“Well,” he thought, “maybe I should have asked them about the details of this work while I had the chance, but hanged if I ever let that rat-faced guard find out that I do not know anything.”
He had taken an instinctive4 dislike to his guard, the dislike of a straightforward5 man to the shifty-eyed.
He was aroused from his reverie by the approach of the guard who had been watching him furtively6 from a clump7 of bushes at the edge of the corral. Scott watched him shuffle8 up the slope in listless fashion, and did not like his walk any better than his eyes.
“Homesick?” Heth asked in an insinuating9 tone.
“Not so you could notice it,” Scott answered contemptuously, and from that moment they cordially hated each other. It was a fine beginning.
Scott picked out the bed which he thought Heth wanted and made it up for himself. He saw Heth set out the coffee for supper so he decided10 that he would have tea. He knew that it was a petty way to do things, but he felt that he had to do something to keep the guard from walking all over him.
He managed to avoid an open fight only by eating in comparative silence and putting in the evening writing a letter in which he vented11 his feelings by describing the guard in no complimentary12 terms. If he had known that the guard had arisen before he was awake and had read the letter he would not have wondered at the gentleman’s bad humor at the breakfast table.
Scott was feeling a little more cheerful himself, after a good night’s sleep and a long look at the view from the cabin door. He was inclined to be friendly, but his advances met with small success.
After breakfast he called up the ranger13. Dawson was much more voluble over the ’phone than he had been in person the day before. If Scott had mourned the lack of instructions the evening before he was getting them now. It seemed to him as though Mr. Dawson was outlining his whole summer’s work. He was to inspect all the trails and telephone lines in his district, inventory14 all the fire tool caches and make a report on materials needed. Heth was to examine the range to see if it was ready for the sheep and make a trip to town for some material needed for the counting chute.
It was something to do and he was anxious to get at it. Moreover, he wanted to get out and study his district so that he would not be altogether dependent upon his guard. He relayed the ranger’s orders to the guard and started for the corral to look up Jed.
“Are you going with me?” Heth called.
“No,” Scott replied, “I’m going out to look over the trails and telephone lines.”
Jed was feeling pretty frisky15 in the cool of the morning and was not at all sure that he wanted to be caught, but the kind words fascinated him once more and he finally permitted Scott to caress16 him and bridle17 him without a struggle. Scott was about to throw on the saddle blanket when his hand struck something sharp. He examined it and found a large burr. Scott whistled. “We would have had a fine time, old boy, if I had put that under the saddle.” He examined the whole blanket carefully but did not find anything more.
Heth was saddling his own horse and getting ready for the trip to town. He watched Scott mount and ride out of the corral. Scott thought that he showed extraordinary interest in him, but laid it to his horse and Heth’s natural curiosity to see how he sat his horse.
“What time do you think you’ll be back?” Scott called.
“Five or six,” Heth replied indifferently.
“So shall I,” Scott said, and rode slowly up to the ridge18 trail. Jed did not like traveling alone as well as he liked to go with another horse, but Mr. Ramsey had taught him a great deal in the short time he had ridden him and Scott had no trouble in managing him. He turned to the left on the ridge trail, the opposite direction to the way they had come in the day before, and proceeded to follow out the trails of his district by means of a small map.
It never occurred to Scott to look back and even if he had he probably would not have seen Heth who was standing19 in the bunch of brush beside the ridge trail watching him out of sight. No sooner was Heth sure of the course that Scott was taking than he hurried down to the cabin and grabbed the telephone. He took down the receiver very gently and listened. It was a party line and he wanted to be very sure that no one else was using it. Convinced that the line was clear he rang one short sharp ring, followed at a long interval20 by another. The call was not on the list and it very closely resembled the jingles21 so often produced by thunder storms in the mountains.
He listened patiently. A receiver clicked somewhere and a doubtful voice called “hello,” but Heth did not answer, nor did he repeat his ring. After at least two minutes of silence a voice said, “Well.”
“I’m going to town for chuck and chute stuff. He went south on trail and ’phone patrol. Burred his saddle this morning but he found it. Better get in rest of extras. Chute to-morrow. Cottonwood; eleven.” He hung up the receiver, glanced at his watch and strolled out to his horse.
Far down the valley Jed Clark called his foreman and gave some orders to his herders. And Dawson, far up in his little mountain cabin, prepared to ride north.
Scott rode slowly on his way, serenely22 unmindful of all this, and enjoying life immensely. The thin, open stand of timber on these grassy23 lands with the apparent absence of animal life was entirely24 new to him. At every turn of the trail a new vista25 of vast extent and strange crystal clearness opened up before him. He could have spent hours in studying the beauties of the scenery if he had not been impelled26 by his desire to cover his district and get away from his dependence27 on his guard. As it was he saw what he could on the fly and picked out many a place to spend a Sunday afternoon later on.
The ranger had given him to understand that he would probably find the trails and telephone lines in pretty bad shape, but so far he had found them both in almost perfect condition. He began to think that Heth must be a good guard, no matter how disagreeable he might be personally. Noon found him on a high grassy bench on the extreme southern edge of his district. Miles of mountain and valley spread out before him in almost boundless28 panorama29, and it appealed to him as an ideal place for lunch.
He did not know exactly what to do with Jed. Western horses are not used to being tied and he was afraid that Jed was not well enough trained to stand without it. However, he had to make a beginning with him sometime and he decided to try him. Jed seemed to know what was expected of him. He grazed contentedly30 on a small area, and showed no tendency to wander off.
The sun was very warm and Scott went back to the shade of a tree to eat his lunch and enjoy the scenery. Before he was half through lunch he was glad to crawl out into the sun again to get warm. He was soon to learn that no matter how hot the sun might be in that high altitude it was seldom warm enough in the shade for comfort.
He had finished his lunch and was lolling lazily in the sunshine when he discovered a new animal, the first he had seen in the country. He did not know what it was at first. Its movements resembled those of a squirrel, but its head seemed abnormally large. He sneaked32 up on it and discovered the secret. It was a squirrel but it was carrying a large pine cone33 by the end. It was a beautiful creature with tasseled34 ears like a lynx. It was somewhat smaller than the Eastern gray squirrel and instead of a rusty35, sandy color its coat was a clear Maltese gray and the whole under side of him was a sparkling white. Scott had always been interested in all the wild animals and birds, and he had followed this new squirrel quite a ways back into the woods to get a good look at him and observe something of his habits.
The sudden whinnying of horses on the bench startled him and he ran back to the edge of the woods to learn what had happened. There in the open was a strange horseman cautiously approaching Jed with whirling lariat36. Scott’s first impulse was to shout his protest, but he changed his mind and standing in the edge of the woods awaited silently to see the outcome.
Jed stood like a statue with tail arched and head erect37 watching the whirling rope. He looked like an easy mark. The rider was very slowly getting within roping distance. Suddenly the rope shot out like a long arm and the widespread loop hung directly over Jed’s head. It looked like a sure catch, but Jed had dodged38 that flying rope too often to be caught so easily. He ducked with the grace of a dancer and trotting39 a little to one side awaited the next throw. The horseman swore volubly and coiled his rope doggedly40 for another try. Three times he threw and failed. Jed’s maneuvering41 had brought him around nearer to the forest and the rider caught sight of Scott standing in the shadow of the trees. He misinterpreted Scott’s silence and rode toward him, coiling his rope as he came.
“What ’ell you give me to catch him for you, sonny?” he asked with a patronizing sneer42.
Scott’s blood boiled, but he remembered Mr. Ramsey’s caution and tried to keep his temper in spite of the insult. “Do you get many that way?” he asked coldly.
“What way?” the cowboy asked, surprised at this tone coming from a man whom he supposed to be too scared to talk.
“Saddle horses,” Scott replied tersely43.
“Look a here, young feller, there’s been many a man buried here for less than that,” the cowboy blustered44, laying his hand threateningly on his revolver.
“Yes,” Scott replied, “and there’s been many a one hung for roping other people’s horses.”
The cowboy glared at Scott with malignant45 ferocity. He was no coward and seeing that Scott was unarmed had started to dismount when he suddenly remembered why Jed Clark had sent him into the mountains that morning. His manner changed suddenly.
“Well, bo,” he chuckled46, “you’ve got the right stuff in you all right. Can’t bluff47 you, can they? Most of them Eastern fellers I’ve seen out here would run if a man so much as looked at his gun. I was just tryin’ you out.”
Scott looked at him in silence, not deigning48 to answer. He was not at all misled by his sudden change of front and he longed to tell him so, but he wanted to see what the man was really after.
“You’re the new patrolman, ain’t you?” the cowboy continued genially49 in spite of the frost.
“You ought to know,” Scott replied cuttingly, “I saw you at the corral with Jed Clark when I bought this horse.”
“You bet I was,” said the cowboy not in the least disconcerted, “and a blamed good job you made of it. That’s the best horse in the Southwest if you could ride him. Jed’s changed his mind about him now and he’s sorry he sold him.”
“You’re mistaken about his changing his mind,” Scott retorted, “he never intended to sell him.”
Jed had chosen his man well. He ignored the rebuff and maintained a genial50 countenance51. “When I seen him standing out there this morning all saddled I thought maybe he had throwed you back there on the trail som’eres—liable to throw anybody, that horse is—and I was thinking to rope him and take him up to the cabin for you.”
It was such a plausible52 story that Scott wavered for a moment, but he remembered the ugly looks the cowboy had given him when he opened the conversation, and contented31 himself with a dry, “Thanks.”
“Looking over your grazing land?” the cowboy continued by way of casual conversation.
“Yes,” Scott replied shortly.
“Lucky for you fellers that the range will always support about twice as many as the government estimates.”
“Will they?” Scott asked innocently. He was interested about anything he could learn of the grazing industry.
“Sure they will. How could you feed them extras if they didn’t?”
“There will not be any extras on here,” Scott answered firmly.
“No?” said the cowboy inquiringly. “It’s pretty easy money,” he insinuated53.
“Did you come up here to bribe54 me?” Scott asked indignantly.
“Bribe you?” exclaimed the cowboy in injured surprise. “Who, me? Gosh, no. I don’t own no sheep. Never liked the smellin’ critters. But there’s lots of places where the sheep men do work in thousands of head that way and the patrolmen make good money on it.”
“And cheat the government that hires them,” Scott exclaimed hotly.
The cowboy had turned his head to hide a smile. “There’s a lot of people around this country that considers cheating the government a pretty good part of their business, and the best payin’ part.”
“That business,” said Scott with determination as he strode over to where Jed was feeding near them and mounted him, “is just what I have come out here to stop, and you can tell Jed Clark so when you get back.”
“Of course it ain’t none of my business,” said the cowboy indifferently, “but Jed will have extras on here one way or another and if I was you I’d rather make something out of it than lose my job for it.”
“Maybe I am not going to do either,” Scott said quietly, and with the faintest trace of a bow he rode away on his trail patrol.
“Fool,” muttered the cowboy as he watched Scott out of sight. “He has plenty of nerve, but Jed will get his goat. Then maybe Heth will go in and we will have peace for a while.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
hoofs
|
|
| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
shack
|
|
| adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
instinctive
|
|
| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
straightforward
|
|
| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
furtively
|
|
| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
clump
|
|
| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
shuffle
|
|
| n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
insinuating
|
|
| adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
vented
|
|
| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
complimentary
|
|
| adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
ranger
|
|
| n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
inventory
|
|
| n.详细目录，存货清单 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
frisky
|
|
| adj.活泼的，欢闹的；n.活泼，闹着玩；adv.活泼地，闹着玩地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
caress
|
|
| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
bridle
|
|
| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
ridge
|
|
| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
interval
|
|
| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
jingles
|
|
| 叮当声( jingle的名词复数 )； 节拍十分规则的简单诗歌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
serenely
|
|
| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
grassy
|
|
| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
vista
|
|
| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
impelled
|
|
| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
dependence
|
|
| n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
boundless
|
|
| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
panorama
|
|
| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
contentedly
|
|
| adv.心满意足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
contented
|
|
| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
sneaked
|
|
| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
cone
|
|
| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
tasseled
|
|
| v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的过去式和过去分词 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
35
rusty
|
|
| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
lariat
|
|
| n.系绳，套索；v.用套索套捕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
erect
|
|
| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
dodged
|
|
| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
trotting
|
|
| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
doggedly
|
|
| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
maneuvering
|
|
| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
sneer
|
|
| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
tersely
|
|
| adv. 简捷地, 简要地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
blustered
|
|
| v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
malignant
|
|
| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
chuckled
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
bluff
|
|
| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
deigning
|
|
| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
genially
|
|
| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
genial
|
|
| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
plausible
|
|
| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
insinuated
|
|
| v.暗示( insinuate的过去式和过去分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
bribe
|
|
| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |