CHAPTER V. OLD BOB TAKES A PARTNER.

One day when our miners were nearing the end of their cross-cut, Old Bob was sitting in his cabin down in the outskirts¹ of the village, trying with his squinting² eyes and stiff fingers to mend a pair of brown duck trousers, which were past any further wearing without repairs.

He was worrying and muttering over this miserable³ task, when he heard hurried footsteps approach and stop at the door. A moment later it was pushed open and a man entered whom he did not recognize.

“I ’spose likely you don’t know me,” the stranger said. “I’m Scotty.”

“Scotty, eh? Well, stranger, I don’t know ye much better by that, but take a{50} cheer. Did ye come over the range? and did ye have any business with me?”

The stranger sat down, took from his pocket a flat-bottle, unscrewed the top and offered it to his host.

Bob received it, remarked civilly, “Well, here’s how,” and poured a deep draught⁴ of its contents down his throat. Then wiping his lips with the back of his hand he passed the bottle back, with the comment:

“You air a gentleman, sir, or you wouldn’t be passin’ round whisky ’s good as that.”

“Well, I try to treat a square man right when I meet him. Do you remember a little scrimmage in the El Dorado a few days ago with a feller in your camp here, named Morris? I guess you wa’n’t there.”

“No,” Bob replied, “I had other business that night. But I heerd about it, and came darned near being hung afterward⁵ by a little mistake o’ the boys, who thought I was hiding the feller they bounced out of town so suddent.”39}

“Didn’t you hear his name?”

“No—nobody knowed him, and I never set eyes on the coon.”

“I’m the man.”

“You?” yelled Bob—surprised fairly out of his wits.

“Yes, that’s me, and I reckon it’s all right.”

“Well, Scotty,” Bob replied. “I’ve drunk with you, and when I drink with a man he’s my friend; but ef I hadn’t you’d have to get right out o’ this, ’cause I aint got use for fellers like you.”

“Now, Mr.—?” The visitor hesitated, in a questioning way, evidently wishing the name to be supplied.

“No matter about the mister, call me Bob as the rest of the boys do. I hain’t mistered you yet.”

“Now, Bob,” Scotty began again, “you may be prejudiced. That aint fair as between friends. You ought to hear both sides. I’m not so bad a man as they make{52} out in this ’ere camp. Fact is, we were all pretty high-strung that night, and a little rumpus oughtn’t to be laid up agin a gentleman who tries to deal square and make an honest livin’. I don’t lay up nothin’ agin Morris. We just pulled pistols on one another as gentlemen will sometimes, ye know, and he got the drop. That’s all. Now a man like me shouldn’t be sent out o’ town for a little thing like that. It’s an outrage⁶, and you know it, Bob.”

“Yes,” the upright Robert assented⁷. “It’s a big outrage. Mor’n that, I b’lieve the boys would see it now, ’n’ nobody’d say a word if you were to go into the El Dorado to-night. I’ll risk it, ’n’ I’ll introduce you as my friend, and then let any one object if he thinks best!”

“There’s one young feller you can’t catch with no chaff⁸ like that, and if I get a good chance, I’ll break his head.”

“Who’s that?”

“Don’t know his name, a tall, red-bearded{53} galoot, that looks like a Scotchman. Now I’m part Scotch⁹ myself and I admire the way he hit me under the ear, for my country’s sake, but all the same I owe him one!”

“Why, that must be that new pardner of Brehm and Bushwick’s up the creek¹⁰.”

“Very likely. He’d just come up in the stage and was askin’ after a man o’ that name.”

Describing him to one another, they agreed that Sandy was the object of Scotty’s special aversion. This knock-down incident (into which it is unnecessary to go more particularly) was only one more count against the firm, and a new bond uniting this precious pair of scallawags. How and why Bob hated Max and Lennox we know; for a still better reason the gambler fostered a grudge¹¹ against Sandy. They needed no oath-taking, therefore, to make them firm allies in any plan which might present itself to get revenge and possible profit; but in{54} respect to the latter point they had deceived themselves into a belief that our young friends had far more money than was really the case.

1 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

2 squinting   

斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• "More company," he said, squinting in the sun. "那边来人了，"他在阳光中眨巴着眼睛说。
• Squinting against the morning sun, Faulcon examined the boy carefully. 对着早晨的太阳斜起眼睛，富尔康仔细地打量着那个年轻人。

3 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

4 draught   

n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计

参考例句：

• He emptied his glass at one draught.他将杯中物一饮而尽。
• It's a pity the room has no north window and you don't get a draught.可惜这房间没北窗，没有过堂风。

5 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

6 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

7 assented   

同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
• "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！

8 chaff   

v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳

参考例句：

• I didn't mind their chaff.我不在乎他们的玩笑。
• Old birds are not caught with chaff.谷糠难诱老雀。

9 scotch   

n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的

参考例句：

• Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
• Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

10 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

11 grudge   

n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做

参考例句：

• I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
• I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。