There was only one thing he could do, and that was to carry out a plan that had long ago suggested itself to him.
Lish knew that a man of Big Thompson’s active habits would not be content to pass more than half his time in camp doing nothing, but that he would devote all his spare hours to trapping. He was as successful in this line as he was in causing the arrest of 355those who violated the law by selling arms and ammunition2 to hostile Indians, and if Lish could only find out where his traps were set, and visit them occasionally while the lawful3 owner was absent, he might make something handsome by it.
The only objection to this plan was that there was a spice of danger in it; but this Lish hoped to avoid by the celerity and secrecy4 of his movements.
Having pondered the matter for almost a month, the wolfer set out for the valley from which he had so hastily retreated, intending to give it a good looking over, and to be governed in his future movements by what he saw there.
He took Tom’s last blanket from his shoulders while the latter was asleep, and left him without a stick of wood with which to replenish6 the fire when he awoke.
He went into camp that night on the side of the valley directly opposite to the thicket7 in which Oscar’s cabin stood; and, at an early hour the next morning, he had that cabin under surveillance. He saw Big Thompson 356and his young companion when they started for the gorge8—this was the morning on which the guide began his second journey to the fort—and, as soon as they were out of sight, he ran across the valley from the willows9 and plunged10 into the woods behind the cabin.
The impulse to look into it, and see if there was anything there worth stealing, was very strong; but the fear that Big Thompson might come back and find him there was stronger, and he did not yield to that impulse.
He followed about half a mile in the rear of the two hunters, keeping them always in sight; and, when he saw them shake hands and separate at the mouth of the gorge, one going on toward the prairie, while the other—after loitering about for a while—came back into the valley, his delight knew no bounds.
He knew as well as Oscar did that Big Thompson was about to make an effort to reach the fort; and his first care must be to watch him, and see if he succeeded in getting through the gorge. If he did, so much the better for himself, for he would have a clear field for his operations.
357Leaving Oscar to go where he pleased, until it suited his convenience to look after him, the wolfer ran along in the edge of the woods until he reached the gorge. A high hill arose on one side of it, and this the wolfer scaled, after considerable trouble, and sat down on the top of it to watch Big Thompson’s progress.
From his lofty perch11 he kept the guide in sight for more than an hour; and the ease with which the latter passed over the drifts would have satisfied a less crafty12 and suspicious person that there was no danger to be apprehended13 from his unexpected return.
But Lish was so very much afraid of Big Thompson that he dared not take any risks. He kept his position on the top of the hill until it was almost dark, and then scrambled14 down and ran back to his camp.
“I s’pose I might have turned that thar chap outen that thar cabin, an’ slept for onct with a tight roof over my head an’ plenty of blankets to keep me warm,” muttered the wolfer, as he searched about in the timber for some dry wood with which to start his fire. “But if Big Thompson should ’a’ happened to come 358back in the night—whooppee! Howsomever, who keers? I’ll go thar bright an’ arly in the mornin’, and take everything I kin5 lay my hands on to. I’ll larn that young chap that he’s barkin’ up the wrong tree when he tries to shet me into the guard-house!”
By the time daylight came, however, the wolfer had made a slight change in his programme. Before visiting the cabin, he thought it would be a good plan to hunt up Big Thompson’s traps, and thus make sure of something to repay him for his long journey. After that he would take a look at the camp, and, if the coast was clear, make a descent upon it; but, if he found that the guide had returned during the night, he would pick up the game he had stolen from the traps and make all haste to get back into his own valley.
This programme was duly carried out, and the result exceeded the wolfer’s most sanguine15 expectations. Both sides of the brook16 were lined with traps, and Lish robbed and stole so many that, by the time he found the last one, his load was as heavy as he could conveniently manage.
359His first work was to lighten it, which he did by removing the skins of the stolen animals, which, with the traps, he placed among the evergreens17, out of sight.
He was very proud of his morning’s work, and his success gave him courage.
The wolfer now crossed to the nearest bluffs18; and, running along under cover of the timber, finally took up a position from which he could command a view of the cabin door.
He saw Oscar when he came out and went toward the brook to make the round of his traps, but he did not dare go any nearer the cabin. The fear that Big Thompson might be in there held him back.
It was three hours before the young taxidermist returned; and, when he came in sight, there was something in his attitude and movements which told Lish that the boy had discovered his loss.
As soon as Oscar disappeared through the door, the wolfer arose to his feet and came out of his hiding place. This was the time, if ever, to ascertain19 whether or not Big Thompson was at home.
360He ran toward the cabin with noiseless footsteps; and, placing his ear close to one of the cracks between the logs, listened intently.
No sound came from the inside, and this emboldened20 him to move around to the door and listen there. Still he heard nothing, and this gave him courage to thrust his head into the cabin.
There sat Oscar, gazing fixedly21 into the fire, and he was alone. The hinges creaked dolefully as the wolfer laid his hand upon the door, and this aroused Oscar, who jumped to his feet and ran forward as if he meant to shut the intruder out; but, if that was his object, Lish defeated it by throwing the door wide open and stepping across the threshold.
“Hold on thar!” he exclaimed in tones which he intended should strike terror to the boy’s heart and drive away all thoughts of escape or resistance. “If ye come an inch nigher I’ll send ye to kingdom come quicker’n ye could bat yer eye!”
Oscar stopped and stood motionless, for it would have been folly22 to do anything else. The wolfer held his rifle at a “ready,” the 361hammer was raised and his finger was on the trigger.
“So yer the chap as wanted to put me into the guard-house, be ye?” exclaimed Lish, after he had given his prisoner a good looking over.
“I?” cried Oscar. “I guess not!”
“Wal, I guess ye be,” said Lish, taking something from his pocket and throwing it at Oscar—he was afraid to hand it to him for fear that the boy would seize his gun. He was so big a coward that he dared not meet a youth of sixteen on anything like equal terms. “Read that, an’ see if ye aint.”
It was a piece of paper; and, when Oscar picked it up and opened it, he saw that it was the note he had written to his brother on the day he left that bundle of clothing behind the rock.
But there were some words in the note that did not belong there—some that related to a fight and a theft, and an attempt that was to be made to arrest the wolfer. Tom had put them there to refresh his memory, and to enable him to read the note twice alike.
362Oscar saw through it all, and wondered how his brother could be guilty of such an act of meanness, to call it by no harder name.
“What do ye say now?” demanded the wolfer, as Oscar tossed the note back to him.
“I have nothing at all to say. What are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll mighty23 soon show ye!” Lish almost shouted. “Git outen here. Cl’ar yerself sudden, an’ don’t let me find yer in sight when I come out, nuther!”
Oscar, who was so greatly bewildered that he scarcely knew what he was doing, put on his overcoat and cap and left the cabin, the wolfer stepping out of the door and covering him with his rifle as he passed.
“Well,” said he resignedly, as he walked slowly toward the brook, “this knocks us. There is no way out of this scrape. The man’s object is revenge as well as plunder24, and he’ll not leave us a skin. My rifle, revolver, ammunition, and provisions will all go, too; for what he can’t carry away he will doubtless destroy. O Tom, how could you put him up to such a thing?”
363Having reached the willows, Oscar found a hiding-place among them, and set himself to watch the movements of the robber. Of course he could not tell what he was doing inside the cabin, but he noticed that he came to the door every few minutes and looked down the valley toward the gorge.
Oscar knew that he was watching for Big Thompson, and wished most heartily25 that the guide would make his appearance. But luck was on the wolfer’s side this time, and he was allowed to proceed with his depredations26 without being disturbed.
After he had been at work in the cabin a quarter of an hour, he came to the door, carrying over his shoulder the plunder he had selected, and which was made up in the form of a pack-saddle.
This made it evident that he intended to make either the pony27 or the mule28 carry it home for him. He wanted to catch the mule, knowing him to be a valuable animal; but that sagacious quadruped had evidently had quite enough to do with Lish, for, when the man approached, he turned his heels toward 364him, laid back his ears, and seemed so anxious to get a kick at him that the robber dared not go near him.
So he was obliged to content himself with the guide’s pony, which offered no resistance as Lish caught him by the foretop and led him toward the cabin.
After slipping a bridle29 over his head and placing his plunder upon his back, the wolfer took a last look at the gorge and led the pony up the valley out of sight, the mule following quietly at his heels.
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1
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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5
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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replenish
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| vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满 | |
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7
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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8
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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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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10
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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11
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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crafty
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| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
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13
apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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14
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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15
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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16
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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evergreens
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| n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 ) | |
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18
bluffs
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| 恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁 | |
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19
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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emboldened
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| v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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23
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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26
depredations
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| n.劫掠，毁坏( depredation的名词复数 ) | |
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27
pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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28
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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29
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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