We jogged out to Box Springs by way of the lower alkali flats. It is about three miles farther that way; but one can see for miles in every direction. I did not one bit fancy the canons, the mesquite patches, and the open ground of the usual route.
I beguiled1 the distance watching Brower. The animal he rode was a hammer-headed, ewe-necked beast with a disconsolate2 eye and a half-shed winter coat. The ex-jockey was not accustomed to a stock saddle. He had shortened his stirrups beyond all reason so that his knees and his pointed3 shoes and his elbows stuck out at all angles. He had thrust his derby hat far down over his ears, and buttoned his inadequate4 coat tightly. In addition, he was nourishing a very considerable grouch5, attributable, I suppose, to the fact that his customary dose was just about due. Tiger could not be blamed for dancing wide. Evening was falling, the evening of the desert when mysterious things seem to swell6 and draw imminent7 out of unguessed distances. I could not help wondering what these gods of the desert could be thinking of us.
However, as we drew imperceptibly nearer the tiny patch of cottonwoods that marked Box Springs, I began to realize that it would be more to the point to wonder what that gang of hoodlums in the bunk8 house was going to think of us. The matter had been fairly well carried off up to that moment, but I could not hope for a successful repetition. No man could continue to lug9 around with him so delicious a vaudeville10 sketch11 without some concession12 to curiosity. Nor could any mortal for long wear such clothes in the face of Arizona without being required to show cause. He had got away with it last night, by surprise; but that would be about all.
At my fiftieth attempt to enter into conversation with him, I unexpectedly succeeded. I believe I was indicating the points of interest. You can see farther in Arizona than any place I know, so there was no difficulty about that. I'd pointed out the range of the Chiracahuas, and Cochise's Stronghold, and the peaks of the Galiuros and other natural sceneries; I had showed him mesquite and yucca, and mescal and soapweed, and sage13, and sacatone and niggerheads and all the other known vegetables of the region. Also I'd indicated prairie dogs and squinch owls14 and Gambel's quail15 and road runners and a couple of coyotes and lizards16 and other miscellaneous fauna17. Not to speak of naming painstakingly18 the ranches19 indicated by the clumps21 of trees that you could just make out as little spots in the distance--Box Springs, the O.T., the Double H, Fort Shafter, and Hooper's. He waked up and paid a little attention at this; and I thought I might get a little friendly talk out of him. A cowboy rides around alone so much he sort of likes to josh when he has anybody with him. This "strong silent" stuff doesn't go until you've used around with a man quite some time.
I got the talk, all right, but it didn't have a thing to do with topography or natural history. Unless you call the skate he was riding natural history. That was the burden of his song. He didn't like that horse, and he didn't care who knew it. It was an uncomfortable horse to ride on, it required exertion23 to keep in motion, and it hurt his feelings. Especially the last. He was a horseman, a jockey, he'd ridden the best blood in the equine world; and here he was condemned24 through no fault of his own to straddle a cross between a llama and a woolly toy sheep. It hurt his pride. He felt bitterly about it. Indeed, he fairly harped25 on the subject.
"Is that horse of yours through bucking26 for the day?" he asked at last.
"Certain thing. Tiger never pitches but the once."
"Let me ride him a ways. I'd like to feel a real horse to get the taste of this kangaroo out of my system."
I could see he was jumpy, so I thought I'd humour him.
"Swing on all at once and you're all right," I advised him. "Tiger don't like fumbling27 in getting aboard."
He grunted28 scornfully.
"Those stirrups are longer than the ones you've been using. Want to shorten them?"
He did not bother to answer, but mounted in a decisive manner that proved he was indeed a horseman, and a good one. I climbed old crow bait and let my legs hang.
The jockey gathered the reins29 and touched Tiger with his heels. I kicked my animal with my stock spurs and managed to extract a lumbering31 sort of gallop32.
"Hey, slow up!" I called after a few moments. "I can't keep up with you."
Brower did not turn his head, nor did Tiger slow up. After twenty seconds I realized that he intended to do neither. I ceased urging on my animal, there was no use tiring us both; evidently the jockey was enjoying to the full the exhilaration of a good horse, and we would catch up at Box Springs. I only hoped the boys wouldn't do anything drastic to him before my arrival.
So I jogged along at the little running walk possessed33 by even the most humble34 cattle horse, and enjoyed the evening. It was going on toward dusk and pools of twilight35 were in the bottomlands. For the moment the world had grown smaller, more intimate, as the skies expanded. The dust from Brower's going did not so much recede36 as grow littler, more toy-like. I watched idly his progress.
At a point perhaps a mile this side the Box Springs ranch20 the road divides: the right-hand fork leading to the ranch house, the left on up the valley. After a moment I noticed that the dust was on the left-hand fork. I swore aloud.
"The damn fool has taken the wrong road!" and then after a moment, with dismay: "He's headed straight for Hooper's ranch!"
I envisaged37 the full joy and rapture38 of this thought for perhaps half a minute. It sure complicated matters, what with old Hooper gunning on my trail, and this partner's daughter shut up behind bars. Me, I expected to last about two days unless I did something mighty39 sudden. Brower I expected might last approximately half that time, depending on how soon Ramon _et al_ got busy. The girl I didn't know anything about, nor did I want to at that moment. I was plenty worried about my own precious hide just then. And if you think you are going to get a love story out of this, I warn you again to quit right now; you are not.
Brower was going to walk into that gray old spider's web like a nice fat fly. And he was going to land without even the aid and comfort of his own particular brand of Dutch courage. For safety's sake, and because of Tiger's playful tendencies when first mounted, we had tied the famous black bag--which now for convenience contained also the soothing40 syrup--behind the cantle of Meigs's old nag30. Which said nag I now possessed together with all appurtenances and attachments41 thereunto appertaining I tried to speculate on the reactions of Old Man Hooper, Ramon, Brower and no dope, but it was too much for me. My head was getting tired thinking about all these complicated things, anyhow. I was accustomed to nice, simple jobs with my head, like figuring on the shrinkage of beef cattle, or the inner running of a two-card draw. All this annoyed me. I began to get mad. When I got mad enough I cussed and came to a decision: which was to go after Old Man Hooper and all his works that very night. Next day wouldn't do; I wanted action right off quick. Naturally I had no plans, nor even a glimmering42 of what I was going to do about it; but you bet you I was going to do something! As soon as it was dark I was going right on up there. Frontal attack, you understand. As to details, those would take care of themselves as the affair developed. Having come to which sapient43 decision I shoved the whole irritating mess over the edge of my mind and rode on quite happy. I told you at the start of this yarn44 that I was a kid.
My mind being now quite easy as to my future actions, I gave thought to the first step. That was supper. There seemed to me no adequate reason, with a fine, long night before me, why I shouldn't use a little of the shank end of it to stoke up for the rest. So I turned at the right-hand fork and jogged slowly toward our own ranch.
Of course I had the rotten luck to find most of the boys still at the water corral. When they saw who was the lone22 horseman approaching through the dusk of the spring twilight, and got a good fair look at the ensemble45, they dropped everything and came over to see about it, headed naturally by those mournful blights46, Windy Bill and Wooden. In solemn silence they examined my outfit47, paying not the slightest attention to me. At the end of a full minute they looked at each other.
"What do you think, Sam?" asked Windy.
"My opinion is not quite formed, suh," replied Wooden, who was a Texican. "But my first examination inclines me to the belief that it is a hoss."
"Yo're wrong, Sam," denied Windy, sadly; "yo're judgment48 is confused by the fact that the critter carries a saddle. Look at the animile itself."
"I have done it," continued Sam Wooden; "at first glance I should agree with you. Look carefully, Windy. Examine the details; never mind the _toot enscramble_. It's got hoofs49."
"So's a cow, a goat, a burro, a camel, a hippypottamus, and the devil," pointed out Windy.
"Of course I may be wrong," acknowledged Wooden. "On second examination I probably am wrong. But if it ain't a hoss, then what is it? Do you know?"
"It's a genuine royal gyasticutus," esserted Windy Bill, positively50. "I seen one once. It has one peculiarity51 that you can't never fail to identify it by."
"What's that?"
"It invariably travels around with a congenital idiot."
Wooden promptly52 conceded that, but claimed the identification not complete as he doubted whether, strictly53 speaking, I could be classified as a congenital idiot. Windy pointed out that evidently I had traded Tiger for the gyasticutus. Wooden admitted that this proved me an idiot, but not necessarily a congenital idiot.
This colloquy--and more like it--went on with entire gravity. The other men were hanging about relishing54 the situation, but without a symptom of mirth. I was unsaddling methodically, paying no attention to anybody, and apparently55 deaf to all that was being said. If the two old fools had succeeded in eliciting56 a word from me they would have been entirely57 happy; but I knew that fact, and shut my lips.
I hung my saddle on the rack and was just about to lead the old skate to water when we all heard the sound of a horse galloping58 on the road.
"It's a light boss," said somebody after a moment, meaning a horse without a burden.
We nodded and resumed our occupation. A stray horse coming in to water was nothing strange or unusual. But an instant later, stirrups swinging, reins flapping, up dashed my own horse, Tiger.
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1
beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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grouch
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| n.牢骚，不满；v.抱怨 | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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lug
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| n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动 | |
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vaudeville
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| n.歌舞杂耍表演 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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quail
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| n.鹌鹑；vi.畏惧，颤抖 | |
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lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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fauna
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| n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系 | |
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painstakingly
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| adv. 费力地 苦心地 | |
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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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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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harped
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| vi.弹竖琴（harp的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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26
bucking
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| v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的现在分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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28
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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nag
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| v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人 | |
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lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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envisaged
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| 想像，设想( envisage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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attachments
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| n.（用电子邮件发送的）附件( attachment的名词复数 )；附着；连接；附属物 | |
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42
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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sapient
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| adj.有见识的，有智慧的 | |
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yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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45
ensemble
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| n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果 | |
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46
blights
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| 使凋萎( blight的第三人称单数 )； 使颓丧； 损害； 妨害 | |
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47
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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48
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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49
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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50
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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51
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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52
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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53
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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54
relishing
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| v.欣赏( relish的现在分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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55
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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56
eliciting
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| n. 诱发, 引出 动词elicit的现在分词形式 | |
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57
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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58
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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