The rugged10 Anglo-Saxon of our new recruit’s real name proved utterly11 unmanageable on the lips of our French attendants, and Henry Chatillon, after various abortive12 attempts to pronounce it, one day coolly christened him Tete Rouge13, in honor of his red curls. He had at different times been clerk of a Mississippi steamboat, and agent in a trading establishment at Nauvoo, besides filling various other capacities, in all of which he had seen much more of “life” than was good for him. In the spring, thinking that a summer’s campaign would be an agreeable recreation, he had joined a company of St. Louis volunteers.
“There were three of us,” said Tete Rouge, “me and Bill Stevens and John Hopkins. We thought we would just go out with the army, and when we had conquered the country, we would get discharged and take our pay, you know, and go down to Mexico. They say there is plenty of fun going on there. Then we could go back to New Orleans by way of Vera Cruz.”
But Tete Rouge, like many a stouter14 volunteer, had reckoned without his host. Fighting Mexicans was a less amusing occupation than he had supposed, and his pleasure trip was disagreeably interrupted by brain fever, which attacked him when about halfway15 to Bent’s Fort. He jolted16 along through the rest of the journey in a baggage wagon17. When they came to the fort he was taken out and left there, together with the rest of the sick. Bent’s Fort does not supply the best accommodations for an invalid18. Tete Rouge’s sick chamber19 was a little mud room, where he and a companion attacked by the same disease were laid together, with nothing but a buffalo20 robe between them and the ground. The assistant surgeon’s deputy visited them once a day and brought them each a huge dose of calomel, the only medicine, according to his surviving victim, which he was acquainted with.
Tete Rouge woke one morning, and turning to his companion, saw his eyes fixed21 upon the beams above with the glassy stare of a dead man. At this the unfortunate volunteer lost his senses outright22. In spite of the doctor, however, he eventually recovered; though between the brain fever and the calomel, his mind, originally none of the strongest, was so much shaken that it had not quite recovered its balance when we came to the fort. In spite of the poor fellow’s tragic23 story, there was something so ludicrous in his appearance, and the whimsical contrast between his military dress and his most unmilitary demeanor24, that we could not help smiling at them. We asked him if he had a gun. He said they had taken it from him during his illness, and he had not seen it since; “but perhaps,” he observed, looking at me with a beseeching25 air, “you will lend me one of your big pistols if we should meet with any Indians.” I next inquired if he had a horse; he declared he had a magnificent one, and at Shaw’s request a Mexican led him in for inspection26. He exhibited the outline of a good horse, but his eyes were sunk in the sockets27, and every one of his ribs28 could be counted. There were certain marks too about his shoulders, which could be accounted for by the circumstance, that during Tete Rouge’s illness, his companions had seized upon the insulted charger, and harnessed him to a cannon29 along with the draft horses. To Tete Rouge’s astonishment30 we recommended him by all means to exchange the horse, if he could, for a mule31. Fortunately the people at the fort were so anxious to get rid of him that they were willing to make some sacrifice to effect the object, and he succeeded in getting a tolerable mule in exchange for the broken-down steed.
A man soon appeared at the gate, leading in the mule by a cord which he placed in the hands of Tete Rouge, who, being somewhat afraid of his new acquisition, tried various flatteries and blandishments to induce her to come forward. The mule, knowing that she was expected to advance, stopped short in consequence, and stood fast as a rock, looking straight forward with immovable composure. Being stimulated32 by a blow from behind she consented to move, and walked nearly to the other side of the fort before she stopped again. Hearing the by-standers laugh, Tete Rouge plucked up spirit and tugged33 hard at the rope. The mule jerked backward, spun34 herself round, and made a dash for the gate. Tete Rouge, who clung manfully to the rope, went whisking through the air for a few rods, when he let go and stood with his mouth open, staring after the mule, who galloped35 away over the prairie. She was soon caught and brought back by a Mexican, who mounted a horse and went in pursuit of her with his lasso.
Having thus displayed his capacity for prairie travel, Tete Rouge proceeded to supply himself with provisions for the journey, and with this view he applied36 to a quartermaster’s assistant who was in the fort. This official had a face as sour as vinegar, being in a state of chronic37 indignation because he had been left behind the army. He was as anxious as the rest to get rid of Tete Rouge. So, producing a rusty38 key, he opened a low door which led to a half-subterranean apartment, into which the two disappeared together. After some time they came out again, Tete Rouge greatly embarrassed by a multiplicity of paper parcels containing the different articles of his forty days’ rations39. They were consigned40 to the care of Delorier, who about that time passed by with the cart on his way to the appointed place of meeting with Munroe and his companions.
We next urged Tete Rouge to provide himself, if he could, with a gun. He accordingly made earnest appeals to the charity of various persons in the fort, but totally without success, a circumstance which did not greatly disturb us, since in the event of a skirmish he would be much more apt to do mischief41 to himself or his friends than to the enemy. When all these arrangements were completed we saddled our horses and were preparing to leave the fort, when looking round we discovered that our new associate was in fresh trouble. A man was holding the mule for him in the middle of the fort, while he tried to put the saddle on her back, but she kept stepping sideways and moving round and round in a circle until he was almost in despair. It required some assistance before all his difficulties could be overcome. At length he clambered into the black war saddle on which he was to have carried terror into the ranks of the Mexicans.
“Get up,” said Tete Rouge, “come now, go along, will you.”
The mule walked deliberately42 forward out of the gate. Her recent conduct had inspired him with so much awe43 that he never dared to touch her with his whip. We trotted44 forward toward the place of meeting, but before he had gone far we saw that Tete Rouge’s mule, who perfectly45 understood her rider, had stopped and was quietly grazing, in spite of his protestations, at some distance behind. So getting behind him, we drove him and the contumacious46 mule before us, until we could see through the twilight47 the gleaming of a distant fire. Munroe, Jim, and Ellis were lying around it; their saddles, packs, and weapons were scattered48 about and their horses picketed49 near them. Delorier was there too with our little cart. Another fire was soon blazing high. We invited our new allies to take a cup of coffee with us. When both the others had gone over to their side of the camp, Jim Gurney still stood by the blaze, puffing50 hard at his little black pipe, as short and weather-beaten as himself.
“Well!” he said, “here are eight of us; we’ll call it six—for them two boobies, Ellis over yonder, and that new man of yours, won’t count for anything. We’ll get through well enough, never fear for that, unless the Comanches happen to get foul51 of us.”
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1
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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garnished
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| v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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conversant
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| adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的 | |
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oyster
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| n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人 | |
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entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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8
lamentable
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| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
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9
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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10
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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abortive
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| adj.不成功的，发育不全的 | |
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rouge
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| n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红 | |
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14
stouter
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| 粗壮的( stout的比较级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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jolted
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| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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beseeching
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| adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 ) | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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41
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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42
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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43
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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44
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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45
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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46
contumacious
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| adj.拒不服从的，违抗的 | |
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47
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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48
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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49
picketed
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| 用尖桩围住（picket的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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50
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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51
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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