He had no sympathy for the wolves, and tried as hard as he could to send his arrow into one; but the missiles all went wide of the mark, and, after he had emptied his quiver without bringing one of the animals to bag, he had recourse to his revolver, with which he succeeded in knocking over a specimen3.
161Oscar had always been of the opinion that nobody but an Indian could use the bow and arrow, and that even he was glad to lay it aside as soon as he had secured possession of a rifle; but in this he was mistaken.
An Indian certainly does long for a rifle above everything else in the way of a weapon, but he never gives up his bow and arrow, not even at this day, when Winchester rifles that shoot sixteen times without reloading can be had with comparatively little exertion4.
The bow is more effective at close quarters than a muzzle-loading rifle, because it can be used with much greater rapidity; and ammunition5 is costly6, and must be purchased of the trader, while the bow and arrow are implements7 the Indian can make for himself.
And as for skill in shooting—that was something that even a white man could acquire by practice.
Oscar was astonished to see what an adept8 the lieutenant9 had become during his short experience on the plains. He rarely missed pinning a wolf to the ground while his horse was going at full speed; and, with 162the colonel’s strong elk-horn bow, he could draw an arrow to the head with the greatest ease, while Oscar found it a task of no little difficulty to string it.
Some of the incidents of the day were amusing as well as exciting; and, although Oscar thoroughly10 enjoyed himself, and won praise for his perseverance11 and horsemanship, if not for his skill, he was glad when the late dinner was over, and the order was given to catch up.
He had nothing of which to complain, having secured with his own weapons as many specimens12 as he could use; but he thought he had lingered long enough in the vicinity of the fort, and was impatient to be off for the hills.
He had found out, through the colonel, that it was a wild and lonely region to which Big Thompson intended to guide him, and that more than one hunter had gone there who had never been heard of afterward13; but everybody said that game of all kind was abundant, and that was just what he had been sent out there to find.
The night ride to the fort was accomplished14 163without any incident worthy15 of note, and at twelve o’clock the hunters were all in their beds, sleeping soundly.
Sunday was emphatically a day of rest with Oscar, and he needed it, for his hard riding had set every bone in his body to aching.
The others did not mind it in the least, for it was no uncommon16 thing for them to spend whole weeks in the saddle; but with Oscar it was an unusual experience, and it was a long time before he could pass a day on horseback without feeling the effects of it afterward.
On Monday morning he was up long before daylight, and in an hour’s time he was ready for the start.
His luggage and the chest containing his tools were put into the wagon17; the skins of the specimens he had already secured were packed in cotton and stowed away in one of the warehouses18 for safe keeping, and the captive fawn19 was given into the charge of the lieutenant, who promised to take the best possible care of it.
The pony20 the quartermaster had selected for him, and which had never been heard of 164since he threw his rider in the sage-brush, was duly paid for; and the rest of his money was placed in the hands of the colonel, all except a small sum which he kept out to pay for any little articles of luxury—such as milk, butter, and eggs—he might wish to purchase at the ranches21 along the route.
No one had been inquiring for him at the fort during his absence; and this proved that Tom had either done something which made him afraid, or ashamed, to show himself, or else that he was entirely22 satisfied with his present companion, and had no desire to better his condition in life.
Such reflections as these, which constantly forced themselves upon Oscar’s mind, did much to mar2 his pleasure.
By the time Oscar had eaten breakfast Big Thompson and his pony were on hand.
The guide looked dubiously23 at his employer’s outfit24, and then glanced down at the saddle-bags that contained his own, but he had no fault to find.
He waited patiently until the boy had taken leave of all the officers, who wished him every 165success in his undertaking25; and, when he saw Oscar climb to his seat in the wagon, he turned his pony about and led the way from the fort.
Our hero had decided26 to take the lieutenant’s advice, and make his mule27 do duty as a hunting-horse. That would be taking a long step backward, Oscar thought; for, judging by the actions of his long-eared friend, there was about as much speed in him as there was in a cow. His gait in the wagon was a lumbering28 trot29, which he was obliged to assume in order to keep pace with the fast-walking little beast on which the guide was mounted.
He scraped his hind30 feet on the ground as he went along, allowed his ears to bob back and forth31 in the laziest kind of a way, and if by chance the pony increased his lead by a few yards, the mule, instead of quickening his own pace in order to overtake him, would utter a mournful bray32, as if begging him to slacken up a little.
Oscar was not at all pleased with him, but he could not afford to pay fifty dollars for another mustang; and, as the mule would not 166be required to draw the wagon after the foot-hills were reached, it was nothing more than fair that he should earn his living and pay for himself, by carrying his master in pursuit of game.
He was not satisfied with his guide, either. The latter kept just far enough ahead of the wagon to make conversation impossible, and Oscar was left to the companionship of his own thoughts, which were not of the most agreeable nature.
The officers of the post, having taken a deep interest in him and his business, had tried hard to make his sojourn33 with them an occasion long to be remembered; and to give up his familiar intercourse34 with them for the society of this uncongenial man was by no means a pleasant thing to do.
The prospect35 before him was gloomy enough, Oscar thought; but, fortunately, things did not turn out as badly as he anticipated.
The guide misunderstood him, just as Oscar misunderstood the guide and the mule. They were both better than they seemed to be. It needed trouble to bring 167out their good qualities; and that came soon enough.
Shortly after noon, by Oscar’s watch, the guide halted on the banks of a small stream; and, after removing the saddle and bridle36 from his pony, turned the animal loose to graze.
He said nothing to Oscar; and the boy, who now began to feel provoked at his studied neglect, said nothing to him.
“I can hold my tongue as long as he can hold his,” was Oscar’s mental reflection. “If I must depend upon myself for companionship I can do it; but he’ll attend to all the camp-work, I tell you, because that was what he was hired for.”
Stopping the wagon near the place where the guide was starting a fire, Oscar unhitched the mule, turned him loose without removing any part of the harness except the bridle, and throwing himself down between the roots of a convenient tree, watched the motions of his guide, who now began preparations for dinner.
He filled the frying-pan with bacon for Oscar, the slices he intended for himself being impaled38 upon a stick, which was thrust into 168the ground in such a way that the meat hung over the flames.
Then he placed the coffee-pot on the coals, and brought from the wagon tin cups and a tin plate, on which he had deposited a few hard crackers39.
When the bacon was cooked to his satisfaction he placed the frying-pan on the ground in front of his employer, and set a cup filled with coffee beside it, after which he seized a handful of crackers and sat down on the other side of the fire to eat his bacon, using as a fork the stick on which it had been roasted.
“This is about the worst dinner I ever had set before me,” thought Oscar. “If Thompson can’t do better than this I’ll cook for myself. There are plenty of other things in the wagon, and he might take a little pains to get up something a fellow can relish40. I am not used to having my grub shoved at me as one would shove a bone to a hungry dog.”
As soon as the guide bad satisfied his own appetite he began gathering41 up the dishes, which he packed away in the wagon, after giving them a hasty dip in the stream.
169He did not ask Oscar if he were ready to start; and, in fact, he did not seem to care. He hitched37 the mule to the wagon (that was an act of condescension42 that Oscar did not look for); and, having saddled his pony, rode off, leaving the boy to do as he pleased about following him.
He acted the same way when they went into camp that night; and, during the whole of the next day, he never spoke43 a word to Oscar.
He was sociable44 enough with the stockmen whose ranches they passed along the road, but not a syllable45 did he utter for his employer’s benefit until he was ready to make another halt for the night. Then he reined46 up in front of a dug-out, and turned in his saddle to say:
“Pilgrim, if ye’d like to sleep under a white man’s roof onct more afore ye git to the hills, here’s yer chance. I reckon mebbe ye’d best do it, kase why, we leave the trail fur good bright an’ arly to-morrer mornin’.”
Then, without waiting to hear what the boy had to say to his proposition, he raised his voice and called out:
“Halloo, thar, Ike! Have ye went into yer 170den, like a prairie-dog in winter, an’ pulled the hole in arter ye? If ye aint, come outen that. I’ve brought ye a tenderfoot fur a lodger47.”
The dug-out looked like a mound48 of earth, about thirty feet long and half as wide; but that it was a dwelling49 was evident, from the fact that a piece of stovepipe projected from the roof, the thick cloud of smoke that rose from it indicating that a fire had just been started in the stove below.
A flight of rude steps, not made of boards, but dug out of the hard earth, led down to the entrance, in which hung an army blanket that did duty as a door. Taken altogether, it was a very forlorn-looking place. There was not another human habitation in sight.
As the guide ceased speaking, an answering whoop50, uttered in a stentorian51 voice, came from the inside; and presently the blanket was raised and the owner of the voice appeared in the doorway52.
He was a tall, brawny53 man, roughly dressed, but still rather neater in appearance than the 171other dwellers54 in dug-outs whom Oscar had seen along the trail.
His hair and whiskers looked as though they were combed occasionally, and it was plain that he had sometimes washed his face, for when he came to the door he brought with him a towel, which he was using vigorously.
If he recognized an old acquaintance in the guide, there was nothing in his actions to indicate the fact. Indeed, he did not appear to see him. His gaze was fixed55 upon Oscar, at whom he stared with every indication of astonishment56. He looked very hard at him for a moment; and, uttering an exclamation57 under his breath, stepped back into his house, dropping the blanket to its place.
Before the boy—who was somewhat surprised at these actions—could look toward his guide for an explanation, the man again appeared at the door, and this time he carried something besides a towel in his hands. It was a double-barrel shot-gun.
Oscar heard the hammers click as they were drawn58 back, and a moment later the weapon was looking him squarely in the face, while 172the ranchman’s eye was glancing along the clean brown tubes, and his finger was resting on one of the triggers.
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1
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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7
implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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8
adept
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| adj.老练的，精通的 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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10
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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15
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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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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18
warehouses
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| 仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 ) | |
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fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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ranches
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| 大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 ) | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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29
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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30
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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bray
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| n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫 | |
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33
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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35
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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36
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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37
hitched
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| （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上 | |
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38
impaled
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| 钉在尖桩上( impale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
crackers
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| adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘 | |
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40
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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41
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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42
condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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43
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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44
sociable
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| adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的 | |
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45
syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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46
reined
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| 勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理 | |
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47
lodger
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| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
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48
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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49
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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50
whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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51
stentorian
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| adj.大声的，响亮的 | |
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52
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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53
brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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54
dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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55
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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56
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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57
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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58
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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