Gaitskill laughed, and decided3 that the mule4 would keep Org out of mischief5, which would justify6 the cost of its keep. Tickfall smiled at the sight of a little boy sitting on a big saddle while a diminutive7 black boy sat behind him, proud of his position and waving a greeting to all his black friends as he passed. Org and Little Bit would not have swapped8 Jinx for an automobile9.
“A automobile gits out of fix,” Little Bit said as they discussed this one day. “When she stops nothin’ kin10 make her go. Ef somepin gits de matter wid it, nobody knows whut ails11 her.”
“But this mule is different,” Org said proudly. “I like something that wags its tail.”
“Dis hay-burner suits me,” Little Bit agreed.
They found to their delight that Jinx was thoroughly12 familiar with that great jungle called the Little Moccasin Swamp. The boys could ride out to that swamp upon Jinx and turn into any path which led into the jungle. The mule would carry them for miles along the winding13 animal trails, and then to their surprise they would find themselves in the highway again. They explored recesses14 in that swamp which they could never have reached without the mule, and they were never uneasy about losing their way.
They found great pools of water where large fish swam that were easily visible to the eye, and apparently15 unafraid. They found great sinks of vegetation where ugly snakes crawled, and they learned that Jinx could smell a snake as far as the eye could see, and that he had no desire to get near enough to be bitten. They saw immense turtles sunning themselves upon the logs and stumps16. They found droves of wild pigs, extremely dangerous to man when he was standing17 upon his two feet, but harmless when a four-footed animal carried them upon his back.
Hence arose this matter of debate between them: Can a wild hog18 count? If he cannot, how does he know the difference between two legs and four legs?
They found an eagle’s nest, came too near, and were followed for miles by a screaming bird which swooped19 down upon them, fanned her immense wings within an inch of their hats, and snapped her vicious beak20 in their faces with a noise like the snip21 of immense shears22. Once they saw a panther crouched23 upon a live-oak limb, his eyes glowing in the jungle shadows like living rubies24; the animal screamed at them—the only thing which ever extracted a burst of speed from Jinx. They were followed for miles as they went out of that swamp by that screaming, snarling25, hissing26, spitting cat.
Once Little Bit turned around and made a noise like an exploding pop-bottle, a method which he had found efficacious in frightening domestic cats away. The vocal27 answer to Little Bit’s elocutionary effort was so terrifying that Jinx nearly jumped out of his skin.
Then one day, on the edge of a little clearing, they found a six-foot alligator28 asleep in the sun.
They dismounted and walked closer. The alligator slept on.
“How close can we get to this thing before he wakes up, Little Bit?” Org asked.
“He’s awake right now,” Little Bit told him. “He pretends like he’s so sleepy he’s mighty29 nigh dead, but he knows we is here all right. But he won’t move till you gits right on him, close enough to tech him wid yo’ hand.”
“What’ll he do then?” Org wanted to know.
“He’ll slap his tail aroun’ and knock yo’ foots out from under you an’ bite yo’ leg plum’ off,” Little Bit informed him. “He’s layin’ dar now waitin’ fer a wild pig to come rootin’ aroun’ him like wild pigs does aroun’ logs. Den30 he’ll slap ’em wid his tail an’ bite ’em in two.”
The boys backed away, climbed upon the trunk of a fallen tree, and looked across the underbrush at the alligator. He was as still as an old rusty31 stove-pipe, which he somewhat resembled.
“Less take that rope off our saddle and rope him,” Org suggested. “They rope everything in California, cattle and everything.”
“Who’s gwine put dat rope aroun’ dat alligator?” Little Bit asked.
“Mebbe I kin, but I ain’t gwine to,” Little Bit asserted, climbing up on the back of the mule. “Little Bit don’t choose but a little bit of alligator in his’n. Dis mule don’t hanker fer none.”
Like most boys who had lived in the West, Org had often played with a rope, looping it and throwing it in imitation of the cowmen. He climbed upon a trunk of a fallen tree about thirty feet from the quiescent34 alligator, coiled the rope, and threw it with wonderful luck. The coil straightened, and the open loop fell right in front of the alligator.
In the less remote sections the alligator is fearful, for it has learned the menace of man. But this one had possibly never seen a human being before. When the rope fell it moved forward a few feet and became quiet again. Org gave the rope a quick jerk, and the loop caught under one of the alligator’s front feet and over his head. Org was standing by a limb upon the fallen tree, bracing35 himself to keep his balance. Quickly he twisted his end of the rope around the limb and tied it.
The creature was still unaware36 that it was captive. Org threw a few branches from the tree in its direction, and it crawled slowly forward a few feet. At last it came to the end of the rope.
A hoarse37, coughlike bark rang through the forest, and instantly that six-foot alligator was a snarling fury as it entered into combat with its bonds. For ten minutes the two frightened boys beheld38 the most terrifying spectacle they had ever imagined. Org scuttled39 down from the treetrunk and took refuge with Little Bit upon the back of the mule, making ready for instant flight.
Within a radius40 of that rope the alligator beat down the marsh-grass as flat as if a road-rolling machine had passed over it. He got into the low underbrush and pounded it down, making a noise like an express train with his powerful clawing feet and his slapping tail. He roared and raised himself almost upright on his tail, and clawed at the rope with his front feet as a man would fight with his hands, and snapped his great jaws42 together like the slapping of two clapboards.
But he could never succeed in getting the rope between his teeth, for the reason that he could not turn his head or lower his chin. Finally, in an awful burst of fury, he threw himself backward, rolled over and over, slapping, thrashing, clawing, snarling, uttering awful coughlike barks to which a thousand echoes in the forest responded in kind. The boys wondered at the creature’s catlike agility43, shuddered44 at the concentrated venomous fury of the battle, quivered with awe41 at the agonizing45, snarling vociferation emitted from between those terrible, gnashing, snapping teeth.
Yet the very configuration46 of the woods fought for the boys. The rope was constantly taut47, for the reason that it could hardly be moved without becoming entangled48 with roots and cypress49 knees and the tough underbrush and the clinging, almost unbreakable vines called bamboo. The struggle against these obstacles slowly exhausted50 the alligator’s strength.
At last he sank down and remained quiet.
After a while the boys mustered51 their courage and crept forward to see. They found their captive had twisted the rope around the cypress knees and projecting roots until he was tied to the ground and helpless. His eyes were not sleepy now. They glowed with baleful flames, ugly, piglike, with glints of green in their fires of fury. The big mouth gaped52 wide when he saw the boys, and the jaws snapped with frightful53 force.
After a consultation54, the two boys ran across the clearing to a switch-cane55 jungle and cut two long cane poles. Returning with these, they began to prod56 and torment57 the alligator, thrusting the poles into his mouth when he opened it; and when he no longer would let them look at his tongue, they still pursued their medical examination by punching him in every place where they thought he might have a particularly tender spot.
This roused him to another performance, a fury of struggle in which he fought and roared and barked and clawed at the rope, and thrashed with his tail, and chased the two boys up a tree until his activities abated58.
All day long they tormented59 the alligator, exhausting every resource in their efforts to get him, as they expressed it, “to cut up some more.” But after five or six hours there was no more fight in him.
When the alligator showed plainly that he had made positively60 his last appearance as an entertainer, the boys decided it was time to start for home.
“How we gwine git our rope back?” Little Bit asked.
“Let that old sucker keep his old rope. I don’t want it,” Org said, wiping the sweat from his face on the sleeve of his shirt and sitting down in utter weariness.
“Marse Tom will bust61 us ef we leaves dat rope out in dese here woods,” Little Bit warned him. “Ropes comes high in de store ef you got to pay fer ’em.”
“I’ll tell Uncle Tom where it is, and let him come after it when he wants it,” Org replied.
“You better not let dat white man know we been out here monkeyin’ wid a alligator,” Little Bit said. “He’ll sell our mule an’ put me in jail an’ flay62 de hide offen you.”
“That’s so,” Org agreed. “Well, the old alligator is nearly dead. Let’s tie our end of the rope to the saddle and make old Jinx drag the alligator up to the house. Then when he dies we can get the rope off him.”
Little Bit agreed to this, and it was not hard to do. They had whipped the alligator until there was no more fight in him, and wearied him until there was not more strength to fight. Their hardest work was untwisting the rope, for as they got nearer to the alligator they had to pry63 the rope from around the roots and snags with a pole. They never got the courage to get close to those jaws which had snapped at them so terribly.
Jinx did not object to a little light hauling when a white boy walked on one side and a black boy on the other, acting64 as escort of honor. The alligator was easily dragged over the marsh-grass and along the animal trails toward the town. Although dragged for over three miles, he at no time showed resistance or attempted to “cut up.”
In the rear of the Gaitskill stables there was a large pig-pen, to which admittance was gained by a gate. Org led the mule in such a way that the alligator faced the gate. Then he led the mule around to the other side of the pen, led him forward, and thus dragged the alligator through the open gate.
Then the boys took a rake, hung one of the teeth through the loop in the rope, and by considerable juggling65 they managed to make the loop loose and large.
“Now, if he kicks around any before he dies, he’ll walk out of that rope,” Org announced. “Then we won’t have to say anything about it.”
“Dat big old animile ain’t gwine die,” Little Bit chuckled66. “Us ain’t hurt him none, an’ by dis time to-morrer he’ll be ready to fix fer anodder fight.”
“I’m through fighting alligators,” Org said wearily. “I never was as hungry and tired in my life. But we’ll keep this old sucker in his pen and make him our pet alligator.”
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1
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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fatten
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| v.使肥，变肥 | |
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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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4
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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5
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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6
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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7
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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8
swapped
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| 交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来） | |
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9
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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10
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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11
ails
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| v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳 | |
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12
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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13
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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14
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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15
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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16
stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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17
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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18
hog
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| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
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19
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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21
snip
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| n.便宜货，廉价货，剪，剪断 | |
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22
shears
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| n.大剪刀 | |
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23
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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25
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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26
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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27
vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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28
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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29
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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30
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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31
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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32
untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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33
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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34
quiescent
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| adj.静止的，不活动的，寂静的 | |
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35
bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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36
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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37
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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38
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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39
scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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40
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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41
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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42
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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43
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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44
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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45
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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46
configuration
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| n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置 | |
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47
taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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48
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
cypress
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| n.柏树 | |
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50
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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51
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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52
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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53
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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54
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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55
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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56
prod
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| vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励 | |
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57
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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58
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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59
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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60
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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61
bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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62
flay
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| vt.剥皮；痛骂 | |
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63
pry
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| vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起) | |
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64
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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65
juggling
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| n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词 | |
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66
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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