popular new methods such as
SfM (structure-from-motion), SGM (semi-global matching) and
SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) have been
presented in more detail. Further new content covers low-cost
3D sensors, mobile indoor mapping, robot-based metrology
systems and registration of point clouds, to mention just a few
topics.
Three-dimensional information acquired from imaging
sensors is widely used and accepted. The field of
photogrammetry, optical 3D metrology and 3D imaging is still
growing, especially in areas which have no traditional link to
photogrammetry and geodesy. However, whilst 3D imaging
methods are established in many scientific communities,
photogrammetry is still an engineering-driven technique where
quality and accuracy play an important role.
It is the expressed objective of the authors to appeal to non-
photogrammetrists and experts from many other fields in order
to transfer knowledge and avoid re-invention of the wheel. The
structure of the book therefore assumes different levels of pre-
existing knowledge, from beginner to scientific expert. For this
reason, the book also presents a number of fundamental
techniques and methods in mathematics, adjustment
techniques, physics, optics, image processing and others.
Although this information may also be found in other textbooks,
the objective here is to create a closer link between different
fields and present a common notation for equations and
parameters.
The authors are happy to accept suggestions for misprints or
corrections. A list of known errors in the current and previous
editions can be found at
→https://www.degruyter.com/books/9783110607246. Additional
information is also available under
nahbereichsphotogrammetrie,de.
The authors would also like to express their gratitude to the
many generous colleagues who have helped complete the work.
In addition, we would like to thank all the companies,
universities and institutes which have provided illustrative
material and other valuable technical information. We are
grateful also to our publisher, de Gruyter, for supporting the
translation work. Finally, of course, we would like to thank our
families and colleagues for their patience and support during
many months of translation, writing and editing.
Oldenburg/Guernsey/London, August 2019
Thomas Luhmann, Stuart Robson, Stephen Kyle, Jan Boehm
1 Introduction
1.1 Overview
1.1.1 Content
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the fundamentals of
photogrammetry, with particular reference to close-range
measurement. After a brief discussion of the principal methods
and systems, typical areas of applications are presented. The
chapter ends with a short historical review of close-range
photogrammetry.
Chapter 2 deals with mathematical basics. These include the
definition of some important coordinate systems and the
derivation of geometric transformations which are needed for a
deeper understanding of topics presented later. In addition, a
number of geometrical elements important for object
representation are discussed. The chapter concludes with a
summary of least squares adjustment and statistics.
Chapter 3 is concerned with photogrammetric image
acquisition for close-range applications. After an introduction to
physical basics and the principles of image acquisition,
geometric fundamentals and imaging models are presented.
There follow discussions of digital imaging equipment as well as
specialist areas of image recording. The chapter ends with a
summary of targeting and illumination techniques.
Analytical methods of image orientation and object
reconstruction are presented in Chapter 4. The emphasis here is
on bundle adjustment. The chapter also presents methods for
dealing with single, stereo and multiple image configurations
based on measured image coordinates, and concludes with a
review of panorama and multi-media (underwater)
photogrammetry.
Chapter 5 brings together many of the relevant methods of
digital photogrammetric image analysis. Those which are most
useful to dimensional analysis and three-dimensional object
reconstruction are presented, in particular methods for feature
extraction and image matching.
Photogrammetric systems developed for close-range
measurement are discussed in Chapter 6. They are classified into
interactive systems, tactile and laser-based measuring systems,
systems for the measurement of points and surfaces, systems
for dynamic processes and, finally, systems on mobile platforms
such as drones.
Chapter 7 discusses imaging project planning and quality
criteria for practical measurement tasks. After an introduction to
network planning and optimization, quality criteria and
approaches to accuracy assessment are discussed. The chapter
concludes with strategies for camera and system calibration.
Finally, Chapter 8 uses case studies and examples to
demonstrate the potential for close-range photogrammetry in
fields such as architecture and heritage conservation, the
construction industry, manufacturing industry, medicine and
science.

1.1.2 References
Relevant literature is directly referenced within the text in cases
where it is highly recommended for the understanding of
particular sections. In general, however, further reading is
presented in Chapter 9 which provides an extensive list of
thematically ordered literature. Here each chapter in the book is
assigned a structured list of reference texts and additional
reading. Efforts have been made to suggest reference literature
which is easy to access. In addition, the reader is advised to
make use of conference proceedings, journals and the webpages
of universities, scientific societies and commercial companies for
up-to-date information.

1.2 Fundamental methods

1.2.1 The photogrammetric process
Photogrammetry encompasses methods of image measurement
and interpretation in order to derive the shape and location of
an object from one or more photographs of that object. In
principle, photogrammetric methods can be applied in any
situation where the object to be measured can be
photographically recorded. The primary purpose of a
photogrammetric measurement is the three-dimensional
reconstruction of an object in digital form (coordinates and
derived geometric elements) or graphical form (images,
drawings, maps). The photograph or image represents a store of
information which can be re-accessed at any time.
→Figure 1.1 shows examples of photogrammetric images.
The reduction of a three-dimensional object to a two-
dimensional image implies a loss of information. In the first
place, object areas which are not visible in the image cannot be
reconstructed from it. This not only includes hidden parts of an
object such as the rear of a building, but also regions which
cannot be interpreted due to lack of contrast or size limitations,
for example individual bricks in a building façade. Whereas the
position in space of each point on the object may be defined by
three coordinates, there are only two coordinates available to
define the position of its image. There are geometric changes
caused by the shape of the object, the relative positioning of
camera and object, perspective imaging and optical lens defects.
Finally, there are also radiometric (colour) changes since the
reflected electromagnetic radiation recorded in the image is
affected by the transmission media (air, glass) and the light-
sensitive recording medium (film, electronic sensor).

Fig. 1.1: Photogrammetric images.

For the reconstruction of an object from images it is therefore

necessary to describe the optical process by which an image is
created. This includes all elements which contribute to this
process, such as light sources, properties of the surface of the
object, the medium through which the light travels, sensor and
camera technology, image processing, and further processing
(→Fig. 1.2).
Fig. 1.2: From object to image.

Methods of image interpretation and measurement are then

required which permit the image of an object point to be
identified from its form, brightness or colour distribution. For
every image point, values in the form of radiometric data
(intensity, grey value, colour value) and geometric data (position
in image) can then be obtained. This requires measurement
systems with the appropriate geometric and optical quality.
From these measurements and a mathematical
transformation between image and object space, the object can
finally be modelled.
→Figure 1.3 simplifies and summarizes this sequence. The
left hand side indicates the principal instrumentation used whilst
the right hand side indicates the methods involved. Together
with the physical and mathematical models, human knowledge,
experience and skill play a significant role. They determine the
extent to which the reconstructed model corresponds to the
imaged object or is fit for purpose.
Fig. 1.3: The photogrammetric process: from object to model.

1.2.2 Aspects of photogrammetry

Because of its varied application areas, close-range
photogrammetry has a strong interdisciplinary character. There
are not only close connections with other measurement
techniques but also with fundamental sciences such as
mathematics, physics, information sciences or biology.
Close-range photogrammetry also has significant links with
aspects of graphics and photographic science, for example
computer graphics and computer vision, digital image
processing, computer aided design (CAD), geographic
information systems (GIS) and cartography.
Traditionally, there are further strong associations of close-
range photogrammetry with the techniques of surveying,
particularly in the areas of adjustment methods and engineering
surveying. With the increasing application of photogrammetry to
industrial metrology and quality control, links have been created
in other directions, too.
 →Figure 1.4 gives an indication of the relationship between
size of measured object, required measurement accuracy and
relevant technology. Although there is no hard-and-fast
definition, it may be said that close-range photogrammetry
applies to objects ranging from 0.2 m to 200 m in size, with
accuracies under 0.1 mm at the smaller end (manufacturing
industry) and around 1 cm at the larger end (architecture and
construction industry).

Fig. 1.4: Relationship between measurement methods and

object size and accuracy (unsharp borders indicating typical
fields of applications of measuring methods).
Optical methods using light as the information carrier lie at the
heart of non-contact 3D measurement techniques.
Measurement techniques using electromagnetic waves may be
subdivided in the manner illustrated in →Fig. 1.5. The following
lists techniques based on light waves:
Triangulation techniques:
Photogrammetry (single, stereo and multiple imaging),
angle measuring systems (theodolites), indoor GPS,
structured light (light section procedures, fringe
projection, phase measurement, moiré topography), light-
field cameras, etc.
Focusing methods:
Single camera distance measurement by focus setting of
optical devices, e.g. microscopes.
Shading methods:
Single-camera surface reconstruction by analysing
shadows or intensity changes (shape from shading).
Interferometry:
Optically coherent time-of-flight measurement,
holography, speckle interferometry, coherent radar.
Time-of-flight measurement:
Distance measurement by optical modulation methods,
pulse modulation, etc.
The clear structure of →Fig. 1.5 is blurred in practice since multi-
sensor and hybrid measurement systems utilize different
principles in order to combine the advantages of each.
Fig. 1.5: Non-contact measuring methods.

Photogrammetry can be categorized in a multiplicity of ways:

– By camera position and object distance:
– satellite processing of remote sensing and satellite
photogrammetry: images, h > ca. 200 km
– aerial processing of aerial photographs, h > ca. 300 m
photogrammetry:
– UAV processing of aerial photographs from drones,
photogrammetry: h < ca. 100 m
– terrestrial measurements from a static terrestrial location
photogrammetry:
– close-range imaging distance d < ca. 200 m
photogrammetry:
– underwater object recording in or through water
photogrammetry:
– macro image scale > 1 (microscope imaging)
photogrammetry:
– mobile mapping: data acquisition from moving vehicles, d < ca.
100 m
– By number of measurement images:
– single-image single-image processing, mono-plotting,
photogrammetry: rectification, orthophotos
– stereo dual image processing, stereoscopic
photogrammetry: measurement
– multi-image n images where n>2, bundle triangulation
photogrammetry:
– By method of recording and processing:
– plane table graphical evaluation (until ca. 1930)
photogrammetry:
– analogue analogue cameras, opto-mechanical
photogrammetry: measurement systems (until ca. 1980)
– analytical analogue images, computer-controlled
photogrammetry: measurement
 – digital digital images, computer-controlled
photogrammetry: measurement
– videogrammetry: digital image acquisition and measurement
– panorama panoramic imaging and processing
photogrammetry:
– line analytical methods based on straight lines and
photogrammetry : polynomials
– phasogrammetry: analytical methods based on phase
measurements
– By availability of measurement results:
– offline sequential, digital image recording, separated
photogrammetry: in time or location from measurement
– online simultaneous digital imaging and processing
photogrammetry: for immediate measurement
– real-time recording and measurement completed within
photogrammetry: a specified time period particular to the
application
– By application or specialist area:
– architectural architecture, heritage conservation,
photogrammetry: archaeology
– engineering general engineering (construction)
photogrammetry: applications
– industrial industrial (manufacturing) applications
photogrammetry:
– forensic applications to diverse legal problems
photogrammetry:
– multi-media recording through media of different refractive
photogrammetry: indices
– shape from stereo: stereo image processing (computer vision)
– structure-from- multi-image processing (computer vision)
motion:
1.2.3 Image-forming model
Photogrammetry is a three-dimensional measurement
technique which uses central projection imaging as its
fundamental mathematical model (→Fig. 1.6). Shape and
position of an object are determined by reconstructing bundles
of rays in which, for each camera, each image point P′, together
with the corresponding perspective centre O′, defines the spatial
direction of the ray to the corresponding object point P. Provided
the imaging geometry within the camera and the location of the
imaging system in object space are known, then every image ray
can be defined in 3D object space.

Fig. 1.6: Principle of photogrammetric measurement.

From the intersection of at least two corresponding

(homologous), spatially separated image rays, an object point
can be located in three dimensions. In stereo photogrammetry
two images are used to achieve this. In multi-image
photogrammetry the number of images involved is, in principle,
unlimited.
The interior orientation parameters describe the internal
geometric model of a camera.
With the model of the pinhole camera as its basis (→Fig. 1.7),
the most important reference location is the perspective centre
O, through which all image rays pass. The interior orientation
defines the position of the perspective centre relative to a
reference system fixed in the camera (image coordinate system),
as well as departures from the ideal central projection (image
distortion). The most important parameter of interior orientation
is the principal distance, c, which defines the distance between
image plane and perspective centre (see Section 3.3.2).

Fig. 1.7: Pinhole camera model.

A real and practical photogrammetric camera will differ from the

pinhole camera model. The necessity of using a relatively
complex lens, a camera housing which may not be built for
stability and an image recording surface which may be neither
planar nor perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens will all
give rise to departures from the ideal imaging geometry. The
interior orientation, which will include parameters defining these
departures, must be determined by calibration for every camera.
A fundamental property of a photogrammetric image is the
image scale or photo scale. The photo scale factor m defines the
relationship between the object distance, h, and principal
distance, c. Alternatively it is the relationship between a distance,
X, parallel to the image plane in the object, and the
corresponding distance in image space, x′:

m =
h
=
X
′
(1.1)
c x

The image scale is in every case the deciding factor in resolving

image details, defined by the ground sample distance (GSD)
which is derived from the pixel spacing Δs′ in the camera:
GSD = m ⋅ Δs
′
(1.2)

The image scale also determines the photogrammetric

measurement accuracy, since any measurement error in the
image is multiplied in the object space by the scale factor (see
Section 3.3.1). Of course, when dealing with complex objects, the
scale will vary throughout the image and a nominal or average
value is usually quoted.
The exterior orientation parameters specify the spatial
position and orientation of the camera in a global coordinate
system. The exterior orientation is described by the coordinates
of the perspective centre in the global system and three suitably
defined angles expressing the rotation of the image coordinate
system with respect to the global system (see Section 4.2.1). The
exterior orientation parameters are calculated indirectly, after
measuring image coordinates of well identified object points.
Every measured image point corresponds to a spatial
direction from projection centre to object point. The length of
the direction vector is initially unknown, i.e. every object point
lying on the line of this vector generates the same image point.
In other words, although every three-dimensional object point
transforms to a unique image point for given orientation
parameters, a unique reversal of the projection is not possible.
The object point can be located on the image ray, and thereby
absolutely determined in object space, only by intersecting the
ray with an additional known geometric element such as a
second spatial direction or an object plane.
Every image generates a spatial bundle of rays, defined by
the imaged points and the perspective centre, in which the rays
were all recorded at the same point in time. If all the bundles of
rays from multiple images are intersected as described above, a
dense network is created. For an appropriate imaging
configuration, such a network has the potential for high
geometric strength. Using the method of bundle adjustment any
number of images (ray bundles) can be simultaneously oriented,
together with the calculation of the associated three-
dimensional object point locations (→Fig. 1.6, →Fig. 1.8, see
Section 4.4).
Fig. 1.8: Bundle of rays from multiple images.

1.2.4 Photogrammetric systems and

procedures
1.2.4.1 Digital system
With few exceptions, photogrammetric image recording today
uses digital cameras supported by image processing based on
methods of visual and digital image analysis. A closed digital
system is therefore possible which can completely measure an
object directly on site and without any significant time loss
between image acquisition and delivery of results (→Fig. 1.9).
Fig. 1.9: Digital photogrammetric system.

By using suitably targeted object points and automatic pattern

recognition, complex photogrammetric tasks can be executed
fully automatically, hence eliminating the need for manual
image measurement, orientation and processing. This approach
is particularly important in industrial applications where, in the
first instance, 3D coordinates of discrete points are required. The
measurement of free-form surfaces through the use of dense
point clouds is performed by stereo or multi-image matching of
textured object areas. By adopting the method of structure-
from-motion (SfM), arbitrary configurations of images can be
oriented fully automatically. In contrast, the measurement of
linear object structures largely remains a visual, interactive
process.
 Digital image recording and processing offer the possibility
of a fast, closed data flow from taking the images to presenting
the results. Two general procedures are distinguished here.
Offline photogrammetry uses a single camera with measurement
results generated after all images have first been recorded and
then evaluated together. Online photogrammetry records
simultaneously using at least two cameras, with immediate
generation of results. If the result is delivered within a certain
process-specific time period, the term real-time
photogrammetry is commonly used.
Automation and short processing cycles enable a direct
integration with other processes where decisions can be made
on the basis of feedback of the photogrammetric results. Digital
systems are therefore critical to the application of
photogrammetry in complex real-time processes, in particular
industrial manufacturing and assembly, robotics and medicine
where feedback with the object or surroundings takes place.
When imaging scenes with purely natural features, without
the addition of artificial targets, the potential for automation is
much lower. An intelligent evaluation of object structures and
component forms demands a high degree of visual
interpretation which is conditional on a corresponding
knowledge of the application and further processing
requirements. However, even here simple software interfaces,
and robust techniques of image orientation and camera
calibration, make it possible for non-expert users to carry out
photogrammetric recording and analysis.

1.2.4.2 Recording and analysis procedures

→Figure 1.10 shows the principal procedures in close-range
photogrammetry which are briefly summarized in the following
sections.
1. Recording
a. Targeting1: target selection and attachment to object
features to improve automation and increase the
accuracy of target measurement in the image.
b. Determination of control points or scaling lengths:
creation of a global object coordinate system by
definition of reference (control) points and/or
reference lengths (scales).
c. Image recording: digital image recording of the object
with a photogrammetric system.
2. Pre-processing
a. Numbering and archiving: assigning photo numbers
to identify individual images and archiving or storing
the photographs.
b. Computation: calculation of reference point
coordinates and/or distances from survey
observations, e.g. using network adjustment.
3. Orientation
a. Measurement of image points: identification and
measurement of reference and scale points,
identification and measurement of tie points.
b. Correspondence analysis: matching of identical points
(features) in all images.
c. Approximation: calculation of approximate (starting)
values for unknown quantities to be calculated by the
bundle adjustment.
d. Bundle adjustment: adjustment program which
simultaneously calculates parameters of both interior
and exterior orientation as well as the object point
coordinates which are required for subsequent
analysis.
e. Removal of outliers: detection and removal of gross
errors which mainly arise during measurement of
 image points.
4. Measurement and analysis
a. Single point measurement: creation of three-
dimensional object point coordinates, e.g. point
clouds, for further numerical processing.
b. Graphical plotting: production of scaled maps or plans
in analogue or digital form, e.g. hard copies for maps
and electronic files for CAD models or GIS.
c. Rectification/Orthophoto/3D visualization: generation
of transformed images or image mosaics which
remove the effects of tilt relative to a reference plane
(rectification) and/or remove the effects of perspective
(orthophoto).
Fig. 1.10: Recording and analysis procedures (red – can be
automated).

To a significant extent, this sequence can be automated (see

connections in red in →Fig. 1.10). This automation requires that
either object features are suitably marked and identified using
coded targets or, if there are sufficient textured and dense
images available, processing can be done using structure-from-
motion. In both cases the calculation of initial values and
removal of outliers (gross errors) must be done by robust
estimation methods.
1.2.5 Photogrammetric products
In general, photogrammetric systems supply three-dimensional
object coordinates derived from image measurements. From
these, further elements and dimensions can be derived, for
example lines, distances, areas and surface definitions, as well as
quality information such as comparisons against design and
machine control data. The direct determination of geometric
elements such as straight lines, planes and cylinders is also
possible without explicit calculation of point coordinates. In
addition, the recorded image is an objective data store which
documents the state of the object at the time of recording. The
visual data can be provided as corrected camera images,
orthophotos or graphical overlays (→Fig. 1.11). Examples of
graphical presentation are shown in →Figs. 1.12 and →1.13.

Fig. 1.11: Typical photogrammetric products.

Fig. 1.12: Measurement image overlaid with part of the
photogrammetrically generated CAD data.

Fig. 1.13: Cylindrical projection of CAD data.

1.3 Application areas
Much shorter imaging ranges, typically from a few centimetres
to a few hundred metres, and alternative recording techniques,
differentiate close-range photogrammetry from its aerial and
satellite equivalents.
The following comments, based on ones made by Thompson
as long ago as 1963, identify applications in general terms by
indicating that photogrammetry and optical 3D measurement
techniques are potentially useful when:
the object to be measured is difficult to access;
the object is not rigid and its instantaneous dimensions
are required;
it is not certain that measurement will be required at all, or
even what measurements are required (i.e. the data is
preserved for possible later evaluation);
the object is very small;
the use of direct measurement would influence the
measured object or disturb events around it;
real-time results are required;
the simultaneous recording and the measurement of a
very large number of points is required.
The following specific application areas (with examples) are
amongst the most important in close-range photogrammetry:
– Automotive, machine
and shipbuilding
industries:
– inspection of tooling
jigs
– reverse engineering
of design models
– manufacturing
control
– optical shape
measurement
– recording and Fig. 1.14: Car safety test.
analysing car safety
tests
– robot calibration
– driver assistance
systems
– measurement of
ship sections
– shape control of ship
parts
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
maybe come along and jump the claim, and my Pat won’t get her
gold mine. I guess it’s all right. But I didn’t think the Big Director
would do this!”
 CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
MONTY MEETS PATRICIA
Monty had made up his mind to go on to Los Angeles and see for
himself why Patricia would not answer his telegram, when he
received the word that she was coming from Kansas City. He swore
a good deal over the delay that would hold him inactive in town. To
fill in the time he wrote a long letter to the sheriff in Tonopah, stating
all the facts in the case so far as he knew them. He hoped that the
sheriff was already on his way to Johnnywater, though Monty could
not have told just what he expected the sheriff to accomplish when
he arrived there.
He tried to trace James Blaine Hawkins, but only succeeded in
learning from a garage man that Hawkins had come in off the desert
at least three weeks before, cursed the roads and the country in
general and had left for Los Angeles. Or at least that was the
destination he had named.
Even Monty could find no evidence in that of Hawkins’ guilt. His
restless pacing up and down the three short blocks that comprised
the main business street of the town got on the nerves of the men
who knew him. His concern over Gary Marshall gradually infected
the minds of others; so that news of a murder committed in
Johnnywater Cañon was wired to the city papers, and the Chief of
Police in Los Angeles was advised also by wire to trace James
Blaine Hawkins if possible.
Old cuts of Gary Marshall were hastily dug up in newspaper
offices and his picture run on the first page. A reporter who knew him
well wrote a particularly dramatic special article, which was copied
more or less badly by many of the papers. Cohen got to hear of it,
and his publicity agents played up the story magnificently, not
because Cohen wished to immortalize one of his younger leading
men who was out of the game, but because it made splendid indirect
advertising for Cohen.
 Monty, of course, never dreamed that he had done all this. He
was sincerely grieving over Gary, whose grave he thought he had
discovered by the bushy juniper. The mere fact that James Blaine
Hawkins had appeared in Las Vegas approximately three weeks
before did not convince him that Gary had not been murdered. He
believed that Hawkins had lain in wait for Gary and had killed him on
his return from Kawich. The grave might easily be that old.
Of course there was a weak point in that argument. In fact,
Monty’s state of mind was such that he failed to see the fatally weak
point until the day of Patricia’s arrival. When he did see it he
abandoned the theory in disgust, threw out his hands expressively,
and declared that he didn’t give a damn just how the crime had been
committed, or when. Without a doubt his friend, Gary Marshall, had
been killed, and Monty swore he would never rest until the murderer
had paid the price. The weak point, which was the well-fed comfort
of the pigs and Jazz, he did not attempt to explain away. Perhaps
James Blaine Hawkins had not gone to Los Angeles at all. Perhaps
he was still out there at Johnnywater, and Monty had failed to
discover him.
He was in that frame of mind when he met the six o’clock train
that brought Patricia. Naturally, he had no means of identifying her.
But he followed a tired-looking girl with a small black handbag to one
of the hotels and inspected the register just as she turned away from
the desk. Then he took off his hat, extended his hand and told her
who he was.
Patricia was all for starting for Johnnywater that night. Monty gave
her one long look and told her bluntly that it simply couldn’t be done;
that no one could travel the road at night. His eyes were very blue
and convincing, and his southern drawl branded the lie as truth.
Wherefore, Patricia rested that night in a bed that remained
stationary, and by morning Monty was better satisfied with her
appearance and believed that she would stand the trip all right.
“I reckon maybe yuh-all better find some woman to go on out,
Miss Connolly,” Monty suggested while they breakfasted.
“I can’t see why that should be necessary, Mr. Girard,” Patricia
replied in her primmest office tone. “I am perfectly able to take care
of myself, I should think.”
 “You’ll be the only woman in the country for about sixty-five or
seventy miles,” Monty warned her diffidently. “Uh course there
couldn’t anything happen to yuh-all—but I expect the sheriff and
maybe one or two more will be down from Tonopah when we get
there, and I thought maybe yuh-all might like to have some other
woman along for company.”
He dipped three spoons of sugar into his coffee and looked at
Patricia with a sympathetic look in his eyes.
“I was thinkin’ last night, Miss Connolly, that I dunno as there’s
much use of your going out there at all. Yuh-all couldn’t do a thing,
and it’s liable to be mighty unpleasant. When I sent that wire to yuh-
all, I never thought a word about yuh-all comin’ to Johnnywater.
What I wanted was to get a line on this man, Hawkins. I thought
maybe yuh-all could tell me something about him.”
Patricia glanced unseeingly around the insufferably hot little café.
She was not conscious of the room at all. She was thinking of Gary
and trying to force herself to a calmness that could speak of him
without betraying her feelings.
“I don’t know anything about Mr. Hawkins, other than that I
arranged with him to run the ranch on shares,” she said, and the
effort she was making made her voice sound very cold and
impersonal. “I certainly did not know that Mr. Marshall was at
Johnnywater, or I should not have sent Mr. Hawkins over. I had
asked Mr. Marshall first to take charge of the ranch, and Mr. Marshall
had refused, on the ground that he did not wish to give up his work in
motion pictures. Are you sure that he came over here and was at
Johnnywater when Mr. Hawkins arrived?” Patricia did not know it, but
her voice sounded as coldly accusing as if she were a prosecuting
attorney trying to make a prisoner give damaging testimony against
himself. Her manner bred a slight resentment in Monty, so that he
forgot his diffidence.
“I hauled Gary Marshall out to Johnnywater myself, over six
weeks ago,” he told her bluntly. “He hunted me up and acted like he
wanted to scrap with me because he thought I’d helped to cheat yuh-
all. He was going to sell the place for yuh-all if he could—and I sure
approved of the idea. It ain’t any place for a lady to own. A man
could go there and live like a hermit and make a bare living, but yuh-
all couldn’t divide the profits and break even. I dunno as there’d be
any profits to divide, after a feller’d paid for his grub and clothes.
“Gary saw it right away, and I was to bring him back to town in a
couple of days; but I had an accident to my car so I couldn’t come in.
I reckon Gary meant to write anyway and tell yuh-all where he was.
But he never had a chance to send out a letter.”
Patricia dipped a spoon into her cereal and left it there. “Even so, I
don’t believe Gary disappeared very mysteriously,” she said, her chin
squaring itself. “He probably got tired of staying there and went back
to Los Angeles by way of Tonopah. However, I shall drive out and
see the ranch, now that I’m here. I’m very sorry you have been put to
so much trouble, Mr. Girard. I really think Mr. Marshall should have
left some word for you before he left. But then,” she added with
some bitterness, “he didn’t seem to think it necessary to let me know
he was coming over here. And we have telephones in Los Angeles,
Mr. Girard.”
Monty’s eyes were very blue and steady when he looked at her
across the table. He set down his cup and leaned forward a little.
“If yuh spoke to Gary in that tone of voice, Miss Connolly,” he
drawled, “I reckon he wouldn’t feel much like usin’ the telephone
before he left town. Gary’s as nice a boy as I ever met in my life.”
Patricia bit her under lip, and a tinge of red crept up over her
cheek bones to the dark circles beneath her eyes, that told a tale of
sleepless nights which Patricia herself would have denied.
The remainder of the breakfast was a silent meal, with only such
speech as was necessary and pertained to the trip before them.
Monty advised the taking out of certain supplies and assisted
Patricia in making up a list of common comforts which could be
carried in a touring car.
He left her at the hotel while he attended to the details of getting
under way, and when he returned it was with a Ford and driver, and
many parcels stacked in the tonneau. Patricia’s suit case was
wedged between the front fender and the tucked-up hood of the
motor, and a bundle of new bedding was jammed down upon the
other side in like manner. Patricia herself was wedged into the rear
seat beside the parcels and packages of food. Her black traveling
bag Monty deposited between his feet in front with the driver.
At the last moment, while the driver was cranking the motor,
Monty reached backward with a small package in his hand.
“Put on these sun goggles,” he said. “Your eyes will be a fright if
you ride all day against this wind without any protection.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Girard,” said Patricia with a surprising
meekness—for her. What is more, she put on the hideous amber
glasses; though she hated the jaundiced look they gave to the world.
Patricia had a good deal to think about during that interminable,
jolting ride. She was given ample opportunity for the thinking, since
Monty Girard never spoke to her except to inquire now and then if
she were comfortable.
 CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
GARY ROBS THE PINTO CAT OF HER DINNER
That same morning Gary finished his third candle and tried his
best to make one swallow of water, held long in his parched mouth,
suffice for two hours.
He could no longer lift the single-jack to the height of his shoulder,
much less strike a blow upon the rock. He leaned against the
bowlder and struck a few feeble blows with the head of the longer of
the two drills; but the steel bounced back futilely, and the exertion
tired him so that he was forced to desist after a few minutes of heart-
breaking effort.
He sat down with his back against the wall where the sunlight
could find him and give a little cheer to his prison, and fingered his
fourth candle longingly. He licked his cracked lips and lifted the
canteen, his emaciated fingers fumbling the screw-top thirstily. He
tried to reason sensibly with himself that only a cowardly reluctance
to meet death—which was the inevitable goal of life—held him
fighting there in that narrow dungeon, scheming to add a few more
tortured hours to his life.
He told himself angrily that he was merely holding up the action of
the story, and that the scene should be cut right there. In other
words, there was absolutely no hope of his ever getting out of there,
alive or dead. Steve Carson, he mumbled, had been lucky. He had at
least taken his exit quickly.
“But I ain’t licked yet,” he croaked, with a cracked laugh. “There’s
a lot of fight in me yet. Never had any use for a quitter. Steve Carson
wouldn’t have quit—only he got beaned with the first rock and
couldn’t fight. I’m not hurt—yet. Trained down pretty fine, is all. When
I’m a ghost, maybe I’ll come back and tell fat ladies with Ouija
boards in their laps how to reduce. Great scheme. I’ll do that little
thing. But I ain’t whipped yet—not until I’ve tried out my jackknife on
that damned rock. Have a drink, old son. And then get to work! What
the hell are you loafing for?”
He lifted the lightened canteen, his arms shaking with weakness,
and took another drink of water. Then, carefully screwing on the top
of the canteen, he set it down gently against the wall and reached
wearily into his pocket. The blade of his knife had never been so
hard to open; but he accomplished it and pulled himself laboriously
to his feet. Steadying himself with one hand against the malapi
bowlder that shut him in, he went to the opening—widened now so
that he could thrust forth his arm to the shoulder—and began
carefully chipping at a seam in the rock with the largest blade of his
jackknife.
He really did not expect to free himself by that means; nor by any
other. Since he began to weaken he had come to accept his fate with
such calmness as his pride in playing the game could muster. But he
could not sit idle and wait for death to creep upon him. Nor could he
hurry it, which he held to be a coward’s trick. He still believed that
the “Big Director” should be obeyed. It was too late now to ask for
another part in the picture. He had been cast for this rôle and he
would play it to the final scene.
So he stood hacking and prying with his knife blade, stopping now
and then to stare out into the hot sunshine. He could even see a
wisp of cloud drift across the bit of blue sky revealed to him through
the narrow rock window of his prison. The sight made him grit his
teeth. He was so close to that free, sun-drenched world, and he was
yet so utterly helpless!
He was standing so, resting from his unavailing task, when the
spotted cat hopped upon the bowlder where every day she sat to be
stroked by Gary’s hand. Gary’s eyes narrowed and he licked his lips
avidly. Faith was carrying a wild dove that she had caught and
brought to the bowlder where she might feast in pleasant company.
“Thanks, old girl,” he said grimly; and stretching out his arm,
snatched the bird greedily from Faith’s mouth. “Some service! Now
beat it and go catch a rabbit; a big one. Catch two rabbits!”
He slid down to a sitting position and began plucking the limp
body of the dove, his fingers trembling with eagerness. The “third
hunger” was upon him—that torment of craving which men who have
been entombed in mines speak of with lowered voices—if they live to
tell about it. Gary longed to tear the bird with his teeth, just as it was.
But he would not yield an inch from his idea of the proper way to
play the game. He therefore plucked the dove almost clean of
feathers, and lighting his one precious remaining candle, he turned
the small, plump body over the candle flame, singeing it before he
held the flame to its breast.
The instant that portion was seared and partially broiled, Gary set
his handsome white teeth into it and chewed the morsel slowly while
he broiled another bite. His impulse—rather, the agonized craving of
his whole famished body—was to tear the body asunder with his
teeth and devour it like an animal. But he steeled himself to self-
control; just as he had held himself sternly in hand down in the cabin
when loneliness and that weird, felt presence plucked at his courage.
He would have grudged the melting of even the half-inch of tallow
it required to broil the bird so that he could eat it and retain his self-
respect; but the succulent flesh was too delicious. He could not think
of anything but the ecstasy of eating.
He crunched the bones in his teeth, pulping them slowly,
extracting the last particle of flavor and nourishment. When he had
finished there remained but the head and the feet—and he flung
them through the opening lest he should be tempted to devour them
also. After that he indulged himself in a sip of water, stretched
himself full length upon the rock floor, and descended blissfully into
the oblivion of deep slumber.
 CHAPTER THIRTY
“SOMEBODY HOLLERED UP ON THE BLUFF”
The left front tire of the town Ford persisted in going flat with a
slow valve leak. The driver, a heedless young fellow, had neglected
to bring extra valves; so that the tire needed pumping every ten
miles or such a matter. Then the Ford began heating on the long,
uphill pull between the Pintwater Mountains and the Spotted Range,
and some time was lost during the heat of the day because of the
necessity for cooling the motor. Delays such as these eat away the
hours on a long trip; wherefore it was nearly dusk when Patricia got
her first glimpse of Johnnywater Cañon.
Up in the crosscut, Gary heard the rumbling throb of the motor,
and shouted until he was exhausted. Which did not take long, even
with the nourishment of the broiled dove to refresh his failing
strength.
He consoled himself afterward with the thought that it was James
Blaine Hawkins come sneaking back, and that he would like nothing
better than to find Gary hopelessly caged in the crosscut. Gary was
rather glad that James Blaine Hawkins had failed to hear him shout.
At any rate, the secret of Patricia’s mine was safe from him, and
Gary would be spared the misery of being taunted by Hawkins. It
was a crazy notion, for it was not at all likely that even James Blaine
Hawkins would have let him die so grisly a death. But Gary was
harboring strange notions at times during the last forty-eight hours.
And the body of one wild dove was pitifully inadequate for the needs
of a starving man.
Monty had not meant to be cruel. Now that he was on the spot, he
tried his best to soften the shock of what he knew Patricia must
discover. That morning he had purposely avoided speaking of his
reasons for fearing the worst. Then Patricia’s manner—assumed
merely to hide her real emotion—had chilled Monty to silence on the
whole subject. With the driver present they had not discussed the
matter at all during the trip, so that Patricia was still ignorant of what
Monty believed to be the real, tragic state of affairs.
Monty looked up from lighting a fire in the stove and saw Patricia
go over to Gary’s coat and smooth it caressingly with her hand. Then
and there he forgave Patricia for her tone at breakfast. She took
Gary’s hat from the cupboard and held it in her hands, her eyes
questioning Monty.
“Gary was saving that hat till he went to town again,” Monty
informed her in his gentle drawl. “He was wearing an old hat of
Waddell’s, and some old clothes Waddell left here when he pulled
out. You see now, Miss Connolly, one reason why I don’t believe
Gary went to Tonopah. His suit case is there, too, under the bunk.
But don’t yuh-all worry—we’ll find him.”
He turned back to his fire-building, and Patricia sat down on the
edge of the bunk and stared wide-eyed around the cabin.
So this was why she had failed to hear from Gary in all these
weeks! He had come over here to Johnnywater after all, because
she wished it. She had never dreamed the place would be so lonely.
And Gary had lived here all alone!
“Is this all there is to the house—just this one room?” she asked
Monty abruptly, in her prim, colorless tone.
“Yes, ma’am, this is the size of it,” Monty replied cheerfully. “Folks
don’t generally waste much time on buildin’ fancy houses, out here.
Most generally they’re mighty thankful if the walls keep out the wind
and the roof don’t leak. If it’s dry and warm, they don’t care if it ain’t
stylish.”
“Is this the way Gary left it?” she asked next, glancing down at the
rough board floor that gave evidence of having been lately scrubbed.
“Yes, ma’am, except for the dust on things. Gary Marshall was a
right neat housekeeper, Miss Connolly.”
“Was?” Patricia stood up and came toward him. “Do you think he’s
—what makes you say was?”
Monty hedged. “Well, he ain’t been keepin’ house here for a week,
anyway. It’s a week ago yesterday I rode over here from my camp.
Things are just as they was then.”
 “You have something else on your mind, Mr. Girard. What was it
that made you wire about foul play? I’ll have to know anyway, and I
wish you’d tell me now, before that boy comes in from fussing with
the car.”
Monty was filling the coffeepot. He set it on the hottest part of the
stove and turned toward her commiseratingly.
“I reckon I had better tell yuh-all,” he said gently. “The thing that
scared me was that this man, Hawkins, come here and made his
brags about how he got the best of yuh-all in that agreement. Him
and Gary had some words over it, the way I got it, and they like to
have had a fight—only Hawkins didn’t have the nerve. He beat it out
of here and Gary rode over to my place that same day and was tellin’
me about it.
“I told him then to look out for Hawkins. He sounded to me like a
bad man to have trouble with; or dealin’s of any kind. That was three
weeks ago, Miss Connolly—four weeks now, it is. I was away for
three weeks, and when I got back I rode over here and found the
place deserted. Gary’s hawse was in the corral and the two pigs was
shut up in the pen, so it looked like he ought to be around
somewheres close. Only he wasn’t. I hunts the place over, from one
end to the other. But there wasn’t no sign of him, except——”
“Except what? I want to know all that you know about it, Mr.
Girard.”
Monty hesitated, and when he spoke his reluctance was perfectly
apparent to Patricia.
“Well, there’s something else I didn’t like the looks of. Up the
creek here a piece, there’s a grave that wasn’t there the last time I
was over here. I’m pretty sure about that, because I recollect I led
my hawse down to the creek right about there, to water him. It’s
about straight down from the corral, and I’d have noticed it.”
“I don’t believe a word of it—that it has anything to do with Gary!”
cried Patricia vehemently, and she went over and pressed her face
against Gary’s coat.
Monty took a step toward her but reconsidered and went on with
his preparations for supper. Instinctively he felt that he would do
Patricia the greatest possible service if he made her physically
comfortable and refrained from intruding upon the sacred ground of
her thoughts concerning Gary.
The boy who had driven the car out came in, and Monty sent him
to the creek for a bucket of fresh water. The boy came back with the
water and a look of concern on his face.
“I thought I heard somebody holler, up on the bluff,” he said to
Monty. “Do you think we’d better go see——?”
Monty shook his head at him, checking the sentence. But Patricia
had turned quickly and caught him at it. She came forward anxiously.
“Certainly we ought to go and see!” she said with characteristic
decision. “It’s probably Mr. Marshall. He may be hurt, up there.” She
started for the door, but Monty took one long step and laid a
detaining hand upon her arm.
“That Voice has been hollerin’ off and on for five years,” he told
her gravely. “I’ve heard it myself more than once. Gary used to hear
it—often. Yuh can’t get an Injun past the mouth of the cañon on
account of it. It was that Voice hollerin’ that made Waddell sell out
and quit the country.”
Patricia looked at him uncomprehendingly. “What is it?” she
demanded. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Neither can anybody else understand it—that I ever heard of,”
Monty retorted dryly, and gently urged her toward the one
homemade chair. “Supper’s about ready, Miss Connolly. I guess
you’re pretty hungry, after that long ride.” Then he added in his
convincing drawl—which this time was absolutely sincere—“I love
Gary Marshall like I would my own brother, Miss Connolly. Yuh-all
needn’t think I’d leave a stone unturned to find him. But that Voice—
it ain’t anything human. It—it scares folks, but nobody has ever been
able to locate it. You can’t pay any attention to it. You set up here to
the table and let me pour yuh-all a cup of coffee. And here’s some
bacon and some fresh eggs I fried for yuh-all. And that bread was
warm when I bought it off the baker this morning.”
Patricia’s lips quivered, but she did her best to steady them. And
because she appreciated Monty’s kindness and his chivalrous
attempts to serve her in the best way he knew, she ate as much of
the supper as she could possibly swallow, and discovered that she
was hungry enough to relish the fried eggs and bacon, though she
was not in the habit of eating either.
The boy—Monty called him Joe—gave Patricia the creeps with his
wide-eyed uneasiness; staring from one to the other and suspending
mastication now and then while he listened frankly for the Voice.
Patricia tried not to notice him and was grateful to Monty for his
continuous stream of inconsequential talk on any subject that came
into his mind, except the one subject that filled the minds of both.
The boy, Joe, helped Monty afterward with the dishes, Patricia
having been commanded to rest; a command impossible for her to
obey, though she sat quiet with her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
Too tightly, Monty thought, whenever he looked her way.
Monty was a painstaking young man, and he had learned from
long experience in the wilderness to provide for possible
emergencies as well as present needs. He wiped out the dishpan,
hung it on its nail and spread the dishcloth over it, and then took a
small, round box from his pocket. He opened it and took out a tablet
with his thumb and finger. He dropped the tablet into a jelly glass—
the same which Gary had used to hold his gold dust—and added a
little water. He stood watching it, shaking it gently until the tablet was
dissolved.
“We-all are going to spread our bed out in the grove, Miss
Connolly,” he drawled easily, approaching Patricia with the glass. “I
reckoned likely yuh-all would be mighty tired to-night, and maybe
kinda nervous and upset. So I asked the doctor what I could bring
along that would give yuh-all a night’s rest without doin’ any harm.
He sent this out and said it would quiet your nerves so yuh-all could
sleep. Don’t be afraid of it—I made sure it wasn’t anything harmful.”
Patricia looked at him for a minute, then put out her hand for the
glass and drank the contents to the last dregs.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Girard,” she said simply. “I was
wondering how I’d get through this night.”
 CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“GOD WOULDN’T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO
GARY!”
Having slept well during the night—thanks to Monty’s forethought
in bringing a sedative—Patricia woke while the sun was just gilding
the top of the butte. The cañon and the grove were still in shadow,
and a mocking bird was singing in the top of the piñon beside the
cabin. Patricia dressed hurriedly, and tidied the blankets in the bunk.
She pulled open the door, gazing upon her possessions with none of
that pleasurable thrill she had always pictured as accompanying her
first fair sight of Johnnywater.
She did not believe that harm had befallen Gary. Things couldn’t
happen to Gary Marshall. Not for one moment, she told herself
resolutely, had she believed it. Yet the mystery of his absence
nagged at her like a gadfly.
Fifty feet or so away, partially hidden by a young juniper, Patricia
could discern the white tarp that covered the bed where Monty
Girard and Joe were still asleep. She stepped down off the doorsill
and made her way quietly to the creek, and knelt on a stone and
laved her face and hands in the cool water.
Standing again and gazing up through the fringe of tree tops at
the towering, sun-washed butte, Patricia told herself that now she
knew what people meant when they spoke of air like wine. She could
feel the sparkle, the heady stimulation of this rare atmosphere
untainted by the grime, the noise, the million conflicting vibrations
created by the world of men. After her sleep she simply could not
believe that any misfortune could have befallen her Gary, whose ring
she wore on her third finger, whose kisses were the last that had
touched her lips, whose face, whose voice, whose thousand
endearing little ways she carried deep in her heart.
“The God that made all this wouldn’t let anything happen to Gary!”
she whispered fiercely, and drew fresh courage from the utterance.
 The mottled cat appeared, coming from the bushes across the tiny
stream. It halted and looked at her surprisedly and gave an inquiring
meow. Patricia stooped and held out her hands, calling softly. She
liked cats.
“Come, kitty, kitty—you pretty thing!”
Faith regarded her measuringly, then hopped across the creek on
two stones and rubbed against Patricia’s knees, purring and mewing
amiably by turns. Patricia took the cat in her arms and stroked its
sleek fur caressingly, and Faith radiated friendliness.
Patricia made her way through the grove, glimpsed the corral and
went toward it, her big eyes taking in everything which Gary may
have touched or handled. Standing by the corral, she looked out
toward the creek, seeking the bushy juniper of which Monty had
spoken. Carrying the cat still in her arms she started forward through
the tall weeds and bushes, burrs sticking to her skirt and clinging to
her silken stockings.
Abruptly Faith gave a wriggle and a jump, landed on all four feet
two yards in advance of Patricia, and started off at an angle up the
creek, looking back frequently and giving a sharp, insistent meow.
Patricia hesitated, watching the cat curiously. She had heard often
enough of dogs who led people to a certain spot when some one the
dog loved was in trouble. She had never, so far as she could
remember, heard of a cat doing the same thing; but Patricia owned a
brain that refused to think in grooves fixed by the opinions of others.
“I can’t see any reason why cats can’t lead people the same as
dogs,” she told herself after a moment’s consideration, and forthwith
turned and followed Faith.
Just at first she was inclined to believe that the cat was walking at
random; but later she decided that Monty Girard had been slightly
inaccurate in his statement regarding the exact location of the juniper
beside the creek. The mottled cat led her straight to the grave and
stopped there, sniffing at the dirt and patting it daintily with her paws.
Monty was frying bacon with a great sizzling and sputtering on a
hot stove when Patricia entered the cabin. Her cheeks showed more
color than had been seen in them for weeks. Her eyes were clear
and met Monty’s inquiring look with their old, characteristic
directness.
“Have a good sleep?” he asked with that excessive cheerfulness
which is seldom genuine. Monty himself had not slept until dawn was
breaking.
“Fine, thank you,” Patricia answered more cordially than she had
yet spoken to Monty. “Mr. Girard, this may not be a pleasant subject
before breakfast, but it’s on my mind.” She paused, looking at Monty
inquiringly.
“Shoot,” Monty invited calmly. “My mind’s plumb full of unpleasant
things, and talking about them can’t make it any worse, Miss
Connolly.”
“Well, then, I’ve been up to that grave. And it wasn’t made by any
murderer. I somehow know it wasn’t. A murderer would have been in
a hurry, and I should think he’d try to hide it—and he wouldn’t pick
the prettiest spot he could find. And I know perfectly well, Mr. Girard,
that if I had killed a man, I wouldn’t spat the dirt down over his grave
and make it as nice and even as that grave is up there. And
somebody picked some flowers and laid them at the head, Mr.
Girard. They had wilted—and I don’t suppose you noticed them.
“Besides,” she finished, after an unconscious pause that seemed
to sum up her reasoning and lend weight to the argument, “the cat
knows all about it. She tried as hard as ever she could to tell me. I—
this may sound foolish, but I can’t help believing it—I think the cat
was there looking on, and I’m pretty sure it was some one the cat
knew and liked.”
Monty poured coffee all over Patricia’s plate, his hand shook so.
“Gary kinda made a pal uh that cat,” he blurted, before he realized
what meaning Patricia must read into the sentence.
“The cat was here when Gary arrived, I suppose,” Patricia retorted
sharply, squaring her chin. “I can’t imagine him bringing a cat with
him.”
A look of relief flashed into Monty’s face. “That cat’s been here on
the place for about eight years, as close as I can figure. Steve
Carson got it from a woman in Vegas when it was a kitten, and
packed it out here in a nose bag hung on his burro’s pack. Him and
the cat wasn’t ever more than three feet apart. There’s been
something queer about that cat, ever since Steve came up missing.”
Monty started for the door, having it in his mind to call the boy to
breakfast. But a look in Patricia’s eyes stopped him, and he turned
back and sat down opposite her at the table.
“I’d let that boy sleep—all day if he wants to,” Patricia remarked.
“He’ll do enough talking about us and our affairs, as it is. I wish you’d
tell me about this Steve Carson. I never heard of him before.”
Whereupon Monty related the mysteriously gruesome story to
Patricia, who listened so absorbedly that she neglected a very good
breakfast. Afterward she announced that she would wash the dishes
and keep breakfast warm for Joe, who appeared to be afflicted with
a mild form of sleeping sickness, since Monty yelled at him three
times at a distance of no more than ten feet, and elicited no
response save a grunt and a hitch of the shoulders under the
blankets. Monty left him alone, after that, and started off on another
exhaustive search of the cañon, tactfully leaving Patricia to herself.
Patricia was grateful for the temporary solitude. Never in her life
had she been so full of conflicting thoughts and emotions. Her forced
resentment against Gary had suffered a complete collapse; the
revulsion of feeling was overwhelming. It seemed to Patricia that her
very longing for him should bring him back.
She pulled his suit case from under the bunk, touching lock and
clasps and the smooth leather caressingly with her fingers. Its
substantial elegance spoke intimately to her of Gary’s unfailing good
taste in choosing his personal belongings. The square-blocked
initials, “G. E. M.” (Gary Elbert Marshall, at which Patricia had often
laughed teasingly), brought a lump into her throat. But Patricia
boasted that she was not the weepy type of female. She would not
yield now to tears.
She almost believed it was accident that raised the lid. For a
moment she hesitated, not liking to pry into the little intimacies of
Gary’s possessions. But she saw her picture looking up from under a
silk shirt still folded as it had come from the laundry, and the sight of
her own pictured eyes and smiling lips gave her a reassuring sense
of belonging there.
 It was inevitable that she should find the “Dear Pat:” letters;
unfolded, the pages stacked like a manuscript, and tucked flat on the
bottom under the clothing.
Patricia caught her breath. Here, perhaps, was the key to the
whole mystery. She lifted out the pages with trembling eagerness
and set her lips upon the bold scribbling she knew so well. She
closed the suit case hastily, pushed it out of sight beneath the bunk
and hurried out of the cabin, clasping the letters passionately to her
breast. She wanted to be alone, to read them slowly, gloatingly,
where no human eye could look upon her face.
She went down to the creek, crossed it and climbed a short
distance up the bluff, to where a huge bowlder shaded a smaller one
beside it. There, with the butte staring down inscrutably upon her,
she began to read.
 CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“IT’S THE VOICE! IT AIN’T HUMAN!”
Gary had been imprisoned in the crosscut eight days, counting the
time until noon. He had stretched his lunch to the third day; human
endurance could not compass a longer abstinence than that, so long
as the smallest crumb remained. He had drunk perhaps a quart of
water from the canteen he had carried up the bluff the day before the
catastrophe, and had left the canteen there, expecting to use it for
drilling. With a fresh canteen filled that morning at the creek, he had
something over three gallons to begin with. Wherefore the tortures of
thirst had not yet assailed him, though he had from the first hour held
himself rigidly to the smallest ration he thought he could endure and
keep his reason.
Through all the dragging hours, fighting indomitably against
despair when hope seemed but a form of madness, he had never
once yielded to temptation and taken more during any one day than
he had fixed as the amount that must suffice.
He had almost resigned himself to death. And then Faith,
unwittingly playing providence, had roused a fighting demon within
him. The wild dove had won back a little of his failing strength just
when a matter of hours would have pushed him over the edge into
lassitude, that lethargy which is nature’s anesthetic when the end
approaches, and the final coma which eases a soul across the
border.
While Patricia slept exhaustedly in the cabin below, Gary babbled
of many things in the crosscut. He awoke, believing he had dreamed
that an automobile drove into the cañon the evening before.
Nevertheless he decided that, since there was no hope of cutting
away the granite wall with his knife, or of lifting the bowlder, Atlas-
like, on his shoulders and heaving it out of the incline shaft, he might
as well use what strength and breath he had in shouting.