He knew now where the leading buck1 came from so suddenly. He and the rest of the flock had been down to the valley to slake2 their thirst at the brook3, and were now returning to their feeding-grounds.
Probably the sheep the wolves had killed was a member of the same flock, which had been left behind by his companions. That he had not been attacked while in their company was speedily proved to Oscar’s entire satisfaction.
The hunter did not shoot for two reasons. The newcomers, when they mounted the bluff4, 223stepped up between him and the leading buck, completely concealing5 him from view; and even if he could have seen him, it was by no means certain that Oscar would have brought him down, for there were others in the flock that were just as large as he was, and whose horns were just as finely developed. It was hard to choose among so many.
While Oscar was running his eye over the flock, trying to make a selection, the big-horns ranged themselves in a half-circle on the edge of the plateau, and snorted and stamped their feet while they watched the wolves at their repast.
The fierce animals evidently did not like the looks of things at all, for they stopped their quarrelling among themselves; and, keeping one eye on the sheep, growled6 savagely7 at them, while they made all haste to finish what was left of their breakfast.
Matters stood thus for just about a minute, and then one of the sheep bounded forward with an angry snort; and, lowering his head, struck the nearest of the wolves a blow in the ribs8 that fairly lifted him off his feet.
224As quick as thought the gallant9 buck turned upon another; but, before he could strike him, the wolves closed upon him and pulled him to the ground.
They did not have time, however, to inflict10 any serious injury upon him; for he was too promptly11 backed by every one of his companions.
Rushing forward in a body, they closed upon the wolves from all sides; and Oscar was the amazed spectator of one of the strangest battles that any hunter ever witnessed.
He was deeply interested in it, and so greatly bewildered, besides, that he entirely12 forgot that he had a loaded gun in his hands.
For a few seconds the combatants were mixed up in the greatest confusion, and it was a wonder to Oscar that the bucks13, in their terrific rushes, did not knock one another over; but they seemed to know just where to strike, and every charge they made was followed by a yelp14 of pain from some unlucky wolf.
225The fight had hardly commenced before it became apparent to Oscar that the wolves were getting the worst of it, and would have been glad to escape if they could; but their enemies had hemmed15 them up against the rocks, and every time one of them attempted to break through the encircling ranks, he was met by a blow that knocked him back again.
Finally, one succeeded in working his way out. Nearer dead than alive, he suddenly made his appearance from beneath the feet of the charging big-horns, and started across the plateau with all the speed he could command; but his pace was not rapid, for the life had been well-nigh knocked out of him by the terrific blows he had received.
He was pursued by a splendid old buck, which came up with him just as he reached the edge of the plateau, and sent him heels over head into the gorge16.
In his eagerness to inflict further punishment upon his discomfited17 enemy, the buck approached within less than twenty-five yards of the concealed18 hunter before he became aware of his presence.
226Then he must have discovered him, or caught his wind, for he stopped suddenly, and, wheeling like a flash, went back across the plateau with short, high bounds, at the same time uttering notes of warning that brought the battle to a close at once.
His companions gathered about him in a frightened group; and Oscar, knowing that in a moment more they would be off like the wind, drew his rifle quickly to his face and pulled the trigger.
The buck which had discovered his presence paid for his vigilance with his life. He fell dead in his tracks, and the others fled with every demonstration19 of terror.
In less time than it takes to write it, Oscar threw out the empty shell, pushed in a fresh cartridge20 which he had held in his hand, and, just as the big-horns were about to plunge21 headlong into the gorge, he made a hasty snap-shot, and had the satisfaction of seeing another of their number fall to his knees; and, after struggling a moment to regain22 his feet, roll over on his side.
Such luck as this was quite unexpected, 227and it set Oscar almost wild with excitement.
Leaping upon the plateau, he ran forward to examine the first buck he had brought down, at the same time sending up the hunter’s cry with all the power of his lungs.
“Who-whoop!” he shouted.
“Who-whoop!” came the answer almost immediately.
And, to Oscar’s delight, it sounded close to the foot of the bluff.
This proved that Big Thompson had struck the trail of the big-horns in the valley, and that he was following it up.
“What ye doin’ thar?” asked the guide.
“I have been getting the start of you,” replied Oscar.
“An ye’ve gone an’ skeered away them big-horns, an’ haint got nuthin’, nuther,” said Thompson.
“What’s the reason I haven’t?” shouted Oscar in reply. “I’ve got two sheep—and, I declare, I’ve got a wolf also,” he added, a moment later. “Two of them, and another big-horn, as I live!”
228After the big-horns discovered his presence, Oscar had paid no attention whatever to the wolves.
He supposed that they had taken themselves safely off as soon as their enemies stopped pounding them; but just then he happened to cast his eye toward the battle-ground, and discovered, to his surprise, that the conflict had been more desperate than he had imagined.
One of the wolves lay motionless at the foot of the rocks, another was vainly endeavoring to crawl off on two legs, and one of the finest big-horns in the flock was straggling feebly near by.
A merciful bullet from Oscar’s rifle quickly put the wounded sheep out of its misery23, and a second shot tumbled over the disabled wolf.
“What in creation are ye wastin’ so much powder fur, up thar?” cried the guide, who was working his way slowly up the side of the almost perpendicular24 bluff.
“I am not wasting it,” was the boy’s answer. “If you don’t believe it, come up and see for yourself.”
Big Thompson was coming with all possible 229haste, but he could not scale the bluff as easily as the sheep did, and it was fully25 ten minutes before he reached the plateau.
Those ten minutes were occupied by Oscar in dragging his game together, and securing the head of the big-horn that had been killed by the wolves.
The guide reached the top at last, and his countenance26 indicated that he was not a little astonished at what he saw before him.
Leaning on his rifle, he looked first at the game, then at the young hunter, and finally he advanced and shook hands with him.
He was so nearly out of breath that he could not congratulate him upon his success in any other way.
In a few hurried words Oscar told what he had done since parting from Big Thompson three hours before, dwelling27 with a good deal of enthusiasm upon the courage displayed by the sheep in attacking the wolves, and winding28 up with the remark that he had no idea that so timid an animal could make so gallant a fight.
“Wal,” replied Big Thompson, who had by 230this time recovered a little of his breath, “they aint by no means as skeery as ye think. It’s a fact that they’ll ginerally run like the wind if they see a man or get a sniff29 of him, but they don’t mind facin’ any varmints they ketch on their feedin’-grounds. If you should happen to get one of ’em cornered, he’d double ye up quicker’n ye could say ‘Gineral Jackson.’ I knowed a feller onct who was larruped by an old doe whose lamb he wanted for his dinner, an’ that thar feller was jest my size, an’ they called him Big Thompson.”
“I never heard of such a thing before,” said Oscar, who had always believed that nothing inferior in strength to a bear or panther could get the better of his stalwart guide. “Tell us all about it.”
“That’s all thar is to tell. I plumped the lamb over fust; an’ the doe, she run off. After follerin’ her fur half a mile I found her ag’in, and knocked her over, too; but I didn’t kill her. When I went to take her by the horns she jumped up an’ give me a whack30 that laid me out flatter’n a slap-jack. When 231I kinder come to myself, about an hour afterward31, I found her standin’ over her lamb; an’ that time I made sure work of her. Now, perfessor, what be ye goin’ to do next?”
“I want to get this game to the camp with as little delay as possible,” answered Oscar. “I have a good deal of work before me, and I can do it now easier than I can after the specimens32 are frozen. But how are we going to get them to the cabin? Why, those sheep must weigh two or three hundred pounds apiece.”
Oscar had been revolving33 this problem in his mind while his guide was climbing the bluff, and it puzzled him not a little; but Big Thompson solved it without an instant’s hesitation34.
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1
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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2
slake
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| v.解渴，使平息 | |
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brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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4
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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5
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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6
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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7
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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8
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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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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10
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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12
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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13
bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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14
yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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15
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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16
gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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17
discomfited
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| v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败 | |
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18
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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19
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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20
cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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21
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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22
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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23
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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24
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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25
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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26
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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27
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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28
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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29
sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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30
whack
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| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
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31
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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32
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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33
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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34
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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